Dought & clear, -(Rulings on prayer ),- Women walking in front of worshippers in al-Masjid al-Haraam.

If a woman walks in front of a worshipper in al-Masjid al-Haraam does
it invalidate the person's prayer?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
It is not permissible for anyone to walk in front of a person who is
praying unless that is behind his sutrah (object used as a screen), or
he walks far away from him, beyond the place where he is prostrating –
in the event that he has not set up a sutrah – because of the report
narrated by al-Bukhaari(510) and Muslim (507) which says that the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "If the one
who passes in front of one who is praying knew what (sin) he incurs,
he would realize that waiting for forty is better than passing in
front of him." Abu'l-Nadr said: I do not know whether he said forty
days, or months, or years.
The worshipper should try to stop the one who wants to walk in front
of him, because of the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (509) and Muslim
(505 from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) who
said: I heard the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
say: "If one of you prays facing towards something that is screening
him from the people, and someone wants to pass in front of him, let
him push him in the chest, and if he insists then let him fight him,
for he is a devil."
Secondly:
If a woman walks between a worshipper and his sutrah, then the prayer
is invalidated, whether the worshipper is leading the prayer or
praying on his own. As for the one who is praying behind an imam, it
does not affect his prayer, because the sutrah of the imam is a sutrah
for him too. For further discussion of this point please see question
no. 3404.
Thirdly:
A number of scholars made an exception in the case of al-Masjid
al-Haraam and granted a concession allowing people to walk in front of
worshippers in that place. They were of the view that if a woman or
anyone else passes in front of a worshipper it does not invalidate his
prayer.
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inal-Mughni(2/40):
There is nothing wrong with praying in Makkah without a sutrah. That
was narrated from Ibn al-Zubayr, 'Ata' and Mujaahid. Al-Athram said:
It was said to Ahmad: What if a man is praying with Makkah and does
not use anything as a sutrah? He said: It was narrated from the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that he prayed with
no sutrah between him and the tawaaf area. Ahmad said: Because Makkah
is not like anywhere else, as if Makkah is special.
Ibn Abi 'Ammaar said: I saw Ibn al-Zubayr come and pray, and the
tawaaf area was between him and the qiblah, and women were walking in
front of him. He would wait until the woman had passed, then he would
put his forehead on the ground where her feet had been. Narrated by
Hanbal inal-Manaasik.
Al-Mu'tamir said: I said to Tawoos: What if a man is praying – i.e.,
in Makkah – and men and women are passing in front of him? He thinks
that this land is not like other lands, because many people come to
Makkah in order to perform their rituals, and they crowd the place,
and if the worshipper were to prevent those who want to pass in front
of him, it would cause hardship for the people. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: I have found
a proven hadeeth which says: If one of you is praying and a donkey,
black dog or woman passes in front of him, his prayer is invalid. If
the text of the hadeeth is saheeh, what is your opinion about those
who pray in al-Haram al-Shareef with women passing in front of them as
they do tawaaf?
He replied: The hadeeth is saheeh. The Prophet(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "A Muslim's prayer is invalidated if there
is nothing in front of him the height of the back of a saddle, by a
woman, a donkey and a black dog." Narrated by Imam Muslim in
hisSaheeh. If a black dog, a donkey or a woman passes in front of a
worshipper, or between him and his sutrah each of them invalidates his
prayer. This is how it was narrated in the hadeeth from the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and it is sounder
than the opinions of the scholars. Concerning that there is a
difference of opinion among the scholars, including those who
interpreted it as meaning that it is the reward or the completeness of
the prayer that is affected.
But the correct view is that it invalidates the prayer and it is
spoiled by that.
But what happens in al-Masjid al-Haraam is excused according to the
scholars, because it is not possible to avoid that in al-Masjid
al-Haraam due to the crowding, especially at the time of Hajj. This is
one of the things that is excused in al-Masjid al-Haraam and is exempt
from the general meaning of the ahaadeeth. What happens of women who
are doing tawaaf passing in front of people praying in al-Masjid
al-Haraam does not affect them and their prayers are valid, whether
naafil or obligatory. This is the correct scholarly view. End quote
fromFataawa al-Shaykh Baaz(17/152).
The scholars of the Standing Committee for issuing fatwas were asked:
Is it permissible to walk in front of a person who is praying in the
mosque?
They replied: It is haraam to walk in front of a person who is
praying, whether he has put a sutrah in front of himself or not,
because of the general meaning of the hadeeth, "If the one who passes
in front of one who is praying knew what (sin) he incurs, he would
realize that waiting for forty is better than passing in front of
him." A number of scholars made an exception in the case of prayers
offered in al-Masjid al-Haraam, and they granted a concession allowing
people to walk in front of worshippers there, because of the report
narrated by Katheer ibn Katheer ibn al-Muttalib from his father from
his grandfather, who said: I saw the Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) standing at the Hijr with the people
passing in front of him. According to another report from al-Muttalib
he said: I saw the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) when he had finished his seven (i.e., tawaaf), come and
stand with the Corner between him and the Saqeefah, and pray two
rak'ahs at the edge of the Mataaf, with no one between him and the
tawaaf area. Although the isnaad of this hadeeth is da'eef, it is
supported by other reports and by the general meaning of the evidence
which suggests that there is no sin in that case, because of the
difficulty involved in preventing people from passing in front of a
worshipper in al-Masjid al-Haraam in most cases. End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah(7/82).
But one should not be careless about setting up something as a sutrah,
even if the place is crowded, so long as it is possible to do that.
Similarly one should not be careless about passing in front of a
person who is praying, unless one has no other choice.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: What
is the ruling on men and women passing in front of people who are
praying, especially in the Haram, and does it invalidat their prayers?
He replied: As for men (walking in front of one) they do not
invalidate the prayer, but one should try to stop them. As for woman,
an adult woman does invalidate the prayer if she walks between you and
your sutrah, or between you and the place where you prostrate, if you
do not have a sutrah, whether that is in the Haram or elsewhere. But
if a person cannot find any place to pray except a place where people
walk, such as by the doors, then as a case of necessity it does not
invalidate his prayer, because if he tried to stop the people from
walking in front of him he would be moving too much in his prayer and
would spoil it.
Questioner: But what is the ruling if they walk a little distance from him?
The Shaykh: If they walk far away, beyond the place where he
prostrates, then it does not matter. End quote fromLiqa' al-Baab
il-Maftooh(86/11).
And Allaah knows best.

Dought & clear, -(Rulings on prayer ),- Reciting the Basmalah in the prayer.

Must he say "Bismillahi rahman nirahim" quietly after finishing
al-fatihah in order to begin the sura he will recite? What if he
begins reciting in the middle of a sura?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Reciting the Basmalah (i.e., the phrase "Bismillaah ir-Rahmaan
ir-Raheem(in the name of Allaah, the most Gracious, the Most
Merciful)" is mustahabb (encouraged), not obligatory. It is mustahabb
if you are going to recite a soorah from the beginning, so the
worshipper says it before al-Faatihah. With regard to the soorah after
al-Faatihah, if he is reciting it from the beginning of the soorah,
then he should say the Basmalah, apart from Soorat al-Tawbah, because
the Basmalah is not recited at the beginning of it. If he is reciting
from the middle of a soorah, then it is not mustahabb to recite the
Basmalah.
The Standing Committee said:
The sound Sunnah indicates that the Prophet(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) recited the Basmalah in prayer before al-Faatihah
and before other soorahs, apart from Soorat al-Tawbah, but he did not
recite it out loud in the prayers in which he recited Qur'aan out
loud.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 6/378
They also said:
It is prescribed to recite the Basmalah in every rak'ah before
al-Faatihah and before every soorah apart from Soorat Baraa'ah (i.e.,
Soorat al-Tawbah).
Ibid.
And they said:
If (the worshipper) is going to recite a soorah after al-Faatihah, he
should recite the Basmalah silently beforehand. But if he is going to
recite a brief passage from the middle or end of a soorah, then it is
not prescribed for him to recite the Basmalah.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 6/380
And Allaah knows best.

For children, - Moths' sphere of expertise: Ultrasonic waves

A group of students and scientists from Tufts University obtained
miraculous results by investigating moths' central nervous systems.
Their aim was to decipher the code of the perceptions linking the
moth's central nervous system to the ear and to discover how moths are
able to escape from bats.
As a result of this research it was learned that thanks to a special
system in their ears, moths have broken through the bat's hunting
system. Messages concerning the bat are sent from the moth's ear to
the central nervous system by means of just two fibers. This system,
which gives the impression of having a very simple structure, actually
possesses a perfect creation that allows the moth to detect ultrasonic
frequencies.
The Early Warning System in the Ears
As they fly at night, insect-hunting bats emit a series of
high-frequency cries. This enables them to locate their prey by
determining the direction and distance of the source of the resulting
echoes. This radar is so sensitive that it enables bats to locate and
catch insects even smaller than mosquitoes. The bat is a highly
successful hunter, but some species of nocturnal moth, members of the
families Noctuidae, Geometridae and Arctiidae, have ears capable of
hearing bats' ultrasonic cries. These ears are located under the
moths' wings and function like an early warning system. This saves
them from falling prey to bats.
When they hear a bat approaching, the moths make sharp dives or
complicated loops different to their usual flight patterns. They
sometimes fly in the exact opposite direction to the high-frequency
sounds emitted at maximum velocity by the bat. Asher E. Treat from New
York University observed that moths moving in a different direction to
that of the bats' approach had a higher likelihood of survival than
others.
The moth ear can detect ultrasonic bat cries imperceptible to us from
a distance of 3,200 meters (1,988 miles) away. In addition, it can
detect bat cry frequencies ranging from 10 to 100 kilocycles a second.
Its greatest ability is to detect sound bursts, in other words, short
explosions of sound punctuated by silence, and to distinguish between
sound collision heights. These bestow a great advantage on the moth in
its war against the bat.
Obtaining the Enemy's Battle Plans
It is of course of great importance for one of two warring countries
to lay hands on the other's battle plans. Knowing the characteristics
of the weapons that will be used and the tactics the enemy will employ
in his attack is information that will make victory much easier. The
victory of moths over bats happens thanks to moths being aware of all
the offensive tactics used by the latter. This is of course a
consequence of the flawless structure in moths' creation. As the moth
detects the sound of the bat, there are a number of alternative
possibilities regarding what might ensue. However, the one that most
serves the moth's needs is what actually takes place, and the moth
duly escapes the bat. Let us now emphasize the importance of the
moth's achievement by examining these possibilities:
If the moth's sound perception range were narrower than that of the
bat, its ears would be unable to protect it from the predator. In such
an event, even if the moth were to be aware of the bat and attempt to
escape from it, the bat would nevertheless detect it and, since it
flies faster than the moth, would eventually catch it. Another
possibility is that the moth might perceive a bat very close to it as
actually being some distance away, or it might misinterpret the
direction of the sound emitted by the bat and fly right into it.
However, of all these possibilities, the best one for the moth
actually transpires, and it escapes falling prey to the bat.
In verse 52 of Surat al-Ahzab we are told that "Allah is watchful over
all things". Like all the living things on Earth, moths also survive
thanks to the perfect systems created in their bodies by Almighty
Allah (God) and to their being inspired with the knowledge of how to
use them. Again under the inspiration of Almighty Allah they behave in
a perfect manner and make the correct choices. This flawless system in
moths is just one of our Lord's countless proofs of Creation.
The Immaculate Hearing System in Moths
Just as it was provided in the book Animal Engineering, based on
articles published in the magazine Scientific American, there is a
flawlessly complex system in moths' bodies.
Ears of moths are placed in the rear sides of moths' chest. The
hearing organ is placed in a passage, which divides the chest and
abdomen of the moth. For an outsider, the ears may resemble two
cavities. In each cavity, there is a transparent tympanic membrane.
As we shall be seeing in detail, all the details in the moth ear are
of such a kind as to allow it to hear better and analyze the cries of
the bat.
In that section of the passage known as the middle ear there is an air
sac immediately behind the tympanic membrane. This sac is filled with
a fine line of tissue extending right along its length. This tissue
contains the components of the moth's hearing system and extends from
the middle of the membrane up to the skeleton support. There are two
cells, known as "A" cells, on this line. All the information regarding
the high-frequency sounds detected by the moth is forwarded by these A
fibers, known as A1 and A2, to the central nervous system.
The electrical impulses in the nerve fibers are just one to two
thousandths of a volt in strength. The signals in the moth's A fibers
reach the central nervous system from the sense cells in less than two
thousandths of a second.
These nerves have the capacity to detect the sounds emitted by bats.
They are also very sensitive when it comes to identifying their
wavelengths and alterations therein. Thanks to all these properties of
the fibers, the moth is able to distinguish between the long and weak
cry of a distant moth and the strong cries of one approaching to kill
it.
The Moth's Support Systems
The fact that the moth has two ears allows it to determine the
direction of the source of the sound. If the bat is to the left of the
moth, sound waves coming from the right are perceived around one
thousandth of a second later than those on the left. This difference
between the two ears is sufficient for the moth to determine the
direction of the source of the sound.
The astonishing features in the moth's ears are by no means limited to
these. Some moths' ears have a cover consisting of a membrane-like
structure. This serves just like our external ears, contributing to
the strengthening of hearing capacity by gathering up sounds.
In addition to all this, some moths go even further than detecting
ultrasonic sounds; they are also able to emit them. Rather than flee
when they detect a bat, these moths give off ultrasonic noises. This
is an astonishing state of affairs, because bats are literally masters
of ultrasonic sound detection. Yet contrary to what is imagined, bats
prefer to move off when they encounter such moths. Scientists think
there may be two reasons for this behavior:
1- The sound emitted by the moth impairs the bat's detection system.
2- Sound-emitting moths taste unpleasant to bats. When the bat
perceives this sound it thinks it will encounter unpleasant tasting
prey.
MOTHS ARE JUST ONE OF THE PROOFS OF CREATION THAT INVALIDATE THE
THEORY OF EVOLUTION
When all the information provided so far is examined, evident
consciousness can be seen in the way moths behave, and the flawless
creation in their bodies also draws one's attention. The moth's
perception of ultrasonic waves, its ability to interpret them, and its
emission of counter-waves are all features requiring their own
separate designs.
The amazing creations in moths are just one of the countless proofs
showing the flawless manner in which Allah (God) has created living
things. The creation in living things clearly proves that living
things did not emerge by chance, as evolutionists maintain, but that
they were brought into being with a sublime creation. There is no
doubt that it is Almighty Allah (God) Who creates all things, living
or inanimate, in the most perfect manner. Our Lord's infinite might
and the height of His glory are revealed thus in verses:
Everyone in the heavens and earth belongs to Him. All are submissive
to Him. It is He Who originated creation and then regenerates it. That
is very easy for Him. His is the most exalted designation in the
heavens and the Earth. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise. (Surat
ar-Rum, 26-27)
It is the most important priority for an animal to realize its enemy
in order to survive. To achieve this, it has to know its enemy very
well. Some species of moth are advantageous on this. Because they are
capable of hearing and distinguishing the high frequency sounds,
emitted by their greatest enemies, the bats.

For children, - There is no compulsionin Islam, everyone enjoys freedom of worship and belief

There is no compulsion where the religion is concerned. Right guidance
has become clearly distinct from error. Anyone who rejects false
deities and believes in Allah has grasped the Firmest Handhold, which
will never give way. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (Surat
al-Baqara, 256)
Islam is a religion of love and beauty. Since people who live by Islam
see the essence and beauty of this beautiful faith and have a profound
belief in Allah, they live in a state of great excitement and
enthusiasm. This is an opening of the heart. The source of devotion to
Islam is love of Allah. A Muslim prays because of his love of Allah.
He performs his religious obligations and lives by the Qur'an because
of his love of Allah. In the Qur'an, Allah describes Muslims in that
regard as "those whose hearts turn to Allah" and "those who are
unreservedly devoted."
A Muslim comprehends Islam and the might of Allah with his mind and
confirms them with his heart. As set out in a definitive pronouncement
in the Qur'an, nobody can impose the religion on anyone else by the
use of force or compulsion. If attempts are made to force anyone to
convert to Islam, that may make him a hypocrite rather than a Muslim.
The result is the kind of person who is totally opposed to Islam.
Under pressure, the hypocrite will say that he is a Muslim, though in
his heart he harbors a conception that is a far cry from the moral
values of the Qur'an and is a fraud who harbors hatred for and is
inimical to Islam and Muslims. Allah describes those who engage in
hypocrisy in these terms in the Qur'an:
Among the people there are some who say, 'We believe in Allah and the
Last Day,' when they are not believers. They think they deceive Allah
and those who believe. They deceive no one but themselves but they are
not aware of it. There is a sickness in their hearts and Allah has
increased their sickness. They will have a painful punishment on
account of their denial. (Surat al-Baqara, 8-10)
When they meet those who believe, they say, 'We believe.' But then
when they go apart with their demons, they say, 'We are really with
you. We were only mocking.' (Surat al-Baqara, 14)
That is because they have had belief and then returned to unbelief. So
their hearts have been sealed up and they cannot understand. (Surat
al-Munafiqun, 3)
There is a group of you who propagated the lie... (Surat an-Nur, 24)
There is a sickness in their hearts and Allah has increased their
sickness. They will have a painful punishment on account of their
denial. (Surat al-Baqara, 10)
Every Muslim has an obligation to preach the word of Islam and tell
people of its pronouncements and excellent moral values. But this, the
Qur'an states, can never be done through compulsion. The Qur'an may be
communicated to Christians and Jews, but if these people insist of
living by their own faiths, then there can be no question of forcing
them to do otherwise.
For that reason, Allah says,"There is no compulsion in the
religion"and speaks of the need for voluntary love. Compelling people
to be Muslims is prohibited in Islam.
By the will of Allah, the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) in the End Times
in which we are living is close at hand. In the time of Hazrat Mahdi
(as) people will comprehend the essence of the religion and will turn
to belief in Allah en masse. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will rule Muslims with
the Qur'an, Christians with the Gospel and Jews with the Torah. Hazrat
Mahdi (as) will spill no blood and, as commanded in the Qur'an, will
call on people to believe in Allah and see the essence of the religion
with love and sound counsel.