Dought & clear - , There is no stipulation that Jumu‘ah prayer should be offeredin a masjid or jaami‘.

One of my acquaintence comented that, Juma is only valid in a place where all five daily prayers are being offered in congregation. Praise be to Allaah. There is no stipulation that Jumu‘ah prayer should be offered in a masjid or jaami‘ according to the majority of fuqaha’ of the Hanafi, Shaafa‘i and Hanbali madhhabs, unlike the Maalikis. It says in al-Bahr al-Raa’iq (2/162), which is a Hanafi book: The words “and general permission” mean: The condition of it being valid is that it should be done in the usual manner. So, for example,if a ruler were to close the gates of the fortress and lead his family and troops in offering Jumu‘ah prayer, that is not valid. This is what it says in al-Khulaasah. In al-Muheet it says that if he opens the gate of his palace and gives the people permission to enter, it is valid althoughit is makrooh, because he did not fulfil the rightof the Jaami‘ mosque. End quote. It says in Tarh al-Tathreeb (3/190): Our view (i.e., the Shaafa‘i madhhab) is that establishing Jumu‘ah is not only to be done in the mosque; rather it may be performed in an ordinary building. If they do it in a place other than a mosque, the one who enters that place should not pray during the khutbah, because there is no “greeting” (2-rak‘ah prayer upon entering) for it. End quote. It says in al-Insaaf (2/378), which is a Hanbali book: With regard to the words “it is permissible to performit in various buildings or buildings that are on theedge of the wilderness”, this is the view of our madhhab and it is the view of most of the scholars of the madhhab, many of whom stated it definitively. And it was said that it is not permissible to perform itanywhere except in the jaami‘. End quote. With regard to the Maalikis, they stipulated that it must be performed in the jaami‘, as stated above. Khaleel al-Maaliki said concerning the conditions of Jumu‘ah: [It should be] in a jaami‘ that is built separately. In al-Taaj wa’l-Ikleel (2/520) it says: “In the jaami‘.” Ibn Basheer said: The jaami ‘ is one of the conditions of offering this prayer. Ibn Rushd said: It is not validto establish Jumu‘ah except in a designated mosque. Al-Baaji said: One of the conditions is a mosque that is built specifically for that purpose in the usual style of mosques. End quote. To sum up: Jumu‘ah prayer in the place mentioned is valid according to the majority of scholars, if it is not possible to allocate a specific place for the Muslims to pray and if they cannot go to the nearest mosque or Islamic centre in which Jumu‘ah prayer is offered. And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear - , If there is snow or rain, does that make it permissible to miss Jumu‘ah?.

Did the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) ever miss the Jummaa prayer because of bad weather.the weather which is meant is about 20cm of snow. Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: There is no report in the Sunnah that the Prophet(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not pray Jumu‘ah because of rain or snow;rather he did not pray it when travelling. Secondly: It is permissible to not pray Jumu‘ah and prayers in congregation in the event of heavy rain, cold wind or snow which is bothersome to people and makes it difficult for them to go to Jumu‘ah, because of the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (901) and Muslim, according to which Ibn ‘Abbaas (ra) said to his muezzin on a rainy day: When you say Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasool-Allaah, do not say, Hayya ‘ala al-salaah (come to prayer); rather say, Sallu fi buyootikum (pray in your houses). It was as if the people found that objectionable. He said: One who is better than me did that. Jumu‘ah is obligatory, but I did not want to force you to walk in the mud and on slippery ground. [al-Nawawi] said: This hadeeth indicates that Jumu‘ah may be waived because of rain and the like. This is our view andthe view of others. Something different wasnarrated from Maalik (may Allah have mercy on him). And Allaah knows best which is correct. End quote. The Hanbalis regarded snow as one of the reasons that make it permissible not to go to Jumu‘ah or prayers in congregation. Its says in Kashshaaf al-Qinaa‘ (1/495): Attendance at Jumu‘ah or prayers in congregation may be waived in the event of rain, mud, snow, ice or acold wind on a dark night, because of the words of Ibn ‘Umar: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would ask his callerto call out on a cold or rainy night when travelling: Pray where you are. Agreed upon. It was also narrated from Ibn Maajah with a saheeh isnaad, but he did not say “when travelling.” In al-Saheehayn it was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas that he said to his muezzin on a rainy day -- Muslim added thatit was a Friday -- … and he narrated the hadeethquoted above. And the same applies to snow, ice and cold. This confirms that cold wind on a dark night is an excuse, because it is likely that it will rain. End quote. It is well known that many people are not bothered by snow and itdoes not prevent them from going to work and meeting other needs. For these people, snow is no excuse for them not to attend Jumu‘ah. But if it bothers them and makes it very hard for them to get to the mosque, then it is an excuse. And Allah knows best.

Whose is the kingdom today?

When the Samanid ruler,Nasr bin Ahmad ( 301 - 331 A.H), entered Nishapur, he held a court. After ascending the throne, he wanted the proceedings to be started with the recitation from the Holy Qur'an. At this an elderly pious man came forwardand recited a section of the surah Al- Mu'min. When he came to the verse (On that Day it will be asked:) "Whose is the Kingdom today?" Nasr was struck with awe; he descended the throne trembling, took off the crown and fell down in prostration, saying: "O my Lord, Kingdom is Yours, not mine!"

A bird's nest

Recently, we attended a speech given by a scholar from USA. The speech was mainly about the Greatness of Allah. Here is one interesting excerpt from the lecture: A poet said"Who has taught the birds how to make their nests? The birds make their nests in such a way as if a king is building his palace according to his desires." The birds create beautiful houses with the help of their beaks. They do not use a single stone or brick. They collect straws one at a time and puts them in their place. Within a short time, the birds make a comfortable nestfor them to live in. The nest that the birds make using their beaks are so dynamic that we can't even make them using our hands. Indeed, Allah has given the birds this knowledge from His infinite bounties.