If Someone Commits Kufr Out of Ignorance, Are Their Prayers and Repentance Still Valid?
Question
Assalamu alaikum shaikh. I have a question. Many years ago I thought that I would commit kufr. I was influenced by a story and imagined myself as Allah, but I did not know that this was kufr and shirk. I believed that in the future I would really become Allah. If I had understood that this was shirk and kufr, I would never have made this mistake. I thought it was a major sin. I was completely ignorant of what shirk and kufr were. Later, after some time, I realized my mistake, but I did not repent and did not make that mistake again. Do I have to answer for it and were my prayers and supplications at that time valid and accepted? I have heard that if someone commits any shirk or kufr but he does not know that it is shirk or kufr. He knows that it is a major sin. Then he does not have to answer for it and his prayers and supplications at that time are valid and accepted.
Islamic Ruling & Answer
VerifiedWalekumussalam,
If you genuinely did not know that such a belief constituted disbelief (kufr) and associating partners with Allah (shirk), then you should sincerely repent to Allah, seek His forgiveness, and renew your faith (īmān). However, whether ignorance (jahl) serves as an excuse and whether a person is held accountable in such a case is a detailed scholarly issue that depends on the specific circumstances and details involved.
Therefore, it is not correct to state categorically that there will be absolutely no accountability, nor can it be said without further details that all of the person's acts of worship were invalid. Allah is Most Merciful and accepts sincere repentance.
For now, you should repent, seek forgiveness, renew your faith, and maintain a good hope in Allah’s mercy.
And Allah knows best. (Wallāhu Aʿlam)
Answered by
Mufti Tosif Qasmi
May 30, 2026
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