What do you do if your wudhu breaks during Salah?

I am an engineering student at a university. I was leading Asr Salah at my dorm. About thirty students were offering salah behind me. Suddenly my wudhu broke, but I completed salah and did not repeat it. Was our Salah accepted? If not what should one do if wudhu breaks during Salah?

In the Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

When your wudhu broke, your Salah and the Salah of those praying behind you terminated because you did not appoint a deputy Imam to continue and complete the rest of the Salah.

Since the Salah was also not repeated in its time, you will have to make up that Salah. You will also have to inform those who prayed behind you so that they can make up that particular Salah as well.1

IF THE IMAM’S WUDHU BREAKS DURING SALAH:

The Imam whose wudhu breaks during Salah will appoint a qualified, deputy Imam on his behalf to continue the Salah.

It is necessary for the deputy Imam to make an intention of leading the people.2

There can be no talking, either forgetfully or on purpose, or any action that is not part of Salah3

The preferred method is for the Imam whose wudhu breaks during Salah, to terminate his Salah immediately (by making Salam). This action of his will terminate the Salah of those praying behind him as well. The Imam will then make fresh wudhu and restart the Salah from the beginning. The muqtadis (followers) would wait for him to return.4

IF THE MUNFARID’S WUDHU BREAKS DURING SALAH:

A munfarid (person praying individually) whose wudhu breaks during Salah should also ideally terminate his Salah (with Salam) immediately and restart from the beginning after making fresh wudhu.

IF THE MUQTADI’S WUDHU BREAKS DURING SALAH:

As for the muqtadi (follower) whose wudhu breaks during Salaah will also  terminate his Salah (with Salam) immediately and go make wudhu. If the congregation has finished by the time he returns, he should restart his Salah from the beginning and complete it.

If the congregation is still in progress when he returns, he will join it as a latecomer would.5 All those rakaah(s) that he prayed with the Imam before his wudhu broke and while he was out for wudhu, he will make them up after the Imam has finished his prayer just as a latecomer would.

And Allāh knows best.

Ml. Sohail Bengali
Chicago, IL (USA)

Concurred by:

Muftī Abrar Mirza
Chicago, IL (USA)

Under the Supervision of Muftī Ebrahim Desai (South Africa)

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