WUDU' AND PRAYER QUESTIONS

lightofnur · Sep 25, 2010

Assalammualaikum. I've been having a LOT of trouble with was-was, and I wanted to clear up some doubts. I've got big problems with OCD, and I've posted my problem here so anyoen can understand my dilemma :

http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72021

Reading that, maybe people will get a better understanding why I am going to pose questions that may seem a bit too paranoid. I hope everyone will understand what I am going through, and please be kind and patient enough to answer my questions. My mother is requesting that I get rid of this OCD problem which is ruining my life, so I decided to take further action on my problem my posting my questions here.

WUDU'

1. Before wudu' when we have the intention in our heart, do we have to phrase the intention properly (in our heart)? I meant the full one like this :
“I am making wudu in order to be able to perform salah.”

2. Must the niyyah enter our heart when the water touches our hands/face, or does before count?

3. Is reading bismillah a fard/ a must?

4. The water must reach the bone of our nose?

5. Does taking water into our hands and wiping it across the parts needed to be washed in wudu' permissible, or must we wash the needed parts in flowing water/ water enough to seep through?

6. Referring to my post in the link above about my serious OCD problem. I do my wudu' in the shower area. My family step around the areas which I felt suspicious of (referring to my above problem), and washed their legs (during wudu') in the shower area as well. I wash my legs there as well, and sometimes the many droplets of water from the shower area/ the floor of the shower area bounce and hit my leg, making me feel as if I have to wash them again. Is this necessary? I heard from someone that you have to, because you are unsure whether your leg is clean or not. I don't know. Brother Tharig has cleared some major confusion, so I feel much better, May Allah Bless him. But I would appreciate it if someone could specify it in this wudu' case of mine.

7. There was a hadeeth somewhere on the Prophet (peace be upon him), saying that (I'm not sure, it was something like this), the prayer is not perfect if the wudu has not covered all the spots, or something like that. What did he mean? If we wash or parts once and not thrice as the sunnah requires, does this mean my prayer isn't perfect?

PRAYERS

1. Can the intention of prayer precede prayer or must we say it in our hearts concurrently during takbiratul ihram?

2. What does moving "three times" in a prayer mean? I heard that if we go more than three times, our prayer is invalid. Sometimes I make voluntary movements, like pushing away strands of hair , peeking from my praying attire, or adjusting my attire so that it covers my feet, etc. Even though this is considered a rather small movement compared to the ones the Prophet made, does it mean I have moved one time? I read somewhere that the Prophet made more bigger movements, but I would like to know if a movement like the above is considered moving one time?

4. Let's say I consider my movements in question 2 (though I'm not sure and need an answer), and I have moved three times. I realize on my last rakaat that hair is coming out a bit, even though I had thoroughly adjusted it before prayer. Should I move another time? Or will that count as another move and invalidate my prayer?

5. If my feet/hands/hair show by mistake (even though earlier I have covered myself properly), does this invalidate my prayer?

6. Yawning/ Coughing. If I have moved more than three times (still considering my problem), then should I close or cover my mouth still?

7. If there is a barrier between my head during sujud with my prayer mat (like a cloth), does this it's not valid.

8. I mistakenly made the intention during prayer to cut my prayers short in case my father comes up into the room and sees me praying there and tells me to pray elsewhere later (he gets pretty mad when I show signs of OCD - again, you've got to read the post, and the ones below it to know the degree of my OCD). But then I fix my intention quickly to continue the prayers regardless of whatever happens. Is my prayer still valid?

9. If I feel was-was (doubtful) of my prayer after/ during praying, does this mean my prayer is invalidated?

I follow only Islam's way, but technically speaking, I am definitely leaning towards the Shafi'e way of doing things. I'm not saying the Shafi'e way is wrong or anything, but anything with authenticity like hadeeth, the Al-Quran, is something that I follow without doubt - as all Muslims do, naturally.

I'm so sorry for the long-winded and increasingly weird questions. I ask that everyone please put yourself in my position and understand my situation. It isn't easy at all, and I'm striving to fight my OCD for Allah, for myself, and for my family. I need specific and patient answers, if that's OK. I truly, deeply, appreciate responses to my questions. Only Allah May Bless you, and repay your kind, kind needs. Thanks very much, May Allah Bless you all again.

thariq2005 · Sep 25, 2010

lightofnur said:
Assalammualaikum.

WUDU'

1. Before wudu' when we have the intention in our heart, do we have to phrase the intention properly (in our heart)? I meant the full one like this :
“I am making wudu in order to be able to perform salah.”

2. Must the niyyah enter our heart when the water touches our hands/face, or does before count?

3. Is reading bismillah a fard/ a must?

4. The water must reach the bone of our nose?

5. Does taking water into our hands and wiping it across the parts needed to be washed in wudu' permissible, or must we wash the needed parts in flowing water/ water enough to seep through?

6. Referring to my post in the link above about my serious OCD problem. I do my wudu' in the shower area. My family step around the areas which I felt suspicious of (referring to my above problem), and washed their legs (during wudu') in the shower area as well. I wash my legs there as well, and sometimes the many droplets of water from the shower area/ the floor of the shower area bounce and hit my leg, making me feel as if I have to wash them again. Is this necessary? I heard from someone that you have to, because you are unsure whether your leg is clean or not. I don't know. Brother Tharig has cleared some major confusion, so I feel much better, May Allah Bless him. But I would appreciate it if someone could specify it in this wudu' case of mine.

7. There was a hadeeth somewhere on the Prophet (peace be upon him), saying that (I'm not sure, it was something like this), the prayer is not perfect if the wudu has not covered all the spots, or something like that. What did he mean? If we wash or parts once and not thrice as the sunnah requires, does this mean my prayer isn't perfect?

PRAYERS

1. Can the intention of prayer precede prayer or must we say it in our hearts concurrently during takbiratul ihram?

2. What does moving "three times" in a prayer mean? I heard that if we go more than three times, our prayer is invalid. Sometimes I make voluntary movements, like pushing away strands of hair , peeking from my praying attire, or adjusting my attire so that it covers my feet, etc. Even though this is considered a rather small movement compared to the ones the Prophet made, does it mean I have moved one time? I read somewhere that the Prophet made more bigger movements, but I would like to know if a movement like the above is considered moving one time?

4. Let's say I consider my movements in question 2 (though I'm not sure and need an answer), and I have moved three times. I realize on my last rakaat that hair is coming out a bit, even though I had thoroughly adjusted it before prayer. Should I move another time? Or will that count as another move and invalidate my prayer?

5. If my feet/hands/hair show by mistake (even though earlier I have covered myself properly), does this invalidate my prayer?

6. Yawning/ Coughing. If I have moved more than three times (still considering my problem), then should I close or cover my mouth still?

7. If there is a barrier between my head during sujud with my prayer mat (like a cloth), does this it's not valid.

8. I mistakenly made the intention during prayer to cut my prayers short in case my father comes up into the room and sees me praying there and tells me to pray elsewhere later (he gets pretty mad when I show signs of OCD - again, you've got to read the post, and the ones below it to know the degree of my OCD). But then I fix my intention quickly to continue the prayers regardless of whatever happens. Is my prayer still valid?

9. If I feel was-was (doubtful) of my prayer after/ during praying, does this mean my prayer is invalidated?

Wa `alaykkum salaam wa rahmatullaah

May Allaah have mercy on you. And May Allaah increase you in beneficial knowledge. Before answering your questions sister, it is very important that I say to you that you must try your best to seek knowledge so as to get rid of waswasah.

Having said that I would like to recommend you to read the book of Ibn al Qayyim on Waswasah as this explains most of your questions in a very beautiful manner (I have attached the e-book below).

Coming to your questions regarding wudoo'...

1) No you do not have to make niyyah like that. Do you not realize O' my sister that when you go into the toilet to make wudoo' you have already intended in your heart to make wudoo'? Do you not realize that when you open your tap of water, or take a bucket of water, you have already intended to make wudoo'. Do you not realize that when you are laying out your prayer mat you have already intended to pray that particular salaah (which actually answers your 1st question with regards to prayer). Thus your intention is made automatically with any intended activity, it does not need any sort of effort or anything of that sort. Ibn Qayyim rahimahullaah said: "If a person has any doubts about not having a niyyah (to do something) then this could be a seen as a sign of lunancy, because a person's knowledge about himself is considered a matter of normality; so how could a sane person have doubts about his actions?" He then goes on to say: " When a person stands up to perform Salaat ud Dhuhr, behind the imaam, then how could he have any doubt about performing such an act? If anyone should ask him about a different matter, he would certainly reply :'I am busy, I am about to perform Salaat ud Dhuhr'. (meaning his heart is certain that he is going to pray Dhuhr, yet he is busy wasting time thinking on how to word his niyyah in his heart or tongue)"

He carries on saying: "What is more amazing to me than all this is the fact that the other people around him would surely know what his intention was from the situation. If a man was seen sitting in a row of people gathering at the time of Salaah, people would surely know that he was also waiting to perform Salaah. And if they had seen him stand up at the time of `Iqaamah, as the other people around him also stood up for it, they would know that he stood up to pray. If he moved forward to stand in front of them, people would know that he was their imaam for that Salaah. Therefore if other people know his inner niyyah (intention) by his outer state; how could he deny it about himself? His acceptance of Shaytaan's whisperings, that he never makes any niyyah (before any act), is an act of belief in the devil, a denial of true facts, a deviation from the Book of Allaah, and the sunnah of His Prophet :saw2: and from the path of the Sahaabah"

2) The answer for the first question applies here too

3) With regards to saying the Basmalah, then there is no authentic narration to say that one should say Basmalah before Wudoo', as Imaam Ahmed weakened every hadeeth on this chapter (the chapter about mentioning basmalah before wudoo'), yet when he was asked as to whether one should say the basmalah or not, then Imaam Ahmed recommended it. And this is what seems to be the correct opinion (that it is mustahabb and not waajib). Imaam Ahmed said that if it is mustahabb to say the basmalah before intercourse, then it is most definitely recommended to say it before wudoo'.

4) What is required from the water entering your nose is that, it is sufficient to sniff the water up into your nose once. And it is sunnah to do that three times.

5) That is sufficient, and infact coincides with the Sunnah. So you take the water in your hand and use that water to wash your limbs or face etc. (It doesn't mean you just run your wet hands over your limbs, but rather you take some water in your hand in order to wash your limbs, making sure that water has reached all parts of the body that are required to be washed for wudoo')

6) As I mentioned in the previous thread of yours, "Mere doubt does not take away certainty". So avoid this "suspicion" or doubt by making dhikr of Allaah and seeking refuge with Allaah from Shaytaan.

7) What this means is that water should reach all those parts of the body that require washing while making wudoo'. Like the back of the feet, end of the elbow etc. The sunnah is to do it three times (thus it is mustahabb), however doing it once is a bare minimum. By doing it three times you are only going to receive more reward and the ranks of your wudoo' will increase, inshaa'Allaah

With regards to questions about prayer...

1) Already answered

2) Therer is a difference of opinion with this matter, and the scholars who mention 3 movements or 4 movements bring no evidence to support their view (May Allaah have mercy on them all). The correct view is that too much movement invalidates the Salaah and the scholars explain that "too much" movement is when the person who is praying, moves so much so, that another person looking at him will think he is not praying. I advise you to read this fatwa as Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen explains it beautifully...

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) stated that the basic ruling on moving whilst praying is that it is makrooh unless it is done for a reason. However it may be divided into five categories:*!

1-*!*!*!*! Obligatory movements
2-*!*!*!*! Forbidden movements
3-*!*!*!*! Makrooh movements
4-*!*!*!*! Mustahabb movements
5-*!*!*!*! Permissible movements*!

The obligatory movements are those on which the validity of the prayer depends. For example if a person notices something impure on his ghutrah (head gear), he has to move to remove it and take off his ghutrah. That is because Jibreel came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was leading the people in prayer and told him that there was something dirty on his shoe. So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) took it off whilst he was praying and carried on praying. Narrated by Abu Dawood, 650; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Irwa’, 284.*!Or if someone tells him that he is not facing the qiblah, he should move to face the qiblah.*!

The forbidden movements are continuous movements done for no reason, because this kind of movement invalidates the prayer, and whatever invalidates the prayer is not permissible, because it is like mocking the signs of Allaah.*!

The mustahabb movements are those done in order to do things that are mustahabb in prayer, such as if a person moves to make the row straight, or if he sees a gap in the row in front, so he moves forward whilst praying, or if there is a gap in his row and he moves to fill the gap and other such movements which allow one to do a deed that is mustahabb in prayer, because that makes the prayer more perfect and complete. Hence when Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) prayed with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and stood to his left, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) took hold of his head from behind and made him stand on his right. (Agreed upon).*!

The permissible movements are small movements done when there is a reason, or large movements done in cases of necessity. Small movements done for a reason are like what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did when he was praying and he carried Umaamah, the daughter of Zaynab the daughter of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), whose maternal grandfather he was. When he stood up he picked her up, and when he prostrated he put her down. Al-Bukhaari, 5996; Muslim, 543.*!

Large movements in cases of necessity include praying whilst fighting. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):*!
“Guard strictly (five obligatory) As‑Salawaat (the prayers) especially the middle Salaah (i.e. the best prayer ‑ ‘Asr). And stand before Allaah with obedience [and do not speak to others during the Salaah (prayers)].
239.*!And if you fear (an enemy), perform Salaah (pray) on foot or riding. And when you are in safety, offer the Salaah (prayer) in the manner He has taught you, which you knew not (before)”
[al-Baqarah 2:238-239]*!

If a person prays whilst walking he is undoubtedly moving a great deal, but in cases of necessity that is permitted and does not invalidate the prayer.*!

The makrooh movements are all movements other than those mentioned above. This is the basic principle concerning movements whilst praying. Based on this, we say to those who move whilst praying that their action is makrooh and detracts from their prayer. This is something that is seen in many cases, so you may see a person fiddling with his watch or pen or ghutrah or nose or beard and so on. All of that comes under the heading of makrooh, unless it is done a great deal and is continuous, in which case it is haraam and invalidates the prayer.*!

He also stated that there is no specific number of movements that invalidates the prayer, rather it is any movement that contradicts the idea of prayer in the sense that if anyone saw this man doing that it would look as if he were not praying. This is the kind of movement that invalidates the prayer. Hence the scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) defined it as something based on custom (al-‘urf) and said: If movements are many and are continuous then they invalidate the prayer, without mentioning a specific number. Some scholars defined three such movements but that requires evidence because everyone who sets a certain limit or number or manner should produce evidence, otherwise he is introducing new ideas. Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh, 13/309-311*!

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about a man who moved a great deal whilst praying: did that invalidate his prayer and how could he rid himself of this habit?*!
He (may Allaah have mercy on him) replied:*!
The Sunnah is to focus on one’s prayer with proper humility, body and soul, whether it is an obligatory prayer or a naafil prayer, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):*!
“Successful indeed are the believers.
2.*!Those who offer their Salaah (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness”
[al-Mu’minoon 23:1-2]*!

He must pray in a tranquil and dignified manner. This is one of the most important pillars and obligations of prayer, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to one who prayed badly and was not tranquil and dignified in his prayer: “Go back and pray for you have not prayed.” And he did that three times. Then the man said: “O Messenger of Allaah, by the One Who sent you with the truth, I cannot do any better than this, teach me.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When you stand up to pray, do wudoo’ well, then turn to face the qiblah and say takbeer, and recite whatever you can of Qur’aan. Then bow until you are at ease in bowing, then raise your head until you are standing up straight. Then prostrate until you are at ease in prostration, then sit up until you are sitting up straight and are at ease in sitting. Then prostrate until you are at ease in prostration, then get up until you are standing up straight. Then do that throughout your prayer.” (Agreed upon). *!

According to a version narrated by Abu Dawood, he said: “Then recite the Essence of the Qur’aan (al-Faatihah) and whatever Allaah wills.”*!
This saheeh hadeeth indicates that being at ease in the postures is a pillar or essential part of the prayer, and an important obligation, without which prayer is not valid. Whoever pecks out his prayer (by moving too rapidly), there is no prayer for him. Khushoo’ (proper focus and humility) is the essence of prayer. It is prescribed for the believer to pay attention to that and strive to achieve it.*!

With regard to defining the movements that contradict this ease and focus in prayer and limiting them to three movements, there is no hadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to support this idea. Rather that is the suggestion of some scholars for which there is no reliable evidence.*!
But it is makrooh to fidget during the prayer, such as touching one's nose, beard or clothes and being distracted by that. Fidgeting a great deal invalidates the prayer. But if it is done a little, according to what is customary, or is done a great deal but is not continuous, then the prayer is not invalidated thereby. But it is prescribed for the believer to maintain proper focus and humility, and to avoid fidgeting a little or a lot, and to strive to make his prayer perfect.*!

The evidence that small movements, or repeated movements that are not continuous, do not invalidate the prayer is the report which says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) opened the door for ‘Aa’ishah one day whilst he was praying. Narrated by Abu Dawood, 922; al-Nasaa’i, 601; classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 601. *!

And it was proven in the hadeeth of Abu Qataadah (may Allaah have mercy on him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led the people in prayer one day when he was carrying Umaamah the daughter of Zaynab. When he prostrated he put her down and when he stood up he picked her up. *!
Fataawa ‘Ulama’ al-Balad al-Haraam, 162-164.

4) Answer is in the above fatwaa (and this movement will come under the movement that is obligatory as mentioned by Ibn `Uthaymeen in the above fatwaa)

5) The correct opinion about the hand is that it should be uncovered just like the face. As for the feet, then it is better to have it covered but saying it is obligatory to cover it is a strong statement as Ibn Taymiyyah mentions that there is no evidence that the feet should be covered during Salaah. As for the hair, then the correct view is that the Salaah will invalidate if you were to show your hair (intentionally, however if you make sure that your hair is all tucked in before salaah, yet it comes out during Salaah, then you should try and cover it while your praying). So make sure you put on a proper head scarf kind of thing and then a khimaar so as to cover your hair properly. Ibn Abi Shaybah mentions that the complete type of dress a woman wears is a garment that covers all her body(dhir`), khimaar (like a long scarf kinda thing.. other sisters should be able to explain this for you), and then an outer garment(jilbaab).

6) The Prophet :saw2: advised us to repress the yawn if it were to come, and if you could control your coughing then it is best that you try not to cough, but if you cannot hold it back, then coughing is not a problem.

7) I don't understand this question, I would appreciate if you could explain the question properly

8) There are evidences of the Messenger of Allaah :saw2: where he did so. Inshaa'Allaah I will try and post the full hadeeth a bit later (as I am kind of running out of time now), but basically the Prophet :saw2: said that he had intended to lengthen the prayer but when he heard a child cry during salaah, he shortened it.

9) No it does not invalidate Salaah, rather you should seek refuge in Allaah from the whisperings of Shaytaan as this is what is indicated in the sunnah. One of the Sahaabah complained to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about waswaas during prayer, and he said: “The Shaytaan comes between me and my prayers and my recitation, confusing me therein.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “That is a devil called Khanzab. If he affects you seek refuge in Allah from him and spit drily to your left three times.” He [the Sahaabi] said, I did that and Allaah took him away from me.

(Narrated by Muslim, 2203)

wAllaahu a`lam

Wassalaamu `alaykkum

thariq2005 · Sep 26, 2010

Assalaamu `alaykkum, here is the narration that I am meant to post for Q.8...

Anas bin Malik reported the Messenger of Allah :saw2: having said: When I begin the prayer I Intend to make it long, but I hear a child crying; I then shorten it because of his mother's feelings. [Narrated by Imaam Muslim, 952]

lightofnur · Oct 14, 2010

Also, brother Thariq, can we purify ourselves (in closed quarters, of course) in the state of nakedness? Forgive me for such a forward question, but it is for knowledge only, in case others ask. When I meant "purify", I meant purification from gross najis (the heavy ones, mughallazoh). Also, what about wudhu' as well (Though I have never done wudu' in such a state)?

lightofnur · Oct 14, 2010

Again, I'm not sure how to edit (I don't think there even is). So I'm sorry if I've broken any forum rules, but I had to pose this question as well as my question in my post above. Brother Thariq, I know you said that when we intend to perform salah, you could say the niyyah is already done, but why is it that people say we should have at least the type of prayer (Fardhu, sunnah) and the time of prayer (Asar, Maghrib) in our niyyah (in the heart)? They claim that the authentic sources of Shafie' have stated that is it obligatory to include the type and time of prayer in our niyyah. In honesty, if my mind had made up it's niyyah within consciousness only, it would've said "I want to pray Asar prayers", not "I want to pray Fardhu Asar prayers". By their statements, one would think that we had to construct a sentence that included those specifications. Wouldn't that break the law of consciousness of praying being our niyyah? Just wondering, because I myself am not too sure on this matter.

Another problem that I have is that when I am raising my hands during takbiratul ihram, and the niyyah enters my heart (within consciousness of my prayer only or expression of the words in my heart together with the consciousness), another thought will come into my mind without my will. A loose example (even though it isn't at all), is like "I am a cat", etc. I wonder if this disrupts the niyyah, even though I never purposely intended the thought and am thinking of my prayers solely?

I apologize if I have been sharp in anyway.

thariq2005 · Oct 14, 2010

:salam2:

lightofnur said:
Also, brother Thariq, can we purify ourselves (in closed quarters, of course) in the state of nakedness? Forgive me for such a forward question, but it is for knowledge only, in case others ask. When I meant "purify", I meant purification from gross najis (the heavy ones, mughallazoh). Also, what about wudhu' as well (Though I have never done wudu' in such a state)?

Yes it is permissible to take a bath naked, or even do wudoo' naked. It is strange how some muslims say that it is not permissible to take a bath naked. To say that it is not permissible to do wudoo' or take a bath naked requires evidence which is authentic and indicates to that particular ruling.

Also, I would like to remind you that this deen is sincere advice and there is no shyness in seeking knowledge, so there is no need to worry about asking such questions, wa barakAllaahu feeki

lightofnur said:
Again, I'm not sure how to edit (I don't think there even is). So I'm sorry if I've broken any forum rules, but I had to pose this question as well as my question in my post above. Brother Thariq, I know you said that when we intend to perform salah, you could say the niyyah is already done, but why is it that people say we should have at least the type of prayer (Fardhu, sunnah) and the time of prayer (Asar, Maghrib) in our niyyah (in the heart)? They claim that the authentic sources of Shafie' have stated that is it obligatory to include the type and time of prayer in our niyyah. In honesty, if my mind had made up it's niyyah within consciousness only, it would've said "I want to pray Asar prayers", not "I want to pray Fardhu Asar prayers". By their statements, one would think that we had to construct a sentence that included those specifications. Wouldn't that break the law of consciousness of praying being our niyyah? Just wondering, because I myself am not too sure on this matter.

Another problem that I have is that when I am raising my hands during takbiratul ihram, and the niyyah enters my heart (within consciousness of my prayer only or expression of the words in my heart together with the consciousness), another thought will come into my mind without my will. A loose example (even though it isn't at all), is like "I am a cat", etc. I wonder if this disrupts the niyyah, even though I never purposely intended the thought and am thinking of my prayers solely?

I apologize if I have been sharp in anyway.

If you don't mind, this example... "I am a cat" just made me laugh out loud.

As mentioned before you do not need to phrase the niyyah in your heart. And even if the Shafi`ee madhab does say that, then the statement of the Messenger of Allaah :saw2: is given precedence. As mentioned before your heart is aware well before the start of your prayer, that you are going to pray `Asr salaah or Dhuhr salaah. Thus, there is no need to say (in your heart): "I am going to pray `Asr prayer". And I really advise you to stay away from this because this will lead to a greater harm, you may say (in your heart) after a few days "I am going to pray four units of `Asr", then few more days down the line you might end up saying (in your heart): "I am going to pray 4 units of `Asr salaah at 4:00pm on a Thursday afternoon, 14th of October 2010 (you might even start saying it according to the hijri calendar), in my bedroom, facing the qiblah whilst using my wall as a sutrah etc). Imagine it this way, say your mothers gives you a plate of rice and chicken curry on a white plate. You are not going to say in your heart "I am going to eat rice and chicken curry on a white plate" before you eat, rather your heart is ready and already acknowledges the fact that you are going to eat the rice and chicken curry (sorry about the poor example).

The evidences are clear: Imaam Muslim narrated on the authority of `Aa'isha radiAllaahu anha: "The Prophet :saw2: used to begin his Salaat with reciting Takbeer" (498)

And the narration of Aboo Hurairah when the Prophet :saw2: advised the man who prayer improperly: ‘when you perform your Salaah do perfect wudoo’, face the Qiblah, recite Takbīr then read as much as you wish of the Qur’aan

All of them shows that the Messenger of Allaah :saw2: used to start his prayer off with the Takbeer and this is the way we must adapt ourselves to.

I would also like to point out the statement of ash-Shaafi`ee. Al `Izz al Hanafi said in his book al-Ittiba: "‘Ash-Shaafi`ee said: ‘One is unable to articulate niyyah and Takbeer at the same time. Those who claim the opposite ignore what sound sense affirms. Speech displays what is already existing in the heart. Several letters can never be articulated simultaneously, how could one articulate a statement and that which has already preceded it at the same time’??"

With regards to another statement coming into mind during salaah etc, then this is waswasah and you should seek refuge in Allaah from shaytaan during salaah and spit to your left (dryly) as it was narrated by Imaam Muslim (2203) from ‘Uthmaan ibn Abi’l-‘Aas (may Allah be pleased with him), according to which he came to the Prophet :saw2: and said: O Messenger of Allaah, the shaytaan interferes between me and my prayer and my recitation, and he makes me confused. The Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “That is a devil called Khinzab. If you feel that, then seek refuge with Allaah from him and spit dryly to your left three times.” He said: I did that and Allaah took him away from me..

Wassalaamu `alaykkum

lightofnur · May 26, 2011

thariq2005 said:
:salam2:

Yes it is permissible to take a bath naked, or even do wudoo' naked. It is strange how some muslims say that it is not permissible to take a bath naked. To say that it is not permissible to do wudoo' or take a bath naked requires evidence which is authentic and indicates to that particular ruling.

Also, I would like to remind you that this deen is sincere advice and there is no shyness in seeking knowledge, so there is no need to worry about asking such questions, wa barakAllaahu feeki

If you don't mind, this example... "I am a cat" just made me laugh out loud.

As mentioned before you do not need to phrase the niyyah in your heart. And even if the Shafi`ee madhab does say that, then the statement of the Messenger of Allaah :saw2: is given precedence. As mentioned before your heart is aware well before the start of your prayer, that you are going to pray `Asr salaah or Dhuhr salaah. Thus, there is no need to say (in your heart): "I am going to pray `Asr prayer". And I really advise you to stay away from this because this will lead to a greater harm, you may say (in your heart) after a few days "I am going to pray four units of `Asr", then few more days down the line you might end up saying (in your heart): "I am going to pray 4 units of `Asr salaah at 4:00pm on a Thursday afternoon, 14th of October 2010 (you might even start saying it according to the hijri calendar), in my bedroom, facing the qiblah whilst using my wall as a sutrah etc). Imagine it this way, say your mothers gives you a plate of rice and chicken curry on a white plate. You are not going to say in your heart "I am going to eat rice and chicken curry on a white plate" before you eat, rather your heart is ready and already acknowledges the fact that you are going to eat the rice and chicken curry (sorry about the poor example).

The evidences are clear: Imaam Muslim narrated on the authority of `Aa'isha radiAllaahu anha: "The Prophet :saw2: used to begin his Salaat with reciting Takbeer" (498)

And the narration of Aboo Hurairah when the Prophet :saw2: advised the man who prayer improperly: ‘when you perform your Salaah do perfect wudoo’, face the Qiblah, recite Takbīr then read as much as you wish of the Qur’aan

All of them shows that the Messenger of Allaah :saw2: used to start his prayer off with the Takbeer and this is the way we must adapt ourselves to.

I would also like to point out the statement of ash-Shaafi`ee. Al `Izz al Hanafi said in his book al-Ittiba: "‘Ash-Shaafi`ee said: ‘One is unable to articulate niyyah and Takbeer at the same time. Those who claim the opposite ignore what sound sense affirms. Speech displays what is already existing in the heart. Several letters can never be articulated simultaneously, how could one articulate a statement and that which has already preceded it at the same time’??"

With regards to another statement coming into mind during salaah etc, then this is waswasah and you should seek refuge in Allaah from shaytaan during salaah and spit to your left (dryly) as it was narrated by Imaam Muslim (2203) from ‘Uthmaan ibn Abi’l-‘Aas (may Allah be pleased with him), according to which he came to the Prophet :saw2: and said: O Messenger of Allaah, the shaytaan interferes between me and my prayer and my recitation, and he makes me confused. The Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “That is a devil called Khinzab. If you feel that, then seek refuge with Allaah from him and spit dryly to your left three times.” He said: I did that and Allaah took him away from me..

Wassalaamu `alaykkum

Wa'alaikumussalam.

Brother Thariq, forgive me for not replying my very sincere thanks. I was browsing through old threads and I saw that I did not answer after your long and very helpful answer. You have taken so much of time and energy, so may Allah Bless you and shower you with His Mercy and Forgiveness. I have to give an update and say, ALHAMDULILLAH, my OCD has dramatically reduced. Now most of my OCD concerns are more accurately defined as "doubts" instead of the old crazed routines I experienced.

I do have a few questions which I hope you are willing to answer.

PRAYERS

1)I have a forgetful memory, so what must I do in this situation? I do concentrate in my prayers, but doubt gets me a lot of times. Sometimes I forget whether I have done my sujood, or ruku' and sometimes, even my rakaah. It's very frustrating, because that means I have to repeat my prayers. Even more so since I don't know how to do sujud sahw' and whether it applies to the above situations.

2)Let's say I do my ruku'. I get up from my ruku' into sitting position, but just then I realize I may have mispronounced the "subhana rabiyal a'la ..." part, by not saying the haa - not ha - letter properly, therefore altering the meaning completely. I am unsure whether my prayer is valid, and am further unsure whether I should sink back into prostration again. I also know that sometimes I disregard the mispronouniciation after I've mistakenly done it and get into sitting position - and feel guilty later on. It could be my was-was, but I can't determine whether I really mispronounced, or not. This sometimes happens even in ruku, etc. Are our prayers valid if we have mispronounced?

3)I've heard somewhere that if we have urine incontinence, and it happens a lot, we can continue our prayer, but must renew our wudhu' by the next prayer. I know someone who has it. But the learned person who gave the advice said the problem (for instance, urine incontinence) that causes this exception/lenience for prayers is a problem that happens very often - everyday, in his definition. But what about people who have urine incontinence, but not necessarily everyday, maybe just often, like once in two or three days? Some people I've heard, have a problem of not urine incontinence, but discharge. And often, not everyday.

4)Sujud sahw? Before or after tasleem? And in sujud sahw must we sit like that special position at the end of Salah before salam?

WUDHU

1)Sometimes when I'm finished with wudhu, I find a strand of hair between my fingers, for example, which was supposed to be washed during wudhu. Does this nullify my wudhu? I've read somewhere that if the wudhu doesn't reach one part of the body that was supposed to have been completely washed, my wudhu is not valid. I'm not sure whether that is true, though ... And since I've got a bit of a hairfall problem, even at my age, this happens A LOT.

2)How do we do wudhu' on a plane? Some people have said we can do it before we get on the plane, but some people break it unintentionally (urine incontinence, discharge, passing of wind) - and some even intentionally. How do we renew our wudhu on a plane? The bathroom is not an option for certain people, because it is downright dirty and even very small (my mother has told me). Since we are on a plane, how are women expected to do wudhu' without going to the bathroom? They can't possible take off their hijab just to do wudhu', nor can they wet the floor with water from a bottle, can they?

3)How does tayamum work? Without water, what must be used for tayamum, and is accessible, such as on a plane? The reason I'm asking is because I might be going on one soon, Insha'Allah.

CLEANLINESS QUESTIONS

I've been requested to ask here. I hope no one takes offense or anything.

1)How do Muslims in Western countries wash up when they go to the public bathroom? I've heard what is mostly supplied there are tissues, no water hoses or jets. I hope I'm wrong.

Also, I've heard some Muslims bring water bottles (?) to wash up there, but I don't think one water bottle is sufficient. In the case of my friend, who has urine incontinence, frequent trips to the bathroom might happen.

I might add in a few later, but I'm very sorry for the long questions. I hope you'll be able to answer them as I trust your judgement! Thank you very very much in advance and again, I pray that Allah Blesses you, because you have been a tremendous help for my OCD problem. I hope you are not weary that I ask long and difficult questions.

thariq2005 · May 26, 2011

Assalaamu `alaykum

Prayers

1)I have a forgetful memory, so what must I do in this situation? I do concentrate in my prayers, but doubt gets me a lot of times. Sometimes I forget whether I have done my sujood, or ruku' and sometimes, even my rakaah. It's very frustrating, because that means I have to repeat my prayers. Even more so since I don't know how to do sujud sahw' and whether it applies to the above situations.

4)Sujud sahw? Before or after tasleem? And in sujud sahw must we sit like that special position at the end of Salah before salam?

The first question and the fourth question are kind of related in some aspects.

- With regards to what you say about having forgetful memory... then trust me many times it is waswasah. I advice you, before starting salaah clear your head of all sorts thoughts to do with anything and try to concentrate on the meanings of the du`aas you recite and the soorahs you recite.

- However, it maybe the case that you genuinely forgot- and in this case you will have to look at the situation and perform Sajdah al-Sahw accordingly.

You need to know sister, may Allaah increase you in beneficial knowledge, that the Salaah is divided into Arkaan (Pillars), Waajibaat (obligations) and the rest are mustahabb (recommended to do).

The Pillars of the Salaah are (according to the hanaabilah):

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

(ii) The opening takbeer (saying “Allaahu akbar”)

(iii) Reciting al-Faatihah

(iv) Rukoo’ (bowing), the least of which means bending so that the hands can touch the knees, but the most complete form means making the back level and the head parallel with it.

(v) Rising from bowing

(vi) Standing up straight

(vii) Sujood (prostration), the most perfect form of which is placing the forehead, nose, palms, knees and toes firmly on the ground, and the least of which is placing a part of each of these on the ground.

(viii) Rising from prostration

(ix) Sitting between the two prostrations. However one sits is good enough, but the Sunnah is to sit muftarishan, which means sitting on the left foot and holding the right foot upright with the toes pointing towards the qiblah.

(x) Being at ease in each of these physical pillars

(xi) The final tashahhud

(xii) Sitting to recite the final tashahhud and the two salaams

(xiii) The two salaams. This means saying twice, “al-salaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allaah (Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allaah).” In naafil prayers it is sufficient to say one salaam; the same also applies to the funeral prayer.

(xiv) 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.

All of the above are the pillars of Salaah, and if you missed out any or added any extra pillar. Then you have to, at the end of the prayer, say Tasleem (salaam) and then do two prostrations and then say Tasleem again. This is in accordance with the hadeeth narrated by both Bukhaari and Muslim who narrated from Aboo Hurairah (radiAllahu `anhu) who said that, “The Prophet :saw2: lead them in the Zuhr prayer or the ‘Asr prayer and gave the salutation after two rak’ah.s. Then he departed quickly from one of the doors of the mosque, and the people were saying that the prayer had been decreased. The Prophet :saw2: meanwhile, stood by a piece of wood placed in the mosque, leaning against it, as if he was angry. So a man stood and aid, ‘0 Messenger of Allaah, have you forgotten or has the prayer been reduced?’ So the Prophet, :saw2: said, ‘I did not forget nor has it been reduced.’ So the man said, ‘Rather you have indeed forgotten.’ So the Prophet :saw2: said to the Companions, ‘Is what he is saying true. They said, ‘Yes.’ So the Prophet :saw2: went forward and prayed what remained of his prayer, then he gave the salutation, then he prostrated twice, then he gave the salutation.”

In the case of missing a pillar, then once you have found out that you missed a pillar... then you have to go back and perform it. If it is the case that you only remember that you missed a pillar (example a sajdah) in the previous rak`ah, then you must consider your current rak`ah as the previous and carry on with your salaah and in the end perform Sajdah al-Sahw as described above.

--------------------

In terms of the Waajibaat, then only the first tashahhud (of a salaah consisting of two tashahhuds [the part where you sit and recite attahiyaat]) is considered to be from the Waajibaat. So, in this case you missing out Subhaana rabiyyal a`laa etc, does not obligate doing Sajdah al-Sahw. Usually, this is from waswasah whereby you get doubts as to if you correctly recited something. But if it is certain (after you got up from sajdah) that you did recite it incorrectly, then you just carry on with your salaah normally.

In the case of forgetting the first Tashahhud, then if you have moved to the next position (i.e standing position) then you just carry on with your salaah and you do not make it up. And in the end you do 2 Prostrations of forgetfullness and say Tasleem and your finished. This is in accordance with the narration narrated by al-Bukhaaree and others from ‘Abdullaah ibn Buhaynah (radiAllahu `anhu) who said that, “The Prophet :saw2: led them in Dhuhr prayer. He stood after the first two rak’ahs and did not sit (meaning for the first tashahhud), so the people stood along with him. Then when it came to the completion of the prayer and the people awaited his salutation, he said takbeer whilst sitting and performed two prostrations before giving
the salutation. Then he gave the salutation.”

Below is a post I posted elsewhere in another thread regarding this:

Basically if it you have to do the prostration of forgetfullness BEFORE the Tasleem, then all you do is when you sit for the final tashahud, recite the tashahud (including sending salawaat upon the Prophet , making the du`aa about the seeking refuge in Allaah from the punishment of the fire, dajjaal etc, and any other du`aa you want to make) and then after you are done reciting, you do two prostrations (saying subhaana rabbiyyal a`laa in the prostrations and rabbighfirli in the sitting in between) and then you say the Tasleem... right and left and you are done

As for the prostration of forgetfullness AFTER the tasleem, then you do it just like the above, i.e. when you sit for the final tashhahud, recite it, recite all the du`aas you want to recite after it and then you do the tasleem to your right and then to your left and then you do two prostrations and then after the two prostrations say the tasleem again to the right and then the left and your done.

Finally, in the case where you have doubts. Then this is of three cases and the first case is that sometimes it is waswasah whereby you have to ignore it. But, if you have genuine doubts about the number of rak`ah or something similar to that... then it falls under two cases:

1) The doubt is 50% inclined to either sides: For example, your praying `Asr and doubt if you are in your third rak`ah or second rak`ah. And in your mind you are completely not sure which rak`ah you are in, in this case you take the lesser number (i.e 2nd rak`ah) and continue praying it in that manner. In the end of the prayer, you do Sajdah al-Sahw and then do Tasleem.

2) Your doubt is more inclined towards one side compared to the other: For example, you are praying Dhuhr and you doubt if you are in your first rak`ah or second rak`ah... but your heart is more certain that you are in your second rak`ah. In this case, you act by that which you are more certain about. And you pray as although you are in your second rak`ah and complete your prayer. In the end, you say Tasleem then do Prostrations of forgetfullness and then say Tasleem again.

All the above related to Sajdah al-Sahw was the opinion of Ibn `Uthaymeen, Ibn Taymiyyah and one of the opinions of Imaam Maalik rahimahumullaah.

In addition to all the above, I recommend you to memorize the pillars of the Salaah so you feel confident and this makes your life much more easier in terms of worship. And also read the attached pdf, which was a treatise by Shaykh Saalih ibn `Uthaymeen rahimahullaah on the Prostration of forgetfullness.

And I would also like to add, that the subject of when to do Sajdah al-Sahw is a matter which scholars have differed over generally. So if it is the case that you do sajdah al-sahw after the tasleem instead of before, then it does not invalidate your prayer or anything of that sort.

2)Let's say I do my ruku'. I get up from my ruku' into sitting position, but just then I realize I may have mispronounced the "subhana rabiyal a'la ..." part, by not saying the haa - not ha - letter properly, therefore altering the meaning completely. I am unsure whether my prayer is valid, and am further unsure whether I should sink back into prostration again. I also know that sometimes I disregard the mispronouniciation after I've mistakenly done it and get into sitting position - and feel guilty later on. It could be my was-was, but I can't determine whether I really mispronounced, or not. This sometimes happens even in ruku, etc. Are our prayers valid if we have mispronounced?

Carry on with your salaah, usually this happens out of waswasah. Also Subhaana rabbiyal a`laa is said in Sajdah and not in rukoo`.

One more point to remember is that the correct opinion with regards to saying Subhaana Rabbiyal a`laa or Subhaana Rabbiyal `Adheem or Rabbigh firlee (between the prostrations) etc... are all mustahabb (preferred to do) and not Waajib (obligatory). This was the opinion of the Jumhoor (majority of the scholars), the maalikis, the hanafis and the shaafi`ees. Only the hanbalis considered it waajib, but the correct opinion is that of the majority.

So if you leave something that is mustahabb intentionally or un-intentionally, then it is not something that invalidates the prayer. But, you are rewarded more for doing acts that are Mustahabb

3)I've heard somewhere that if we have urine incontinence, and it happens a lot, we can continue our prayer, but must renew our wudhu' by the next prayer. I know someone who has it. But the learned person who gave the advice said the problem (for instance, urine incontinence) that causes this exception/lenience for prayers is a problem that happens very often - everyday, in his definition. But what about people who have urine incontinence, but not necessarily everyday, maybe just often, like once in two or three days? Some people I've heard, have a problem of not urine incontinence, but discharge. And often, not everyday.

I don't know about the ruling on a person who has it less often, but below is a fatwa about the person who has it occasionally.

If the situation you describe, the occasional emission of a few drops of urine, is beyond your control, then your case is like that of one who is incontinent, so do the following:

1. Wash the private parts with water.

2. Wash the part of your clothes that the urine has gotten onto (there is no need to change your clothes).

3. Put a pad or a piece of cotton, or something similar, over the private parts so that the urine will not spread.

4. Do wudoo’ for each prayer, then pray as you are, and pray as much as you like, fard and naafil, with this wudoo’. After doing this, anything else that comes out does not matter. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “So keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him as much as you can…” [al-Taghaabun 64:16]. Do not miss any prayers or delay doing them on time, and your prayer will be valid.

This is what should be done in the case of incontinence, but if the urine comes out shortly after urinating, then it stops, in this case you can go to the bathroom fifteen minutes before the prayer or the adhaan, for example, then put something (a cloth, etc) to prevent contamination after you do istinjaa’ (cleaning yourself after relieving yourself), do wudoo’ and pray. And Allaah knows best.

Wudoo'

1)Sometimes when I'm finished with wudhu, I find a strand of hair between my fingers, for example, which was supposed to be washed during wudhu. Does this nullify my wudhu? I've read somewhere that if the wudhu doesn't reach one part of the body that was supposed to have been completely washed, my wudhu is not valid. I'm not sure whether that is true, though ... And since I've got a bit of a hairfall problem, even at my age, this happens A LOT.

As long as your certain that you washed your fingers, hand etc, then just ignore it. A strand of hair is not something that invalidates Wudoo'

2)How do we do wudhu' on a plane? Some people have said we can do it before we get on the plane, but some people break it unintentionally (urine incontinence, discharge, passing of wind) - and some even intentionally. How do we renew our wudhu on a plane? The bathroom is not an option for certain people, because it is downright dirty and even very small (my mother has told me). Since we are on a plane, how are women expected to do wudhu' without going to the bathroom? They can't possible take off their hijab just to do wudhu', nor can they wet the floor with water from a bottle, can they?

3)How does tayamum work? Without water, what must be used for tayamum, and is accessible, such as on a plane? The reason I'm asking is because I might be going on one soon, Insha'Allah.

You do Wudoo' normally as you always do. But since a person is travelling, if he/she is wearing socks then he/she can wipe over his/her socks as long the conditions for wiping are met. [Below are the conditions of wiping over the socks as mentioned by Ibn `Uthaymeen]

Four conditions apply to wiping over the socks.

The first condition:

That they should have been put on when one was in a state of tahaarah (purity, i.e., when one has wudoo’). The evidence for that is what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to al-Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah: “Don’t worry, because I put them one when I was clean.”

The second condition:

That the khufoof (leather slippers which cover the ankle) or socks should be taahir (pure). If they are naajis (impure) then it is not permissible to wipe over them. The daleel for that is that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led his companions in prayer one day wearing shoes, which he took off whilst he was praying. He said that Jibreel had told him that there was something dirty on them. This was narrated by Ahmad from the hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) in his Musnad. This indicates that it is not permissible to pray wearing anything that is naajis, because if the naajis thing is wiped over, the person will be contaminated by that najaasah (impurity), so he cannot be considered to be taahir (pure).

The third condition:

They may be wiped over when one is purifying oneself from minor impurity (i.e., doing wudoo’ after passing wind, urine or stools), not when one is in a state of janaabah (major impurity following sexual activity) or when ghusl is required. The evidence for that is the hadeeth of Safwaan ibn ‘Assaal (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded us, when we were travelling, not to remove our khufoof for three days and three nights, except in the case of janaabah. But we could keep them on and wipe over them in the case of stools, urine and sleeping.” This was narrated by Ahmad from the hadeeth of Safwaan ibn ‘Assaal (may Allaah be pleased with him) in his Musnad. So the condition is that wiping the socks may be done when purifying oneself (doing wudoo’) from minor impurity, and it is not permissible in the case of major impurity, because of the hadeeth which we have mentioned here.

The fourth condition:

That the wiping may be done within the time specified by sharee’ah, which is one day and one night in the case of one who is not travelling, and three days and three nights in the case of one who is travelling. This is because of the hadeeth of ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated one day and one night for the one who is not travelling, and three days and three nights for the one who is travelling, i.e., for wiping over the khufoof.” This was narrated by Muslim. This period starts from the first time one wipes over the socks when doing wudoo’ after some minor impurity, and it ends twenty-four later for the one who is not travelling, and seventy-two hours later for the one who is travelling. So if we assume that a person purifies himself for Fajr prayer on Tuesday and remains taahir (pure, i.e., keeps his wudoo’) until ‘Isha prayer on Tuesday evening, then he sleeps and wakes up to pray Fajr on Wednesday, and he wipes his socks at five o’clock zawaali time , then the period begins from 5 a.m. on Wednesday and lasts until 5 a.m. on Thursday. If we assume that he wiped his socks before 5 a.m then he can pray Fajr on Thursday with this wiping and pray as much as he wants as long as he remains taahir, because according to the most correct scholarly opinion, wudoo’ is not broken when the time period for wiping over the socks expires. That is because the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not set a time limit for tahaarah, rather he set a time limit for wiping over the socks. Once that time limit expires, one cannot wipe over the socks again, but if a person remains in a state of tahaarah then his tahaarah is still valid, because this is what is implied by the shar’i evidence, and whatever is proven by shar’i evidence cannot be invalidated unless there is further shar’i evidence to that effect. There is no evidence to suggest that wudoo’ is broken when the time limit for wiping over the socks expires, because what the basic principle is that he remains as he is (i.e., taahir) until it becomes apparent that this is no longer the case.

These are the conditions which apply to wiping over the khufoof. There are other conditions which were mentioned by some of the scholars, but some of these are subject to further debate.

The toilets are not really 'dirty' to be honest (dirty in the sense, that one is excused to do wudoo' or something similar to that). I have prayed in an airplane before... so have my mother and my sister and they all did wudoo' in that little toilet. So, its not really difficult. If you are in an airplane and the time for Salaah comes in and it is not a prayer that can be combined (for example fajar) and you know that the flight is going to land past the ending time of the prayer then you must pray your prayer in the Airplane and to the best of your ability try and work out the direction of the Qiblah.

But say for example you are travelling, and the time for Dhuhr comes in and you know that the flight is going to land around the time of `Asr and that it won't be past the ending time of `Asr... then in this case you can combine Dhuhr and `Asr (and remember you shorten the prayer as well to 2 rak`ah) after landing.

With regards to Tayammum, then it is only permissible to do it when there is totally no water available. And it is also permissible to do Tayammum when there is fear, that using water to do Wudoo' will cause severe harm to the person (perhaps due to illness etc)

Cleaniness question

1)How do Muslims in Western countries wash up when they go to the public bathroom? I've heard what is mostly supplied there are tissues, no water hoses or jets. I hope I'm wrong. Also, I've heard some Muslims bring water bottles (?) to wash up there, but I don't think one water bottle is sufficient. In the case of my friend, who has urine incontinence, frequent trips to the bathroom might happen.

Yes, muslims here carry bottles around with them and make use of the tissues too.

sachin4islam · May 26, 2011

Assalamu Alaikum:

A very nice site for all about Salat and Purification (Video)

http://worldreminder.net/HOME.aspx (Jeddah Dawah Center)

Regards.

lightofnur · Jun 4, 2011

thariq2005 said:
Assalaamu `alaykum

Prayers

The first question and the fourth question are kind of related in some aspects.

- With regards to what you say about having forgetful memory... then trust me many times it is waswasah. I advice you, before starting salaah clear your head of all sorts thoughts to do with anything and try to concentrate on the meanings of the du`aas you recite and the soorahs you recite.

- However, it maybe the case that you genuinely forgot- and in this case you will have to look at the situation and perform Sajdah al-Sahw accordingly.

You need to know sister, may Allaah increase you in beneficial knowledge, that the Salaah is divided into Arkaan (Pillars), Waajibaat (obligations) and the rest are mustahabb (recommended to do).

The Pillars of the Salaah are (according to the hanaabilah):

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

(ii) The opening takbeer (saying “Allaahu akbar”)

(iii) Reciting al-Faatihah

(iv) Rukoo’ (bowing), the least of which means bending so that the hands can touch the knees, but the most complete form means making the back level and the head parallel with it.

(v) Rising from bowing

(vi) Standing up straight

(vii) Sujood (prostration), the most perfect form of which is placing the forehead, nose, palms, knees and toes firmly on the ground, and the least of which is placing a part of each of these on the ground.

(viii) Rising from prostration

(ix) Sitting between the two prostrations. However one sits is good enough, but the Sunnah is to sit muftarishan, which means sitting on the left foot and holding the right foot upright with the toes pointing towards the qiblah.

(x) Being at ease in each of these physical pillars

(xi) The final tashahhud

(xii) Sitting to recite the final tashahhud and the two salaams

(xiii) The two salaams. This means saying twice, “al-salaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allaah (Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allaah).” In naafil prayers it is sufficient to say one salaam; the same also applies to the funeral prayer.

(xiv) 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.

All of the above are the pillars of Salaah, and if you missed out any or added any extra pillar. Then you have to, at the end of the prayer, say Tasleem (salaam) and then do two prostrations and then say Tasleem again. This is in accordance with the hadeeth narrated by both Bukhaari and Muslim who narrated from Aboo Hurairah (radiAllahu `anhu) who said that, “The Prophet :saw2: lead them in the Zuhr prayer or the ‘Asr prayer and gave the salutation after two rak’ah.s. Then he departed quickly from one of the doors of the mosque, and the people were saying that the prayer had been decreased. The Prophet :saw2: meanwhile, stood by a piece of wood placed in the mosque, leaning against it, as if he was angry. So a man stood and aid, ‘0 Messenger of Allaah, have you forgotten or has the prayer been reduced?’ So the Prophet, :saw2: said, ‘I did not forget nor has it been reduced.’ So the man said, ‘Rather you have indeed forgotten.’ So the Prophet :saw2: said to the Companions, ‘Is what he is saying true. They said, ‘Yes.’ So the Prophet :saw2: went forward and prayed what remained of his prayer, then he gave the salutation, then he prostrated twice, then he gave the salutation.”

In the case of missing a pillar, then once you have found out that you missed a pillar... then you have to go back and perform it. If it is the case that you only remember that you missed a pillar (example a sajdah) in the previous rak`ah, then you must consider your current rak`ah as the previous and carry on with your salaah and in the end perform Sajdah al-Sahw as described above.

Wa'alaikumussalam. I'm very sorry for the late reply! That was very rude of me. Thanks so much for answering. May Allah Bless you.

OK, so my questions regarding this first part of your answer ...

1)I know this sounds insane, but how do you differentiate between was-was and forgetfulness? I can't seem to distinguish between both, and so I give up and start the prayers all over again.

thariq2005 said:
In terms of the Waajibaat, then only the first tashahhud (of a salaah consisting of two tashahhuds [the part where you sit and recite attahiyaat]) is considered to be from the Waajibaat. So, in this case you missing out Subhaana rabiyyal a`laa etc, does not obligate doing Sajdah al-Sahw. Usually, this is from waswasah whereby you get doubts as to if you correctly recited something. But if it is certain (after you got up from sajdah) that you did recite it incorrectly, then you just carry on with your salaah normally.

In the case of forgetting the first Tashahhud, then if you have moved to the next position (i.e standing position) then you just carry on with your salaah and you do not make it up. And in the end you do 2 Prostrations of forgetfullness and say Tasleem and your finished. This is in accordance with the narration narrated by al-Bukhaaree and others from ‘Abdullaah ibn Buhaynah (radiAllahu `anhu) who said that, “The Prophet :saw2: led them in Dhuhr prayer. He stood after the first two rak’ahs and did not sit (meaning for the first tashahhud), so the people stood along with him. Then when it came to the completion of the prayer and the people awaited his salutation, he said takbeer whilst sitting and performed two prostrations before giving
the salutation. Then he gave the salutation.”

Below is a post I posted elsewhere in another thread regarding this:

Basically if it you have to do the prostration of forgetfullness BEFORE the Tasleem, then all you do is when you sit for the final tashahud, recite the tashahud (including sending salawaat upon the Prophet , making the du`aa about the seeking refuge in Allaah from the punishment of the fire, dajjaal etc, and any other du`aa you want to make) and then after you are done reciting, you do two prostrations (saying subhaana rabbiyyal a`laa in the prostrations and rabbighfirli in the sitting in between) and then you say the Tasleem... right and left and you are done

As for the prostration of forgetfullness AFTER the tasleem, then you do it just like the above, i.e. when you sit for the final tashhahud, recite it, recite all the du`aas you want to recite after it and then you do the tasleem to your right and then to your left and then you do two prostrations and then after the two prostrations say the tasleem again to the right and then the left and your done.

Right! That was very informative. Thanks.
1)When doing those two prostrations of sujud sahw', do we recite anything like how we normally would when prostrating (subhana rabbiyal a'la ...)?
2)In the middle between two prostrations (the sitting position), do we recite anything?
3)Finally, when we are getting up from those two prostrations, must our legs be folded in the special position of final tashhahud? Or must it be like this: 1)When we wake up from the first prostration it must be in the normal sitting position, and when we get up from the second position it must be in the special sitting position?
4)Must we say Allahu Akbar after the tasleem, and go into sujood sahw'?
5)I've heard that if we have done tashahud wrongly, for instance, after prayers we have to repeat the tashahud and do sujud sahw' as well? What happens we do something wrong in prayers and realize it too late into prayer (when we've progressed to the next position)? Are our prayers invalid.

thariq2005 said:
Finally, in the case where you have doubts. Then this is of three cases and the first case is that sometimes it is waswasah whereby you have to ignore it. But, if you have genuine doubts about the number of rak`ah or something similar to that... then it falls under two cases:

1) The doubt is 50% inclined to either sides: For example, your praying `Asr and doubt if you are in your third rak`ah or second rak`ah. And in your mind you are completely not sure which rak`ah you are in, in this case you take the lesser number (i.e 2nd rak`ah) and continue praying it in that manner. In the end of the prayer, you do Sajdah al-Sahw and then do Tasleem.

2) Your doubt is more inclined towards one side compared to the other: For example, you are praying Dhuhr and you doubt if you are in your first rak`ah or second rak`ah... but your heart is more certain that you are in your second rak`ah. In this case, you act by that which you are more certain about. And you pray as although you are in your second rak`ah and complete your prayer. In the end, you say Tasleem then do Prostrations of forgetfullness and then say Tasleem again.

My quote:
"Let's say I do my ruku'. I get up from my ruku' into sitting position, but just then I realize I may have mispronounced the "subhana rabiyal a'la ..." part, by not saying the haa - not ha - letter properly, therefore altering the meaning completely. I am unsure whether my prayer is valid, and am further unsure whether I should sink back into prostration again. I also know that sometimes I disregard the mispronouniciation after I've mistakenly done it and get into sitting position - and feel guilty later on. It could be my was-was, but I can't determine whether I really mispronounced, or not. This sometimes happens even in ruku, etc. Are our prayers valid if we have mispronounced?"

thariq2005 said:
Carry on with your salaah, usually this happens out of waswasah. Also Subhaana rabbiyal a`laa is said in Sajdah and not in rukoo`.

One more point to remember is that the correct opinion with regards to saying Subhaana Rabbiyal a`laa or Subhaana Rabbiyal `Adheem or Rabbigh firlee (between the prostrations) etc... are all mustahabb (preferred to do) and not Waajib (obligatory). This was the opinion of the Jumhoor (majority of the scholars), the maalikis, the hanafis and the shaafi`ees. Only the hanbalis considered it waajib, but the correct opinion is that of the majority.

So if you leave something that is mustahabb intentionally or un-intentionally, then it is not something that invalidates the prayer. But, you are rewarded more for doing acts that are Mustahabb

I'm sorry, I mistyped the correct recitation in my hurry to type everything! I do read that what you have mentioned during sujood. Anways, does that mean during prostration, Subhaana Rabbiyal a`laa is not wajib to be read? Because I heard reading it three times was sunnah, whereas reading once was wajib. Then, let's say it was not wajib to be read, does that mean that there is no recitation to be read during sujood in actuality?

Thanks very much for that fatwa, I decided not to quote it here, because I'm making this post unnecessarily long. Also I felt bad that you would have to scroll down such a long post just to read my questions (which are confusing and all over the place). I'm really sorry for wearing you out with my questions. I pray that you have patience with me. My was-was takes time and knowledge to disappear.

May Allah Bless you.

thariq2005 said:
Wudoo'
As long as your certain that you washed your fingers, hand etc, then just ignore it. A strand of hair is not something that invalidates Wudoo'

The toilets are not really 'dirty' to be honest (dirty in the sense, that one is excused to do wudoo' or something similar to that). I have prayed in an airplane before... so have my mother and my sister and they all did wudoo' in that little toilet. So, its not really difficult. If you are in an airplane and the time for Salaah comes in and it is not a prayer that can be combined (for example fajar) and you know that the flight is going to land past the ending time of the prayer then you must pray your prayer in the Airplane and to the best of your ability try and work out the direction of the Qiblah.

But say for example you are travelling, and the time for Dhuhr comes in and you know that the flight is going to land around the time of `Asr and that it won't be past the ending time of `Asr... then in this case you can combine Dhuhr and `Asr (and remember you shorten the prayer as well to 2 rak`ah) after landing.

With regards to Tayammum, then it is only permissible to do it when there is totally no water available. And it is also permissible to do Tayammum when there is fear, that using water to do Wudoo' will cause severe harm to the person (perhaps due to illness etc)

Oh, OK thanks about that hair part. With regards to the toilet ... I have to admit, my mother was talking the truth. Maybe the airplane in your country is satisfactory, and mine is, believe me, but I'm going on a low cost airplane since I'm going to a neighboring country. And trust me, it's truly small and cramped, and dirty water is on the ground, and you're balancing yourself to do wudhu'. Added to the fact that I'm not completely healed, but drastically healed, from my was-was. But, I guess, no excuses.

1)How do you pray on an airplane? (Ex: in sitting position? Because I've heard you can't modify the sitting position prayer to your own way, so I don't know what is the way to pray in a sitting position.)

2)Is joining prayers obligatory once you become a musafir? Let's say I become a musafir, and reach my destination in 2 hours, 90 km. I stay in a hotel for 3 days, not budging anywhere. Am I still considered a musafir/traveller and am "travelling" seeing that I am staying in a hotel only? Therefore, are joining prayers/ qasar-ing prayers allowed for me still?

3)If your socks and shoes are dirtied, you've to remove them. But to remove them on an airplane is a bit difficult for a woman, because our awrah extends to our legs. So how?

4)What do you use for Tayamum? Some say dust, other say soil, etc. Let's say I'm in a car. Where do I get tayamum material (let's say there's no water at all)?

Lastly, I want to thank you profusely for your thorough answers which I trust you very much for. I think no words can describe the help you have given, so I ask Allah to Bless you always. Take your time and you can answer whenever you want.

sachin4islam said:
Assalamu Alaikum:

A very nice site for all about Salat and Purification (Video)

http://worldreminder.net/HOME.aspx (Jeddah Dawah Center)

Regards.

Wa'alaikumussalam.

Thanks very much.

Wannabemuslim · Jun 4, 2011

THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH FOR THIS THREAD MAY ALLAH REWARD YOU. I have had many similar questions, so thanks for all the answers given

Iwantpeace · Jun 4, 2011

Thank you so so much for the questions and answers. ALways wanted to know the answers to these questions. Jazakallah khair!!

lightofnur · Jun 4, 2011

Wannabemuslim said:
THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH FOR THIS THREAD MAY ALLAH REWARD YOU. I have had many similar questions, so thanks for all the answers given

Iwantpeace said:
Thank you so so much for the questions and answers. ALways wanted to know the answers to these questions. Jazakallah khair!!

Aww, haha! Thanks and no problem. The real credit goes to Brother Thariq for his amazingly good answers! May Allah Bless him.

thariq2005 · Jun 9, 2011

Assalaamu `alaykum

lightofnur said:
1)I know this sounds insane, but how do you differentiate between was-was and forgetfulness? I can't seem to distinguish between both, and so I give up and start the prayers all over again.

When it gets way too often, then the `Ulemaa' advise the people that this is from the waswaas of Shaytaan... and it can be very evident that you are going through this that you often start the prayers all over again. Pay no attention to it, and over time you will see changes in your `Ibaadaat (acts of worship) and even in your wordly life. At one point, these waswaas makes a person feel as although he has gone insane, that he would do wudoo' and a minute later you would see him going back to do Wudoo' again because he "thinks" he that he did not wash his elbows during Wudoo'. Similarly, people in salaah they do their takbeeratul-Ihraam and then all of a sudden drop their hands down and do the takbeer again. Its a very serious issue (i.e waswaas) and a lot of it is still in you, as is evident in many of your statements. Although, alhamdulillaah you have improved a great deal since the first time you posted your OCD problems, and I ask Allaah to make your affairs easy for you.

lightofnur said:
1)When doing those two prostrations of sujud sahw', do we recite anything like how we normally would when prostrating (subhana rabbiyal a'la ...)?
2)In the middle between two prostrations (the sitting position), do we recite anything?
3)Finally, when we are getting up from those two prostrations, must our legs be folded in the special position of final tashhahud? Or must it be like this: 1)When we wake up from the first prostration it must be in the normal sitting position, and when we get up from the second position it must be in the special sitting position?
4)Must we say Allahu Akbar after the tasleem, and go into sujood sahw'?
5)I've heard that if we have done tashahud wrongly, for instance, after prayers we have to repeat the tashahud and do sujud sahw' as well? What happens we do something wrong in prayers and realize it too late into prayer (when we've progressed to the next position)? Are our prayers invalid.

1) Yes, you recite as you normally recite in prostrations and what you normally recite when you sit in between two prostrations... which connects to the next question

2) You recite "Rabbigh-Firlee", and it is sunnah to recite it two times [This applies to the sitting in Salaah between two prostrations], although one may recite more than twice if he wishes. If you fail to recite it, then its not a problem as it is not from the Waajibaat nor the Arkaan.

3) It depends on what Salaah your praying. I am guessing you are referring to "Tawarruk" and "Iftirash". Refer to the following thread where this issue was discussed: http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=77318

4) As Imaam al-Nawawi mentioned, one should say the Takbeer (i.e Allaahu Akbar) for each prostration.

5) Yes, the first part of the Tashahhud [i.e from Attahiyaatu lillaahi... till ...Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illAllaah] is from the Arkaan (Pillars of Salaah). But, if someone makes a pronounciation mistake then it only makes sense that the person spots the mistake as soon as he makes it, and not after the salaah... as most of the time this is from the Waswaas of the Shaytaan. [And this also refers to your question about mis-pronouncing the Ha in SubHaana rabbiyal `Adheem].

If, it is the case that you missed the "Final" Tashahhud out of forgetfullness and you moved to the next position [i.e Tasleem (saying salaam)], then as I mentioned before: you have to go back and do the Tashahhud as opposed to repeating the entire prayer.

lightofnur said:
Anways, does that mean during prostration, Subhaana Rabbiyal a`laa is not wajib to be read? Because I heard reading it three times was sunnah, whereas reading once was wajib. Then, let's say it was not wajib to be read, does that mean that there is no recitation to be read during sujood in actuality?

There is a difference of opinion on this issue. The view of the Hanaabilah is that it is waajib to say it at least once, and the view of the vast majority of scholars is that it is Mustahabb and this is the most correct view from what I was taught. However, if you follow the view of the Hanaabilah (Hanbali Madh-hab) that it is waajib then make sure to recite it once and if you miss it out, then as mentioned above you do the Sajdah as-Sahw in the end (but you do not have to make up what you missed, as it is from the Waajibaat). If you follow the view that is mustahabb, then you can carry on with your Salaah and complete it normally. *A point worthy of note: The view of the Hanaabilah is to say "Rabbigh-Firlee" at least once when sitting between the two prostrations*.

Also if you follow the view that is Mustahhab (preferred) to recite it, then it doesn't mean you leave it out rather you should try your best to get the reward by reciting it.

I have to admit, my mother was talking the truth. Maybe the airplane in your country is satisfactory, and mine is, believe me, but I'm going on a low cost airplane since I'm going to a neighboring country. And trust me, it's truly small and cramped, and dirty water is on the ground, and you're balancing yourself to do wudhu'. Added to the fact that I'm not completely healed, but drastically healed, from my was-was. But, I guess, no excuses.

1)How do you pray on an airplane? (Ex: in sitting position? Because I've heard you can't modify the sitting position prayer to your own way, so I don't know what is the way to pray in a sitting position.)

2)Is joining prayers obligatory once you become a musafir? Let's say I become a musafir, and reach my destination in 2 hours, 90 km. I stay in a hotel for 3 days, not budging anywhere. Am I still considered a musafir/traveller and am "travelling" seeing that I am staying in a hotel only? Therefore, are joining prayers/ qasar-ing prayers allowed for me still?

3)If your socks and shoes are dirtied, you've to remove them. But to remove them on an airplane is a bit difficult for a woman, because our awrah extends to our legs. So how?

4)What do you use for Tayamum? Some say dust, other say soil, etc. Let's say I'm in a car. Where do I get tayamum material (let's say there's no water at all)?

No we don't travel in some high-cost air plane, we are as cheap and poor as anyone out there. To be honest, all the air planes have the same size toilets anyways. And even if the floor in the toilet is dirty, its alright... your stepping on it with your shoes not your feet, so your Wudoo' is still valid since you will be washing your feet or either doing Mash (wiping over your socks). Your waswaas is not an excuse to NOT use water and do Tayamum... I hope I did not say anything offensive there.

1) No, you have to pray standing. It is from the Arkaan (pillars) of Salaah and it is not permissible for a person to sit and pray unless he fears that standing will cause him immense hardship or worsen his illness or something similar to that.

2) You are a traveller according to view of the majority (minimum distance to be a traveller is 80km). The correct opinion is that of Ibn Taymiyyah, that there is no specified distance for a person to become a traveller but rather it depends on the customs of the people as to what they consider as "travelling".

As for shortening the prayer, then this was a Sunnah that the Messenger of Allaah :saw2: always did. However, it is not Waajib (obligatory)... but one should try and follow the Sunnah very closely.

3) Carry an extra pair of socks?

4) Below is a fatwa regarding this question...

Praise be to Allaah.

Tayammum is valid if done using anything that comes from the face of the earth, such as dust, mud, rocks, sand and clay, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“perform Tayammum with clean earth”

[al-Nisa’ 4:43]

Sa’eed (translated here as earth) means the face of the earth. Tayyib (translated here as clean) means pure.

It is permissible to do tayammum with anything that is from the earth. This is the view of Abu Haneefah and Maalik. In their view, it is valid to do tayammum with dust, sand and pebbles. Abu Haneefah regarded it as permissible to do tayammum with smooth rocks surfaces, plastered walls and clay made from pure mud. The same applies if one strikes a cloth and dust rises.

Badaa’i’ al-Sanaa’i’, 1/53; al-Taaj wa’l-Ilkeel, 1/511; al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fihqiyyah, 14/261

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) favoured the view that it is permissible to do tayammum with things other than dust from other parts of the earth, if one cannot find dust. Al-Ikhtiyaaraat al-Fiqhiyyah, p. 28.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about a sick person who cannot find dust – can he do tayammum by striking his hands on the wall or the bed, and so on?

He replied: If the wall is built of something that comes from the earth, such as rocks or mud bricks, then it is permissible to use it for tayammum. But if the wall is covered with wood or paint, if there is any dust on it then it may be used for tayammum and there is nothing wrong with that. It is like doing tayammum on the ground, because dust particles come from the earth. But if there is no dust on it, then it is not from the earth and cannot be used for tayammum.

With regard to the bed we say, if there is dust on it, it may be used for tayammum, otherwise it should not be used for tayammum because it does not come from the earth.

End quote from Fataawa al-Tahaarah, p. 240.

Conclusion:

It is permissible to do tayammum on walls or vessels made of clay, so long as they are not painted. If they are painted, tayammum is not valid unless there is dust on them. The Muslim can put some dirt or sand in a vessel and use that for tayammum.

And Allaah knows best.

BaarakAllaahu feek
Wassalaamu `alaykum

lightofnur · Jun 28, 2011

thariq2005 said:
Assalaamu `alaykum
When it gets way too often, then the `Ulemaa' advise the people that this is from the waswaas of Shaytaan... and it can be very evident that you are going through this that you often start the prayers all over again. Pay no attention to it, and over time you will see changes in your `Ibaadaat (acts of worship) and even in your wordly life. At one point, these waswaas makes a person feel as although he has gone insane, that he would do wudoo' and a minute later you would see him going back to do Wudoo' again because he "thinks" he that he did not wash his elbows during Wudoo'. Similarly, people in salaah they do their takbeeratul-Ihraam and then all of a sudden drop their hands down and do the takbeer again. Its a very serious issue (i.e waswaas) and a lot of it is still in you, as is evident in many of your statements. Although, alhamdulillaah you have improved a great deal since the first time you posted your OCD problems, and I ask Allaah to make your affairs easy for you.

Wa'alaikumussalam! Forgive me for replying so late; it was very rude. I had a major examination going on. I am taking your advice, and my gosh, what a release this is! I am no doubt still having pangs of OCD, however I keep improving steadily everyday, Alhamdulillah, and I owe it largely to Allah, and of course to you. Thank you very much for your help and kind words. I think it'll never be enough, me keep saying thanks, so I pray Allah will give you great happiness and blessings.

thariq2005 said:
No we don't travel in some high-cost air plane, we are as cheap and poor as anyone out there. To be honest, all the air planes have the same size toilets anyways. And even if the floor in the toilet is dirty, its alright... your stepping on it with your shoes not your feet, so your Wudoo' is still valid since you will be washing your feet or either doing Mash (wiping over your socks). Your waswaas is not an excuse to NOT use water and do Tayamum... I hope I did not say anything offensive there.

1) No, you have to pray standing. It is from the Arkaan (pillars) of Salaah and it is not permissible for a person to sit and pray unless he fears that standing will cause him immense hardship or worsen his illness or something similar to that.

2) You are a traveller according to view of the majority (minimum distance to be a traveller is 80km). The correct opinion is that of Ibn Taymiyyah, that there is no specified distance for a person to become a traveller but rather it depends on the customs of the people as to what they consider as "travelling".

As for shortening the prayer, then this was a Sunnah that the Messenger of Allaah :saw2: always did. However, it is not Waajib (obligatory)... but one should try and follow the Sunnah very closely.

3) Carry an extra pair of socks?

Brother, I have not quoted your answers so that you will have ease in reading and answering my questions. I hope that by asking most of my questions, I'm helping others who read this thread, as believe me, in my OCD days I talked with people who are suffering extreme forms of OCD, and are losing hope.

So I hope you have patience when answering me, because I have a few questions to add. My hope is that those who have not come out to the open will read this and be relieved, too.

Also, I'm really sorry if I have offended you by my statement on low-cost airplanes.

I didn't mean to come across as rude. It's just that I wanted to clarify that I go on an airplane that is low-cost myself and have difficulties using the bathroom because of cleanliness issues. I pray that Allah will shower you with His Mercy, Love, Blessings and that He will grant you ease and barakah.

1)When you mean "immense hardship" do you mean the air turbulence?

Because I just had a mental image of myself falling during prayer. Or that the staff will find it difficult to move about since the plane is small and they constantly move about with the trolley, and that maybe they won't allow me to use the staff room to pray in?

2)So if I stay put in a hotel room for three days straight, I am a traveller and Qasar and Jama' applies to me? Also, is it a must to shorten my prayers when travelling? And must I join my prayers to boot?

a)Or is it just ... eg. Zuhur time, and I pray Zuhur 2 rakaah only?
b)Or ... eg. Zuhur time, and I pray Zuhur 2 rakaah and join it with Asar 2 rakaah? (and vice versa)
c)Or just pray 4 rakaah when it's Zuhur time, and 4 rakaah when it's Asar time?
d)Or join both 4 rakaah prayers?

3)I laughed!

4)What if we made two mistakes during prayer? As in, the first tashahud I messed up and intended to rectify it after tasleem with the sujud sahw to boot, but at the same time, messed up my first tashahud in the fourth rakaah. Would I have to:

a)Repeat both the actions after tasleem in order and then do sujud sahw, or;
b)Do the first tashahud after tasleem and sujud sahw, then the other tashahud I messed up and sujud sahw again?

5)In an unrelated question to this thread, but connected with cleanliness, let's say I am purifying an object which was dirtied with gross/heavy najis using the 6 times water + 1 time earth and water method. The water used to clean the object splashes on the ground. Must I clean the ground using the similar method, too? It must be noted that I removed the gross najis first before purifying it.

Aapa · Jun 28, 2011

Assalaam walaikum,

Brother Tariq has knowledge. We are blessed.

I found this wonderful pdf: A summary of Islamic Jurisprudence. It is 500 pages or so. I keep it bookmarked as a reference point.
The language is simple to follow. The scholars who complied the information made sure it makes sense to us today.

Here is the link:http://www.mohdy.name/pdfs/e110.pdf

lightofnur · Jun 29, 2011

Aapa said:
Assalaam walaikum,

Brother Tariq has knowledge. We are blessed.

I found this wonderful pdf: A summary of Islamic Jurisprudence. It is 500 pages or so. I keep it bookmarked as a reference point.
The language is simple to follow. The scholars who complied the information made sure it makes sense to us today.

Here is the link:http://www.mohdy.name/pdfs/e110.pdf

Wa'alaikumussalam!

Yes, that's true. I owe a lot to him. And of course, Allah too.

Sis, thanks very much for this pdf. I'm going to read it if possible, Insha'Allah. May Allah Bless you with His Love, amin~

thariq2005 · Jul 14, 2011

Wa `alaykum salaam wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh

Sincere apologies for the delay- I totally forgot that you asked questions.

lightofnur said:
1)When you mean "immense hardship" do you mean the air turbulence? Because I just had a mental image of myself falling during prayer. Or that the staff will find it difficult to move about since the plane is small and they constantly move about with the trolley, and that maybe they won't allow me to use the staff room to pray in?

2)So if I stay put in a hotel room for three days straight, I am a traveller and Qasar and Jama' applies to me? Also, is it a must to shorten my prayers when travelling? And must I join my prayers to boot?

a)Or is it just ... eg. Zuhur time, and I pray Zuhur 2 rakaah only?
b)Or ... eg. Zuhur time, and I pray Zuhur 2 rakaah and join it with Asar 2 rakaah? (and vice versa)
c)Or just pray 4 rakaah when it's Zuhur time, and 4 rakaah when it's Asar time?
d)Or join both 4 rakaah prayers?

3)I laughed!

4)What if we made two mistakes during prayer? As in, the first tashahud I messed up and intended to rectify it after tasleem with the sujud sahw to boot, but at the same time, messed up my first tashahud in the fourth rakaah. Would I have to:

a)Repeat both the actions after tasleem in order and then do sujud sahw, or;
b)Do the first tashahud after tasleem and sujud sahw, then the other tashahud I messed up and sujud sahw again?

5)In an unrelated question to this thread, but connected with cleanliness, let's say I am purifying an object which was dirtied with gross/heavy najis using the 6 times water + 1 time earth and water method. The water used to clean the object splashes on the ground. Must I clean the ground using the similar method, too? It must be noted that I removed the gross najis first before purifying it.

1) To make it easy to understand- if you can stand up to do wordly matters... then you should stand up for Salaah.

2) Qasar (Shortening) is what should be done and it is better for you to shorten your prayers rather than pray them in full. As for Jam`, then it is to be done in matters of necessity (while travelling)... although you can do Jam` (joining prayers) while travelling, its best to do each prayers on its time if possible, but if you do do jam` then its not problem.

So, if you want to join Dhuhr and `Asr: Intention for Dhuhr, then pray 2 raka`ah Dhuhr, then salaam.... Stand up, intention for `Asr, then pray 2 Raka`ah for `Asr, then salaam

Maghrib you pray as 3... `Ishaa you pray as 2. Maghrib and `Ishaa are 'combinable'- either at the time of `Ishaa' or at the time of Maghrib.

Fajar cannot be combined with any prayer and it is to be prayed as 2 units.

4) You need to re-read what I mentioned previously... if the first tashahhud of a Salaah (that consists of 2 tashahhud) is missed, then you do not repeat that action, rather the Sajdah al-Sahw compensates for it. If you make two mistakes in the Salaah, and if it requires repeating those actions (like missing a sajdah) then you repeat those actions... at the end of the salaah, you can do one Sajdah al-Sahw and this is sufficient. I remember reading this from Shaykh ibn al-`Uthaymeen, will try and locating it and let you know inshaa'Allaah

5) It is only "utensils" that are to be washed if it is "licked by a dog", if not then you do not have to do the 7 times washing with 1 one of them with earth. If you are washing and water splashes then this is water and it is not najis- Unless the water is 'dirty' water in the sense its colour, taste or smell has changed.

Once again- apologies for the delay.

Wassalaamu `alaykum

lightofnur · Jul 30, 2011

thariq2005 said:
Wa `alaykum salaam wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh

Sincere apologies for the delay- I totally forgot that you asked questions.

That's perfectly OK. You take your time. I know my questions are a handful, and only really patient people like you can cope with answering them. May Allah Bless you for that. I myself have been quite busy that answering my own thread seems to be something I squeeze in, not even counting the pm's that really nice people send me.

thariq2005 said:
4) You need to re-read what I mentioned previously... if the first tashahhud of a Salaah (that consists of 2 tashahhud) is missed, then you do not repeat that action, rather the Sajdah al-Sahw compensates for it. If you make two mistakes in the Salaah, and if it requires repeating those actions (like missing a sajdah) then you repeat those actions... at the end of the salaah, you can do one Sajdah al-Sahw and this is sufficient. I remember reading this from Shaykh ibn al-`Uthaymeen, will try and locating it and let you know inshaa'Allaah

OK, that was a good explanation. Let's say I missed two sajdah's (let's say). One at the first rakaah and one at the second rakaah. To repeat the first sajdah, must I go straight into sajdah, or must I do the whole two sajdah's of the first rakaah?

To dissect this a bit further ... the first rakaah has two sajdah's. I missed the second one in that rakaah. Must I perform two sajdahs at the end of salah just to make up for one missed? I think answering this question would be enough.

I'M VERY SORRY IF THIS IS CONFUSING. Also, I found something here, on reciting what we have to read for sujud sahw' if you're interested. It says it's not necessary to read what we read on the final tashahud position of the sujud sahw'.

http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/7895

thariq2005 said:
5) It is only "utensils" that are to be washed if it is "licked by a dog", if not then you do not have to do the 7 times washing with 1 one of them with earth. If you are washing and water splashes then this is water and it is not najis- Unless the water is 'dirty' water in the sense its colour, taste or smell has changed.

No, actually I meant it in the sense if we're dealing with faeces of the dog. I don't understand how to handle washing this when there is a chance of the water splashing on you. So must we wash any parts that get hit with water while washing? It's going to be hard to ascertain whether the water is dirty or clean while washing.

I'm sorry I'm bringing this OCD-ish matter up again. It's just that, when I keep recovering (and I really am, Alhamdulillah, I'm seeing so many minor changes which in turn lead to bigger changes), I see a book like '100 Mistakes During Prayers" or read a line like "if you're unclean before prayer you're prayer is not valid and it's punishable", etc. I keep reminding myself that Allah is Merciful, and it works, but I definitely still have OCD-ish pangs.

To come up to the subject of prayer ... last night I wanted to pray Isha' at the appointed time. Unfortunately me and my brother got so busy we decided to pray as quickly as we could before midnight - even tha tdidn't happen as the praying areas were closed. So after midnight, then. Then someone tells us it's impermissible to pray after midnight. I tell my brother to go pray qada', and I just have the intention in my heart to pray Isha' not qada, seeing that I was unsure. Is that OK?

Because I thought that either way, if I was correct with my notion that it may be OK to pray after midnight, I was praying Isha' anyways, and if I was wrong, then praying Isha' after the appointed time would come under qada'.
Unless I'm wrong?? And I've asked my brother to do something wrong, too? :O

thariq2005 · Jul 30, 2011

lightofnur said:
That's perfectly OK. You take your time. I know my questions are a handful, and only really patient people like you can cope with answering them. May Allah Bless you for that. I myself have been quite busy that answering my own thread seems to be something I squeeze in, not even counting the pm's that really nice people send me.

BaarakAllaahu Feek for having good though about me, I am no where near patient- I only wish that was true. Nonetheless, baarakAllaahu feek

OK, that was a good explanation. Let's say I missed two sajdah's (let's say). One at the first rakaah and one at the second rakaah. To repeat the first sajdah, must I go straight into sajdah, or must I do the whole two sajdah's of the first rakaah?

To dissect this a bit further ... the first rakaah has two sajdah's. I missed the second one in that rakaah. Must I perform two sajdahs at the end of salah just to make up for one missed? I think answering this question would be enough.

This requires further explanation...

Say for example you have missed the 2nd Sajdah of the first Rak`ah and now you are now in your Rukoo` (for example) of your second Rak`ah and you remember that you missed the 2nd Sajdah- then in this case you consider your 2nd Rak`ah as your first Rak`ah and you carry on from that rukoo`.

This is because you have gone a bit far in your 2nd Rak`ah and thus will be easier for you to consider that as your First Rak`ah, rather than going back and doing sajdah and then standing up for your 2nd Rak`ah and starting to recite Soorah al-Faatihah. [Because praying the pillars of Salaah in its correct order is from the pillars of Salaah].

But say for example you miss the 2nd Sajdah of the First Rak`ah and you stand up for your second Rak`ah and you have began your recitation- then in this case you can go back and do the 2nd Sajdah of your first Rak`ah and then carry on your Salaah from the Sajdah as you would do from the end of your second Rak`ah.

NOTE: Remember that at both the situations it is sunnah for you to do Sujood al-Sahw after the Tasleem and then do Tasleem again. But if you don't do it after and do it before- then this is not a problem as long as you have done the prostrations of Forgetfulness. It is only Mustahabb to do the Sujood al-Sahw after in that specific situation, not an obligation. What is obligatory is the Sujood al-Sahw, but after tasleem or before is a dispute amongst scholars

I'M VERY SORRY IF THIS IS CONFUSING. Also, I found something here, on reciting what we have to read for sujud sahw' if you're interested. It says it's not necessary to read what we read on the final tashahud position of the sujud sahw'.

http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/7895

I am sorry, but perhaps I think you have misunderstood me or I mistyped something. There is no Tashahhud after the Sujood al-Sahw. It is only after you complete the Tashahhud you do the Sujood al-Sahw, either you do it before the Tasleem (saying Salaam) or after the Tasleem, depending on the mistake you made. Please point out to me where I said otherwise, so that I can edit my post and clear the doubt- so that other people reading will not get the wrong idea.

On that note, I would like to ask you to MEMORIZE the pillars of Salaah and the obligations of Salaah properly untill you completely understand all of it. Once you have done that, I would recommend you to read that pdf file I attached- about the Sujood al-Sahw. The reason I say this is that: I used to have similar sort of problems before, and it only became easier when I had memorized all of the pillars and Waajibaat (obligatory acts) of Salaah and then looked into the chapter of Sujood al-Sahw. This made it easier- much, much easier.

No, actually I meant it in the sense if we're dealing with faeces of the dog. I don't understand how to handle washing this when there is a chance of the water splashing on you. So must we wash any parts that get hit with water while washing? It's going to be hard to ascertain whether the water is dirty or clean while washing.

If you mean that there was faeces of the dog on something and you are washing that thing- and the water splashes on you... then I advise you to just ignore it as you are someone who has been afflicted with serious waswaas and ignoring this will only help you to ward off Shaytaan. Unless, the water that splashes on your body is different in colour, smell etc- then washing that part of your body/cloth is sufficient.

To come up to the subject of prayer ... last night I wanted to pray Isha' at the appointed time. Unfortunately me and my brother got so busy we decided to pray as quickly as we could before midnight - even tha tdidn't happen as the praying areas were closed. So after midnight, then. Then someone tells us it's impermissible to pray after midnight. I tell my brother to go pray qada', and I just have the intention in my heart to pray Isha' not qada, seeing that I was unsure. Is that OK?

Because I thought that either way, if I was correct with my notion that it may be OK to pray after midnight, I was praying Isha' anyways, and if I was wrong, then praying Isha' after the appointed time would come under qada'.
Unless I'm wrong?? And I've asked my brother to do something wrong, too? :O

With regards to the end of `Ishaa' time, then as the Messenger of Allaah :saw2: said: “The time of ‘Isha’ is until midnight” (narrated by Muslim, 964)- and if one prays it past this time because he forgot or was sleeping, then he is not blameworthy.

What it means as Midnight, is not what we understand as 12 am- but rather as Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah said that the night is from when the sun sets untill the starting time of Fajar and the middle of that is mid-night. Say for example- if Maghrib (time when the sun sets) starts at 6pm and Fajar starts at 4 am... then the night is 10 hours long, and 5 hours is the mid-point. Thus, 5 hours from the start of Maghrib will be the ending time of `Ishaa', i.e you can pray `Ishaa anytime from the start of `Ishaa and before 11pm. Hope that makes sense?

I hope I cleared your doubts, and I apologize for any mistakes I made in my previous posts that confused you.

Wassalaamu `alaykum

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