Is prayer invalidated if somebody skips a verse in qira’ah or if he pronounces a different letter instead of a letter ("sin" instead of "tha")?

1. I was reading the chapter of an-Naba as the imam in the fard of the morning prayer; I skipped a verse in the middle of the chapter and continued reading. Is prayer invalidated if a person skips a verse while reading? What should he do if he does not remember that verse and skips or if he skips it by mistake? 2. Is the prayer of a person who cannot pronounce the letter “tha” and pronounce it as “sin” while reading the verse "Inna a’taynakal kawthar" in the chapter of al-Kawthar invalidated?

Dear Brother / Sister,

The prayer is not invalidated in either of the cases you mention.

What is the order of the chapters to be read in fard prayers? What is the decree regarding the issue?

Some scholars say that it is makruh to divide a chapter into two and read it in the first and second rak'ahs but according to the soundest view, it is not makruh. However, it is more virtuous to read a separate chapter in each rak'ah.

Some scholars say it is makruh to ignore the order in a rak'ah while reading a few verses, that is, to skip one or more verses after reading a verse and to continue with other verses, but others say it is permissible. The decree is like the one about the chapters. (al-Muhit / Sarakhsi - Fatawa al-Hindiyya)

It is permissible to read from the middle or end of a chapter in the first rak'ah and from the middle or end of another chapter in the second rak'ah, but it is more appropriate not to do so.  

It is not regarded as makruh to read the last part of a chapter in the first rak'ah and to read a whole chapter in the second rak'ah – for instance, amanar-rasulu in the first rak'ah and the chapter of al-Ikhlas in the second rak'ah. (Tatarhaniyya - Fatawa al-Hindiyya)

If the last part of the chapter is much longer than short chapters, it is more virtuous to read it in both rak’ahs. However, if the medium-length or short chapters a person knows by heart are longer than the last part of the chapter he knows by heart, it is better for him to read the chapter. (az-Zahira / Tajuddin)

If a person knows a long verse like the verse of mudayana (al-Baqara, 282) and medium-length or short chapters, it is more virtuous for him to read three verses in both rak’ahs than chapters. However, no matter which one he reads, wajib qira’ah is fulfilled.  

It is regarded makruh to read two verses on end between which there is one chapter or a few chapters. Of course, it is makruh tanzihi. However, it is permissible to read two different chapters in two rak’ahs if there are a few chapters between them. According to some scholars, if the chapter between two chapters is long, it is permissible to read them. Fatwa is based on the latter. (al-Muhit / Sarakhsi)

If there are two short chapters between the chapters to be read in two rak’ahs, the decree is the same. That is, some scholars say it is not makruh. According to some scholars, it does not matter whether there is one or a few chapters between the two chapters unless their places are changed; it is permissible. This is the sound view. For, it is easy for those who perform prayers.

To fulfill qira’ah by reading the chapters according to their order in the Quran:

It is sunnah to follow the order of the chapters in the Quran in prayer. There are also some scholars who say it is mustahab. According to the first group, in the second rak'ah, it is makruh to read a chapter that is before the chapter one has read in the first rak'ah. It is necessary to act in accordance with the order among verses too. Some scholars sayit is makruh to ignore the order in a rak'ah while reading a few verses, that is, to skip one or more verses after reading a verse and to continue with other verses, but others say it is permissible. The decree is like the one about chapters. (al-Muhit / Sarakhsi - Fatawa al-Hindiyya)

All of those decrees are about fard prayers. It is not necessary to follow the order in the Quran in sunnah and nafilah prayers. One can read in the order that is easy for him. However, if one forgets to read in the order in a fard prayer or starts to read a chapter before the one in the first chapter as a slip of tongue, he does not have to change it; he completes the chapter that he has started; sajdah as sahw is not necessary either. For, he is regarded to have abandoned a sunnah or mustahab by doing so. (az-Zahira / Tajuddin)

If a person wants to read the chapter of Aal-i Imran but, as a slip of tongue, starts to read the chapter of al-Baqara and if he wants to change it after reading one or two verses, he will have committed a makruh deed. The view that it is makruh to change even after reading one or two words is more common. Fatwa is based on this. If a person finishes qira’ah and wants to bow down for ruku’ but decides to read a few more verses before bowing down, it is permissible. However, if he returns and reads more verses after he bows down, it is makruh. (Fatawa al-Hindiyya - aI-Khulasa)

If a person reads only al-Fatiha or al-Fatiha and one or two verses, it is makruh. Abandoning the extra chapter after al-Fatiha deliberately is regarded as abandoning wajib; therefore, it is makruh tahrimi. This prayer, which becomes makruh tahrimi since a wajib is abandoned deliberately, is essentially valid and the debt of performing that prayer is deleted but it is wajib to perform it again. If he abandons it by mistake, he performs sajdah as-sahw. (al-Muhit / Radiyuddin Sarakhsi)

As a matter of fact, Abu Qatada states the following in a sound narration regarding the issue: "The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) read al-Fatiha and a chapter in the first two rak’ahs of the noon, afternoon and morning prayers in both rak’ahs. He read only al-Fatiha in the last two rak’ahs of the noon, afternoon and night prayers. We usually could hear the chapters he read. He read longer in the first rak'ah than the second rak'ah." (Bukhari - Muslim - Abu Dawud - Fiqhus-Sunnah see Celal Yıldırım, Kaynaklarıyla İslam Fıkhı, Uysal Kitabevi: 1/270-273)

Does pronouncing a different letter instead of a letter in qira’ah invalidate prayer?

If the meaning changes when a letter is pronounced instead of another letter and if those letters are not close to each other in terms of the point of articulation, the prayer is invalidated. However, if those two letters are close to each other in terms of the point of articulation, if it is difficult to distinguish between them and if it is difficult to pronounce them correctly because of this, the prayer is not invalidated.  

Let us give a few examples about the issue:

There are some difficult letters whose points of articulation are very close to each other like (za) and (dad), (sad) and (sin), (ta) and (tha). According to the majority of fiqh scholars, prayer is not invalidated if one of the letters of the pairs above is read instead of the other. (Fatawa Qadihan) Fatwa is based on this view. 

However, if it is done deliberately, prayer is invalidated according to Qadi Abu Hasan and Qadi Abu Asim. Nevertheless, if it is done as a slip of the tongue, prayer is not invalidated. This is the preferred view.

However, the former is deemed more appropriate in terms of fatwa since it is easier. Thus, a person who cannot pronounce some letters will not be regarded as excused; therefore, he has to make effort to learn them. However, if a person cannot pronounce some letters though he tries very hard and cannot do it by any means, he reads the verses that do not contain those letters. If not, he performs prayers by pronouncing the letters as he can but it is not appropriate for him to become an imam. (Fatawa Qadihan, Fatawa al-Hindiyya) This is the sound view.

(see Celal Yıldırım, Kaynaklarıyla İslam Fıkhı, Uysal Kitabevi: 1/276)

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