Part 45

the road (without enough water, or just passing through a mosque).” (Quran 4:43)

‘Aaisha 4% said, ‘The Messenger of Allah #¢ said to me,

"1 Related by Muslim (443), Ahmad (16507), and An-Nassaaee (5129). I Related by Muslim (444), Ahmad (7975), and An-Nassaaee (5128).

‘Hand me the Khumrah (what a person prays on, for instance, a mat) from the Masjid.’

I said, ‘Verily, I am menstruating,’ He #¢ said,

‘Indeed your menstruation is not in your hand (hence she was required not to sit or remain in the Masjid, but simply to pick up a Khumrah).”"

‘Aaisha’s saying, “Verily, I am menstruating,” proves that a menstruating woman ~ and, by analogy, a woman experiencing post-natal bleeding - neither enters the Masjid nor remains therein, unless her situation falls under the above-mentioned exception. By entering the Masjid, a menstruating woman -~ and, by analogy - a woman experiencing post-natal bleeding - can sully a part of the Masjid with the impurity of her blood.

Related Issue: A Mustahaadah woman, a woman who continues to bleed after her normal period for menstruation is over (so if a woman normally bleeds for seven days, and if she is still bleeding ten days after her first day of menstruation, she is called, ‘Mustahaadah’), may enter the Masjid; in fact, she may even perform ‘Aitikaaf (staying in the Masjid for worship) therein. Nevertheless, she must be careful not to dirty the Masjid with the impurity of her blood. ‘Aaisha % related that, ‘Some of the Mothers of the Believers performed ‘Aitikaaf while they were Mustahaadah.””!

c) Praying Behind The Men Of The Congregation And Not

The rows of women in a Masjid are behind the rows of men, and

' Related by Muslim (298), Ahmad (23664), At-Tirmidhee (134), AnNassaaee (271), Abu Daawood (261), Ibn Maajah (632), and Ad-Daarimee (71).

1 Related by Bukhaaree (311), Ahmad (24477), Abu Daawood (2476), Ibn Maajah (1780), and Ad-Daarimee (877).

Chapter - 11 The Manners Of Attending Masjids 275

the further a woman is from men, the better it is for her. Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah #¢ said, Wiel eich GLb ys Wei has WS JEN Oke ngs! 83

“The best of rows for men is the first one, and worst of them is the last one. The best of rows for women is the last one, ard the worst of them is the first one,’")

When men are in close proximity to women, their minds might become distracted through temptation and desire, and they will not pray with concentration and a presence of mind and heart. And that is why the Shariah encourages men to be at a distance from women in the Masjid.

Even after he finished leading the people in prayer, the Prophet 3 made sure that men and women remained separated. When he finished his prayer, he would remain in the spot he prayed in for a short while, so as to allow the women to leave before the men, and to set out to their homes before the men reached them at the entrance of the Masjid. Umm Salamah %, the wife of the Prophet #%, related that, ‘During the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah #g, as soon as women would make Tasleem (say ‘Assalaamu ‘Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullah,’ signaling the end of prayer) from a prescribed prayer, they would stand [to leave]; meanwhile, the Messenger of Allah # and those men who prayed with him would remain for a period that Allah %# willed (i.e., for a short while). Then, when the Prophet #8 stood up [to leave], the men stood up [as well].”") Today too, then, men should remain for a short while after the prayer, so as to allow women to leave; and women should not delay but should instead return quickly to their homes. But if the women’s exit is at a distance from the exit of men (as is common in many of today’s Masjids), and no mixing

"I Related by Muslim (440), Ahmad (7351), At-Tirmidhee (224), An-Nassaaee (820), Abu Daawood (678), Ibn Maajah (1000), and Ad-Daarimee (1268)

"1 Related by Bukhaaree (866), Ahmad (26001), An-Nassaaee (1333), Abu Daawood (1040), and Ibn Maajah (932).

occurs by everyone leaving at once, then men may leave immediately and women may wait a while in their place of prayer. Since the reason behind the ruling in this issue - mixing between the sexes - is not present, the ruling no longer applies. And Allah 3 knows best.

Related Issue: If the prayer-hall of women is separate from the main prayer-hall for men, then the best of rows for women becomes the first row, and the worst of them becomes the last row. The reason why the Prophet #% stated the opposite is no longer applicable when men and women pray in different rooms; the front row, therefore, returns to its status of superiority.

The Manners Of Sleeping

“And among His Signs is the sleep that you take by night and by

day, and your seeking of His Bounty. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who listen’ (Quran 30:23)

“And have made your sleep as a thing of rest’ (Quran 78:9)

And Al-Baraa Ibn ‘Aazib % related that the Messenger of Allah #% said,

“When you go to your bed, then perform the same ablution that you perform for prayer. Next, lie down on your right side, and then say, ‘O Allah, I submit my soul unto You, and I entrust my affair unto You..."")

" Related by Bukhaaree (247) and Muslim (2710).

The Etiquettes Of Sleeping

1) Before Going To Sleep, Close (And Lock) Doors And Extinguish The Fire And Lamps

Jaabir Ibn ‘Abdullah # related that the Messenger of Allah #¢ said, “At night, when you go to sleep, extinguish the lamps and close (lock) the doors...’

In another narration, the Prophet # said,

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“Close the doors and extinguish the lamps, for a mouse might drag the wick and set fire upon the people of the house.”"7)

And in yet another narration, Ibn ‘Umar related that the Prophet # said,

“Do not leave the fire [to burn] in your homes when you go to sleep.”

Do these commands - which are indeed commands since the Prophet #% gave them in the imperative - impart a meaning of compulsory, of recommended, or of plain sound advice, which one does not have to follow? Scholars disagree about the answer to this question.

To better understand the question, we need to recognize that the

") Related by Bukhaaree (6296), Muslim (2012), Ahmad (13816), At- ‘Tirmidhee (1812), Abu Daawood (3731), and Maalik (1727).

21 Related by Bukhaaree (6259)

Prophet # explained the reason why he gave his command: fear that the house will burn down, for he # said:

“For a mouse might drag the wick and set fire upon the people of the house.”

Al-Qurtubee said, “From these Ahadeeth we conclude that, when a person spends the night alone in a house and when a fire is burning therein (such as in a fireplace), he should extinguish it before going to sleep; or at least he should take the necessary precautions to avoid the spreading of the fire. And if there is a group of people in the same house, then one of them - most worthy for this duty is the last of them to go to sleep - should extinguish the fire. And whosoever is remiss in this duty has acted contrary to the Sunnah and has refrained from applying it.”

The reason for closing doors before going to sleep is mentioned in a hadith that is related by Jaabir 4: “Close doors and mention the name of Allah, for indeed, the Shaitaan (Devil) does not open a closed (locked) door.” Ibn Daqeeg Al-’Eed said, “In closing (and locking) the doors to one’s home, one achieves benefits both of the worldly and religious kind: his life and wealth are protected from evildoers and he is protected from the Shaitaan. The Prophet's saying, ‘For indeed, the Shaitaan (Devil) does not open a closed (locked) door,” tells us that the reason why he ordered us to close the doors to our homes is to prevent the Shaitaan from mixing with us. The Prophet #¢ specifically pointed out this benefit because, [as opposed to the other worldly benefits], it is one that can only be known through prophethood (revelation)...””

Question: If one takes the necessary precautions to avoid the spreading of a fire in his home, may it then be said that it is permissible for him to leave the fire and lamps on when he goes to sleep?

" Related by Muslim (2012).

Answer: If he is safe from harm, then on the surface at least, what he is doing is okay, because the reason mentioned in the hadith is no longer relevant to his situation. This is because the Prophet #8 not only gave an order, which by itself must be applied, but he also mentioned the reason why he gave it: so that a mouse does not set fire upon the people of a house. If that reason is no longer relevant - i.e., one doesn’t fear that happening because he takes necessary precautions - then the prohibition is no longer in effect.)

2) Performing Ablution (Wudoo) Before Going To Sleep Al-Baraa Ibn ‘Aazib % reported that the Prophet #% said,

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“When you go to your bed [to sleep], then perform the same ablution that you perform for prayer...)

When one goes to sleep, it is recommended and not obligatory to first perform ablution. Ahmad’s narration of the hadith supports this ruling:

“When you retire to your bed, while you are in a state of purity...)

So if you are already in a state of purity, you do not have to perform ablution over again; the point is for one to go to sleep upon a state of purity, so that if he does die that night, he dies upon that state. Furthermore, when one is upon a state of purity as he goes to sleep, his dreams will be more truthful and the Shaitaan will be less able to harm him or frighten him during his sleep.

"21 Related by Bukhaaree (247), Muslim (2710), Ahmad (18114), At-Tirmidhee (3574), and Abu Daawood (5046).

1 Related by Ahmad (18089).

3) Dusting Off The Bed Before Lying Down On It

It is from the Prophet's Sunnah that, before lying down on his bed to go to sleep, he # would dust off his mattress with the side of his lower garment three times. Abu Hurairah # reported that the Prophet #% said,