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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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