COVERING CONCEALABLE PARTS

COVERING CONCEALABLE PARTS

(The fourth pre-condition for Salat)

Q.   What do we can mean by covering the concealable parts?

  Every male adult is commanded to cover his body right from his navel to his knees. This command holds good in and outside the Salat. Women are commanded to cover all their body excepting their two palms, feet and face. Although women are not commanded to cover their faces while offering Salat, they are not allowed to come out with their faces uncovered in the presence of men other than their kith and kin.

Q.   How is it if some concealable part of the body inadvertently remains uncovered?

  If one fourth part of such a part of the body remains inadvertently uncovered for a period of time sufficient to say thrice:

SUBHANA RAB-BIYAL’ADHIM

Salat is not valid. If, however, it is covered as soon as it gets uncovered, the Salat is valid.

Q.   How is it if a naked performs the Salat?

  If he has clothes and still offers the Salat naked whether in darkness or light, his Salat is void.

Q.   How is it if a person deliberately uncovers one fourth of his concealable part?

  The moment one does so intentionally his Salat gets abrogated.

Q.   What should a person do if he has no clothes at all?

  If a person has no clothes to put on, he may use some other things to cover to put on, he may use some other things to cover his body such as tree-leaves, sack cloth etc. If nothing at all is available, he may offer the Salat naked. But in such a situation it is better to perform the Ruku’ or Sijdah just by token or sign.

MORE ABOUT BATH

MORE ABOUT BATH

Q.   How many kinds of bath are there?

  There are three kinds of bath:

1.      Commanded (Fard);

2.      Prophet’s Precept (Masnun);

3.      Desirable (Mustahab).

Q.   How many categories of Bath are Fard?

  They are six in number. These will be discussed elsewhere in the book.

Q.   Which baths are Masnun? Name them.

  There are four of them, namely:

1.      Bath for Friday prayers;

2.      Bath for the prayers of the two ‘Ids;

3.      Bath before putting on Ihram (cloth specially worn by Hajj pilgrims); and

4.      Bath before staying at ‘Arafat.

Q.   Which baths are Mustahab?

  Quite a few baths are Mustahab. Some of them are as follows:

1.      Bath on the fifteenth of the month of Sha’ban;

2.      Bath in the night of ‘arafa i.e., in the night following the evening of the 8^th of zulhijjah;

3.      Bath for the Salat of the solar and lunar eclipse;

4.      Bath for the Salat-ul-Istisqa (prayers for the rains);

5.      Bath before entry into the holy cities of Makka and Madina;

6.      Bath by a person who has given bath to a dead body;

7.      Bath by an unbeliever after he has embraced Islam.

Q.   A person from whom bath is due dives into the river or stands in the rain so that water flows down his whole body, will the bath be deemed to have been performed by him?

  Yes, provided he also rinses his mouth and passes water into his nostrils.

Q.   Is it permissible to face Qiblah during bath?

  Facing the Qiblah when one id naked is forbidden. If, however, the parts of the body commanded to be covered are duly covered, there is no harm in it.

Q.   How is it to bathe with the Satr uncovered?

  Bathing in the bathroom or at any other secluded place with no one to see one’s Satr is permissible.

Q.   What are the undesirable acts (Makruhat) in bath?

  These are the following:

1.      Wasteful use of water in bath;

2.      Talking during the bath with the Satr uncovered;

3.      Facing Qiblah;

4.      Bathing against the Precepts of the holy Prophet.

Q.   Is ablution necessary for Salat in addition to bath if ablution was not done before bathing?

  Bath embarrasses ablution as well. As such no ablution is necessary after bath.