that he cannot remove, he prays in that state and, according to most scholars, likewise need not repeat the prayer. If he can find only an impure garment, some scholars say that he should pray unclothed; others say that he should pray and then repeat the prayer; and others say that he should pray in the impure garment without repeating the prayer. This last view is the soundest scholarly opinion.

Likewise, a traveler who cannot use water prays with tayammum. Some say that the prayer must be repeated when one is not traveling; others say that it must be repeated when traveling; and others say that it need not be repeated either when traveling or when not traveling. This last view is the soundest scholarly opinion.

The correct scholarly view, then, is that anyone who has done what he was commanded to do to the best of his ability need not repeat the prayer. Only someone who has omitted an obligation that he is capable of fulfilling must repeat it, such as someone who omitted it through forgetfulness or sleep. As the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“Whoever sleeps through a prayer or forgets it must pray it when he remembers it. There is no expiation for it other than that.”

The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—also instructed someone who had performed ablution but left a small patch of his foot untouched by water to repeat both the ablution and the prayer.

As for what a person omits because he does not know it is obligatory—for example, someone who prayed without stillness, unaware that it was obligatory—the scholars have differed over whether he must repeat the prayer after its prescribed time has ended. There are two well-known opinions on this, both found within the school of Ahmad and elsewhere. The correct view is that such a person need not repeat the prayer, for it is authentically reported in the Sahīh that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said to the Bedouin who erred in