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Alsagh (one with a speech defect, and its rulings)

الألثغ

Alsagh is one who has a speech defect in which a letter is changed, such as r to l or g, or s to th; it is related to the stutter and similar defects. 1 The defect is a fault in a prayer leader; most jurists count the speaker of such a defect with the illiterate in leading prayer, while some Malikis and the Hanbali judge al-Qadi allow him to lead with dislike. 1 When a defect is caused by injury, the diya is reckoned in proportion. 2

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Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Global / Diaspora
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Definition

Alsagh is one who has a speech defect, a stammer that turns a letter into another, such as r into l or g, or s into th. 1 Related terms are al-art, one who merges one letter into another, al-thaththa'a, one who repeats the taa, and al-fafa'a, one who repeats the fa. 1

Rulings

  • The defect is a fault in a prayer leader. The majority count the speaker with the illiterate in leading prayer, so a fluent person may not follow him, but he may lead others with the same defect. Some Malikis and the Hanbali judge al-Qadi hold his leading valid with dislike. 1
  • The Shafi'is require, for a speech-defective person to lead another with the same defect, that the defect fall on one word only. 1
  • Some jurists forbid following one who swaps one letter for another. Ibn Taymiyya gives two views on swapping the dad. 1
  • In a compensation for injury that causes the defect, the diya is reckoned in proportion to the defect; if the injury prevents speech altogether, some jurists hold the full diya due. 2
  • The defect may affect divorce, as when a man says "tali" for "talaq" by mistake. 2

See also

The entry on compulsion (إكراه) is cross-referenced for the term إلجاء. 2

People and things also explored

The mute person (abkam) in fiqh· Blindness (ama): capacity, worship, testimony and contract· Aqta' (one who has lost a hand or foot)· One-eyed defect ('awar) and its effect on sacrifice, marriage, manumission and injury· Shihab al-Din Ibn Hajji al-Hisbani· My Name Is Khan· The Color of Paradise

Sources

  1. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3315
  2. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3316
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Alsagh (one with a speech defect, and its rulings)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/alsagh/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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The mute person (abkam) in fiqh

The Kuwaiti encyclopedia defines the mute person (abkam) as one who has the condition of dumbness, which is the absence of speech. Lexicographers distinguish the abkam, who has speech but cannot give an answer, from the akhras, one born unable to speak; the jurists in their usage do not distinguish between them. Since the mute lacks the means of expression by the tongue, the Encyclopedia says he is held to intention and to moving the tongue, or murmuring, in acts of worship such as prayer, reciting the Qur'an and the talbiya; the Malikis accept intention alone. In other matters he must express himself in writing, if he writes well, and otherwise by an intelligible sign, as in sales, transactions and testimony. In hudud punishments his confession against himself and his testimony against others are not accepted, because a doubt averts such punishments.