Hajj & Umrah, - * The virtue of the Day of ‘Arafah

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It was narrated on the authority of ‘Aa’ishahthat the Prophet,, said:“There is no day when Allaah sets free more slaves from Hell than the Day of ‘Arafah. He draws near, then boasts of them to the angels, Saying, ‘What do these ]slaves[ want ]that I may give them[?’”]Muslim[
It was narrated by Abu Hurayrahthat the Prophet,, said:“Allaah boasts about the people of ‘Arafah to the dwellers of heaven, saying, ‘Just look at My slaves! They have come to Me with disheveled hair and covered in dust.’”]Ahmad in hisMusnad, Ibn Hibbaan in hisSaheehand Al-Haakim inAl-Mustadrak[
It was narrated by Jaabirthat the Prophet,, said:“There is no better day in the Sight of Allaah than the Day of ‘Arafah. Allaah The Almighty descends ]on that day[ to the lowest heaven, and boasts about the people of the earth to the dwellers of heaven, saying: ‘Just look at My slaves! They have come to Mewith disheveled hair and covered in dust, standing in the forenoon. They have come from every distant pass. They seek My mercy although they have not seen My punishment.’ There is no day when Allaah sets free more slaves from Hell than the Day of ‘Arafah.”]Ibn Khuzaymah, Ibn Hibbaan, Al-Bazzaar, Abu Ya‘la and Al-Bayhaqi[
Ibn ‘Umarsaid that two men went to the Prophet,, to ask him about matters of religion and the Prophet,, said to them:“As for the standing at ‘Arafah, Allaah The Almighty descends to the lowest heaven and boasts of the people there to the angels saying, ‘Here are My slaves! They have come to Mewith disheveled hair and covered with dust, from every distant pass. They seek My Mercy and fear My Punishment, although they have not seen Me. And what ]would be their state[ if they had seen Me!’ ]Even[ if you have sins like ]the number of grains of[ sand, the ]number of[ days of the worldly life or the ]number of[ drops of rain, Allaah will ]nevertheless[ erase them for you.”]Musannaf ‘Abdur-Razzaaq[
Anassaid,
I was with the Prophetat Al-Khayf mosque and a man from the Ansaar ]helpers[ and another one from the Thaqeef tribe came to him. The Prophetsaid a long statement and part of what he said was:“As for the standing at ‘Arafah: Allaah The Almighty descends to the lowest heaven ]on that day[, and boasts about you to the angels, saying: ‘Here are My slaves! They have come to Mewith disheveled hair and with pale faces seeking My mercy and forgiveness. If your sins are as many as the grains of sand or the drops of rain or ]as much as[ the foam on the sea, I would forgive you. Go My slaves after being forgiven, and after the ones whom you asked forgiveness for have been forgiven.”]Ibn ‘Abdul-Barr[
It was narrated on the authority of Anasthat he said,
The Prophetstood at ‘Arafah and the sun was about to set, so he said:“O Bilaal, call the people.”Bilaal stood up and asked the people to listen to the Prophetso they listened. The Prophetsaid:“O people, Jibreel ]Gabriel[ came a while ago, delivered the greetings of Allaah to me and said, ‘Allaah has forgiven the people of ‘Arafah and the people of the Mash‘ar ]a place in Muzdalifah[.’”‘Umar got up and asked the Prophet“Is this specific to us?” The Prophetsaid:“This is for you and all the people who come after you until the Day of Judgment.”‘Umar, replied, “The goodness of Allaah is plentiful and wonderful.”]Ibn ‘Abdul-Barr[
The Significance of theseHadeeths
In his explanation ofSaheeh Muslim, Imaam An-Nawawisaid,“This Hadeeth explicitly indicates the virtue of the Day of ‘Arafah.”An-Nawawicombined the understanding of theHadeethsthat deal with the virtue of the Day of ‘Arafahand theHadeethsthat deal with the virtue of Friday such as theHadeeththat says:“The best day that the sun rises upon is Friday.”]Muslim[ He said that theHadeethsthat deal with the virtue of the Day of ‘Arafahshow that ‘Arafahis the best day of the year, while theHadeethsthat deal with the virtue of Friday show that it is the best day of the week.
It was narrated on the authority of Saalim ibn ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umarthat he saw someone begging on the Day of ‘Arafah, so he said to him,“What a strange thing! On this day you are asking someone other than Allaah?”
‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul-‘Azeezdelivered aKhutbah)sermon( at ‘Arafahand said,“O people, you have come from near and far distances, exhausted your camels, and worn out your clothes. The winner today is not the one whose camel is ahead, but rather it is the one whose sins are forgiven. Praise be to Allaah - the Lord of the worlds.”

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Hajj & Umrah, - * The Blessed Days: Day of ‘Arafah

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The Day of ‘Arafah)the 9thday ofThul-Hijjah(:
This day surpasses other days in virtue and merit and therefore it is worth being discussed independently in order to clarify the aspects of its excellence and honor:
Firstly: It is the day of Allaah The Almighty perfected the religion and completed His favor:
It was narrated that the Jews said to ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab"Indeed you recite a verse which if had been revealed to us we would have taken that day as a day of celebration." ‘Umarsaid,"Indeed I know where and when it was revealed, and where the Messenger of Allaahwas when it was revealed! ]It was revealed[ on the Day of ‘Arafah, while we were, by Allaah, on ‘Arafah."
Sufyaan said, "I doubt whether it was a Friday or not." Allaah The Exalted Says )what means(:}This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.{]Quran 5:3[ ]Al-Bukhaari[
Indeed, the Islamic religion was perfected on that day because Muslims did not perform the obligatoryHajjbefore that day. Consequently, their religion was perfected by completing all the pillars of Islam. Also,Hajjwas performed according to the methodology of Ibraaheem )Abraham(and polytheism and polytheists were excluded. On that day, none of the polytheists joined the Muslims.
As for completing the favor of Allaah The Almighty, this was attained by the forgiving of the pilgrims' sins by Allaah The Almighty. The favor is not completed unless sins are forgiven, as Allaah The Exalted Said )what means( to His Prophet,:}That Allaah may forgive for you what preceded of your sin and what will follow and complete His favor upon you and guide you to a straight path.{]Quran 48:2[
Secondly: It is a day of ‘Eed)Islamic festival(:
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Umaamahthat the Prophet,, said:"The day of ‘Arafah, the day of Nahr and the days of Tashreeq are our ‘Eeds, for us Muslims. They are days for eating and drinking."
Thirdly: Fasting the day expiates the sins of two years:
In aHadeeth)narration(, the Prophet,, said about the virtue of fasting the day of‘Arafah)for non-pilgrims(:"It expiates )the sins of( the past year and the coming )year(."
Fourthly: It is the day of forgiving sins and exemption from Hell:
It is narrated on the authority of ‘Aa’ishahthat the Messenger of Allaah,, said:"Allaah exempts more of His slaves from Hell on the Day of ‘Arafah than on any other day, and Allaah draws near and proudly says to the angels, 'What do these people want and seek?'"]Muslim[
Commenting on theHadeeth,Ibn ‘Abdul-Barrsaid,"This indicates that their sins have been forgiven, as Allaah would not boast of sinful and wrongdoing people unless after their repentance and His Forgiveness. Allaah knows best."
The prescribed deeds on the Day of ‘Arafah:
Firstly: Fasting
In aHadeeth, the Prophet,said:"…I hope Allaah that fasting the day of ‘Arafah expiates sins of the past year as well as the next year…."]Muslim[ Fasting during that day is prescribed only for those who are not pilgrims, as it is not permitted for pilgrims to observe fasting on that day. Controlling one's bodily organs from doing prohibited matters is asserted on that day. In aHadeethnarrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbaasthe Prophet,, said:"On this day )i.e. the day of ‘Arafah( a whoever guards his hearing, seeing and tongue will be forgiven."
It is known that guarding the body’s organs preserves one’s fasting andHajj. Consequently, many factors which enjoin towards obedience and abandoning disobedience are collected.
Secondly: Frequent remembrance of Allaah and supplication
In aHadeeth, the Prophet,said:"The best supplication is that of the Day of ‘Arafah, and the best thing that I and other prophets before me said, is: 'Laa ilaaha illallaahu wahdahu la shareeka lah, lahul mulk wa lahul hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer )There is none worthy of worship except Allaah Alone and He has no partners, dominion and praise belong to Him, and He is over all things Omnipotent(."
Commenting on theHadeeth, Ibn ‘Abdul-Barrsaid,"The Hadeeth stands as evidence that the supplications on the Day of ‘Arafah are most probably answered and that the best of remembrance of Allaah is to say, 'There is none worthy of worship except Allaah'."
Al-Khattaabisaid,"The Hadeeth means that the most frequent words with which the Prophetused to commence his supplication and give it precedence over his request is praising Allaah The Almighty. One who supplicates Allaah starts with praising Allaah The Almighty and says it before asking Allaah for anything, and therefore praising in this Hadeeth was called supplication."
Thirdly:Takbeer)sayingAllaahu-Akbar(
As it is mentioned in the deeds of the ten days ofThul-Hijjah, it is recommended to repeatTakbeerin all times and at every place where it is permissible to mention the Name of Allaah The Almighty. The scholars said that there are two types ofTakbeer:
First: TheTakbeerwhich is not restricted to a specific time, which is prescribed in every time during the night and day. It starts with the start of the month ofThul-Hijjahand lasts until the last day of the Days ofTashreeq.
Second: TheTakbeerrestricted to a specific time, which is prescribed after prayers. According to the chosen opinion,Takbeeris said after all prayers, whether obligatory or voluntary. It is starts fromFajr)Dawn( prayer of the Day of‘Arafahand lasts until the last day of the Days ofTashreeq.
To sum up, repeatingTakbeeron the Day of‘Arafah, the Day of‘Eedas well as the Days ofTashreeqis both prescribed at all times, and this is the type which is not restricted to a specific time, and it is also prescribed after prayers and this is the type which is restricted to a specific time.

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Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Ruling on using a tissue during prayer

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Please can you tell me what we should do when our nose starts to run during prayer.
Praise be to Allaah.
It is permissible for a worshipper to use a tissue in this case. The scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) stated that it is permissible to make some slight movements during prayer if the worshipper needs to do so, as it says inal-Majmoo’by al-Nawawi (4/94). They quoted as evidence many ahaadeeth that were narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). For example, Abu Dawood (650) narrated that Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri said: “Whilst the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was leading his companions in prayer, he took off his shoes and placed them to his left. When the people saw that, they took off their shoes too. When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) finished his prayer he said, ‘What made you take off your shoes?’ They said, ‘We saw you taking off your shoes so we took off ours too.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Jibreel (peace be upon him) came to me and told me that there was something dirty on them [my shoes].’ And he said, ‘When any one of you comes to the mosque, let him look at his shoes and if there is anything dirty on them, let him wipe it off and pray in them.’” (Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh Abi Dawood, 605). Al-Khattaabi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inMa’aalim al-Sunan(2/329): this shows that a slight movement does not affect one’s prayer.
If a person needs to wipe his nose whilst praying, such as one who has a cold or flu, it is o.k. for him to take a tissue out and wipe his nose. A report was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which indicates that this movement in prayer is permissible. Muslim (855) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw a glob of phlegm in the qiblah of the mosque. He turned to the people and said, “What is wrong with any one of you who stands before his Lord and expectorates in front of Him? Would any one of you like it if someone were to stand in front of him and expectorate in his face? If any one of you needs to expectorate, let him spit to his left, under his shoe. If he cannot do that, then let him do like this – ” then he spat onto his garment and rub part of it against another part.
Should he wipe his nose with his right hand or his left hand?
The answer is that he should wipe it with his left hand, because in Islam the right hand is only for things that are regarded as honourable, and the left hand is for things that are regarded as unclean.
Al-Bukhaari (163) and Muslim (395) narrated that ‘Aa’ishah said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) liked to start with the right when putting on his shoes, combing his hair, purifying himself and in all his affairs.”
Abu Dawood narrated that ‘Aa’ishah also said: “The right hand of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was for his purification and food, and his left hand was for cleaning himself after using the toilet and for everything that was unclean.” (Classed as saheeh by al-Bukhaari inSaheeh Abi Dawood, 26).
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inSharh Saheeh Muslim(1/160): “This is a recurring principle in sharee’ah. Whatever has to do with honourable things, such as putting on clothes, trousers and socks, entering the mosque, using the miswaak (tooth-stick), applying kohl, clipping the nails, trimming the moustache, combing the hair, plucking the armpit hairs, shaving the head, saying salaam at the end of the prayer, washing the limbs in wudoo’, coming out of the toilet, eating and drinking, shaking hands, acknowleging the Black Stone, and so on, it is mustahabb to use the right hand or start on the right. With regard to things that are the opposite, such as entering the toilet, exiting the mosque, wiping one’s nose, cleaning oneself after using the toilet, taking off one’s clothes, trousers and socks, etc., it is mustahabb to use the left hand or start on the left. All of that is because of the status of the right hand. And Allaah knows best.

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Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * How does one catchup with a rak’ah?

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If a man comes and joins the prayer when the imam is standing up from rukoo’ (bowing), but he has not yet said “Allaahu akbar”, does this count as a rak’ah for him or not? And why?
Praise be to Allaah.
If a person joins the congregation when the imaam is bowing, one of the following three scenarios applies:
1- He says takbeerat al-ihraam (saying “Allaahu akbar” to start the prayer) whilst standing, then he bows whilst the imaam is bowing. In this case he has caught up with the rak’ah with the imaam.
2- He says takbeerat al-ihraam whilst the imaam is bowing, but he bows after the imaam has stood up from rukoo’. In this case he is not counted as having caught up with the rak’ah with the imaam, and he has to make it up.
3- He bows straightaway without saying takbeerat al-ihraam. In this case his prayer is invalid, because he has omitted one of the pillars or essential parts of the prayer, which is takbeerat al-ihraam.
“The fuqaha’ are agreed that whoever catches up with the imaam in rukoo’ has caught up with the rak’ah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever catches up with rukoo’ has caught up with the rak’ah.’” This was narrated by Abu Dawood, and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inIrwa’ al-Ghaleel, 496; on p. 262 he said: one of the things that strengthens the hadeeth is the fact that the Sahaabah acted in accordance with this:
1 – Ibn Mas’ood, who said: “Whoever does not catch up with the imaam when he is bowing has not caught up with that rak’ah.” Its isnaad is saheeh.
2 – ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar, who said: “If you come when the imaam is bowing, and you put your hands on you knees before the imaam stands up, then you have caught up (with that rak’ah).” Its isnaad is saheeh.
3 - Zayd ibn Thaabit, who used to say: “Whoever catches up with the rak’ah before the imaam raises his head has indeed caught up with the rak’ah.” Its isnaad is jayyid.

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