He forgot a verse whilst he was offering a naafil prayer, so he moved to pick up a Mushaf and opened it to remind himself of the verse

I was praying the two rakah sunnah salah afterMaghrib. During the
firstra'kah I was reciting a surah I just recently learned. Halfway
through I forget a verse. I stayed there for about 2 minutes
attempting to remember what the nextverse was. When I couldn't
remember, I moved forward to get a mushaf from the shelf in front of
me. I read from the mushaf and then putit back. Is what I did
permissible or is something to be avoided?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Moving during the prayer is makrooh unlessit is done out of necessity.
We have previously discussed the kinds of movements during the prayer
and the rulings ofthem in the answer the question no. 12683 .
The movement that you described is a small movement and was done in
the interests of the prayer, so there is nothing wrong with it. Itwas
one of the movements that are permitted whilst praying.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked:
If a person is offering a naafil prayer and he is reciting lengthy
soorahs and forgets some of the verses, and there is a Mushaf in front
of him, can he pick up the Mushaf in order to checkwhat he missed in
his recitation, or should he stop where he cannot carry on reciting,
and bow?
He replied:
There is nothing wrong with either option, so long as he is offering a
naafil prayer on his own.If he gets confused about a verse and the
Mushaf is nearby, there is nothing wrong with him picking it up and
looking, because this is for a need that has to dowith the prayer. And
there is nothing wrong with stopping his recitation and bowing,
because sometimes if he bows he will remember the verses that he
forgot. So there is nothing wrong with bowing then remembering them,
because this is what he wanted. And if he cannot remember them, then
he should recite whatever he can manage. End quote.
Liqa' al-Baab al-Maftooh,83/18
It should be noted that the Sunnah in the regular Sunnah prayer of
Maghrib is to recite Qul ya ayyuha'l-kaafiroon in the first rak'ah and
Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad in the second, as is proven from the Messenger
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Narrated by al-Tirmidhi
(431); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
And Allah knows best.

What should a worshipper do if he makes a mistake in his recitation or forgets a verse?

When I am reciting surahs during prayer sometimes I make a mistake or
forget because Im not concentrating, then I say'AstighfirAllah three
times and then start the surah again or start the verse again. Is this
correct? Or should I start a new surah?.
Praise be to Allaah.
If a person forgets something in his recitation or makes a mistake in
it whilst praying, if it is in al-Faatihah then he has to correct his
recitation, because there is no prayer for the one who does not recite
it (al-Faatihah). If he forgets something or makes a mistake in it
that changes the meaning, his prayer is not valid until he corrects
it.
If the mistake is not in al-Faatihah, then his prayer is valid,
because recitation after al-Faatihah is Sunnah and is not obligatory.
The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas stated:
If a person forgets the soorah after al-Faatihah,he does not have to
do anything further, whether he is leading the prayer, praying behind
an imam or praying on his own, and whether the prayer is obligatory or
naafil. This is according to the more correct of the two scholarly
opinions. End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 7/146
If a person makes a mistake when reciting the soorah or he forgets
anything of it, it is not prescribed for him to sayistighfaar (ask for
forgiveness); rather he should try to correct the mistake and remember
what he forgot, but if hecannot do that then he may move on to the
verse that comes after it,or he may leave this soorah and start
recitinganother, or he may bow.If he does any of these things, there
is nothing wrong with that.
The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas stated:
If the worshipper becomes confused whenreciting a verse and he cannot
remember it, there is no reason why he cannot recite the following
verse, but it is prescribed for him not to recite in prayer anything
but that which he has memorised well, so that he will not get confused
a great deal. End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 5/337
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked:
If the imam recites in prayer what he can of the Qur'aan, then he
forgets the end of the verse, and none of the worshippers behind
himknows it, so they cannot prompt him, should he say takbeer and bow,
or should he recite anothersoorah?
He replied:
He has the choice: if he wishes he may end the recitation and say
takbeer or if he wishes he may recite a verse or verses from another
soorah, so long as that isnot in al-Faatihah. In thecase of
al-Faatihah, it is essential to recite it in full, because reciting it
isone of the pillars or essential parts of the prayer. End quote.
Majmoo' Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 12/129
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked:
If I am praying on my own and I make a mistake in the recitation of
the verse, and I am not able to complete it and I am confusing it with
another verse, what should I do when I am praying?
He replied: You can do one of two things: you can either move on to
the verse that follows it, or you can bow, becausethe matter in this
case is broad in scope. End quote.
Fataawa Noor 'ala al-Darb by Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 24/141
And Allah knows best.

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SOCIAL CONDUCT AND MUTUAL RIGHTS

Social conduct, good manners and respect for the rights of each other,
again, form an importantpart of Islamic teachings. One can become a
good and true Muslim only when one also observes faithfully the social
code of Islam by which we mean the rules and regulations governing the
modes and manner of behaviour between man and man and between man and
society as laid down by it. For instance, what should the attitude of
parents be towards their children and of children towards their
parents? What sort of conduct should prevail between brothers and
between brothers and sisters? How should husband andwife live
together? How to treat those who are older than ourselves and those
who are younger? What are the rights of our neighbuors on us? How
should the rich behave towards the poorand the poor towards the rich?
What mode of relationship should be maintained between master and
servant? And, so forth. Islam has provided us with a most
comprehensive and complete guidance of law to fulfil our social
responsibilities and act inour dealings and relationships with all
those individuals and groups with whom we come into contact, one way
or the other, in different walks of our daily life, and this is whatwe
are going to discuss in this chapter.
Rights of Parents:
The most primary relationship in this worldexists between man and his
parents. In Islam the rights of parents have been described as next
only to the rights of Allah(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa). To quote from the
Holy Quraan:
The Lord has ordained that ye worship none butHim; and to show
kindness to your parents whether one or both of them attain to old age
with Thee; and say not tothem "Fie!" neither reproach them; but speak
to them both with respectful speech; and defer humbly to them out of
tenderness; and say, "Lord! have compassion on them both, as they
reared me when I was little." [XVII: 23-24]
Another verse of the HolyBook goes on to tell that should the parents
of a person be polytheists and want him also to follow their faith, he
ought to decline to obey them, but even then he should continue to
treat them well and to behave towards them with respect. The exact
words of the verse are:
But if they strive to make thee join in worship withMe things of which
thou hast no knowledge, obeythem not; yet bear them company in this
life with justice (and consideration) [XXXI: 15]
Beside the Holy Quraan, in the Traditions also great stress has been
laidon rendering full devotion and obedience to one's parents. To
disobey one's parents, to ignore their feelings, or to disregard their
comfort or happiness in any other way has been characterised by the
Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam) as a grievous sin. Take these
Traditions, for example:
"In the pleasure of parents lies the pleasure of Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) and in their displeasure the displeasure of Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)."
Once a person enquired from the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam),
"What are therights of parents?" The Prophet (Sallallahu
AlaiheWasallam) replied,"Parents are the heaven and hell of their
children (meaning that salvation and paradise could be gained by
serving one's parents well while disobedience to and ill treatment of
them could lead one to hell)."
The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) once observed, "Every time a
dutiful son or daughter looks with affection and respect towards his
or her father or mother Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) writes against
his or her name the reward of an, accepted Hajj." Upon this,some of
the Companions enquired, "Our Master! Suppose a person does so a
hundred times each day; will he, even then, be given the reward of an
accepted Hajj for every glance he casts?""Yes", the Prophet
(Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) replied, "Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)
is the Most Great, the Most Holy (meaning that the bounty of the Lord
is boundless)."
In one Tradition, it is told, "Heaven lies under the feet of the parents."
The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) once said to the Companions
that the most mortal sins in the world were three:
"To associate anyone with Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa), to disobey
parents, and to give falseevidence."
Again, "Their are three types of men towards whom Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) will not look with mercy on the Day of Judgement one of
them are those who disobey their parents."
Rights of Children:
Islam has laid an equal stress on the rights of children on parents
also. We will leave out here the responsibility of parents to feed and
clothe their children since an instinctive awareness of these are
found in them and they carry it out normally and in the natural way.
The rights of our childrenabout which we are generally careless and
neglectful, are those concerning their moral and religious training
and up-bringing. Islam has made it binding on us, as a matter of duty
that we brought up our wards and children in such a way that they did
not have to make their way to hell after death. We are required to be
extremely careful in this respect. Says the Holy Quraan:
O ye who believe! save yourselves and your families from the Fire of
Hell. [LXVI:6]
The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) has, in a Tradition, stressed
the need of giving proper training to children in these words:
"No better gift can there be from a father to his children then that
he brought them up properly."
Some parents are more fond of their sons than daughters. They take a
great interest in the upbringing of their male issues while the
welfare and training of the female ones are generally neglected by
them. Daughters are, sometimes, considered tobe a burden. For this
reason, Islam has devoted particular attention to the proper
upbringing of girls and extolled it as an act of great virtue. The
Holy Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam) has said:
"Anyone who has a daughter or a sister and he treats her well and
looks after her welfare and training carefully and marries her at the
right place, Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) will reward him with
paradise."
Mutual Rights betweenHusband and Wife:
Conjugal relationship occupies a place of outstanding importance in
the economy of human affairs. It is most strong and intimate tie that
binds husband and wife into a life-long partnership. Islam, therefore,
has furnished a complete guidance in respect of it as well. In
nutshell, Islam demands from wives to be scrupulously faithful to
their husbands and to remain their best friends and true well-wishers
and never to betray theirtrusts. The Holy Quraan declares:
Therefore, the righteous women are obedient, and guard (in the
husband's) absence. [IV:34]
And from husbands it requires that they shouldgive their love
ungrudgingly to their wives, maintain them as best as they can within
their means and leave nothing to be desired by way of their emotional
contentment. Says, again,the Holy Quraan:
Live with your wives on afooting of kindness and equity. [IV:19]
In keeping with these teachings of the Holy Quraan, the Prophet
(Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) used to attach profound importance to the
harmony of married life among Muslims. He used to urge upon Muslim
husbands and wives to keep each otherhappy and to attend to each
other's needs and interests with loving care. Some of his Traditions
in this connection read:
"If a man calls his wife to him and the wife refuses and he stays
annoyed with her during the night, the angels will not cease to curse
her name till day-break."
"The woman who dies in such a state that her husband is pleased with
her shall go to Heaven."
"By the Lord in whose power lies the life of Muhammad (Sallallahu
Alaihe Wasallarn), no woman can fulfil the rights of Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) who does not fulfil the rights of herhusband."
"Charge you to be kind toyour wives. Remember this advice of mine.
See, they are subordinate to you and in your power."
"Good among you are those who are good to their wives."
"He is the most perfect believer (in the sight of Allah Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) who is perfect in his manners and most affectionate
towards his wife and children."
Rights of Relatives:
Besides our parents and children and husbands orwives there also
exists a special tie of kinship between us and our other relatives.
Islam has paid due attention to thisaspect of our social existence,
too, and evolved certain rights and duties in respect of it. Thus, in
the Holy Quraan we are told to be kind to our kinsmen and one who
disregards and pays no heed to the bonds of kinship has been condemned
as a transgressor and a sinnerof the worst order.
The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) once said, "He who violates
the rights of kinsmen and shows no respect forthe bonds of kinship in
his conduct shall not go to heaven."
In this connection a special advice of the Prophet (Sallallahu
AlaiheWasallam) is that if a relative violates the ties of
relationship with regard to us even then we should continue to fulfil,
on our part, the obligations we have towards him. The words of the
Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) are, "If a near relative
treats you indifferently and ignores the bond of relationship, do not
turn your back on him but keep on discharging, on your part, the
obligations of relationship towards him."
Rights of the Old on the Young and of the Young on the Old:
It is a general principle ofIslamic social behaviour that everyone
should respect his elders and carry himself with due deference in
their presence. In the same way, those who are olderare required to,
treat those who are younger to them with kindness and affection, even
if there be no relationship between them.
Said the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam): "He is not of us who is
not affectionate to those who are younger than himself and respectful
to those who are older.
"For the young man who will honour an old man because of his years,
Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) will appoint men who will honour him in
his old age."
Rights of Neighbours:
Apart from relatives, there obtains a permanent association also
between a man and his neighbours. In Islam full attention has
accordingly, been paid toit and definite instructions have been
provided for our guidance in this behalf aswell. The Holy Quraan calls
upon us to be good-and courteous in our behaviour towards our
neighbors in the same way as it has commanded us to maintain the best
of conduct towards our parents, brothers and sisters and towards our
other near relatives:
And then Neighbours who are near, and the neighbours who are strangers
and the companions by your side.[IV:36]
Three categories of neighbours have been spoken of in this verse and
it is expected of us tomaintain cordial relations with all of them.
The phrase "neighbours who are near" denotes neighbours who may also
happen to be our relatives; "neighbours who are strangers" denotes
those with whom we have no familyties, and non-muslim neighbours are
included in this category. Whereas"companions by your side" means
persons withwhom we come into contact temporarily in the course of our
daily activities like a casual acquaintance, a fellow- traveller, a
classmate anda colleague whatever their religious denomination is,
Islam reminds us that we have an obligation to be friendly and
sympathetic towards all the three categories of neighbours.
Says the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam):
"He who believes in Allah(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and the Day of
Recompense should never harm his neighbour."
"He is not a Muslim who eats his fill and lets his neighbour go hungry."
It is narrated that the Apostle of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) once
emphatically exclaimed,"He is not a believer in Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa)." The question was asked, "O Apostle of Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa)! Who is not abeliever in Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)?"
The Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam) observed,"Whose neighbour does
not feel secure on his account."
Yet another Tradition reads:
"He shall not go to Heaven from whose mischief his neighbours do not
feel secure."
It is reported that once a Companion said to the Prophet (Sallallahu
AlaiheWasallam), "O Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) there is a
woman about whom it is said that she offers a great deal of prayers,
observes a great deal of fasts and does a great deal of charity, but
she also causes a great deal of trouble to her neighbours owing to the
sharpness of her tongue." The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam)
observed,"She will go to Hell." The Companion then said, "O Apostle of
Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)! There is another woman about, whom it
is said that she engages herself little in prayers, fasting and
charity (that is, she observes the prayers, fasts and charity less
thanthe first woman) but never offends her neighbours by her tongue.
The Holy Prophet(Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) observed,"She will be in
Heaven."
Brothers! Such are the rights of neighbours in Islam. Alas, how
heedless have we now grown to them!

ZAKAAH

Among the fundamental tenets of Islam, Zakaah occupies a place next in
importance only to beliefand Salaah. As one wouldsay, it is the third
pillar ofIslam.
Zakaah means that a Muslim who is in possession of a certain amount of
wealth, or more, is required by his religion to spend one-fortieth of
it at the end of every twelve months on the poor, the needy and the
wayfarer, and on such other items of charity and other heads of
expenses as are prescribed 1 for it by Allah(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)
and the Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam).
IMPORTANCE:
At several places in the Holy Quraan, Zakaah has been enjoined on
Muslims side by side withSalaah. While reading the Holy Quraan you
would have come across a number of times the command: "Be steadfast in
prayer: practise regular Zakaah." On several occasions it has been
spoken of by the Holy Quraan as a characteristic feature of Muslims
that, "They establish prayer and giveregular Zakaah." These two verses
go to show emphatically that those who do not offer Salaah and fail to
pay the Zakaah are, in fact, not Muslims, for the two basic attributes
and distinguishing features of a genuine Muslim are not present in
them.
Anyway, habitual neglectof Salaah and failure to pay the Zakaah are,
according to the Holy Quraan, not the qualities of a Muslim but of an
atheist or a polytheist. About the Salaah we have a verse in
Sura-h-Room of the Holy Quraan which reads:
Establish regular Salaah and be not ye among polytheists those who
join gods with Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) [XXX:31]
And about the evasion of Zakaah being the attribute of polytheists and
infidels we have it inSura-h-Fussilat:
And woe to polytheists those who join god with Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) those who practise not regular Zakaah, and who even deny
the Hereafter. [XLI:76-77]
DREADFUL CHASTISEMENT:
The fate that awaits those who do not pay the Zakaah and the
punishment that is goingto be handed out to them in the Hereafter is
so dreadful that the merethought of it is enough to make one's hairs
standon end. For instance it is stated in Sura-h-Tauba:
And there are those who bury gold and silver and spend it not in the
way of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa); announce unto them a most
grievous penalty-On the Day when heat will be produced out of that
(wealth) in the Fire of Hell, and with it will be branded their
foreheads,their flanks and their backs. "This is the (treasure) which
ye buried for yourselves. Taste ye the (treasures) ye buried."
[IX:34-35]
In one of his Traditions, the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) has
explained in a little more detail the purport of this Surah. The
Tradition when translated into English reads:
"He who possesses gold or silver (i.e., wealth) but does not fulfill
the obligations that are attached to the possessions of wealth (i.e.,
dues not paid, e.g., Zakaah etc.) plates of firewill be prepared for
him on the Day of Judgment. These plates will be heated further in the
fireof hell and then his forehead and sides and back will be branded
with them. The plates will be heated up again and again to brand him
and this will continue throughout the Day of Judgment which will be
equal to fifty thousand years in this world."
Beside this, other horrible kinds of punishment are also mentioned in
the Traditions. May Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) save us all from
them!
UNJUST AND UNGRATEFUL:
People who have been blessed by Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) with
wealth and prosperity are, indeed, a most unjust and ungrateful lot if
theydo not pay the Zakaah and shirk from spending their riches in His
way as desired by Him. They richly deserve the punishment that is
goingto be meted out to them on the Day of Recompense.
Again, what is generally not realised is that it is our own poor and
indigent brothers we serve when we pay the Zakaah or spend our money
on others acts of charity. By evading the Zakaah we, as such, do a
great wrong to our needy and helpless brethren and play foul with
their rights.
To think over it from another angle, whatever we have by way of
property or wealth has, after all, been granted to us by Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and we are His creatures and slaves. He
commands full controland authority over our lives. Were He to
demandfrom us every bit of our property or our life it self, our duty,
even then, would lie in placing everything before Him quietly and
without demur. It is merely His Kindness and Benevolence that He has
called on us to give awayin Zakaah only one-fortieth of the wealth He
has bestowed on us.
Reward:
Another extra-ordinary favour of the Lord is that He has placed an
enormous reward on Zakaah and other deeds of charity though whatever
we give away is only out of the possessions and the wealth He has been
pleased to bestow on us. It would have been perfectly reasonable and
justified if there had been no promise of a reward from Him on these
things. If He is pleased with our conductwhen we spend, from the
resources He has favoured us with, in Zakaah and in other charitable
activities, as ordained by Him, and hasgiven the assurance of a rich
premium on such deeds of ours, it is solely due to His Infinite
Kindness and Mercy. States the Holy Quraan:
The parable of those whospend their substance in the way of Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) is that of a grain of corn; it groweth seven
ears and each ear hath a hundred grains. Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)
giveth manifold increase to whom He pleaseth: for Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) careth for alland He knoweth all things. Those who spend
their substance in the cause of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and
follow not up their gifts with reminders of their generosity or with
injury-their reward is with their Lord: on them shall be no fear nor
shall they grieve. [II-261-262]
In the above verse, three promises have been made on behalf of Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) to those whopractise Zakaah and spend their
money in His way through other means:
One, Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) will repay them hundred-fold in
this world for what they spend;
Two, they will be rewarded bounteously inthe Hereafter;
Three, there will be for them neither fear nor grief on the Day of Judgment.
The holy Companions hadthe fullest faith in these promises. When
verses extolling the spiritual merit of expending in the path of Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and denoting what stupendous Divine reward was
on it were revealed to the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) and
the Companions came to know of them from him they were so deeply
stirred that such of them as were poor and did nothave the means to
give away somethings in charity left their homes and went out in
search of work and carried heavy loads on their backs so that they
could earn some money to spend for the sake of Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa).
We will reproduce here just one Tradition of the Holy Prophet
(Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) revealing the significance and the
outstanding worth and merit of Zakaah.
States the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam). "There are three
things whoever acquires them acquires the real joy of faith; Firstly,
to worship Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and no one besides Him;
secondly, to believe sincerely in and, lastly, to pay the Zakaah
cheerfully on one's possessions every year."
Worldly Advantages:
Apart from the reward and recompense in the Hereafter, numerous wordly
advantages also accrue from practising the Zakaah regularly and
spending in other Divinely prescribed branches of charity. For
example, a Muslim who discharges these obligations properly
experiences a rare feeling of satisfaction and tranquility in his
heart, the poor do not feel jealous of his wealth.On the other hand,
they wish him well pray for his welfare and look towards him with love
and admiration. The world holds him in high esteem everyone likes him
and feels drawn towards him sympathetically, and, Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) bestows prosperity on him and multiplies his wealth.
A Tradition of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam) reads:
"The mandate of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) is: "O Son of Adam! Go
on spending the wealth I have given thee (on the poor, the needy and
the destitute);I shall give thee more."
And, another:
"I can swear no one will become poor because of expending in the way
of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)."
May Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) endow us all with stanchest faith in
the sayings of the Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallarn) and grant us
the great good fortune to act on them!

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