Part 7

Finally, to perform these prayers in one’s house is best, as opposed to the obligatory prayers which should be prayed in congregation [in the mosque].

Friday is among the best of days. For that reason, Allah has particularly guided this Nation to it and sanctioned their gathering to be on this day. The wisdom behind that includes an opportunity for the Muslims to get together, know each other, bond together and display mercy and assistance for one another. Friday is like a weekly celebration or festival. It is the best day upon which the sun rises.

The Friday Prayer is obligatory as Allah has said, Saab ge BOK coo 13] 9AT Gul al

° Seer e e ” ” asd 85 al 3 Aaa “O you who believe! When the call is proclaimed to pray on Friday, hasten earnestly to the remembrance of Allah, and leave off business (and trade)” (al-Jumuah 9). It consists of two rakats. It is recommended to make ghusl for it and to leave early for it.

[It is obligatory upon] every legally responsible [that is, adult and sane], free, male Muslim who has no valid excuse not to attend it.

It is acceptable to perform it before high noon. However, to perform it afterwards is preferable as such is the time that the Prophet (peace be upon him) would usually perform it.

It is constituted by a number that is conventionally called a large gathering.

There are five conditions for the validity of the Friday Prayer:

(3) Its occurrence while the person is resident [that is, not traveling].

(4) The presence of the conventionally described “large gathering”.

(5) Before the prayer, there are to be two speeches (khutbahs) comprising praises of Allah, prayers and salutations upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), recitation of a verse from the Book of Allah and exhortation to fear Allah. This is to be said aloud so at least the appropriate number of attendees can hear it. It is forbidden to speak while the Imam is delivering his speech. It is also forbidden to step over the necks of the people. If one prays the Friday Prayer, it suffices for the Dhuhr Prayer. If a person catches just one rakah with the Imaml, he has caught the Friday Prayer. If he catches less than that, he should make the intention to pray the Dhuhr Prayer and perform it as four rakats.

The Eid Prayer is one of the outward expressions of the religion and one of the particular characteristics of the

' That is by catching at least the bowing of the last rakab of the Friday Prayer —JZ

Nation of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). By it, one fulfills part of the thanks to the Lord for the ability to fast the month of Ramadhaan or make the pilgrimage to the Sacred House of Allah. Furthermore, it contains a call to mutual compassion and mercy among the believers. It is an allinclusive gathering and a means of purification of the soul.

The Eid Prayer is a communal obligation. The Prophet (peace be upon him) and the caliphs after him continually performed it. It is an emphasized sunnah upon every male and female Muslim who is resident and not traveling.

Its conditions are the same as those for the Friday Prayer, except that in the case of the Eid Prayer, the two speeches are simply recommended and are performed after the prayer.

[The time for the Fid Prayer] is from the time that the sun is over the horizon after sunrise about the length of a spear until high noon. If the people were not aware that it was the Day of Eid until after high noon, they should perform the prayer on the following day in its proper time.

How the £/d Prayer is Performed The Eid Prayer is two rakats, as Umar said, “The Eid

of al-Fitr [after Ramadhan] and of al-Adhha [after the pilgrimage] are two rakats, complete, without any

shortcoming, from the tongue of your Prophet. And foiled will be the one who makes up lies [in such matters].” (Recorded by Ahmad).

It is to be prayed before the speech (khutbah). In the first rakah, one says “Allaahu akbar,” six times after the opening takbeer and before seeking refuge in Allah. In the second rakah, before reciting, one says it five times.

The Place in Which It is to Be Prayed

It is to be prayed out in the open. However, it is permissible to perform it in the mosques if there is some need to do so.

It is recommended to extol Allah’s greatness and make remembrance of Allah at all times; this is a type of dhikr or remembrance of Allah that is different from that which is specific said after the prayers. It is recommended to make this remembrance aloud during the night preceding the Eid Prayers. This is based on Allah’s statement,

° a ve L <, ? “ Pa z ° J 0 a pSV Ua gle AUN Ny SSSy Brtal! | yleSSy “Allah wants you] to complete the prescribed period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you” (al-Bagarah 185). Imam Ahmad said, “Ibn Umar used to extol the greatness of Allah during the entire time of the two Eids.” As for making

remembrance of Allah during the first ten days of Dhu-l-Hijjah {the month of the pilgrimage], Allah Says,

ti gle of J all eoll 135Scky “And celebrate the name of Allah, through the days appointed” (al-Hajj 28).

As for the special time for words of remembrance, this is after every obligatory prayer and is only with respect to Eid al-Adhha. It begins after the Fajr Prayer on the Day of Arafah (the ninth of Dhu-l-Hijjah) until the last of the days of Tashreegq (the thirteenth of Dhu-l-Hijjah).

It is recommended for those who are going to pray to leave early for the prayer. However, the Imam should wait to leave until the time of the prayer. It is also recommended to cleanse oneself before going and to wear one’s best clothing. However, the women must make certain not to expose any kind of beautification.

It is recommended to pray the Eid al-Adhha Prayer early while delaying the Eid al-Fitr Prayer. It is also recommend to eat an odd number of dates before going to the Eid al-Fitr Prayer and to refrain from eating on Eid al-Adhha until one can eat from his sacrificed animal.

Topic Seven: The Prayer for Rain (a/-/stisgaa) and the Eclipse Prayers (a/-Kusooh

Allah created humans with a natural inclination to tur towards Him and beseech Him when they are in need. The prayer for rain (al-istisqaa ¢\a...»V\) is a demonstration of that natural tendency in man as the Muslim turns toward his Lord seeking rain in times of need.

The meaning of the prayer is to seek rain from Allah for the land and for the humans. This is done through prayer, supplication and seeking Allah’s forgiveness.

The Jstisqaa prayer is a stressed sunnah. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) performed it and he announced it among the people so that they would come to the place of the prayer to perform the prayer.

Its timing, characteristics and rulings are the same as those for the Zid Prayer.

It is recommended for the Imam to announce the prayer some days before it is performed and also to encourage the people to repent from their sins and stop their wrongdoing, and to fast, give charity and stop their quarreling because sins are one of the causes for drought in the same way that acts of obedience are a cause for blessings and good things.

The Meaning of a/-Ausoofand the Wisdom Behind the Prayer

The kusoof (5S) applies to either a full or partial solar or lunar eclipse, wherein a portion or all of the sun’s or moon’s light are blocked. These events are from the signs of Allah that should encourage people to prepare for the Hereafter and to realize Allah’s watchfulness over them. It should lead them to turn to Him under all circumstances and to think about the greatness of His excellence in His creation. It

should make the person realize that He alone is worthy of worship.

If there is a solar or lunar eclipse, it is sunnah to perform the eclipse prayer in congregation. Allah has said,

Lyre Yoh Cees ylQy UI UT 22 iy il gh sa 8

fs) O ylutsd ¢ oly} “Among His signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Prostrate not to the sun and the moon, but prostrate to Allah, Who created them, if it is [truly] Him you worship” (Fussilat 37).

The timing for this prayer is from the beginning of the eclipse until it is finished. It is not to be made up later if one misses it and it is not moved to another time after its time has passed.

The manner in which it is to be prayed is as follows: The prayer consists of two rakats. In the first rakat, surah alFaatihah is to be recited aloud [by the Imam] followed by a lengthy surah and then a lengthy bow. Then they come up from bowing and say, “Sami-Allaah liman hamidah,” and, “Rabanaa lakal-hamd,” and then surah al-Faatihah is recited again followed by another lengthy surah. Then one bows again and comes up and then one makes two long prostrations. The second rakah is performed in the same fashion as the first. This is the minimum of the prayer in all of its circumstances. It has other descriptions but this is the most confirmed. If a person performs three acts of bowing or four or five, there is no harm in that if there were some need to do so.

No matter how long a person may live, he must at one time die and move on from the world of deeds to the world of recompense. It is from the rights ofa Muslim upon another Muslim that he visits him when he is ill and he follows his funeral procession after he dies. It is also recommended upon visiting the ill that one reminds them to repent and to make a will.

It is also recommended to turn the one who is about to die toward the giblah by turning him on his right side with his face in the direction of the qiblah if that is not a hardship upon him. If that is not easy to do, one should put him on his back with his feet toward the giblah and his head elevated a little, so that he may be facing the giblah.! Then he should be encouraged to say, “La ilaaha illa-llah (There is none worthy of worship except Allah).” His throat should be moistened with water or some kind of drink. surah Ya Seen should be recited in his presence.2

When a Muslim dies, it is recommended to close his eyes, the lower jaw is then to be bound to the head, the joints should be gently flexed; he should be raised from the earth; his clothes should be removed, his private parts should be covered and he should be placed on a bed [or platform] and washed while he is facing the giblah on his right side, if that is easy to do— otherwise he should be placed on his back with his legs extending toward the qibiah.

' There seems to be no authentic sunnah regarding turning the dying person’s body toward the qiblab. Allah knows best —JZ

? Again, there seems to be no authentic hadith (although there is a weak one) concerning the reciting of this particular soorab when a person is about to die. Allah knows best—jZ

The preferred person to wash the deceased is the one whom he had named in a bequest and then his father, then his grandfather and then his close relative. For the woman, it is the one she had named in a bequest followed by her mother and then her grandmother and then her close female relatives. Each Muslim spouse may wash his or her partner. The one who does the washing must be trustworthy and knowledgeable of the tules of washing.

It is forbidden for a Muslim to wash or bury a nonMuslim. Instead, he should just cover the non-Muslim with soil if there is no one to do a proper burial.

Description of the Recommended Way to Wash the Deceased

When one is going to wash a deceased, he should cover the private parts of the deceased. Then he should raise the head close to how it would be if he were sitting up. Then he should gently press down on his stomach. He should use a lot of water on the body. Then he should wrap a cloth around his hand and clean off the body [disposing of that cloth afterwards]. Then it is preferred to wash him again with a new piece of cloth around the hand. Then he should have the intention to wash the deceased. He mentions the name of Allah and washes the body with water and lote tree leaves or soap. He begins with the body’s head and beard. Then he does the right side followed by the left side. Then he washes him a second or third time like the first time. If the body does not become clean, he may continue to wash him until it is cleansed. On the last washing, in addition to water, he uses some type of perfume or camphor. If the person’s moustache or fingernails or toenails were long, they should be shortened. Then he should be dried with a cloth. In the case of a woman,