Fathwa, - Ruling on sensing wetness in the underwear while praying

Question
I might discharge urine after relieving myself, given that I wipe my
penis carefully after urinating. Is this considered urinary
incontinence? What should I do in this situation? This might happen to
me during ablution or during prayer. I am psychologically
distressedbecause of this problem. If this happens to me, what should
I do concerning the coming prayer? Should I perform ablution normally,
or should I just wipe over my clothes, on the inside and the outside?
Note that when I wipe over myunderwear I feel really embarrassed; for
it seemsas if I have wet myself .
And, if I should wipe overmy underwear, how may I identify the exact
area I should wipe that is contaminated with urine? My colleague told
me that he heard Shaykh Muhammad Hassaan say that a man who suffers
from whispers of urinary discharge after relieving himself should tell
himself that this wetness is the water that he used for Istinjaa'.
Please adviseme in this regard. May Allaah reward you .
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad
, is His Slave and Messenger.
If you are sure that what you experience is urine discharge and that
you cannot control it, then it is urinary incontinence, and you may
resort to a doctor for treatment. As for the Islamic ruling on the
prayer of a person who suffers from urinary or gas incontinence, he
should perform ablution for each prayer and washhis private parts
thoroughly. Moreover, you may use a cloth to prevent your clothes from
being stained by the urine, and then pray even if discharges occur.
Such a person should perform ablution as clarified, perform the due
prayer, the voluntaryprayers, and recite the Quran as usual. When
thenext prayer is due, he should perform ablution anew and pray.
However, if these are mere whispers and there is no real urine
discharge, then you should perform ablution and sprinkle some water on
your underclothes, so that if you feel any moisture, you may consider
it just water.
Abu Daawood , An-Nasaa'i , Al-Haakim , Ahmad , Ad-Daarimi ,
'Abdur-Razzaaq and Al-Bayhaqi reported that the Prophet , used to
sprinkle some water on his private parts after Istinjaa'. Ibn 'Umar
used to sprinkle a lot of water.
Many of our righteous predecessors maintained that one should not cut
his prayer if he experiences such wetness. 'Abdur-Raaziq reported in
his book Al-Musannaf on the authority of Abu Farwah: "I used to feel
wetness while I was praying. Accordingly, I would cut the prayer to
perform ablution again and againwithin one hour. So I asked Ibn
Al-Musayyib and he said: " Do not depart from the obligatory prayer. "
I thought he misunderstood me and took my situation for mere whispers,
so I added, " It is not a small portion; the wetness mayreach my feet
or the ground. " He replied: " Do not cut the prayer. If you feel
that, just let your clothes absorb it . "
A man who was with the Imaam asked me: "Did you understand what
theImaam told you? He meant that you should wash your clothes after
prayer; as I had missed this part of his answer. I did what the Imaam
told me and it was not long before I ceased to experience this
anymore.
Allaah Knows best. - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
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Calling to Islam - the duty of every Muslim

While all the messengers appointed by Allaah were charged by Him with
the responsibility to disseminate the revealed guidance with which
they were entrusted, their respective nations too, were called upon to
share in the fulfilment of Allaah's orders. Allaah reminds us in the
Holy Quran with (what means): "And [mention, O Muhammad], when Allaah
took a covenant from those who were given the Scripture, [saying]:
'You must make it clear [i.e., explain it] to the people and not
conceal it.'…" [Quran: 3:187]
The position of the Muslim Ummah (nation), in this respect, is clear
in the Quran, where Allaah states (what means): "You are the best
nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right
and forbid what is wrong…" [Quran: 3:110]
Thus, Allaah Almighty has honoured this Muslim Ummah by appointing it
to share in the noble cause of its Prophet by inviting people to
follow the straight path. The Quran further stresses (what means):
"The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They
enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong…" [Quran: 9:71] while:
"The hypocrite men and hypocrite women are of one another. They enjoin
what is wrong and forbid what is right…" [Quran: 9:71]
Hence, the truth emerges clearly that to enjoin what is right and
forbid what is wrong constitutes a fundamental difference between a
believer and a hypocrite, who pretends to be a believer when he is
quite the reverse. Consequently, all members of the Muslim Ummah, men
and women alike, are individually responsible to furtherthe cause of
Islam with the zeal, determination and sense of sacrifice of the
Prophet and his companions .
That the Companions did their utmost, individually and collectively,
to convey the light of Islam to all people, even outside the Arabian
Peninsula, is demonstrated by the lengthy anddangerous journeys they
took, reaching the Atlantic Ocean in thewest and the Great Wall of
China in the East. Countless distinguished companions breathed their
last in faraway and foreign lands preaching Islam, for which their
sacrifices knew no bounds.
At this point some commonplace misconceptions ought to be cleared. To
call all peoples of the world to Allaah is the duty of every
responsible and conscientious Muslim. Since thereis no priesthood in
Islam or sacerdotal class among Muslims, the duty of the call to
Allaah cannot be transferred to an ill-conceived and imaginary
groupcalled the 'men of religion.' In Islam everyone is a man of
religion and every man will be accountable to Allaah as to whether he
fulfilled his obligations sincerely and to the best of his abilities
or not. The following verse of the Quran should be very enlightening
in this respect; Allaah says (what means): "Say: 'This is my way; I
invite to Allaah with insight, I andthose who follow me. And exalted
is Allaah; and I am not of those who associate others with Him.'"
[Quran: 12:108]
Thus, anyone who rightly claims to be a follower of the Prophet cannot
evade his duty to call people to Allaah.
The following prophetic traditions amply elucidate this point: "Let
those who witness inform those who are absent." [Al-Bukhaari] The word
'witness' here is taken to mean anyone who possesses some Islamic
knowledge. The Prophet is also reported to have said: "Preach on my
behalf, even with just one verse (i.e. verse of the Quran)."
Therefore, one need not be a profound scholar or a great juristto call
others to Islam. No doubt a person well-versed in Islamic sciences
would be able to speak more authoritatively and would be in a position
to explain matters of religion to the minutest details. However, a
highlevel of scholarship is not a prerequisite to call others to
Islam. Everyone's effort has a definite gap to fill. A Muslim scholar
will address his counterpart with a refined style and scholarly
content, while a Muslim layman will have to reason with his equals in
practical terms, each having a role complementary to the others.
Every individual of the Muslim Ummah is obliged to be actively engaged
in whatever way he can to guide people to the right path and support,
morally as well as materially, those who labour to discharge this
responsibility. A common misconception that found appeal even among
earlier Muslim generations and which still lingers on to this day
stems from failure to comprehend the meaning of the following
Quranicverse in the proper context (which means): "O you who have
believed! Upon you is [responsibility for] yourselves. Those who have
gone astray will not harm you when you have been guided..." [Quran:
5:105]
In all honesty and fairness, the above verse does not connote, byany
stretch of imagination, that aso-called pious or saintly person may
absolve himself of the responsibility to call mankind to truth simply
by thinking that evil would not knock at his door, on account of his
being pure and peaceful. Regardless of how pious one may appear to be,
he can never equal the Prophet or excel his companions in their moral
perfection, sincerity of worship and religious devotion.
None of the Prophet's companions ever dreamt of resigning from the
noble task of inviting the nations of the east and the west to eternal
bliss and salvation offered by Allaah through Islam. It was precisely
tocorrect this wrong notion about the aforementioned verse that Abu
Bakr issued the following warning: "O people! Indeed you read this
exalted verse and put it in a place other than its own. Whereas I
heard the Apostle of Allaah saying:"Indeed, if people see a cruel
person and they do not restrain him, Allaah may punish all of them.""
The Ansaar (inhabitants of Madeenah who welcomed the Muslim
immigrants) had gone through great material sacrifices in support of
the Islamic cause. When Allaah granted victory to the Muslims after
their long struggles against the polytheists and they conquered
Makkah, some of the Ansaar felt satisfied. Now that Allaah had
bestowed His favour upon the believers and had crowned their noble
efforts with a glorious and decisive victory over their opponents,
theythought it justified for themselves to return to their much
neglected trades and palm groves. Thereupon, Allaah the Most High,
revealed the followingverse (which means): "…And do not throw
[yourselves] with your [own] hands into destruction…" [Quran 2:195]
Which clearly meant that a believer would be exposed to thegravest
danger if he were to abandon the struggle in the way of Allaah and
confine himself to routine Islamic duties such as Salaat (prayer),
Sawm (fasting), Zakaat (alms-giving), and the like.Abu Ayyoob
Al-Ansaari was among the distinguished Companions. According to some
sources, he was one hundred andten (110) years old when he
participated in the first Muslim siege of Constantinople
(Istanbul)where he died a martyr. Considering his old age, his younger
friends would sometimes recommend him to rest for a while, to which he
would reply: "Are you telling me to throw myself into destruction?"
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Our Children and Prayer - II

• Accompany your child to the mosque:
When your child is able to perform prayer as due, or even is able to
comprehend prayer before reaching the age of distinction, you should
accompany him to the mosque so as to perform congregational prayers.
This makes the child's heart attached to the greatest educational
institutions in the Muslim society, imbuing the childwith love for the
mosque. Thus, the parent should edify his child on the virtue of the
congregational prayer and that it is twenty-seven times better thanthe
prayers offered alone, and make him love the mosque by trying to
please him, for example,whenever you go to the mosque; you may take a
trip or go shopping before or after going tothe mosque.
Furthermore, the parent/father should tell some of his fellows in the
mosque that he will bring hischild that day so that they would warmly
welcome him and play with him and thus, the child would love coming to
the mosque and love the people there as well. Moreover, the
parent/father should steer away from accompanying his child to the
mosques that might estrangeor alienate him, such as constricted and
badly-ventilated ones where the temperature might get uncomfortably
high, ormosques where elderly people pray since they usually scold
young children [who might disturb them] during prayer, or the mosque
where the Imaam prolongs the prayers; because showing thoughtfulness
and consideration to children while performing prayers is of great
significance. In fact, it is a command of the Prophet as he said: "O
people, there are onesamong you who cause people to be averse (to come
to the mosque). If anyone of you leads the people in prayer, he should
shorten it for amongst them are the weak, the old and the one who has
a need (to fulfill)." In another narration with a different wording:
"…for amongst them are the old, the young and the sick..."
[Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
The parent should then resort to the best means to accustom his child
to performing the congregational prayer imbuing him with love for it;
he might let the son lead his brothers, his mother, or his sisters in
some obligatory or voluntary prayers such as the Taraaweeh prayer
(offered during Ramadhaan). In fact, this would make the child feel
more respectable and well-balanced, would urge him toadhere to
performing the prayersand encourage him to be a betterperson.
• Fridays and 'Eid prayers:
The parent/father should accompany his child to the mosque to attend
the Friday and 'Eid prayer at an early age and teach him how to
perform Ghusl (ritual bath), even though he is not obliged to perform
it. He should also carry out other acts of worship that are due on
these occasions before the child such as: reciting Thikr
(remembrance), purification, applying perfume and dressing up to go to
prayers. Furthermore, the father should make the child feel the
significance of that special day; he might tell him, "We will be
attending a big celebration in which an honorable and respectable
scholar will deliver a speech, and then we will performthe prayers".
Hence, the child would be emotionally-charged, get used to seeing
large gatherings, and highly revere andvenerate the status of the
Imaamof the mosque within his heart; as he sees him advising a large
congregation and everyone listening attentively to his words.Thus, the
child would see in him a role model to be followed. Indeed, the father
should choose the suitable mosque where all these requirements are met
and the Friday Khutbah (sermon) is effective.
The above set of instructions and guidelines should be followed by the
parent or teacher in teaching the child to perform prayers untilthe
child adheres to performing due prayers heart and soul, and recognizes
prayer as the pillar of Islam; and accordingly, he would grow up to
revere and venerate ithighly.
Indeed, we do not wish to find this evil phenomenon of parents
neglecting teaching their childrento pray. We do not want to see the
father who adheres to due prayers in the mosque, while his children
and other members of his family are lax and negligent regarding
performing prayers, or even abandon it entirely. Undeniably, the
father would be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection: 'Why did
you not teach your child to pray? Why did you wait until he reached
that stage and abandoned performingprayers completely? Bear in
mind,dear parent, that Allaah The Exalted does not accept excuses
after warnings; Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {O you who have
believed, protect yourselves and your families froma Fire whose fuel
is people and stones.} [Quran 66:6]
Illuminated signs on the way:
1- Dear parent, you should take into account the differences between
children in terms of distinction and age.
2- It is better if the child performs the voluntary prayer
collectively with his parents at first and raises his voice a little
bit in prayer.
3- Some children may not be able to distinguish between the time when
prayer is due and when it ismissed; due to their inability to read the
time on the clock and know the prayer times. In that case, he should
be trained to hasten to prayer as soon as he hears the Athaan i.e.,
call for prayer, or he may be reminded ofeach prayer and should not be
punished or reproved for missinga prayer of which he was not reminded.
However, if he was reminded of a prayer but he ignored it out of
laziness or carelessness or because he was watching TV or playing and
thus, missed that prayer, he should be punished without excessive
harshness so that the child would not be stubborn or reject performing
prayer altogether.
Take 'Uqbah's precious advice:
Al-Jaahith reported that when 'Uqbah bin Abu Sufyaan assigned an
educator to discipline his son, he told him, "In order to rectify my
child, you should first rectify yourself; since students look up to
their educator and see through his own eyes. In fact, good for them is
whatever their educator sees good and bad is whatever he considers to
be bad.
Furthermore, you should teach them the biographies of wise people who
had refined manners.Moreover, you may threaten him and discipline him
without asking for my permission. You should be their doctor who does
not hasten to prescribe the medication until he knows the disease duly
and thoroughly, and do not expect so much from me as a parent; for I
have counted onyou to parent my son." - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
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Our Children and Prayer - I

• "My son does not pray except because he fears me."
• "If I did not remind him of the prayer time, he would wait until its
due time had passed."
• "My son only prays to silence my yells. Can you imagine that he does
not even perform ablution before praying?"
Dear parent, if you are among this group, I would like to invite you,
from the depth my heart, to contemplate my words; perhaps you could
find guidance in what Ihave compiled from the opinions of experts in
the field of education and parenting to makefull use of it in laying
the optimal and best foundation in your precious child [i.e,. your
beloved son] of which you are dreaming.
Before we start:
Before we start our journey on that road and go through the details,
we should adopt the following narration as our motto in the process of
teaching our children to perform prayers; the Prophet said: ~"Command
your children to pray at the age of seven and beat them for it at the
age of ten (if they do not pray)."~~ [Al-Albaani: Saheeh]
Why the age of seven in particular?
In fact, there are several issues that are related to that specific
age. At that age, the children's mental horizons broaden and they are
willing to learn essential life skills. Moreover, seven-year-old
children are more eager to seek their parents' pleasure; since they
are full of deep admiration for their parents in this phase of their
lives. In fact, children then are willing to do whatever they are
told, to get in return simple words of praise or encouragement.
Furthermore, children at that age tend to imitate adults in their
various actions and behavior; they are rather keen to go to the mosque
and pray, unlike the eleven-year-old son and older children who
believe that implementing their father's commands is a return to the
childhood phase. Therefore, children try to keep away from
implementing their orders at the age of puberty. In fact, children at
that age believe that their rejection to their father's orders is the
utmost levelof attaining the phase of youth and being a grown-up.
Let us overcome the obstacles of teaching together.
• Failing to understand the meaning of the word "obligatory" i.e.,
when your child is informed that performing prayer is obligatory;
since such abstract words are rather hard for children to comprehend
at that age as they have simpler understanding abilities at that time.
Hence, you should resort to using intelligible and simple language;
for example, you may tell him, "Prayer is obligatory; this means that
we can not neglect it and as soon as we hearthe Athaan (call to
prayer), we should immediately perform the due prayer", and so on.
• Lack of innate readiness to pray; the child may pray when he is
asked to do so.
• Lack of commitment to perform the five daily prayers at their due
times without the supervision of parents.
• Accustoming him to perform Al-Fajr (Dawn) Prayer.
• Accustoming him to perform ablution before each prayer.
Step by step … do not hasten things.
• Purification is the key to performing prayers:
A parent or teacher should first teach the child the significance
ofprayer, and the fact that it was the last advice of the Prophet
before his death. Moreover, you should inform him that the one who
wishes to be able to talk to Allaah The Exalted, can simply pray. Dear
parent and educator, you should teach your child how to perform
ablution; you can perform ablution in front of him several times, and
then ask him to perform ablution before you so that you can correct
his mistakes.
In fact, when the child masters ablution, the father should encourage
him by offering him some sort of reward, or a piece of candy as an
encouraging gesture so as to urge him to continue. However, if he
makes a mistake in performing ablution, the father should not scold or
reprimand him, instead he should correct him nicely. In fact, numerous
Companions have adopted the same method in teaching the Taabi'oon
(Followers) how to perform ablution correctly. Thus, the virtue of
ablution would take root within the child's heart. The Prophet said:
~"If the Muslim performs ablution, his sins will get out from his
ears, eyes, handsand feet; and as he finishes (i.e. performing
ablution) and sits, he will be forgiven."~~ [Al-Albaani: Saheeh]
Hence, the child would learn that whenever he wants to purify himself
physically and psychologically, he can perform ablution.
• Teach him through representation:
A parent or a teacher should startteaching his child how to pray after
he is taught how to perform ablution. The first stage in this process
is for the father topray before his child duly while observing
Khushoo' (submission);since the first stage of learning is observation
for several times before the child gets used to performing its due
movements, ifthe child has not yet reached the age of distinction.
However, when he reaches the age of sevenyears and is able to
comprehend, he should be instructed to perform the prayer with its
pillars and acts of Sunnah. Moreover, when the child performs his
first obligatory prayer correctly, the parent should offer him a big
reward; sothat prayer would be associated with reward in his heart,
and as he grows older and reaches puberty, he would come to knowthat
the real and big reward in the Hereafter is Paradise.
Moreover, when the child reachesthe age of ten, he should be made to
perform the prayers regularly, and if he is negligent, he should be
reproved, then threatened, then rebuked and reprimanded severely, then
the father can hit his child for what he has been negligent of in
termsof performing the due acts of worship. In fact, the parent should
resort to corporal punishment only after trying all other parenting
methods of punishment.
Dear parents, let us instill love forprayer into our children at an
early age by allocating a special outfit for prayers for the girl, or
allocating a prayer mat for the boy. - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
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