UNDESIRABLES OF SALAT

UNDESIRABLES OF SALAT

Q.   What acts are undesirable (Makruh) in Salat?

  These are the following:

1. Sadl which means leaving the clothes loose and hanging from the body, such as leaving the two sides of a sheet of cloth hanging from the head or putting the coat etc., on the shoulders without putting the hands into its sleeves;
2. Helping oneself with one’s clothes to keep them from soil or mud;
3. Sporting with one’s body or clothes;
4. Going to offer Salat with shabby clothes on such as one much not like to wear in a social gathering;
5. Putting in one’s mouth some coin, etc., although it does not completely block one’s mouth in recitation; (if, however, the mouth gets blocked, the Salat will not be acceptable at all);
6. Offering Salat without the cap on the head out of sheer carelessness and indolence;
7. Offering Salat while one is feeling an urgent call of nature;
8. Gathering the hair and forming a pig-tail of it on the head;
9. Removing the pebbles from under the feet; (but if one finds it difficult even to lay the forehead on the ground for prostration, they may be removed in one effort);
10. Struggling with one’s fingers or intercrossing the fingers of the two hands;
11. Placing the hand on the back on either side of the body or on the hips;
12. Scanning this side or that with or without turning the face from Qiblah;
13. Sitting like a dog i.e., sitting with thighs upwards and touching the belly, while the knees kiss the chest and the hands rest on the ground;
14. A male worshipper’s placing the two wrists on the ground in prostration;
15. Facing in prayer a person who is sitting with his face turned towards the worshipper;
16. Acknowledging greetings by a nod of the head or the waving of the hand;
17. Sitting with legs crossed without any excuse or compulsion;
18. Deliberate yawing or not controlling the yawn when is in a position to do so;
19. Closing the eyes (but it is permissible if it is for purposes of concentration in prayer);
20. For the head of the prayer to stand under the arch (but there would be nothing wrong if the feet are outside the arch);
21. For the head of prayer alone to stand on a raised (one arm-high) place (but it is permissible if some of the following him in prayer also share that raised platform;
22. Standing alone in a back row although room in the front row is not yet exhausted;
23. Saying prayers wearing clothes that bear the image of some animate object;
24. Offering prayer at a place which has pictures or pictures on one or more sides of it or over the head of the worshipper;
25. Counting on fingers the verses or chapters of the Qur-an or the formula recited during the prayer;
26. Offering prayer with a shawl or piece of cloth wrapped in such a way that the movement of the hands of the worshipper is hampered;
27. Stretching the hands or twisting the body in order to fight indolence in prayer;
28. Laying the forehead and nose in Sijdah on the rolls of the turban;

Doing things against the precept of the Prophet (peace be on him) in the prayer;

INVALIDATORS OF SALAT

INVALIDATORS OF SALAT

Q.   What do we mean by the term invalidators of Salat?

  Invalidators of Salat are things and circumstances which nullify the prayer and render it necessary for the worshippers to revise it.

Q.   Name the invalidators of Salat!

  These are the following:

             i.     Any speech in Salat, whether intentional or unintentional, big or small, nullifies the prayer;

           ii.     Wishing anyone in whatever terms (eg. Saying AS-SALAMU ‘ALAIKUM or other words used for the purpose);

         iii.     Returning another person’s wish, or blessing or responding to one who sneezes (with words lie WA‘LAIKUM-AS-SALAM or WA RAHMATULLAH ), or saying amen in response to the invocation of some one not joining the Salat;

          iv.     Reacting to a bad news by the words like IN-NA LIL-LAHI WA IN-NA ILAIHI RAJI’UN  to a good news by pronouncing ALHAMDU LIL-LAH or on learning an extraordinary news SUBHANAL-LAH;

            v.     Reacting to one’s pain or disease in words or by exclamation like ah, oh, etc.

          vi.     Interpolating in Salat when an error is committed by a person leading another congregation;

        vii.     Reading the Qur-an from the written or printed text;

      viii.     Committing some grave mistake in recitation;

          ix.     Doing too much of some extraneous act (besides the rituals of Salat such as would lead someone to suspect that the person concerned is not offering Salat;

            x.     Eating or drinking, intentional or otherwise;

          xi.     Walking more than two meters;

        xii.     Turning the chest away from Qiblah without any compusion;

      xiii.     Performing Sijdah on an unclean spot;

       xiv.     Remaining with uncovered Satr for as long as one would complete one part of Salat;

         xv.     Asking from Al-lah things in prayer that would properly be asked from human beings, eg., “May Thou O Al-lah, give me one hundred rupees this day.”

       xvi.     Crying in adversity or pain so that words of sorrow or grief become audible to others;

     xvii.     For a major to give a loud laugh or even to laugh audibly;

   xviii.     Forging ahead of the Imam.

MASAH ON SOCKS

MORE ABOUT MAS-HA ON SOCKS

Q.   When should we start reckoning the stipulated permissible duration for wiping the socks?

  The permissible duration for the purpose should be calculated from the moment the ablution gets nullified. From that time onward Mas-ha is allowed on socks for a day and night or for three days and three nights as the case may be. For example, if one puts on the socks in the morning of Friday and breaks his ablution after time for dhuhr prayer is over, if he is a Muqmim (on station), he is allowed to continue to wipe his socks until dhuhr prayer on Saturday. Musafir (a person on journey), on the other hand, can continue to wipe the socks until dhuhr on Monday.

Q.   What are the things that invalidate Mas-ha?

  Acts that nullify the ablution also break Mas-ha. Apart from that the Mas-ha gets broken as soon as the stipulated permissible period for Mas-ha is over. It also breaks if the socks are taken off or the socks get torn making a hole as big as the width of three toes.

Q.   What will be the position if the socks are taken off while the ablution is still intact or the duration for the validity of Mas-ha is over?

  Under both these situation it is enough to wash the feet and put on the socks. It is, however, desirable (Mustahab) to do the ablution afresh.

Q.   What should a person on journey do if he returns home only one day and night after he undertook the Mas-ha on socks?

  He should take off the and start with a new ablution and a fresh Mas-ha.

Q.   What should a person on-station do if he starts on journey after he undertook his Mas-ha at home?

  If he starts on journey before a day and night is over he may keep the socks on and continue doing the Mas-ha for three days and three nights. If, however, he starts on his journey after the completion of one day and night he must put off the socks and begin with a fresh Mas-ha.

Q.   What will be the position if the socks are torn a little at several places?

  We must see whether the combined circumference of the tear is equal to three toes in width. If so, Mas-ha is not allowed to be made. If it is less, Mas-ha is allowed. If, however, only the combined tear of the two socks is equal to the width of three toes while the tear of each individual sock is less than that, the Mas-ha is allowed to be done.

INVALIDATORS OF ABLUTION

MORE ABOUT THE INVALIDATORS OF ABLUTION

Q.   What minimum quantity of an unclean element flowing from the body will invalidate ablution?

  Any quantity of an unclean element that comes out of the body and flows towards the part of the body commanded to be washed in ablution or bath will break the ablution.

Q.   If blood stands out in the eye and flows within the eye, will it break the ablution?

  No, because washing the inner portion of the eye is commanded neither in ablution nor in bath.

Q.   If blood on the wound and is wiped off with a finger or a piece of cloth and the process is repeated several times, does it break the ablution?

  It must be observed whether thus the blood wiped was capable of flowing out if it had been left unwiped. If so, it shall invalidate the ablution, otherwise the ablution will remain intact.

Q.   What contents coming out in vomiting will break the ablution?

  If bile, blood, food or water is thrown out or one makes a mouthful of vomiting, ablution shall stand broken. If, however only phlegm comes out, the ablution remains unaffected.

Q.   How is it if vomiting comes out in piece-meals?

  If a single vomiting sensation results in several vomits, which, taken together, amount to one mouthful, the ablution shall break. Nevertheless, if one sensation results in a little vomiting, leaving no after-effects and the same thing is repeated, the two vomits will not be taken as one and the ablution will remain intact.

Q.   If blood or pus coming out of a pimple on any part of the body makes its appearance on the clothing, is that clothing clean or unclean?

  If the blood or pus is capable only of appearing on the clothing, but not of flowing out, the clothing will be considered as clean. Still it is preferable to wash it.

Q.   Is a vomit which is less than a mouthful unclean?

  No, it is not.

Q.   Will the ablution get invalidated if a leech clings to one’s body and sucks blood to its fill, or a pea or mosquito bites a person?

  The sucking of blood by a leech shall the body after it has left it. The reason being that the quantity of blood sucked by the leech is such that it would certainly flow down the body, if it were not sucked by the leech. Ablution shall however remain intact in case a pea or mosquito bites a person because the amount of blood sucked by them is very small and therefore incapable of flowing over the body.

Q.   What type of nap or sleep does not break the ablution?

  Sleeping in the standing position or without any support or in any position adopted in Salat such as Sijdah or Qa’dah does not break the ablution.

Q.   Is there any one whose ablution does not break even by falling asleep?

  Yes, ablution of the prophets of Al-lah does not break even if they fall asleep. This is their sole prerogative and privilege.

Q.   Does bursting into laughter break the ablution? Is so, what is exactly bursting into laughter?

  Bursting into laughter means laughing in such a way that it can be heard by others. The following are the necessary conditions for the invalidation of ablution in Salat on account of laughter.

1.      The person concerned must be an adult, man or woman. (For the minor’s laughter does not break his or her ablution);

2.      The person concerned must be awake. If, however, a person falls asleep during Salat and then bursts into laughter his ablution will remain intact;

3.      The Salat in which one has laughed must be a Salat requiring ruku’ (bowing) or sujud (prostration). Thus, if one laughs in a funeral prayer, the ablution will not break.

Q.   Does ablution get nullified if one sees by chance the part of any other person’s body meant for hiding (Satr)?

  No, ablution does not get nullified if one sees with or without intention the part of his own or another’s body.