on them, and he did not restart the prayer. Likewise, in the other hadith, when he found impurity on his garment, he instructed them to wash it and did not repeat the prayer. This is because, where the purpose is to avoid something prohibited, a person incurs no sin if he does it forgetfully or by mistake, as indicated by the Quran and the Sunnah.

Allah Most High says:

“There is no blame upon you for what you do by mistake.”

And He Most High says:

“Our Lord, do not hold us accountable if we forget or make a mistake.”

Allah Most High said, “I have done so.” Muslim narrated this in his Sahīh.

Accordingly, the strongest scholarly view is that prohibited acts committed forgetfully or by mistake during prayer, fasting, or Hajj do not invalidate the worship—for example, speaking forgetfully during prayer, eating forgetfully while fasting, or applying perfume forgetfully during Hajj. The same applies when someone forgetfully performs the act to which his oath relates. These questions involve disagreement and distinctions that are beyond the scope of this discussion.

The purpose here is simply to point out that removing physical impurity falls under refraining from what is prohibited. Thus, whenever the impurity is removed, by whatever means, the intended purpose is achieved. However, if it is removed through a person’s action and intention, he is rewarded for that. If it disappears without his action or intention, the harm is eliminated, but he receives neither reward nor punishment.

He—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked:

About the transformation of impure matter, such as ash from impure dung and impure manure