Ramadan & the Forwarding Syndrome

This is a rant so I thought I’d better make that clear from the beginning.

Within the last few days have been bombarded with “Islamic” reminders, e-mails, text messages, facebook tags and all sorts of things since the start of Ramadan. I’m not knocking reminders or messages with Islamic content in any way. My issue is with people sending anything they get to everyone they know.

Reminders are good, by all means, however I think there’s a culture of guilt-tripping people into sending the messages to as many people as possible. I genuinely hope the motivation to forward such things isn’t derived from those bogus statements (usually found at the end of the e-mails) that claim that “if you send this to 7 people the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) will meet you smiling on the Day of Judgment” or some mess like that. The only way I can rationalize it is by people probably thinking “If I send this to loads of people, and a handful actually take some sort of action, I’ll get some good deeds for it.” That’s all well and good, but sometimes the stuff people forward is just nonsense. To make it worse, no one can even tell you where the e-mails and texts originated from because it’s been spread so far.

Some of these messages are truly rubbish, one that comes to mind (which infuriated me when I saw it), had images of Rachel Corrie’s friends crying and was labeled in Arabic, ‘Israeli woman cries for death of friend’ or something to that effect. Totally ignorant and utterly misinformed. Yet the person who forwarded it to me actually speaks Arabic and still sent it along anyway. Either they didn’t know who she was, which is a shame them being the diligent activists they are (although their activism is limited to spamming acquaintances with similar messages) or they didn’t read the thing in the first place. Not sure which is worse, but in both cases I think it’s apparent that we have an issue here.

The bottom line is that we need to reevaluate our perception of what it means to contribute to these causes in a meaningful and effective way. Forwarding images of bleeding Gazans may hurt and disturb the recipient for a few hours, or even the rest of the day if they’re really sensitive. But the real question is what really comes out of it at the end of the day? The best thing I can think of, is if someone were to see it and make sincere dua for them and the ummah, and how many people do that? Otherwise we just kid ourselves into thinking we’re doing something. When in reality, our little pity episodes don’t help the Palestinians or anyone hurting, in any meaningful way.

Again, I’m not scoffing at compassion, it’s the failure to follow it up with meaningful action that is getting to me.

There have been text messages going around urging people to protest and do this and do that. I’m all for protesting when it’s appropriate and when there’s no other viable plan of action. But in this case it isn’t the only option. Far from it, it’s the lack of leadership, insight, vision and direction on the part of local communities to address the issues. People choose to tag along and are told what to do by the anonymous creator of the text message, that spreads to hundreds of people within an hour. No one thinks to themselves, “Should I be sending this to people?” or “Is there a better way to handle this situation?”

Muslims shouldn’t be a bunch of easily provoked hooligans that jump at every opportunity to call themselves victims to others’ actions and injustices. Muslims need to think for themselves and be the ones making moves and not reacting to them. Even though in this case, unfortunately we are the ones that have to react (be it with silence, protest, counteraction, campaigning or whatever)that being said, we should make it’s done in an organized manner. Not as a mindless response to a text message from the invisible man with questionable content and reckless requests.

Be cautious of forwarding unverified, questionable or otherwise shady stuff. Even when things are legitimate, think about what you see coming from sharing it, if no benefit will come from it then don’t.

Establishing the Prayer

Introduction | Definition | Importance of Prayer I | Importance of Prayer II | Importance of Prayer III | Why Prayer is an Obligation | Establishing the Prayer

Starting where we left off, we’ll cover the meaning, conditions and exceptions that apply to Iqamul Salaah, which is literally translated as “Establishing the Prayer”. This entails performing the Prayer to the best of your ability, praying at regular times without shortcomings in the pillars and conditions. The Prayer must also be performed according to the Sunnah (way of life or practice) of the Prophet (pbuh).

The scholars have complete consensus that it is impermissible to delay the Prayer beyond its specified time. The reasons for this ruling are as follows:

1) From the Qur’an

Verily the Prayer is enjoined upon the believers at appointed times (An-Nisa’ 4 : 103)

2) From the Sunnah

Truly it is not sleep that is neglect. Rather, the neglect is that a person does not perform the Prayer until the time for the next Prayer enters ( Muslim no. 681)

3) Shaikh Ibn Taymiyyah

Intentionally delaying the Prayer until after the time has finished will never be accepted from a person, nor will it remove from him the sin of neglect, even if her were to do the qada – by complete consensus of the believers. (Majmoo’ Al-Fatawa 21/456)

Make sure if you ever miss a Prayer that it wasn’t intentional.

4) Ibn Uthaimeen

If he does not have any excuse, then his Prayer will not be correct, even if he were to pray a thousand times. The proof for that is in the statement of the Prophet (pbuh): ‘Whoever does an action which we have not sanctioned will have it rejected’ . (Fiqhul-Ibadaat p. 145)

This statement is indicating that since the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) never ordained the delay of Prayers, it is not acceptable.

These conditions apply to everyone, whether that person is healthy or sick, in a state of safety or in fear, busy working or not, fighting in battle or in the safety of their home – each of them must offer the Prayer upon its time irrespective of his situation. The person must struggle to abide by all the conditions of Prayer, its pillars, its obligations, its sunan (plural of sunnah) as much as possible. There’s a total consensus on this matter and the reference is from Majmoo’ Al-Fatawa 22/31.

Whatever he cannot do then he is excused from it, this is due to the verse that says:

So fear Allah as much as possible (At-Taghabun 64: 16)

To avoid over-complicating things it’s safe to say that you must try your absolute best to come up with the obligations. This is regardless of your excuse at the time. You’re the only one who knows if you’ve done the utmost to fulfill your obligations or not. So be fair to yourself and try your hardest.

Exceptions to the Rule

These two types of people are generally the one’s who are allowed to delay the Prayer from its proper time, according to many scholars:

A) The one who intends to combine two Prayers

Combining prayers is permissible for the one who is in difficulty. It is important to remember that shortening is only allowed for travelers. Joining, on the other hand, is permissible during difficulty as mentioned above. So it is incorrect to assume that whenever you are allowed to join prayers that you can shorten them as well and vice versa. Each has its own requirements and they aren’t automatically both applicable to a situation.

I’m going to go slightly off-topic and discuss the joining and shortening of Prayers briefly.

Shortening and Joining Prayers

Shortening is only allowed during travel. The instructor explained that the actual term travel refers to the time from when you leave the borders of your city of departure till the last house in that direction. Once you reach your actual destination, or the border of the city, you are no longer traveling. So at that point you would only be eligible for joining if you meet the conditions of joining.

Shortening is done to Duhr, Asr and Isha, which are normally 4 raka’at long and are shortened to 2 raka’at each. Maghrib is never shortened, and neither is Fajr (obviously).

Joining is allowed for the following reasons:

a) Serious sickness

b) Fear (of an enemy or wild animal)

c) Extreme heat (which can be relative, depending on what you’re used to)

d) Rain or snow

c) Difficulty (due to travel or profession)

With all of these conditions the boundaries aren’t set in stone and there is room for personal interpretation (such as the condition of extreme heat – I mean how hot is hot?) but it all goes back to your fear of Allah (swt), so if you think the situation was dire enough to join prayers, and you’re willing to witness in front of Allah that it was the case, then go for it.

Joining can only be done between Duhr and Asr and between Maghrib and Isha, by which both prayers are prayed at the same time. This can be at the time for either of the two. So if you’re combining Duhr and Asr you can pray them both as Duhr time or at Asr time all the same. Fajr is never combined with any other prayer.

B) The one who is busy with the performance of one of the conditions of Prayer

This is according to the latter Hanbali and Shafi’i schools of thought. However, the vast majority of the scholars of Islam are of the opinion that the person is not allowed to delay his Prayers, even if they are busy attending to one of the pre-conditions of Prayer (for example wudu or ablution).

Some scholars have reported a consensus of the Muslims before this difference in opinion took place (Majmoo’ Al-Fatawa 22/56) The latter opinion is the stronger opinion in the issue because the fact that the Prayer is limited by time, whereas the pre-conditions are limited by ability. So the timing is part and parcel of the Prayer.

The proof for this is that Allah (swt) has not allowed us to delay our Prayers to purify ourselves with water. Rather we are ordered to do tayammum (a form of purification using soil or dust) if water cannot be found within the time of Prayer.

The rest of the preconditions of Prayer are therefore similarly overlooked if leads to the expiry of the time of Prayer.

For example, a person who is a new Muslim and doesn’t know the Fatihah and tashahhud as yet, is not permitted to delay the Prayer until s/he has learned them. They are obliged to pray in their current situation, before the time expires. Another example is that of a woman in a state of irregular bleeding (non-menstrual), and the ruling is that she is required to pray in her current state before the Prayer time expires. Even if she can pray with full purity later, if the latter will mean delaying the Prayer until it expires.

What all this means is that the timings of Prayer are more important to abide by than the pre-conditions. If you’re short for time and there’s 2 minutes left till the next prayer comes in, you should make Tayammum and pray without wudu if need be. It’s also important to note that when the duration of a prayer starts and a woman is eligible to pray and she waits till some time passes and her period starts, she is required to make up that lost prayer because it was within her ability to perform it and she didn’t.

In our next post we’ll discuss giving up the Prayer and the rulings for those who don’t pray.

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Just as a closing thought, I want you to make dua for me, that Allah (swt) accepts my deeds and makes me among the people who learn knowledge, apply it and teach it to others. I ask that you make dua that I’m not punished for being one of the people who order others to do good – and forget about themselves. I ask Allah for guidance and that He blesses us all with beneficial knowledge and the strength to apply it in our lives.

Ameen.

Why Prayer is an Obligation

Introduction | Definition | Importance of Prayer I | Importance of Prayer II | Importance of Prayer III | Why Prayer is an Obligation

We’ll jump right in and start by looking at the proofs for why Prayer is an obligation. Beginning with the Holy Quran, in the chapter of Al-Mudathir verses 42 and 43 where Allah (swt) quotes a conversation happening between those in Jannah and those in the Hell fire:

[And asking them], “What put you into Saqar?” – They will say, “We were not of those who prayed, (Al-Muddathir 74:42 -43)

The emphasis in these verses was on Prayer because although other sins are mentioned in the verses that follow, missing Prayer was the first reason in their response. The five daily prayers are an obligation on all Muslims unless they’re in the list of exceptions to the rule – which we’ll cover in a moment. In an authentic hadith reported by Imam Ahmed (no. 22704) and Abu Dawud (no. 425) the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) says:

Five Prayers, Allah has obligated upon his servants in a day and night. So whoever preserves them has a covenant with Allah to admit him into Jannah, and whoever does not preserve them, then there is no such covenant. If He wishes He will punish him, and if He wishes He will forgive him.

In essence the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is telling us that by performing the obligatory Prayers we can enter Paradise. Neglecting our Prayers means we are no longer entitled to Paradise, and it is Allah (swt)’s choice to either punish us or forgive us. Who is willing to make that gamble?

Lastly, by Ijama’a or consensus of the scholars, the five daily prayers are compulsory on every sane Muslim who has reached the age of puberty except for a menstruating woman or one experiencing post-natal bleeding. The reference for this is in Bidayatul Mujtahid 2/252 as well as Al-Mughni 1/367-377 and Majmoo’al Fatawa 10/434 and others.

Who is exempt from the obligation of Prayer?

1) The disbeliever

Is not required to Pray while still a disbeliever, nor are they required to make up for the missed ones when they accept Islam. This is by complete consensus of the scholars and this is referenced from Al-Mughni 2/48 as well as Al-Muhalla 5/209. However he may be punished for non-performance of it in the hereafter, and Allah (swt) knows best.

2) The child

A hadith reported to be Hasan by Abu-Dawud (no. 490) and also reported by Imam Ahmed (no. 6689) narrates that the Messenger (pbuh) said,

Order your children to Pray at the age of seven and make it an obligation at the age of ten

The hadith refers to the end of their 7th year (almost 8 years old) and the end of their 10th year, (almost 11). Generally the ruling on having to perform obligations in Islam follows the ‘innocent until proven guilty’ premise. Meaning you are excused from the obligation until necessary.

3) The insane, mentally deficient and all that resemble their state

This group of people are not required to perform prayers because of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh)’s hadith reported by Imam Ahmed (no. 24694) and Abu-Dawud (no. 4398) which is hadith Hasan.

These individuals are not required to make up any missed prayers after their excuse has been lifted. This is by consensus of the scholars as referenced in Al-Mughni 2/50 and Al-Majmoo’ 3/6. Conditions that fall into this category include Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Huntington’s etc. and people in this state should try to pray, but if not they aren’t punished for it.

4) The one in a coma or state of prolonged unconsciousness

This one is a bit tricky, but we’ll take it one at a time. First off, the stronger opinion is that they are not required to make up the Prayers missed while they were in a coma. This is the opinion of the majority of the scholars, including Imam As-Shafi’i and Imam Malik, may Allah’s mercy be upon them both. This is based on the case of the mad person, because they have both technically lost their sense of presence. (See Al-Majmoo’ 3/6 and Al-Mughni 2/51).

Based on this:

In the case of a person who loses consciousness for a permissible reason, such as general anesthesia for an operation, is not required to make up the Prayer that had been missed as long as they were unconscious for the whole duration of the prayer. So say you’re having an operation done at noon. At 12:15 pm you go under, and when you wake up its 5:00 pm. In your case, seeing that Duhr prayer came in at 1:00 pm and finished when Asr came in at 4:45 pm, you are not required to pray that missed Duhr.

A note on this point is that a doctor should try his level best to avoid giving drugs that render patients unconscious until the patient is able to perform their Prayers (as in right when prayer time is approaching). Obviously this condition shouldn’t be a priority over the patient’s safety and well-being. (See Majmoo Al-Fatawa Ibn Baz 12/251)

The caveat here is that if someone were to lose consciousness due to an impermissable reason like passing out after getting drunk or intoxicated due to substance abuse (taking drugs) then they are required to make up the prayers they missed. This ruling is by complete consensus of the scholars. (See Al-Mughni 2/52 and Al-Insaaf 3/9)

The opposing opinion that argues for making up the missed prayers, compares a coma to sleeping. So if you had actually slept through prayer time you would have to make up what you missed. This opinion isn’t a solid one because technically someone in a coma can’t just wake up when they like.

That’s it for today’s post, next time inshallah we’ll cover Establishing the Prayer and what that means and entails.