Fathwa, - Deliberately leaving recitation of a Surah after Al-Faatihah in prayer

Question
The Imaam in the second Rak'ah of Maghrib prayerdid not recite a Surah
after Al-Faatihah and then he bowed and prostrated normally. After
the third Rak'ah, the Imaam ended his prayer with Tasleem without
performing Sujood as-Sahw. We asked the Imaam to perform Sujood
as-Sahw but he told us that there was no need for it. He informed us
that he deliberately abstained from reciting a Surah after Al-Faatihah
and thatwhat he did was permissible. What is the religious ruling on
not reciting a Surah after Al-Faatihah intentionally in the second
Rak'ah of Maghrib prayer? May Allaah The Exalted 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
isHis slave and Messenger.
It is disliked for a worshipper to deliberately not recite a Surah
after Al-Faatihah inthe first and second Rak'ah of a prayer. Whoever
does so will be abandoning a Sunnah according to the majorityof Muslim
scholars. The Imaam in such a case should not perform Sujood as-Sahw
since it isprescribed to compensate for a worshipper's forgetfulness
in the prayer.
However, if the worshipper deliberately neglected an obligation or a
pillar of the prayer, his prayer is considered invalid and performing
Sujood as-Sahw does not compensate for such a mistake.
If a worshipper neglects a Sunnah, his prayer is valid despite his
mistake. However, even then, Sujood as-Sahw is not prescribed in such
a case to compensate for such error.
Allaah Knows best. - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
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Fathwa, - Voluntary Prayer between the Two Athaans of Jumu‘ah Prayer

Question
Is it permissible to perform voluntary prayerbetween the two
Athaans(i.e. call for prayer) of Jumu'ah prayer, given that it is said
that no voluntary prayer should be performed between the two Athaans
of Jumu'ah ?
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
isHis slave and Messenger.
It is permissible to perform voluntary prayers before the Jumu'ah
Prayer, whether they have a specific reason such as the prayerof
Tahiyyat-ul-Masjid (i.e. salutation to the mosque)or other general
voluntary prayers that have no such reason. However, a worshipper
should not perform voluntary prayer before Jumu'ah prayer considering
it as a regular Sunnah with a fixed number of Rak'ahs. Such an act was
not reportedly done by the Prophet .
However, the Hanafi scholars and a group of Shaafi'i and Hanbali
scholars adopted thisopinion. They relied on the narration of Ibn
'Abbaas as he said, " The Prophet , used to perform four Rak'ahs
before Jumu'ah Prayer without separating them at all. " [Ibn Maajah].
This is a very weak narration. Imaam An-Nawawi said, " This weak
narration should not be relied upon as evidence; since it is very weak
. "
Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah elaboratedon this issue in his book,
Al-Fataawa. He said, "The Prophet , did not perform any voluntary
prayer before the Jumu'ah prayer (i.e. after the Athaan) and no one
reported that he did. During the lifetime of theProphet , the Athaan
was not called except after the Prophet , sat on the pulpit. No one
reported that the Prophet , used to perform any voluntary prayer in
his house before going to the mosque for Jumu'ah Prayer. There are no
sayings of the Prophet , about specific voluntaryprayers before the
Jumu'ah prayer. On the other hand, the words of the Prophet , merely
urged the Muslims to perform prayer in the mosque on Friday in general
without any specific timing. For instance, the Prophet , said: "
Whoever goes out early and walks and doesnot ride to the mosque and
prays what has been prescribed [by Allaah] forhim . "
And this is what was reported by the Companions that they used to
perform voluntary prayers as much as is easy for them when entering
the mosque for the Jumu'ah prayer.
Therefore, the majority of Muslim jurists agreed that there is no
fixed Sunnah prayer with a specific number of Rak'ahs before the
Jumu'ah prayer since thiscan only be proven by either the words or
actions of the Prophet . This is the opinion of the Maaliki and
Shaafi'i schools of Fiqh, held by many Shaafi'i scholars, and it is
the famous opinion in Imaam Ahmad 's school of Fiqh. A group of Muslim
scholars believed that there is a voluntary prayer before the Jumu'ah
prayer. Some believed that there is a two-Rak'ah Sunnah prayer before
the Jumu'ah prayer such as a group of Shaafi'i scholarsand Ahmad .
Others believed that there is a four-Rak'ah Sunnah prayer before the
Jumu'ah prayer such as the Hanafi scholars and a group of scholars
from the school of Fiqh ofImaam Ahmad .
Some people cite as proof of the Sunnah prayers before the Jumu'ah
prayer, the Hadeeth of the Prophet , as he said: " Between every two
Athaans (i.e. Athaan and Iqaamah) there is a prayer . "
Other scholars disagreed with this opinion and underlined that during
the lifetime of the Messenger of Allaah , the Athaan was not
calledfrom minarets like it is nowadays. 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan
commended Muslims to call the Athaanfrom minarets when the number of
Muslims increased (so that the Athaan would be heard by all people).
In the past,people used to hear the Athaan after the Prophet , would
go to the mosque and sit on the pulpit.
As 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan introduced this habit of raising the second
Athaan for the Jumu'ah prayer, it had become common and approved by
Muslim jurists.
In such a case, performing voluntary prayers between the twoAthaans on
Friday is permissible but not as a regular voluntary prayersjust like
performing voluntary prayer before Maghrib.
Therefore, people should not criticize anyone who performs voluntary
prayers before the Jumu'ah prayer or anyone who does not.
This is the opinion that is considered most likely to be true and the
words of Imaam Ahmad support it.
In such a case, it is better not to perform a Sunnah prayer before the
Jumu'ah prayer so that ignorant people would not mistake it for a
regular Sunnah or erroneously think that it is obligatory. One should
not perform this voluntary prayer so that people would not mistake it
for a fixed voluntary prayer or mistakenly think that it isobligatory,
especially if people performed it regularly.
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Embracing community diversity

Allaah Almighty Says what means: "O mankind, indeed We have created
you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may
know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of
Allaahis the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allaah is Knowing and
Acquainted.)" [Quran 49: 13]
The Muslim community is one of the most culturally diverse societies
in the world. This especially holds true in America where Muslim
immigrants, from places like the Middle East and Southeast Asia, among
other places, are living their lives as strange bedfellows in a
country that is foreign to them and, mostimportantly, where the
predominately non-Muslim populace is generally mistrustful of Muslims.
It's unfortunate that the flag of Islam is often times not enough to
unite Muslims from varying cultural backgrounds.
The sleepy suburb of Dayton, Ohiois just one city in America where
many Muslims live but very few connect with their Muslim brethren who
mix in the exact same society as them. They cross paths on a regular
basis but know little outside of their own culturally based
sub-communities. "Our community is clearly split into smaller
international communities," shares Soumy Ana,a Muslim teacher residing
in Dayton. "Moroccans meet with Moroccans, Egyptians meet with
Egyptians and Pakistanis stay amongst Pakistanis. Muslims hereare
clearly more comfortable with people from their birth country, who
speak the same language, have the same profession and follow the same
beliefs ."
The cultural divide
Muslims from varying cultures usually look within their own 'mental'
borders when it comes to socializing with others in the community and
making friends. For example, a Pakistani Muslim will feel unity with
one of their fellow compatriots more so than with a Muslim from
another country who may not even speak the same language as they do.
The scenario plays out in communities across the world and is
prevalent in Mosques where even worshippers, in the congregational
prayer, line themselves up according to their birthplaces. As a result
of this cultural division, there is no viable unity in the Ummah,
whichis still an unfulfilled dream in the Islamic faith.
"Understanding oneanother is sometimes hard because of the cultural
differences. Culture and upbringing play a huge part in
communication," says Ana, "For instance, I like to share my feelings
while my Arab neighbor hides a lot of her feelings. She thinks I am
too bold and I get angry when I do not know what is going on from her
side. I noticethat people from the same country tell almost everything
to each other. They tell me little because they do not feel connected
to me while they feel connected to someone else from the same
country."
Building multicultural bridges
With Islam consistently under firefrom the mass media 'microscope',
now more than ever Muslims must unite under the same banner of "La
ilaaha illa Allaah," regardless of race or socioeconomic standing.
Coming together as Muslims is the best way for communities to create a
sense of brotherhood, which will translate into an improved society by
establishing a commonbond and future goals. It starts with you. There
are three ways toembrace the diversity of Muslims in your community
and bring everyone together:
Self discovery — Examining your own thoughts and feelings towards
different cultures of Muslims will go a long way in laying the
groundwork for acceptance and understanding. Do you feel intimidated
or fearful of other cultures? Are you confused by their customs or
national dress? Is a fear of rejection the only thing holding you back
from extending a hand in friendship? These are all questions that you
must ask yourself, first, in order to discoverany preconceived notions
lingering in your mind .
Social awareness — Exploring your community to find out exactly which
cultures make up the fabric of your society is an essential step you
can take to find out more about their backgrounds. Make a list of all
of the cultures represented in your community as well as any social
organizations specifically created for them. Next, use the power of
the Internet to learn more about their customs and traditions .
Inclusion — It's easy to complain that a certain clique of Muslims
isexcluding you from their gatherings for whatever reason. But what's
a bit more difficult is for you to reach out to include Muslims from
various backgrounds into your own social functions. No one ever said
it would be easy and there is always a risk of rejection. However,
unless Muslims put themselves out there 'come whatmay' the cultural
divide between Muslims will never be bridged .
It's not just about bringing people together, but rather it is also
about giving people a sense of worth and social value which will plant
a seed of trust that can be cultivated for years to come. Encourage
your children to followthe same culturally diverse principles in
school or on the playground. " Children should be given the pride of
being Muslim and no pride at all being Malay or Pakistani or Saudi,
etc," summates Ana, "children should be taught by their parents that
they do not have any nationality. Their nationality is Islam. This
way, they will feel connected with all Muslims." - - ▓███▓
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Racism: A Sign of Weak Faith

Allaah Almighty Says what means: "You are thebest nation produced [as
an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is
wrong and believe in Allaah. If only the People of the Scripture had
believed, it would have been better for them. Among them are
believers, but most ofthem are defiantly disobedient." [Quran 3:110]
Islam is the best tool for relieving humankind of its ills. When we
look at one another as individualbeings with our diverse capacities
and ideas we should be able to see the beauty of Allaah's handiwork.
But too oftenwe fall into the trap laid by Iblees (Satan) when Allaah
created Aadam. Iblees (Satan) became haughty and arrogant and felt
that he was the best of creation. Allaah Almighty Says what means:
{And [mention] when We said to the angels, "Prostrate before Aadam";
so they prostrated, except for Iblees. He refused and was arrogant and
became of the disbelievers.} [Quran 2: 34] Here Allaah Almighty
mentions that rejection of faith lies in refusal to obey Allaah's
command through haughtiness. Many of us are haughty due to having
pride in our accomplishments, our acquisitions and our positions in
comparison to our fellow human beings. But is this what Allaah placed
us on earth to do?
He, Almighty, tells us in Quran (what means): {…Had Allaah willed, He
would have made you one nation [united in religion], but [He intended]
to test you in what He has given you; so race to [all that is] good.
To Allaah is your return all together, and He will [then] inform you
concerning that over which you used to differ.} [Quran 5:48]
Obviously, His plan was tomake us different types of people so that we
could realize our diversity and put forth every effort to lead one
another to the Almighty. Being different only obliged us to work as
one people to promote the good and forbid the wrong.
To work as one people striving to Allaah we must overcome our desire
to use our ethnicity or race as a means to divide us. Every race
struggles to hold on to, their inherited identity but in so doing, in
the long run, we may encounter the risk of eliminating an aspect of
our lives that will make us better people .
Poverty syndrome
Poverty separates people.At times we look to display our
accomplishments in waysthat glamorize and tickle the fancy of others.
Everything looks well put together and organized, but when we take an
in-depth look behind the scene, we may have overlooked some critical
factors. Why aren't there more people of color present at the event?
Were they included in the planning stages? Wasevery effort made to get
their input? As an observer of this phenomenon, all too often, I
notice that more times than necessary, poverty is a factor. The fees
to attend many programs are out off the scale for poor Muslims. Also,
location plays a pivotal role in attendance. Every Muslim does not
have a car and many rely on public transportation to get around. And,
in a predominant white America, how does this apply to Muslims? The
reality is that many Muslims of fair complexion are more comfortable
being recognized as Caucasian rather than people of color.
Consciously, our brethrendon't use this as a factor but subconsciously
it is used in the workplace, inthe public sphere and in the most
sacred place for the Muslim, the Mosque. If one grew up in America
during the 50s, 60s and 70s, it was emphasized that the one with the
lighter skin complexion would have abetter chance of being
mainstreamed in with their Caucasian counterpart and therefore
apportioned some of the fruits of that community. The stigma that was
placed on the darkness of ones' skin became synonymous with failure.
This was also taught to people of other countries before they came to
America. The mantra was "stay away from the black Americans".
Unfortunately, people of color tend to be among the poorest around the
world. Their struggle has been documented throughout history. But, the
one theme among this impoverished group has been to strive in the fact
of adversity .
If you can read you can learn and if you can learnyou can succeed. Yet
the opportunities for success do not always be within the reach of
all.
A community that is largely Caucasian has a greater chance of opening
the door to advancement for its residents than a community wherein the
population is primarily African-American. But, it doesn't have to be
that way. If the prosperous community took their ideas into a
seemingly hopeless community as a means to inform them of the
potential for success rather than deride them for their lack of
motivation, working with them and pushing them to see that they too
can thrive, a step toward equality can begin.
Now, let us substitute Muslim for prosperous and look at ourselves to
see how some of us have neglected the less-fortunate in our midst and
we will see where the genuine work of a believer belongs .
Knowledge
"What you don't know can kill you" is a saying attributed to
ignorance. Allaah, the Almighty, tells us in the Quran (what means):
{And [mention O Mohammad] when your Lord said to the angels,"Indeed, I
will make upon the earth a successive authority." They said, "Will You
placeupon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while
we declare Your praise and sanctify You?" Allaah said,"Indeed, I know
that which you do not know."And He taught Aadam thenames – all of
them. ThenHe showed them to the angels and said, "Inform Me of the
names of these,if you are truthful." They said, "Exalted are You;
wehave no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You
who is the Knowing, the Wise."} [Quran 2:30-32]
Clearly, without a true understanding of why we do something we
willcontinue to have impoverished souls. The example of Aadam
beforethe angels can be compared to the truly intelligent and the
analytical among us. A scholar made the point that the intelligent one
isaware of Allaah's mercy to His creation, submits to it and obeys
wherein the analytical one has notyet grasped the glory of Allaah and
still questions His Omnipotence seemingly looking for a way out.
Knowledge enlightens the soul and nurtures humility. Takingthe
position of slave/servant to Allaah broadens our perspectiveand
invokes in us the willto submit willingly to His commands.
Acknowledging our similarities and differences as assets rather than
losses will bring us closer to Allaah and closer to one another.
In order to remove subtleracism there has to be anadmission that it
exists. Then steps must be madeto heal and rekindle a relationship
that predates modern man. Our community can regain its place as
leaders of the world, but only if we accept our destiny as a unit of
one Ummah in a race towardsthe everlasting bounties of Allaah. - -
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