Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The Pillars of Solat

The Pillars of Solat

( The Rukun of Solat according to Shafi’ie School )

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;
All the praise and Thanks are due to Allāh, the Lord of al-ā’lamīn. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam is His Messenger.


The Daily Solat Fardhu consists of two, three and four raka’at.

The Pillars of the Solat is a mandatory or obligatory part; it cannot be waived, whether one omits it deliberately or by mistake, rather the Pillar is act that you have to go back and do it in order to make the Solat valid; or else the solat is invalid. 

And according to The Shafi`ie School the Rukun (Pillars) of Solat is as follows:

i)      Standing straight: if one is able to do so. The Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to stand in prayer for both obligatory and voluntary prayers, carrying out the command of the Exalted: “And stand before Allāh devoutly.” (Baqarah, 2:238)

ii)     Niyyah: (Hanbali School regards it as the Condition (Syarat) of Solat): the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) say: “Actions are but by intentions and each person will have but that which he intended.” [Al-Bukhari]

iii)   Takbiratul Ihram -The Opening Takbīr: saying “Allāhu akbar (Allah the Greatest)” Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu alayhi wa sallam) said: “The key to the solat is purification; it is entered by Takbīr and exited by Taslīm.” [Abu Dawud, Tirmidzi and Hakim: sahih and Dhahabi agreed (Irwa’ 301)]

iv)  Reciting al-Fātihah in each raka`ah. 'Ubadah bin As-Samit (radiyallāhu`anhu) narrated: Allah's Apostle (Sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) said: "Whoever does not recite Al-Fatihah in his solat, his solat is invalid." [Al-Bukhari]

v)     Rukū’ with toma’ninah ( Calmness till you feel at ease) in each raka`ah: 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.

vi)    Rising from Ruku’ and Standing up straight (I’tidal) with toma’ninah (Calmness till you feel at ease)

vii)  Sujūd twice with toma’ninah (Calmness till you feel at ease): the most perfect form is placing the seven parts of the body firmly on the ground, and the least of which is placing a part of each of these on the ground.

Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas (radiyallāhu`anhu) narrated:  “The Prophet (Sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) was ordered (by Allah) to prostrate on seven parts and not to tuck up the clothes or hair (while praying). Those parts are: the forehead (along with the tip of nose), both hands, both knees, and (toes of) both feet.” [Recorded by Al-Bukhari]

viii)Sitting between the two Sujuds with toma’ninah (Calmness till you feel at ease): Sunnah to sit muftarishan, which means sitting on the left foot and holding the right foot upright with the toes pointing towards the Qiblah; and next rise for the following raka`ah.

Narrated Abu Hurairah (radiyallāhu`anhu): Once the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) entered the masjid (Masjid An-Nabawi), a man came in, offered the solat and greeted the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

The Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) returned his greeting and said to him, “Go back and pray again for you have not prayed.” The man offered the prayer again, came back and greeted the Prophet (Sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam). He (Sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) said to him thrice, “Go back and pray again for you have not prayed.” The man said, “By Him Who has sent you with the truth! I do not know a better way of praying. Kindly teach me how to Solat.”

The Prophet (Sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) said, "When you stand for the Solat, say Takbīr (Allāhu Akbar) and then recite from the Qur'an (Al-Fatihah and Surah) what you know; and then Ruku’ with calmness till you feel at ease (toma’ninah), then rise from sujud till you stand straight (I’tidal). Then sujud (prostrate) calmly till you feel at ease (toma’ninah) and then raise (your head) and sit with Calmness till you feel at ease (toma’ninah)  and then Sujud  (prostrate) with calmness till you feel at ease (toma’ninah) in prostration;  and do the same in the whole of your Solat." [Narrated by Al-Bukhari (759)]

ix)   Sitting for the Final Tashahhud with toma’ninah (Calmness till you feels at ease)

x)   Reciting the Final Tashahhud: Ibn `Abbas (radiyallāhu`anhu) narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to teach us the Tashahhud the way he taught us [surahs of] the Qur’an; he used to say: “At-tahiyyātul mubaraka tus-salawātut-tayyibātu lillāh, As-salāmu `alayka ayyuhan-Nabiyyu wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh. As-salāmu `alayna wa `alā `ibād-Illāh is-sālihīn. Ash-hadu an lāilāha ill-Allāh wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasūlullāh [in one narration: ‘abduhu wa Rasūluh] (All compliments, blessed words, prayers, pure words are due to Allāh. Peace be on you, O Prophet, and also the mercy of Allāh and His blessings. Peace be on us and on the righteous slaves of Allāh. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allāh, and [I bear witness] that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allāh (in one narration: ... is His slave and Messenger.)” [Muslim, Abu ‘Awānah, Shāfi`ie and Nasa`ie]

xi)    Sending the Salawāt upon the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wassallam) in the Final Tashahhud

Abu Mas`ud Al-Ansari (radiyallāhu`anhu) narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) visit us in a gathering of Sa`ad ibn `Ubadah (radiyallāhu`anhu). Bashir bin Sa`ad (radiyallāhu`anhu) asked him: “Allāh has commanded us to send bless [salah] upon you [re al-Ahzab 33:56], O Messenger of Allāh! So how should we do it?'' The Messenger of Allāh (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) kept silent. We were much perturbed over his silence and we wished he [Bashir] did not ask him the question. The Messenger of Allāh (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said,"[For salah on me] Say: “Allāhumma Salli `ala Muhammad, wa`ala āli Muhammad, Kama sallayta `ala āli Ibrāhīm, Wabarik`ala Muhammad, wa’ala āli Muhammd, Kamabarakta’ala āli Ibrāhīm, Fil ‘ālamīn; Innaka Hamīdum Majīd (O Allāh! Send Prayers on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad, as you Sent Prayers on Ibrāhīm; And Send Blessings on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad, as you Sent Blessings on the family of Ibrāhīm, among nations; For You are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious); and the method of greeting (i.e Salām in Tashahhud) is as you know it” [Muslim (803), Abu Dawud (976 and 980): sahih]

xii)  Uttering the First Salāms in Taslim: (But the Hanbali school: Uttering the two Salāms. This means saying twice, “As-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh (Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allāh).” In Nawafil Solats it is sufficient to say one Salām; the same also applies to the Funeral Prayer.)

xiii)  Tartib: Doing the pillars in the order. If a person deliberately observe Sujud before bowing, for example, the Solat is invalidated; if he does that by mistake, he has to go back and observe the Ruku’, and then sujud.

There are not many differences about the content of Pillars of the Solat except its approach like, Niyyah, Toma’ninah, Taslim (Shāfi`ie consider the first Salām is the pillar and the Solat is concluded)

[There some differences about the content of Pillars of the Solat except its approach like: Niyyah, Toma’ninah, Salawāt in Final Tashahhud is a Mustahabbah Sunnah in Hanbali, Taslim (Shāfi`ie consider the first Salām is the pillar and the Solat is concluded)]

And Allāh Almighty Knows best. 

[Reference: A Comprehensive Prayer Formula by Zaharuddin Abd Rahman; Islam Q&A (65847)]

Monday, March 5, 2012

The Pre-Conditions of Solāt


The Pre-Conditions of Solāt

(The Condition (Syarat) of Solat according to Shafi’ie School)

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;
All the praise and Thanks are due to Allāh, the Lord of al-ā’lamīn. There is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam is His Messenger.

The Solāt Fardhu (Obligatory Solāt) is made of parts which are As-Shārāt (The Conditions); Arkān (Pillars); Wajibāt (Requirements); Sunnah (Recommended); and things that are Makrūh (Disliked). The parts are necessary for the authentication of the Solāt and for this reason a believer should not remain ignorant about them. 

The Conditions are prerequisites for the Solāt. They have to be met in order for the Solāt to be valid. If a person does not fulfill any of these conditions for any reason, whether it is due to ignorance, forgetfulness, or intentionally does not do them, then their Solāt is invalid. Once a person realises that he or she missed a condition they should repeat that Solāt, even if a long period passes.

These conditions are: 


The three pre-conditions obligatory to observe solat:

1 –Al-Islām:  a Muslim

2 – Al- ‘Aql: sane and conscious mind.

3 – At-Tamyīz: reached an age of maturity, the extent of which is 7 years


The pre-Conditions (Syarat) for Solat to be valid:

4 and 5- Tahārah (Purity): There are two types: purity from ritual impurity (hadath) and purity from tangible impurity (najas). 

(i)- Purity from major and minor ritual impurity (hadath). If a person observe solat when he is in a state of ritual impurity, then his solat is invalid according to scholarly consensus, because of the report narrated from Abu Hurayrah (radiyallāhu‘anhu) from the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) who said: 

“Allāh does not accept the solāt of one of you if he becomes ritually impure, unless he does wudhu’.”
 
[Al-Bukhari (6954)]

              (ii)- Purity from najāsah or tangible impurity. If a person observes solat with some impurity on him, and he is aware of that and remembers it is there, then his solat is not valid.

The worshipper should avoid najāsah in three places:

(a)   The body. There should not be any najāsah or impurity on his body. This is indicated by the report narrated by Muslim (292) from Ibn ‘Abbas (radiyallāhu`anhu) who said: The Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) passed by two graves, and he said: “They are being punished, but they are not being punished for anything that was difficult to avoid. One of them used to walk around spreading malicious gossip, and the other did not protect himself from his urine.” … 

(b)  The clothing. This is indicated by the report narrated by al-Bukhari (337) from Asma’ bint Abu Bakar (radiyallāhu‘anha) who said: A woman came to the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and said: If one of us sees menstrual blood on her garment, what should she do? He said: “Scratch it, then rub it with your fingers whilst pouring water on it and continue to pour water on it (until it is clean), and then pray in it.”

(c)  The place in which Solāt is offered. This is indicated by the report narrated by al-Bukhari from Anas ibn Mālik (radiyallāhu‘anhu) who said: A Bedouin came and urinated in the mosque. The people rebuked him but the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told them not to do that. When (the man) had finished urinating, the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) ordered that a bucket of water be poured over it. 

6- Covering the ‘awrah

If a person observes solat with his ‘awrah uncovered, his solāt would not be valid, because Allāh says:  “O Children of Adam! Take your adornment (by wearing your clean clothes) while solah” [Al-A’raf, 7:31] 

Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (may Allāh have mercy on him) said: They are unanimously agreed that the solāt of one, who does not wear his clothes when he is able to cover himself with them, and observe solat naked, is invalid.  

‘Awrah for people who are praying fall into several categories: 

(i)    Minimum ‘awrah. This is the ‘awrah of a male between the ages of seven and ten; his ‘awrah is the two private parts only, front and back.

(ii)    Moderate ‘awrah. This is the ‘awrah of one who has reached the age of ten and above, between the navel and the knee.

(iii)   Maximum ‘awrah. This is the ‘awrah of an adult, free woman. All of her body is ‘awrah when praying, except for her hands and face. The scholars differed with regard to showing the feet. 

7- That the time for Solat has begun

It is when the time commences and time frame. This is the most important condition. A Solāt offered before its time has begun is not valid, according to scholarly consensus, because Allāh says: “Verily, As-Solāt (the Solāt) is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours” [Al-Nisa’, 4:103] 

Allāh has mentioned the times of Solāt in brief terms in al-Qur’an. He says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Perform As-Solāh (Iqāmat-as-Solāh) from mid‑day till the darkness of the night (i.e. the Zuhur, `Asar, Maghrib, and `‘Ishā’ Solāt), and recite the Qur’ān in the early dawn (i.e. the — Fajar Morning Solāt). Verily, the recitation of the Qur’ān in the early dawn (i.e. the morning — Solat Fajar) is ever witnessed (attended by the angels in charge of mankind of the day and the night)” 

[Surah Al-Isrā’, 17:78]. 

The “mid-day’ means when the sun passes its zenith. “The darkness of the night” means in the middle of the night. This time, from halfway through the day until halfway through the night, includes the time of four Solāt: Zuhur, `Asar, Maghrib and `Isha’. 

8- Facing towards the Qiblah.
 
If a person offers an obligatory Solāt facing anywhere other than the Qiblah, when he is able to face it, then his Solāt is invalid according to scholarly consensus, because Allāh says:

“So turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid Al-Harām (at Makkah). And wheresoever you people are, turn your faces (in Solāt) in that direction”

[Al-Baqarah, 2:144] 

And because the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, in the hadith about the one who prayed badly: “Then turn to face the Qiblah and say takbīr.” [Narrated by al-Bukhari (6667)] 

Intention (Niyyah): There is a difference between the Hanbali and Shafi’ie School. Hanbali regard Niyyah (Intention) as a condition while The Shāfi‘ie School regarded it as the Pillar (Rukun) of the Solat.

If a person observe solat without forming the proper intention then his solat is invalid, because of the report narrated from ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (radiyallāhu‘anhu) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) say: “Actions are but by intentions and each person will have but that which he intended.” [Al-Bukhari (1)]

 Allāh does not accept any deed unless it is accompanied by the right intention. 

If a person does not fulfill any of the conditions then their Solāt is invalid. Once a person realises that he or she missed a condition they should repeat that Solāt, even if a long period passes

And Allāh Almighty Knows best.

 [Reference: A Comprehensive Prayer Formula by Zaharuddin Abd Rahman; Fatwa: No: 107701 Islam Q&A]

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Catching Up a Raka’ah with Imam

How to Catch Up With a Raka’ah When Late For Jama’ah?

I came little late for the congregation prayer (solat jama’ah) at the masjid. The Imām goes for the Rukū’ and we joined the jama‘ah; should we count that raka’ah as we have not recited surah Al-Fātihah

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;
All the praise and Thanks are due to Allāh, the Lord of al-ā’lamīn. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam is His Messenger.

According to the view of the majority of scholars, whoever catches up with the imām when he is at the position of ruku’, and observe the ruku’ with him that is regarded as a raka’ah for him, even if he did not recite al-Fātihah. 

This is indicated by authentic ahadith on the subject matter.

A hadith narrated from Abu Bakrah (radiyallāhu‘anhu), that he came to the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) when he was in the ruku’ and he followed to observe ruku’ with him, before he reached the row. He mentioned it to Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), and Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: 

"May Allāh increase your love (keen) for the good (virtuous); But, do not do it again (ruku’ in that way)." 

 [Recorded by Al-Bukhari (750)]

The hadith indicates it was improper to join the congregation, particularly to catch the raka’ah.

Stronger evidence is derived from the following ahadith.

It was narrated in a sahīh report that Abdullāh Ibn Mas‘ūd (radiyallāhu‘anhu) said: 

“Whoever does not catch up with the imām when he is observing ruku’ has not caught up with that raka’ah.”

[Recorded by al-Bayhaqi; classified as sahīh by al-Albāni in Irwa’ al-Ghalīl, 2/262.] 

Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar (radiyallāhu‘anhu) said: 

“Whoever catches up with the imām when he is observing ruku’ and observe ruku’ before the imām raises his head has caught up with that raka’ah.” 

[Recorded by al-Bayhaqi and classified as sahīh by al-Albāni, op. cit., 2/263] 

Similar reports were narrated from Abu Bakar al-Siddiq, Zayd ibn Thābit and ‘Abd-Allāh ibn al-Zubayr. [See Irwa’ al-Ghalīl, 2/264]

Imām an-Nawawi (rahimallāh) said: 

We mentioned that the catching up the raka’ah means by catching up with rukū’ (bowing). It is the correct view, It was held by Imām al-Shāfi‘ie. It was also the view of the majority of our companions and the majority of scholars. It is the apparent meaning of the ahādīth and all fuqahā’ are unanimously agreed upon it. 

The majority of imāms are of the view that whoever catches up with the imām when he is observing ruku’ and joins him in the solāt is regarded as has catch up with that raka’ah, even if he did not recite anything.  

There is another view, which is a very weak by the minority, which suggests that it does not count …that whoever catches up with the imām when he is observing ruku’ has not caught up with that raka’ah. This was reported from Abu Hurayrah (radiyallāhu‘anhu).  Al-Bukhāri also recorded it which it is an obligatory to recite behind the imām. This view was also favoured by like Ibn Khuzaymah, al-Sibghi and other al-Shāfi’ie muhaddithīn. Shaykh Taqiy al-Deen al-Subki among the later scholars regarded this as a strong view, and al-Muqbili regarded it as more likely to be correct. [Awn al-Ma’būd (3/102)]

[Al-Majmū’, 4/112]

But it is the view of the minority; it is more likely to be correct is the view of the majority, because of the hadīths quoted above. 

Thus, whoever catches up with the imām when he is observing ruku’ and observe ruku’ before the imām raises his head has caught up with that raka’ah

And Allāh Almighty Knows best.

[Via Islam Q&A (Fatwa No: 45494)]