Steadfastness in Prayer

Q: I have a younger brother of 18. His name is Md. Shamoon Belali. He has a good intelligence and does everything nicely which is told to him to do, But He doesn't pay attention to studies neither he performs salah. We always have to keep forcing him to do so but he still isn't regular in performing salah

Please give a solution to this so that he becomes pious and also work hard on studies. Jazak'Allah khair.

A: All-Praise is due to Allah,

Without a doubt it is obligatory for every mature sane Muslim to establish the five daily prayers. Allah ﷻ says:

And they were not commanded except to worship Allah , [being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth, and to establish prayer and to give zakah. And that is the correct religion. [ al Bayinah: 5]

As for not praying this is a serious and dangerous matter where ones Emaan is questionable by Shari'ah. Allah ﷻ says: 

So woe unto those performers of Salat (prayers),  Who delay their Salat (prayer) from their stated fixed times.

[al Maa'oun: 4-5]

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Between a man and shirk and kufr there stands his neglect of the prayer.”  

[Sahih Muslim]

It was narrated that Buraydah ibn al-Husayb (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: ‘The covenant that distinguishes between us and them is the prayer, and whoever neglects it has disbelieved (become a kaafir).’” (It was narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nisaa’i and Ibn Maajah).

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: What is meant here by kufr or disbelief is the kind of kufr which puts a person beyond the pale of Islam, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made prayer the dividing line between the believers and the disbelievers. It is known that the community of kufr is not the same as the community of Islam, so whoever does not fulfil this covenant must be one of the kaafireen (disbelievers).

[Risaalah fi Hukm Taarik al-Salaah]

As you can see that the issue of leaving the prayer is not a light matter, the individual that does this has put themselves in a state of which is between Emman and Kufr (disbelief). Why should any Muslim put themselves in this position where their faith is questionable over a simple matter of just laziness. All one has to simply do is pray and repent to Allah for his actions. 

Ways that one should keep steadfast in their prayer is:

• Attending the Mosque for the Five daily prayers 

• Having good companionship whom pray and encourage one another to pray on time

• remaining around the company of the scholars and students of knowledge  

• visiting the graveyards and attending funerals for reminders that we will one day be soon there 

• reading up on the this issue from among the books of the Scholars about leaving the prayer and what its rulings is.

• attending lessons in the mosque 

These are some things that will help one remain steadfast in their prays. Also making plenty of Du'aa that Allah keeps us all steadfast as the Prophet (ﷺ) would say: O'Turners of hearts remain our hearts steadfast on Your religion. 

As for the issue of studying this is an optional thing not an obligation, and it is much preferred that his encouragement is focused towards his prayers because this is the main thing that will give him success in this life and the next in-sha-Allah. 

And Allah know best....

Is it Halal to work in a Bank.

Q:Assalamualaikum

Is it halal to work in banks??

A: All-Praise is due to Allah,

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: It is not permissible to work in a riba-based institution even if a person is working as a driver or guard, because that means that he is working for the riba-based institution, which implies that he approves of it. For whoever disapproves of a thing would not work to support it, so if he is working for it that implies that he approves of it, and the one who approves of something that is haraam is also guilty of sin. 

But if he is directly involved in recording transactions, writing, sending and depositing etc, then he is undoubtedly dealing directly with something haraam. It was proven in the hadeeth of Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed the one who consumes riba, the one who pays it, the two who witness it and the one who writes it down. He said: “They are all the same.” 

Fataawa Islamiyyah. 2/401

Amount of times one washes their limbs in Wudoo.

Q: I made Wudoo washing myself only once for each limb is my prayer still accepted.

A: All-Praise is due to Allah,

Many people ask the question if one can make Wudoo washing the limbs once or twice opposed to thrice. In accordance to the Quran and Sunnah all three ways are correct. Allah ﷻ said: O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. 

[Al-Maa'idah: 6].

Here in this verse Allah ﷻ has ordered us for each limb to be washed once over, then it was mentioned in the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ the detailed description. Narrated Humran:

(the slave of 'Uthman) I saw 'Uthman bin 'Affan asking for a tumbler of water (and when it was brought) he poured water over his hands and washed them thrice and then put his right hand in the water container and rinsed his mouth, washed his nose by putting water in it and then blowing it out. then he washed his face and forearms up to the elbows thrice, passed his wet hands over his head and washed his feet up to the ankles thrice. Then he said, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said 'If anyone performs ablution like that of mine and offers a two-rak'at prayer during which he does not think of anything else (not related to the present prayer) then his past sins will be forgiven.' "

 Sahih al-Bukhaari: (159).

This is the description of Wudoo as it was performed by the Prophet (ﷺ), and there are many other narrations like this in its description where the Prophet (ﷺ) would make Wudoo by washing his limbs thrice over. As for washing once or twice it has been mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhaari: (157) narrated by Ibn `Abbas The Prophet (ﷺ) performed ablution by washing the body parts only once. And in another nation : The Prophet (ﷺ) performed ablution by washing the body parts twice. 

Sahih al-Bukhaari: (158).

These Ahadith prove that it is broad in scope and one may choose to wash their limbs whether it's once, twice or thrice over. As for washing it three time it is more complete and rewarding accordance to the Sunnah. 

Imam at-Tirmithi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It has been authorized by some of the Scholars that there is no concern to whether one washes their body parts three times, or twice, or once over. (At-Tirmithi: (94/1).

And Allah knows best...

The amount of Prayers one must pray in Taraweeh.

Q; One of my friends says that in the last 10 nights of Ramadan we have to pray 100 rak'ahs. (says it's sunnah)  But I know its not like this.

If you could just give proper explanation and reference of how many rak'ah we are supposed to pray.

jazakallah!

A; All-Praise is due to Allah,

There is nothing in the authentic narrations of the Sunnah that states you must pray one hundred units of prayer. Without a doubt one may exceed in worship in these nights by offering extra prayers seeking rewards of laylatul-qadr. The number of units for prayer in qiyam that is correct according to authentic Sunnah is eleven. Albaani (may Allah have mercy on him) states in his book Qiyaam Ramadan : 

The number of rak’ahs is eleven, and it is preferable in our opinion not to exceed this number, following the practice of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because he never did more than that in his life. ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) was asked about how he prayed in Ramadaan. She said, “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) never prayed more than eleven rak’ahs (of qiyaam), whether during Ramadaan or any other time. He would pray four, and don’t ask me how beautiful or how long they were. Then he would pray four, and don’t ask me how beautiful or how long they were. Then he would pray three.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Muslim and others).

A person may do less than that, even if it is only one rak’ah of witr, because of the evidence that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did this and spoke about it.

With regard to him doing it: ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) was asked how many rak’ahs the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray in witr? She said, “He used to pray four and three, or six and three, or ten and three. He never used to pray less than seven, or more than thirteen.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, Ahmad and others).

With regard to him speaking about it, he said: “Witr is true, so whoever wishes can pray five, and whoever wishes can pray three, and whoever wishes can pray one.” End of quote.

See Islam Q&A Fatwa: 3452.

If one wishes to pray Taraweeh then join the night prayers later on in the masjid there is nothing wrong with doing so, but on the condition that they leave the witr until the end of the night.    The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “There cannot be no two Witrs in one night.” 

[Abo Dawoud: (1439), and Al-Albaani grades it as authentic in Sahih Abo Dawoud].

There is also no harm if one wishes to pray two units of prayer after the witr prayer as it was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray two rak’ahs after Witr sitting down. Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Majmoo’ Fataawa: (11/311):

The reason for that – and Allaah knows best – was to show the people that it is permissible to pray after Witr. End of quote.

And Allah knows best...

 

Mandatory bathing for a new Muslim.

Q; Brother I am revert. Someone told me that when I became Muslim, it was mandatory to perform Ghusl as a sign of purification from shirk. I didnt know anything about such ruling. I didnt take Ghusl after taking Shahadah, but always purified myself by taking Ghusl after completing menstruation, post natal bleeding and janabah. was it necessary to perform Ghusl upon taking Shahadah? If it was so then am I still impure? what is the ruling on this.

A; Sorry for the late reply as for your answer to your question:

All-Praise is due to Allah,

The opinion that we hold from among our Scholars is that it is mandatory (Fard) for the one whom enters Islam to bath. 

It states in the Ansaf (12/241): It is compulsory to bathe upon those whom enter Islam unconditionally. 

Ibn Quodamah said:   ...and if the disbeliever becomes Muslim it is mandatory for him to bathe, whether he was a disbeliever or an apostate, whether he washed just before he became a Muslim or didn't wash at all, even if there was a mandatory reason for bathing that occurred in time of disbelief or no reason. End of quote. 

[Al-Mugni: 1/132].

The evidence that relates to this is the Hadith that is related by Qays bin  abi Hazim came to the Prophet ﷺ said I would like to become Muslim, so he ordered me to bathe in water and Sidr (Ziziphus root). 

Related by abo Dawoud : (355), and Al-Albaani grades it as authentic in Irwa Al-Galil: (1/164).

As in your case you don't have to bathe, because the very fact that you have been a Muslim for a long period of time which makes your regular ritual bathing for worship suffice. 

And Allah knows best...

One who is unable to fast due to old age.

Q; Asalam aleykum waramatulah wabarakatul,,saum maqbul and ramadhan karim..may Allah(SWT)be praised for making us make it to this ramadhan,there are many who did not make like my father..

Wanted to ask a question...

What about an old man who can not fast and he is living in extreme poverty so can not afford to feed people..what does the law provide..?jazakallahu kheiran...

A; All-Praise is due to Allah,

It is stated in Sharh 'U'mdat al-Fiqh, (294-295/4): 

The fourth type is the person who is incapable of fasting because of old age or an incurable disease. In this case you should feed one poor individual per day. End of quote.

The evidence to this is narrated by Al-Bukhaari on the authority of Ibn A'bass who recited the following verse:

"... And for those who can fast [but do not], there is a ransom: the feeding of person in need."

[al-Baqarah: 2/184].

Then he said it has not been abrogated, this ruling applies to elderly men and women who are not able to fast. Instead, they must feed one poor person for each day they do not fast.

So at the time of Iftar if this man can invite someone and provide them with a meal to break their fast with, then this should be suffice. 

And Allah knows best...

Differences in women's Prayer

Q; Assalamu alaikum warehmatullh...... Can u plz tell me that is there any difference in salah of a male and female(Cruz I didnt find any hadith which prove it)   and can a woman lead congregation prayer of women's?

A; All-Praise is due to Allah,

The general principle is that women are equal to men in all religious rulings, because of the hadeeth "Women are the twin halves of men" (Reported by Imaam Ahmad and classified as saheeh in Saheeh al-Jaami’ 1983), except when there is evidence (daleel) of a specific ruling which applies only to women. One of the cases in which the scholars mention specific rules for women is prayer, where there are differences as follows:

Women do not have to give adhaan or iqaamah, because adhaan requires raising the voice, which women are not permitted to do. Ibn Qudaamah, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: "We know of no difference between the scholars (on this point)." (Al-Mughni ma’a al-Sharh al-Kabeer, 1/438). All of the woman’s body is ‘awrah and must be covered during prayer, except for her face, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "No prayer will be accepted from an adult woman unless she wears a khimaar (head-cover). (Reported by the five Muhadditheen) There is some dispute as to whether her heels and feet should be covered. The author of al-Mughni (2/328) said: "As for the rest of the free woman’s body, it must be covered during prayer. If any part becomes uncovered, it renders her prayer invalid, except if only a little bit is uncovered. Maalik, al-Oozaa’i and al-Shaafi’i said the same. The woman should keep her limbs close to her body during rukoo’ and sujood, and not spread them out, because this is more modest and covering. (Al-Mughni 2/258). Al-Nawawi said: "Al-Shaafi’i said, in al-Mukhtasar: there is no difference between men and women in prayer, except that women should keep the parts of their bodies close to one another, and they should make their stomachs touch their thighs during sujood. This is more covering and preferable, in rukoo’ and the rest of the prayer too." (See al-Majmoo’ 3/429). It is preferable for women to pray in congregation, led by one of their number, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told Umm Waraqah to lead the women of her household in prayer. There is some difference among scholars on this matter. (See al-Mughni, 2/202 and al-Majmoo’ al-Nawawi, 4/84-85). The woman leading the prayer should read aloud as long as no non-mahram man can hear her. It is permissible for women to go out and pray in the mosque with men, although their prayer at home is better for them, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Do not prevent the women from going out to the mosques, even though their homes are better for them." (For more details on this matter, see Question#973). Imaam al-Nawawi, may Allaah have mercy on him, said (al-Majmoo’ 3/455): "Women differ from men in congregational prayer in a number of ways:

(1) Congregational prayer is not required of them in the same way as it is of men.

(2) The imam of a group of women stands in the middle of the (first) row.

(3) (If one woman and one man are praying), she should stand behind him, not next to him.

(4) If women are praying in rows behind men, the back rows are better for them than the front rows.

What we can learn from the above is that women and men are forbidden to mix. 

It is permissible for women to pray in congregation among themselves. Their leader should stand in the middle of the row according to the narration regarding Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) which indicates that she used to lead women in prayer and would stand with them in the middle of the row. This has been narrated by ‘Abdur Razzaq in Al-Musannaf 3/141 and Daraqutni 1/404, and is authentic due to evidences for it.

Similarly Umm Al-Hasan narrated that she saw Umm Salmah (may Allaah be pleased with her) leading women in prayer while she stood in the middle of their row. This has been narrated by Ibn Abee Shaybah 2/88 and is also authentic due to other supporting evidences.

Ibn Qudamah has quoted the difference of opinion on whether congregation for women is recommended, and then says about their leader: “The one who leads them should stand in the middle of the row. We do not know of a difference of opinion on this among those who support that one women may lead others in congregation. Since it is recommended for the women to be covered, ….. standing in the middle of the row makes it a better covering for her from the sides.”(Al-Mughni, 2/202)

The author of Al-Muhadhdhab (4/295) says: “It is sunnah that the leader of women in congregation stand in the middle of them as narrated about ‘Aa’ishah and Umm Salmah that they lead women and stood in the middle of their row.”

For further details refer to Jaami‘ Ahkaam Al-Nisaa’ by Al-‘Adawi (1/351).

And Allaah knows what is most correct and best.

See Islam Q&A Fatwa's: 1106 & 258.