If the Imam accidently leads Salaah with Najasaah (impurity) on his clothes, more specifically urine, what is the state of his Salaah and in turn, the Salaah of the congregation? Does the Salaah have to be repeated?
Answer:
The Fuqaha mention that if the impurity is from the category of Najaasat e galeezah (heavy filth), the excusable amount for the sake of prayer is the size of a Dirham. That is the surface area of the inner concave circle of the palm. The way to determine its size is to put water on the hand with the palm extended, the water which remains on the palm indicates the approximate area (about 3-5 cm in diameter). If it’s more than that, Salaat performed whilst having it on one’s clothes/body, will be invalid. Based on this, if it was less than the mentioned amount, everyone’s Salaat will be valid, and if it was more, everyone’s Salaat will be invalid. (References: Maraaqil Falaah pg 222, Durrul Mukhtaar vol 1, pg 211, Ascent to felicity pg 59)