As-salamu 3laikum, I asked this question no. 2392482 and you directed me to some other fataawa on the same topics. I read these rulings but want to know how they apply to my situation.You quoted the following hadith: ‘The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said: "One should not leave his prayer until he hears a sound or finds a smell" .In those two questions there was no smell. In my case, I think there was a smell, but I am not sure what it was. I want to know if the prayer has to be repeated as smell is normally an evidence that the wudoo is broken.As regards the second issue, I am not asking about whether one can pray without covering the feet. I am asking about when one’s garment is accidentally out of place and is not covering a small part of the lower leg for a short time in sujood, although there is no space between that part of the leg and the prayer mat. Does the prayer become invalid if one knows that this had happened, does it become invalid if one suspects that this has happened, and should the prayer be repeated? I now know that prayer performed by a sitting person who is physically able to stand is not valid. However, I also read other fataawa quoting ahadith where the Prophet(salallahu 3laihi wa sallam) did not order people to repeat their past prayers if they hadn’t heard the ruling, except in one case where the prayer was still in its time. This was used to show that people do not have to repeat past prayers if they were ignorant. So I am asking, would I have to repeat the prayers if I had heard of the ruling but didn’t understand it properly and was not aware that the prayer would be invalid? And if travellers in a car do not think they will reach their destination before the prayer time is over, do they have to stop at the side of the road and pray, or can they pray in the car where there is no space to stand? jazakum Allahu khair

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

First of all, we should say that it seems to us from this question and a previous question from you that you are afflicted with severe Waswasah (obsessive whispers) about the prayer and what invalidates it, so we advise you not to get carried away with those whispers. We have learned by experience that getting carried away with the person who is afflicted by whispers and answering all his questions only aggravates his whispers.

What we can say now about the issues which you mentioned is that since you were not certain about the presence of a smell but you only doubted it, then in principle your ablution is still valid and it is not invalidated and you are not obliged to repeat the prayer.

What you mentioned that the presence of a smell is evidence that the ablution is invalidated is true, but this is when you are certain of its presence, and not just when you are in doubt about it. Rather, the jurists stated that the predominant conjecture that there is a smell is just like doubting, and this should not be taken into account.

Az-Zarkashi, in Sharh Mukhtasar Al-Khiraqi, said: “Doubt according to the words of Al-Khiraqi is the opposite of certainty, even if this doubt resulted in predominant conjecture, as per the agreement of the jurists and linguists...”

Moreover, Asna Al-Mataalib, which is one of the Shaafi'i books, reads: “There is no difference between equality and preponderance, and this is what An-Nawawi has stated in his book Ad-Daqaa'iq and other books, as he said that doubt in this case and in most of Fiqh issues is wavering (between possibilities), whether the two possibilities are equal or that one of them is more probable than the other.”

Besides, An-Nawawi said in Al-Majmoo’: “Our scholars (i.e. in the Shaafi'i school of jurisprudence) stated that it makes no difference in doubt that the two probabilities are equal for the person or that he predominantly thinks that one outweighs the other.”

To conclude, if you are not certain about passing wind, then the prayer is valid.

As for the prayer of a woman whose leg is slightly uncovered for a short period of time. then it does not become invalidated as you mentioned. Ibn Taymiyyah said: “If a part of her hair or body is slightly exposed, she does not have to repeat the prayer according to most scholars, and this is the opinion of Abu Haneefah.”

Since the slight uncovering of the hair or the body of the woman does not invalidate the prayer, then it is not invalidated by just doubting about being uncovered in the first place with greater reason.

With regard to what you mentioned that there are Ahaadeeth that prohibit repeating a past prayer if the worshiper did not hear about the ruling, this is not correct and there are no Ahaadeeth with this meaning. Nonetheless, some jurists are of the view that if a person leaves a condition or a pillar of the prayer while he does not know the ruling, then he is not obliged to repeat that prayer if its time has elapsed because the Prophet did not order the person to whom this happened to repeat the prayer as in the Hadeeth of the person who performed the prayer incorrectly. Indeed, there is a difference between saying that he did not order him to repeat the prayer, and what you said that he forbade repeating it.

Concerning the prayers that you had prayed and you later became certain that they were invalid because you left a condition of the prayer out of ignorance, then you may act according to the opinion of the scholars who are of the view that it is not an obligation to repeat the prayer, but in order to be on the safe side, it is better to repeat them. As regards the prayers that you doubt about their invalidity after having performed them, then in principle they are valid, but you should stop listening to such whispers, may Allaah bless you.

As regards a traveler by car, it is not permissible for him to pray an obligatory prayer while sitting in the car; rather, he should stop and pray the obligatory prayer while standing; this is the principle. One must pray standing unless he has a legitimate excuse for not doing so. For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 83821.

Allaah Knows best.