Fathwa, - Intention of Performing the Prayer on Time or Making up a Missed Prayer

Question
What is the religious ruling on making the intention of making up a
missed prayer and that ofperforming a prayer on time? Is the prayer
considered invalid if the worshipper does not differentiate between
the two intentions while performing the prayer ?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad
isHis slave and Messenger.
Muslim scholars unanimously agreed that the intention is a condition
for the validity of the prayer. Allaah The Exalted Says (what means):
{ And they were not commanded except to worship Allaah, [being]
sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth, and to establish
prayer and to give Zakaah. And that is the correct religion. } [Quran
98:5]
The Prophet , said: " Verily, deeds are based on intentions and an
individual is (rewarded) only according to that which he intends. "
[Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
The place of intention is the heart and not the tongue. Uttering the
intention is considered a religious innovation.
The role of intention is todistinguish acts of worship and
differentiate between these various acts as well.Prayers in Islam are
either obligatory or voluntary. Making an intention is a prerequisite
in each obligatory prayer in particular: the worshipper should make an
intention to perform aspecific prayer; Thuhr, 'Asr or the like.
Voluntary prayers are divided into two types:
First: Specified voluntary prayers which are performed on certain
occasions such as Salatul-Kusoof (i.e. eclipse prayer), Istisqaa' or
rain-invoking prayer, Taraaweeh (i.e. voluntaryprayer in Ramadhaan),
Witr and confirmed voluntary prayers. They all require an intention
from the worshipper. For instance, if he intends to perform a
voluntary prayer for the Thuhr or Maghrib prayer.
Second: General voluntary prayers, such as night prayers, which do not
require a specific intention but only the intention of performing
prayer.
However, Muslim scholarsdiffered about making an intention while
performing obligatory prayers. Is it obligatory tomake the intention
to perform an obligatory prayer or not? Should theworshipper make an
intention to perform a prayer on time if he is praying it on time?
Should the worshiper, who is re-offering the obligatory prayer, make
the intention of re-offering the prayer or not?
The preponderant opinion among most Muslim jurists is that it is not
mandatory for the worshipper to do so. The worshipper may settle for
making an intention of performing a specific obligatory prayer. For
example, if the 'Asr prayer is due and the worshipper wants to make up
for the Thuhr prayer, which he had missed, he should make the
intention of performing the Thuhr prayer and he is not obliged to make
the intention of making up for a missed prayer. When he performs the
'Asr prayer in its due time, he should merely make the intention of
performing the 'Asr prayer and not the intention of performing it at
its specific time.
Allaah Knows best. - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
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Countering Evil with a Better Deed

Interacting with others inlife is necessary, as a person is surrounded
by neighbors, relatives and colleagues in institutions of study and
workplaces. Due to this dealing with different types of people,it is
natural to be made susceptible to harm from some of them. Suppose that
every such act one is subjected to, is met by anevil one in its like,
in return; regardless of whether this harm is slight or great, or
intentional or not, the communities would turn into a jungle. People
will abandon good traits and live without regulations or rules. To
prevent the Muslim community from this detestable scenario, Allaah The
Almighty commanded His believingslaves to resist evil with something
good, when He Says (what means): {And not equal are the good deed and
the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon
the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he
was a devoted friend.} [Quran 41:34]
Undoubtedly, the ultimate act that is superior to countering evil with
its like, is to pardon and be compassionate, or at the least, to turn
away and avoid further embroiling oneself. Dear brother andsister! By
adopting this noble moral, you are safeguarding your own self-respect
and rationality. Therefore, you have to keep yourself away from the
provocation of foul people in order to be oneof the true servants of
Allaah The Almighty. He describes them Saying (what means):
· {And they who turn away from laghw (anything from falsehood, and
that includes association, other minor sins and all useless speech,
actions and concerns; furthermore, busying oneself with that which
does not concern him is included).} [Quran 23:3]
· {And when they hear ill speech, they turn away from it and say: "For
us are our deeds, and for you are your deeds. Peace will be upon you;
we seek not the ignorant."} [Quran 28:55]
· {And when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say [words of]
peace.} [Quran 25:63]
When one treats an abuser in a wholesome manner, he or she would
suppress his or her anger, thereby becomingone of those whom the
Prophet, , referred to when he said: "He who stifles his rage while he
isable to give vent to it, Allaah will summon him in front of all
people on the Day of Resurrection and let him choose from the Hoor
(maidens of Paradise) as he pleases."
Furthermore, one of the greatest benefits of repelling evil with a
better deed is that the enemy who wants to inflict harm and evil,
often converts into a defending supporter anda devoted friend. There
isa wondrous magic in good manners that it can be more influential
than physical force and vengeful will. Thus, antagonism changes intoa
different sentiment, as Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {Repel
[evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon the one whom
between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted
friend.} [Quran 41:34] That is whyIbn 'Abbaas advised: "Use your
forbearance to ward off the ignorance of those who harm you with [that
trait of theirs]."
We have observed the best of all creatures, Muhammad, , not only
tolerating the maltreatment of the violent, but also overlooking that
and pardoning them. 'Aa'ishah described him, saying: "He does not
counter evil with evil, rather he absolves and forgives." This was
also the example of the righteous people who followed the methodology
of the Prophet, . One of them was insulted by someone once, so he said
to him: "If you are mistaken, I ask Allaah to pardon you;and if you
are correct, I ask Him to forgive me."
Although we are all required to adopt this trait, a person in a
position of power is worthier of doing so more than others. That is
why among the final instructions of the Prophet, , before his death,
was: "Whoever is given authority over something in the Ummah of
Muhammad and has the power to harm or bring benefit to anyone, then he
should reward those who do good and pardon those who commit evil." In
his, , life, a man once came to him complaining about his servant,
saying: "I have a servant who is a wrongdoer and an oppressor. Should
I beat him?" The Prophet, , said: "Forgive him as much as seventy
times per day."
Also, a person whose relatives treat him unjustly is particularly in
need of this quality. He orshe should not meet theirill behavior with
evil in return; rather, he or she has to pardon, forgive and increase
in compassion. It was narrated that a man came to the Prophet, , and
said: "O Messenger ofAllaah, I have some relatives with whom I
maintain ties of kinship and they sever them; I pardon them and they
oppress me; I treat them kindly and they harm me.Should I then treat
them in the same way?" The Messenger of Allaah, , replied: "No, then
you would all be sinners; rather, you should be better and maintain
the ties of kinship and as long as you are in that state, you will
have a protector and supporter appointed from Allaah with you.'"
Repelling vice with a better deed is the remedy that restores damaged
social relations.It reforms what has been corrupted and renews that
which is effaced. With this treatment, the manifestations of goodness
are revived, people race each other invirtuous acts, the gates
ofiniquity are blocked to Satan and evil does not find any means to
spread. Instead, beneficence will prevail and the motives and
consequences of vice willbe eradicated. - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
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Miracles of the Prophets of Islam

Allaah The Almighty supported His Prophets with miracles, which are
extraordinary events thatare usually of the same nature that the
people ofthat particular prophet excelled at. For instance, the people
of Prophet Moosa excelled at magic, so the miracle of Prophet Moosa
was that he threw his staff and it turned to a serpent. Likewise, the
people of Prophet 'Eesa excelled at medicine, so Prophet 'Eesa cured
the blind and the leper, and gave life to thedead by the permission of
Allaah The Almighty. The Arabs excelled at poetry and rhetoric and
therefore Allaah The Almighty sent them the Quran and it was a miracle
that they were not even able to composeone Soorah (Chapter) like it.
Below are some of the miracles of the Prophets, may Allaah exalt their mention:
The miracle of Saalih
Allaah The Almighty sent Prophet Saalih to his people to call them to
worship Allaah The Almighty alone, and not to associate any partners
with Him. They asked himto bring them proof of what he was saying, so
Allaah The Almighty supported him with the miracle of the she-camel.
He made a unique she-camel emerge from between the mountain rocks.
Some of them believed him, but the majority of them disbelieved and
intendedto kill the she-camel. Prophet Saalih warned them saying (what
means): } And to the Thamud [We sent] their brother Salih. He said, "O
my people, worship Allaah; you have no deity other than Him. There has
come to you clear evidence from your Lord. This is the she-camel of
Allaah [sent]to you as a sign. So leave her to eat within Allaah's
land and do not touch her with harm, lest there seize you a painful
punishment. { [Quran 7:73]
The miracle of Ibraaheem(Abraham)
Ibraaheem rejected the practices of his people. They worshippedidols
that could neither harm nor benefit them. One day, he destroyed the
idols without anyone seeing him. When his people came to know that it
was Ibraaheem who had done that, they prepared a huge fire andthrew
him into it. However, the fire did not burn Ibraaheem and did not
affect him at all, as Allaah The Almighty ordered it not to burn him.
Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): } Theysaid, "Burn him and
support your gods - if you are to act."Allaah Said, "O fire, be
coolness and safety upon Abraham."And they intended for him harm, but
We Made them the greatest losers. { [Quran 21:68-70]
The miracle of Moosa (Moses)
Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): } And whatis that in your right
hand,O Moses?"He said, "It is my staff; I lean upon it, and I bring
down leaves for my sheep and I have therein other uses." [Allaah]
said, "Throw it down, O Moses." So he threw it down, and thereupon it
was a snake, moving swiftly. { [Quran 20:17-20] The staff was one of
the miracles given to ProphetMoosa . By that staff, he defeated the
magicians of Pharaoh, extracted water from rock and turned the sea
into land by the permission of Allaah The Almighty so that He would
save the believers and punish the disbelievers.
The miracles of 'Eesa
The miracle of Prophet 'Eesa was that he cured the blind and the
leper, and gave life to thedead by the permission of Allaah The
Almighty. He would design the form of a bird from clay, breathe into
itand it became a bird by the permission of Allaah The Almighty.
Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): } And [make him] a messenger to
the Children of Israel, [who will say], 'Indeed I have come to you
with a sign from your Lord in that I design for you from clay [that
which is] like the form of a bird, then I breathe into it and it
becomes a bird by permission of Allaah. And I cure the blind and the
leper, and I give life to the dead - by permission of Allaah. And I
inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses. Indeed
in that is a sign for you, if you are believers. { [Quran 3:49]
Another miracle of Prophet 'Eesa was the table that was sent downfrom
heaven with food. His people wanted him toask Allaah The Almighty to
send down a table spread with food so that their faith would increase.
They urged him to supplicate His Lord to do so, and he warned them,
but they insisted, so Allaah The Almighty sent down the table so that
it would be a miracleof Prophet 'Eesa . Allaah The Almighty Says (what
means): } [And remember] when the disciples said, "O Jesus, Son of
Mary, can your Lord send down to us a table [spread with food] from
the heaven? [Jesus] said," Fear Allaah, if you should be
believers."Theysaid, "We wish to eat from it and let our hearts be
reassured and know that you have been truthful to us and be among its
witnesses."Said Jesus, theson of Mary, "O Allaah, our Lord, send down
to us a table [spread with food] from the heaven tobe for us a
festival for thefirst of us and the last of us and a sign from You.
And provide for us, and You are the best of providers. "Allaah
said,"Indeed, I will send it down to you, but whoever disbelieves
afterwards from among you - then indeed will I punish him with a
punishment by which I have not punished anyone among the Worlds." {
[Quran 5: 112-115] - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
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In the Dark of the Night …

Once, there was a pious Muslim merchant who used to trade cattle. He
would buy cows from Iraq or Iran and sell themin Syria. This trader
was arighteous Muslim: pious, devout and pure hearted;he would pray at
night, fast and give charity frequently.
On one of his trade journeys, as he was shepherding a herd of cows to
sell them, it began to snow heavily. As a result, the road was
blocked, the grass died, and all his cows perished,except for four.
The poor trader took his four cowsand wandered all over the place,
until one evening he reached a small village on the road from Al-Mosul
to Halab. He knocked on the door of one of the houses in this village.
The owner ofthe house answered and the trader told him that he was a
stranger who wanted to spend that night at his house until morning so
he could continue his journey and go to another village.
The generous villager welcomed the trader warmly. He let him andhis
cows in the yard of his house, and offered the trader food and fedhis
cows. In fact, this villager was poor and penniless; all his cows had
died and his lands were ruined due to theheavy rains and snow that had
been falling for a very long time over their village. The villager was
married and the father of one child, and the small family lived in
their two-room house; one room for him and his wife and the other for
their child.
The villager's family gathered around the guest for a nightly chatfrom
which the villager cam to know that the trader was carrying a sum of
money with him. After the villager and his wife had gone to bed, the
guest went to sleep in the child's room. The child slept on his bed in
the right side of the room and the trader's bed was on the left side.
The villager asked his guest if he needed anything else before going
to bed and madesure that he was comfortable. The villager's wife
whispered in her husband's ears, insinuating evil into his mind, "How
long shall we remain poor? This guest is rich and we are in dire need
of his money and cows; we may have food for aday, but would spend days
without any food. What if a famine hit the village and we have neither
food nor money? We have a golden opportunity tonight: this guest is
rich,so let us steal his money and cows so as to maintain our lives
and save our only child's life."
The villager exclaimed, "How could we do that toour guest? How can I
steal his money and cows? Will he let me take his money and cows?" The
wife answered wickedly, "Kill him and throw his body in a hole in the
middle of the valley and no one would know about it."
The villager hesitated, but the wife kept insisting and persuading him
to enforce this evil plan; to convince him and end his hesitation she
said, "This is essential to save us from certain death; indeed, in
times ofextreme necessity, even the forbidden becomes permissible."
Finally, the wife managed to convince her husband of this wicked
Satanic scheme and he made up his mind to kill the traderand steal his
money and cows.
After midnight, in the lastthird of the night when everything was
quiet anddarkness and silence had enveloped the whole village, the
villager took his dagger, sharpened it, and headed towards the room
where his guest and his son were sleeping. His wife accompanied him,
encouraging him to put his evil plan into action. The villager tiptoed
slowly, heading to the left side of the room where the guest was
sleeping. He groped for his sleeping guest until he touched his neck
in this black darkness; the villager unsheathed his dagger and cut the
guest's throat swiftly, justlike he would slaughter agoat.
The villager went back tohis wife, seeking her helpto move the body
and no sooner had they pulled the dead body out of the room, they
realized that they had slaughtered their one and only son! The
villager sobbed and his wife did the same on seeing their son's dead
body between their bloodstained hands; theyboth lost their
consciousness. Hearing the noise, the sleeping guest woke up and so
did the neighbors to find the villager's son murdered (and the
villager and his wife unconscious). The guest and the neighbors
hastened to the unconscious villager and his wife, splashing cold
water over their faces to wake them up. When they woke up, they burst
into tears and asked the neighbors to call the police. The police
arrived at the crime scene and arrested the killers.
What exactly had happened inside the bedroom where the guest and the
villager's son slept that night? In fact, the villager's son went to
the guest's bed on the other side of the room after his parents had
left the room and engaged in conversation with him; it was quite a
long conversation, and the son felt asleep in the middle of it on the
guest's bed. The kind guest did not wish to wake up the child, so he
slept in the child's bed instead. When the villager came inside the
room in the dark of the night, he was sure that his son was sleeping
in his own bed in the other side of the room and the guest was in his
bed. Therefore, he slaughtered the one whowas sleeping in the guest's
bed, not knowingthat he was slaughtering his own son with his
veryhands!
The villager wanted to kill the guest, but Allaah The Exalted willed
his sonto be killed instead. The neighbors buried the villager's son
and his unfortunate parents went to prison for their crime. - -
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