Keep the spirit of Ramadhaan alive all year

As we enter upon the month of Shawaal, let us not leave off the many
acts of worship we performed during the blessed month of Ramadhaan.
Ramadhaan, for most of us, was a time of renewal and reestablishment
of our commitment to Allaah and His religion.
We fasted, gave charity, read the Quran and performed the night
prayer. We avoided gossip, slander and every evil that would
invalidate our fasting. But now that Ramadhaan is over, the majority
of us, unfortunately, willput the Quran back on the shelves, will
suspend fasting untilnext year and will abandon the night prayer. This
is not the way it should be, because all of these acts of worship
carry rewards and are of benefit to us throughout the year, in
addition to the fact that there is no divine prescription limiting
them to Ramadhaan.
The Quran
It's sad, but true, that many of ushave fallen into the bad habit of
only reciting the Quran during the month of Ramadhaan. By doing this,
we cheat ourselves out of the abundant blessings that come from
reading the words of Allaah. Reading the Quran is the best way to
remember Allaah, it is a protection from the Satan and in it are cures
for what ails us. For Allaah says (what means):"O mankind, there has
come to you a protection from your Lord and a healing for what is in
your hearts and for those who believe,a guidance and a mercy."[Quran;
10:57]
The Messenger of Allaahsaid:"Whoever reads a letter of the Book of
Allaah (Quran) shall have a good deed (recorded for him orher) and
every good deed is increased a ten-fold (reward). I do not say that
Alif Laam Meem isone letter, but rather Alif is a letter, Laam is a
letter and Meem is a letter."[At-Tirmithi]
The Quran is also the best way fora servant to draw closer to his or
her Lord. Khabbaab Ibn Al-Aratsaid to a man: "Draw closer to Allaah as
much asyou can, andremember that you can do so by no means more
pleasing to Him than by His own Words (i.e. the Quran)."
The Night Prayer
Many of us passed the nights of the month of Ramadhaan, especially the
last ten, standing in prayer before Allaah. Just because Ramadhaan is
over, doesnot mean that Allaah does not see us now if we stand in the
night prayer. Allaah Says (what means):"Surely your Lord knows (O
Muhammad) that you stand (inprayer) two thirds of the night, or half
of it, or a third of it..."[Quran; 73:20]
The Messenger of Allaahsaid:"The best prayer, after the obligatory
prayer, is the night prayer."[Muslim]
The night prayer carries with it many blessings. For example,
Al-Hassanwas asked: "How is it that those who stay up at night have
the most attractive faces?" Hereplied, "Because they are on intimate
terms with The Merciful, and He adorns themwith some of His light."
And for those of us who feel that standing in the night prayer will
leave us tired and unable to go about our daily tasks in the morning,
we should consider the following words of Allaah's Prophet.
Hesaid:"When any of you sleeps, Satan ties three knots at the back of
his head. On each knot he repeats and exhalesthe following words, 'The
night islong, so stay asleep.' If you wake up and remember Allaah, one
knot is undone and if you perform ablution the second knot is undone
and if you pray, the third knot is undone, and youget up in the
morning full of energy and with a clear heart. Otherwise, you will get
up feelinglazy and with a muddled heart."[Al-Bukhaari]
Fasting
The Prophetsaid: "Whoever fasts a day in the way of Allaah, Allaah
will place between him and the Fire a trench like that between the
heavens and the earth." [At-Tirmithi]
Likewise, fasting wipes away the evils that arise out of person's
wealth, family or neighbor. Huthayfah Ibn Al-Yamaannarrated that the
Messenger of Allaahsaid:"The evils caused for a man through his
family, wealth and neighbor are expiated by prayer, fasting and
charity."[Al-Bukhaari]
The Prophetexplained to us that fasting protects us from our unlawful
desires, shields us from the hell fire and draws us closer to Allaah
and His Paradise. Healso encouraged us to fast at least three days
each month. The best days for this optional fastingare Mondays and
Thursdays, or the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth days of the
lunar month.
Charity
Allaah has blessed most of us to live relatively comfortable lives.
But there are Muslims all over theworld that find great difficulty in
attaining the most basic necessities of life. During Ramadhaan most of
us give in charity, but we forget to do so for the rest of the year.
Giving charity is of greater benefit to theone who gives it, than to
the one who receives it. It is a means of purifying our wealth,
increasing our faith and attaining righteousness. Allaah Says (what
means):"It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the
East or West, but it is righteousness to believe in Allaah, and the
Last Day, and the angels, and the Books, and the prophets and gives
wealth, in spite of love for it,to the kinsfolk,the orphans, the
needy, and to the wayfarer..."[Quran; 2:177]
Giving in charity also allows us to express our faith. To truly taste
the sweetness of faith, we must want for our brothers and sisterswhat
we want for ourselves. For the Prophetsaid:"None of you will have
faith until he likes for his (Muslim) brother what he likes for
himself."[Al-Bukhaari]
Clearly, fasting, praying during the night, reading the Book of Allaah
and giving charity should not be relegated to Ramadhaan alone. These
good deeds, and others like staying away from gossip and slander, are
all things we should do all the time. By keeping the spirit of
Ramadhaan alive throughout the year, we cansafeguard our religion and
will beable to seize many opportunities to earn the mercy and
blessings of Allaah.

Dought & clear - There is no stipulation that Jumu‘ah prayer should be offered ina 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 - Is it prescribed not to do the prostration of forgetfulness in Jumu‘ah and Eid prayer?.

Dear brother i came to know from my father that prostration of
forgetfulness should notb done during friday salah and eid, how far is
it true i was going on searching it on ur website but i couldnt find
it please provide meif any evidence.
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
We have previously discussed the ruling on Eid prayer in the answers
to questions no. 48983and 49014.
In the answer to question no. 45456we stated that it is prescribed to
do the prostration of forgetfulness (sujood as-sahw) in naafil prayers
just as it is prescribed in obligatory prayers; it is exactly the
same. This is the view of the majority of scholars.
That is because the basicprinciple is that it is prescribed to do the
prostration of forgetfulness in prayer when there is the reasonfor
doing it, and the Lawgiver made no differentiation between obligatory
and naafil prayers in that regard.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The prostration of forgetfulness is prescribed in all prayers,both
naafil and obligatory, because of the general meaning of the hadeeths.
End quote from Majmoo'Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 30;13.
There is no disagreement that Jumu'ah prayer is obligatory, so the
requirement to compensate for mistakesby doing the prostrationof
forgetfulness in this prayer is more certain.
With regard to Eid prayer, whether we say it is obligatory or naafil,
it is like all other prayers; if a person makes a mistake he should
compensate for itby doing the prostrationof forgetfulness.
We have not found any one among the scholars, either the imams of the
four madhhabs or other leading fuqaha', who differentiate between the
prayers and Jumu'ahand Eid prayer, with regard to the prostration of
forgetfulness.
However, the well-known view amongst the later Hanafis is that it is
betternot to do the prostrationof forgetfulness in Jumu'ah and Eid
prayer if a large number of people are present, lest that confuse the
worshippers, although in principle they also do not differentiate in
the ruling on prostration of forgetfulness between obligatory and
naafil prayers; rather they thought it was better not to do it with a
large congregation for the reasons mentioned.
Burhaani ad-Deen al-Bukhaari al-Hanafi said in al-Muheet, 2/229:
It says in al-Asl: Making mistakes (or forgetting) in the Eid prayer,
Jumu'ah, obligatory and voluntary prayers is the same, because Jumu'ah
and Eid prayers are the same as other prayers with regard to what
mayspoil them, and they are the same with regard to what is required
as compensation, except that our shaykhs said: They should not do the
prostration of forgetfulness in Jumu'ahand Eid prayers, lest that
cause people to fall into confusion. End quote.
Abu Bakr al-Haddaadi said in al-Jawharah an-Nayyirah, 1/95:
Prostration of forgetfulness in Jumu'ah, Eid and obligatory prayers is
all the same; what is meant is that one should do theprostration of
forgetfulness in all prayers (if required). Butsome of the shaykhs
saidthat the imam should not do the prostration offorgetfulness in
Jumu'ahor Eid prayer lest he cause confusion to thosewho are far away
from the imam. End quote.
Ibn 'Aabideen said in al-Haashiyah, 2/157:
The favoured view among the later scholarsis that he should not do the
prostration of forgetfulness in Jumu'ahand Eid prayer, lest the
ignorant think that something has been added. This is what it says in
as-Siraaj and elsewhere. But that doesnot mean that it is not
permissible; rather it is better not to do it so that the people will
not become confused. End quote.
It is clear from the wordsof Ibn 'Aabideen and others that this
opinion is only well-known among the later Hanafis. As for the imams
of the madhhabs and the earlier scholars, this is not known from them;
rather what is well known from them is the opposite, as is clear
fromthe above. Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ash-Shaybaani, the companion of
Imam Abu Haneefah, the propagator of his madhhab and the faqeeh of
Iraq, said that the prostration of forgetfulness should be done (if
required) in the Eid prayer, Jumu ah and all other prayers.
Abu Sulaymaan al-Jawzjaani said: I said –i.e., to Muhammad ibn
al-Hasan – Do you think that the prostration of forgetfulness is the
samein the Eid prayer, Jumu'ah, and in the obligatory and
voluntaryprayers? He said: Yes.
Al-Mabsoot, 1/383
This is the correct view, which is in accordance with the opinion of
the majority of scholars. What was quoted above from the later Hanafis
is an opinion and juristic preference, but it is an opinion that is
superseded.
The correct view is what is stated above, that the prostration of
forgetfulness is prescribed in all prayers,whether obligatory or
naafil, if the reason for doing it is present. Thereis no
differentiation between Eid prayer, Jumu'ah prayer, or any other
prayer, whether obligatory or naafil.
And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear - Why is Friday singled out for greatimportance?.

I want to know why Friday Prayer is important and Different then other ?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, chose Friday to be the best of
days before Him, and He singled it out for major events and great
qualities, which are the reason why Muslims are obliged to venerate
this day and take it as one oftheir Eids or festivals in which Allah
has prescribed rituals that He has not prescribed for other days.
On our website we have previously quoted a great deal of evidence
tosupport this view, whichyou can see in the answers to the
followingquestions: 9211, 12309and 13692
Secondly:
Moreover, Jumu'ah prayer has a particular virtue and great qualities
through the barakah (blessing) of this great day.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Jumu'ah prayer is singled out from among all the other obligatory
prayers for having particular characteristicsthat are not found in
other prayers, including the fact that it is offered in congregation,
has a minimum number of worshippers required in order for it to be
valid, the iqaamah is a condition of its being valid, one must not be
travelling in order for it to be obligatory, and therecitation is done
out loud.
There is an emphasis on its imortance the like of which is not
mentioned for other prayers except 'Asr prayer. In the four Sunans it
is narrated in the hadeeth of Abu'l-Ja'dad-Dumari – who was a
Companion – that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) said: "Whoever misses three Jumu'ahs out of heedlessness,
Allah will place a seal on his heart."
End quote from Zaad al-Ma'aad, 1/384-385.
The Prophet's Sunnah also singles out Jumu'ah prayer by encouraging
believers to do ghusl for it and to wear perfume (for men only). It is
also strongly encouraged to come early for the prayer and there is a
great deal of reward for walking to the prayer. Concerning these
specialcharacteristics, Sa'eed ibn Mansoor narrated from Na'eem ibn
'Abdullah al-Mujammir that 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased
with him) issuedinstructions that the mosque of Madinah be perfumed
with incense every Friday at midday, as was narrated by Ibn al-Qayyim
in Zaad al-Ma'aad, 1/370.
Thirdly:
The main reason for venerating Friday prayeris because of the divine
decree that singled out this prayer and this day for special virtues.
This isone of the manifestations of Allah's Lordship (ruboobiyyah), as
He alone singles out for veneration whateverHe Wills of His creation
and whatever times and places He chooses. He is the One Who does
whatever He wills for reasons that He, may He be glorified, knows.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is the only One Who has the
power to create and to choose from among His creation. Allah, may He
be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): "And your Lord
creates whatsoever He wills and chooses" [al-Qasas 28:68]. If you
ponder this creation, you will realize that this choosing and singling
out are proof of His Lordship and Oneness, and of the perfection of
His wisdom, knowledge and might; that He is Allah, besides Whom there
is no other god, and He has no partner who can create as He creates,
or choose as He chooses, or control as Hecontrols. This choice,
control and singling out,the effects of which are evident in this
world, are among the greatest signs of His Lordship andthe greatest
testimony to His Oneness, the perfection of His attributes and the
truthfulness of His Messengers.
End quote from Zaad al-Ma'aad, 1/40-43
Al-'Allaamah Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) also stated
that this singling out and choice are indicative of the inherent
virtue of the thing chosen, for which Allah blessed this time. By His
knowledge and wisdom, Allah may grantto a certain place, time or
person that which qualifies it to be chosen by Allah and favoured
above others.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This concept may not be understood by the one who regards all
individuals, deeds, times and places as equal, and claims that there
is nothing inherent that makes one thing better than another, and that
precedence is given to some things over others for no reason. This
view is invalid for more than forty reasons that I have listed
elsewhere. It is sufficient, in order to understand the falsenessof
this view and how corrupt it is, to note that Allah, may He be
glorified and exalted, refuted this false view when He said
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And when there comes to them a sign (from Allah) they say: 'We shall
not believe until we receive the like of that which the Messengers
ofAllah had received.' Allahknows best with whom to place His Message"
[al-An'aam 6:124].
"Allah knows best with whom to place His Message" means: not everyone
is qualified or fit to convey His Message; rather the Message has
those who are suited to conveying it and it cannot befit anybut these
people; Allah knows better than you who these people are. If all
individuals were equal -- as these people claim -- there could
havebeen no argument against them in this verse.
Similarly, Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Thus We have tried some of them with others, that they might say: 'Is
it these (poor believers) that Allah has favoured from amongst us?'
Does not Allah knowbest those who are grateful?"
[al-An'aam 6:53].
What is meant is: Allah knows best who will give thanks for His
blessings, so He singles them out for His bounty from among those who
will not be grateful to Him. Not everyone is fit to thank Him or to
receive His blessings andbe singled out for this honour. Those
individuals and places and so on that Allah chooses have some inherent
qualities that are not found in other people and places, and itis for
that reason that Allah chose them, gave them precedence because of
those virtues and selected them. This is His creation and His choice.
"And your Lord creates whatsoever He wills and chooses" [al-Qasas
28:68]. Allah does not choose anything and give it precedence except
for a reason that led to it being singled out and given precedence.
Yes, He is the One Who created this reason, as He is the One Who
created it then chose it after creating it.
End quote from Zaad al-Ma'aad, 1/53-54
To sum up, all the characteristics of this great prayer are by the
grace of Allah, may He beglorified and exalted, to His slaves. He
chose it by His decree and singled it out for His bounty and
blessings, thus it attained this great importance in this worldand in
the Hereafter.
And Allah knows best.