Night Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Following the imaam until hefinishes Taraaweeh

Share

The most correct opinion is that the number of rak’ahs for Taraaweeh is eleven, but I pray in a mosque where they do twenty one rak’ahs. Can I leave the mosque after the tenth rak’ah, or is it better to complete the twenty one rak’ahs with them?
Praise be to Allaah.
It is better to stay with the imaam until he finishes, even if he is doing more than eleven rak’ahs, because it is permissible to do the extra rak’ahs, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever prays qiyaam with the imaam until he finishes, Allaah will record it as if he prayed the whole night” (reported by al-Nisaa'i and others.Sunan al-Nisaa'i, Baab Qiyaam Shahr Ramadaan), and because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Prayer at night should be two by two (rak’ahs), and when dawn approaches, pray one for witr.” (Reported by the seven; this version reported by al-Nisaa'i).
There is no doubt that adhering to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is better and brings more reward, so long as it is done properly and without haste, but if it is the matter of a choice between leaving the imaam because of the number of rak’ahs or going along with the extra that he does, it is better to go along with him, because of the ahaadeeth referred to above. At the same time, you should advise the imaam to follow the Sunnah.

Share

Night Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * He prayed an extra rak’ah in Taraaweeh

Share

The imaam stood up for a third rak’ah during Taraaweeh prayers and he finished the prayer, then they told him that he had prayed three rak’ahs. Should he prostratesajdat al-sahw(prostration of forgetfulness) or complete four rak’ahs?
Praise be to Allaah.
We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, may Allaah preserve him, who answered as follows:
He should dosajdat al-sahw, then complete the prayer two by two, just as he should do if it were an obligatory prayer.
And Allaah knows best.

Share

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

Share

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.

Share

Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Intention and du’aa’ during prayer

Share

My question is on the intention during regular prayer. What should one be thinking during his prayer, the glorification of Allah? The reason I ask is that for some reason I remember reading a hadith that says you should always be asking from Allah during your prayer. Is this true, and if it is how does one go about doing that, by thought or by saying something during the prayer? May allah be pleased with what you are doing.
Praise be to Allaah.
The intention is a condition of prayer, which is essential for the prayer to be valid. The shar’i definition of the intention is: “Deciding to do an act of worship in order to draw closer to Allaah.” This definition includes two meanings:
1 – The intention to do the action. This distinguishes acts of worship from other actions, and distinguishes acts of worship from one another. So one has the intention that these movements are the prescribed prayer, and decides whether it is fard (obligatory) or naafil.
2 – The intention with regard to whom it is done for. This means that by doing this action one is seeking the pleasure of Allaah and nothing else.
The site of this intention is the heart. By simply deciding in his heart to do this action, a person has made his intention. Hence it is not prescribed to speak the intention out loud when one wants to do the action. Rather speaking the intention out loud is a kind of innovation that was not narrated in the Book of Allaah or in the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), nor was it narrated from any of his Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them all). Seeal-Sharh al-Mumti’, 2/283. For more information please see question no. 13337.
With regard to what a person should think about during the prayer, he should focus on the greatness of his Lord before Whom he is honoured to stand. So he should stand before Him properly, with humility and veneration. He should think about what it is prescribed for him to say in every part of the prayer. When he is standing he should ponder the meaning of what he is reciting from the Qur’aan. When bowing he should think about the meaning of the dhikr he is reciting, and the same when prostrating and in other parts of the prayer. He should also strive in all parts of the prayer to recite the dhikrs and du’aa’s that were narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). With regard to du’aa’ in the sense of asking Allaah for what one needs of the good things in this world and in the Hereafter, the time to do that is when prostrating, after reciting the prescribed dhikr, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I have been forbidden to recite Qur’aan when bowing and prostrating. As for rukoo’ (bowing), glorify your Lord therein, and as for sujood (prostration), strive in du’aa’, for then it is more likely that your Lord will answer you.” (Narrated by Muslim, 738).
With regard to what is mentioned in the question, that it is narrated in some ahaadeeth that we have to call upon Allaah throughout the prayer, none of the reputable scholars has mentioned this or referred to it. Perhaps you have understood from the definition of some scholars that salaah (prayer) means du’aa’ (supplication), and this is the meaning that you mentioned.
Or perhaps you have heard some scholars saying that salaah is all du’aa’. By this they were referring to the second category of du’aa’, for some of the scholars divided du’aa’ into two categories:
1 – Du’aa’ in the sense of asking, which means asking Allaah for one’s needs; and 2 – du’aa’ in the sense of worship, which means worshipping Allaah in the ways that He has prescribed, by means of various acts of worship such as prayer, fasting and zakaah. What this means is that these acts of worship include asking from Allaah, is if one is saying, “O Allaah accept this from me” or “Reward me for this act of worship by granting me forgiveness, admission to Paradise and salvation from Hell,” etc. All of prayer is considered to be du’aa’ in this sense.
Hence our advice to all Muslims is to adhere to the Sunnah of the greatest of Messengers (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) throughout the prayer, following his command: “pray as you have seen me praying.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 631). They should ponder the meanings of what they recite from the Qur’aan, and the dhikrs they recite, so that they may fulfil the greater purpose of prayer which is, as Allaah explained:
“and perform As-Salaah (Iqaamat-as-Salaah). Verily, As-Salaah (the prayer) prevents from Al-Fahshaa’ (i.e. great sins of every kind, unlawful sexual intercourse) and Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism, and every kind of evil wicked deed)”
[al-‘Ankaboot 29:45 – interpretation of the meaning]
We ask Allaah to guide us all… Ameen.

Share

Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Helping someone who faints during Jumu’ah prayers

Share

In one of the Friday prayer , a person praying besides me got fainted and lied down unconsiously.
My question is , what should be done at this moment ? Should we alert others and cry for help or just wait for the prayer to end .
Please provide the answer in detail.
Praise be to Allaah.
And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allaah and His blessings.
This depends on what has happened to this worshipper. If waiting until you have finished the prayer will cause him harm, then you should stop your prayer and help him. If waiting until you finish will not cause him harm then you can help him after you finish the prayer. And Allaah knows best.
Fatwa of Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah al-Ghadyaan.
In such cases you should act according to what you believe is most likely to be the case, with regard to whether waiting until the prayer is finished will cause harm or not. And Allaah knows best.

Share

Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * The status of prayer in Islam

Share

I hope that you can explain to us the status of prayer in Islam.
Praise be to Allaah.
Prayer occupies a great status in Islam that is not shared by any other act of worship. This is indicated by the following:
1 – It is the pillar of the religion, which cannot stand without it.
According to a hadeeth narrated by Mu’aadh ibn Jabal (may Allaah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Shall I not tell you of the head of the whole matter and its pillar and top?” I [Mu’aadh] said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allaah.” He said, “The head of the matter is Islam, its pillar is prayer and its top is jihad.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2616; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2110.
2 – It is second in status to the Shahaadatayn (twin testimony of faith) as further proof of the soundness of a person’s belief and as visible evidence of the beliefs that reside in the heart.
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Islam is built on five [pillars]: the testimony that there is no god but Allaah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, establishing prayer, paying zakaah, performing pilgrimage to the House, and fasting Ramadaan.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 8; Muslim, 16.
Establishing prayer means performing prayer in full with all its words and actions, at the appointed times, as it says in the Qur’aan (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, As-Salaah (the prayer) is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours”
[al-Nisa’ 4:103]
i.e., at defined times.
3 – Prayer occupies a special position among other acts of worship because of the way in which it was enjoined.
It was not brought down to earth by an angel, rather Allaah wanted to bless His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) by taking him up to heaven and addressing him directly concerning the obligation of prayer. This is something that is unique to prayer among all the rituals of Islam.
Prayer was enjoined on the night of the Mi’raaj [Prophet’s ascent to heaven], approximately three years before the Hijrah.
Fifty prayers (per day) were enjoined at first, then the number was reduced to five, but the reward of fifty remains. This is indicative of Allaah’s love of prayer and its great status.
4 – Allaah erases sins by means of prayer
Al-Bukhaari (528) and Muslim (667) narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said – and in the hadeeth of Bakr it is narrated that he heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say – “What do you think if there was a river by the door of any one of you and he bathed in it five times a day, would there be any trace of dirt left on him?” They said, “No trace of dirt would be left on him.” He said, “That is like the five daily prayers, by means of which Allaah erases sin.”
5 – Prayer is the last part of religion to be lost, and if it is lost the whole religion is lost.
It was narrated that Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Between a man and shirk [associating others with Allaah] and kufr [disbelief] there stands his giving up prayer.” Narrated by Muslim, 82.
Hence the Muslim should be keen to perform the prayers on time, and not be lazy or take the matter lightly. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“So woe unto those performers of Salaah (prayers) (hypocrites),
Those who delay their Salaah (prayer from their stated fixed times)”
[al-Maa’oon 107:4-5]
And Allaah warns those who cause their prayers to be lost by saying (interpretation of the meaning):
“Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have given up As-Salaat (the prayers) [i.e. made their Salaat (prayers) to be lost, either by not offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in their proper fixed times] and have followed lusts. So they will be thrown in Hell”
[Maryam 19:59]
6 – Prayer is the first thing for which a person will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection:
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “The first deed for which a person will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayer. If it is good then he will have prospered and succeeded, but if it is bad then he will be doomed and have lost. If anything is lacking from his obligatory prayers, the Lord will say, ‘Look and see whether My slave did any voluntary prayers, and make up the shortfall in his obligatory prayers from that.’ Then all his deeds will be dealt with likewise.” Narrated by al-Nasaa’i, 465; al-Tirmidhi, 413. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Jaami’, 2573.
We ask Allaah to help us to remember Him, give thanks to Him and to worship Him properly.
Reference:al-Salaahby Dr. al-Tayyaar, p. 16;Tawdeeh al-Ahkaamby al-Bassaam, 1/371;Taareekh Mashroo’iyyat al-Salaahby al-Balooshi, p. 31.

Share

Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Does the deceased benefit from charity and fasting if he died when he was not praying?

Share

My father has recently passed away.
He has missed many salaah during his lifetime. He has passed away at aged 65.
Is there any way of paying to charity any amount for the salaah missed.
Please advise how to calculate the number of salaah missed and the amount to pay for charity for each day of salaah missed.
Eg. 65 years less 15 years = 50 years salaah missed. 50 years X 365 days = 18250 days of salaah missed.
Your assistance in answering the above will be greatly appreciated.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The scholars differed on the ruling on one who neglects the prayer out of heedlessness and laziness. The correct view is that he is a kaafir. This has been discussed previously in the answers to questions no. 2182and 5208.
Once it is established that the one who does not pray is a kaafir, it is not permissible to give charity, fast and do Hajj on his behalf.
The scholars of the Standing Committee (9/69) were asked: Is it acceptable to pray for forgiveness and give charity for one who died when he did not pray, or he used to pray sometimes and sometimes he did not pray? Is it permissible to attend his funeral and bury him in the Muslim graveyard?
They replied: The one who does not pray because he denies that it is obligatory is a kaafir according to the consensus of the Muslims. The one who does not pray out of heedlessness and laziness is a kaafir according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions.
Based on that, if a person who deliberately does not pray dies, it is not permissible to pray for forgiveness for him, or to give charity on his behalf, or to attend his funeral, or bury him in the Muslim graveyard, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The covenant that stands between us and them is the prayer; whoever abandons it is a kaafir.” Narrated by Ahmad and the authors ofas-Sunanwith a saheeh isnaad. And he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Between a man and kufr and shirk there stands his giving up prayer.” Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh.
Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing Fatwas
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Baaz … Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi… Shaykh ‘Abdullah ibn Ghadyaan… Shaykh ‘Abdullah ibn Qa‘ood
If your father was unaware that prayer is obligatory, or he followed scholars who ruled that the one who does not pray out of heedlessness is not a kaafir, then we hope that Allah will forgive him, and in this case supplication and prayers for forgiveness for him, and giving charity on his behalf, will benefit him.
And Allah knows best.

Share

For children, - Stories of the Prophets, Prophet Musa / Moses (pbuh): O Allah (SWT) hide my sins..!

Share

It was narrated that in the days that Prophet Musa / Moses (pbuh)wandered with Bani Israel (Children of Israel) in the desert, an intense drought befell them. Together, they raised their hands towards the heavens praying for the blessed rain to come. Then, to the astonishment of Prophet Musa / Moses (pbuh) and all those watching, the few scattered clouds that were in the sky vanished, the heat poured down, and the drought intensified.
It was revealed to Prophet Musa / Moses (pbuh) that there was a sinner amongst the tribe of Bani Israel (Children of Israel) who had disobeyed Allah (SWT) for more than forty years of his life.
"Let him separate himself from the congregation," Allah (SWT) told Prophet Musa / Moses (pbuh). "Only then shall I shower you all with rain."
Prophet Musa / Moses (pbuh) then called out to the throngs of humanity, "There is a person amongst us who has disobeyed Allah (SWT) for forty years. Let him separate himself from the congregation and only then shall we be rescued from the drought."
That man waited, looking left and right, hoping that someone else would step forward, but no one did. Sweat poured forth from his brow and he knew that he was the one. The man knew that if he stayed amongst the congregation all would die of thirst and that if he stepped forward he would be humiliated for all eternity.
He raised his hands with a sincerity he had never known before, with humility he had never tasted, and as tears poured down on both cheeks he said, "O Allah, have mercy on me! O Allah, hide my sins! O Allah, forgive me!"
As Prophet Musa / Moses (pbuh) and the people of Bani Israel (Children of Israel) waited for the sinner to step forward, the clouds hugged the sky and the rain poured. Prophet Musa / Moses (pbuh) asked Allah (SWT), "O Allah, you blessed us with rain even though the sinner did not come forward."
And Allah (SWT) replied, "O Musa, it is for the repentance of that very person that I blessed all of Bani Israel (Children of Israel) with water."
Prophet Musa / Moses (pbuh), wanting to know who this blessed man was, asked, "Show him to me O Allah!"
Allah (SWT) replied, "O Musa, I hid his sins for forty years, do you think that after his repentance I shall expose him?"
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: "My entire nation is safe, except al-Mujahirin (those who boast of their sins). Among the Mujaharah is that a man commits an (evil) act, and wakes up in the morning while Allah has kept his (sin) a secret, he says: 'O Fulan! Last night I did this and that.' He goes to sleep while Allah has kept his (sin) a secret but he wakes up in the morning and uncovers what Allah has kept a secret!" [Saheeh al-Bukhari]

Share

Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Ruling on stopping one’s prayer if something serious happens

Share

If I am praying and someone knocks at the door, and there is no one else in the house, what should I do? If I stop praying, am I sinning?
Praise be to Allaah.
If a prayer is naafil (supererogatory), there is more room for manoeuvre, and it is o.k. to stop praying in order to find out who is at the door. But in the case of a fard (obligatory) prayer, it is not permissible to stop it unless there is something important which one is afraid of missing. If it is possible to alert someone else, by saying “Subhan-Allaah” out loud in the case of men and clapping in the case of women, so that the person at the door will realize that the person in the house is busy praying, that will do away with any need to stop praying. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever is alarmed by anything whilst praying, let men say ‘Subhan-Allaah’ and let women clap.” (Agreed upon. Al-Bukhaari, 1234; Muslim, 421).
If it is possible to let the person who is at the door realize that the person inside the house is praying, by clapping in the case of women and saying ‘Subhan-Allaah’ in the case of men, whilst still praying, this will save you from having to stop the prayer. If that will not work, because one is too far away from the door or the person outside will not be able to hear, then it is o.k. to stop the prayer if necessary, especially if it is a naafil prayer. But in the case of an obligatory prayer, if it is something important or necessary, and there is the fear of missing it, it is also o.k. to stop the prayer, and to repeat it from the beginning. Praise be to Allaah.

Share

Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * How was prayer first prescribed?

Share

I have heard that during the early years of islam, muslims were told to perform 40 prayers a day, but this was cut down by 5 each time ALLAH (S.W.T) knew this was unachievable by majority of muslims until their were only 5 salat a day were left. is this because ALLAH (S.W.T) has shown us mercy?.
Praise be to Allaah.
What you have heard about the prayer is not correct. The correct version is that Allaah initially – on the night of the Mi’raaj when our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was taken up into heaven – enjoined fifty prayers to be performed night and day. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) kept asking his Lord to reduce it until it became five prayers to be offered night and day. But Allaah decreed the reward of fifty prayers for these five, so whoever prays five prayers will receive the reward of fifty prayers.
It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik said: Abu Dharr narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The roof of my house was split open when I was in Makkah, and Jibreel (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came down and split open my chest and washed it with Zamzam water. Then he brought a golden vessel filled with wisdom and faith and poured it into my chest, then he sealed it. Then he took me by the hand and ascended with me into the lowest heaven. When I reached the lowest heaven Jibreel said to the gatekeeper, ‘Open up!’ He said, ‘Who is this?’ He said, ‘Jibreel.’ He said, ‘Is there anyone with you?’ He said, ‘Yes, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is with me.’ He said, ‘Has his mission begun?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ And when it was opened we went up into the lowest heaven… Then Allaah enjoined upon my ummah fifty prayers, and I came back until I passed by Moosa who said, ‘What has Allaah enjoined upon your ummah?’ I said, ‘He has enjoined fifty prayers.’ He said, ‘Go back to your Lord, for your ummah will not be able to bear that.’ So I went back and He reduced it. Then I came back to Moosa and said, ‘He has reduced it.’ He said, ‘Go back to your Lord, for your ummah will not be able to bear that.’ So I went back and He reduced it further. Then I came back to Moosa and said, ‘He has reduced it further.’ He said, ‘Go back to your Lord, for your ummah will not be able to bear that.’ So I went back and He said, ‘(The prayers) are five but (the reward) is fifty. The Sentence that comes from Me cannot be changed [cf. Qaaf 50:29].’ Then I went back to Moosa and he said, ‘Go back to your Lord.’ But I said, ‘I feel shy before my Lord.’…”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 342; Muslim, 163
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said:
What is meant is that they are five with regard to what is to be done, but they are fifty with regard to the reward.
Fath al-Baari, 1/463
And Allaah knows best.

Share

Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Why do we pray Zuhr and ‘Asr silently?

Share

Why do we recite zuhr and asr prayer in low voice when it is clearly mentioned in the quran the following ?.
Praise be to Allaah.
It was decreed that recitation in Zuhr and ‘Asr should be done silently because the time of these prayers is during the day, and at that time a person's mind may be preoccupied with a lot of thoughts, as he is busy with his work or trade or manufacturing. If the recitation were to be done out loud, his mind would be distracted and he would not listen attentively to the imam’s recitation; he would not listen to it or devote his attention to it; rather other things would come to mind and distract him. So he was commanded to recite to himself so that his recitation will make him think and ponder. It is well known that if people pray in congregation for Zuhr or ‘Asr prayer, they should not recite out loud, because then they would distract one another. So both the imam and the one who is praying behind him are enjoined to recite silently. But with regard to the prayers that are offered during the night, in most cases people are free from distractions so the imam is enjoined to recite out loud, so that others may benefit from his recitation.
With regard to the verse which you mention, it applies only to qiyaam al-layl and tahajjud. If a person is praying and there are people around him who are listening to his recitation and others who are asleep, then he should not recite so loudly as not to disturb those who are sleeping or so quietly as to cause those who are listening to him to miss out on any benefit; rather he should recite at a moderate volume, enough to be heard but not so loud as to disturb those who are asleep. It also states in the verse that the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to recite out loud and the mushrikeen heard him and reviled the Qur'aan and the one who had bought it, so he was forbidden to recite out loud and he began to recite silently, but then the members of his household and those who were listening to him missed out on the benefit, so he was enjoined to recite at a moderate volume.

Share

For children, - Favourite Stories: Messenger of Allah (saww) said, Paradise is at the feet of Mothers

Share

The Arabic word for womb is "rahem." Rahem is derived from the word for mercy. In Islamic tradition, one of Allah's 99 beautiful names ( Asmaul Husna) is "Al-Raheem," or "the Most Merciful."
There exists, therefore, a unique connection between God and the womb. Through the womb, we get a glimpse of the Almighty's qualities and attributes. It nurtures, feeds and shelters us in the early stages of life. The womb can be viewed as one manifestation of divinity in the world.
Each of us should appreciate what we have in our mothers. They are our teachers and our role models. Every day with them is an opportunity to grow as a person. Every day away from them is a missed opportunity.
In other words, the debt we owe to our mothers is magnified due to the difficult nature of pregnancy - not to mention the nurturing and attention paid to us in infancy.

Share

Menstruation and Post-Natal bleeding, - Dought& clear, - * She got a yellowishdischarge afterforty days of nifaas; can she pray and fast?

Share

Directly after forty days (of nifaas) I fasted to make up what I owed from Ramadaan, and whilst I was fasting I found that there was a yellowish discharge with no blood, but this was the usual time for my period. My question is: is my fast valid or do I have to repeat it and make it up again? Please note that I am praying and I did not stop praying because most of the time I have the signs of tahaarah (being pure) and I did not see anything that would make me stop praying.
Praise be to Allaah.
The majority of scholars are of the view that the maximum length of nifaas is forty days; if the bleeding lasts any longer than that, then it is istihaadah (irregular bleeding) unless it happens at the usual time of menses, in which case it is menses.
See the answer to question no. 10488.
Based on this, if you saw blood after forty days and it coincided with the usual time of your period, then it is menses. As for yellowish discharge, it does not mean anything, because Umm ‘Atiyyah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “We did not regard yellowish and brownish discharge after tuhr (becoming pure) as being of any significance.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (307) and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh Abu Dawood.
You did right to continue praying and make up the fast you owed. May Allaah increase you in knowledge and guidance.
And Allaah knows best.

Share

Menstruation and Post-Natal bleeding, - Dought& clear, - * She miscarried the foetus at two months and stopped praying because she thought it was nifaas

Share

I had a miscarriage at approximately seven weeks. After the miscarriage I did not pray for fifteen days, out of ignorance on my part, because I thought that I came under the ruling of nifaas and I was bleeding.
Praise be to Allaah.
If a woman has a miscarriage when human features, such as the head and limbs had not yet appeared in it, not even the outlines thereof, then the bleeding that occurs is irregular bleeding and it does not mean that she cannot pray or fast. If human features had already appeared in it, then the bleeding is nifaas. The minimum period in which human features may appear is eighty-one days, as is explained in the answer to question no. 37784and 45564.
Based on that, you made a mistake when you stopped praying, and you have to make up these days according to the majority of scholars. Some scholars are of the view that prayers do not have to be made up in such cases, because one was unaware that prayer was obligatory at that time.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Based on this, if a person did not do the obligatory purification because the text had not reached him, such as if he ate camel meat and did not do wudoo’, then the text reached him and it became clear to him that wudoo’ was required in this case, or he prayed in a camel pen, then the text reached him and became apparent to him, does he have to make up what he missed? There are two opinions concerning that, both of which were narrated from Ahmad.
A similar case is a man who touches his penis and prays, then it becomes clear to him that it is obligatory to do wudoo’ after touching one’s penis.
The correct view in all these cases is that it is not obligatory to repeat them (the prayers), because Allaah forgives mistakes and forgetfulness, and because He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger (to give warning)”
[al-Isra’ 17:15].
If the command of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) concerning a particular matter did not reach a person, then it has not been proven to him that it is obligatory. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not order ‘Umar and ‘Ammaar, when they became junub and ‘Umar did not pray but ‘Ammaar prayed after rolling in the dust, to make up or repeat their prayers. Similarly, he did not command Abu Dharr to repeat the prayers when he became junub and did not pray for several days. And he did not tell the Sahaabi who ate until he could distinguish the white thread from the black thread to make up his fast. And he did not command the one who had prayed facing Jerusalem before news of the abrogation of that ruling (i.e., facing Jerusalem when praying) reached him to make up the prayers.
Under this heading also comes the case of the woman who experiences istihaadah (irregular vaginal bleeding), if she does not pray for a while because she believes that prayer is not obligatory for her. There are two scholarly opinions as to whether she is obliged to make up the prayers, one of which is that she is not required to do so, as was narrated from Maalik and others, because in the case of the woman with istihaadah who said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “I experience severe and heavy bleeding that kept me from praying and fasting”, his response was to tell her what she should do in the future, and he did not tell her to make up the missed prayers. End quote fromMajmoo’ al-Fataawa(21/101).
But to be on the safe side, she may make up these prayers, by doing them in batches, according to what she is able to do. So she can pray five prayers for the first day, then five for the second day, and so on, until she has finished them all.
And Allaah knows best.

Share

Menstruation and Post-Natal bleeding, - Dought& clear, - * She mistakenly thought that her period hadfinished; she did ghusl and had intercourse with her husband, then more blood came

Share

My wife thought she completed her menses (although earlier than normal) and began praying. I then went to her. After the fajr prayer the next day. She then made ghusl and prayed Dhuhr. Is there any sin on me or my wife, and if so do I have to make kaffarah?
Praise be to Allaah.
If a woman thinks it most likely that her period has finished, and she sees the signs of tahaarah (being pure, i.e., after the period has ended), so she does ghusl, prays and has intercourse with her husband, then there is no sin on her for having intercourse, because it is an action that is permissible. What is forbidden is to have intercourse at the time of menstruation. If the menstrual blood comes back, then she is considered to be menstruating and she is not allowed to pray or have intercourse with her husband, because when the menstrual blood is flowing, the rulings attached to it apply. Its signs or features are well known to women, so a woman should not be too hasty in doing ghusl and starting to pray until she sees the white discharge which is the sign of tahaarah (purity), or she is completely dry in the case of one who does not experience the white discharge. Cessation of bleeding alone does not mean that she is now clean, rather she is clean when she sees the sign of tahaarah and when the usual time for her period to end has come. And Allaah knows best.

Share

Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * If he does ghusl following a wet dream, maniy continues to come out of him during theprayer

Share

May Allah reward you with good for answering my question, but I think that it needs further explanation of the issue of sprinkling hot water on the private part, because the wet dream occurred at the time of ‘Asr prayer, and I have a problem, which is that maniy and even madhiy continue to come out for a considerable period after they are first emitted. It often happens with me that one of them is emitted at the time of prayer, whether that is because of thinking or because of a wet dream, but in order not to miss the prayer, I sprinkle hot water (on my private part) so that whatever is left will come out. Please note that I do not feel any desire when I use this method. Now I am going to make up the fast of that day that I told you about, in sha Allah, but what should I do if maniy continues to come out whilst I am praying? Should I pray in that case?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
We appreciate this further explanation and we ask Allah, may He be exalted, to help us and you avoid reprehensible words and actions.
Secondly:
If it does not come out continually all the time, then it does not come under the ruling on incontinence; rather it invalidates wudoo’ as soon as it comes out, even if that happens during the prayer. The one who is faced with that should stop praying, do wudoo’ and then repeat the prayer. He also has to do wash off whatever has gotten onto him if what came out was urine or madhiy, because they are both najis (impure), unlike maniy which is taahir (pure).
But the one who is praying should not interrupt his prayer unless he is certain that something has come out of him, because the basic principle is that he remains in a state of purity, and that which is certain cannot be changed by mere doubt or uncertainty.
If maniy came out of a person and he did ghusl for that, then more came out but without desire, then he does not have to do ghusl again, but it does invalidate his wudoo’.
See:ash-Sharh al-Mumti‘, 1/337
The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas were asked: If I do wudoo’ for every prayer and then go out to the mosque, I always emit madhiy; can I pray, knowing that if I take a bath and go out, madhiy will come out without desire. So do I have to take a bath every time?
They replied:
If that comes out of you continually, then it comes under the same ruling as incontinence, and you have to do wudoo’ for every prayer when the time for it begins, then your prayer will be valid even if it comes out whilst you are praying. If it does not happen frequently with you, then you have to do wudoo’ as prescribed for prayer, after washing the penis and testicles. But you do not have to do ghusl (take a bath) for that. End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah, 5/413
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: When I finish wudoo’ and go to pray, I feel that a drop of urine comes out of the penis; what should I do?
He replied: What you should do is pay no attention to that and ignore it, as the Muslim scholars have enjoined. Do not pay any attention to it and do not go and look at your penis to see if anything came out or not. If you seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytaan and ignore it, it will go away, by Allah’s leave. But if you are absolutely certain about it, then it is essential to wash whatever the urine has gotten onto and repeat your wudoo’. Some people, if they feel any coolness on the head of the penis, think that something has come out. So if you are certain, then do what I have told you. What you have mentioned is not incontinence, because it stops and starts, whereas incontinence is ongoing and continual. But this happens after movement and one or two drops come out; this is not incontinence, because once a couple of drops have come out, it stops. In this case, he should wash it off and do wudoo’ again. He should always do this, and he should be patient and seek reward with Allah.
End quote fromLiqa’ al-Baab al-Maftooh, 15/184
And Allah knows best.

Share

Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Whenwas prayer made obligatory? How did the Muslims pray before prayer was made obligatory?

Share

Is it true that prayer was made obligatory before the night of the Isra’? Did the Messenger pray in the manner that we pray now, with the same number of rak‘ahs? When was prayer made obligatory at these times and in the manner that we pray now?
Praise be to Allah.
Al-Bukhaari (349) and Muslim (162) narrated from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) the famous hadeeth of the Isra’ (Prophet’s Night Journey) in which it is reported that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
“Then Allah revealed what He revealed to me, and enjoined fifty prayers on me every day and night. I came back down to Moosa (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and he said: What did your Lord enjoin upon your ummah? I said: Fifty prayers. He said: Go back to your Lord and ask Him to reduce it... I kept going back and forth between my Lord, may He be blessed and exalted, and Moosa (peace be upon him), until He said: ‘O Muhammad, they are five prayers each day and night, for every prayer there will be a tenfold (reward), and that is fifty prayers.”
The scholars are unanimously agreed that the five daily prayers were not made obligatory until this night. See the answer to question no. 143111
See also Fath al-Baari by Ibn Rajab (2/104).
Al-Haafiz Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
On the night of the Isra’, one and a half years before the Hijrah, Allah enjoined upon His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) the five daily prayers, and explained that there were conditions and essential parts and other matters having to do with them, bit by bit.
Tafseer Ibn Katheer (7/164).
Then Jibreel (peace be upon him) came down and taught the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) the times of the prayers:
Al-Bukhaari (522) and Muslim (611) narrated from Ibn Shihaab that ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez delayed the prayer one day. ‘Urwah ibn az-Zubayr entered upon him and told him that al-Mugheerah ibn Shu‘bah delayed the prayer one day when he was in Kufah, and Abu Mas‘ood al-Ansaari entered upon him and said: What is this, O Mugheerah? Do you not know that Jibreel came down and prayed, and the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed, then he prayed and the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed, then he prayed and the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed, then he prayed and the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed, then he prayed and the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed. Then he said: This is what has been enjoined upon me. ‘Umar said to ‘Urwah: Think what you are narrating, O ‘Urwah! Is Jibreel the one who taught the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) the times of the prayers? ‘Urwah said: That is what Basheer ibn Abi Mas‘ood used to narrate from his father.
An-Nasaa’i (526) narrated that Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Jibreel (peace be upon him) came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) when the sun had passed its zenith and said: Get up, O Muhammad. That was when the sun had passed the meridian. Then he waited until the (length of) a man’s shadow was equal to his height, then he came to him for ‘Asr and said: Get up, O Muhammad, and pray ‘Asr. Then he waited until the sun set, then he came to him and said: Get up and pray Maghrib. So he got up and prayed it when the sun had set fully. Then he waited until the twilight had disappeared, then he came and said: Get up and pray ‘Isha’, so he got up and prayed it… In this hadeeth it says: He (i.e., Jibreel) said: The period between two of these two times is the time to pray.
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh an-Nasaa’i.
‘Abd ar-Razzaaq narrated in his Musannaf (1773) and Ibn Ishaaq narrated in his Seerah – as it says in Fath al-Baari (2/286) – that this happened on the morning after the night in which prayer was made obligatory.
Al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
(The scholars) did not differ concerning the fact that Jibreel (peace be upon him) came down on the morning following the night of the Isra’, when the sun passed its zenith, and taught the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) the prayer and its timings. End quote.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Jibreel’s explanation of the timings of the prayer came on the morning following the night of the Isra’. End quote.
Sharh al-‘Umdah (4/148)
When the five daily prayers were first made obligatory, each prayer was two rak‘ahs, then after the Hijrah, that was confirmed in the case of travel, and two rak‘ahs were added for those who are not travelling, except Maghrib, which remained as it was. Al-Bukhaari (3935) and Muslim (685) narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: Prayer was enjoined with two rak‘ahs, then when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) migrated, it was enjoined with four rak‘ahs, but prayer whilst travelling remained as it had originally been.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and his Companions used to pray before the five daily prayers were made obligatory.
It says in al-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah (27/52-53):
Prayer was originally enjoined in Makkah at the beginning of Islam, because there are Makkan verses that were revealed at the beginning of the Prophet’s mission that encourage praying. As for the five daily prayers in the form that is well-known, they were made obligatory on the night of the Isra’ and Mi‘raaj. End quote.
See also the answer to question no. 143111
Some of the scholars are of the view that prayer was made obligatory at the beginning, two rak‘ahs in the morning and two rak‘ahs in the afternoon.
Al-Haafiz (may Allah have mercy on him) said in al-Fath:
A number of scholars are of the view that before the Isra’ there was no obligatory prescribed prayer, but prayers were offered at night, without any number of rak‘ahs being specified. Al-Harbi was of the view that prayer was made obligatory, two rak‘ahs in the morning and two rak‘ahs in the afternoon. Ash-Shaafa‘i narrated from some of the scholars that prayer at night was obligatory, then it was abrogated by the verse (interpretation of the meaning): “So, recite you of the Quran as much as may be easy for you” [al-Muzammil 73:20]. So it became obligatory to pray for part of the night. Then that was abrogated by the five daily prayers. End quote.
He also said:
Before the Isra’, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) definitely used to pray, as did his companions, but there is a scholarly difference of opinion as to whether any kind of prayer was made obligatory before the five daily prayers or not. It was said that what was obligatory at first was prayer before sunrise and prayer before sunset. The evidence for that is the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “and glorify the praises of your Lord before the rising of the sun, and before its setting” [Ta-Ha 20:130], and similar verses. End quote.
See also Tafseer Ibn ‘Atiyyah (1/204); at-Tahreer wa’t-Tanweer by Ibn ‘Ashoor (24/75).
And Allah knows best.

Share