His statement, peace be upon him, “whether he knew of it or not,” refers to the state when he stands for prayer after he had previously known of the impurity being present on the garment but did not remember it at the time of standing for prayer due to an occurrence of forgetfulness or oversight. However, if there had been no prior knowledge at all of the impurity before that time, then repeating the prayer would not be obligatory in any case, based on the indication of the first narration, otherwise, the narrations would be contradictory. The Shaykh (Al-Mufid), may Allah سبحانه وتعالى support him, said: ‘Whoever prays in a usurped garment or in a usurped place, his prayer is not valid and he must repeat the prayer.’ This is supported by what is agreed upon, that one is forbidden from praying in either of the two (a usurped garment or place), and the prohibition indicates the invalidity of the prohibited action, as has been explained in other places. Also, there is no disagreement that prayer requires the intention of nearness (to Allah سبحانه وتعالى), and this prayer is considered blameworthy without any dispute, and seeking nearness through blameworthy acts is not valid in any situation.
Commentary #36