Taraaweeh prayers, - Dought&clear, - * Holding the Mus-haf for one who is following an imaam is contrary to theSunnah

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What is the ruling on holding the Mus-haf in the case of one who is following an imaam in praying Taraaweeh in Ramadan, on the grounds that he is following the imaam’s recitation?
Praise be to Allaah.
Holding the Mus-haf for this reason is contrary to the Sunnah, for several reasons:
1. It prevents a person from placing his right hand over his left when standing.
2. It leads to a lot of unnecessary movements, such as opening the Mus-haf, closing it, and placing it under one's arm.
3. These movements are very distracting to the worshipper.
4. It prevents the worshipper from looking at the place of sujood. Many scholars say that looking at the place of sujood is Sunnah and is better.
5. The one who does that may forget that he is in prayer, unless his heart is properly focused upon his being in prayer, unlike when he is standing in a humble and focused manner with his right hand upon his left, tilting his head towards the place of sujood. In this case he will be more likely to remember that he is praying and that he is behind the imaam.

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Taraaweeh prayers, - Dought&clear, - * Praying Taraaweeh at home/putting cream on the body when fasting

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Can a person pray Tharawih prayers at home ? if so please specify how many rakat's and if there are any special dua's to be recited. Can one apply any creams on the face or body while fasting ?
Praise be to Allaah.
Taraaweeh prayer is prescribed for men in congregation in the mosque at night in Ramadaan, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever stands with the imams until he finishes, it will be written for him as if he spent the whole night in prayer.”(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 806; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi)
Nevertheless, if a man prays Taraaweeh at home, there is no sin on him and his prayer is valid. At times other than Ramadaan, it is prescribed for a man to prayqiyaam al-laylat home.
With regard to women, it is better for them to pray at home, but if a woman wants to pray in the mosque, she should not be prevented from doing so, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not prevent your women from coming to the mosques, but their houses are better for them.”(Narrated by Abu Dawood, 567; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani).
And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not prevent to slave women of Allaah from coming to the mosques of Allaah.”(Agreed upon; al-Bukhaari, 900; Muslim, 442).
With regard to putting cream on the face and body, there is nothing wrong with that. And Allaah knows best.

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Conditions for Zakaah Being Obligatory, - Dought & clear, - * Zakaahon money that is set aside for buying a house

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My husband and I are employed and since I started working, I started to save a small portion of my salary with the aim of buying a house. Up till now, fifteen years later, I have not been able to save half the amount of money needed to buy a house, because of the high cost of living and the high costs of real estate in major cities. My question is: how should I pay zakaah, even if that will affect the amount of money?.
Praise be to Allaah.
If a person owns the nisaab (minimum amount of wealth at which zakaah becomes due) and one full hijri year has passed since he acquired it, then he must pay zakaah on it, even if he has set that money aside to build a house or get married or go for Hajj and so on, because of the general meaning of the evidence which states that paying zakaah on wealth is obligatory.
The nisaab for cash is the equivalent of 597 grams of silver, and the rate that must be given is 2.5%, i.e., one quarter of one tenth.
Zakaah has been enjoined by Allaah in order to purify wealth, make it grow and bring blessing, and to help the poor and needy. It is a great obligation and it is not permissible to neglect it, for wealth belongs to Allaah and He is the One Who has enjoined zakaah and has warned against neglecting it. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And perform As-Salaah (Iqaamat-as-Salaah), and give Zakaah, and bow down (or submit yourselves with obedience to Allaah) along with Ar‑Raaki‘oon”
[al-Baqarah 2:43]
“Take Sadaqah (alms) from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it, and invoke Allaah for them. Verily, your invocations are a source of security for them; and Allaah is All-Hearer, All-Knower”
[al-Tawbah 9:103]
“And those who hoard up gold and silver (Al‑Kanz: the money, the Zakaah of which has not been paid) and spend them not in the way of Allaah, announce unto them a painful torment”
[al-Tawbah 9:34]
Kanz refers to all kinds of wealth that is subject to zakaah but on which zakaah has not been paid.
Muslim (987) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no owner of gold or silver who does not pay what is due on them, but when the Day of Resurrection comes, there will be beaten out for him plates of fire which will be heated in the Fire of Hell, and his sides, forehead and back will be branded with them. Every time they cool down they will be reheated for him, on a day the length of which is as fifty thousand years, until judgement is passed among the people. Then he will be shown his path, either to Paradise or to Hell.”
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that wealth does not in fact decrease because of zakaah, rather it is blessed and increases. He said: “Wealth does not decrease because of charity.” Narrated by Muslim, 2588.
Many people neglect the issue of blessing on wealth. A person may own huge amounts of wealth but it is not enough for him, and it does not bring him what he wants; he does not feel any sense of ease or happiness because of it. But someone else may own a small amount of wealth that has been blessed for him, so he is happy and content with it. This is something that is well known.
So do not hesitate to pay zakaah on your wealth, and do that willingly and cheerfully. Remember that the pleasure of Allaah is what we are seeking, and this world is transient and passing, and a pleasure that will soon fade.
“The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing)”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:185]
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: What the Muslim should do is pay his zakaah in full, in obedience to Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), fulfilling the pillars of Islam and protecting himself from punishment and protecting his wealth from loss and being deprived of blessing. Zakaah is a bounty, not a penalty. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Take Sadaqah (alms) from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it, and invoke Allaah for them. Verily, your invocations are a source of security for them; and Allaah is All-Hearer, All-Knower”
[al-Tawbah 9:103]
The one to whom Allaah has given wealth must work out the zakaah precisely.
Wealth is of three kinds:
1 – Wealth on which zakaah is definitely due, such as cash in gold and silver or the notes and bills that have taken their place. Zakaah is due on this whether it is set aside for trade, spending, buying a house to live in or a dowry with which to get married, etc.
2 – Wealth on which zakaah is definitely not due, such as the house in which one lives, the car which one drives, the furnishings of one’s house, and so on.
These two matters are clear.
3 – Kinds of wealth concerning which there is some difference of opinion, such as debts that are still owed. What you should do is ask the scholars about this so that you will understand your religious duties and worship Allaah properly.
It is not permissible for a Muslim to be careless about the matter of zakaah, or to be lazy about giving it to those who are entitled to it, because of the stern warning concerning that which is mentioned in the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
End quote fromMajmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 18/299
May Allaah help us and you to do that which He loves and which pleases him.
And Allaah knows best.

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Conditions for Zakaah Being Obligatory, - Dought & clear, - * Zakaahon money in the bank

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One full year has passed for some of the money that is in the bank that is not in a savings account. Some of it is deducted monthly to pay bank charges, as well as bills for water, electricity and household insurance. Is it permissible to pay zakaah on it or not?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Saving money in riba-based banks is helping them to commit riba (usury) on which these banks are based, so it is not permissible for a Muslim to put his money in them, unless he cannot find an Islamic bank that does not deal in riba.
See the answer to question no. 22392.
We have also explained that commercial insurance in all forms is haraam, and that it is a modern form of gambling which is forbidden in Islam. See the answer to question no. 36955.
Secondly:
It is obligatory to pay zakaah on cash if it reaches the nisaab, which is the equivalent of 597 grams of silver, and one full year has passed since acquiring it, even if it is kept for household expenses and other essentials, because of the general meaning of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “If you have twenty dinars and one full year has passed (since acquiring them), then half a dinar is due on them, and whatever is more than that is to be calculated on that basis.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (1573) and classed as saheeh by al-Bukhaari; al-Tirmidhi narrated it from him in hisSunan(3/16) and it was classed as saeeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh Abi Dawood.
It is not a condition of zakaah being obligatory that the money be surplus to one's needs, rather it is due from every nisaab when one full year has passed.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked, as it says inMajmoo’ al-Fataawa(18/177):
Is zakaah due on money saved from one's monthly salary when one full year has passed, despite the fact that it is not invested? Please note that I am saving it to cover my and my family’s living expenses. Is zakaah due in this case?
He replied:
Yes, zakaah is due on it if one full year has passed, because it is something that is subject to zakaah regardless of the use for which it is intended, and regardless of whether it is intended for trade or not. Hence zakaah is due on crops and grains even if a person does not intend to sell them, and even if a person has, for example, palm trees in his home and their yield reaches the nisaab and he has prepared them for his own use, zakaah is due from the crop of these palm trees. We say likewise about any crops etc on which zakaah is due. The same applies to livestock and flocks that graze in open land – zakaah is due on them, even if a person does not intend to sell them. The same applies to cash on which zakaah is due even if a person does not intend to use them for trade. The salary that you have set aside for expenses is subject to zakaah if one full year has passed and it reaches the nisaab. End quote.
And Allaah knows best.

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