ISLAMIC - ISLAMIC
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PRAYERS ACTIONS.

1)           ADHAN AND IQAMA

2)           ADHAN BEFORE PRAYER

3)           STEPS OF PRAYERS

4)           OMITTING OPENING TAKBEER MAKES PRAYER INVALID

5)           SAYING SAMI'ALLAH U LIMAN HAMIDAH

6)           SAYING AL-SALAAMU 'ALAYKA AYYHU'L-NABIYYU

7)           PROSTRATION ON ALL SEVEN PARTS OF THE BODY

8)           FEET POSITION WHEN PROSTRATING

9)           PRAYING WEARING SHOES

10)      RAISING HANDS IN SALAT (RAFA UDAIN)

11)       MOVING FINGER DURING TASHUD

12)      SUJJUD AS-SAHW

13)       GARMENT HANGING BELOW ANKLES

14)       MEN PRAYING IN HALF-SLEEVES AND BARE-HEADED

15)       OVERSTEPPING THE MARK IN MAKING DUAA

16)        STARTING & ENDING DUAA WITH BLESSING ON PROPHET

17)       DUA: RAISING HANDS FOR DUA & WIPING FACE AFTER PRAYER

18)        Things Which Invalidate the Prayer

19)      CHANGING PLACES AFTER A CONGREGATION PRAYER

20)      INVALIDATION OF ONE'S PRAYER IF AN ADULT WOMAN WALKS IN FRONT

21)      ANSWERING TV SALAAM

22)      offering fajr sunnah when fard prayer started

23)      running for joining congregation prayer

24)      imam sitting after leading prayer

25)      facing qibla problem

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1. ADHAN & IQAMA

Question:

Was addition to the call to prayer for Fajr was made in the words "As-salato khairun mina al nawm" approved or not? What is the evidence for the "Hanafi" iqama?

Answer: Praise be to Allah.  

It was made at the time of the Prophet. It is true that when the adhan, i.e. call to prayer, was learned, it did not include such words which means "Prayer is better than sleep;" The words of the adhan were taught to Bilal and he started practicing them. The following day, when he made the call to Fajr prayer, he added these words. The Prophet smiled and approved. Since then, these words are part of the call to Fajr prayer. As you see, the Prophet has sanctioned this addition which takes effect as a part of the adhan.

In a hadith related by Imam Abu Dawud in his Sunan, Mu'adh Ibn jabal (may Allah be please with him) says that after the angel called out the adhan, he called out the iqama in the same way, except that he added "Qad qamat al-salah" twice after "Hayya 'ala al'-falah."

There are also hadith related by Imam Bayhaqi from a group of Companions, Imam Tirmidhi from Abdullah ibn Zayd and Abu Mahdhura (Nasb al-Raya 2:267).

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2. ADHAN BEFORE PRAYER

Question :  

Is the giving of the azan a necessity? we college students do not have a mosque near our dorm and so pray in a mussala, now do we have to give the azan before the prayer we do hear the sound coming from distant mosques.

Answer :  Praise be to Allah.

Firstly: 

Adhaan in Arabic means proclaiming or announcing. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And proclaim (adhdhin) to mankind the Hajj (pilgrimage)….”  (Al-Hajj 22:27) 

In sharee’ah terminology it means: worshipping Allah by announcing the time of the obligatory prayer, using phrases that have been narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), in a specific manner. 

Secondly:

The fuqaha’ are agreed that the adhaan is one of the unique features and manifest symbols of Islam, but they differ as to the rulings on it. Some say that it is fard kifaayah (a communal obligation); this is the view of Imam Ahmad and was the view favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah; among contemporary scholars it is the view of Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him). 

And some said that it is Sunnah mu’akkadah. 

The correct view is that it is fard kifaayah; if someone who is competent does it, the rest are absolved of sin. 

The evidence for that comes from the Sunnah.  

It was narrated that Maalik ibn al-Huwayrith said: we came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when we were young men close in age, and we stayed with him for twenty days. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was merciful and kind; he thought that we were missing our families so he asked us about our families whom we had left behind, then he said, “Go back to your families, and stay with them; teach them and instruct them. When the time for prayer comes, let one of you give the call to prayer and let the oldest of you lead you in prayer.” 

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 602; Muslim, 674). 

According to a report narrated by al-Bukhaari, 604: “When you both go out, give the call to prayer (adhaan), then the call immediately before the prayer (iqaamah), then let the older of you lead you in prayer.” 

According to a report narrated by al-Tirmidhi (205) and al-Nasaa’i (634): It was narrated that Maalik ibn al-Huwayrith said: I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) with a cousin of mine, and he said, “When you travel, give the call to prayer (adhaan), then the call immediately before the prayer (iqaamah), then let the older of you lead you in prayer.”  

(Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Irwa’ al-Ghaleel, 1/230). 

This hadeeth indicates that the adhaan is a communal obligation, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) enjoined that only one person should give the call to prayer for a group; he did not tell the whole group to give the call to prayer. See Tawdeeh al-Ahkaam, 1/424. 

Al-Nawawi said: 

This indicates that giving the call to prayer and praying in congregation are prescribed for travelers. It also shows that it is encouraged always to give the call to prayer, whether one is travelling or not. 

Sharh Muslim, 5/175. 

The scholars of the Standing Committee said: 

The adhaan is fard kifaayah (a communal obligation) in a town, and the same applies to the iqaamah. If a person starts to pray without the adhaan or iqaamah, whether out of forgetfulness or ignorance, or for some other reason, the prayer is still valid. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 6/54 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said: 

The evidence for them – i.e., the adhaan and iqaamah – being obligatory is the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in a number of ahaadeeth, and the fact that he always did that whether he was travelling or not, and because the time of prayer cannot usually be known without it, and because it serves a purpose and because it is one of the manifest symbols of Islam. 

Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 2/38 

Based on the fact that the adhaan is fard kifaayah, if the adhaan is given in a town and the people can hear it, then the communal obligation has been discharged and there is no need to give the adhaan for every congregation. But it is better and preferable to give the adhaan even if a person is praying alone. 

The Standing Committee was asked: 

Is it obligatory to give the adhaan over loudspeakers in every mosque in every neighborhood, knowing that the adhaan from one mosque can be heard by all the Muslims? Or is the adhaan from one mosque sufficient for all the mosques of the neighbourhood? 

The answer was: The adhaan is fard kifaayah, so if a muezzin gives the adhaan in one neighbourhood and all the residents can hear it, that is sufficient. But it is prescribed for the people of each mosque to give the adhaan because of the general meaning of the evidence. 

Based on this, it is preferable for you to give the adhaan, although that is not obligatory for you. 

And Allah knows best.

Excerpted, with some modifications, from: http://islamqa.com/en/

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3. STEPS OF PRAYER

1 –  Niyyah (intention)

Standing facing Qibla, the worshipper must have the intention of praying the prayer for which he is standing. He must have the intention in his heart of performing a specific prayer, such as the Fard (obligatory prayer) of Zuhr or of ‘Asr, or the Sunnah of those prayers. This is a condition or pillar (essential part) of the prayer, but uttering the intention verbally is a bid’ah which goes against the Sunnah, which was not suggested by any of the imams who are followed.  

2 – Takbeer Tahrima & Placing Hands 

Then he should start the prayer by saying “Allahu akbar (Allah is Most Great).” He should not raise his voice when saying takbeer in all the prayers, unless he is acting as an imaam. This Takbeer is mandatory, and if not uttered, prayer is invalid.

Raising the hands

He should raise them with the fingers stretched out. He should raise them level with his shoulders, or until they are level with his earlobes (not touching them).

Placing the hands

After the takbeer,  right hand should be placed on the back of the left hand, wrist and forearm. The hands should be placed on the chest only; there is no difference between men and women in this regard.

3 – Recitation

Whilst he is standing, he should look towards the place where he will prostrate. Then he should start the prayer with some of the du’aa’s which are narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). There are many of these, the most famous of which is “Subhaanaka Allahumma wa bihamdika, wa tabaaraka ismuka wa ta’aala jadduka, wa laa ilaaha ghayruka (Glory and praise be to You O Allah, blessed be Your name and exalted be Your Majesty, and there is no god but You).” 

Then he should say silently, whether the prayer is to be recited aloud or silently – “Bismillah il-Rahmaan il-Raheem (In the Name of Allaah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful).”  

Reciting Al-Faatihah & other Surah (or ayyahs) 

Then he should recite Soorat Al-Faatihah. This is an essential part of the prayer, without which the prayer is not valid. After al-Faatihah, another Soorah or some aayahs, in the first two rak’ahs are recited.

Quran should be recited aloud in Fajr and Jumu’ah prayers, Eid prayers, prayers for rain (istisqaa’), prayers at the time of an eclipse (kusoof) and in the first two rak’ahs of Maghrib and ‘Isha’, if Imam is leading the prayer.

He should recite silently in the first two rak’ahs of Zuhr and ‘Asr, in the third rak’ah of Maghrib and in the last two rak’ahs of ‘Ishaa’.

In Witr and Qiyaam al-Layl, he should recite silently sometimes and aloud sometimes, and he should be moderate in raising his voice.  

4 – Rukoo’ (bowing)

When he has completed the recitation, then he should raise his hands in the manner described for takbeerat al-ihraam and should say “Allahu akbar”.

Then he should do rukoo’, bowing as deeply as his joints will let him, until his joints take the new position and are relaxed in it. This is an essential part of prayer.  

He should put his hands on his knees, firmly, spacing the fingers out, as if he is grasping his knees. He should spread his back and make it level so that if water were poured on it, it would stay there (not run off).

In rukoo’, he should say “Subhaana Rabbiy al-‘Azeem (Glory be to my Lord, the Almighty) three times or more.

5 – Straightening up from rukoo’

Then he should straighten up from rukoo’. He should raise his hands when straightening up. Whilst straightening up, he should say, “Sami’a Allahu liman hamidah (Allah listens to the one who praises Him).” This is obligatory.

He should stand straight until every vertebra has returned to its place. This is an essential part of the prayer.

Whilst standing thus, he should say, “Rabbanaa wa laka al-hamd (our Lord, to You be all praise).”

6 – Sujood (Prostration)

Then he should say “Allahu akbar” and should go down into sujood on his hands, putting them down before the knees. When prostrated – which is an essential part of the prayer – he should put his weight on his palms and spread them out.

He should keep the fingers together.  And point the fingers towards the qiblah. He should keep his forearms off the ground. This is obligatory. He should not spread them along the ground like a dog.

He should place his nose and forehead firmly on the ground. This is an essential part of the prayer. He should hold his feet upright with his toes touching the ground and  pointed in the direction of the qiblah. He should put his heels together. 

The nose, forehead, palms, knees, and the toes should always be touching ground.

In sujood, he should say, “Subhaana Rabbiy al-‘A’laa (Glory be to my Lord Most High)” three times or more. (It is mustahaab to offer a lot of du’aa’ during sujood, because it is a time when du’aa’ is likely to be answered)

He should make his sujood almost as long as his rukoo’, Then he should raise his head, saying takbeer. This is obligatory.

Then he should sit at ease, until every vertebra returns to its place. This is obligatory.  He should spread his left leg and sit on it. He should put his right foot upright. And make its toes point towards the qiblah.

Whilst sitting thus, he should say, “Allahumma ighfir li warhamni wajburni, warfa’ni, wa’aafini warzuqni (O’ Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, strengthen me, raise me in status, pardon me and grant me provision).”

If he wishes, he may say, “Rabbi ighfir li, Rabbi ighfir li (My Lord, forgive me, my Lord, forgive me).”

The second sajdah

Then he should say takbeer – this is obligatory. He should then do the second prostration

When he raises his head from the second prostration and he wants to get up for the second rak’ah, he should say takbeer again. This is obligatory.

7 – The second rak’ah

Then he should get up for the second rak’ah, supporting himself on his hands with his fists clenched as if kneading dough. He should do in the second rak’ah what he did in the first. (Except that he should not recite initial du’aa’ for starting the prayer).

8 – Sitting for the Tashahhud 

When he completes the second rak’ah, he should sit for the Tashahhud. This is obligatory. He should sit in Tashahhud as sitting first one between sajood.  

Moving the finger and looking at it.  He should clench all the fingers of his right hand, and sometimes he should make a circle with them. He should point with his index finger towards the qiblah.  However Hanafi school of thought does not approve this act. It only accept pointing “forefinger” upright when giving “shahadah” in At-tahiyyaat.

How to say Tashahhud and the du’aa’ following it 

The Tashahhud is obligatory, and if he forgets it, he must do the two prostrations of forgetfulness (sajdat al-sahw).

He should recite silently wording of the Tashahhud: “At-tahiyyaatu Lillaahi was-salaawaatu wat-tayyibaat. As-salaamu ‘alayka ayyu han-Nabiyyu wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu. As-salaamu ‘alayna wa ‘ala ‘ibaadiIllahis saaliheen. Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa Allaho wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu  wa rasooluhu.

(All compliments, prayers and pure words are due to Allah. Peace be upon you, O’ Prophet, and the mercy and blessings of Allah. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous slaves of Allah. I bear witness that there is no god except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the slave and Messenger of Allah).”

Sending salaams upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):

After At-tahiyyaat he should say: “Allaahumma salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala aali Muhammad kama salayta ‘ala Ibraaheem wa ‘ala aali Ibraaheem, innaka hameedun majeed.

 Allaahumma baarik ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala aali Muhammad kama baarakta ‘ala Ibraaheem wa ‘ala aali Ibraaheem, innak hameedun majeed.

Reciting Dua

After salam on prophet (pbuh), he should recite following Quranic ayahs.

رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي مُقِيمَ الصَّلاَةِ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِي رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَاء (14:40)
رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيَّ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ الْحِسَابُ (14:41)
 

“O’ my Lord! make me one who establishes regular Prayer, and also (raise such) among my offspring O our Lord! and accept Thou my Prayer. (40) O’ our Lord! cover (us) with Thy Forgiveness - me, my parents, and (all) Believers, on the Day that the Reckoning will be established!  (Ibraheem 14:40-41)

9 – Taslimat

After dua, he should turn his face right and say: “Assalamo alaykum wa rahmatullah” (Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah). Then turn his face left and again say: “Assalamo alaykum wa rahmatullah”. That is now the end of salat for two rakat prayer.

10 – Three or four rakat prayer

The above order is for two rakat prayer. For three or four rakat prayer, one should get up after two rakat Tashahhud. In that Tashahhud the he should not recite salam on prophet and dua. After three of four rakat, then he shoud do the same as all mentioned above with At-tahiyyaat also.

Note: For FARD prayer of three or four rakat, extra surah (or verses of surah) is not read in third or fourth rakat. However in four rakat Sunnah, one has to recite extra surah or verses.

The pillars & obligatory parts of prayer

There are some pillars (essential parts) and obligatory parts of the prayer. 

The difference between a pillar and an obligatory part is that a pillar cannot be waived, whether one omits it deliberately or by mistake, rather it must be done. An obligatory part is waived if one forgets, and it can be compensated for by doing the prostration of forgetfulness (sujood al-sahw). 

It may be useful here to mention the pillars of prayer and its obligatory parts, are based on the book Daleel al-Taalib, which is a well known summary used by Hanbali fuqaha’.

1 – The pillars of prayer, of which there are fourteen, as follows: 

1)    Standing during obligatory prayers if one is able to do so

2)    The opening takbeer (saying “Allahu akbar”)

3)    Reciting al-Faatihah

4)    Rukoo’ (bowing)

5)    Rising from bowing

6)    Standing up straight

7)    Sujood (prostration)

8)    Rising from prostration

9)    Sitting between the two prostrations.

10)  Being at ease in each of these physical pillars

11)  The final tashahhud

12)  Sitting to recite the final tashahhud and the two salaams

13)  The two salaams. This means saying twice, “Assalamo alaykum wa rahmatullah” (Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah).

14)  Doing the pillars in the order mentioned here. If a person deliberately prostrates before bowing, for example, the prayer is invalidated; if he does that by mistake, he has to go back and bow, and then prostrate.

2 – The obligatory parts of prayer, of which there are eight, as follows: 

a)  Takbeers other than the opening takbeer

b)  Saying “Sami’a Allahu liman hamidah” (Allah hears those who praise Him) – for the imam and for the one who is praying alone.

c)  Saying “Rabbana wa laka’l-hamd” (Our Lord, to You be praise)

d)  Saying “Subhaana rabbiy al-‘azeem (Glory be to my Lord Almighty)” when bowing

e)  Saying “Subhaana rabbiy al-a’laa (Glory be to my Lord most High)” when prostrating

f)   Saying “Rabb ighfir li (Lord forgive me)” between the two prostrations

g)  The first tashahhud

h)  Sitting for the first tashahhud

And Allah knows best.

Excerpted, with some modifications, from: http://islamqa.com/ 

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4. OMITTING OPENING TAKBEER MAKES PRAYER INVALID

Question :

When should the opening takbeer (takbeer attahreem) be said? What is the ruling on the prayer of one who does not say it because of ignorance on his part and does not omit it deliberately? What does he have to do?

Answer : Praise be to Allah.  

The opening takbeer (takbeer attahreem) is one of the pillars or essential parts of the prayer, without which a person’s prayer is invalid and he has not entered the prayer if he does not say it. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “No person’s prayer is complete unless he does wudoo’ as it should be done and then says ‘Allahu akbar.’” Al-Albaani said: It was narrated by al-Tabaraani with a saheeh isnaad.  Ibn Qudaamah said: This is the view of the majority of scholars, past and present. 

Al-Mughni, 2/126; see also al-Majmoo’, 3/175. 

This is the first thing with which a person should start his prayer, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The key to prayer is purification, its opening is to say Allahu akbar and its closing is to say as-salaamu’ alaykum.”  Narrated by Ahmad, 1009; Abu Dawood, 618; al-Tirmidhi, 238; Ibn Maajah, 276. al-Nawawi said: its isnaad is saheeh. 

The phrase tahreemuha al-takbeer (translated here as “its opening is to say Allahu akbar”) means that this takbeer makes it haraam for the worshipper to eat, drink or do other things that are permissible outside of the prayer, or that one enters into the sanctity (hurmah) of the prayer by saying the takbeer. See al-Majmoo’, ‘Awn al-Ma’bood. 

With regard to when the opening takbeer should be said, it is the first thing that the person does in the prayer, so he should say it when he stands to pray; he should turn to face the qiblah and then say the takbeer, then recite the opening du’aa’, then seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytaan, then start reciting Soorat al-Fatihah. 

It is mustahabb to raise the hands when saying this takbeer, raising them until they are level with the shoulders. This raising of the hands is a confirmed Sunnah (Sunnah mu’akkadah).

As the opening takbeer is a pillar or essential part of the prayer, if a person omits it, deliberately or by mistake, his prayer does not count, i.e., it does not come under the rulings on prayer. See al-Mughni, 2/128. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: If a person omits the opening takbeer by mistake, what is the ruling? 

He replied: If a worshipper omits the opening takbeer, by mistake or deliberately, his prayer does not count, because the prayer cannot begin without the opening takbeer. If we assume that a person stands in the row then starts with the opening du’aa’ and recitation of al-Fatihah, and he continues with the prayer, we say that he has not entered prayer in the first place, even if he performs all the rak’ahs. Fataawa al-Shaykh, 14/36. 

With regard to the one who omits it and starts to pray because he is unaware that it is obligatory, if the time for the prayer in which he started to pray without the opening takbeer has not yet ended, then he has to repeat the prayer, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded the Sahaabi who was not at ease in his prayer and did not pray properly to repeat the prayer in front of him and he told him: “Go back and pray, for you have not prayed.” (Agreed upon).  

But if the time of the prayer which he prayed without the opening takbeer out of ignorance has ended, then he should try to do what is on the safe side, and repeat this prayer. Similarly if he had offered more than one prayer in this fashion, he should do what is on the safe side and make sure he has discharged his duty. That is because the basic principle according to the majority of scholars is that if a person omits a duty out of ignorance or forgetfulness, he has not discharged his duty until he does it. See al-Qawaa’id wa’l-Usool al-Jaami’ah by Ibn Sa’di, p. 78 

And the opening takbeer is one of the duties that are enjoined upon the one who prays.  

It is very unlikely that the one who was praying would do this, especially if he was living in a Muslim land. It is very unlikely that he would be unaware of such rulings. At the very least he would see the Muslims around him doing that and would do the same as they do, or at least he would ask about what they are doing.  

And Allah is the source of strength.

Excerpted, with some modifications, from: http://islamqa.com/en/

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5. SAYING SAMI’A ALLAH U LIMAN HAMIDAH

Question :

I read in a flyer that when finishing bowing, the imam and the one who is praying behind him should both say “Sami’a Allah u liman hamidah (Allah hears the one who praises Him)” then after that those who are praying behind the imam should say “Allah umma Rabbana laka’l-hamd (O’ Allah , our Lord, to You be praise).” This is different from what we grew up with, which is that the imam only should say “Sami’a Allah u liman hamidah,” and those who are praying behind him should respond: “Allahummah Rabbana laka’l-hamd.”

Answer :  Praise be to Allah .

Firstly: 

Tasmee’ (saying Sami’a Allah u liman hamidah) when rising from bowing and tahmeed (praising Allah by saying Allah umma Rabbana wa laka’l-hamd) when standing up straight are Sunnah and are mustahabb according to the majority of scholars. The Hanbalis are of the view that they are obligatory, and the correct view is that they are obligatory. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said in al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (3/433): 

The evidence for that (i.e., that it is obligatory) is as follows: 

1 – The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) adhered to that and did not neglect to say Sami’a Allah u liman hamidah in all situations. 

2 – It is the signal for moving from bowing to standing. 

3 – The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “When he says Sami’ah Allah u liman hamidah, say Rabbana wa laka’l-hamd.” 

End quote. 

Secondly:

The fuqaha’ are unanimously agreed that the person who is praying alone should say both tasmee’ and tahmeed. So he should say Sami’a Allah u liman hamidah when he rises from bowing and when he has stood up straight he should say Rabbana wa laka’l-hamd. 

This unanimous agreement was narrated by al-Tahhaawi in Sharh Ma’aani al-Athaar (1/240) and Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr in al-Istidhkaar (2/178). 

But in al-Mughni (1/548) there is something which indicates that there is a difference of opinion on this matter. But they differed as to what is prescribed for the imam and for the one praying behind the imam. 

In the case of the imam: 

The Hanafis and Maalikis are of the view that he should say tasmee’ only, and it is not Sunnah for him to say Rabbana laka’l-hamd. The Shaafa’is and Hanbalis are of the view that the imam should say both tasmee’ and tahmeed. 

The more correct view is the latter one, because it was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “When the Messenger of Allah  (peace and blessings of Allah  be upon him) said Sami’a Allah u liman hamidah, he would say Allah umma Rabbana wa laka’l-hamd.”  Narrated by al-Bukhaari (795) and Muslim (392). 

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar stated that the fact that it is mustahabb for the imam to say tahmeed may be understood from this hadeeth and others.    (See: Fath al-Baari 2/367). 

In the case of the one who is praying behind the imam: 

The majority of scholars, Hanafi, Maaliki and Hanbali, are of the view that the person praying behind the imam should limit himself to the tahmeed only, and he should not say Sami’a Allah u liman hamidah. 

The Shaafa’is and Zaahiris (literalists) disagreed with them and said that it is mustahabb for the person praying behind the imam to say both the tasmee’ and the tahmeed. This is the view favoured by al-Albaani in Sifat al-Salaah (135). For more information on their evidence please see the essay by al-Suyooti in al-Haawi li’l-Fataawa (1/35). 

The more correct view – and Allah knows best – is that of the majority. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Liqa’ al-Baab il-Maftooh (1/320): 

When the imam says Sami’a Allah u liman hamidah, the one who is praying behind him should not say Sami’a Allah u liman hamidah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah  be upon him) said: “The imam is appointed to be followed, so when he says takbeer, then say takbeer, when he bows, then bow, when he prostrates, then prostrate, and when he says Sami’a Allah u liman hamidah, then say Rabbana wa laka’l-hamd.” 

He said, “When he says takbeer, then say takbeer,” and “when he says Sami’a Allah u liman hamidah, then say Rabbana wa laka’l-hamd”. Thus the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) differentiated between the takbeer and the tasmee’. With regard to the takbeer, we say what he says, but with regard to the tasmee’ we do not say what he says, because his words “when he says Sami’a Allah u liman hamidah, then say Rabbana wa laka’l-hamd” are tantamount to saying: when he says Sami’a Allah u liman hamidah, do not say Sami’a Allah u liman hamidah, rather say Rabbana wa laka’l-hamd. This is based on the context of the hadeeth in which he says, “When he says takbeer, then say takbeer.” As for those scholars who say that he should say Sami’a Allah u liman hamidah and Rabbana wa laka’l-hamd, this is a weak argument. No opinion should be accepted in all cases or rejected in all cases until it is measured against the Quran and Sunnah. When we measure it against the Sunnah we see that it is as you heard. End quote. 

See: al-Mughni (1/548), al-Umm (1/136), al-Muhalla (1/35), al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah (27/93-94). 

Thus it will be clear to you that there is a difference of opinion among the scholars concerning this issue, and it is not strange that some flyers will state the view of some of the scholars. 

And Allah knows best.

Excerpted, with some modifications, from:http://islamqa.com/

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6. SAYING AL-SALAAMU ‘ALAYKA AYYHU’L-NABIYYU

Question :  

Is it correct that after the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that if a person says in the tashahhud “al-salaamu ‘alayka ayyhu’l-nabiyyu (peace be upon you, O Prophet)” there is the fear that this may be shirk, and that we should say “al-salaam ‘ala al-nabi (peace be upon the Prophet)”?

Answer:  Praise be to Allah.

The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked: 

It was narrated that Ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught me the tashahhud with my hand between his hands, just as he taught me a soorah from the Qur’aan: “Al-tahiyyaatu Lillaahi wa’l-salawaatu wa’l-tayyibaat al-salaamu ‘alayka ayyuha’l-nabiyyu… (All compliments, prayers and good words are for Allah, peace be upon you, O Prophet…).” (That was) when he was still among us. When he passed away, we started to say, “al-salaam ‘ala al-nabi (peace be upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)).” 

Many people say the latter version and teach others to do likewise. 

They replied: 

The version of the tashahhud that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to recite in his prayer and that he commanded his companions to recite is that which was narrated by the two Shaykhs (al-Bukhaari and Muslim) in their Saheehs from ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught me the tashahhud with my hand between his hands, just as he taught me a soorah from the Qur’aan: “Al-tahiyyaatu Lillaahi wa’l-salawaatu wa’l-tayyibaat, al-salaamu ‘alayka ayyuha’l-nabiyyu wa rahmat-Allaahi wa barakaatuhu, al-salaamu ‘alayna wa ‘ala ‘ibaad-illaah il-saaliheen, ash-hadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasooluh… (All compliments, prayers and good words are for Allah, peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings, peace be upon us and upon the righteous slaves of Allah. I bear witness that there is no god except Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger). This is the more correct version, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught it to his companions and he did not say, When I die then say al-salaamu ‘ala al-nabi (peace be upon the Prophet). 

They were also asked: 

In the tashahhud should we say “al-salaamu ‘alayka ayyhu’l-nabiyyu (peace be upon you, O Prophet)” or “al-salaamu ‘ala al-nabi (peace be upon the Prophet)” – because ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Before the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) died we used to say “al-salaamu ‘alayka ayyhu’l-nabiyyu (peace be upon you, O Prophet)” but after he died we said “al-salaamu ‘ala al-nabi (peace be upon the Prophet)”? 

They replied: 

The  correct view is that in the tashahhud the worshipper should say: “al-salaamu ‘alayka ayyuha’l-nabiyyu wa rahmat-Allahi wa barakaatuhu (peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings,), because this is what is proven in the ahaadeeth. With regard to the report narrated from Ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) – if it is a saheeh (sound) narration from him – this is the ijtihaad of the one who did that and it does not contradict the proven ahaadeeth. If the ruling after the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) were different than the ruling when he was still alive, he would have told us that. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Ifta’, 7/11-13 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) has explained this issue very clearly, and has refuted the specious argument of those who claim that the prescribed version is in the nature of calling upon one who is absent. He said:  

Are the words “al-salaamu ‘alayka (peace be upon you)” a statement or a supplication? I.e., are you stating that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is in a state of peace or are you asking Allah to grant him peace? 

The answer is that it is a du’aa’ (supplication) in which you are praying to Allah to send peace upon him. This is a statement which is serving as a supplication. 

Is this addressed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as people address one another? 

The answer is No. If that were the case, it would invalidate the prayer, because this prayer should not contain anything of human speech. If that were the case, the Sahaabah would have spoken these words out loud so that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) could hear them, and he would have returned the greeting to them as he used to do when they met him. But as Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] said in his book Iqtida’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem: Because you are thinking of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is so strong when you send salaams upon him, it is as if he is there in front of you and you are addressing him. 

Hence the Sahaabah used to say “al-salaamu ‘alayka (peace be upon you)”, but he did not hear them, and they would say, “al-salaamu ‘alayka (peace be upon you)” when they were in another land. And we say “al-salaamu ‘alayka (peace be upon you)” when we are in a land other than his, and in a time other than his. 

With regard to the report narrated in Saheeh al-Bukhaari from ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ood, which says that after the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed away they used to say “al-salaamu ‘ala al-nabi wa rahmat-Allahi wa barakaatuhu (peace be upon the Prophet and the mercy and blessings of Allah)” – this was the ijtihaad of Ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him), which differed from that of one who was more knowledgeable than him, namely ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab, for he addressed the people from the minbar of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said in the tashahhud: “al-salaamu ‘alayka ayyhu’l-nabiyyu wa rahmat-Allah (peace be upon you, O Prophet and the mercy of Allah)”, as was narrated by Maalik in al-Muwatta’ with the soundest of isnaads. ‘Umar said this in the presence of the Sahaabah and they approved of it. 

Moreover the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught it to his ummah, and he even taught it to Ibn Mas’ood, holding his hand between his own, so that he would remember this wording. He used to teach it to them as he used to teach them a soorah from the Qur’aan. And he knew that he was going to die, because Allah said to him (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Verily, you (O Muhammad) will die, and verily, they (too) will die”  (Az-Zumar 39:30) 

But he did not say: after I die, say “al-salaamu ‘ala al-nabi (peace be upon the Prophet)”, rather he taught them the tashahhud as he used to teach them a soorah of the Quran, with this wording. Hence we should not rely on the ijtihaad of Ibn Mas’ood, rather we should say, “al-salaamu ‘alayka ayyhu’l-nabiyyu (peace be upon you, O Prophet)”. 

Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 3/150-151 

And Allah knows best.

Excerpted, with some modifications, from: http://islamqa.com/en/

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7.  PROSTRATION ON ALL SEVEN PARTS OF THE BODY

Question :

We see some worshippers lifting up one or both of their feet whilst prostrating. What is the ruling on this action?

Answer : Praise be to Allah.  

When a worshipper prostrates, he must prostrate on all seven parts of the body on which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded us to prostrate. They are: the face, including the forehead and nose; the two hands; the two knees; and the edges of the two feet (i.e., the toes). 

Al-Nawawi said: If he omits any of them, then his prayer is not valid. From Sharh Muslim. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said: 

It is not permissible for a worshipper to lift up any of these seven parts of the body when prostrating, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “I have been commanded to prostrate on seven bones: on the forehead,” and he pointed to his nose, “and on the two hands, the two knees and the edges of the two feet (i.e., the toes).” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 812; Muslim, 490.

If he lifts up one or both of his feet, or one or both of his hands, or his forehead or nose, or both of them, then his prostration is invalid and does not count, and if his prostration is invalid then his prayer is also invalid. 

Liqaa’aat al-Baab al-Maftooh by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 2/99.

Excerpted, with some modifications, from: http://islamqa.com/en/

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8. FEET POSITION  WHEN PROSTRATING

Question :

Is the Sunnah to hold the feet apart or together when prostrating?

Answer :  Praise be to Allah.

Placing the feet together when prostrating, is the Sunnah is to place them apart, or to keep them together? The fuqaha’ differed concerning this matter and there are two views: 

1- That it is mustahabb to keep them apart. This is the view of the majority of scholars who discussed this issue. They quoted as evidence the proof in the Sunnah that it is mustahabb to keep the knees and thighs apart when prostrating. They said: And the feet should follow them. So the basic principle is that they should be kept apart too. 

Abu Dawood (735) narrated that Abu Humayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said, describing the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): “When he prostrated, he kept his thighs apart.” 

Al-Shawkaani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

The words “he kept his thighs apart” mean that he kept his thighs, knees and feet apart. 

The companions of al-Shaafa’i said: The distance between the feet should be a handspan. End quote. 

Nayl al-Awtaar (2/297). 

Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

Al-Shaafa’i and his companions said: It is mustahabb for the one who is prostrating to keep his knees and feet apart. Al-Qaadi Abu’l-Tayyib said in his commentary: Our companions said: There should be the distance of a handspan between his feet. End quote. 

Al-Majmoo’ (3/407). 

2- That it is mustahabb to put the feet together. Among contemporary scholars, this view was favoured by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen and Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on him). 

Those who favoured this view quoted as evidence the report narrated by the Mother of the Believers ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) who said: I noticed that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was not there and he had been with me in my bed. I found him prostrating, with his heels together and his toes turned towards the qiblah, and I heard him saying, “I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your wrath, and in Your forgiveness from Your punishment, and in You from You; I praise you and I cannot praise You enough.”

Narrated by al-Tahhaawi in Bayaan Mushkil al-Athaar (1/104); Ibn al-Mundhir in al-Awsat (no. 1401); Ibn Khuzaymah in his Saheeh (1/328); Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh (5/260); al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak (1/352), and from him by al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubra (2/167). 

Al-Haakim said: This is a saheeh hadeeth according to the conditions of the two Shaykhs (al-Bukhaari and Muslim) but they did not narrate this version. I do not know of anyone who mentioned keeping the heels together when prostrating except what is in this hadeeth. 

Al-Dhahabi said in al-Talkhees: It meets their (al-Bukhaari and Muslim) conditions. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

What appears to be the case from the Sunnah is that the feet should be kept together, i.e., touching one another, as it says in al-Saheeh, in the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah when she noticed that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was not here, and her hand alighted on the soles of his feet which were held upright as he was prostrating. 

Based on this, the Sunnah is for the feet to be kept together, unlike the thighs and hands. End quote. 

Al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (3/169) 

And Allah knows best.

Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: http://www.islamqa.com/

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9. PRAYING WEARING SHOES

Question :

Is it wrong to pray with shoes on?

Answer : Praise be to Allah.  

One of the conditions which must be met before starting to pray is to make sure that one's body and clothes and the place in which the Muslim is going to pray are all clean and free of impurities. It was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that he used to pray wearing his shoes. Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked, “Did the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) pray wearing shoes?” He said, “Yes.” (Bukhaari, 386; Muslim, 555).

This is to be understood as meaning, so long as there is no impurity on the shoes; if there is any impurity on them then it is not permissible to pray in them. If a person forgets and prays wearing shoes when there is some impurity on them, then he has to take them off when he finds out or remembers. This is because of the hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri who said: “While the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was leading his companions in prayer, he took off his shoes and placed them to his left. When the people saw that, they took off their shoes too. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) finished his prayer, he asked, ‘What made you take off your shoes?’ They said, ‘We saw you take off your shoes, so we took ours off too.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘Jibreel (peace be upon him) came to me and told me that there was something dirty on them.’ When any one of you comes to the mosque, let him look and if he sees anything dirty on his shoes, let him wipe them and then pray in them.” (Abu Dawood, 650; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 605). 

One of the reasons why the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed wearing shoes is to be found in the hadeeth, “Be different from the Jews, who do not pray in their shoes or in their leather slippers (khufoof).” (Abu Dawood, 652; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 607).  That is regarded as mustahabb for the purpose of differing from non-Muslims, as stated above. 

This has to do with the kind of shoes and with the mosque at that time. However if the mosque is furnished with carpeting, then the mosque should be kept clean of shoes, and no one should enter wearing shoes lest the place be made dirty. (Fataawa Samaahat al-Shaykh ‘Abd-Allah ibn Humayd, p. 81). Moreover the furnishings of the mosque are a waqf which should not be damaged or destroyed, and if dirt gets onto the carpets it will offend those who pray and prostrate on them. Hence no one should enter wearing shoes and walk on the carpets in the mosque in shoes, lest he damage them or make them dirty. 

The one who is keen to follow this Sunnah can apply it when praying at home, or when praying in places where there are no furnishings or carpets, such as parks, beaches and out of doors, etc. If this action confuses some of those who are unaware of the Sunnah, he should explain to them that it is Sunnah before he does it, so that they will not find that odd. We ask Allah to make us among those who adhere to the Sunnah and strive to follow it until He joins us with the author of the Sunnah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) close to the Lord of the Worlds. And Allah is the Source of strength.

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Excerpted, with some modifications, from: http://islamqa.com/en/

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10. RAISING HANDS IN SALAT (RAFA UDAIN)

Question :

This is regarding the sahih mutawaatir hadith of raising of the hands before and after the bowing in the Salaat. This has been authentically reported in Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and Sunan Abu Dawud.  

My question is, why do the Hanafis not accept this hadith? What's their reasoning for not acting upon this sahih hadith?   A related question is, was this Hadith not available to Abu Haneefah (rahimahullah) at his time? What could be the reasons for this?

Answer: Praise be to Allah.  

The hadeeth to which the questioner refers was narrated by al-Bukhaari (735) and Muslim (390) from ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to raise his hands to shoulder level when he started to pray, when he said “Allahu akbar” before bowing in rukoo’, and when he raised his head from rukoo’.

The majority of scholars followed this hadeeth and said that it is mustahabb for the worshipper to raise his hands at the points mentioned in the hadeeth. 

Imaam al-Bukhaari (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote a separate book on this issue which he called Juz’ fi Raf’ al-Yadayn (Section on Raising the Hands), in which he proved that the hands should be raised at these two points on the prayer, and he strongly denounced those who go against that. He narrated that al-Hasan said: “The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to raise their hands during prayer when they bowed and when they stood up (from bowing).” Al-Bukhaari said, “Al-Hasan did not exclude any of the Sahaabah from that, and it was not proven that any one among the Sahaabah did not raise his hands.” 

See al-Majmoo’ by al-Nawawi, 3/399-406. 

We do not know whether the ahaadeeth about raising the hands reached Abu Haneefah (may Allah have mercy on him) or not, but they did reach his followers. But they did not follow them because they had other ahaadeeth and reports which said that the hands should not be raised except when saying “Allahu akbar” at the beginning of the prayer. 

These ahaadeeth include the following:  

The hadeeth narrated by Abu Dawood (749) from al-Baraa’ ibn ‘Aazib, which says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to raise his hands almost to his ears when he started to pray, then he did not repeat (this action). 

The hadeeth narrated by Abu Dawood (748) from ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: “Shall I not lead you in prayer as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did?” Then he prayed and he only raised his hands once. 

See Nasb al-Raayah by al-Zayla’i, 1/393-407.

But these ahaadeeth were classed as da’eef (weak) by the imams of hadeeth.

The hadeeth of al-Baraa’ was classed as da’eef by Sufyaan ibn ‘Uyaynah, al-Shaafa’i, al-Humaydi the shaykh of al-Bukhaari, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Yahya ibn Ma’een, al-Daarimi, al-Bukhaari, and others.

The hadeeth of Ibn Mas’ood was classed as da’eef by ‘Abd-Allah ibn al-Mubaarak, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Bukhaari, al-Bayhaqi, al-Daaraqutni and others. Similarly, the reports which were narrated from some of the Sahaabah about not raising the hands are all da’eef. We have quoted above the words of al-Bukhaari (may Allah have mercy on him): “…it was not proven that any one among the Sahaabah did not raise his hands.”

See Talkhees al-Habeer by al-Haafiz ibn Hajar, 1/221-223.

Once it is proven that these ahaadeeth and reports which say that the hands should not be raised are weak, then the ahaadeeth which say that the hands should be raised remain strong with no opposing reports. Hence the believer should not fail to raise his hands at the points in prayer described in the Sunnah. He should strive to make his prayer like the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who said, “Pray as you have seen me praying.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 631). Hence ‘Ali ibn al-Madeeni, the shaykh of al-Bukhaari, said: “It is the duty of the Muslims to raise their hands when they bow in rukoo’ and when they stand up from rukoo’.” Al-Bukhaari said: “ ‘Ali was the most knowledgeable of the people of his time.”

Once the Sunnah has been explained clearly, no one has the right to ignore it, following whoever among the scholars said that.  Imaam al-Shaafa’i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The scholars are agreed that if the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) becomes clear to a person, it is not permissible for him to ignore it in favour of the opinion of anyone.”

Madaarij al-Saalikeen, 2/335.

“If a man is following Abu Haneefah or Maalik or al-Shaafa’i or Ahmad, and he sees that the view of another madhhab concerning a given matter is stronger, and he follows that, then he has done well, and that does not detract from his religious commitment or good character. There is no scholarly dispute on this point. Rather this is more in accordance with the truth and is more beloved by Allah and His Messenger.” 

(Said by Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) in al-Fataawa, 22/247). 

The scholars who said that the hands should not be raised based on their own ijtihaad are to be excused, for they will be rewarded for their ijtihaad and their seeking the truth, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “If a judge passes judgement based on his own ijtihaad and he is correct, he will have two rewards; if he passes judgement based on his own ijtihaad and he makes a mistake, he will have one reward.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 7352; Muslim, 1716). See Raf’ al-Malaam ‘an al-A’immah al-A’laam by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah.

Note: 

There is a fourth place where it is mustahabb to raise the hands during prayer; that is when standing up after the first Tashahhud for the third rak’ah.

BUKHARI REFERENCS

001.012.702 - Characteristics of Prayer

Narrated Salim bin 'Abdullah:

My father said, "Allah's Apostle used to raise both his hands up to the level of his shoulders when opening the prayer; and on saying the Takbir for bowing. And on raising his head from bowing he used to do the same and then say "Sami a-l-lahu Liman hamida, Rabbana walaka-l-hamd." And he did not do that (i.e. raising his hands) in prostrations.

001.012.703 - Characteristics of Prayer

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar:

I saw that whenever Allah's Apostle stood for the prayer, he used to raise both his hands up to the shoulders, and used to do the same on saying the Takbir for bowing and on raising his head from it and used to say, "Sami a-l-lahu Liman hamida". But he did not do that (i.e. raising his hands) in prostrations.

001.012.704 - Characteristics of Prayer

Narrated Abu Qilaba:

I saw Malik bin Huwairith saying Takbir and raising both his hands (on starting the prayers and raising his hands on bowing and also on raising his head after bowing. Malik bin Huwairith said, "Allah's Apostle did the same."

001.012.705 - Characteristics of Prayer

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar:

I saw Allah's Apostle opening the prayer with the Takbir and raising his hands to the level of his shoulders at the time of saying the Takbir, and on saying the Takbir for bowing he did the same; and when he said, "Sami a-l-lahu Liman hamida ", he did the same and then said, "Rabbana wa laka-l-hamd." But he did not do the same on prostrating and on lifting the head from it."

001.012.706 - Characteristics of Prayer

Narrated Nafi':

Whenever Ibn 'Umar started the prayer with Takbir, he used to raise his hands: whenever he bowed, he used to raise his hands (before bowing) and also used to raise his hands on saying, "Sami a-l-lahu Liman hamida", and he used to do the same on rising from the second Rak'a (for the 3rd Rak'a). Ibn 'Umar said: "The Prophet used to do the same."

001.012.768 - Characteristics of Prayer

Narrated Abu Bakr bin 'Abdur Rahman Ibn Harith bin Hisham and Abu Salama bin 'Abdur Rahman:

Abu Huraira used to say Takbir in all the prayers, compulsory and optional -- in the month of Ramadan or other months. He used to say Takbir on standing for prayer and on bowing; then he would say, "Salmi'a-l-lahu Liman hamida," and before prostrating he would say "Rabbana walaka-l-hamd." Then he would say Takbir on prostrating and on raising his head from the prostration, then another Takbir on prostrating (for the second time), and on raising his head from the prostration.

He also would say the Takbir on standing from the second Rak'a. He used to do the same in every Rak'a till he completed the prayer. On completion of the prayer, he would say, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is! No doubt my prayer is closer to that of Allah's Apostle than yours, and this was His prayer till he left this world." And Abu Huraira said, "When Allah's Apostle raised his head from (bowing) he used to say "Sami' a-l-lahu Liman hamida, Rabbana walakal-hamd." He Would invoke Allah for some people by naming them: "O Allah! Save Al-Walid bin Al-Walid and Salama bin Hisham and 'Aiyash bin Abi Rabi'a and the weak and the helpless people among the faithful believers O Allah! Be hard on the tribe of Mudar and let them suffer from famine years like that of the time of Joseph." In those days the Eastern section of the tribe of Mudar was against the Prophet.

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11. MOVING FINGER DURING TASH’HUD

Question :

What is the detailed explanation for moving the forefinger during the Tashahhud, and is there a hadeeth about that?

Answer: Praise be to Allah.  

It is Sunnah to point with the forefinger and move it during the Tashahhud, because of the report narrated by Ahmad (18890) and al-Nasaa’i from Waa’il ibn Hajar who said: I said, I will watch how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prays. So I watched him and he stood up and said “Allahu akbar,” and raised his hands until they were level with his ears, then he placed his right hand over his left and left wrist and left forearm. Then when he wanted to bow he raised his hands likewise. He put his hands on his knees, then when he raised his head he raised his hands likewise. Then he prostrated and put his hands level with his ears, then he sat resting on his left foot and placed his left hand on his thigh and left knee, and he put the elbow of his right hand on his right thigh. Then he made a circle with two of his fingers, then he raised his finger and I saw him moving it and making du’aa’ with it.” This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Nasaa’i. 

Muslim (580) narrated that ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Umar said: When he – meaning the Prophet (PBUH) – sat during the prayer, he would place his right hand on his right thigh and clench all his fingers, and point with the finger that is next to the thumb, and he would place his left hand on his left thigh. 

According to a report narrated by Muslim from Ibn ‘Umar, when the Prophet (PBUH) sat during the prayer, he would put his hands on his thighs and raise the finger of his right hand that is next to the thumb, and make du’aa’ with it, and his left hand would be resting on his left thigh. 

Al-Nasaa’i (1273) narrated that Sa’d said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed by me whilst I was making du’aa’ with my fingers and he said, “One, one,” and pointed with his index finger. Meaning: point with one finger, namely the index finger. 

Ahmad (5964) narrated that Naafi’ said: When ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Umar sat during the prayer, he would put his hands on his thighs and point with his finger whilst looking at it. Then he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “It is harder on the Shaytaan than iron,” meaning the index finger. This hadeeth was classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Sifat Salaat al-Nabi (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), p. 159. 

These ahaadeeth indicate two things: 

1 – That one should point with the finger throughout the entire Tashahhud

2 – That one should move it when making du’aa’. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) explained the phrases narrated for the du’aa’ in the Tashahhud. He said: 

Every time you make du’aa’ then move your finger towards upwards towards the One upon Whom you are calling, so we say: 

As-salaamu ‘alayka ayyuha’l-Nabiyyu (Peace be upon you O Prophet) – you should point your finger whilst reciting this because the salaam is a kind of du’aa’. 

As-salaamu ‘alayna (peace be upon us) – point your finger. 

Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammad (O Allah, send prayers upon Muhammad) – point your finger. 

Allahumma baarik ‘ala Muhammad (O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad) – point your finger. 

A’oodhu Billaaih min ‘adhaaib Jahannam (I seek refuge with Allah from the torment of Hell) – point your finger. 

Wa min ‘adhaab il-qabr (and from the torment of the grave) – point your finger. 

Wa min fitnat il-mahyaa wa’l-mamaat (and from the trials of life and death) – point your finger. 

Wa min fitnat il-maseeh il-dajjaal (and from the trial of the Dajjaal) – point your finger. 

Every time you make du’aa’ point upwards towards the One upon Whom you are calling. This is closer to the Sunnah. 

End of quotation from al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 3/202 

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12. SUJUD AS-SAHW

Question: 

How should I perform sujud as-sahw (prostration of forgetfulness), when needed in Prayer? Give me a detailed explanation, please

Answer :

The moment one enters into Prayer, he should pay attention to the fact that he is standing before His Creator. Consequently, he should not let anything occupy his mind other than Prayer. Sometimes, one becomes absent-minded to the extent that he may forget one of the obligatory or recommended acts of Prayer. Whenever such a thing happens, one should prostrate the two prostrations of forgetfulness known as sujud as-sahw.

As far as the question in point is concerned, we can say that the four Imams have settled the issue as follows:

1. The Hanafi school states that one should perform the two prostrations of forgetfulness immediately after the first taslimah (right salutation). Then, he should make tashahhud and end his Prayer with salutation afterwards.

2.  The Maliki school states that he should perform two prostrations before salutation without saying the tashahhud. However, if he offers the two prostrations of forgetfulness after the taslim, then he should say complete tashahhud and repeat the taslim.

3.  The adherents of Shafi`i, on the other hand, maintain that it is sufficient to perform the two prostrations of forgetfulness before taslim.

4.  The Hanbali school maintains that one should pronounce takbir first. Then he has the choice whether to perform the two prostrations after taslim or not. However, if he performs the two prostrations after taslim, he should say tashahhud before taslim.

Based on the above, you have the option to apply any of the four opinions stated above; they are all correct.

Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: www.islamonline.net

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13. GARMENT HANGING BELOW ANKLES

Question :

I heard a hadeeth in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “There is no prayer for the one who lets his garment hang below his ankles.” Does this refer to the one who does that when praying or the one who does that in his daily life?

Answer: Praise be to Allah.

It was reported in a hadeeth narrated by Abu Dawood that Abu Hurayrah said: “Whilst a man was praying with his izaar (lower garment) hanging below his ankles, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Go and do wudoo’.”… He said, “He was praying with his izaar hanging below his ankles, and Allah does not accept the prayer of a man who lets his izaar hang below his ankles. (Narrated by Abu Dawood, al-Salaah, 543. This was classed as da’eef (weak) by al-Albaani in Da’eef Sunan Abi Dawood, no. 124). 

With regard to the validity of prayer, Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen was asked about that and he said: If the garment is hanging down below the ankles, then it is haraam, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Whatever part of the izaar (lower garment) is hanging down below the ankles is in the Fire.” What the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said concerning the izaar also applies to other types of clothing. 

Based on this, a person has to lift his thobe (galabiyah) or other garments to be above his ankles. If he prays in it when it is below his ankles, then there is a difference of opinion among the scholars as to whether his prayer is valid. 

Some of them think that his prayer is valid, because this man has done what is obligatory, i.e., covering his ‘awrah. 

Some of them think that his prayer is not valid, because he has covered his ‘awrah with a haraam garment. They say that one of the conditions of covering the ‘awrah is that the garment worn should be permissible. So a man is in danger if he prays in a garment that comes down below his ankles; he should fear Allah and raise his garment so that it will be above his ankles. 

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Excerpted, with some modifications, from: http://islamqa.com/en/

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14. MEN PRAYING IN HALF-SLEEVES AND BARE-HEADED

Question :

I pray in half-sleeves, bare headed. People object to it in my masjid. I am told, that because of my dress-code (and not following the sunnah), I loose out some reward from the total. What is the correct sunnah pertaining dress during salat?

Answer: Praise be to Allah.

Allah has commanded the worshipper to beautify and adorn himself for prayer, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“O Children of Adam! Take your adornment (by wearing your clean clothes) while praying” (Al-A’raaf 7:31) 

While it is true that the Prophet (saws) was never seen without a head-covering, there is no hadith reaching us from him (saws) that legislates covering the head while praying.

The dressing norm at the time of the Messenger of Allah (saws) was such that the Arabs used to wear a turban over their heads; and thus the Messenger of Allah (saws) normally always prayed with his head covered.   Thus, if the normal dress code of the person is such that he covers his head (like the Arab ‘gatra’ or head-cover); then it is fine to pray with the head cover. But if the normal dress code of the person is such that in normal circumstances he does not cover his head, there is no need to specially cover his head while praying or reciting the Quran. But if he does cover his head, there is no harm. 

Once this is understood, although the worshipper must adorn himself for prayer, this adornment may vary from one country to another, according to their customs, including what is mentioned in the question, which is praying in a garment with half-sleeves or praying bare-headed. If the custom of that land is that the best adornment is to cover the head or to pray in a garment with full sleeves, then praying when one is dressed as mentioned in the question is contrary to what Allah has enjoined, even if the prayer itself is valid. But if the custom of the people in that country is to dress as described in the question, then there is nothing wrong with praying dressed in this manner. 

It should be noted that the ruling also varies according to variations in the dress itself. The garment may have short sleeves and that may be customarily worn in some countries where it may be worn as an adornment, or a man may go to work in it and so on. In that case there is nothing wrong with praying in it. Or it may be the custom that this is not a kind of adornment, and it is something that a man wears at home only, or when sleeping only, in which case it is not appropriate to pray in it. 

There follow the fatwas of the scholars, which include the principle mentioned above, which is that this ruling depends on the customs in each country. 

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: an imam leads the people in prayer and he is not wearing anything on his head. What is the ruling on that? 

He replied:

There is nothing wrong with that, because the head is not part of the ‘awrah, rather what is required is to pray in a lower and upper garment, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “No one of you should pray in a single garment with no part of it over his shoulders.” But if he wears his adornment and dresses fully, that is preferable, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

And Allah knows best.

Excerpted, with some modifications, from: http://islamqa.com/en/

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15. OVERSTEPPING THE MARK IN MAKING DU’AA’?

Question :  

Some brothers are very detailed in their du’aa’, for example they say, “O Lord, give me a colour TV and a furnished apartment…” and so on. I am afraid that this is a kind of overstepping the mark in making du’aa’. I hope that you can explain this matter. Thank you.

Answer:  Praise be to Allah.

You should note – may Allah help us and you to do that which He loves and which pleases Him – that du’aa’ is a weapon that has been forsaken by many people, but du’aa’ is worship. 

It was narrated from al-Nu’maan ibn Basheer (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Du’aa’ is worship.” Then he recited (interpretation of the meaning): “And your Lord said: Invoke Me [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic Monotheism) and ask Me for anything] I will respond to your (invocation). Verily, those who scorn My worship [i.e. do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My Oneness, (Islamic Monotheism)] they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!”  (Ghaafir 40:60) 

Al-Albaani said (it is) saheeh. See Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 2685. 

And it was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There is nothing dearer to Allah than du’aa’.” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 2684. 

And he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever does not ask of Allah, He becomes angry with him.” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani. See Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 2686. 

If you understand this, you should be keen to make a lot of du’aa’. 

Secondly: There is etiquette to be followed when making du’aa’ and there are things which should be avoided, some of which we will sum up as follows: 

1- Starting with oneself when making du’aa’.

2- It is mustahabb to raise the hands when making du’aa’.

3- The person making du’aa’ should be in a state of complete purity.

4- He should face the qiblah when making du’aa’.

5- He should manifest humility before Allah {(“… call upon Him in humility and in secret …” (Al-An’aam 6:63). In Badaa’i’ al-Fawaa’id Ibn al-Qayyim said that not being humble when making du’aa’ is a kind of overstepping the mark in du’aa’. (Badaa’i’ al-Fawaa’id, 3/12)}.

6- He should beseech Allah in his du’aa’.

7- He should not look for a speedy response. In al-Saheehayn it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “You will be answered so long as you are not in a hurry and say, ‘I made du’aa’ but I did not receive a response.’” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6340; Muslim, 2735. For when a Muslim calls upon his Lord, one of three things happens, as was mentioned in the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): “There is no Muslim who calls upon his Lord with a du’aa’ in which there is no sin or severing of family ties, but Allah will give him one of three things: Either He will answer his prayer quickly, or He will store (the reward for) it in the Hereafter, or He will divert an equivalent evil away from him.” They said: “We will say more du’aa’.” He said: “Allah’s bounty is greater.” Narrated by Ahmad, 10749; al-Tirmidhi, 3573. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 2199.

8- It should be noted that one should praise and glorify Allah in du’aa’, and send blessing upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It was narrated that Faddaalah ibn ‘Ubayd said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) heard a man making du’aa’ after his prayer, but he did not send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “This man is in a hurry.” Then he called him and said to him or to someone else: “When any one of you has finished praying (and makes du’aa’), let him start by praising Allah, then let him send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), then after that let him ask for whatever he wants.” Al-Albaani said: it is a saheeh hadeeth. (See: Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 2765. 

Thirdly: With regard to overstepping the mark in making du’aa’, this involves a number of things: 

1- Being too detailed in one's du’aa’, as described in the question (“O Allah, give me a furnished apartment and a colour TV etc”). Rather what is prescribed is to make du’aa’ in concise words as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to do. He used to ask Allah for the best in this world and in the Hereafter. It was narrated from ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mughaffal that he heard his son say: “O Allah, I ask You for the white palace on the right side of Paradise if I enter it.” He said: “O my son, ask Allah for Paradise and seek refuge with Allah from the Fire, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: ‘Among this ummah will be people who overstep the mark in purifying themselves and in making du’aa’.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 690; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

2- Calling upon Allah in ways that Allah has forbidden or that are means that lead to something forbidden (because the means come under the same rulings as the ends). This was stated by Ibn al-Qayyim in Badaa’i’ al-Fawaa’id, 3/12. So whatever is a means to something haraam is also haraam. 

Usually those who use televisions use them to watch and listen to haraam things, so if the person who is praying for that is one of these people, then his du’aa’ for this TV is a kind of overstepping the mark in making du’aa’, because he is asking Allah to give him something by means of which he will disobey Him. 

So it is clear that this du’aa’ is overstepping the mark in two ways: 

1-  Because it is detailed

2- Because it is a means to something haraam, and the means come under the same rulings as the ends. 

This applies if the person who is making the du’aa’ is going to use it for something haraam, as most people do.

Excerpted, with some modifications, from: http://islamqa.com/en/

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16. STARTING & ENDING DU’AA WITH BLESSINGS ON PROPHET

Question :  

Before supplication, I praise Allah, ask Him for forgiveness and then send 'Salaam' on the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).

After the supplication, I again send 'Salaam' on the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and then praise Allah.
Am I doing right, or is there some 'bida' involved in this?

Answer :  Praise be to Allah.  

It is mustahabb for the worshipper to begin his du’aa’ with praise of Allah, then to send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), then to ask for whatever he wishes, because of the hadeeth narrated by Abu Dawood (1481) and al-Tirmidhi (3477) from Faddaalah ibn ‘Ubayd (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) heard a man making du’aa’ in his prayer without glorifying Allah or sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘This man is in a hurry.’ He called him and said to him or to someone else, ‘When anyone of you makes du’aa’, let him start by glorifying his Lord and praising Him, then let him send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), then let him pray for whatever he wants.’” (This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 1314). 

Al-Bayhaqi narrated in Shu’ab al-Eemaan that ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Every du’aa’ is not responded to until one sends blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).” This was narrated by Baqiy ibn Mukhallid from ‘Ali in a marfoo’ report, i.e., it was attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). (This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 4523) 

‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Du’aa’ is detained between the heavens and the earth and no part of it is taken up until you send blessings upon your Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 486; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 403). 

Imaam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in al-Adhkaar, p 176: “The scholars are agreed that it is mustahabb to start one’s du’aa’ by praising Allah, then sending blessings upon the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and to end the du’aa’ in the same manner. There are many marfoo’ reports on this subject (i.e., reports which are attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)).” 

Note that sending blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) take three forms:

 1 – Sending blessings upon him before making du’aa’, and after praising Allah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “When anyone of you makes du’aa’, let him start by glorifying his Lord and praising Him, then let him send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), then let him pray for whatever he wants.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3477; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 1314)

 2 – Sending blessings upon him at the beginning of the du’aa’, in the middle and at the end.

 3 – Sending blessings upon him at the beginning and at the end, and one’s personal request may be made in between.

 (Adapted from the words of Ibn al-Qayyim in Jila’ al-Afhaam, p. 531).

Based on the above, what you are doing is valid and is in accordance with the Sunnah.

 And Allah knows best.

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Excerpted, with some modifications, from: http://islamqa.com/en/

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17. DU’A, RAISING HANDS FOR DUA & WIPING FACE AFTER PRAYER

Question :

After fard salat (i.e. after saying salam), some people make Dua while others say only Tasbih Fatmi. Some people are adamant that making Dua after salat is Bidat. This is causing some restraint in the community specially those who follow Imam Abu Hanifa or Shafai.

Can we make dua'a after salat?

In certain parts of the Muslim world, imam offers supplication after he has finished the prayers and the congregation answer with 'Amen.' Is this supported by Sunnah? Can we make dua'a with the imama after salat altogether?

Imaam, when supplicating raises hands then wipes his face and everyone follows him. Is it bid'ah?

Answer :   Praise be to Allah.  

It was not narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) or from any of his companions, as far as we know, that they used to raise their hands and say du’aa’ after praying an obligatory prayer. Hence we know that this is a bid’ah (innovation), because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever does anything that is not in accordance with this matter of ours (Islam) will have it rejected.” (Muslim in his Saheeh, 3243).

And he said: “Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours (Islam) that is not part of it will have it rejected.” (Saheeh – agreed upon). 

However, reciting du’aa’ without raising one’s hands and without reciting it in unison is fine, because evidence to that effect was reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), indicating that he made du’aa’ both before and after prayer.

The same applies to making du’aa’ after praying naafil prayers, because there is no evidence to indicate that this should not be done, even if one raises one’s hands, because raising the hands is one of the means of having one’s du’aa’ answered.

But that should not be done all the time, rather only sometimes, because it was not reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to make du’aa’ raising his hands after every naafil prayer. All goodness rests in following the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad) you have a good example to follow....”  (Al-Ahzaab 33:21) 

It says in Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah:

Making du’aa’ after the obligatory prayers is not Sunnah if it is done by raising the hands, whether that is done by the imam alone or a member of the congregation alone, or it is done by them both together. Rather that is bid’ah, because it was not narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) or any of his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) did that. With regard to making du’aa’ without doing that (raising the hands etc.), there is nothing wrong with it, because there are some ahaadeeth concerning that. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 7/103 

The Committee was asked about raising the hands for du’aa’ after the five daily prayers:

“Is it proven that the Prophet (pbuh) raised his hands or not? If it is not proven, is it permissible to raise the hands after the five daily prayers or not? 

They replied: It is not proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) raised his hands in du’aa’ after the obligatory prayers as far as we know, so raising them after the salaam of an obligatory prayer is contrary to the Sunnah.” (Fataawa al-Lajnah, 7/104) 

The Committee also stated that saying du’aa’ out loud after the five daily prayers or regular Sunnah prayers, or reciting du’aa’ in unison as a regular practice is a reprehensible innovation (bid’ah), because it was not proven that the Prophet (pbuh) or his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) did anything like that.

Whoever makes du’aa’ after the obligatory or regular Sunnah prayers in unison is going against the way of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, and for those people to accuse those who disagree with them of being kaafirs and not belonging to Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, is misguidance, ignorance and a distortion of the facts.   (Fataawa Islamiyyah, 1/319) 

Making du’aa’ together in one voice behind the imaam after the prayer, Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen answered this question in al-Fataawaa, p. 368, where he said:

“This is one of the bid’ahs which was not reported from the Prophet or from his companions. What is prescribed in Islam is for people to remember Allah alone after the prayer, in accordance with the teachings of the Messenger of Allah , and this should be done aloud, as reported in Saheeh al-Bukhaari from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah  be pleased with them both), who said: “People used to raise their voices in Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) after finishing the prescribed prayer at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah  be upon him).”

Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, “did not use to raise his hands in his invocations except in Salatul-Istisqaa’ in which he used to raise his hands so high that one could see the whiteness of his armpits.”

Dua before completing congregation prayers (fard or sunna)

It is fact that there is quite common practice in many parts of the Muslim world to make congregation dua after salat. However there is  no authentic report that the Prophet ever did this after having finished congregational prayer.

Prophet (pbuh) certainly finished prayer with glorification of Allah and praising Him, but he did that privately and he instructed his companions to do likewise. The best time to supplicate is after one finishes Tashahhud and just before finishing prayer altogether. If he says a couple of short supplications at that time, then he follows the Sunnah.

He may lengthen that supplication as much as he wishes, if he is praying alone. However, supplication by the imam during the prayer, with the congregation confirming the supplication with the word 'Amen', which means 'Answer our prayer, our Lord,' is acceptable. This form is known as 'Qunoot.' The Prophet did that in Witr prayer and in other prayers in times of urgent need facing the Muslim community or when some of its members or the whole community were in distress.

Therefore, 'Qunoot in Witr is a Sunnah, while it is recommended in times of distress.

Wiping the face after making du’aa’

Wiping the face after making du’aa’, is not reported in any saheeh hadeeth; indeed, some of the scholars stated that it is bid’ah. See Mu’jam al-Bida’ (p. 227).

However, it is permissible to wipe your hands and body after Du'a before sleeping, and the evidence is mentioned in the Hadith of prophet Muhammad (pbuh) narrated in the collection of Bukhari, whereby Aisha said that when the prophet (pbuh) went to bed every night, he used to put the palms of his hands together, read into them Surah al-Ikhlas, al-Falak, and an Naas (112-113-114 respectively in the Qur'an), then rub with his palms whatever he could over his entire body three times.

As for rubbing the face after reciting Du`aa, we can say that it is reported by Ibn `Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, “used to rub his face with his hands after reciting Du`aa.” (Reported by At-Tirmidhi)

In their commentary on the Hadith, some scholars state that it is a strange or Ghareeb Hadith. Others dubbed it as weak or Da`ief. It is not reported in any saheeh hadeeth; indeed, some of the scholars stated that it is bid’ah.

In his book Al-Adhkar, Imam An-Nawawi, states that there are three different view maintained by the Shafi`is regarding raising the hands and wiping the face while reciting Du`aa. The view which is deemed to be the most correct from among those three opinions is the one which states that raising hands is recommended, whereas rubbing face is not.

To conclude, the issue of rubbing the face after reciting the Du`aa is controversial. Thus, a Muslim can choose the opinion that best suits him in this case.

Thank you for asking and God knows best.

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18. Things Which Invalidate the Prayer

Question:

Is there a set number of things that invalidate the prayer? What about prayer if somebody feels urinating before prayer?

Answer: Praise be to Allah.

The things that invalidate the prayer are well known, but the number differs according to differences among the fuqaha’. They are as follows: 

1 – That which invalidates wudoo’, such as releasing wind or eating camel meat. 

2 – Uncovering the ‘awrah deliberately. But if it is uncovered by accident and what is uncovered is only a little, or if a lot becomes uncovered but he covers it immediately, then the prayer is not invalidated. 

3 – Turning away from the qiblah to a large extent. 

4 – Presence of najaasah (impurity) on one's body or clothes, or in the place where one is praying. If he notices it or remembers it during the prayer and removes it immediately, then his prayer is valid. Similarly, if he does not find out about it until after the prayer is over, his prayer is still valid. 

5 –  Excessive continuous movement during the prayer for no essential reason. 

6 – Omitting one of the pillars (essential parts) of the prayer, such as bowing and prostration. 

7 –  Deliberately doing an extra pillar, such as bowing. 

8 –  Deliberately doing some pillars before others. 

9 –  Deliberately saying the salaam before completing the prayer. 

10 – Deliberately changing the meaning whilst reciting. 

11- Deliberately omitting one of the obligatory parts of prayer, such as the first tashahhud. But if a person forgets, his prayer is valid but he must do the prostration of forgetfulness (sujood al-sahw). 

12 – Deciding to stop praying. 

13 – Laughing out loud. Merely smiling does not invalidate the prayer. 

14 – Deliberately speaking. If one speaks by mistake or out of ignorance of   the ruling, the prayer is not invalidated. 

15 – Eating and drinking. 

It is not permissible for a person to start praying when he is resisting the urge to urinate or defecate, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of  be upon him) said: “You should not pray when food is ready or when resisting the urge to urinate or defecate.” (Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh).

And Allah knows best.

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19. Changing places after a congregational prayer

Question :

Why do people change their places after a congregational prayer is over in a mosque in order to offer voluntary prayers? I personally prefer to stay in the same place. Is it acceptable?

Answer :

It is perfectly appropriate if you offer your voluntary prayer in the same place where you offered your obligatory one with the congregation in the mosque. Indeed, there is no restriction on the places where you can offer your prayers, since the Prophet has told us that the whole earth is considered a place for prayers for the nation of Islam. However, it is more convenient to change places in order to leave a free passage for those who have finished and want to go out. If all people in the congregation were to offer their voluntary prayers in the position where they offered the obligatory one, there will remain no gap for anyone who has already finished and wants to leave, or for those who wish to go out immediately, either because they have some work or because they wish to attend voluntary prayers at home, as recommended by the Prophet. Some people, however, do not change places and they are at no fault.

Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News - Jeddah )

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20. INVALIDATION OF ONE’S PRAYER IF AN ADULT WOMAN WALKS IN FRONT

Question :  

What is the ruling on the Sutrah [object serving as a screen for one who is praying]? If a dog, woman or donkey walks in front of one, does that invalidate one's prayer? What do we say concerning the words of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), when she said: “Are you including us along with dogs and donkeys?”

Answer:  Praise be to Allah.

The sutrah is a confirmed Sunnah (Sunnah mu’akkadah). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “When one of you prays, let him pray facing a sutrah, and let him draw close to it.” Narrated by Abu Dawood with a jayyid isnaad.

When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) travelled, he would take with him a short piece of wood and pray facing it. It is a confirmed Sunnah but it is not obligatory, because it is proven that on some occasions, he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed without a sutrah. 

With regard to that which invalidates the prayer, it is a donkey, a black dog, and an adult woman, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The prayer of a Muslim man is invalidated if he does not have in front of him something like the back of a saddle, by (the passage in front of him of) a woman, a donkey or a black dog.” Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh from the hadeeth of Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him).

Muslim also narrated it from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), without mentioning the word black. The basic principle is that a general statement is to be interpreted in terms of the specific statement. In the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas it says “A woman who menstruates” i.e., an adult woman. The correct view is that which is indicated by the hadeeth: that these three invalidate the prayer. 

With regard to the words of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), they are her own opinion and conclusion. She said: “What a bad thing to liken us to donkeys and dogs.” She said that she used to lie in front of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when he was praying, but that is not passing in front, because lying is not called passing .

The Sunnah concerning that was not known to her, and the one who learns something is a proof against the one who is unaware of it. If a person prays facing someone who is opposite him, sitting or lying down, that does not affect him. Rather what invalidates the prayer is if it passes in front of him from one side to another, if the one who passes is front is one of the three mentioned and passes in front of him, or between him and the sutrah. If the female is young and has not reached the age of puberty, or the dog is not black, or something such as a camel or sheep and the like passes in front, then none of these invalidate the prayer.

But it is prescribed for the one who is praying not to let anything pass in front of him, even if it does not invalidate the prayer, because of the hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), which says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “If one of you prays facing something that is screening him from the people, and someone wants to pass [directly] in front of him, let him push him away, and if he insists then let him fight him, for he is a devil.” Saheeh – agreed upon.

End quote. 

Excerpted, with some modifications, from: http://islamqa.com/en/

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21. ANSWERING TV SALAAM

Question :  

When the presenter of a programme on television or radio says salaam, are we sinning if we do not respond to the salaam in this case?.

Answer :  Praise be to Allah.

If the broadcast is live, then it is prescribed to return the salaam, because of the general meaning of the evidence which shows that it is obligatory to return the greeting of salaam. But it is a communal obligation, so if some people do it, it is waived for the rest. 

But if it is recorded, it is not obligatory to return the greeting in this case. 

Al-Nawawi said in al-Adhkaar (p. 247): 

Imam Abu Sa’d al-Mutawalli and others said: If someone calls out to someone else from behind a screen or a wall and says, Peace be upon you, O So and so, or he writes a letter in which he says: Peace be upon you, O So and so, or Peace be upon So and so, or he sends a messenger and says: Give greetings of salaam to So and so, and the letter or messenger conveys that, it is obligatory for him to return the greeting. Similarly, al-Waahidi and others stated that it is obligatory for the one to whom the letter was written to return the salaam when it reaches him. End quote. 

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: 

If the writer says in his article in a newspaper or magazine, or an author says in his book, or a broadcaster says on the radio or television: Al-salaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allahi wa barakaatuhu (peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings), does the listener have to return the greeting on the basis that returning the greeting is obligatory? 

He replied: 

Returning the greeting in cases such as this is a communal obligation, because he is greeting a large audience, so it is sufficient for some of them to return it, although it is better if each Muslim who hears it returns the greeting because of the general meaning of the evidence. End quote. 

Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn Baaz (9/396). 

Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan was asked: 

If the broadcaster on television or radio, or the writer in a magazine, says salaam, is it obligatory to return the greeting in this case? 

He replied: 

It is obligatory to return the salaam if one hears it directly or through a letter that is addressed to him, or via media addressed to the listeners, because of the general meaning of the evidence that returning the salaam is obligatory. End quote. 

Al-Muntaqa min Fataawa al-Fawzaan, 8/63 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) did not go so far as to say that it is obligatory to return the salaam because the greeter cannot hear the response, but he said: (The greeting) should be returned so as to be on the safe side. 

He was asked (may Allah have mercy on him): 

What is the ruling if the Muslim hears the broadcaster or Shaykh saying salaam? Does he have to return the salaam? 

The Shaykh said: Is it a live broadcast? 

Questioner: Yes, he is listening to the Shaykh or broadcaster on the radio. 

Shaykh: Sometimes it is recorded; they put it on a tape and broadcast it. If it is recorded, then you do not have to return the greeting, because this is just transmission of sound. But if it is not recorded and it is live, then I may or may not say that it is obligatory. If I say that it is obligatory, the basic principle is that this is a greeting to everyone who hears his words, so they have to respond to it. But if I say that it is not obligatory, that is because the one who gives the greeting cannot hear the response and does not expect it either. The one who says salaam in a broadcast does not expect the people to respond to him. But to be on the safe side, we should return the greeting and say, Wa ‘alayka al-salaam (and upon you be peace). 

Questioner: Is that more on the safe side, O Shaykh? 

Shaykh: That is more on the safe side, but it is not obligatory. End quote. 

Liqa’ al-Baab al-Maftooh, 28/229.

Excerpted, with some modifications, from: http://islamqa.com/en/

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22. OFFERING FAJR SUNNAH WHEN FARD PRAYER  STARTED

Question :

What about offering two Fajr sunnahs and joining Fajr prayer if congregation prayer has already started?

Answer :  Praise be to Allah.

Two Fajr sunnahs are wajib and has too much benefit but if congregation prayer has already started, then Fard has got priority to be joined then offering wajib sunnah. It is as per hadith:

“When congregation prayer is in process, then only that prayer should be offered which is being offered”   (Muslim)

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23. running for joining congregation prayer

Question :

What about running for joining congregation prayer, which has already started?

Answer :  Praise be to Allah.

It is discouraged to run to join a congregation prayer. This is against the dignity of prayer and to Allah, in whose honor it is being presented. Remember that during prayer it should be assumed that you are seeing Allah or at least that Allah is seeing you. If somebody has to meet even a govt. officer he would never like to enter his room running. (Officer may also not like it)

It is as per hadith:

“When congregation prayer is in process, then don’t come running. Instead walk at ease and tranquility. Join the prayer and offer as much rakat as much you get it and offer the remaining afterwards. (Bukhari/Muslim)

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24. IMAM SITTING AFTER LEADING PRAYER

After finishing the prayer, imam should turn around and sit facing the jamma (people behind imam) people. It is as per following hadith.

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) led us in prayer one day, and when he had finished praying he turned to face us and said: “O people, I am your imam, so do not go ahead of me in bowing, prostrating, standing or finishing, for I can see you from in front of me and behind me,”   Narrated by Muslim (426)

Samura bin Jundab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘The Prophet used to face us on completion of the prayer’.  Narrated by Bukhari (807)

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25. FACING QIBLA PROBLEM

Question:

When we are travelling, sometimes we cannot find any means of determining the qiblah, as in the United States, because it is difficult to find a Muslim to ask him about the direction of the qiblah. I have tried to use the compass but I cannot manage it, yet I tried to use it. Is it permissible to pray facing any direction for fear that we may miss the prayer and to offer the prayer again at another time? We know that Allah has made the entire earth a place of prostration.

Answer: Praise be to Allah.

Firstly:

There is no difference of opinion among the scholars concerning the fact that facing the qiblah is one of the conditions of prayer being valid, and that failing to meet this condition – when one is able to do so – renders the prayer invalid. But there are some cases in which the requirement to face the qiblah is waived. Some of these have been discussed in the answer to question no. 65853.

If the Muslim is in a place where he cannot determine the direction of the qiblah, then he should pray facing the direction which he thinks is most likely to be the direction of the qiblah, and he does not have to repeat the prayer after that. Rather his prayer is valid but he does not have to do anything else.

This is indicated by the hadeeth of Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:

We were with the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) on a march or a campaign, and it became cloudy. We tried to determine the qiblah and differed concerning it, so each man prayed on his own, and one of us marked the direction he faced him so that he could check it later. The following morning we looked and found that we had prayed facing a direction other than the qiblah. We told the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and he did not instruct us to repeat it, and he said: “Your prayer is valid.”

Narrated by al-Daaraqutni, al-Haakim and al-Bayhaqi; classed as hasan by al-Albaani because of corroborating reports in Irwa’ al-Ghaleel, 291.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about the ruling on one who prays facing a direction other than the qiblah after trying to work it out.

He replied:

If the Muslim is on a journey or is in a land where it is not easy for him to find someone who can show him the direction of the qiblah, then his prayer is valid, if he did his best to work out the direction of the qiblah, then realized that he prayed facing the wrong direction.

But if he is in a Muslim country, then his prayer is not valid, because he could have asked someone to show him the direction of the qiblah, or he could have worked out the qiblah by looking at the mosques.

End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 10/420

Secondly:

There are many ways of finding out the direction of the qiblah. If the Muslim is travelling and he knows that he will be in a place where he would not be able to work out the direction of the qiblah and there are no Muslims there whom he can ask, then he should make sure to learn some of the ways in which he can determine the direction of the qiblah. That is very easy nowadays, by means of compasses or some watches that contain a program that shows the direction of the qiblah, either by means of the sun or the moon.

So the Muslim should learn that which will make his prayer valid.

And Allah knows best.

Excerpted, with some modifications, from: http://islamqa.com/en/

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26.  holding second congregational prayer in the mosque

Question :

There has arisen a fitnah (conflict) in the mosque which has spread among the brothers. The problem is holding a second congregational prayer (jamaa’ah) after the first congregational prayer in the mosque which has a regular imam. Some brother objected to that to such a degree that they wanted to prevent it. I hope that you can offer us much-needed advice.

Answer:  Praise be to Allah.  

Several scenarios may apply to holding a second congregational prayer in the mosque, some of which are not allowed and some are permissible. 

The kind which we should agree is forbidden is:

when this second congregational prayer is held with prior agreement among these people, such as if they agree to come to the mosque after the imam has finished praying, then they pray in congregation.

Similarly forbidden is when this second prayer in congregation is something that happens regularly in the mosque, in a systematic fashion, such as if it is said for example: The first congregational prayer will be held at such and such a time, and the second will be held at such and such a time, and this is something that is done regularly. 

There is no dispute that these two scenarios are haraam, because they are causing disunity among the Muslims and discouraging the people from attending the first congregational prayer.  

But if the second congregational prayer is held in the mosque on an occasional basis without any prior agreement, such as if a group of people enters the mosque after the imam has finished the prayer and they pray in congregation, then there is a difference of opinion among the scholars concerning this. The correct view is that it is permissible and is in fact mustahabb, because it brings the reward of praying in congregation. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said, describing the scenarios of a second congregational prayer in the mosque: As for the first scenario, if there are always two congregations in the mosque, the first congregation and the second congregation, undoubtedly this is makrooh, if not haraam, because it is bid’ah (an innovation), and it was unknown at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his companions. 

Another example is what was known in al-Masjid al-Haraam before the Saudi government took charge of it, where there were four congregations, each of which had an imam: a Hanbali imam who led the Hanbalis in prayer, a Shaafa’i imam who led the Shaafa’is, a Maaliki imam who led the Maalikis and a Hanafi imam who led the Hanafis. They said: This is the maqaam for the Shaafa’i, this is the maqaam for the Maaliki, this is the maqaam for the Hanafi and this is the maqaam for the Hanbali. 

But when King ‘Abd al-‘Azeez (may Allah reward him with good) entered Makkah, he said: This is dividing the ummah, i.e., the Muslim ummah is being divided in one mosque, and this is not permissible. So he united them behind one imam, and this was one of his good deeds and virtues (may Allah have mercy on him). 

What he referred to is one of the forbidden things, which is dividing the ummah. 

Moreover, it promotes laziness, because people will say: So long as there is a second congregational prayer, we will wait until the second group comes, and the people will turn away from attending the first congregational prayer with the regular imam. 

Then he mentioned the second scenario and said:  

As for the second scenario, which is when it happens without prior agreement, i.e., the regular imam is the one who leads the congregational prayer in the mosque, but sometimes two or three or more men stay away for a valid excuse, then this is a matter concerning which the scholars differed. 

Some of the scholars say that the congregational prayer should not be repeated, i.e., they should pray individually. 

Some of them say that it should be repeated, and this is the correct view, and it is the view of the Hanbalis. The evidence for that is: 

Firstly: the hadeeth of Ubayy ibn Ka’b, according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “For a man to pray with another man is better than his praying alone, and for him to pray with two other men is better than his praying with one other man. The more men there are, the dearer it is to Allah.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (554) and al-Nasaa’i (843).

This clearly shows that it is better for a man to pray with another man than to pray alone. If we say that there should not be another congregational prayer, this means that we are favouring the less-favoured choice (i.e., praying alone), and this is contrary to the text. 

Secondly: One day the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sitting with his companions when a man came in after the prayer had finished, and he said: “Who will give charity to this man and pray with him?” One of the people got up and prayed with the man. Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (220).

This clearly shows that the congregational prayer may be repeated after the regular congregation, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) encouraged someone to pray with this man. If someone says that this was charity, but when two men pray in the mosque when they have missed the prayer, the prayer of each of them is obligatory,  it may be said in response that if Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) enjoined doing an act of charity, and one who had already prayed was commanded to pray with this man, how can one who has not prayed not be commanded to pray with this man?  

The third scenario is when the mosque is in a market place or on a highway and the like. If it is a market place mosque where people come and go, and two or three or ten men come and pray and then leave, as happens in the mosques that exist in some market places, then it is not makrooh to repeat the congregational prayer in this case. One of the scholars said: There is consensus and there is no difference of opinion on this point, because this mosque is a place where various groups come and go, and there is no regular imam behind whom the people may unite. End quote from al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (4/227-231). 

What we advise our brothers to do is to reconcile and strive to unite and put an end to discord and disunity, and do away with selfishness. They should adhere to this ritual which is one of the causes of unity and harmony; how can they make it a means of dispute and disunity? 

We have an example in ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him), who criticized ‘Uthmaan (may Allah be pleased with him) for offering the prayer in full in Mina, but despite that he also offered the prayer in full. When he was asked about that he said: “Disunity is evil.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (1960). 

Another indication of the importance of striving to reconcile people and bring them together is that a number of scholars stated that it is permissible for the imam to omit some of the sunnahs in order to unite the congregation, as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If the imam thinks that something is mustahabb, but the people praying behind him do not regard it as mustahabb, and he omits it for the sake of unity and harmony, that is better. An example of that is Witr, concerning which the scholars have three views:

 (1) that it can only be done with three continuous rak’ahs, like Maghrib, as is the view of the people of Iraq;

(2) that it can only be done with one rak’ah separate from those that precede it, as is the view of those among the people of the Hijaaz who held this view;

(3) that both are permissible, as is the view of al-Shaafa’i, Ahmad and others, and this is the correct view, even though they prefer that it should be done with one separate rak’ah.

If the imam thinks that it should be done with one separate rak’ah, but the members of the congregation think that Witr should be prayed like Maghrib, and he concurs with them in order to bring about unity, that is better, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to ‘Aa’ishah: “Were it not that your people have only recently left Jaahiliyyah behind, I would have demolished the Ka’bah and levelled it to the ground, and rebuilt it with two doors, one door for the people to enter and another door for them to exit.” So he refrained from doing that which was better in his view, so as not to alienate the people. Similarly, if a man thinks that reciting Bismillaah out loud is correct, but he elands in prayer people who hold a different view, or vice versa, and he concurs with them, that is better.  End quote from al-Fataawa al-Kubra (2/118). 

We ask Allah to set our affairs and those of all the Muslims straight. 

And Allah knows best.

Excerpted,  from: http://www.islamqa.com/

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27.  imam wudoo BROOKEN’

Question :

An imam led the people in prayer, and during the prayer he remembered that he had not done wudoo’ at all. He stopped praying and appointed one of the worshippers to lead the prayer for him. He had prayed one rak’ah, and the person whom he appointed came and continued the prayer from where the imam had left off. Then the imam went and did wudoo’, and repeated the prayer. Is what this imam did correct, knowing that he follows the Shaafa’i madhhab?.

Answer:  Praise be to Allah.  

What the imam did, stopping his prayer and appointing one of the worshippers to lead the prayer for him, and what that person did by carrying on the prayer where the imam had left off, was all correct. 

The view that it is permissible to appoint someone else to carry on in such situations is the view of the majority of Hanafi, Maaliki and Shaafa’i scholars, and it was narrated from Imam Ahmad. 

Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Our companions said: If the imam stops praying because of breaking wudoo’ deliberately or otherwise, or that happened before or he forgot or for some other reason, or for no reason, then there are two well known opinions on appointing someone else to carry on leading the prayer.

The correct view is that it is permissible because of the saheeh hadeeth. It is proven in al-Saheehayn that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) went to reconcile between Banu ‘Amr ibn ‘Awf, and Abu Bakr led the people in prayer. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came during the prayer, and Abu Bakr moved backwards, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) took over leading the prayer. End quote from al-Majmoo’ (4/138). 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said in al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (4/243): If the imam remembers during the prayer that he does not have wudoo’, then he has to stop praying and appoint someone to complete the prayer, because when ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) was stabbed by Abu Lu’lu’ah al-Majoosi, after he had started to pray Subh, ‘Umar took the hand of ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf and made him move forward. And he led them in a brief prayer. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari). 

This was in the presence of the Sahaabah, may Allah be pleased with them. But if he does not do that and he moves away – i.e., without appointing someone to lead the prayer for him – then the members of the congregation have the choice between making one of their number move forward to complete the prayer with them, or completing the prayer individually. End quote. 

And Allah knows best.

Excerpted,  from: http://www.islamqa.com/

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28. MINIMUM PERSONS in congregation

Question :

If there are two men in a household, is this enough to pray a congregational prayer together, i.e. one imam and one follower?

Answer:  Praise be to Allah.  

Yes, two people are enough to pray in congregation, whether that is in the house or elsewhere. Imam al-Bukhaari (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Chapter: Two or more form a congregation (jamaa’ah).”

Then he narrated the hadeeth of Maalik ibn al-Huwayrith (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “When the time for prayer comes, give the adhaan and iqaamah then let the oldest of you two lead you in prayer.” (al-Bukhaari, 658). 

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Chapter: Two or more form a congregation”: this heading was narrated in a hadeeth which was narrated via weak isnaads, which said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw a man praying by himself and said: “Will not a man perform an act of charity for him and pray with him?” So a man stood up and prayed with him, and he said: “These two are a congregation (jamaa’ah).” 

The story mentioned – apart from the words, “These two are a congregation” – was narrated by Abu Dawood and al-Tirmidhi with a different, saheeh, isnaad. 

He also said: 

This (the hadeeth of Maalik ibn al-Huwayrith (may Allah be pleased with him)) may be understood as meaning that the smallest a congregation can be is an imam and one follower, which is more general in meaning than saying that the follower may be a man or a boy or a woman. 

The hadeeth referred to by al-Haafiz is narrated by Abu Dawood (554) who classed it as saheeh. The report is as follows: It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw a man praying on his own and said: “Why doesn’t a man perform an act of charity for him and pray with him?” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2652. 

It says in ‘Awn al-Ma’bood: so that he may attain the reward of praying in congregation, so it will be as if he gave him charity. 

It was narrated from Ubayy ibn Ka’b (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “… for a man to pray with another man is better than his praying alone, and for a man to pray with two other men is better than his praying with one man. The more there are, the more beloved that is to Allah.” Al-Nasaa’i, 843; Abu Dawood, 554; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2242. 

But it should be noted that what is required of men is to offer the prayers in congregation in the mosque; it is not permissible to offer the obligatory prayers at home, whether in congregation or alone, unless one has an excuse. 

The Standing Committee was asked: If two people pray together is that a jamaa’ah (congregation) or not? 

They replied: If two or more people pray together, that is a congregation, but the more people there are, the better; it should also be noted that prayers in congregation should be offered in the mosque. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-‘Daa’imah, 7/289. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about some people who prayed in congregation at home. He said: 

We advise them to fear Allah and to pray in congregation with the Muslims in the mosque, because the most correct scholarly view concerning this matter is that it is obligatory to offer prayers in congregation in the mosque, unless one has an excuse. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “I thought of ordering that the iqaamah be given, then I would order a man to lead the people in prayer, and I would take some men carrying bundles of wood and go to people who did not attend the prayer, and burn their houses down on them.” See al-Bukhaari, 644; Muslim, 651. 

Those people may be have been offering the prayers in congregation in their own places, but the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) wanted them to pray with the congregation which was performing the prayer in the manner prescribed in sharee’ah, and the congregation which sharee’ah says one should pray with is those who pray in the mosques, the mosques to which they are called when the time for prayer comes. Hence ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Whoever would like to meet Allah tomorrow as a Muslim, let him offer these prayers regularly where the call for them is given.” The word haythu (where) refers to place, i.e., let him offer them regularly in the place from which the call to prayer is given. 

Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 15/19 

Excerpted,  from: http://www.islamqa.com/

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29. DHIKR

Question :

What is Dhikr, its benefit  and what are best Azkar after each faradh prayer in mosque?

Answer: Praise be to Allah.

All words of praise and glory to Allah, extolling His Perfect Attributes of Power and Majesty, Beauty and Sublimeness, whether one utters them by tongue or says them silently in one's heart, are known as dhikr or remembrance, of Allah. Allah has commanded us to remember Him at all times.

In the Qur`an when dhikr is used by itself, its primary meaning is the reminder or message from Allah, including the Qur`an and earlier revealed books. But when it is used as a phrase like “dhikr Allah”, its primary meaning seems to be the remembrance of Allah by human beings.

"… Surely in the remembrance of Allah, do hearts find peace" (Ar-Raad 13:28).

I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it. And if he draws near to Me a hand's span, I draw near to him an arm's length; and if he draws near to Me an arm's length, I draw near to him a fathom's length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed. (Bukhari and Muslim)

Dhikr is as necessary for the heart as water for the fish. There are two kinds of dhikr:

"by heart" (qalbi) and "by tongue" (lisani).

“All the scholars (ulama) have agreed, both early (salaf) and late comers (khalaf), upon the recommendation of group Dhikr (meaning loudly) in the Masjid, except when it disturbs a sleeping person, the one engaged in prayer and the one reciting Qur’an.” (Radd al-Muhtar ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar, 1/660)

Various forms of Dhikr, Tasbih and Dua after prayers as mentioned in the various Hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace), both individually and collectively, and both silently and loudly.

Ibn Abbas (radiallah anho) under the chapter "Dhikr after prayer" said: "In the lifetime of the Prophet (SAW) it was the custom to recite Allah's Praises aloud after the compulsory congregational prayers'. He also said: 'when I heard the Dhikr, I would learn that the congregational prayer had ended".

However, it is preferred to supplicate silently except when there is necessity such as teaching others, then they may be recited loudly.

Recite following after Faradh prayer

After faradh prayer, there may be many supplications, and one of them is following just after finishing faradh.

It has been reported by Thawban that when the Prophet (SAW) turned away after completing the salah, he used to say,  أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ  Astaghfir ullāh (I seek forgiveness from Allah)  three times.

and also say Allahumma antassalamu wa minkas salam tabarakta ya zal jalali wal ikram'   اَللّٰهُمَّ أَنْتَ السَّلاَمُ، وَمِنْكَ السَّلاَمُ، تَبَارَكْتَ يَا ذَا الْجَلاَلِ وَالْإِكْرَامِO Allah, You are the Giver of Peace and peace comes from You alone. You are blessed, O Majestic and Benevolent (Muslim).

Then recite:

Lā ilāha illa Llāhu wahdahū lā sharīka lah(ū), lahu l-mulku wa lahul hamdu wa Huwa alā kulli shayin Qadīr.

(There is no god but Allah, He is One, He has no partner. His is the Sovereignty and His is all praise. He has power over all things).

Then recite:

سُبْحَانَ اللهِ Sub˙ān Allah (i) (Exalted is Allah) = 33 Times,

and اَلْحَمْدُ للهِ Al-˙Hamdu li Llāh(i) (Praise be to Allah) = 33 Times,

then say: اللهُ أَكْبَرُ Allah u akbar(u) (Allah  is the Greatest) = 34 Times, (Bukhārī, Muslim).

Whoever recite after each salah “33 times Subhan Allah, 33 times Alhamdu lillah, 33 times Allahu Akbar, and at the end of it, laa Ilaaha illAllah u wahdahu laa sharkia lahu, lahul mulku wa alahul hamdu wa huwa alaa kulli shay-in qadeer.  (There is no God but one Allah only. He is alone with no partner. To Him belongs sovereignty and unto Him belongs all Praise and He has power over all things)” all his sins will be forgiven even if they be as profuse as the foam of the sea.

(Then recite Ayatul Kursi, if memorized)

Other Azkars

Hazrat Jabir relates that he heard the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) having said:

"The best remembrance of Allah is `La ilaha illa Allah.”   [From Tirmidhi, also related in the Riyadh us-Saliheen of Imam Nawawi]

Another hadith about saying `La ilaha illa Allah' for dhikr is this....

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet(SAW) said, "Renew your faith." "How can we renew our faith?" they asked. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Say always, `La ilaha illa Allah'." [From Ahmad, with a sound isnad. Quoted in Fiqh us-Sunnah compiled by as-Sayyid Sabiq, vol. 4, ch. 6.]

The superiority of Dhikr Allah (remembering Allah, glorifying and praising) is mentioned in following hadiths.

Narrated Abu Hurairah (RTA), Allah’s Messenger  (PBUH) said “Whoever says “La ilaha illahu wahdaho la sharika laho, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa Huwa ala kulli shai’in Qadeer”, one hundred times will get the same reward as given for manumitting ten slaved, and one hundred good deeds will be written in his accounts. And it (his saying) will be a shield for him from satan on that day till night, and no body will be able to do a better deeds except the one who does more than he”    (Sahih Bukhari, Vol 8, Hadith 412)

Narrated Abu Hurairah (RTA), Allah’s Messenger  (PBUH) said “Whoever says “Subhan Allahi wa behamdihi”, one hundred times a day will be forgiven all his sins, even if they were as much as the foam of the sea”   (Sahih Bukhari, Vol 8, Hadith 414)

Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "There are two phrases that are light on the tongue but heavy on the scale of rewards and are dear to the Gracious One. These are: subhan Allah wa bi hamdihi, "Glorified is Allah with all praise to Him," and subhan Allah al-`azim, "Glorified is Allah, the Great." (Narrated by Bukhari, Muslim, and Tirmidhi)

If a person says “Subhanallah” (glory be to Allah) 100 times, a thousand good deeds are recorded for him and a thousand bad deeds wiped away. (Muslim)

Durood

The invocation of Blessings on the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is styled in Arabic as "Salawat", in Persian as "Durood", and in Urdu as "Salawat-o-Salaam".

 Almighty Allah says:

“Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet (Muhammad) O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect”  (Al-Ahzab 33:56) 

When Almighty Allah sends Durood and Salaams upon Prophet (PBUH), He is actually blessing him. When the Malaa'ikah and the Muslims send Durood and Salaams on Prophet (PBUH), they are actually showing Almighty Allah their respect for the Holy Prophet (PBUH), In this verse of the Holy Quran, Almighty Allah, His Malaa'ikah and the Muslims have been mentioned as sending Durood upon Prophet (PBUH), So Durood is actually "a Du'a in praise of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)."

Durood is a sure means of Allah granting blessings, peace, prosperity and favours of great magnitude on one who recites Durood on the Holy Prophet (PBUH). The reciter of Durood receives all the benefits in this world and utmost gain in the next world with addition to the love of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

Hazrat Anas (radi Allahu anhu) narrates that Prophet (PBUH) said: "He who reads a single Durood upon me, Almighty Allah blesses him ten times, ten of his sins are forgiven, and he is increased ten times in stages (internally). (Mishkaat)

Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud (radi Allahu anhu) narrates that Prophet (PBUH) said:“On the Day of Qiyamah, the closest to me from among the people will be those who have read the most amount of Durood "

Here are some benefits to one who sends Darood on Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)

1. For every Durood that you recite, ten sins are forgiven, ten good deeds are entered into your sheet of actions and ten position are upgraded.

2. Allah showers ten blessings on the man who recites a Durood.

3. The first man who will meet the Prophet (PBUH) on the Day of Judgement will be that person who had recited the Durood maximum number of times in his life time.

4. Those who recite Durood in maximum number will be nearest and dearest to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in the next world.

5. If anyone is involved in a difficulty then he must recite countless number of Durood.

6. Reciting Durood eradicates poverty and hunger.

7. If the Reward of the Durood is dedicated to another person, then that person will receive the Reward, while the Reward of the reciter will not be lessened.

8. Reciting excessive Durood brings purity.

9. Reciting maximum number of Durood is full compensation of all sins.

10. Anyone who recites excessive Durood in this world will be safe and sound in the next world.

11. When a prayer is made to Allah it is never accepted unless praise of Allah and Durood on the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is first of all recited.

12. Those who recite Durood quite often will see Divine Light on the dark Day of Judgement.

13. Three persons will be under the cool shade and the favours of Allah on the Doom's Day. One who kept the Holy Prophet's (PBUH) Sunnah alive, one who removed difficulty of a fellow being and one who recited maximum number of Durood in his life time.

14. When you forget anything and your memory fails to recollect it, then recite Durood, you will remember the forgotten thing.

15. The reciter of 10 Duroods in the morning and 10 in the evening will receive the help of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) on the Day of Judgement.

16. One who recites Durood near the shrine of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is heard by him there and then alone.

17. Anyone who recites Durood is just as one who purchased a slave and freed him. 

18. If a Durood is written in a book by someone, Angels of Allah shower blessings on him till the Durood remains in that book.

19. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said that he himself recites blessings on one who recites Durood on him.

20. Anyone who wants to meet his Allah with a happy face must recite countless number of Durood. 

21. Reward equivalent to a big mountain (Uhad) is given to one who recites one Durood. 

22. If anyone meets in a tragedy, he should recite Durood in countless numbers.

23. Reciting Durood is like giving something in charity.

24. Reciting maximum number of Durood kills all hardships.

25. Anyone who recites Durood will overcome all their troubles.

26. If the name of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is mentioned and one who hears it but does not recite Durood, understand that he has forgotten the path to Paradise. 

27. If anyone recites Durood from any place, any part of the world from any distance, it actually reaches the Holy Prophet (PBUH) immediately. Allah has appointed several Angels who are given exclusive duty to collect all Durood and present the same before the Holy Prophet (PBUH) immediately 

28. Angels of Allah shower 70 blessings on a man who recites Durood once.

29. Whenever you hear the call of prayers (Azaan) you should recite Durood.

29. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said to his wife that anyone who hears the name of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and does not recite Durood on him will not see the beautiful face of Prophet (PBUH) on the Day of the Judgement.

30. Sayyiduna Ali (radi Allahu anhu) reports that Prophet (PBUH) said, "The real miser is he in whose presence I am mentioned and then he fails to recite Salat on me".

There are different Durood. All Durood are equivalent and give full benefits, but some selected and very promptly accepted and favoured Durood Shareefs are the following: 

And Allah alone knows best

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30. What should a non-Arab do for the adhkaar in salaah?

Question:

I have become Muslim, Al-hamdu-Lillaah, but I do not know Arabic. What should I do with regard to the adhkaar (phrases praising Allah) in the prayer and reading Qur’aan in Arabic?

Answer:  Praise be to Allah.

The majority of fuqaha’ say that if the non-Arab can speak Arabic, he should not recite Takbeer {saying “Allahu akbar (Allah is Most Great)”} in any other language. The evidence for this is that the texts instruct this particular wording, which is Arabic, and that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not do it any other way.

But if a non-Arab cannot speak Arabic and is unable to pronounce it, then according to the majority of fuqaha’ it is OK for him to say the Takbeer in his own language after it has been translated from Arabic, according to the statements of the Shaafa’is and Hanbalis, no matter what the language is. The Takbeer is remembrance or mentioning of Allah, and Allah can be remembered or mentioned in every language, so a language other than Arabic is an alternative, and the person has to learn how to say it in the other language. There is some controversy as to whether all of the adhkaar of the prayer, such as tashahhud, qunoot, du’aa’, and the tasbeehaat in rukoo’ and sujood may be said in languages other than Arabic.

With regard to reading Qur’aan, the majority say that it is not permissible to read it in any language other than Arabic. The evidence for this is the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’aan…”  (Yoosuf 12:2)

Moreover, the Qur’aan is a miracle in its wording and its meaning; if it is changed, this is no longer the case, and it is no longer Qur’aan but an interpretation (tafseer). (al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, part 5: A’jami).

Ibn Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

“Section: It is not right to read it in any language other than Arabic, or to substitute other words in Arabic, whether the person can read it well in Arabic or not, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “…an Arabic Qur’aan …’ (Yoosuf 12:2) and ‘In the plain Arabic language ….’  (Ash-Shu’ara’ 26:195)

The Qur’aan is a miracle in both its wording and its meaning, but if it is changed this is no longer the case, it is not Qur’aan or anything like it. It is only an interpretation (tafseer), and if the interpretation were like the Qur’aan itself, they would not be unable to meet the challenge of producing a soorah like it.

If a person cannot read well in Arabic, he has to learn. If he does not learn when he is able to, his prayers are not valid. If he is not able, or he fears that he does not have time to learn before the time for the next prayer is over, and he knows one aayah of al-Faatihah, he should repeat it seven times… If he can recite more than that, he should repeat it as much as he needs to make his recitation equivalent to the length of Soorat al-Fatihah, or he could make it up by reciting other aayaat.

If he knows some aayaat he does not have to repeat, he could recite another aayah instead, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded the one who could not recite Qur’aan well to say ‘Al-Hamdu Lillaah (Praise be to Allah)’ and other phrases, which is part of an aayah, but he did not command him to repeat it.

If he cannot do anything, but he knows some of the Qur’aan by heart, he should recite whatever he can, and nothing else will do, because of the report narrated by Abu Dawood from Rifaa’ah ibn Raafi’, who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “When you get up to pray, if you know some Qur’aan, recite it, otherwise say al-hamdu Lillaah (praise be to Allah), and La ilaaha ill-Allah (there is no god but Allah), and Allahu akbar (Allah is Most Great).”

This is more like Qur’aan, and is more appropriate (than any other words). He should also recite as much as he needs to make it equivalent in length to Soorat al-Faatihah. If he cannot recite anything of the Qur’aan, and cannot learn before it is too late to pray the current prayer, he should say Subhaan Allah wa’l-hamdu Lillaah wa Laa ilaaha ill-Allah wa Allahu akbar wa Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah (Glory be to Allah; praise be to Allah; there is no god but Allah; Allah is Most Great; and there is no strength and no power except with Allah).

Abu Dawood reported that a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: “I cannot learn anything of the Qur’aan. Teach me something that will suffice me.” He said, “Say Subhaan Allah wa’l-hamdu Lillaah wa Laa ilaaha ill-Allah wa Allahu akbar wa Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah.”

And Allah knows best.

Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: www.islamq&a

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31. What about correcting imam mistakes in recitation?

Question:

If the Imam makes a mistake in the Qranic Reading after Al-Fatiha, should the people behind him correct him if the meaning did not change as if the Imam used the word " Mumineen instead of Muttaqeen"

What happen if the Imam refuses to correct himself even though he knows he made a mistake, but he thinks it is not necessary to correct himself. Will the Salat be void if the meaning changed and the Imams was not corrected?.

Can we correct the Imam if he makes a mistake in Qranic Reading during Friday Kuttbah. How about if he makes a mistake in the explanations saying "Unbeliever will be in Jannah and believer will be in the fire ".

Answer:  Praise be to Allah.

If the imam makes a mistake in his recitation – apart from al-Faatihah – that does not alter the meaning, then you do not have to correct his mistake. This is something that no imam is entirely free from. But it is better to point it out to him after the prayer, because this will help him to remember it.

But if the imam refuses to correct his mistake even though he knows it is a mistake, then one to the following two scenarios applies:

1 – If the mistake alters the meaning, and he knows that it is a mistake but he does not correct his mistake after it has been pointed out to him, then you must repeat the prayer.

But how can you be sure that he realized it is a mistake and was persisting in it?

But if it is a mistake that does not alter the meaning, then you do not have to repeat the prayer, but you must advise the imam in a kind and gentle manner, and explain that it is not something shameful if the imam forgets something, for the best of Allah’s creation, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), also forgot, and the Sahaabah who were behind him reminded him, as is mentioned in the hadeeth.

Shaykh Sa’d al-Humayd

With regard to correcting the Jumu’ah khutbah, this is one of the cases in which speaking during the khutbah is permitted, such as if the khateeb makes a mistake in reciting a verse that changes the meaning, such as omitting a phrase from the aayah and so on. In this case the one who corrects him is not regarded as coming under the prohibition on speaking during the khutbah. See al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 5/140.

Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: www.islamq&a

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