Question:

I have heard that if a Muslim masturbates, his prayers, duas and fasts are not accepted for 40 days. Is this true?

Answer:

Firstly there is no such narration that says this regarding masturbation in that your prayers will not be accepted for 40 days.

There are different levels of acceptance of any of our worshipping actions.

There is the jurisprudential level in what is permissible and not permissible. This is concerned with following the fiqh rules of the action and the correctness of it.

Then there is the spiritual level of it, where a person may perform the act correctly but they will not get the full reward of it because of wrong intention, other sinful acts etc…

The narrations that mention that daily prayers are not accepted if a person has committed certain sins are concerned with the spiritual level. Therefore, this does not mean a person should miss their prayers for forty days or anything like that. Rather, it is a warning to that person that the sin they have committed puts them at risk of not getting the proper reward for their prayers, and a motivation for them to abstain and repent from that sin.

Please refer to other questions regarding masturbation by searching the website.

Answered by: Dr Ali Alsamail
Certified by: Sheikh Mansour Leghaei