JUMAH - FRIDAY PRAYER

FRIDAY PRAYER

Q.   Is the Jum'ah prayer Fard, Wajib or Masnun?

  Jum'ah prayer is a Fard Salat. There is greater emphasis on it than on the Dhuhr prayer. Dhuhr prayer is not to be offered on Friday. The Jum'ah prayer supercedes the Dhuhr prayer.

Q.   Is the Jum'ah prayer commanded for every Muslim?

  The Jum'ah prayer is commanded for any male person who is free, major, sensible, physically fit and on-station. Thus, it is not obligatory on slaves, minor children, lunatics, the sick, the blind, the disabled and the like nor on women and persons on journey.

Q.   Will Salat of the blind, the disabled, the women and persons on-journey be valid if they join the Jum'ah prayer?

  Yes, their Salat is valid and it will absolve them of the obligation to say the Dhuhr prayer.

Q.   What is the conditions precedent for the Jum'ah prayer to be valid?

  The prerequisites of Jum'ah prayer are as follows:

             i.     One’s being in a town/city. The suburbs of a city used for purposes of graveyard or cantonment also hold the order of the city. Jum'ah prayer in a small village would not be in order;

           ii.     It being the permissible time for Dhuhr;

         iii.     Khutbah (Jum'ah oration) being given before Salat;

          iv.     There being a congregation for prayer;

            v.     There being free and general permission to all (to join the prayers).

Jum'ah prayer will be in order if all this above preconditions are met.

Q.   What is the Masnun way for giving khutbah (Jum'ah oration)?

  The procedure is like this: the Imam sits on the steps of the rostrum and the Mu’azzin calls the Azan. After Azan, the Imam faces the congregation, stands on his feet and gives his oration. On completion of the first part, he sits down for a while. Then again he is up on his legs and gives the second part of the oration. This over, the Imam alights from the steps of the rostrum and stands before the arch. The Mu’azzin then calls the Takbir (formula for Azan with slight modifications) and all the assembly stands up and joins the head in prayer.

Q.   At what place should the Azan for Jum'ah oration be called?

  It should be called in front of the Imam whether it is just at the foot of the Imam whether it is just at the foot of the rostrum or one or two rows behind. It could also be called from a point at the back of the rows in the Masjid or even outside. All these things are permissible.

Q.   How is it to give the Jum'ah oration or recite lines of poetry in it in languages other than Arabic?

  It is undesirable to give the Jum'ah oration in any language other than Arabic, but the obligation to give such an oration is in any case satisfied. It (the act of giving oration in other languages), however, lessens the reward from Al-lah.

Q.   What acts are forbidden to be done during the progress of the Jum'ah oration?

  All acts that divert the attention from the Jum'ah oration are undesirable. These are:

             i.     Talking;

           ii.     Busying oneself in the Nafl or Masnun Salat;

         iii.     Eating;

          iv.     Drinking;

            v.     Answering comments or queries;

          vi.     Reciting the Qur-an.

These acts become undesirable from the moment the Imam sets out to give his oration.

Q.   What do we mean by congregation as a precondition for Jum'ah?

  Presence of three persons besides the Imam is essential for the institution of Jum'ah prayer. The Jum'ah prayer will not be good if fewer than three persons join the congregation.

Q.   What do we mean by there being general permission to one and all as a precondition for the Jum'ah prayer?

  It means that there must be general permission to everyone and anyone to join the Salat. No Jum'ah prayer can be instituted at a place where permission to join the prayer is open to some and denied to some.

Q.   How many Rak'ahs are there in the commanded Jum'ah prayer?

  It contains two Rak'ahs. One has to complete two Rak'ahs no matter whether one joins the prayer from the outset or after the completion of one Rak'ah or even as late as the last sitting.

SALAT OF A PERSON ON JOURNEY

SALAT OF A PERSON ON JOURNEY

Q.   For how long great a distance must one have intended for travel to quality for the definition of a person “person on journey”?

  According to Shariah a “person on journey” is one who intends to travel as far as takes three days to walk (on foot). It does not mean three days continuous walking but traveling from morning till the decline of the sun. Walk means walk on ordinary pace and the day for the purpose is to be the shortest day.

Q.   What do we mean by walk on ordinary pace and three days journey means how many miles?

   

             i.     Walk on ordinary pace means walk of a man travelling on foot.

           ii.     Three days walk may, for the sake of convenience, be taken to mean forty eighty miles or eighty kilometers.

Q.   What does the Shariah say about a person who covers the distance (walkable in three days) by train, bus or chaise drawn by the horses?

  He is to be rested as “on journey” howsoever speedily he covers the distance.

Q.   In what respect is the Salat of a person on-journey different from the normal prayer?

  A person on-journey offers two Rak'ahs instead of four for Dhuhr, ‘Asr and ‘Isha. There is, however no change in the prayers for Fajr, Maghrib and for Witr.

Q.   What is the technical name given to this act of shortening the Salat from four Rak'ahs to two?

  It is called Qasr (shortening).

Q.   When should a person on-journey start availing himself of the Qasr (shortening) provision?

  He should start doing Qasr from the time he gets out of the bounds of his locality.

Q.   How long should he avail himself of the provision for Qasr?

  He can avail it as long as he is on-journey and does not make the intention to stay in any one city, town or village for a minimum of fifteen days. But the moment he makes up his mind to stay at any one place for a period of fifteen days or more, he should start saying unabridged (full) Salat.

Q.   What is the injunction about a  person who had the intention to stay for three four days, but the stay to be prolonged for another term of three four days as the job in hand could not be finished and again the process was repeated in like manner until the stay went beyond the stipulated period of fifteen days?

  As long as he does not make an intention to stay for full fifteen days at a time, he should offer shortened prayers. The provision will hold even if the total period of stay exceeds fifteen days.

Q.   What is the stipulation for one who by mistake says, full four Rak'ahs of the Salat?

  If he has done the sitting after the second Rak'ah, one remedial prostration at the end will set the Salat right. Deliberate flouting the stipulation will amount to sin. But there is no blame if it is a genuine lapse. In this case two of the Rak'ahs will be counted towards Fard while the other two will be Nafl prayers.

In case no sitting was done after the second Rak'ah, the commanded prayer will not be deemed to have been consummated. The whole exercise will turn Nafl. Fard will have to be said once again.

Q.   What is the injunction about a person on journey saying his Salat behind an on-station Imam?

  The person on journey following an on-station Imam also becomes under obligation to say full four Rak'ahs.

Q.   What is the injunction about a person on journey leading the prayers of those who are on-station?

  In this case the on-journey head of the prayer will turn his face in Salam after two Rak'ahs and ask his on-station followers to go ahead with the remaining part of their Salat without him. Others in congregation will stand on their legs without turning their faces in Salam and complete their remaining two Rak'ahs. They should neither recite Surahs after Al-Fatihah in these two Rak'ahs nor will they execute the remedial prostration in case of a lapse in Salat.

Q.   Is Salat permissible on board a running train, aeroplane or ship?

  Yes, Salat is permissible to be said on a running train, aeroplane or ship. If it is possible to stand and say the Salat without fear of feeling giddy and falling down we must do it in the standing posture. If it is not possible we are allowed to sit and say it. If, during the prayer the train, the aeroplane or the ship changes its direction so that the worshipping no longer faces the Qiblah, let him also adjust himself so that the Qiblah remains before him.

SALAT OF THE SICK

SALAT OF THE SICK

Q.   Under what circumstances can a sick person say his Salat in the sitting posture?

  A sick person can offer Salat in the sitting posture in anyone of the following circumstances:

             i.     He has no strength to stand on his legs;

           ii.     Standing causes acute pain to him;

         iii.     Standing is likely to aggravate the disease;

          iv.     Standing is likely to cause giddiness;

            v.     He has strength enough to stand but not to do the bowing or prostrating.

If, however such a person can do the bowing and go prostrate, he should do it.

If not, he should say Salat without it, merely by signs and gestures. The gesture for bowing and prostration is lowering the head. To signal prostration, the head should be lowered more than one does for the bowing.

Q.   What should a person do if he can afford to stand for a certain period of time but not throughout?

  He is duty-bound to stand only as long as he can afford it.

Q.   What should a sick person do if he has no strength even to sit?

  Let him lie down and pray. To do so, he should preferably lie down supine and direct his feet towards Qiblah. He should not stretch his legs, but bend the knees double. He should also rest his head on a pillow etc., so that the head is raised. He should make signs by the head to mark the bowing and prostration.

Instead of lying supine (which is preferable) he may also lie down on his right side with face turned towards the north or on his left side facing south and say his Salat by sign. Of these two postures the former in which one turns to the right side is preferable.

Q.   What should a sick person do if he has no strength even to say his Salat by sign?

  If he has no strength even to make signs by the head, he should delay his prayers. If he persists in such a plight beyond a day and night, he is not duty bound even to say these missed prayers afterwards. Nevertheless, if he regains strength to make signs by the head within twenty four hours, he is duty bound to say his missed Salat as missed prayers (which cannot in any case be more than five).