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What you should do in
the following situations
English
Translation
Book by Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
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
(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
When illness
strikes one’s family
If one’s
children or family members lie
When
telling the truth is not the best option
Introduction
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 (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 (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.
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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).
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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
(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’.
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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 (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
(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
(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.
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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
(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).
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2. 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 (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
(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.
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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 (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 (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).
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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 (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).
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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)
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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).
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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.
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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 (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).
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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 (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
(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).
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Responding to salaam when prayingg
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 (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 (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
(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).
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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 (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
(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.”
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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 (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
(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
(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.
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When one has
already prayed and comes to another mosque to find the people there prayingg
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 (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
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), when the call to prayer was given.
The Messenger of Allaah (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 (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 (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)
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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
(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.
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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
(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).
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Falling behind when
praying in congregationn
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 (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)
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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
(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.)
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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).
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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).
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Intending to pray for rain, then it rains before the people start the prayerr
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)
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Feeling sleepy when
listening to Friday sermonn
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
(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 (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)
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3. 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
(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)
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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 recited at-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
(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
(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).
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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.
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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).
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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 (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.
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Imaam
says the salaamm 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).
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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)
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4. 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.
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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.
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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)
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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
(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).
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Being asked to do something at work that is against Islamic teachingss
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
(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]
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5. General Behavior and Sunnah of the Prophet
(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 (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.)
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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
(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)
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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 (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.
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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
(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 (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: ‘Indeed the Shaytaan walks in one shoe.’” (al-Silsilah
al-Saheehah, no. 348)
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Good dreamss
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
(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
(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.
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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
(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
(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 (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)
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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 (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)
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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 (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
(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)
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When
illness strikes one’s wifee
If an illness strikes someone’s
wife, it is recommended for him to do what the Prophet
(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)
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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
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “If he
(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)
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When telling the truth
is not the best optionn
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).
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.
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