Sheikh Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid
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Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the
Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the most noble of the Prophets
and Messengers, our Prophet Muhammad, and upon all his family and
companions.
The Muslim may be faced with a number of
emergency situations in his life, where he needs an immediate answer as
to how he should act in that particular situation. In most cases,
however, it is not possible to look for or ask about the appropriate
Islamic rulings at that time.
This proves the importance of learning
about Islam and knowing the rules of sharee’ah, so that when a Muslim
needs this information, he will have it at hand and will thus be able to
save himself or his Muslim brother from doing something haraam or
making a mistake. In so many cases, ignorance can lead to corruption of
worship or – at the very least – acute embarrassment. It is unfortunate
that an imaam may mistakenly stand up for a fifth rak’ah, and there may
be nobody in the congregation or the mosque who knows what the rulings
of sharee’ah say should be done in such a situation. Or a traveller who
is intending to perform ‘umrah may come to the airport at the last
minute, and suddenly discover that he has forgotten his ihraam garments,
but he has no time to do anything about it, and there is nobody among
the Muslim in the airport who can tell him what he should do in this
emergency. Or a man may come to the mosque on an occasion when the
prayers have been joined together because of rain: the congregation is
already praying ‘ishaa’ but he has not yet prayed maghrib, so he is
confused as to what he should do. In such a situation the people may
embark upon a debate based only on ignorance, and so confusion will
reign in the mosques. In many individual and personal matters, ignorance
may lead to embarrassment and even sin, especially when a person is in
the position of having to make a decision and he does not have
sufficient knowledge on which to base that decision.
People in this world have prepared
information telling people how to behave in emergency situations: what
to do if fire breaks out, if someone is drowning, if a scorpion bites,
if there is a car accident, if someone is bleeding or has broken a bone…
All of these first aid procedures are well known; they teach them to
people and hold special courses. How much more important is it, then,
that those who are concerned with the Hereafter should learn and teach
the rules of this religion!
At this point, we should note the
importance of differentiating between hypothetical matters which rarely,
if ever, happen, and matters which we know from experience do happen to
people and are asked about.
With regard to the first type
(hypothetical situations), asking about them is a fruitless waste of
time, which is not allowed in Islam. The Prophet SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) warned us against this when he said:
“Accept what I have left you with, for the people who came before you
were only destroyed because of their excessive questioning and their
disputing with their Prophets…” (Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim;
this version was reported by Muslim, no. 1337, vol. 2, p. 975)
Commenting on this hadeeth, Ibn Rajab
(may Allah have mercy on him) said: “These ahaadeeth indicate that it is
forbidden to ask questions unnecessarily… or to ask questions out of
stubbornness or an intention to mock.” (Jaami’ al-‘Uloom wa’l-Hukm by
Ibn Rajab, 1/240, edited by al-Arna’oot)
This is how we interpret the words of a
group of the salaf, such as the report that when Zayd ibn Thaabit, may
Allah be pleased with him, was asked about something, he would say, “Has
it really happened?” If they said “No,” he would tell them, “Leave it
until it really happens.” (Reported by Ibn Rajab, op. cit., 1/245; see
also similar reports in Sunan al-Daarimi, 1/49, and Jaami Bayaan al-‘Ilm
by Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, 2/174).
With regard to the second type, matters
that really happen, then it is good to ask about them. The Companions of
the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sometimes
asked him about things before they happened, but it was so that they
could act accordingly when these things did happen. For example, they
asked him: “We are going to meet with the enemy tomorrow, and we do not
have knives, so should we use dried sugar canes as weapons?” They asked
him about the rulers who he had told them would come after him, and
whether they should obey them or fight them. Hudhayfah asked him about
al-fitan (times of tribulation) and what he should do at such times.
(Jaami’ al-‘Uloom al-Hukm, 1/243). This indicates that it is permissible
to ask about things which are expected to happen.
There follows a discussion about some
issues that people are likely to face in real life. These are practical
matters which have happened and could happen to some people. In each
case, the answer is accompanied by a reference to the sources in the
work of trustworthy scholars. There may be differing opinions in some
cases, but the answer has been limited to one viewpoint, the one based
on the soundest evidence, for the sake of brevity and ease of
understanding. I ask Allah to benefit me and my brothers in Islam in
this world and on the Day of Judgement. May He reward with good all
those who share in this endeavour, for He is the Most Kind and Generous.
Allah knows best.
May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad and all his family and companions.
Tahaarah (purity and cleanliness)
Paint or dirt on hands when making wudoo’
If a person finds something like paint or
dirt on his hands etc, whilst making wudoo’, and tries to remove it,
does this break the continuity of his wudoo’ and mean that he has to
start again?
Answer: According to the most sound
opinion, this does not break the continuity of his wudoo’, even if the
parts of his body that have already been washed become dry, because he
was delayed by something that is connected to tahaarah. Similarly his
wudoo’ is not affected if he moves from one tap to another in order to
get water, etc.
But if he is interrupted by something
that is not connected to his wudoo’, such as removing some impurity from
his clothes, or eating or drinking, and so on, and the parts of his
body that he has already washed during wudoo’ become dry, then he has to
repeat his wudoo’. (Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 4/145-146).
Dressings on wounds
If a person has an injury in any part of
his body that should be washed during wudoo’, and cannot put a band-aid
or dressing on it, then he should do wudoo’, and do tayammum for the
wounded part (al-Mughni ma’a al-Sharh al-Kabeer, 1/282). He does not
have to wash the wounded part if this will be harmful.
Traces of janaabah (impurity) on clothes
If a person sees some traces of janaabah
(impurity such as semen, etc.) on his clothes, and he has already prayed
some prayers without realizing that this was there, he should do ghusl
and repeat the prayers done since the most recent period of sleep
wearing these clothes. If, however, he knows that this janaabah is from a
previous period of sleep, he should repeat all the prayers since the
end of the sleep in which he thinks the janaabah occurred. (al-Mughni
ma’a al-Sharh al-Kabeer, 1/199).
The evidence that he should perform ghusl
for salaah in cases of janaabah is to be found in many places, such as
the aayah “O you who believe! Approach not the prayer when you are in a
drunken state until you know (the meaning) of what you utter, nor when
you are in a state of janaabah (i.e., in a state of sexual impurity and
have not yet taken a bath), except when travelling on the road (without
enough water, etc.), till you wash your whole body…” [al-Nisaa’ 4:43]
and the hadeeth of ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) in which he
said: “I was a man who experienced a lot of urethral discharge, so I
kept washing myself (doing ghusl) until the skin on my back started to
crack. I mentioned that to the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), or it was mentioned to him, so he said: “Don’t do
that. If you see discharge, wash your private parts and do wudoo’ for
prayer as usual. If water (i.e., semen) gushes out, then do ghusl.”
(Reported by Abu Dawood, no. 206; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
Irwaa’ al-Ghaleel, no. 125). This indicates that when semen is emitted,
ghusl is a must, but when there is discharge, it is enough just to wash
the private part and do wudoo’.
Janaabah whilst travelling
A traveller may find himself on a long
plane journey during which he becomes junub (impure). He has no way of
performing ghusl, and there is nothing on the plane that he could use
for tayammum. If he waits until he reaches his destination, the time for
prayer will be over, and it may be a prayer that he cannot join with
another, such as fajr, when he set out before fajr and will not arrive
until after sunrise, or the time for joining two prayers such as zuhr
and ‘asr may also be over, because he set out before zuhr and will not
arrive until after maghrib. What should he do in such a situation?
If we accept that he has no means of
performing ghusl on board the plane, then he is in the situation known
by the scholars as “the one who does not have access to the two
purifying materials (i.e., water or earth).” There are varying opinions
on this situation. Imaam Ahmad and the majority of muhaddithoon say that
he should pray as he is, because this is all that he can do, and
“Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope.” [al-Baqarah 2:286 –
interpretation of the meaning].
The specific evidence in this case is the
report narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh, where it states that the
Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent some people
to look for a necklace that ‘Aa’ishah had lost. The time for prayer
came, and they prayed without wudoo’ (because they could not find
water). When they came to the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him), they told him about it and then the aayah of tayammum was
revealed. (Saheeh Muslim, 367). The Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) did not blame or criticize them, neither did he
tell them to repeat the prayer. This indicates that prayer is
obligatory, and even though tahaarah is a condition for prayer, prayer
should not be delayed when tahaarah cannot be accomplished. (al-Mughni
ma’a al-Sharh al-Kabeer, 1/251).
A similar ruling applies to the sick who
cannot move their limbs at all, and people who are imprisoned and
chained up or suspended.
What is meant is that the prayer should
be performed in the best way possible under the circumstances, and it
should not be delayed beyond its set time. According to the soundest
opinion, it does not have to be repeated, for Allaah does not lay upon
us in religion any hardship.
Bleeding after miscarriage – nifaas or not?
If a woman miscarries and bleeds, should
she pray or not? The answer to this question depends on the kind of
blood: is it nifaas or not? The scholars have mentioned the regulations
concerning this: “If she sees blood after passing something that has any
human features, then it is nifaas, but if she sees it after passing
something that resembles a blood clot (nutfah or ‘alaq), then it is not
nifaas.” (al-Mughni ma’a al-Sharh al-Kabeer, 1/361).
In the latter case, this is istihaadah
(irregular bleeding), so she should do wudoo’ for each prayer after the
time for that prayer has started, and then pray. If what she passed is a
fully formed foetus or has some formed limbs, such as a hand or a foot
or a leg, then this is nifaas. If she says that they took it away in the
hospital and threw it away, and she did not see it, then the scholars
say that the shortest time in which human features could be formed is
eighty-one days from the time of conception. (Majmoo’at Fataawa
al-Shaykh ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 4/292).
This is based on the hadeeth narrated by
‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood according to which the Messenger of Allaah SAWS
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who is the one who speaks
the truth, said: “The creation of each one of you is gathered for forty
days in his mother’s stomach (womb), then he is ‘alaqah (something that
clings) for a similar length of time, then he is mudghah (something like
a lump of chewed flesh) for a similar length of time. Then Allaah sends
an angel who is commanded to do four things: he is told to write down
his deeds, his provision and whether he is to be unfortunate (doomed to
Hell) or blessed (destined for Paradise)…” (This version narrated by
al-Bukhaari, Fath, 6/303).
Any woman facing this problem should try to seek the advice of doctors to find out exactly what her situation is.
With regard to the blood which may be
discharged just prior to a normal birth: if it is accompanied by labour
pains or contractions, then it is nifaas, otherwise it is not. Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “What she
sees when the labour pains begin is nifaas. What is meant here is
contractions followed by delivery; if this is not the case then it is
not nifaas.” (Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 4/327).
Salaah (prayer)
Waswaas (insinuating thoughts from Shaytaan)
If, when praying, a person experiences
waswaas (insinuating thoughts) from Shaytaan, which cause him to falter
in his recitation of Qur’aan, make him think bad thoughts and make him
doubt the number of rak’ahs he has completed, what should he do?
This happened to one of the Sahaabah,
namely ‘Uthmaan ibn Abi al-‘Aas (may Allaah be pleased with him). He
came to the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
complained about it: “The Shaytaan comes between me and my salaah, and
causes me to falter in my recitation.” The Messenger of Allaah SAWS
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “That is a shaytaan
(devil) called Khanzab. If you sense his presence, seek refuge with
Allaah and spit (dry spitting) to your left three times.” ‘Uthmaan
(later) said: “I did that, and Allaah rid me of him.” (Saheeh Muslim,
no. 2203).
This hadeeth indicates two ways in which
one may ward off the shaytaan who tries to disrupt one’s prayers. The
first is to seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of Shaytaan, even by
pronouncing these words whilst praying – there is nothing wrong with
doing so in this case. The second is to spit (dry spitting) to the left
three times. This means blowing air in a manner similar to spitting but
ejecting more a very small amount of saliva, so long as this will not
affect the person next to you or making the masjid dirty.
What if something happens during prayer?
If something happens to a person whilst
praying, men should say “Subhaan Allaah,” and women should clap. The
evidence for this is the hadeeth narrated from Sahl ibn Sa’d, according
to which the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “If something happens to you during salaah, men should
say ‘Subhaan Allaah’ and women should clap.” (Reported by Abu Dawood).
According to the version narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim: “Tasbeeh
(saying ‘Subhaan Allaah’) is for men, and clapping is for women.” (Sunan
Abi Dawood, 941; Saheeh al-Bukhaari (al-Bugha edition), 1145; Saheeh
Muslim, 106).
Call of nature when the iqaamah is given
If the prayer is about to start (the
iqaamah is given) and a person feels the call of nature, he should go to
the bathroom and attend to his need, even if this means he will miss
the congregational prayer. The evidence for this was narrated by
‘Abd-Allaah ibn Arqam: “The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If any one of you needs to
answer the call of nature and the prayer is about to begin, let him tend
to his need first.’” (Reported by Abu Dawood, no. 88; see also Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 373).
Doubts about passing wind
If a person who is praying is in doubt as
to whether he has passed wind or not, or he feels some movement in his
abdomen, should he stop praying or should he continue?
If he is certain that he has passed wind,
he should stop praying, but if he is uncertain or doubtful, he should
not stop – until he becomes sure of it, either by hearing a sound or by
smelling an odour.
If he finds that he has passed wind, he should stop praying, otherwise he should not pay any attention to it.
The evidence for this is the hadeeth
reported by Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him): “The
Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: ‘If any one of you is praying and feels some movement in his back
passage, and is in doubt as to whether he has passed wind or not, he
should not stop praying until he hears a sound or detects an odour.’”
(Reported by Abu Dawood, 177; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 750).
This is one of the important Islamic prescriptions for curing waswaas (the insinuating whispers of Shaytaan).
If adhaan for fajr is called whilst one is praying witr
If a person is praying witr and the
muezzin calls the adhaan (call to prayer) for fajr whilst he is still
praying, should he continue with his witr?
Yes, if the adhaan comes whilst he is
praying witr, he should complete the prayer, and there is nothing wrong
with doing so. (Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, Fataawa Islaamiyyah, 1/346). This matter
has to do with the timing of witr prayer and whether it ends at the
start of fajr or the end of fajr. The majority (of scholars) say that it
ends at the start of fajr prayer. (Is’aaf Ahl al-‘Asr bima warada fi
Ahkaam Salaat al-Witr by Fayhaan al-Mutayri, p. 33)
Missed ‘asr and reaches masjid when maghrib prayer has started
If a person has missed ‘asr prayer and arrives at the masjid to find that maghrib prayer has started, what should he do?
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said: He should pray maghrib with the imaam, then
pray ‘asr, as is agreed upon by all leading scholars. As to whether he
should repeat maghrib, there are two opinions. The first is that he
should repeat it; this is the view of Ibn ‘Umar, Maalik and Abu
Haneefah, and the most well known view of Ahmad. The second opinion is
that he does not have to repeat it; this is the view of Ibn ‘Abbaas and
al-Shaafi’i, and the second view of Ahmad. The second view is more
correct, because Allaah did not make it obligatory for a person to pray a
salaah twice if he has feared Allaah as much as he can. And Allaah
knows best. (Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn Taymiyah, 22/106).
Traveller joining congregation without knowing if imaam is also a traveller
If a traveller comes upon a congregation
praying, and he does not know if the imaam is also a traveller (so that
he can join the prayer with the intention of shortening it), or he is a
resident (so that he can pray the complete prayer behind him), what
should he do?
According to the strongest opinion, he
should act on the basis of what he sees of signs of travel on the imaam,
such as clothing or travel gear. If it appears to him that the imaam is
a resident, then he should pray the complete prayer behind him.
The evidence for this is the report
narrated by Ahmad from Ibn ‘Abbaas, who was asked: “What is the reason
why a traveller prays two rak’ahs if he is alone and four rak’ahs if he
prays behind a resident?” He said: “That is the sunnah.” According to
another report he said: “That is the sunnah of Abu’l-Qaasim.” (Al-Haafiz
did not comment on this hadeeth in al-Takhlees, 2/50, but Ahmad Shaakir
classed its isnaad as saheeh in his commentary on al-Musnad, 3/260).
If he assumes that the imaam is a
traveller, and prays two rak’ahs with the intention of praying a
shortened prayer, then after salaam (completion of the prayer) he
discovers that the imaam is in fact a resident and that these two
rak’ahs were the third and fourth prayed by the imaam, in this case he
should stand up, pray two more rak’ahs to complete the prayer, and do
sujood sahw (an extra two prostrations). (Al-Majmoo’ li’l-Nawawi,
4/356). There is no harm done by any speaking or asking that were
necessary for the sake of his prayer.
Being unable to stand for the rest of a prayer
If a person who is praying is suddenly
unable to stand up for the rest of his prayer, or a person who had to
pray sitting down is suddenly able to stand, what should he do?
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said: “As soon as a sick person who is praying becomes able to do
what he could not do at the beginning of his prayer, whether it be
standing, sitting, bowing, prostrating or any other movement, then he
should continue and build on what he has already completed. Similarly,
if a person begins the prayer capable of performing all actions, then
suddenly becomes unable to do certain things, he should carry on as best
he can, and build on what he has already completed as if nothing has
changed.” (al-Mughni ma’a al-Sharh al-Kabeer, 1/782; see
also al-Majmoo’ li’l-Nawawi, 4/318)
The evidence for this is the hadeeth of
‘Imraan ibn Husayn (may Allaah be pleased with him): “I had haemorrhoids
(“piles”), so I asked the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) about salaah. He said: ‘Pray standing up, but if you
cannot, then sitting down, and if you cannot, then on your side.’”
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 2/587).
A knock on the door when one is praying, or a mother seeing her child do something dangerous
If someone knocks on the door whilst one
is praying, or a mother who is praying sees her child playing with an
electrical outlet or doing something similarly dangerous, what should be
done?
If a person who is praying needs to do
something relatively minor, such as opening a door, there is nothing
wrong with doing so, so long as he continues to face the qiblah.
The evidence for this is the hadeeth
narrated by Abu Dawood from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her)
who said: “The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) used to pray with the door closed. I came and asked him to
open it, so he came and opened it for me, then went back to his prayer.”
The narrator mentioned that the door was in the direction of the
qiblah. (Sunan Abi Dawood, no. 922; Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, 815).
The same applies if a mother is praying
and needs to move her child away from something dangerous or harmful,
and so on. A simple movement to the right or left, or forwards or
backwards, will not affect her prayer. Similarly, if one’s ridaa’ (upper
garment) falls off, the one who is praying can pick it up, and if the
izaar (lower garment) becomes loose, he can tighten it. In certain
cases, sharee’ah allows excessive movements during prayer, even if this
means moving away from facing the qiblah, as is reported in the hadeeth
narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him): “The
Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: ‘Kill the two black things while in prayer: the snake and the
scorpion.’” (Sunan Abi Dawood, no. 92; Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, 814).
Responding to salaam when praying
If salaam (Islamic greeting) is given to a
person whilst he is praying, he can reply with a gesture, as was
reported from Suhayb (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said: “I
passed by the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) as he was praying. I greeted him with salaam, and he
responded with a gesture.” (Sunan Abi Dawood, 925; Saheeh Sunan Abi
Dawood, 818).
The gesture is described in a number of
ahaadeeth, such as that narrated by Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased
with him) who said: “The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) went out to Qubaa’ to pray there. The Ansaar came
to him and greeted him with salaam whilst he was praying. I asked
Bilaal, ‘How did you see the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) reply to them when they said salaam to
him and he was praying?’ He said: ‘Like this,’ and flattened his hand.”
Ja’far ibn ‘Awn (one of the narrators) flattened his hand with the palm
facing downwards and the back of his hand facing upwards. (Sunan Abi
Dawood, 927; Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, 820).
Joining a prayer in progress
If a man enters the masjid while the
imaam is praying, should he join the imaam immediately in whatever
position he is in and start praying, or should he wait to see whether
the imaam is going to sit or stand?
The correct answer is that which is
indicated by the evidence (daleel): he should join the imaam no matter
what part of the prayer he has reached – prostrating, standing, bowing
or sitting. The evidence is the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be
pleased with him): “The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If you come to the prayer and we are
prostrating, then prostrate, but don’t count it, and whoever catches a
rak’ah has caught the prayer.’” (Sunan Abi Dawood, 893; Saheeh Sunan Abu
Dawood, 792). Mu’aadh said: “The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If one of you comes to prayer
and the imaam is in a certain position, then do as the imaam is doing.’”
(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 591; see also Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 484). Also,
there is the general meaning of the hadeeth: “Whatever you catch up
with, pray.”
Not hastening unduly to join a prayer in progress
If the prayer starts and a person is
still on his way to the mosque, he should not hasten unduly; he should
walk with calmness and dignity, as indicated in the hadeeth of Abu
Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him): “The Prophet SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If the prayer starts, do not
approach it running; approach it walking with calmness and dignity.
Whatever you catch up with, pray, and whatever you miss, complete it
[afterwards].’” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 2/390).
Breaking wind during a congregational prayer
If a man breaks wind during a congregational prayer, what should he do in this embarrassing situation?
He should put his hand over his nose, and
go out. The evidence for this was reported by ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be
pleased with her), who said: “The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If one of you passes wind whilst
he is praying, he should hold his nose and leave.’” (Sunan Abi Dawood,
1114; see also Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, 985). Al-Teebi said: “The
command to hold one’s nose is to make it appear as though one is
bleeding. This is not lying; it is a form of action that is allowed so
that Shaytaan will not convince a person in this situation not to leave
because he feels too shy of others.” (Mirqaat al-Mafaateeh Sharh
Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 3/18).
This is an example of the kind of
ambiguity that is allowed and approved of, in order to avoid
embarrassment, as whoever sees him leaving in this manner will assume
that he is suffering a nosebleed. Another benefit of this Prophetic
advice is that it puts a stop to the insinuating whispers of the
Shaytaan, which may otherwise cause him to stay in the row or continue
praying with the congregation when he has passed wind, and this does not
please Allaah. How can he stay when the Prophet SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) has commanded him to leave?
In this case he is permitted either to
pass through the rows, or to walk to the edge of the mosque, in order to
leave, so that he can go and make wudoo’, then come back and rejoin the
prayer.
When one has already prayed and comes to another mosque to find the people there praying
If a person has already prayed in one
mosque, then he comes to another mosque for a lesson or for some other
reason, and finds the people there praying, then he should join them and
his prayer would be considered a naafil (supererogatory or “extra”)
prayer. He should do so even if it is during the prohibited times of
prayer because there is a reason behind it. The evidence for this comes
from the hadeeth of Yazeed ibn al-Aswad (may Allah be pleased with him):
“I performed Hajj with the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) and prayed Fajr with him in Masjid Al-Khayf. When he
completed his prayer and turned around, he found two people at the back
who did not pray with him. He said, ‘I have to talk to them.’ So he came
to them, and they were trembling. He asked them: ‘What prevented you
two from praying with us?’ They said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! We had
already prayed in our places.’ He said: ‘Do not do that. If you have
already prayed at your places and then came to a congregational mosque,
pray with them too and it will become a supererogatory prayer for you.’”
(Sunan Al-Tirmidhi, no. 219; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 667)
In another hadeeth it is narrated that
the two came after the Fajr prayer which is a time when prayer is
prohibited. Imaam Maalik has reported in al-Muwatta’ in the chapter on
“What has been narrated about repeating the prayer with the imaam after a
person has prayed individually”:
“Mihjan (radiAllahu ‘anhu), said that he
was in the company of the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him), when the call to prayer was given. The Messenger
of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) got up and
prayed in congregation, then came back, while Mihjan stayed in his place
and did not pray with them. So the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him: ‘What prevented you from
praying with the people? Are you not a Muslim?’ He said: ‘Indeed I am, O
Prophet of Allah! But I had already prayed at home.’ The Prophet SAWS
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him: ‘When you come
(to the mosque) then pray with the people even if you have already
prayed.’” (al-Muwatta’, 1/130; Silsilah al-Saheehah, no. 1337)
Still praying sunnah when the iqaamah is given
If a person has entered the mosque and is
praying sunnah, then the iqaamah is called, the best opinion in this
case is that if he is in his second rak‘ah, he should finish it quickly,
and if he is in the first rak‘ah, he should just break his prayer and
enter the congregation with the imaam. (Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 1/345).
The basis for this is the report which
Imaam Muslim narrated in his Saheeh: “The Messenger of Allaah SAWS
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If iqaamah is called
for the prayer then there is no prayer except the obligatory one.’”
(Saheeh Muslim, 1/493)
So, if a person has performed the rukoo’
of the second rak‘ah when the iqaamah is called, then he should complete
his prayer. If the iqaamah is called before he does the rukoo’ of the
second rak’ah, then he should discontinue because what is left of sujood
and tashahhud is not needed any more. Moreover, he should break without
salaam, and it is enough to have the intention in the heart, contrary
to common misconception.
Being informed of the correct direction of the qiblah whilst praying
If there is a congregation praying, and
during their prayer they are informed that the qiblah is in a direction
other than that which they were facing, they should all turn towards the
correct direction. The same is also true for someone praying
individually. Whatever part of their prayer has been performed (before
changing direction) will be correct.
The evidence for this is a narration
reported by Imaam Muslim from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him):
“While the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
praying towards Bayt-al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), the aayah was revealed to
him (interpretation of the meaning): ‘Verily! We have seen the turning
of your face towards the heaven. Surely, We shall turn you to a qiblah
that shall please you, so turn your face in the direction of al-Masjid
al-Haram.’ [Al-Baqarah 2:144]. A man from Bani Salamah was passing by
and found them (i.e., the people of Bani Salamah) in the state of rukoo‘
in the second rak‘ah of the Fajr prayer. He called out to them: ‘The
qiblah has been changed,’ so they changed direction while they were
still in rukoo’.” (Saheeh Muslim, No. 527)
If some of the people were informed and
the others were not, then the one to whom it was made clear should turn
to the direction which he believes to be the correct direction of
qiblah. Now if all of these people were originally praying together in
the same direction, then some of them turned towards the right and some
towards the left, it is still valid for one of them to lead the others
in prayer. But the scholars have a difference of opinion about some
people following others in cases of complete disagreement about the
direction of the qiblah. If there is someone among them who is
completely ignorant about the direction, he should follow the one who is
more aware amongst them of the direction of the qiblah. (Al-Mughni ma’a
al-Sharh al-Kabeer, 1/473). If someone does not know the direction of
the qiblah, he must ask someone if he can, or else he should make
ijtihaad (make a judgment to the best of his ability based on the
information available) if he is able to, otherwise he must follow
someone who is reliable. If he cannot find such a person, then he should
fear Allah, do his best and pray, and his prayer is valid. This
sometimes happens to people who travel to the lands of the disbelievers
and find no Muslim or anybody else who could tell them the correct
direction of the qiblah, and have no means of finding out. But if a
person is capable of finding out the direction of the qiblah, but was
neglectful and prayed without making all possible efforts, he should
repeat his prayer because he was careless. (Al-Mughni ma’a al-Sharh
al-Kabeer, 1/490).
Falling behind when praying in congregation
If a person is praying in a congregation
and the loudspeaker stops working or he becomes drowsy and he lags
behind the imaam by one or more obligatory acts (arkaan) of prayer
(i.e., the imaam performed it and he did not because of not hearing the
imaam’s voice), then when he wakes up again or the sound of the speaker
comes back, he should complete the obligatory acts that he has missed,
then continue following the imaam.
This problem may arise in many cases. For
example: the imaam recites a verse that contains the word of
prostration (sajdah) and some of the people misunderstand it to be a
verse of prostration while in reality it is not, so when the imaam says
takbeer for rukoo‘ at the end of the verse and performs rukoo‘, some of
the followers (especially those towards the rear of the congregation)
take it to be the takbeer for the prostration of recital, so they
prostrate. When the imaam stands up from the rukoo‘ saying “sami‘a
Allahu li man hamidah”, they stand up from their prostration, thus
having missed the act of rukoo‘ and standing up from it. So it is
incumbent on them to
complete what they missed and then catch
up with the imaam. This is because they did not do it intentionally.
However, in the case of one who intentionally lags behind the imaam
(e.g., someone who prolongs his prostration to make a long supplication
such that he misses the obligatory act which comes after the
prostration), the majority of scholars say that the prayer of someone
who misses two consecutive obligatory acts of prayer without a valid
excuse, is void and he is a sinner. (Kashshaaf al-Qinaa’, 1/467;
al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 6/29). However, the principle is that the
imaam must be followed, as the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “The imaam is there to be followed, so do not
differ from him. When he goes into rukoo‘, make rukoo‘. When he says
“Sami’a Allahu li man hamidah” (Allah hears the one who praises Him),
say “Rabbanaa laka’l-hamd” (O our Lord! To You belongs the Praise). When
he goes into sajdah, make sajdah. If he prays sitting, then all should
pray sitting.” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, no. 689)
When the imaam nullifies his wudoo’
If the Imaam nullifies his wudoo’ whilst
he is praying, or remembers during the prayer that he did not perform
ablution, then he should come out from prayer and appoint someone to
finish leading the prayer, as was narrated from ‘Umar, ‘Ali, ‘Alqamah
and ‘Ataa’. If he does not appoint anyone, and the people pray
individually, this is also acceptable, and this is the opinion taken by
Imaam Al-Shaafi‘i. If he brings someone forward to lead them, that is
also permitted.
The evidence for this is what has been
narrated regarding ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) when he was
stabbed: he took the hand of ‘Abd al-Rahmaan bin ‘Awf and made him step
forward, and he led the prayer to completion. (Reported by al-Bukhaari,
Fath, 7/60). The reason for this deduction is that ‘Umar did this in the
presence of a number of Companions and others and no one opposed this
act, so it became a consensus (ijmaa‘). (Ahkaam al-Imaamah, al-Muneef,
p. 234).
If the imaam remembers that he is not in a
state of purity, he should indicate to the people to remain as they are
and go and purify himself, then come back, say “Allaahu akbar” and lead
them in prayer. This is valid. The evidence for this is the report
narrated by Abu Dawood from Abu Bakrah: “The Messenger of Allaah SAWS
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) started to lead the fajr
prayer, then he indicated to the people that they should stay in their
places. Then he came back and water was dripping from his head.” (Sunan
Abi Dawood, no. 233; Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, 1/45.
Abu Dawood included a chapter entitled
Fi’l-Junub yusalli bi’l-qawmi wa huwa naasin (One who inadvertently
leads the people in prayer when in a state of janaabah)).
Commenting on this hadeeth, Imaam
Al-Khattaabi said: “In this hadeeth there is evidence that if one is
leading the people in prayer while in a state of janaabah and the people
do not know of it, then their prayer is unaffected and there is no need
for them to repeat it. But the Imaam has to repeat his prayer.” (Sunan
Abi Dawood wa ma’ahu Ma’aalim al-Sunan by al-Khattaabi, edited by
al-Da’aas, 1/159.)
When the imaam’s ‘awrah becomes uncovered
If someone is praying in congregation
behind the imaam and sees his ‘awrah (those parts of the body that must
be covered) uncovered due to an opening in his clothes or due to his
clothes being thin and transparent, then if it is possible he should go
ahead and cover it with something, otherwise he should come out of his
prayer and inform the imaam by saying “cover your ‘awrah” (in Arabic
“ghatti’l-‘awrah”), or “protect what has been uncovered”. He should not
stay quiet and continue to pray because it is known that the imaam’s
prayer (in this condition) is incorrect and following him is incorrect
as well. (From the oral fataawa of Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz).
Realizing that one’s wudoo’ is invalid because of wiping over socks when doing so is no longer acceptable
If one is praying (either as an imaam or
as a member of a congregation or individually) and recalls that he had
wiped over his socks (khuff) during wudoo’ at the time when the period
during which this is acceptable had expired, he should terminate his
prayer because his ablution is incorrect. This is what has been quoted
from Imaams Ahmad and al-Shaafi‘i. (al-Mughni, 2/505)
When the imaam forgets the ending of an aayah
If the Imaam recites a part of the Qur’an
in the prayer and forgets the ending of the verse, and none of the
members of the congregation remind him of it, he can choose either to
say the takbeer and discontinue the recitation, or to recite one verse
or more from another soorah. But this is allowed only if the forgotten
part is not from al-Faatihah. As far as al-Faatihah is concerned, it
must be recited in its entirety, as reciting it is an obligatory act of
prayer. (Ibn Baaz: Fataawa Islaamiyyah, 396).
Intending to pray for rain, then it rains before the people start the prayer
If the people go out to gather for salaat
al-istisqaa’ (prayer for rain), or were intending to do so, and then it
rained, then either of the following apply:
If they had got ready to go out and it rained before they left, then they should thank
Allah (subhanahu wa ta‘ala) for His blessings and not go out.
If they had already come out, and it
rained before they could pray, they should offer a prayer in gratitude
to Allah, may He be exalted. (al-Mughni, 2/296)
Feeling sleepy when listening to Friday sermon
If a person becomes sleepy or dozes while
listening to the Friday sermon, it is recommended for him to change
places with the person next to him. In doing this he should be careful
not to speak; rather, he should communicate by gestures. The evidence
for this is the hadeeth narrated by Samurah who said: “The Prophet SAWS
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If one of you dozes
during the Friday sermon, he should change places with the person
sitting next to him.’” (Al-Bayhaqi, 3/238; Saheeh al-Jaami‘ no. 812)
Another hadeeth was narrated by Ibn ‘Umar
who said: “The Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: ‘If one of you dozes in the mosque on Friday, he should move to
another place to sit.’” (Abu Dawood, no. 1119; Saheeh al-Jaami‘ no. 809)
Rulings about Forgetfulness during Prayer (al-sahw)
Doubt about number of rak’ahs prayed
If a person is in doubt as to whether he
prayed, for example, three or four rak’ahs, he should act according to
what is most likely. However, if he cannot be sure which is more likely,
he should assume what he can be certain of, which is the lesser amount,
and make the prostrations of forgetfulness (sujood ul-sahw).
The evidence is the hadeeth narrated by
Abu Sa‘eed Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: “The
Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If one
of you has doubts during his prayer and he does not recall how many
rak‘ahs he has prayed, whether three or four, then should forget about
his doubt and complete his prayer on the basis of that of which he is
certain, and then make two sujood before the salaam. If it turns out
that he had prayed five rak‘ah, the two sujood would make it even, and
if he ended up completing his four rak‘ahs , they would be in defiance
of the Shaytaan.’” (Saheeh Muslim, no. 571)
Imaam remembers that he forgot to recite al-Faatihah during a silent rak’ah
If the imaam remembers in the final
tashahhud (sitting of the prayer) that he had recitedat-tahiyyaat (the
greetings mentioned during the sitting) in the beginning of a silent
rak‘ah instead of al-Faatihah, he should stand up and offer another,
correct, rak‘ah, to make up for the one he performed incorrectly where
he did not recite al-Faatihah. This is because the Prophet SAWS (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no prayer for the
one who did not recite (in it) al-Faatihah (the opening chapter of the
Qur’an).” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, no. 723)
It is also required for the members of
the congregation behind him to follow him, even though it would be the
fifth rak‘ah for them. If they do not understand and do not stand up,
but say “subhaan Allah” as if to indicate to the imaam that he is in
error, the imaam should gesture with hand movements to the right and
left to inform them that he did it purposefully and to indicate to them
that they should stand up and that he knows what he is doing.
However, if something like this happens
to one of the people praying behind the imaam, his prayer will be
correct as long as he followed the imaam.
The evidence for this is the hadeeth of
Abu Bakrah which describes when he joined the prayer in the position of
rukoo‘ and did not recite al-Faatihah. The Prophet SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him: “May Allah increase your
endeavor. You do not need to repeat.” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, no. 750).
A member of a congregation forgetting to recite al-Faatihah, or joining the prayer at the moment of rukoo’
If the person following the imaam forgets
to recite al-Faatihah, or is ignorant of its obligatory nature, or
joins the prayer when the imaam is in the state of rukoo‘, then his
rak‘ah will be considered as complete and his prayer correct. He does
not need to repeat the rak‘ah, as he is excused for his ignorance or
forgetfulness, or for not joining the prayer in time for the qiyaam (the
part of the rak’ah when one is standing upright). This is the opinion
of the majority of scholars. (Ibn Baaz: Fataawa Islamiyyah, 1/263).
This is one of the things which the imaam bears on behalf of those whom he leads in prayer.
Raising one’s head from rukoo’ then realizing that one forgot to say the tasbeeh
If a person raises his head from rukoo’
then remembers that he did not say the tasbeeh of rukoo’, he should not
return to the rukoo’ because the requirement for supplication of rukoo’
is no longer applicable by virtue of his having raised his head. If he
returns to the rukoo’ intentionally, this action would render his prayer
invalid since he has added an extra rukn (obligatory act of the prayer)
which is this second, superfluous, rukoo’. However, if it was due to
ignorance or forgetfulness, his prayer will not be nullified, but in
this case he must make the prostration of forgetfulness if he was
praying individually or leading a congregation. This is because saying
tasbeeh (“subhaana Rabbi al-‘Azeem, How Perfect is my Lord, the
Supreme”) is waajib (obligatory), and if one forgets it, it can be
compensated for by making the prostration of forgetfulness. If he was
praying behind an imaam and forgets the tasbeeh, then he is no longer
considered to have omitted an obligatory act. (al-Mughni ma’a al-Sharh
al-Kabeer, 1/679).
Forgetting the first tashahhud
If a person forgets the first tashahhud,
stands up for the third rak‘ah and starts the recitation of al-Faatihah,
then according to the majority of scholars, he should not return to the
sitting position. If he does so knowing that his return is unapproved
of, his prayer will be nullified because he has already started another
obligatory act. The
obligatory act that he forgot (i.e.,
tashahhud) can be made up for by making the prostrations of
forgetfulness. The evidence is the hadeeth narrated by al-Mugheerah ibn
Shu‘bah: “The Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: ‘If the imaam begins to stand up after the second rak‘ah, then
remembers, before he has stood fully upright, that he should sit, then
he should sit down, but if he has already stood fully upright, he should
not sit, but should make two prostrations of forgetfulness. (Abu
Dawood, no. 1036; Silsilah al-Saheehah, 321)
In short, if someone stands up for the third rak‘ah, forgetting the tashahhud, one of the three following scenarios applies:
If he remembers it before standing up straight: then he should return to tashahhud.
If he remembers after standing up
straight, and before starting the recitation of al-Faatihah: then it is
better for him not to sit, but if he sits his prayer will be valid.
If he remembers it after starting the
recitation of al-Faatihah: then he is not allowed to return to
tashahhud. (al-Mughni ma’a al-Sharh al-Kabeer, 1/677)
These three cases have been deduced from the hadeeth quoted above.
Imaam says the salaam then makes prostrations of forgetfulness, but a latecomer stands up to complete his prayer
If the imaam says the salaam and a person
who joined the prayer late stands up to complete what he missed, then
suddenly he sees the imaam making prostrations of forgetfulness after
the salaam, the latecomer should sit back down and make prostrations
with the imaam, if he has not yet stood fully upright. Otherwise he
should not sit back down; he should complete his prayer, then he should
make the missed prostrations of forgetfulness. The evidence for this is
the same as presented in the discussion on forgetting to sit for
tashahhud between the second and third rak’ahs. (al-Mughni ma’a al-Sharh
al-Kabeer, 1/697).
Imaam makes a mistake but doesn’t
understand what the congregation is referring to when they say “subhaan
Allaah” to draw his attention to it
If the imaam makes a mistake and misses
an obligatory part of the prayer, and the congregation remind him of the
mistake (by saying “subhaan Allah”), but he does not understand what
they mean or does not know when or where he made the mistake, and
continues to move on to other obligatory acts which do not include the
missed act, then there a number of opinions as to how they should make
him understand. The best of these opinions is that they should remind
him of the act by the particular supplication for that act, e.g., saying
“subhaana Rabbi al-‘Azeem” if it was the rukoo’ or “subhaana Rabbi
al-A‘la” if it was the prostration, or Rabbighfir li if it was the
sitting between the two prostrations, etc. (al-Mughni ma’a al-Sharh
al-Kabeer, 1/707)
Miscellaneous Rulings
Forgetting to wear ihraam for Hajj or ‘Umrah
If someone is travelling in an airplane
and forgets to wear the garments of ihraam, and the plane takes off, he
should try to make it out of two pieces of cloth, whatever color they
may be, or with any type of sheets or towels he can get hold of. If he
cannot find anything appropriate, he should remove whatever sewn clothes
and head covering (if he is wearing one) he can, and enter the state of
ihraam in whatever he is wearing when he passes by the miqaat in the
air. He should not cross the miqaat without being in a state of ihraam.
Once he reaches a place where he can change his clothes and wear two
sheets of cloth (proper ihraam garments), he should do so; in addition,
he must pay a penalty (fidya) of either sacrificing a sheep or fasting
for three days or feeding six needy people. He has the choice of doing
any one of these three and his ihraam is correct.
Interruption of tawaaf or sa’ee
If a person is performing tawaaf
(circumambulation around the Ka‘bah) or sa‘ee (between Safa and Marwah),
and he finds himself in need (e.g., he is thirsty and needs to drink
something, or loses one of his family members and stops to look for him,
or becomes tired and needs to take some rest), then if the break is
short and is recognized as such (‘urfan), he may then continue from
where he left off. In the case where the prayer is called and he
interrupts his tawaaf to pray, the scholars have disagreed on this
issue. The most cautious opinion is that when he continues his tawaaf,
he should not count the last round which he left incomplete when he
interrupted his tawaaf in order to pray. (Ibn Baaz: Fataawa al-Hajj
wa’l-‘Umrah, p. 80; al-Majmoo’ li’l-Nawawi, 8/49).
The issue of taking a rest in tawaaf and
sa’ee, however, is based on the condition that tawaf and sa’ee should be
uninterrupted. In sa’ee, continuity is not a requirement according to
the best opinion. (al-Mughni ma’a al-Sharh al-Kabeer, 3/414) So, if a
person is performing sa’ee, and he breaks after some of the rounds, and
then comes back to complete them, this would be considered permissable.
However, regarding continuity of tawaaf, the scholars have two opinions:
That continuity is waajib (mandatory), and that a long interruption without due
justification nullifies the tawaaf.
That continuity is a sunnah, and the
tawaaf is not nullified even though the break was long. (This is the
opinion favoured by al-Nawawi in al-Majmoo’, 8/47)
However, it is better to act according to the first opinion, to be on the safe side.
Burial of one who dies at sea
If a person dies on a ship while
travelling at sea, according to Imaam Ahmad, the people should wait if
they hope to reach some place where they can bury him (such as an island
or beach) in a day or two, and if they are confident that the body will
not decay. However, if this is not possible, they should wash the body,
shroud and embalm it, then pray the funeral prayer, and finally, tie
something heavy to it and drop it in the water. (al-Mughni ma’a al-Sharh
al-Kabeer, 2/381)
Changing money (same currency)
Suppose a person has, for example, a
currency note with a face value of 50, and he wants to change it into
five 10’s, and asks another person to provide the change for him, but
this person has only three 10’s. Is it permitted for the first person
(i.e. the one who wants the change) to give him the 50 and take the
three 10’s, leaving the remaining 20 as a loan to be collected by him
later?
Since such a practice is widespread
nowadays, most people would be taken aback if they are informed that
this is riba (usury). The reason (for such a practice being usury) is
that the amount each one of the two took is different, whereas the
condition in selling and changing currency notes is that if they belong
to the same type of currency (e.g., dollars in exchange for dollars, or
dinars in exchange for dinars, etc.) then they must be the same in
monetary value and exchanged “cash down” (hand in hand, not deferred).
This is because the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “Do not sell gold for gold unless the two are equivalent, and
do not sell a lesser amount for a greater amount or vice versa. Do not
sell silver for silver unless the two are equivalent, and do not sell a
lesser amount for a greater amount or vice versa. Do not sell gold and
silver that is not present at the moment of exchange (i.e. a deferred
amount) for gold or silver that is present.” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, No.
2068)
This hadeeth prohibits both riba al-fadl (usury of surplus) and riba an-nasee’ah (usury of credit or delayed payment).
So the way for people to avoid this, as
they are always in need of exchanging currency notes, is as follows: the
one who has a currency note of 50 should give it to the other as
collateral and take the 30 from him as a loan. Later he should repay the
loan and take his 50 back. (N.B. Although the net result may appear the
same, there is a difference in the way the transaction takes place.)
(From the oral fataawa of Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz).
Being asked to do something at work that is against Islamic teachings
What should one do if one is asked to do something at work that he feels is contrary to the teachings of Islam?
If a person is ordered to do a certain
assignment at his work, he should think about it — if the act does not
involve any disobedience to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, he
should go ahead and do it. Otherwise, if it does involve some
disobedience to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, he should not
obey the command, or else he will be a party to sin and wrong-doing. The
Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “A human must not be obeyed if that involves
disobedience to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. Indeed,
obedience only applies in the case of righteous deeds.” (Saheeh
al-Bukhaari with Fath al-Baari, 13/121; Ahmad, 1/91; this version was
narrated in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, No. 181)
Allah said in the Qur’an (about the
people who went astray) (interpretation of the meaning): “They will say:
‘Our Lord! Verily, we obeyed our chiefs and our great ones, and they
misled us from the (Right) Way.’” [al-Ahzaab 33:67]
General Behavior and Sunnah of the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
The proper way to thank Allaah
If a Muslim receives a bounty or is
rescued from some trial, it is recommended for him to perform the
prostration of thankfulness. Abu Bakrah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
reports that: “When the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) received something which pleased him or glad tidings, he would
make prostration in thanks to Allah.” (Abu Dawood, no. 2774;. It is
saheeh, and was also reported in Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, no. 1494)
Ritual purity (tahaarah) and facing the
qiblah is not a requirement to make the prostration of thankfulness,
however, if one makes wudoo’ and faces the qiblah, that is preferred.
(Majmoo‘ Fataawa by Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 4/216.)
Accepting money or property received without asking for it
If something (e.g., money, property,
etc.) which is halaal (Islamically permissible) comes to you, whether
through another person or other entity, without you asking, yearning or
begging for it, and without you having degraded yourself, then he should
accept it. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that: “The
Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If
something (i.e., money, property, etc.) comes to you for which you did
not yearn or ask for, then accept it. Otherwise do not bother about
it.’” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, no. 1404)
Asking a Muslim host about food or drink he serves
If a Muslim is served food in his Muslim
brother’s house, and he is worried about whether the meat is halaal or
haraam, he may eat it without questioning because, in Islam, the
principle is that a Muslim is trustworthy. The evidence for this is the
saying of the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):
“If one of you enters the house of his Muslim brother and he offers him
food, let him eat it and not ask anything about it, and if he offers him
something to drink, let him drink it and not ask anything about it.”
(Ahmad, 2/399; al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, no. 627)
This is also because such interrogation may insult his host and make him feel that he is being doubted.
Walking with only one shoe on if the other one is damaged
If someone walking with shoes on, and
breaks or tears one of them, he should not walk with only one shoe,
while his other foot is bare. He should either repair the broken shoe
and wear both, or take off both and walk barefoot. Walking barefoot at
times is sunnah. The evidence for this is the narration of Abu Hurayrah
that: “The Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: ‘One should not walk with only one shoe. One should either wear
both or take both of them off.’” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, no. 5518)
The scholars have said a number of things
about the reason for doing so. The most authentic of these is what has
been described by Ibn al-‘Arabi and others that “It is the way of
walking of the Shaytaan”. (Fath al-Baari, 10/310) The evidence for this
is the report of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): “The
Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Indeed
the Shaytaan walks in one shoe.’” (al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, no. 348)
Good dreams
If a Muslim sees a good dream, it is
recommended for him to do the following: He should praise and thank
Allah, may He be glorified. He may interpret it himself or discuss it
with a knowledgeable person who may interpret it for him.
He should not tell anyone about it except
someone who may give him good advice, or someone who is wise, or
someone he loves. He should not inform someone who may become jealous of
him.
The evidence for this is the report of
Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him): “The Prophet SAWS
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If anyone of you
sees a dream that he likes, then it is from Allah, and he should thank
Allah for it and tell it to others.’” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, no. 6584)
And it was also reported from Abu
Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that: “The Prophet SAWS (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Do not narrate your good
dreams to anyone except a knowledgeable person or someone who may give
you good advice.’” (Jaami‘ al-Tirmidhi, no. 2280; al-Silsilah
al-Saheehah, no. 1119)
This is because such persons may interpret it in the most appropriate way, unlike one who is jealous or ignorant.
Bad dreams
If a Muslim sees a bad dream (nightmare), he should do the following:
He should spit (dryly) to his left three times
He should seek refuge in Allah from Shaytaan three times
He should seek refuge in Allah from the evil of the dream
He should stand up and pray
He should change the side on which he was
sleeping if he wants to continue to sleep, even if that means turning
onto his left side
He should not inform anyone
He should neither interpret it himself nor ask anyone else to interpret it.
The evidence for this is the narration of
Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) that: “The Prophet SAWS (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If any one of you sees a
dream that he dislikes, he should spit to his left three times, seek
refuge in Allah from the Shaytaan, and turn over on to his other side.’”
(Saheeh Muslim, no. 2262)
According to another report, the wording is: “He should seek refuge in Allah from its evil, so that it does not harm him.”
The narrator of this hadeeth said: “I
used to see dreams that weighed heavier on me than a mountain, but as
soon as I heard this hadeeth, so I never worried about it again.”
(Saheeh Muslim, no. 2261)
Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him)
reported that a Bedouin came to the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) and said: “O Prophet of Allah, I saw a dream that
my head was chopped off and rolled away, and I ran after it.” The
Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him:
“Do not tell people the Shaytaan is playing with you in your dreams.”
(Saheeh Muslim, no. 2268)
According to another report, the wording
is: “If anyone sees something he dislikes, he should get up and pray.”
(Jaami‘ al-Tirmidhi, no. 2280; Saheeh al-Jaami‘, no. 3533)
Being affected by seeing a woman
If a Muslim sees a non-mahram woman, and
this has an effect on him, then if he has a wife he should go home and
have intercourse with her so that he may rid himself of whatever
affected him. The evidence for this is the narration of Jaabir (may
Allaah be pleased with him): “The Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If any one of you is attracted to and likes a
woman, he should go back to his wife and have intercourse with her,
because this will rid him of whatever affected him.’” (Saheeh Muslim,
no. 1403)
Sitting between the sun and the shade is not allowed
If the place where one is sitting falls
between the sun and the shade, he should change his place, because the
Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If one
of you is (sitting) in shade that diminishes in size, resulting in part
of his body remaining in the sun and the rest under shade, he should get
up and move.” (Abu Dawood, no. 4821; Saheeh al-Jaami‘, no. 748)
The reason for this is that this is the
position favoured by the Shaytaan. The evidence is the Prophet’s
prohibition of sitting partially in the sun and partially in shade. He
SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “This is the
place where the Shaytaan sits.” (Ahmad, 3/413; Saheeh al-Jaami‘, No.
6823)
When illness strikes one’s wife
If an illness strikes someone’s wife, it
is recommended for him to do what the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) did: “When an illness struck his one of his
wives, he ordered for soup to be prepared. Then he ordered her to drink
from it. He used to say: ‘This strengthens the heart of the one who is
distressed, and cleans the heart of the sick person just as one of you
cleans her face with water.’” (Jaami‘ al-Tirmidhi, no. 2039; Saheeh
al-Jaami‘, no. 4646)
If one’s children or family members lie
If one of the children or family members
of a person lies, he should treat this issue as did the Prophet SAWS
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “If he SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to know that one of his family
members had lied, he would keep away from him until he repented.”
(al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, no. 2052; Saheeh al-Jaami‘, no. 4675)
When telling the truth is not the best option
If a Muslim faces a difficult situation
where he needs to say what is against the truth in order to protect
himself or someone who is innocent, or to save himself from serious
trouble, is there a way for him to escape the situation without lying or
falling into sin?
Yes, there is a legal way and a
permissible escape that one can make use of if necessary. It is
equivocation or indirectness in speech. Imaam al-Bukhaari (may Allaah
have mercy on him) entitled a chapter of his Saheeh: “Indirect speech is
a safe way to avoid a lie”. (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, Kitaab al-Adab (Book
of Manners), chapter 116).
Equivocation means saying something which
has a closer meaning that the hearer will understand, but it also has a
remote meaning which what is actually meant and is linguistically
correct. The condition for this is that whatever is said should not
present a truth as falsity and vice versa. The following are examples of
such statements used by the salaf and early imaams, and collected by
Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim in his book Ighaathat al-Lahfaan: It was reported
about Hammaad (may Allaah have mercy on him), if someone came that he
did not want to sit with, he would say as if in pain: “My tooth, my
tooth!” Then the boring person whom he did not like would leave him
alone.
Imaam Sufyaan Al-Thawri was brought to
the khaleefah al-Mahdi, who liked him, but when he wanted to leave, the
khaleefah told him he had to stay. Al-Thawri swore that
he would come back. He then went out,
leaving his shoes at the door. After some time he came back, took his
shoes and went away. The khaleefah asked about him, and was told that he
had sworn to come back, so he had come back and taken his shoes.
Imaam Ahmad was in his house, and some of
his students, including al-Mirwadhi, were with him. Someone came along,
asking for al-Mirwadhi from outside the house, but Imaam Ahmad did not
want him to go out, so he said: “Al-Mirwadhi is not here, what would he
be doing here?” whilst putting his finger in the palm of his other hand,
and the person outside could not see what he was doing.
Other examples of equivocation or indirectness in speech include the following:
If someone asks you whether you have seen
so-and-so, and you are afraid that if you tell the questioner about him
this would lead to harm, you can say “ma ra’aytuhu”, meaning that you
have not cut his lung, because this is a correct meaning in Arabic [“ma
ra’aytuhu” usually means “I have not seen him,” but can also mean “I
have not cut his lung”]; or you could deny having seen him, referring in
your heart to a specific time and place where you have not seen him. If
someone asks you to swear an oath that you will never speak to
so-and-so, you could say, “Wallaahi lan ukallumahu”, meaning that you
will not wound him, because “kalam” can also mean “wound” in Arabic [as
well as “speech”]. Similarly, if a person is forced to utter words of
kufr and is told to deny Allaah, it is permissible for him to say
“Kafartu bi’l-laahi”, meaning “I denounce the playboy” [which sounds the
same as the phrase meaning “I deny Allaah.”]
(Ighaathat al-Lahfaan by Ibn al-Qayyim,
1/381 ff., 2/106-107. See also the section on equivocation (ma’aareed)
in Al-Adaab al-Shar’iyyah by Ibn Muflih, 1/14).
However, one should be cautious that the use of such statements is restricted only to situations of great difficulty, otherwise:
Excessive use of it may lead to lying.
One may lose good friends, because they would always be in doubt as to what is meant.
If the person to whom such a statement is
given comes to know that the reality was different from what he was
told, and he was not aware that the person was engaging in deliberate
ambiguity or equivocation, he would consider that person to be a liar.
This goes against the principle of protecting one’s honour by not giving
people cause to doubt one’s integrity.
The person who uses such a technique frequently may become proud of his ability to take advantage of people.
Finally, I ask Allah, may He be glorified
and exalted, to give us a proper understanding of our religion, to
teach us that which will benefit us, and benefit us from what He teaches
us, to guide us, and to protect us from the evils of our own selves.
Allah is the best Protector and He is the most Merciful of all.
~*~ May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions. ~*~
–
Contents:
Introduction
1. Tahaarah (purity and cleanliness)
Paint or dirt on hands when making wudoo’
Dressings on wounds
Traces of janaabah on clothes
Janaabah whilst travelling
Bleeding after miscarriage – nifaas or not?
2. Salaah (prayer)
Waswaas (insinuating thoughts from Shaytaan)
What if something happens during prayer?
Call of nature when the iqaamah is given
Doubts about passing wind
If adhaan for fajr is given whilst one is praying witr
Missed ‘asr and reaches masjid after maghrib prayer has started
Traveller joining congregation without knowing if imaam is also a traveller
Being unable to stand for the rest of the prayer
A knock on the door when one is praying, or a mother seeing her child do something dangerous
Responding to salaam when praying
Joining a prayer in progress
Not hastening unduly to join a prayer in progress
Breaking wind during Friday prayer
When one has already prayed and comes to another mosque to find the people there praying
Still praying sunnah when the iqaamah is given
Being informed of the correct direction of the qiblah whilst praying
Falling behind when praying in congregation
When the imaam nullifies his wudoo’
When the imaam’s ‘awrah becomes uncovered
Realizing that one’s wudoo’ is invalid because of wiping over socks when doing so is no longer acceptable
When the imaam forgets the ending of an aayah
Intending to pray for rain, then it rains before the people start the prayer
Feeling sleepy when listening to Friday sermon
3. Rulings about forgetfulness during prayer
Doubt about number of rak’ahs prayed
Imaam remembers that he forgot to recite al-Faatihah during a silent rak’ah
A member of a congregation forgetting to recite al-Faatihah, or joining a prayer at the moment of rukoo’
Raising one’s head from rukoo’, then realizing that one forgot to say the tasbeeh
Forgetting the first tashahhud
Imaam says the salaam then makes prostrations of forgetfulness, but a latecomer stands up to complete the prayer
Imaam makes a mistake but does not
understand what the congregation is referring to when they say “Subhaan
Allaah” to draw his attention to it
4. Miscellaneous rulings
Forgetting to wear ihraam for Hajj or ‘Umrah
Interruption of tawaaf or sa’ee
Burial of one who dies at sea
Changing money (same currency)
Being asked to do something at work that is against Islamic teachings
5. General behaviour and sunnah of the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
The proper way to thank Allaah
Accepting money or property received without asking for it
Asking a Muslim host about food or drink he serves
Walking with only one shoe when the other is damaged
Good dreams
Bad dreams
Being affected by seeing a woman
Sitting between the sun and the shade is not allowed
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