In the name of Allah the Most Gracious the Most Merciful

Does giggling, laughing, and/or smiling nullify your prayer and wudoo?

By Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-’Uthaymeen may Allah have mercy on him

The Shaykh mentions this point of benefit in his explanation of Bulugh al-Maraam 2/360-361.

Question: What is the ruling of giggling, laughing, and smiling in the prayer?

Answer: As for giggling then it nullifies the prayer. Rather, some of the scholars have said that if you were to giggle in your prayer then you have broken your prayer and wudoo. However, what is most correct is that only the prayer is nullified and not the wudoo. That is because giggling negates what is prescribed in the prayer completely, and the same goes for laughing. As for smiling, then if it is done without [a sound coming from] the voice then the prayer is not nullified.

Translated by: Abu Awzaa’ee AbdusSalaam

الفقير الى الله