Women praying in the musalla to the right of the men

 

We are Muslims living in America. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has enabled the community to buy a mosque that was originally a church. First of all, we would like to ask you about things inside the building that are symbols of their religion -- can they be covered up if it is not possible to take them out? 


The second question is: it is not possible to make a prayer space for the women in the back. The only place where it is possible to make a prayer space for the women is either to the right of the men or to their left, with a wall to separate them from the men. We hope that you can advise us as quickly as possible so that we can start working to complete the renovation of the mosque.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: 

It is obligatory to remove the religious images and symbols
mentioned from the mosque. If it is not possible to take them out, it is
sufficient to cover them up or paint the wall in such a way as to make their
features disappear. If they are statues and it is not possible to remove
them, the head only may be removed, because of the report narrated by Muslim
(969) from Abu’l-Hayyaaj al-Asadi who said: ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib said to me:
Shall I not send you on the same mission as the Messenger of Allaah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) sent me? “Do not leave any image
without erasing it or any high grave without leveling it.” according to
another report: “or any image without erasing it.” 

Al-Tirmidhi (2806) and Abu Dawood (4158) “Jibreel came to me
and said to me: ‘I came to you last night and nothing kept me from entering
but the fact that there were statues at the door and there was a curtain in
the house on which there were images, and there was a dog in the house. So
tell someone to cut off the heads of the statues that are by the door of the
house, so that they will become like trees, and tell someone to take down
the curtain and make it into two cushions which can be placed on the floor
and on which people may step, and tell someone to take the dog out.’” And
the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did that.
The dog belonged to Hasan or Husayn, and it was under a table of theirs, and
he ordered that it be taken out.. 

The hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh
al-Jaami‘, no. 68. 

Secondly: 

There is nothing wrong with making the prayer space for the
women inside the mosque on the right or left of the men, as has been
explained in the answer to question number
79122. 

It is possible for them to follow the imam by hearing his
voice directly or through a microphone; it does not matter if they cannot
see the imam or the people praying behind him. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was
asked: What is the ruling on women praying in mosques in which they cannot
see the imam or the people praying behind him, and they can only hear his
voice? 

He replied: It is permissible for women and men also to pray
with the congregation in the mosque, even if they cannot see the imam or the
people praying behind him, if it is possible to follow the prayer. If his
voice reaches the women where they are in the mosque and they are able to
follow the imam in prayer, then it is permissible for them to pray with the
imam, because the place is one and it is possible to follow the imam whether
by hearing his voice through the microphone or hearing the voice of the one
who conveys it from the imam. It does not matter if they cannot see the imam
or the people praying behind him; rather some scholars stipulated that it
should be possible to see the imam or the people praying behind him in cases
where someone is playing outside the mosque. End quote from Majmoo‘
Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (15/213) 

See also the answer to question number
93369. 

We ask Allah to help and guide us and you. 

And Allah knows best.

Ruling on a dispute between two brothers

 

My father and my uncle – my
father’s brother – are always arguing. We live in one house, with only
a dividing wall between us. My father is single and my uncle is single; my
mother has died and my uncle’s wife has died. I always advise them not
to fight, but sometimes my uncle picks on my father. How can I advise both
of them – my father and my uncle? Please note that my father prays and
fasts, and my uncle prays sometimes and not at other times, but he does
fast.

Praise be to Allaah. 

Advise
your uncle to pray regularly and explain to him that the salaah is the
most important pillar of Islam after the Shahaadatayn.
Forsaking prayer is kufr, and his fasting is not valid if he is not
praying. His good deeds will not be accepted if he does not pray. Advise
them both to be righteous and to fear Allaah, and to uphold the ties of
kinship and pay attention to the rights of relatives; whoever cuts the
ties of kinship, Allaah will cut him off, and whoever takes care of the
ties of kinship, Allaah will take care of him. Read to them both the
aayaat of the Qur’aan and the ahaadeeth of the Prophet which speak of
that. Then if you uncle responds, then praise be to Allaah, otherwise you
have to shun him.

Neglecting prayer out of laziness

 

If you do not pray salat out of laziness on
purpose, are you a kafir or just a bad Muslim? Please answer.

Praise be to Allaah.

Imaam Ahmad said that the one who does not pray because
of laziness is a kaafir. This is the more correct view and is that indicated by the
evidence of the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, and by the words of the
Salaf and the proper understanding. (Al-Sharh al-Mumti’ ‘ala Zaad
al-Mustanqi’, 2/26).

Anyone who examines the texts of the Qur’aan and
Sunnah will see that they indicate that the one who neglects the prayer is guilty of Kufr
Akbar (major kufr) which puts him beyond the pale of Islam.

Among the evidence to be found in the Qur’aan is:

The aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“But if they repent [by rejecting Shirk (polytheism) and accept
Islamic Monotheism], perform As-Salaat (Iqaamat-as-Salaat) and give Zakaat, then they are
your brethren in religion.” [al-Tawbah 9:11]

The evidence derived from this aayah is that Allaah defined three
things that the Mushrikeen have to do in order to eliminate the differences between them
us: they should repent from shirk, they should perform prayer, and they should pay zakaah.
If they repent from shirk but they do not perform the prayer or pay zakaah, then they are
not our brethren in faith; if they perform the prayer but do not pay zakaah, then they are
not our brethren in faith. Brotherhood in religion cannot be effaced except when a person
goes out of the religion completely; it cannot be effaced by fisq (immoral conduct) or
lesser types of kufr.

Allaah also says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have given up
As-Salaat (the prayers) [i.e. made their Salaat (prayers) to be lost, either by not
offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in their proper
fixed times] and have followed lusts. So they will be thrown in Hell. Except those who
repent and believe (in the Oneness of Allaah and His Messenger Muhammad), and work
righteousness. Such will enter Paradise and they will not be wronged in aught.”
[Maryam 19:59-60]

The evidence derived from this aayah is that Allaah referred to those
who neglect the prayer and follow their desires, Except those who repent and believe,
which indicates that at the time when they are neglecting their prayers and following
their desires, they are not believers.

The evidence of the Sunnah that proves that the one who neglects the
prayer is a kaafir includes the hadeeth of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him): “Between a man and shirk and kufr there stands his neglect of the
prayer.” (Narrated by Muslim in Kitaab al-Eemaan from Jaabir ibn
‘Abd-Allaah from the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)).

It was narrated that Buraydah ibn al-Husayb (may Allaah
be pleased with him) said: “I heard the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) say: ‘The covenant that distinguishes between us and them is the
prayer, and whoever neglects it has disbelieved (become a kaafir).’” (It
was narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nisaa’i and Ibn Maajah). What is meant here by kufr or disbelief is the kind of kufr which puts a person
beyond the pale of Islam, because the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
made prayer the dividing line between the believers and the disbelievers. It is known that
the community of kufr is not the same as the community of Islam, so whoever does not
fulfil this covenant must be one of the kaafireen (disbelievers).

There is also the hadeeth of ‘Awf ibn Maalik (may Allaah be
pleased with him), according to which the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “The best of your leaders are those whom you love and who love you, who
pray for you and you pray for them. The worst of your leaders are those whom you hate and
who hate you, and you send curses on them and they send curses on you.” He was asked,
“O Messenger of Allaah, should we not fight them by the sword?” He said,
“Not as long as they are establishing prayer amongst you.”

This hadeeth indicates that those in authority should be opposed and
fought if they do not establish prayer, but it is not permissible to oppose and fight them
unless they make a blatant show of kufr and we have evidence from Allaah that what they
are doing is indeed kufr. ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit said: “The Messenger of Allaah

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called us and we gave bay’ah (oath of
allegiance) to him. Among the things that we pledged to do was to listen and obey him both
when we felt enthusiastic and when we were disinclined to act, both at times of difficulty
and times of ease, and at times when others were given preference over us, and that we
would not oppose those in authority. He said: ‘unless they made a blatant show of
kufr and you have evidence from Allaah that what they are doing is indeed
kufr.’” (Agreed upon). On this basis, their neglecting the
prayer, for which the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said we should
oppose them and fight them by the sword, constitutes an act of blatant kufr for which we
have evidence from Allaah that it is indeed kufr.

If someone were to say: is it not permissible to interpret the texts
about a person who neglects prayer being a kaafir as referring to the one who neglects the
prayer because he does not think it is obligatory?

We would say: it is not permissible to interpret the texts in this way
because there are two reservations about this interpretation:

it involves ignoring the general description that the Lawgiver took into
consideration and to which the ruling was connected. The ruling that the person who
neglects prayer is a kaafir is connected to the action of neglecting prayer, not to his
denial of it being obligatory. Brotherhood in religion is based on performing the prayer,
not on whether a person declares it to be obligatory. Allaah did not say, “If they
repent and state that the prayer is obligatory”, and the Prophet
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not say “Between a man and shirk and kufr there
stands his denial that the prayer is obligatory” or “The covenant that
distinguishes between us and them is our statement that the prayer is obligatory, so
whoever denies that it is obligatory has disbelieved.” If this is what Allaah and His
Messenger had meant, then not stating it clearly would have contradicted what is said in
the Qur’aan. For Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And We have sent down to you the Book (the Qur’aan) as an
exposition of everything” [al-Nahl 16:89]

“And We have also sent down unto you (O Muhammad) the Dhikr [reminder
and the advice (i.e. the Qur’aan)], that you may explain clearly to men what is sent
down to them” [al-Nahl 16:44]

It is not correct to refer to a reason which the Lawgiver did not make a
factor in ruling a person to be a kaafir, because if a person who does not have the excuse
of ignorance denies that the five daily prayers are obligatory then he is deemed to be a
kaafir, whether he prays or not. If a person performs the five daily prayers, fulfilling
all the conditions of prayer and doing all the actions that are obligatory or mustahabb,
but he denies that the prayers are obligatory with no valid reason for doing so, then he
is a kaafir, even though he is not neglecting the prayers. From this it is clear that it
is not correct to interpret the texts about neglecting the prayers as referring to denying
that they are obligatory. The correct view is that the person who neglects the prayer is a
kaafir who is beyond the pale of Islam, as is clearly stated in the report narrated by Ibn
Abi Haatim in his Sunan from ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit (may Allaah be pleased
with him), who said: “The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) exhorted us: ‘Do not associate anything in worship with Allaah, and do not
neglect the prayer deliberately, for whoever neglects the prayer deliberately puts himself
beyond the pale of Islam.” Moreover, if we interpret the ahaadeeth about neglecting
the prayer as referring to a denial that it is obligatory, there would be no point in the
reports referring specifically to the prayer, because this ruling applies equally to
zakaah, fasting and Hajj – whoever neglects any of these, denying that it is
obligatory, is a kaafir, if he does not have the excuse of ignorance.

Just as the one who neglects the prayer is deemed to be a kaafir on the
basis of the evidence of the texts and reports, so he may also be deemed to be a kaafir on
the basis of rational analysis. How can a person be a believer if he neglects the prayer
which is the pillar of religion, and when there are aayaat and ahaadeeth urging us to
perform prayer which make the wise believer rush to do the prayer, and when there are
aayaat and ahaadeeth warning against neglecting it, which make the wise believer scared to
ignore the prayer? Once we have understood this, a person cannot be a believer if he
neglects the prayer.

If a person were to say: can we not interpret kufr in the case of one
who neglects the prayer as meaning a lesser form of kufr (kufr al-na’mah)
rather than the kind of kufr which puts a person beyond the pale of Islam (kufr
al-millah)? Or can we not interpret it as being less than Kufr Akbar (major kufr) and
more like the kufr referred to in the ahaadeeth, “There are two qualities that exist
among people which are qualities of kufr: slandering people’s lineage and wailing
over the dead” and “Trading insults with a Muslim is fisq (immoral
conduct) and exchanging blows with him is kufr”, etc.?

We would say that this interpretation is not correct for a number of
reasons:

The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made prayer the
dividing line between kufr and faith, between the believer and the disbeliever. This is
where he drew the line, and the two things are quite distinct and do not overlap.

Prayer is one of the pillars of Islam, so when the person who neglects
it is described as a kaafir, this implies the kind of kufr that puts a person beyond the
pale of Islam, because he has destroyed one of the pillars of Islam. This is a different
matter from attributing kufr to a person who does one of the actions of kufr.

There are other texts which indicate that the kufr of the one who
neglects the prayer is the kind of kufr which puts a person beyond the pale of Islam, so
what is meant here by kufr should be interpreted according to the apparent meaning, so as
avoid contradictions between the texts.

The description of kufr in those ahaadeeth is different. Concerning
neglecting the prayer, the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Between a man and shirk and kufr.” Here the word kufr is preceded in the
original Arabic by the definite article “al”, which indicates that what is
referred to here is the reality of kufr. This is in contrast to the other ahaadeeth where
kufr is referred to without the definite article, or in a verbal form, which indicates
that this is a part of kufr or that the person has disbelieved by doing this action, but
it is not the absolute kufr which places a person beyond the pale of Islam.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in his book Iqtidaa’
al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem (p. 70, Al-Sunnah Al-Muhammadiyyah edn.),
concerning the hadeeth of the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
““There are two qualities that exist among people which are qualities of
kufr”:

“The phrase ‘which are qualities of kufr’ means that
these two qualities which exist among people are qualities of kufr because they are among
the deeds of kufr and they exist among people. But not everyone who has a part of kufr
becomes a kaafir because of it, unless there exists in his heart the reality of kufr.
Similarly, not everyone who has a part of faith becomes a believer because of it, unless
there exists in his heart the essential reality of faith. So there is a distinction
between kufr that is preceded [in the original Arabic] by the definite article
“al”, as in the hadeeth ‘Between a man and shirk and kufr there stands
nothing but his neglecting the prayer’, and kufr that is not preceded by the definite
article but is used in an affirmative sense.’”

So it is clear that the person who neglects the prayer with no excuse
is a kaafir who is beyond the pale of Islam, on the basis of this evidence. This is the
correct view according to Imaam Ahmad, and it is one of the two opinions narrated from
al-Shaafa’i, as was mentioned by Ibn Katheer in his tafseer of the aayah
(interpretation of the meaning):

“Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have given up
As-Salaat (the prayers) [i.e. made their Salaat (prayers) to be lost, either by not
offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in their proper
fixed times] and have followed lusts” [Maryam 19:59]

Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned in his book Al-Salaah that it was one of
the two views narrated from al-Shaafa’i, and that al-Tahhaawi narrated it from
al-Shaafa’i himself.

This was also the view of the majority of the Sahaabah, indeed many
narrated that there was consensus among the Sahaabah on this point. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn
Shaqeeq said: the companions of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
did not think that neglecting any deed made a person a kaafir, apart from neglecting the
prayer. This was reported by al-Tirmidhi and al-Haakim, who classed it as saheeh according
to the conditions of (al-Bukhaari and Muslim). Ishaaq ibn Raahawayh, the well known imaam,
said, It was reported with a saheeh isnaad from the Prophet
(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) that the one who neglects the prayer is a kaafir. This was also the
view of the scholars from the time of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) until the present day: that the person who deliberately neglects the prayer with no
valid excuse, until the time for that prayer is over, is a kaafir. Ibn Hazm said that it
was reported from ‘Umar, ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf, Mu’aadh ibn Jabal,
Abu Hurayrah and others among the Sahaabah. He said: “We do not know of any opposing
view among the Sahaabah.” Al-Mundhiri narrated this from him in Al-Targheeb
wa’l-Tarheeb, and added more names of Sahaabah: ‘Abd-Allaah ibn
Mas’ood, ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abbaas, Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah and
Abu’l-Dardaa’ – may Allaah be pleased with them. He said: apart from the
Sahaabah, there are also Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ishaaq ibn Raahawayh, ‘Abd-Allaah ibn
al-Mubaarak, al-Nakha’i, al-Hakam ibn ‘Utaybah, Ayyoob al-Sakhtayaani, Abu
Daawood al-Tayaalisi, Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah, Zuhayr ibn Harb and others.

And Allaah knows best.

She lost her mind because of drinking and missed some prayers. What is the ruling?

 

Please give me fawtaw on this i had drank 1 night and got druink and delayed my prayrs 3 and 4 and fajer but made them up be for the 1 after fajer i read that makes me a non beliver iam praying now and ask allah to for give me i never stop beleving in allah and will ask him to for give me for drinking to the question is if that made me a non belive does that mean the my merriage is in valid to i have to ge remarried or is it like 3 times and we can never marry again my allah for give for iam very sorry for what i have done.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

We ask Allaah to accept your repentance and to make your
repentance sincere.  

“Truly, Allaah loves those who turn unto Him in
repentance”

[al-Baqarah 2:222 – interpretation of the meaning] 

With regard to your missing these prayers – in the situation
which you mentioned – you did not become a kaafir because of that, in sha
Allaah, because this missing the prayers was not a deliberate action on your
part, even though what caused it was your drinking intoxicants, which is a
great sin, but perhaps Allaah will expiate for it by means of your sincere
repentance.

 Based on this, then you are still a Muslim, praise be to
Allaah. Your marriage is not affected at all and you do not have to renew
the marriage contract etc.

 After repenting sincerely, you have to pray regularly on
time, and beware of neglecting prayers by omitting them or delaying them.
Strive to give your husband and children their rights, and turn sincerely to
Allaah by giving up sins both major and minor.

 We ask Allaah to bless us and our Muslim brothers with
guidance and steadfastness, for He is the All-Hearing, Ever-Responsive.

 And Allaah knows best.

He uttered the Shahaadatayn but he does not do any of the obligatory duties

 

What is the ruling on a man who says, “I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger,” but he does not pray or do any of the obligatory duties, and he thinks that this will not affect him and that he will go to Paradise, and that his body will be forbidden for the Fire?

And another man says, “I ask for what I need from Allaah and from you” Is this false or not? Is it permissible to say this or not?

Praise be to Allaah. 

Whoever does not believe that the five daily prayers, paying zakaah,
fasting in Ramadaan and going on Pilgrimage to the Ancient House are
obligatory, and does not regard as haraam the things which Allaah has
forbidden such as obscene actions, wrongdoing, shirk and lying, is a
kaafir and an apostate. He should be asked to repent, and if he repents
then all well and good, otherwise he should be executed – according
to the consensus (ijmaa’)
of the imaams of the Muslims. It is not enough for him merely to speak
the words of the Shahaadatayn. 

If he says, I accept that that is compulsory for me, and I know that
it is fard (obligatory), and that whoever does not do it deserves the
condemnation and punishment of Allaah, but I do not do it, then he also
deserves punishment in this world and in the Hereafter, according to
the consensus of the Muslims. He is obliged to pray the five daily prayers,
according to scholarly consensus. Most of the scholars say that he should
be ordered to pray, and if he does not pray, then he should be executed.
If he persists in not praying until he is executed then he is a kaafir,
according to scholarly consensus; he should not be washed, the funeral
prayer should not be offered over him, and he should not be buried in
the Muslim graveyard. 

Whoever says that everyone who says the words of the Shahaadatayn,
but does not do the obligatory duties or avoid things which are haraam,
will enter Paradise, and that none of them will be punished in the Fire,
is a kaafir and an apostate. He must be asked to repent, and if he repents,
all  well and good – otherwise he should be executed. Those who
utter the Shahaadatayn are of various kinds, and some of them are munaafiqoon
(hypocrites) who will be in the lowest level of Hell, as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning);

“Verily,
the hyprocrites will be in the lowest depth (grade) of the Fire; no
helper will you find for them.

Except those who repent (from
hypocrisy), do righteous good deeds, hold fast to Allaah, and purify
their religion for Allaah (by worshipping none but Allaah, and do good
for Allaah’s sake only, not to show off), then they will be with the
believers”

[al-Nisaa’ 4:145-146]

“Verily,
the hypocrites seek to deceive Allaah, but it is He Who deceives them.
And when they stand up for As-Salât (the prayer), they stand with laziness…”[al-Nisaa’
4:142] 

In Saheeh Muslim
it is narrated that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “That is the prayer
of the munaafiq. He waits until the sun is between the horns of the
Shaytaan (i.e., just before sunset), then he pecks four times, and he
does not remember Allaah, except a little.” (Muslim, 195/622). 

The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained that the one who delays
the prayer and pecks (prays too quickly) is a hypocrite, so how about
the one who does not pray at all?! 

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning);

“So
woe unto those performers of Salaah (prayers) (hypocrites),

Those who delay their Salaah
(prayer from their stated fixed times).

Those who do good deeds only
to be seen (of men),[al-Maa’oon
107:4-6] 

The scholars said: those who delay their salaah are those
who postpone it until after the appointed time, and those who are negligent
with regard to the obligations of the prayer. If these worshippers are
condemned, then how about people who do not pray at all?! 

It was narrated in al-Saheehayn
that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) will recognize his ummah by the bright marks
that they will have (on their bodies) because of wudoo’ (Muslim, Kitaab
al-Tahaarah, 249/39). These bright marks will appear on those
who did wudoo’ and prayed. Their faces will be white because of wudoo’,
and their hands and feet will be white because of wudoo’. The one who
prays will have this bright mark, and the one who does not do wudoo’
or pray will not have this bright mark. So he will not have the symbol
of the Muslims which is the “insignia” (like the symbol of the kings
and princes of the Turks and Mamluks in Egypt) of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), like the “insignia” by
which a leader knows his companions. So he will not belong to the ummah
of Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). It was reported in al-Saheeh
that the Fire will consume everything of the son of Adam apart from
the marks of prostration (al-Bukhaari, no. 806). Whoever is not one
of those who prostrate to the One God, the Forgiving, the Loving, the
Lord of the Mighty Throne, will be consumed by the Fire. In al-Saheeh
it is narrated that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is nothing
that stands between a person and shirk except his not praying.” (Muslim,
82/34). And he said: “The covenant that stands between us and them is
prayer. Whoever does not pray is a kaafir.” (al-Tirmidhi, 2621). And
he said: “The first of his deeds for which the slave will be brought
to account is his salaah.” (Abu Dawood, no. 864; al-Tirmidhi, 413).

 No person should say, “What Allaah wills and what
So-and-so wills” or “I ask for my need from Allaah then from So-and-so.”
As it says in the hadeeth from the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Do not say, what Allaah
wills and what Muhammad wills. Rather say: what Allaah wills then Muhammad
wills.” (Ibn Maajah, 2118). A man said to him, “What Allaah wills and
what you will.” He said, “Are you making me a rival to Allaah? Rather
what Allaah Alone wills.” (Ahmad, 1/214)

 And Allaah knows best. May Allaah bless Muhammad.

Is it permissible to pray on behalf of someone who does not pray?

 

say if someoe close in yuor family does not read namaz and u tel this person to pray bt they dont listen.......can i pray for them , i mean can i do thir prayers?because i know they will not pray.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

Prayer is one of the pillars of Islam and it
is not valid except when done by the one who is obliged to do it. Not praying is kufr which puts a person beyond the pale of Islam; see question
no. 2182. It is not permissible for you to offer prayers on behalf of someone else who
does not pray. This ruling is one upon which there is consensus and there is no difference of opinion among the scholars. 

Ibn Qudaamah said: “The visible acts of worship such as prayer, fasting, purifying oneself
(wudoo’) cannot be delegated to others because they have to do with the body of the person who is obliged to do them, so no one else can take his
place, except in the case of a vowed fast, which a person may do on behalf of one who has died, but this cannot be done by way of delegation. 

Al-Mughni,
5/207 

You have to keep on advising this person to
pray, and encouraging him and warning him. May Allaah open his heart to beneficial words. 

And Allaah knows best.

 

His boss doesn’t let him pray

 

My boss does not let me pray at work the four obligatory prayers from Zuhr until ‘Isha’ which come at the time when I am at work. What is the ruling on this situation? Can I do all the prayers after work?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

Delaying the prayer until after the time when it is due, with no valid excuse, is
a major sin. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“So woe unto those performers of Salaah (prayers) (hypocrites),

Those who delay their Salaah (prayer from their stated fixed times)”

[al-Ma’oon 107:4-5] 

Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqaas was asked whether delaying prayer is counted as abandoning
prayer. He said, “No, but it means delaying it until after its time.”  

Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “ ‘Those who delay their Salaah’ means those who delay it until
after its time.” 

Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 12/706. 

Work is not a reason for not praying until the time for prayer is over. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“In houses (mosques) which Allaah has ordered to be raised (to be cleaned, and
to be honoured), in them His Name is remembered [i.e. Adhaan, Iqaamah, Salaah (prayers), invocations, recitation of the Qur’aan]. Therein glorify
Him (Allaah) in the mornings and in the afternoons or the evenings,

Men whom neither trade nor sale (business) diverts from the remembrance of Allaah (with heart
and tongue) nor from performing AsSalaah (Iqaamat asSalaah) nor from giving the Zakaah. They fear a Day when hearts and eyes will be overturned
(out of the horror of the torment of the Day of Resurrection)”

[al-Noor 24:36-37] 

al-Sa’di said: 

These men, even though they engage in trade and buy and sell, that does not distract them from
remembering Allaah and establishing regular prayer and praying zakaah. Rather they make obedience and worship of Allaah their main aim and
ultimate goal, and whatever comes between them and that goal, they shun it. 

Based on this, you should either ask your boss to allow you enough time to pray on
time, or you should leave this job which is keeping you from prayer. And whoever gives up something for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will compensate
him with something better than that. 

See also Question no. 34617 

And Allaah knows best.

Doing righteous deeds when one is careless about prayer

 

In the past I did not pray regularly. I would pray for a few days, then stop for a few days, then go back to praying. I used to give a lot of charity, seeking the pleasure of Allaah, and I upheld the ties of kinship, doing that only for the sake of Allaah. Will the good deeds I did be rejected because my prayers were incomplete, or might Allaah accept them if He wills?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

Negligence in performing prayers is a great sin, and a sign of extreme negligence,
because prayer  is the most important pillar of Islam after the Shahaadatayn (twin testimony of faith). Allaah warns those who take the matter of
prayer lightly and do not pray on time, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have given up As-Salaat (the
prayers) [i.e. made their Salaat (prayers) to be lost, either by not offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in
their proper fixed times] and have followed lusts. So they will be thrown in Hell.

Except those who repent and believe (in the Oneness of Allaah and His Messenger
Muhammad), and work righteousness. Such will enter Paradise and they will not be wronged in aught”

[Maryam 19:59, 60] 

A number of scholars were of the view that the one who misses a single prayer and delays it
until its time is over, with no excuse, is a kaafir. So what you have to do is to repent to Allaah from this great sin, and pray regularly on
time, as well as doing a lot of naafil prayers, in the hope that Allaah will forgive you and accept your good deeds. 

It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (Fatwas of the Standing
Committee), 6/50: 

Question: 

Four years ago we went on a pleasure trip. During this trip I missed a prayer –
either Zuhr or ‘Asr, I can’t remember now – because I was being careless and lazy. Now I regret the sin that I committed and I ask Allaah to
forgive me for every sin. What do I have to do, and is there any expiation? 

The Standing Committee replied: 

You have to repent to Allaah sincerely, but you do not have to make up the prayer
you missed, because deliberately missing an obligatory prayer is major kufr [disbelief], as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “The covenant that stands between us and them is prayer; whoever gives up prayer is a kaafir.” And he (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “Between a man and kufr and shirk there stands his giving up prayer.” Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh. There is
no expiation for that but sincere repentance. 

Secondly: 

The good deeds of a kaafir are of no avail before Allaah unless he becomes Muslim,
then his good deeds will benefit him and their reward will be written for him, as it says clearly in al-Saheehayn, where it is narrated
that Hakeem ibn Hizaam (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:

I said, “O Messenger of Allaah, there are some things that I used to do as acts of worship
during the Jaahiliyyah, such as giving charity, freeing slaves and upholding the ties of kinship. Will I get any reward for that?” The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “You entered Islam with the good that you had done before.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1436;
Muslim, 123. 

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

Ibn Battaal and other scholars were of the view that the apparent meaning of this
hadeeth indicates that if a kaafir becomes Muslim and dies in Islam, he will be rewarded for the good deeds that he did when he was still a
kaafir. They quoted as evidence the hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When a kaafir enters Islam and becomes a good Muslim, Allaah records for him all the good deeds that
he had done previously, and erases thereby between ten and seven hundred (bad deeds) the like thereof, and each bad deed will only count as one,
unless Allaah forgives him.” It was mentioned by al-Daaraqutni in Ghareeb Hadeeth Maalik, and narrated from him through nine isnaads, in
all of which it states that if a kaafir becomes a good Muslim, every good deed that he did when he was still a mushrik will be recorded for him. 

Ibn Battaal (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, after mentioning the hadeeth: Allaah may
bestow His bounty upon His slaves as much as He wills, and no one can question Him for that. This is like what the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to Hakeem ibn Hizaam (may Allaah be pleased with him): “You entered Islam with the good that you had done
before.”  And Allaah knows best. 

With regard to the words of the fuqaha’: “The worship of a kaafir is not valid,
and if he enters Islam it will not count,” what they meant is that it is not subject to shar’i rulings in this world, and there is no expectation
(at the time of doing it) of reward in the Hereafter, but if someone suggests that if he becomes Muslim he will not be rewarded for his good deeds
in the Hereafter, then that view should be refuted by referring to this saheeh Sunnah.  

And Allaah knows best.

 

I She forgot to do ghusl from janaabah until the sun set

 

What is the ruling on a woman who forgot to purify herself from janaabah one day in Ramadaan? Please note that intercourse had taken place before the adhaan of Fajr, but she forgot to purify herself before Maghrib.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

If a fasting person becomes junub as a result of a wet dream
or intercourse, he does not have to do anything, so long as that intercourse
took place before the adhaan of Fajr. This is indicated by the fact that
Fajr would come in Ramadaan when the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) was junub not as the result of a wet dream, and he would
do ghusl and fast. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1926; Muslim, 1109, from the
hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her). 

Based on this, your fast on that day is still valid, but you
should have hastened to do ghusl, because you have to pray, and the prayers
must be done on time, it is not permissible to delay them. 

Prayer is very important in Islam; it is more important that
fasting or zakaah or Hajj or any other act of worship. Being lazy with
regard to the prayer is a very serious matter, and some of the scholars were
of the view that the one who misses a single prayer with no excuse and does
not offer it before its time is over is a kaafir.

A warning is issued to the one who does not pray in the
hadeeth in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “Whoever does not pray ‘Asr, his good deeds are cancelled out.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 553. 

For more information and commentary on this hadeeth, see
question no. 49698. 

The lady who asked this question has to repent to Allaah for
not praying and for being lazy about praying on time. Allaah accepts the
repentance of those who repent, and He forgives those who return to Him. 

For more information see question no.
21806.

And Allaah knows best.

He delayed the prayer until the time for it was over with no excuse; does he have to do ghusl?

 

Does delaying the prayer with no excuse necessitate ghusl? Because it is mentioned in this website that this puts a person beyond the pale of Islam.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

Firstly: 

Prayer is the foundation of
faith, the mark of the successful, the joy of the righteous. Allaah has
prescribed it for the believers, as He says (interpretation of the
meaning): 

“Verily, As‑Salaah (the
prayer) is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours”

[al-Nisa’ 4:103] 

“Successful indeed are
the believers.

2. Those who offer their
Salaah (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness.

3. And those who turn
away from Al‑Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk, falsehood, and all that
Allaah has forbidden).

4. And those who pay the
Zakaah.

5. And those who guard
their chastity (i.e. private parts, from illegal sexual acts)

6. Except from their
wives or (the slaves) that their right hands possess, - for then, they are
free from blame;

7. But whoever seeks
beyond that, then those are the transgressors;

8. Those who are
faithfully true to their Amanaat (all the duties which Allaah has ordained,
honesty, moral responsibility and trusts) and to their covenants;

9. And those who strictly
guard their (five compulsory congregational) Salawaat (prayers) (at their
fixed stated hours)”

[al-Mu’minoon 23:1-9] 

Prayer is the first thing
for which a person will be brought to account on the Day of Judgement. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The first
thing for which a person will be brought to account on the Day of
Resurrection is his prayer. If it is sound then he will have succeeded, but
if it is not sound he will be doomed.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 413, Abu
Dawood, 864; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abu Dawood. 

Allaah erases sins by means
of prayer and raises people in status thereby. It is the last religious
commitment to be forsaken and if it is neglected then all religious
commitment is lost. See question no.
33694. 

My brother, adhere to
regular prayer before you die… pray before the funeral prayer is offered for
you. 

If you are already praying
regularly, then continue to do so. If you have been negligent about prayer,
then repent and seek forgiveness before it is too late. Whoever turns to
Allaah, Allaah will turn to him. 

Allaah says, according to
the hadeeth qudsi: “If he draws near to Me a hand span, I draw near to him
an arm’s length, and if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to
him a fathom’s length, and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 7405; Muslim, 2675. 

So repent sincerely to
Allaah, and Allaah will accept your repentance. 

Secondly: 

Being careless about prayer
and delaying it until the time for it is over with no excuse is a major sin.
See question no. 47123. 

Some of the scholars are of
the view that the one who omits a single prayer with no excuse until the
time for it is over is to be viewed as a kaafir. See question no.
39818. This is the
view on which the answer to your question is based, which is the command to
the one who omits a single prayer with no excuse until the time for it is
over to do ghusl.  

That is because it is
prescribed for a kaafir who becomes Muslim to do ghusl, as it is also
prescribed for an apostate who returns to Islam. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said
in al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (1/202): 

If a kaafir becomes Muslim,
he has to do ghusl whether he is new to Islam or had apostatized. 

“New to Islam” means one
who formerly belonged to another religion all his life, such as a Jew or
Christian or Buddhist, etc. 

“Had apostatized” means
that he had been a Muslim, then he apostatized from Islam – we ask Allaah to
keep us safe and sound from that – such as one who did not pray, or thought
that Allaah has a rival or partner, or prayed to the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) seeking his help at a time of hardship, or
prayed to someone else seeking his help in a matter in which he could not
help. 

The evidence that ghusl is
required in such cases is as follows: 

1 – The hadeeth of Qays ibn
‘Aasim, who said that when he become Muslim the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) ordered him to do ghusl using water and
lotus leaves. Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 605; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani
in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. So the basic principle with regard to this
matter is that it is obligatory. 

2 – He has cleansed himself
inwardly from the filth of shirk, so wisdom dictates that he should cleanse
himself outwardly by doing ghusl. 

Some of the scholars said
that he does not have to do ghusl, and they quoted as evidence the fact that
no general command was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him), such as saying whoever becomes Muslim let him do
ghusl, as he said, “Whoever comes to Jumu’ah, let him do ghusl.” How many of
the Sahaabah become Muslim but there is no report that he told them to do
ghusl or said, whoever becomes Muslim let him do ghusl. If it were
obligatory it would have been well known because the people need to know
about it. 

We could say that the first
view, that ghusl is required, is stronger, because the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) issued a rule to one member of the
ummah for which there is no reason to assume that it applied only to him, so
it may be assumed that it applies to the ummah as a whole. The fact that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) issued the command
to one person does not imply that he did not issue the same command to
others as well. 

With regard to the fact
that it is not narrated from each one of the Sahaabah that he did ghusl when
he become Muslim, the fact that there are no reports does not mean that it
did not happen, because the basic principle is to do that which the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded, and it is not
essential for there to be a report from each person who did it. 

Ibn Qudaamah said in
al-Mughni: 

If a kaafir becomes Muslim
he has to do ghusl, whether he is new to Islam or had apostatized… this is
the view of Maalik, Abu Thawr and Ibn al-Mundhir. 

It says in al-Mawso’oah
al-Fiqhiyyah (31/206): 

The Maalikis and Hanbalis
are of the view that a kaafir’s becoming Muslim necessitates ghusl. If a
kaafir becomes Muslim, he must do ghusl. They did not make any distinction
between a kaafir who is new to Islam and one who had apostatized. Ghusl is
also required of an apostate who comes back to Islam. 

And Allaah knows best.

Sometimes he feels too lazy to pray – what is the remedy?

 

I am a young Muslim man who believes in Allaah and His Messengers and His Books, praise be to Allaah. But sometimes I feel too lazy to pray. I am looking for a solution and a way to make me not be so lazy. Please note that this is what I want but the tricks of the Shaytaan are too strong.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

If a person truly believes in Allaah, His Messengers and His
Books, and believes that prayer is obligatory and is the greatest pillar of
Islam after the Shahaadatayn, we cannot imagine that he would neglect to
pray or be careless in performing the prayers. Rather he would never feel at
ease unless he performs this important ritual regularly. 

The more a person’s faith increases, the more he will be
concerned to do that which Allaah has enjoined upon him, and this is also
because of his strong faith. Hence the way to make you pray more regularly
may be summed up as follows: 

1 – You should believe firmly that prayer is obligatory and
that it is the greatest pillar of Islam. You should realize that a stern
warning is issued to the one who neglects prayer, and he is a kaafir who is
beyond the pale of Islam according to the more correct of the two scholarly
opinions, based on a great deal of evidence, such as the hadeeth in which
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Between
a man and shirk and kufr there stands his giving up prayer.” Narrated by
Muslim, 82. 

And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“The covenant that stands between us and them is prayer; whoever gives it up
is a kaafir.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2621; al-Nasaa’i, 463; Ibn Maajah,
1079; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. 

2 – You should understand that delaying prayer beyond the
time when it is due is a major sin, because Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning): 

“Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have given
up As-Salaah (the prayers) [i.e. made their Salaah (prayers) to be lost,
either by not offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not
offering them in their proper fixed times] and have followed lusts. So they
will be thrown in Hell”

[Maryam 19:59] 

Ibn Mas’ood said concerning al-Ghayy [translated in
the verse quoted above as Hell): This is a valley in Hell which is very deep
and foul. 

And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“So woe unto those performers of Salaah (prayers)
(hypocrites),

5. Those who delay their Salaah (prayer from their stated
fixed times)”

[al-Maa’oon :4,5] 

3 – You should strive to offer the prayers in congregation in
the mosque, and not neglect any of them, knowing that praying in
congregation in the mosque is obligatory according to the more sound of the
two scholarly opinions, based on a great deal of evidence, such as the words
of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Whoever
hears the call to prayer and does not respond, his prayer is not valid
unless he has an excuse.” Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 793; also by al-Daaraqutni
and al-Haakim, who classed it as saheeh; also classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah. 

Muslim (653) narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: A blind man
came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
said: “O Messenger of Allaah, I do not have anyone to guide me to the
mosque,” and he asked the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) to give him a dispensation allowing him to pray in his
home and he allowed him that, then when he turned away he called him back
and said: “Can you hear the call to prayer?’ He said, “Yes.” He said: “Then
answer it.” 

And there is other evidence too. See question no.
40113. 

4 – There is the hope that if you adhere to that, you will be
included among the seven whom Allaah will shade with His shade (on the Day
of Resurrection), among whom is “a young man who grew up worshipping his
Lord” and “a man whose heart was attached to the mosque”. Al-Bukhaari, 660;
Muslim, 1031. 

5 – You will earn the great reward for prayer, especially
prayer in congregation. In al-Saheehayn it is narrated from Abu
Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “A man’s prayer in congregation is twenty-five times better
than his praying in his house or marketplace, because when he does wudoo’
and does it well, then goes out to the mosque, only going there to pray, he
does not take a single step but he is raised in status and a sin is erased
thereby. When he prays, the angels continue to send blessings upon him so
long as he is still in the place where he prayed, (saying), ‘O Allaah, send
blessings on him, O Allaah have mercy on him.’ And one of you is still in a
state of prayer so long as he is waiting for the prayer.” 

Al-Bukhaari, 647; Muslim, 649. 

Muslim (232) narrated that ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan said: I heard
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
say: “Whoever does wudoo’ for prayer and does wudoo’ well, then walks to
(perform) the prescribed prayer, and offers the prayer with the people or
with the congregation or in the mosque, Allaah will forgive him his sins.” 

6 – You should read about the virtue of prayer, and the sin
of those who are careless or too lazy to pray. We advise you in particular
to read the book Al-Salaah, limadha (Prayer – why?) by Shaykh
Muhammad ibn Ismaa’eel al-Muqaddim; and listen to the lecture, “Limadha
la tusalli (Why don’t you pray?) by Shaykh Muhammad Husayn Ya’qoob, as
these will be very beneficial for you in sha Allaah. 

7 – You should choose good friends who are keen to pray and
pay attention to that, and keep away from those who are the opposite,
because a person is influenced by his friends. 

8 – Keep away from sin in all aspects of your life, and
adhere to the rulings of sharee’ah in your dealings with others, especially
with women, because sin is one of the things that most distract a person
from doing acts of worship and increase the Shaytaan’s influence on him. 

We ask Allaah to make us and you among His righteous slaves
and those who are close to Him.  

And Allaah knows best.

 

 

The best way to call those who do not pray and to deal with innovators

 

What is the best way to call those who do not pray? What about innovators?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

Firstly: 

We should consider the person being called to pray or to do
other acts of worship, and pay attention to the most effective means of
encouraging him or warning him. The general principle in Islam is to combine
both approaches (encouraging and warning). It is also important to pay
attention to how receptive or otherwise the person being called is, and
whether he will be influences or put off by preaching. 

Secondly:  

The best way to call those who do not pray can be summed up
as follows:  

1 – Reminding them of the obligation of prayer and that it is
the greatest of the pillars of Islam after the Shahaadatayn (twin
declaration of faith). 

2 – Telling them some of
the virtues of prayer, for it is the best of the duties that Allaah has
enjoined on His slaves, and the best way by means of which a person may draw
closer to his Lord. It is the first of his religious affairs for which a
person will be brought to account. The five daily prayers are an expiation
for whatever sins come in between them, so long as he avoids major sins. A
single prostration raises a person in status by one degree, and erases one
sin… and there are other virtues of prayer that have been narrated. This may
open his heart and perhaps prayer may become a source of delight, as it was
for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).  

3 – Telling them of the stern warnings that have been
narrated concerning not praying, and the different opinions of the scholars
as to whether this constitutes kufr (disbelief) and riddah (apostasy). Islam
does not give the one who does not pray the opportunity to live freely among
people, because in his case he must he invited to pray, and if he persists
in not praying, he is to be executed as an apostate according to the view of
Ahmad and those who agreed with him among the salaf (early generations of
Islam); or he is to be executed as a hadd punishment, according to the view
of Maalik and al-Shaafa’i; or he is to be detained and imprisoned, according
to the view of Abu Haneefah.  But no scholar says that he is to be left
free. So it should be said to the one who does not pray: are you happy that
the scholars disagreed as to whether you are a kaafir and whether you should
be killed or imprisoned? 

4 – Reminding them of the meeting with Allaah, death and the
grave, and what will happen to the one who does not pray, namely a bad end
and the torment of the grave. 

5 – Explaining that delaying prayer until the time for it is
over is a major sin: 

“Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have given
up As-Salaah (the prayers) [i.e. made their Salaah (prayers) to be lost,
either by not offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not
offering them in their proper fixed times] and have followed lusts. So they
will be thrown in Hell”

[Maryam 19:59 – interpretation of the meaning]. 

Ibn Mas’ood said
concerning al-Ghayy (translated here as “Hell”): it is a valley in Hell that
is very deep and has a foul taste. 

And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“So woe unto those performers of Salaah (prayers)
(hypocrites),

5. Those who delay their Salaah (prayer from their stated
fixed times)”

[al-Ma’oon 107:4-5] 

6 – Explaining the serious implications of the view that they
are kaafirs, such as their marriages being rendered invalid, it being
forbidden for them to remain with and be intimate with their wives, and the
fact that they will not be washed and prayed for after they die. Among the
texts that indicate that the one who does not pray is a kaafir is the
hadeeth in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “Between a man and shirk and kufr there stands his giving up
prayer.” Narrated by Muslim, 82. and he said: “The covenant that stands
between us and them is prayer; whoever gives it up is a kaafir.” Narrated by
al-Tirmidhi, 2621; al-Nasaa’i, 463; Ibn Maajah, 1079. 

7 – Giving them some booklets and tapes that deal with the
subject of prayer and the punishment of the one who does not pray or is
careless concerning the prayer. 

8 – Forsaking and shunning them if they persist in not
praying. 

With regard to innovators, the way in which we deal with them
varies according to the type of innovation involved. We should advise them
and call them to Allaah, and establish proof against them, and refute their
specious arguments. If the innovator persists in his innovation he should be
forsaken and shunned, if it is thought that this will most likely benefit
him. We have first to be sure that a person is an innovator before resorting
to these measures, and reference should be made to the scholars. We should
differentiate between the innovation and the one who practices it, because
he may have the excuse of ignorance or misunderstanding. For more details
please see Haqeeqat al-Bid’ah wa Ahkaamuhu by Sa’eed ibn Naasir
al-Ghaamidi. 

And Allaah knows best.

Ruling on marriage contract with one who was not praying then Allaah guided him

 

I wonder if you could please answer my question as it worries me alot. My husband didn't pray at the time I got married, three years ago. Although shortly after marriage I convinced him to and he does now. I was wondering whether this marriage is null considering that at the time of the Nikkah, he didn't pray. What can I do now?

Praise be to
Allaah.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was
asked about a marriage contract with one who was not praying then Allaah
guided him. He said: 

If the wife, like the husband, was not praying at the time of the
marriage contract, then the marriage is valid, but if she was praying
then the contract must be renewed, because it is not permissible for
a Muslim woman to marry a kaafir man, because Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning): 

“And give not (your daughters) in marriage to
Al Mushrikoon (polytheists, pagans) till they believe (in Allaah Alone)”

[al-Baqarah 2:221] 

This means that Muslim women should not marry them until they become
Muslim, because Allaah says in Soorat al-Mumtahinah (interpretation
of the meaning): 

“then if you ascertain that they
[emigrant Muslim women] are true believers send them not back to the
disbelievers. They are not lawful (wives) for the disbelievers nor are
the disbelievers lawful (husbands) for them”

[al-Mumatahanah 60:10] 

Fasting is not accepted if one doesn’t pray

 

Is it permissible to fast without praying?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

No good deeds will be
accepted from one who does not pray – no zakaah, no fasting, no Hajj or
anything else. 

Al-Bukhaari (520) narrated that Buraydah said: The Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever
does not pray ‘Asr, his good deeds will be annulled.” 

What is meant by “his good deeds will be annulled” is that
they will be rendered invalid and will be of no benefit to him. This hadeeth
indicates that Allaah will not accept any good deed from one who does not
pray, so the one who does not pray will not benefit at all from his good
deeds and no good deed of his will be taken up to Allaah. 

It seems from the hadeeth that there are two types of those
who do not pray: those who do not pray at all, which annuls all their good
deeds, and those who do not offer a particular prayer on a particular day,
which annuls the good deeds of that day. So annulment of all good deeds
happens to those who forsake all the prayers, and annulment of the good
deeds of a particular day happens to the one who omits a particular prayer. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen was asked in Fataawa al-Siyaam
(p. 87) about the ruling on the fasting of one who does not pray.

 He replied: 

The fast of one who does
not pray is not valid and is not accepted, because the one who does not pray
is a kaafir and an apostate, because Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning): 

“But if they repent [by
rejecting Shirk (polytheism) and accept Islamic Monotheism], perform
As-Salaah (Iqaamat-as-Salaah) and give Zakaah, then they are your brethren
in religion”

[al-Tawbah 9:11] 

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “Between a man and shirk and kufr stands his giving up prayer.”
Narrated by Muslim, 82. And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “The covenant that separates us from them is prayer; whoever
gives up prayer is a kaafir.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2621; classed as
saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. 

This is also the view of
most of the Sahaabah, if not their consensus. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Shaqeeq (may
Allaah have mercy on him), who was one of the well-known Taabi’een, said:
The companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) did not think that omitting any action made a person a kaafir, except
for prayer. Based on this, if a person fasts but he does not pray, then his
fast is rejected and not accepted, and it will not avail him anything before
Allaah on the Day of Resurrection. We say to him: Pray then fast, because if
you fast but do not pray, then your fast will be rejected, because acts of
worship are not accepted from a kaafir. 

The Standing Committee (10/140) was asked: if a person is
keen to fast in Ramadaan and to pray in Ramadaan only, but he stops praying
as soon as Ramadaan is over, does his fasting count? 

They replied: 

Prayer is one of the pillars of Islam, and it is the most
important pillar after the Shahaadatayn. It is an individual obligation
(fard ‘ayn), and whoever does not do it because he denies that it is
obligatory, or he does not do it because he is careless and lazy, is a
kaafir. With regard to those who fast Ramadaan and pray in Ramadaan only, this is trying to cheat Allaah, and unfortunate indeed are those who only acknowledge Allaah in Ramadaan. Their fasting is not valid if they do not pray at times other than Ramadaan, rather this makes them kaafirs in the sense of major kufr (kufr akbar), even if they do not deny that prayer is obligatory, according to the more sound of the two scholarly opinions.

He does not pray and he lives with his girlfriend; he wants to repent and marry her

 

There is a French Muslim man who does not pray or fast, and he lives with his Christian girlfriend. He wants to repent and fast, but he is using the fact that this woman is living with him as an excuse. Is it permissible for him to marry her now, knowing that tomorrow is the first day of Ramadaan? If that is permissible, then what is the prescribed shar’i procedure for that?.

Praise be to Allaah.

This person and others should note that not praying is kufr
which puts a person beyond the pale of Islam. Islam does not accept for
any of its followers not to pray or fast and to live with a girlfriend. 

What you have to do is to advise him and explain to him what
Islam really is, which is submitting to the rulings of sharee’ah. The Muslim
should be an example to others, especially in that (non-Muslim) country, for
he is not representing himself only, rather he is representing Islam which
he has embraced and committed himself to. So he has to give up the sin that
he is committing and adhere to the rulings of sharee’ah, especially prayer
which is the thing that distinguishes between Islam and kufr.

 Secondly: 

We are very happy to learn that he wants to repent, so what
is stopping him from repenting? Allaah rejoices over the repentance of His
believing slave. When a person turns to Allaah, Allaah turns to him and
forgives his sin. So he should hasten to repent and not delay it or make it
conditional upon certain things happening, lest he dies without having
repented and he meets his Lord with a burden of sin and may even meet Him in
state of kufr. 

Tell him that Allaah turns bad deeds into good deeds for the
one who repents. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic
Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allaah will change their
sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”

[al-Furqaan 25:70] 

So he must hasten to
repent by giving up all that he is doing that incurs the wrath of Allaah,
namely not praying and living with his girlfriend. 

See the answers to questions no.
624,
13990,
34905,
22912. 

Thirdly: 

If he repents to Allaah, he should note that it is not
permissible for him to marry that girlfriend, not because she is Christian,
but because she is a zaaniyah (fornicatress) – according to what he has
said. One of the conditions of marrying a woman of the People of the Book
(i.e., a Jewish or Christian woman) is that she should be chaste, not a
fornicatress or a woman who has a lover or boyfriend. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“Made lawful to you
this day are At‑Tayyibaat [all kinds of Halaal (lawful) foods, which Allaah
has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats,
vegetables and fruits)]. The food (slaughtered cattle, eatable animals) of
the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is lawful to you and yours
is lawful to them. (Lawful to you in marriage) are chaste women from the
believers and chaste women from those who were given the Scripture (Jews and
Christians) before your time when you have given their due Mahr
(bridal-money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage),
desiring chastity (i.e. taking them in legal wedlock) not committing illegal
sexual intercourse, nor taking them as girlfriends”

[al-Maa’idah 5:5] 

Allaah has stipulated
that in order to marry them, they must be chaste. It is not permissible for
a Muslim to marry a woman of the people of the Book who is not chaste. Even
if a woman is a Muslim but she is not chaste, it is not permissible for a
chaste Muslim man to marry her. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning): 

“The adulterer — fornicator marries not but an adulteress
— fornicatress or a Mushrikah; and the adulteress –fornicatress, none
marries her except an adulterer — fornicater or a Mushrik. Such a thing is
forbidden to the believers (of Islamic Monotheism)”

[al-Nur 24:3] 

For more details on this
issue, please see the answer to question no.
11195 and
2527. 

If he wants to marry her, that can only happen after he
repents and comes back to Islam by starting to pray, and after they both
repent from zina (fornication). 

This applies if he wants to marry her. 

The duty of being sincere (naseehah) compels us to tell him
of the best way we know of setting straight both his religious and worldly
affairs, which is that he should repent to Allaah sincerely, and hasten to
leave this woman without any hesitation or delay, and look for another woman
who is a chaste, believing Muslim. If he repents to Allaah, he will need
someone who understands her religion and will stand by him and encourage him
to obey the Most Merciful after this deviation. As for that woman, even if
she repents from fornication she will never be able to help him to obey
Allaah and she will never be trustworthy with regard to his household, his
wealth and his honour, and she will never be fit to raise his sons and
daughters. We mean nothing but good by offering this sincere advice. Let him
use his mind and avoid being emotional, then he will know that this is
right. 

If he looks around him, he will see other Muslims who have
married non-Muslim women, and how bad their situations are, and how they
regret it and wish that they had not married non-Muslim woman. 

See also the answer to questions no.
20227 and
45645. 

And Allaah is the Source of strength.

 

Is the person who prays Friday prayer only not a kaafir?

 

Is it correct that who prays Friday prayer only is not considered kaafir? I read that sheikh Ben Uthaimeen, may Allah have mercy on him, said: whoever prays Friday prayer is not a kaafir; because he never neglects it, because the prophet, peace be upon him, said (the prayer) not (prayer). Is it true that ibn Uthaimeen and ibn Taymiyah said this?.

Praise be to Allaah.

There is a difference of opinion among those who say that the
one who does not pray is a kaafir, with regard to the exact definition of
the omission of prayer which makes him a kaafir. Most of them are of the
view that he becomes a kaafir if he omits one obligatory prayer or two
obligatory prayers. 

Some of them are of the view that the one who does not pray
does not become a kaafir unless he gives up prayer altogether. 

The former opinion was narrated by Ishaaq ibn Raahawayh (may
Allaah have mercy on him) from the Sahaabah and Taabi’een. Imam Muhammad ibn
Nasr al-Maroozi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: I heard Ishaaq say: it
is narrated in a saheeh report from the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and
peace of Allaah be upon him) that the one who does not pray is a kaafir, and
this was the opinion of the scholars from the time of the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allaah be upon him) until our own time, that the one who
deliberately does not pray without any excuse until the time for the prayer
is over is a kaafir. 

The ending of the time means delaying Zuhr until sunset and
delaying Maghrib until the sun rises. 

The end of the times for prayer was set as described above
because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) joined
prayers at ‘Arafah and Muzdalifah and when travelling, so he prayed one of
them at the time of the other. Because the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allaah be upon him) offered the first prayer at the time of the second in
some cases, and the second prayer at the time of the first in other cases,
the time for both became one time in cases where one has an excuse, just as
the menstruating woman, if she becomes pure before sunset, is commanded to
pray both Zuhr and ‘Asr, and if she becomes pure at the end of the night,
she is commanded to pray both Maghrib and ‘Isha’. End quote from Ta’zeem
Qadr al-Salaah (2/929). 

 Muhammad ibn Nasr (Allaah have mercy on him) narrated that
Imam Ahmad said: No one becomes a kaafir because of sin except the one who
deliberately does not pray. If he does not pray until the time for the next
prayer begins, he must be asked to repent three times. End quote. 

It was narrated that Ibn al-Mubaarak said: Whoever
deliberately does not pray with no excuse until the time is over, is a
kaafir. Ta’zeem Qadr al-Salaah (2/297). 

Ibn Hazm said:

We narrated from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (me Allaah be pleased
with him), Mu’aadh ibn Jabal, Ibn Mas’ood  and a number of the Sahaabah (may
Allaah be pleased with them), and from Ibn al-Mubaarak, Ahmad ibn Hanbal,
Ishaaq ibn Raahawayh (may Allaah have mercy on them), and from 17 of the
Sahaabah in total (may Allaah be pleased with them) that the one who
deliberately and consciously does not offer an obligatory prayer until the
time for it ends is a kaafir and an apostate. This is also the view of
‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Maajishoon, the companion of Maalik. And it was the view
of ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Habeeb al-Andalusi and others. End quote from
al-Fasl fi’l-Milal wa’l-Ahwa’ wa’l-Nihal, 3/128. 

He (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: And it was narrated
from ‘Umar, ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf, Mu’aadh ibn Jabal, Abu Hurayrah and
others among the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) that the one who
deliberately does not offer one obligatory prayer until the time for it ends
is a kaafir and an apostate. End quote from al-Muhalla (2/15). 

This view was also expressed in fatwas by the Standing
Committee for Issuing Fatwas, led by Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may
Allaah have mercy on him). 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah
(6/50, 40) 

Some of the scholars quoted as evidence for this opinion the
words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him): “Whoever
does not pray ‘Asr, all his good deeds are cancelled out.” Narrated by
al-Bukhaari (528), because cancellation of good deeds can only happen as a
result of becoming a kaafir, and because of what has been quoted above from
the Sahaabah who narrated these hadeeths. 

With regard to the second opinion, which is that the one who
does not pray does not become a kaafir unless he gives up prayer altogether,
this is the view of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on
him), although he also ruled to be a kaafir the one who misses some prayers
and is called by the ruler to pray but does not pray. He also stated that
the one who prays sometimes and does not pray sometimes, if he resolves in
his heart to give up prayer altogether, then he is inwardly a kaafir, i.e.,
it is between him and Allaah, may He be exalted. 

See: Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 22/49, 7/715; Sharh
al-‘Umdah, 2/94. 

This was also the view of Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah
be pleased with him) who said: What appears to be the case from the evidence
is that he does not become a kaafir unless he gives up prayer all the time,
in the sense that he has decided not to pray, so he does not pray Zuhr,
‘Asr, Maghrib, ‘Isha’ or Fajr. This is the one who is a kaafir. But if he
prays one or two obligatory prayers, then he is not a kaafir and he cannot
truly be described as having given up prayer. The Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allaah be upon him) said: “Between a man and shirk and kufr stands
his giving up prayer (al-salaah)” and he did not say “salaah (a prayer)”.
End quote from al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (2/26). 

We could not find any written comment of his concerning one
who only offers Friday prayer, but we asked him about that verbally and he
replied that it seems that he does become a kaafir because Friday prayer is
one of 35 prayers in the week, so the one who only prays Friday prayer can
be described as giving up prayer altogether so he could become a kaafir as a result. 

And Allaah knows best.

 

 

He committed adultery with a woman and she married someone else, and the adulterer wants to marry her

 

I am in a dilemma . I was contacted by a brother from my home ('muslim') country who had a relationship with a relative of mine (and he informed me of this just now as i had no knowledge of it beforehand) and he claims that they had zina and she may be expecting his baby soon. He was supposed to marry her soon. Recently she was married to someone else and she is here in XXX presently. The brother who contacted me was shocked when he returned from business trip and discovered this. He wishes for me to allow him to contact her, and I wish to advise him to forget her and to repent as she has been playing with him for past couple of years. She also played with me for a while before Allah guided me. I dont think any of the above-mentioned people are practising the deen, probably dont even pray. What would be the responsible and islamic thing for me to do - and should i consult any others?

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

Your question includes a number of serious issues, not just
one problem.  The details are as follows: 

1 – The neglect of prayer on the part of your friend and your
relative, who claim to be Muslims. This action is kufr. See Question no.
5208 and 2182.
Indeed, you say that they do not practise Islam, and this is disaster upon
disaster, kufr upon kufr. We seek refuge with Allaah from that. 

2 – Falling into zina (fornication, adultery), which is
forbidden in Islam, as is well known. It is forbidden even in the other
divinely-revealed religions. 

3 – Marrying an adulteress when she is pregnant as a result
of zina. 

4 – The adulterer seeking to marry an adulteress after she
has gotten married to someone else. 

Which disaster should we begin with? Which question should we
answer? Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah (there is no power and
no strength except with Allaah). 

Let us start with the most serious: 

1 – Kufr as a result of
not praying and neglecting all the rituals of Islam. 

There is no doubt that kufr (disbelief) dooms one to enter
Hell, Allaah says describing the mushrikeen and how they will answer
concerning the reason why they entered Hell: 

“They will say: ‘We were
not of those who used to offer the Salaah (prayers),

Nor we used to feed Al‑Miskeen (the poor);

And we used to talk falsehood (all that which Allaah
hated) with vain talkers.

And we used to belie the Day of Recompense,

Until there came to us (the death) that is certain’”

[al-Muddaththir 74:43-47 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Ibn Katheer said, commenting on this passage: 

“ ‘We were not of those who used to offer the Salaah
(prayers)’ means ,we did not worship our Lord. 

‘Nor we used to feed Al‑Miskeen (the
poor)’ means, we did not show any kindness to His
creation of our own kind (our fellow human beings). 

‘And we used to talk falsehood (all that which Allaah
hated) with vain talkers’ means, we used to speak of that of which we
had no knowledge. Qutaadah said: (it means), everyone who went astray, we
followed him. 

‘And we used to belie the Day of Recompense’. Ibn
Jareer said: we used to deny the Day of Recompense, of reward and
punishment; we did not believe in reward, punishment or reckoning. 

‘Until there came to us (the death) that is certain’
means death, as in the aayah, ‘And worship your
Lord until there comes unto you the certainty (i.e. death)’ [al-Hijr 15:99].” 

But what you have to do is to advise them, establish proof
against them and explain to them that what they are doing is destroying the
most important pillar of Islam, so they must hasten to repent from
neglecting the prayer and all the rituals of Islam. It is not permissible
for you to turn a blind eye to one who neglects prayer under any
circumstances. Start by advising and guiding him, then shun him and turn
away from him, do not greet him, eat his food or sit with him, if that will
do him some good. Make him aware of how great his sin is, so that perhaps he
will turn back to his Lord and repent.  

2 – Falling into zina (adultery) is a major sin. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“And come not near to unlawful sex. Verily, it is a
Faahishah (i.e. anything that transgresses its limits: a great sin, and an
evil way that leads one to hell unless Allaah Forgives him)”

[al-Isra’ 15:32] 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said, “An adulterer, at the time he is committing illegal sexual intercourse
is not a believer; and a drinker, at the time he imbibes an alcoholic drink
is not a believer; and a thief, at the time of stealing, is not a believer.
And a robber  who robs (takes illegally something by force) while the people
are looking at him, is not a believer at the time he is robbing (taking).”
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 2475). 

It is a major sin, and the one who commits this sin is issued
with a warning of a painful torment. It says in the great hadeeth about the
Mi’raaj (Prophet’s ascent to the heavens): “… We went on, and we came to
something like a Tannoor (a kind of baking oven, a pit usually clay-lined
for baking bread).” I [the narrator] think he said, “In that oven there was
much noise and voices.” He said, “We looked into it and found naked men and
women, and a flame of fire was reaching up to them from underneath, and when
it reached them, they cried loudly. I asked them [the two angels], ‘Who are
these people?’… 

They [the two angels] said, ‘We will tell you… those naked
men and women whom you saw in a structure resembling an oven, they are the
adulterers and the adulteresses.”

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari in Baab Ithm al-Zunaah, no.
7047). 

Please see also Question no. 11195. 

3 – With regard to the third question, which concerns
marrying an adulteress when she is pregnant, it should be noted that “it is
not permissible to marry an adulteress until she repents, and if a man wants
to marry her, he must wait to make sure that she is not pregnant, which is
shown by her having a menstrual period, before he can marry her. If it
becomes apparent that she is pregnant, then it is not permissible for him to
marry her until she has given birth…” (Fatwa of Shaykh Muhammad ibn
Ibraaheem – may Allaah have mercy on him. See al-Fataawa al-Jaami’ah
li’l-Mar’ah al-Muslimah, 2/584) 

Based on that, marriage
to this woman when she is pregnant from an adulterer is an invalid marriage,
and the person who married her has to leave her at once, otherwise he is an
adulterer and the hadd punishment for adultery must be carried out on him. 

But if he leaves her and she gives birth, and her womb
becomes empty, and she repents sincerely, then it will be permissible for
him to marry her, after he also repents. 

4 – As for the first man – the adulterer – he must also
repent to Allaah, and it is not permissible for him to marry her at all, for
two reasons: 

(i)               
because they are bother
adulterers, and marriage to adulterers is forbidden to believers. See
Question no. 11195.

(ii)             
Because of her relationship
with another man. 

So he has to forget about her completely, and repent to
Allaah from his serious sin. Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah al-‘Aliy
al-‘Azeem  (there is no power and no strength except with Allaah the
Exalted, the Almighty). 

O Allaah, guide the misguided Muslims, and
help us to turn back to You, O Most Merciful of those who show mercy. Praise
be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds.