Welcome to Islam, - * Hijaab is a woman's real beauty

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It often occurs to me that many of our sisters in Islam are not properly encouraged once they begin to observe the requirements of Hijaab. It may be that a sister has been obliged to wear the Hijaab without truly pondering over its superiority.
Perhaps she has reached the age of puberty and her parents have instructed her to wear it. Perhaps she has recently accepted Islam and her close companions have told her of its obligation. Alternatively, perhaps her husband has commanded her to wear Hijaab.
A sister who does not truly know the superiority of Hijaab will always remain envious of disbelieving women. Why? Because they observe these misguided disbelievers attempting to look beautiful for all to see. Hence, the Muslim woman then compares herself to that woman which causes her to feel ashamed of her own Hijaab.
Therefore, what follows is a reminder for my sisters in Islam. It is a reminder of the true status of these so-called beautiful women. It is a reminder of the excellence of the women who wear Hijaab.
Excellent Qualities of Those who Wear Hijaab:
It is well known that the Muslim woman is a creature of modesty. Allaah loves for our Muslim women to be shielded by their Hijaab. It is their outer protection from the decadence of this life. Allaah's Messenger, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, )may Allaah exalt his mention(, said:"Allaah is modest and covering. He loves modesty and privacy."]Abu Daawood, An-Nasaa'i Al-Bayhaqi, Ahmad[.
Thus, as modesty is a quality that is loved by Allaah, our sisters must take comfort in knowing that they are modest and that they are not like those women who show themselves off to the world. Such women will not be shielded from Allaah's Wrath. Allaah's Messenger, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:"Any woman who takes off her clothes in other than her husband's home, has broken Allaah's shield upon her."]Abu Daawood and At-Tirmithi(
Therefore, we see that the Hijaab of the Muslim woman is indeed part of modesty. Modesty accompanies Eemaan )faith(. That is why Allaah's Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: "Modesty is part of Eemaan and Eemaan is inParadise." ]At-Tirmithi[. Also:"Modesty and Eemaan are companions, when one goes away the other one goes away."]Al-Haakim and others[
The Muslim women must know that the disbelieving women who beautify themselves for the world to see possess no modesty, thus, they are void of any Eemaan. Instead of looking to the latest fashion models for guidance, you must look to the wives of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
Look at the regard for modesty that our mother, 'Aa'ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, possessed even in the presence of the deceased; she said: "I used to enter the room where the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and my father )Abu Bakr(, may Allaah be pleased with him, were later buried in without having my garment on me, saying it is only my husband and my father. But when 'Umar bin al-Khattaab, may Allaah be pleased with him, was later buried in )the same place(, I did not enter the room except that I had my garment on being shy from 'Umar."
It can be quite difficult for the Muslim woman to go out wearing Hijaab in a society that mocks and torments her. Indeed, she may feel strange and out of place. However, if she knows the status of those who are mocked by the disbelievers, then she would continue to wear her Hijaab with dignity.
Allaah Says in His Book )what means(:"Verily! The criminals used to laugh at those who believed. And whenever they passed them, used to wink at one another. And when they returned to their own people, they would return jesting. When they saw them, they said: 'These have indeed gone astray!' But they )disbelievers, sinners( had not been sent as watchers over them )the believers(. But on this Day those who believe will laugh at the disbelievers. On )high( thrones, looking )at all things(. Are not the disbelievers paid )fully( for what they used to do?"
]Quran 83:29-36[
Allaah's Words should serve as a support for you my dear sister. Also, take comfort in being a stranger among these lewd and sinful women. Allaah's Messenger, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said )what means(:"Islam began as something strange, and it would revert to its )old position( of being strange, so good news is for the strangers."]Muslim[
The Characteristics of the Exposed Women:
Instead of practicing the Hijaab )covering(, the disbelieving women expose themselves, making a dazzling display of themselves for others. Such a display is an attribute of ignorance. Allaah Says in His Book )what means(:"And stay in your houses and do not display yourselves as you used to during the times of ignorance."]Quran 33:33[
Allaah's Messenger, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:"The best of your women is the affectionate, the fertile, the comforting, the agreeable -- if they fear Allaah. The most evil of your women are those who expose and display themselves, and those who strut )to show off( and they are the hypocrites. Those who enter al-Jannah )theParadise( are like the red beaked crow."]Al-Bayhaqi[. The simile of the red-beaked crow is to show that those who enterParadisewill be as rare as this kind crow is rare.
We see from the above Aayah and Hadeeth that displaying oneself is indeed unlawful. Further, it is a quality of the most evil of women! Therefore, do not be envious of the disbelieving women. They only have this life to enjoy, while the believing women will haveParadise. There is nothing in your Hijaab to be ashamed of, as it is the garment of the righteous and pious female worshippers of Allaah.
In order to truly show you how evil those women who expose themselves are, let us ponder over the following statement of Allaah's Messenger, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam :"Of the people of Hell there are two whom I have never seen, the one possessing whips like the tail of an ox and they flog people with them. The second one, women who would be naked in spite of their being dressed, who are seduced )to wrong paths( and seduce others. Their hair is high like the humps of the camel. These women would not enterParadise, nor will they smell its fragrance, although its fragrance can be sensed from such and such a distance."]Muslim[
These women who expose themselves are common among us today. These are women that even the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, did not see! Look around you and you will see those women who are clothed but naked! Look at the hairstyles of the women who expose themselves -- are they not high like the camel's hump?
Perhaps we are the first generation since the time of Aadam, may Allaah exalt his mention, to witness such women. If one ponders over photos taken thirty to fifty years ago, one will see that the disbelieving women did not expose themselves in the manner that their offspring do today! These women are among the people of the Fire! Thus, how can you envy them?
Such lewd women will not even smell the fragrance ofParadise; so our women must avoid their path.
Another lesson from the above hadeeth is that it confirms that what the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, came with is indeed the truth! This is a prophecy that has come to pass in front of our very eyes. Hence, will we continue to envy these evil women, or should we be grateful to our Lord for the Hijaab, which brings modesty, which leads toParadise?
To sum up, the Muslim woman should abandon all of the ways of the exposed women, and adopt the ways of those who are modest through their love and practice of the proper Islamic Hijaab.

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Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Ruling on praying in the workplace

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I work in the Faisal Tower in Riyadh, and when the time for prayer begins, there is a recording that is played over the PA system in the building, telling us of the time for prayer. I have some colleagues who offer the Zuhr prayer in their offices, and they give a number of reasons for doing so, namely:
1- That they cannot hear the adhaan from the mosque, and this is a recording, not an adhaan.
2- They offer the prayer in congregation and so they fulfil the condition of praying in congregation.
3- There is no prayer-room (musalla) in the tower. Although there is a mosque close to the ground floor, they say that this mosque does not belong to the building so it is far away.
My question is:
What is the ruling on their praying in their offices? How should I respond to their arguments?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly: the basic principle is that the prayer should be offered in the mosque, and this is what the mosques were built for. In the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever hears the call (to prayer) and does not respond, there is no prayer for him (i.e., his prayer is not valid), unless he has an excuse.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (217) and Ibn Maajah (793); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh Ibn Maajah(793).
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to Ibn Umm Maktoom (may Allaah be pleased with him): “Can you hear the call to prayer?” He said: Yes. He said: “Answer it.” Narrated by Muslim (653).
This hadeeth indicates that it is obligatory for the one who hears the call to respond, and to pray in congregation in the mosque.
What is meant by hearing the call is that one can hear the voice of the muezzin if he raises his voice with the adhaan, without using a loudspeaker.
Whoever is close to the mosque and can hear the call is obliged to pray in congregation in the mosque, but whoever is far away is not obliged to attend the mosque.
See the answer to question no. 20655.
Secondly:
With regard to their saying that they perform the prayer in congregation and thus fulfil the condition of praying in congregation, they should note that two things are required of them:
1- They should pray in congregation
2- This congregation should be in the mosque.
It is essential to do both things together. This has been explained in the answer to the question referred to above. See also question no. 72398.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The basic principle is that prayer should be offered in the mosque, but there is nothing wrong with office workers praying in their offices if going out to the mosque will adversely affect their work, or will lead to some employees playing about if they go out to pray and come back late. If the mosque is far away, it is permissible for them to pray in the workplace.
What matters is that if there is a reason or a need for them to pray in their offices, there is nothing wrong with that. End quote.
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen(15/68).
Conclusion:
These people should pray in the mosque so long as the mosque is close by, and it is not permissible for them to pray in their offices unless there is a reason, such as if there is the fear that this may cause employees to waste time and so on.
And Allaah knows best.

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Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Is therea difference between subh prayer and fajrprayer?

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Is there a difference between subh prayer and fajr prayer?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Fajr prayer is subh prayer – there is no difference between them. It consists of two rak’ahs. The time for this prayer starts when the true dawn begins, and lasts until the sun rises. There is a prayer that comes before it, consisting of two rak'ahs, which is known as the Sunnah of subh or the two rak’ahs of Fajr.
The phrasessalaat al-subhandsalaat al-fajrare both used in the Sunnah to refer to this prayer, such as the report narrated by Muslim (656) from ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Abi ‘Amrah who said: ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan entered the mosque after Maghrib prayer and sat by himself. I sat beside him and he said: O son of my brother, I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Whoever prays ‘Isha’ in congregation, it is as if he spent half the night in prayer, and whoever prays Subh (Fajr) in congregation, it is as if he spent the entire night in prayer.”
Al-Bukhaari (556) and Muslim (608) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If one of you catches up with a rak’ah of ‘Asr prayer before the sun sets, let him complete his prayer, and if he catches up with a rak’ah of Subh (Fajr) prayer before the sun rises, let him complete his prayer.”
As for calling it Fajr prayer, Muslim (670) narrated from Jaabir ibn Samurah that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed Fajr he would sit in the place where he had prayed until the sun was well risen.
And al-Bukhaari (891) and Muslim (880) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite in Jumu’ah and in Fajr prayer,“Alif‑Laam‑Meem. The revelation of the Book… ” [Soorat al-Sajdah, no. 32]and“Has there not been over man a period of time” [Soorat al-Dahr, no. 76].
And al-Bukhaari (555) and Muslim (632) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Angels come to you in succession by night and by day, and they meet at Fajr prayer and at ‘Asr prayer, then those who stayed among you ascend and He (Allaah) asks them, although He knows best, ‘How did you leave My slaves?’ They say: ‘We left them when they were praying and we came to them when they were praying.’”
And Allaah knows best.







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Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * When should the takbeeraat of movement be said during theprayer?

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When the imam is praying, when should he say takbeer for bowing, for example? Should he say takbeer before he bows, whilst bowing or after bowing?.
Praise be to Allaah.
What is prescribed for everyone who prays (the imam, the one who is praying behind the imam and the one who is praying alone) is for the takbeer for bowing to accompany the movement. So he should start saying takbeer when he starts to bow, and end it before he reaches the bowing position, so that his takbeer comes between the two postures of standing and bowing.
The Sunnah indicates that the takbeer should accompany the intended movement such as bowing, prostrating and standing up. It is narrated inal-Saheehaynthat Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: When the Messenger of Allaah (S) stood up to pray, he would say takbeer when he stood up, then he would say takbeer when he bowed, then he would say “Sami’a Allaahu limanhamidah(Allaah hears those who praise Him)” until he was standing up straight after bowing, and when he was standing he would say, “Rabbana wa laka’l-hamd(our Lord, to You be praise).” Then he would say takbeer when he went down in prostration, then he would say takbeer when he raised his head, then he would say takbeer when he prostrated, then he would say takbeer when he raised his head, and he did that throughout the prayer until he finished. And he would say takbeer when he stood up after two rak’ahs, after sitting.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (789) and Muslim (392).
This hadeeth shows that the takbeer for bowing should be said whilst bending down to bow, and the takbeer for prostration should be said when going down for prostration, and the takbeer for standing up from prostration should be said whilst rising, and so on. This was stated by al-Nawawi inSharh Muslim, and he said that it is the view of the majority of scholars.
Some of the fuqaha’ were very strict on this point, and said that if the worshipper starts to say the takbeer when he is standing, before he bends down, or he completes it after he reaches the bowing posture, that does not count and he has failed to say takbeer properly, because he has not done it at the right time. According to the view that takbeer is obligatory, he has invalidated his prayer if he did that deliberately, and if he did it by mistake he must perform the prostration of forgetfulness (sujood al-sahw). The correct view, however, is that this is forgivable, so as to avoid undue hardship.
Al-Mardaawi said inal-Insaaf(2/59): Majd and others said: The takbeer for going down and rising and standing up should start when the movement begins and end when it ends. If he completes it partway through, that is sufficient [i.e., if it happens between the two postures without elongating it], because it has not been done at the wrong time. There is no scholarly difference of opinion on this matter.
But if he starts it before that or ends it after that, and some of it happens outside the proper place, then this is like not doing it at all, because he did not complete it at the right time. It is like one who completes his recitation whilst bowing, or who starts to recite the tashahhud before sitting.
But he may be forgiven for that, because avoiding it is difficult, and mistakes are often made, and it is too harsh to suggest that this invalidates the prayer or requires the prostration of forgetfulness. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The fuqaha’ (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: If he starts to say the takbeer before he bends down, or he completes it after reaching the bowing posture, then that is not valid, because they said that this takbeer is for movement and its place is between the two postures. If it is included in the first posture it is not valid and if he includes it in the second posture it is not valid, because that is a place where this dhikr is not prescribed. It is not prescribed to say takbeer whilst standing or whilst bowing, rather the takbeer comes in between standing and bowing.
Undoubtedly this view is valid to some extent, because the takbeer is the sign of movement, so it should be done whilst moving.
But the view that his prayer is invalidated if he completes it after he reaches the bowing position or he starts it before he starts to bend down causes hardship for people, because if you think about how people are nowadays, many people do not know this, and some of them say takbeer before they start to bend down, and some of them reach the bowing position before they finish saying it.
It is strange that some ignorant imams have come up with a mistaken ijtihad and say “I will not say takbeer until I reach the bowing position, because if I say takbeer before I reach the bowing position, the people praying behind me will bow before I do, and they will bend down before I reach the bowing position, and perhaps they will reach it before I do.” This is a strange kind of ijtihad, whereby you would invalidate your own worship, according to the view of some scholars, in order to ensure the validity of the worship of someone else who is not enjoined to do things before you, rather he is enjoined to follow you.
Hence we say: this ijtihad is inappropriate, and we call the one who comes up with this kind of ijtihad ignorant … because he is ignorant and he does not know that he is ignorant.
If, let’s say, you say takbeer when you bend down, and you want to finish it before you reach the bowing position, but you reach the bowing position before you finish it, there is nothing wrong with that.
The correct view is that if he starts the takbeer before bending down to bow, and finishes it after that, there is nothing wrong with that. If he starts it when he is bending down and ends it after he reaches the bowing position, there is nothing wrong with that. But it is better for it to be done between the two postures as much as possible. The same applies during the saying of “Sami’a Allaahu liman hamidah” and all the takbeeraat of movement. But if he does not start until after he reaches the position that comes next, then this is not valid. End quote fromal-Sharh al-Mumti’.
And Allaah knows best.

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Humanity in Islam: Service to Mankind is Service to God We cannot despair of humanity, since we ourselves are human beings. - Albert Einstein Man is born with a heart of compassion which reacts in accordance to the feelings of fellow humans. Compassion, love, affection and care are the innate qualities which make a human. These qualities define man. The development or suppression of these qualities entirely depends on man himself. From time to time, philosophers and religious scholars have tried to encourage people to increase these innate qualities in themselves. Humanity is one such aspect which has been stressed upon in all parts of the world. "Service to Mankind is service to God" is the proverb highly prevalent all over the world. Serving and treating fellow human beings with courtesy and kindness is an essential part of a good moral conduct. All world religions share and support this concept. Humanity is what you say to someone when you think no one's watching. It's what you do when you are all by yourself. Humanity is what you feel when you watch another person suffering and decide to either do nothing or do something. Humanity is the ability to reach out and hug someone. Humanity is being grateful for your family, your friends, and your ability to do something in this world to your society. Humanity is the ability to trust, the ability to connect, the ability to touch. To be human means we can move, create, love, share and laugh. One example to inculcate the ability to serve mankind in humans is about the "Good Samaritan" who has helped a sick man and did not even care to reveal his identity to the people. Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive. - Dalai Lama Islamhas put much emphasis on serving humans, but providing merely food and shelter to fellow humans cannot be considered as a service to Allah (SWT) on the whole. It is inappropriate to think that we are serving mankind as a whole by simply spending a huge amount in charity. Every human being is a problem in search of a solution. - Ashley Montagu Service to Allah (SWT) is being obedient to Him in a way that He expects humans to be. The first stage of this obedience is our acceptance of Tawhid. Once we give our acceptance of the oneness of Allah (SWT), we are expected to obey Him in a way that He has prescribed to us. This is the stage where man fulfills all the mandatory acts like prayers, charity, pilgrimage etc. It is the stage where man develops the bondage between himself and Allah (SWT) directly. The third stage is serving the family and relations: fulfilling the rights of his dependents and of people closely related to him. Here again, man attains further closeness to Allah (SWT) through his family, by pleasing them. No matter what you've done for yourself or for humanity, if you can't look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished? - Lee Iacocca Then comes the fourth stage, which is about service to human beings. Man attains closeness to Allah (SWT) by serving his fellow beings. But the main question is, in what way should the fellow beings be served, so that the service could be termed as service to Allah (SWT) as a whole? Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari in his book, The Perfect Man, says: "Serving people is fine and we should serve them. But if we provide them with food and clothes alone, we would be treating them like animals, especially if we suppose no higher values exist for them. If service is confined to this, what would be the difference between Abu Dhar and Mu'awiya?" Definitely, mere provision of food and shelter does not fulfill the purpose. There has to be an additional form of service. Every Muslim is expected to render his duties towards the society in which he lives. The actual service to human beings lies in treating them as humans first. We need to help our fellow human beings in nurturing and growing their innate qualities which define them as humans. Man is different from all the creatures of both the worlds and so are his duties and responsibilities towards his Creator. Surely, service to this special creature has to be by helping him understand and render his responsibilities towards his Creator. Man is born with the innate ability of learning and understanding. He is capable of multiplying his knowledge through understanding and analyzing what he has learnt. Man is not pre-programmed to obey and pray to Allah (SWT). He does so by his own free will. This makes him different from the rest of creatures, and therefore heaven and hell are made to reward and punish him accordingly. The method of serving man is by grooming and molding him in accordance to the tenets of Islam. This helps man to distinguish himself and highlight his superiority towards other creatures. Education and awareness are the two methods that can be implemented to help man understand himself. We find in Islamic history the best examples of love and compassion for fellow human beings. Sometimes we find the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his progeny) serving the needy and weak; sometimes we see Imam Ali (peace be upon him) sitting with the sick and the poor, attending to their needs affectionately; and sometimes we see other members from our holy Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them)giving the same service to needy ones. Islam has laid great stress on helping the poor and needy ones. But we know that man's needs are not confined to just material aspects of life; rather, he seeks to fulfill higher needs as well, like guidance and seeking knowledge. Hence we find that along with material needs, the Holy Prophet and Ahlul Bayt have quenched humanity's spiritual thirst as well. Man is a creature who always longs for company, love and compassion. If Islam had given the world nothing but this one simple clarion message, "Read!" (Noble Qur'an, 96:1) - and that too at the dawn of the Seventh Century - the entire world would still be in its debt forever. But the tragedy is that Non-Muslims don't know and Muslims won't tell." - Dr. Pasha Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (peace be upon him)served mankind by educating the people, he had more than 6,000 students studying under him from all over the world. They did not just learn about Islam, but were taught various subjects including mathematics, astronomy and science. This eventually terminated the Dark Age in Europe. We can fulfill our responsibility of serving mankind by educating the people, laying more emphasis on Islamic education, arranging educational and awareness campaigns about Islam, helping the people - especially the youth - understand the true meaning behind the message brought by Holy Prophet and protected by Ahlul Bayt, even at the cost of their lives. We must encourage them to spread this knowledge among fellow beings. A Muslim's responsibility does not end just here. It is our duty to act as true representatives of Islam and behave in accordance to the Islamic tenets. We are expected to treat our fellow beings with love and honesty, to respect them and always be available to them whenever they are in need, whatever may be the kind of their need. Some uninformed people object that, "If Islam is a true religion of God, then why doesn't it help mankind and promote peace and love?" Islam states that service to humanity is a part of faith. Muslims should be actively engaged in social welfare and educational needs, not only for fellow Muslims, but also for all the communities where they reside. You are the best community that has been raised for mankind. You enjoin good and forbid evil and you believe in Allah. [Aal-e-Imran, 3:110] In this verse, Muslims have been enjoined by Allah (SWT) to serve mankind and promote goodness. If they fail to achieve this, then they can not state that they are the "best community". After all, a faith which is insensitive to the suffering of other human beings and is not inclined to serve the cause of humanity cannot be described as a good faith. But Islam teaches that Muslims must be always ready to serve mankind and have love and kindness for all of God's creation. And serve Allah and do not associate any thing with Him and be good to the parents and to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the neighbor of (your) kin and the alien neighbor, and the companion in a journey and the wayfarer and those whom your right hands possess; surely Allah does not love him who is proud, boastful; [An-Nisa, 4:36] In this verse, Allah (SWT) very beautifully guides the Muslims to discharge their duties towards all sections of society. We should display kindness to everyone whether they are kind to us or not. In this way by following this teaching we can create peace, love and harmony in the society. Noble Qur'an expressly declares that the human race is one family. All of us are the children of Adam and Eve, whether our skin is white or black. At various places it says: "All human beings are a single nation" (2:213). "All human beings are naught but a single nation and yet they disagree" (10:19). "And verily this your nation (human beings) is a single nation" (21:92) and (23:52).

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When we are praying behind the imam, when should we start to bow? Should we bow when we hear the imam say Allaahu akbar or during that or after he has finished saying it?. Praise be to Allaah. What is prescribed for the one who is praying behind the imam is to follow his imam, not to do anything before him or at the same time as him, or to delay doing it. Rather he should do things straight after his imam does them. This is indicated by the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (378) and Muslim (417), from the hadeeth of Anas ibn Maalik and Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with them), according to which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The imam is only appointed to be followed, so when he says takbeer, then say takbeer; when he bows, then bow (and do not bow until he bows); when he saysSami’a Allaahu liman hamidah, then sayAllaahumma rabbana laka’l-hamd. If he prays standing, then pray standing.” The phrase in brackets was added in the version narrated by Abu Dawood (603). The words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “when he bows, then bow and do not bow until he bows”, and the same with regard to prostration, indicate that the person who is praying behind the imam should not start to move to the next part of the prayer until after the imam has done it. So he should not bow until the imam bows, and he should not prostrate until the imam prostrates. This is stated clearly in the hadeeth of al-Bara’ ibn ‘Aazib (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: When the Messenger of Allaah (S) said “Sami’a Allaahu liman hamidah,” no one of us would bend his back until the Messenger of Allaah (S) had gone down in prostration, then we would go down in prostration after him. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (811)and Muslim (474). Al-Nawawi said inSharh Muslim: This hadeeth shows that this is one of the etiquettes of prayer and it is Sunnah for the one who is praying behind the imam not to start going down (for prostration) until the imam has placed his forehead on the ground. End quote. Based on this, what is prescribed for the one who is praying behind the imam is to follow his imam straight after he has moved to the next part of the prayer. So what counts is the action of the imam, not his takbeer. This applies to those who can see the imam. As for the members of the congregation who cannot see him, then they should follow his words, and they should start to move to the next part of the prayer after the imam finishes saying the takbeer. And Allaah knows best.

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Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * She prayed naafil after Fajr and it was said to her that this puts one beyond the pale of Islam

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I often used to pray half an hour after Fajr prayer, after reading Qur’aan, feeling that I wanted to pray to Allaah. But I got a shock when I was talking to my friend and she said that it is not permissible to pray after Fajr and that this puts one beyond the pale of Islam. Is this true? How can that be when I am praying to Allaah? Please explain that to me. Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: One of the greatest acts of worship that a Muslim can do and draw close to Allaah is prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Prayer is the best thing prescribed, so whoever can do a great deal of it, let him do that.” Narrated by al-Tabaraani and classed as hasan by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Jaami’(3870). But the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade us to offer naafil prayers at certain times. For more details please see the answer to question no. 20013. These times include the period from after Fajr prayer until the sun has risen and become high, which is until approximately fifteen minutes after sunrise. InSaheeh Muslim(832) it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to ‘Amr ibn ‘Abasah (may Allaah be pleased with him): “Pray Fajr, then refrain from praying until the sun has risen and become high”. The prayer that is forbidden at these times is naafil prayer for which there is no reason, which the scholars call al-nafl al-mutlaq (general naafil prayer), such as that which is mentioned in the question, where a person stands and offers a voluntary prayer to Allaah after Fajr. This kind of prayer is disallowed (at this time). As for prayers for which there is a reason, such as greeting the mosque, the Sunnah prayer after wudoo’, two rak’ahs following tawaaf and so on, these may be done when the reason for them is present, even if that is at a time when other naafil prayers are forbidden. See the answer to question no. 306. Secondly: As for your friend’s saying that praying at this time puts one beyond the pale of Islam, this is not correct, and it is speaking about Allaah without knowledge. It is not permissible for anyone to say anything about the religion of Allaah that he does not know. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Say (O Muhammad): (But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al‑Fawaahish (great evil sins and every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse) whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with Allaah for which He has given no authority, and saying things about Allaah of which you have no knowledge” [al-A’raaf 7:33] So she has to repent to Allaah. Offering naafil prayers at this time is not allowed, and the one who does that is sinning, because he is doing something that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade, but that is not kufr as your friend claims. And Allaah knows best.

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My mother is 61 years old and she is looking after my grandfather who has reached the age of 90-odd. A long time ago he began to lose his mind and he started imagining things that are not real. He has no sense of time, and when he gets up to pray and we tell him that it is time for Zuhr, for example, we find him praying Maghrib or Fajr. He calls out to my mother in the middle of the night, telling her to get up and make him breakfast or help him get up to pray ‘Asr, for example. My question is: Does my grandfather have to pray or is it waived in his case? My grandfather sometimes calls my mother repeatedly for no reason, and sometimes he asks her what time it is and sometimes he tells her some historical story. My mother is also getting on in years and she cannot keep getting up and going to his room. If she is certain that he does not need anything and that she has met all his needs of food, wudoo’, prayer etc, can she refrain from answering him without incurring sin? Especially since he calls her a lot in the middle of the night. Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: If the matter is as you describe, then your grandfather is not obliged to pray, because of his losing his mind, The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The Pen has been lifted from three: from the sleeping person until he wakes up, from the minor until he grows up, and from the insane person until he comes to his senses.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (4403), al-Tirmidhi (1423), al-Nasaa’i (3432) and Ibn Maajah (2041). Abu Dawood said: It was narrated by Ibn Jurayj from al-Qaasim ibn Yazeed from ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he added: “And the one who is senile.” This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh Abi Dawood. Senility refers to when a person loses his mind as the result of reaching a great age. It is stated in‘Awn al-Ma’boodthat the report which mentions senility is da’eef (weak) because of the isnaad, but something which suggests that the meaning is valid was narrated from al-Subki. Al-Subki said: Senility may be added to these three, and it is valid. What is meant thereby is an elderly man who has lost his mind due to his great age. An old man may become confused and unable to distinguish things, which may mean that he is no longer accountable, but he is not described as insane, because an insane person may be treated whereas a senile person cannot be treated. Hence it does not say in the hadeeth “until he recovers”, because in most cases he cannot recover from it, until he dies. If he does recover from it sometimes and comes back to his senses, then he is accountable again. End quote. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) explained that senility means that one is no longer accountable: Fasting is not obligatory unless certain conditions are met: one, being of sound mind; two, being an adult; three, being Muslim; four, being able to do it; five, not being a traveller; six, being free of menses and postpartum bleeding (nifaas) in the case of women. 1 – Being of sound mind, the opposite of which is having lost one’s mind, whether that is due to insanity or senility, i.e., old age, or because of an accident which has caused one to lose one’s mind and sense of awareness. Such a person is not obliged to do anything because he has lost his mind. Based on this, the old man who has reached the stage of senility is not obliged to fast or feed poor persons instead, because he lost all sense of reason. Similarly the one who loses consciousness due to an accident etc is not obliged to fast or feed poor persons instead, because he is not of sound mind. End quote fromLiqa’ al-Baab il-Maftooh. To conclude, the person who has reached the stage of senility and has no sense of time and cannot distinguish between the prayers is not obliged to pray. Secondly: If your mother has taken care of what your grandfather needs, such as food and drink, etc, and she thinks it most likely that his calling for her is not due to some need, and it is just because of his senility, then there is no sin on her if she does not answer him, especially since that is causing her hardship. And Allaah knows best.

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For children, - Mother Sacrifice: Few 'Lovely' Inspiring Lies of My Mother (A heart-wrenching story)

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1. The story began when I was a child; I was a son of a poor family in Africa. We did not even have enough food. Whenever meal times came, mother would often give me her portion of rice. While she was removing her rice into my bowl, she would say "Eat this rice, son. I'm not hungry". That was Mother's First Lie. 2. When I was growing up, my persevering mother gave her spare time to go fishing in a river near our house, she hoped that from the fish she caught, she could gave me a little bit of nutritious food for my growth. After fishing, she would cook some fresh fish soup, which raised my appetite. While I was eating the soup, mother would sit beside me and eat the rest of the fish, which was still on the bone of the fish I had eaten. My heart was touched when I saw that. I then used my chopstick and gave the other fish to her. But she immediately refused and said "Eat this fish, son. I don't really like fish." That was Mother's Second Lie. 3. Then, when I was in Junior High School ... to fund my studies, mother went to an economic enterprise to bring some used-match boxes that would need to be stuck together. It gave her some money to cover our needs. As the winter came, I woke up from my sleep and looked at my mother who was still awake, supported by a little candlelight and with perseverance she would continue the work of sticking some used-match boxes. I said, "Mother, go to sleep, it's late, tomorrow morning you still have to go to work." Mother smiled and said "Go to sleep, dear. I'm not tired." That was Mother's Third Lie. 4. The final term arrived ... mother asked for leave from work in order to accompany me. While the sun was starting to shine strongly, my persevering mother waited for me under the heat for several hours. As the bell rang, which indicated that the final exam had finished, mother immediately welcomed me and poured me a cup of tea that she had brought in a flask. Seeing my mother covered with perspiration, I at once gave her my cup and asked her to drink too. Mother said "Drink, son. I'm not thirsty!" That was Mother's Fourth Lie. 5. After the death of my father due to illness, my poor mother had to play her role as a single parent. She had to fund our needs alone. Our family's life was more complicated. No days without suffering. Our family's condition was getting worse, a kind uncle who lived near our house assisted now and then. Our neighbors often advised my mother to marry again. But mother was stubborn and didn't take their advice; she said "I don't need love." That was Mother's Fifth Lie. 6. After I had finished my studies and got a job, it was the time for my old mother to retire. But she didn't want to; she would go to the marketplace every morning, just to sell some vegetables to fulfill her needs. I, who worked in another city, often sent her some money to help her, in fulfilling her needs, but she would not accept the money. At times, she even sent the money back to me. She said "I have enough money." That was Mother's Sixth Lie. 7. After graduating with a Bachelors Degree, I then continued to do a Masters Degree. It was funded by a company through a scholarship program, from a famous University in America. I finally worked in the company. With a good salary, I intended to bring my mother to enjoy her life in America. But my lovely mother didn't want to bother her son. She said to me, "I'm not use to." That was Mother's Seventh Lie. 8. In her old age, mother got stomach cancer and had to be hospitalized. I, who lived miles away, across the ocean, went home to visit my dearest mother. She lay in weakness on her bed after having an operation. Mother, who looked so old, was staring at me in deep thought. She tried to spread her smile on her face ... but it was a noticeable effort. It was clear that the disease had weakened mother's body. She looked so frail and weak. I stared at my mother with tears flowing. My heart was hurt ... so hurt, seeing my mother in that condition. But mother with the little strength she had, said "Don't cry, my dear. I'm not in pain." That was Mother's Eighth Lie. After saying her eighth lie, my Dearest mother closed her eyes forever!

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Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Ruling on raising the voice in dhikr after the prayer

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Some brothers raise their voices in dhikr after finishing the prayer, especially Fajr prayer, based on the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas and others, to such an extent that they disturb other worshippers. When they are told about this they say: We are following the Sunnah and if they raised their voices like us they would not hear us and we would not be disturbing them. Is what they are doing correct? Should the others raise their voices when among them there are uneducated people and elderly people who cannot keep up with the group. How much should may the voice be raised?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The fuqaha’ differed with regard to raising the voice in dhikr after the prayer. Some of them were of the view that it is Sunnah and some regarded it as makrooh and said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not do that all the time; he only did that in order to teach people then he stopped doing it.
The reason for the difference of opinion is that they differed concerning the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (805) and Muslim (583) from Abu Ma’bad, the freed slave of Ibn ‘Abbaas, that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) told him that people used to raise their voices in dhikr when they finished an obligatory prayer at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Ibn ‘Abbaas said: I used to know when they had finished (the prayer) by that, when I heard it.
According to a report narrated by al-Bukhaari (806) and Muslim (583), Ibn ‘Abbaas said: We knew when the prayer of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had finished from the takbeer.
But they differed as to whether this indicated something that was done all the time or not, and whether it went against the verse (interpretation of the meaning):“And remember your Lord within yourself, humbly and with fear and without loudness in words in the mornings and in the afternoons, and be not of those who are neglectful” [al-A’raaf 7:205]or not.
Among those who favoured raising the voice in dhikr after prayer were al-Tabari, Ibn Hazm, Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] and others.
Among those who were of the view that it was for teaching only were al-Shaafa’i and the majority.
Al-Shaafa’i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: My view is that the imam and the person praying behind him should remember Allaah after they finish praying, but they should recite dhikr in a low voice unless he is an imam who is to be learned from, in which case he should recite in a loud voice until he thinks that it has been learned from him, then he should recite quietly, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):“And offer your Salaah (prayer) neither aloud nor in a low voice” [al-Isra’ 17:110], meaning – and Allaah knows best – du’aa’; “neither aloud” means do not raise your voice and “nor in a low voice” means, so low that you cannot hear yourself.
I think that what Ibn al-Zubayr narrated about the tahleel (reciting Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah) of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),and what Ibn ‘Abbaas narrated about his takbeer is like what we have mentioned above. Al-Shaafa’i said: I think he only raised his voice a little in order to teach the people, because most of the reports that we have quoted do not mention reciting tahleel or takbeer after saying the tasleem.
Some reports say that dhikr was recited after the prayer, as I have described, and some say that he did not recite any dhikr after prayer.
Umm Salamah stated that he would stay after the prayer and she did not refer to any dhikr out loud, and I think he only stayed to recite some dhikr that was not said out loud. End quote fromal-Umm(1/127).
Ibn Hazm (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Raising the voice in takbeer following every prayer is good. End quote fromal-Muhalla(3/180).
al-Bahooti said inKashshaaf al-Qinaa’(1/366), referring to Ibn Taymiyah’s view regarding reciting dhikr out loud as mustahabb: The Shaykh (i.e., Ibn Taymiyah) said: It is mustahabb to recite tasbeeh, tahmeed and takbeer out loud following every prayer.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about the ruling on this issue and he replied:
Reciting dhikr out loud following the obligatory prayers is Sunnah. This is indicated by the report narrated by al-Bukhaari from the hadeeth of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him), that the people used to recite dhikr out loud when they finished obligatory prayers at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He said: I used to know when they finished (the prayer) by that, when I heard it. This was also narrated by Imam Ahmad and Abu Dawood. Inal-Saheehaynit is narrated that al-Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say when he finished the prayer: “Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah… (There is no god but Allaah alone, with no partner or associate…).” And words cannot be heard unless the speaker says them out loud.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) and a number of the earlier and later generations favoured this view, based on the hadeeths of Ibn ‘Abbaas and al-Mugheerah (may Allaah be pleased with them). Reciting out loud is general and applies to every dhikr that is prescribed after prayer, whether it is tahleel (sayingLaa ilaaha ill-Allaah(there is no god but Allaah), tasbeeh (sayingSubhaan Allaah(Glory be to Allaah)), takbeer (sayingAllaahu akbar(Allaah is Most Great)) or tahmeed (sayingAl-hamdu Lillaah(praise be to Allaah)), because of the general meaning of the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas. There is no report from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to suggest differentiating between tahleel and other dhikrs, rather in the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas it says that they would know that the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had ended from the takbeers. Thus the view of those who say that the voice should not be raised in tasbeeh, tahmeed and takbeer is refuted.
With regard to those who say that raising the voice in these dhikrs is an innovation (bid’ah), they are wrong. How can something that was known and practised at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) be a bid’ah? Shaykh Sulaymaan ibn Sahmaan (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: It has been proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did that and approved of it, and the Sahaabah used to do that at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) after he taught it to them, and he approved of them doing it, so they acted upon the teachings of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him); they did it and he approved of that after teaching them and he did not criticize them.
As for the argument that reciting out loud is disapproved because of the verse“And remember your Lord within yourself, humbly and with fear and without loudness in words in the mornings and in the afternoons” [al-A’raaf 7:205], we say: the one who was enjoined to remember his Lord within himself, humbly and with fear, was the same one who used to recite dhikr out loud following obligatory prayers. Does the one who says this know better what Allaah meant than His Messenger did? Or does he believe that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) knew what was meant but went against it? Moreover, the verse speaks of dhikr at the beginning and end of the day (“in the mornings and in the afternoons”), not the dhikr that is prescribed following prayers. In his Tafseer, Ibn Katheer interpreted reciting out loud as meaning too loud or extremely loud.
As for the argument that reciting out loud is disapproved because of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “O people, take it easy”, the one who said “O people, take it easy” is the same one who used to recite dhikr out loud following the prescribed prayers. There is a place for this and a place for that, and truly following means following every text when appropriate.
Moreover, the context of the phrase “take it easy” indicates that they used to raise their voices in a manner that caused them hardship, hence he said “take it easy”, i.e., be kind to yourselves and do not exhaust yourselves; there should be no hardship or undue effort in reciting dhikr out loud.
As for the one who says that it disturbs others, it may be said to him: If you mean that it disturbs those who do not have the habit of doing that, once the believer understands that it is Sunnah, it will no longer disturb him. If you mean that it disturbs other worshippers, then if there is no one among the worshippers who joined the prayer late and is making up what he missed, then the raising of voices will not disturb them at all, which is what actually happens, because they are all taking part in it. But if there is someone among them who joined the prayer late and is making up what he missed, if he is so close to you that you will be disturbing him, then you should not recite so loudly as to disturb him, so that he will not become confused in his prayer, but if he is far away from you then he will not be disturbed by your reciting out loud.
From what we have mentioned it is clear that the Sunnah is to raise the voice in dhikr following the obligatory prayers, and that does not go against any saheeh text or sound opinion. End quote.
He also said: When voices are mingled with one another then there will be no disturbance, as you can see on Fridays when the people all read Qur’aan out loud, then someone comes and prays and he is not disturbed by that.
And he (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: What matters is the correct view, which is that it is Sunnah to recite dhikr following the prayers in the manner prescribed, and it is also Sunnah to recite it out loud but not to raise the voice so much that it becomes annoying, because that is not appropriate. Hence when the people raised their voices in dhikr at the time of the Messenger SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when they were coming back from Khaybar, he said: “O people, take it easy.” What is meant by raising the voice is that which does not cause hardship or annoyance. End quote fromMajmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen(13/247, 261).
Secondly:
From what we have mentioned above it is clear that the matter is broad in scope, and that the difference of opinion is an ancient matter. Perhaps the correct view is that which was mentioned by the Shaykh (may Allaah have mercy on him) about raising the voice, but it should be raised in a manner that does not cause annoyance.
What I mentioned about uneducated people and the elderly, I will repeat it once again. It may be appropriate to read the words of the Shaykh to them so that they may learn the Sunnah and be encouraged to apply it.
May Allaah help us all to do that which He loves and which pleases Him.
And Allaah knows best.

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