Question Summary
Sometimes I make slight pronunciation (makharij) mistakes like saying the ‘ra’ in ‘Allahu Akbar’ with the tip of my tongue toward the front of my pellet. Is my prayer valid since this mistake was in the opening takbir?
Mistakes in Recitation
Mistakes in the recitation of the Qur’an are of two types:
2) A hidden error (lahn khafiyy)
Your description matches a ‘hidden error,’- when the reciter falters in the temporary characteristics (sifat ʿarida) of the letters, e.g., ikhfa, madd, etc. To recite the Qur’an with ‘a hidden error’ is disliked provided that the reciter is aware that he is making ‘a hidden error’ and that he is making no effort in rectifying his recitation. [Gaibie, Murshid Al-Qari]
Effect on Prayer Validity
Making a mistake in a short vowel (haraka) of the Fatiha does not harm as long as it does not alter the meaning. The same applies to the opening ‘takbir.’ A mistake in recitation does not invalidate one’s prayer unless it changes the meaning and is done deliberately. [Keller, Reliance of the Traveler]
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar, Shaykh Taha Karaan.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic online learning and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and pursuing his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy living and fitness.