Part 10

Fatawa Relating to Prayer 471 BLall ssh

They said: “Yes, oh, Messenger of Allah.” He said: ig bk Sys ole ¥ S86 cota sh Wy ee Wo

“Do not do so, except for Ummul-Quran, for there is no prayer for one who does not recite it.”"")

And this was narrated regarding the prayers in which the recitation is made aloud.

As for its not being required for the latecomer, the evidence for that is the Hadith of Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who caught the Prophet #% in Ruku’. He hastened and bowed before reaching the row, then he entered the row. Then when the Prophet #% finished the prayer, he asked about who had done that and Abu Bakrah said: “I, oh, Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet # said:

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“May Allah increase you in striving, but do not do it again.”'?)

The Prophet #% did not order him to repeat the Rak‘ah in which he was hasty due to his desire not to miss it. If it was obligatory for him, the Prophet #2 would have ordered him to do it, as he ordered the one who prayed without being at rest to repeat his prayer. This is from the narrated evidence.

As for the logical evidence, we say: This man who came late did not catch the standing which is the place of the recitation of Surat Al-Fatihah, and since he did not catch the place, the obligations therein are lifted from him. The evidence for which

"l Reported by Imam Ahmad 5:316; by Abu Dawud in the Book of Prayer, in the Chapter: Whoever Did not Recite in the Prayer (823); by At-Tirmithi in the Book of Prayer, in the Chapter: What Has Been Said Regarding Recitation Behind the /mam; by Al-Hakim 1:238 and 239; and by Ad-Daraqutni 1:120.

'2! The reference for this Hadith was mentioned previously under no. 226.

Fatawa Arkanul-Islam 472 ey! als yi ea)

is that a person whose hand has been cut off is not required to wash the upper arm in place of the forearm; rather the obligation is lifted from him, due to the loss of its place. Likewise, the obligation to recite Surat Al-Fatihah is lifted from one who caught the Imam while he was in Ruku’, because he did not catch the standing which is the place of the recitation of Surat Al-Fatihah; and the obligation of the standing is only lifted from him in order that he may follow the Imam.

This, in my view is the correct opinion. Were it not for the Hadith of ‘Ubadah bin As-Samit which I indicated a short while ago, the most authoritative view would be that the recitation of Surat Al-Fatihah is not required by one being led in a prayer in which the recitation is made aloud. This is because the listener is like the reciter regarding the attainment of reward, which is why Allah, the Most Mish said to Musa, peace be upon him:

“Verily, the invocation of you both is accepted.'')

Even though the supplicator was Musa alone. Allah, the Most High said:

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45 SMa he SLB SG ‘And Musa (Moses) said: ‘Our Lord! You have indeed bestowed on Fir‘awn (Pharaoh) and his chiefs splendor and wealth in the life of this world, our Lord! That they may lead men astray from Your

path. Our Lord! Destroy their wealth, and harden their hearts, so that they will not believe until they see the painful torment.’”'!

And did Allah inform us that Harun, peace be upon him,

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supplicated? The answer is no, but in spite of that, He said: deat ciel “Verily, the invocation of you both is accepted.”

The scholars said regarding the use of the dual after the singular: Musa supplicated and Harun believed.

As for the Hadith of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, in which it was said: Gers 3 aol sel pla SOW Yan

“Whoever was being led by an Imam, the recitation of the Imam

is a recitation for him.’""! It is weak, because it is a Mursa/'?) narration, as Ibn Kathir said, in the introduction to his Tafsir. Also, those who cite this Hadith as evidence do not do so unrestrictedly, because some of those who cite it as evidence say that the one who is being led in prayer is required to recite Surat Al-Fatihah in the quiet prayers, so they do not follow it unrestrictedly.

If it were said: If the Imam does not remain silent, then when should the one being led in prayer recite Surat Al-Fatihah? We say: He should recite Surat Al-Fatihah while the Imam is reciting, because the Companions used to recite with the Messenger 38 while he was reciting, for he said:

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“Do not do so, except for Ummul-Qur’an, for there is no prayer for one who does not recite it.’”>!

"1 Reported by Imam Ahmad 3:339; and by !bn Majah in the Book of the * Igamah. !21 Mursal: An incomplete chain of narrators which goes back only as far as a Tabi‘i (one who heard from one or more of the Companions) and so could not have narrated directly from the Prophet 3. 1 The reference for this Hadith was mentioned previously on page.

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Q. 243. When should the one being led in prayer recite Surat Al-Fatihah, with the Imam’s recitation of it, or when he is reciting the Surah?

A. It is preferable for the recitation of Surat Al-Fatihah by the one being led in prayer to be after its recitation by the Imam. In this way he can listen to the obligatory recitation that is a pillar of the prayer. For if he recited Surat Al-Fatihah while the Imam was reciting it, he would not have listened to the pillar; and his listening would be to the recitation after Surat Al-Fatihah, which is a voluntary act. So, it is preferable to be silent for the recitation of Surat Al-Fatihah, because listening to a recitation which is a pillar is more important than listening to a Sunnah. This is one aspect. Another aspect is that if the Imam said:

“Nor those who are astray.”

and you were not following him, then you would not say: Ameen and in that case you would not be included in the congregation, so it is preferable to do this (i.e. to recite Surat Al-Fatihah after the Imam has completed his recitation of it).

Q. 244. How can we achieve humility in prayer, when reciting the Qur’an in prayer and at other times?

A. Humility is the essence and core of the prayer. The meaning of it is presence of the heart, and that the heart of the believer does not wander here and there. If a person feels that something is distracting him from humility, he should seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan as commanded by the Prophet 2%.""! There is no doubt that Satan strives to spoil all acts of worship, especially the prayer, which is the best act of

"1 Reported by Muslim in the Book of Salutations, in Chapter 25: Seeking Refuge From the Devil of Whispering in Prayer 4:1728, Hadith

Fatawa Relating to Prayer 475 Bas! cys

worship after the Shahadatan; so a worshipper comes to offer prayers and he says: Remember such and such, remember such and such,''! and he makes him abandon himself to foolish thoughts in which there is no benefit, causing him to only be concerned with finishing the prayer.

So, it is incumbent upon a person to take the utmost care when approaching Allah, the Almighty, the All-Powerful. If he senses some of these empty thoughts and whisperings, he should seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan, whether he is bowing, in Tashahhud, sitting or any other position in prayer.

One of the best means of helping him to attain humility in prayer is to call to mind that he is standing before Allah and that he is confiding in his Lord, the Almighty, the All-Powerful.

Q. 245. Has it been reported that the Prophet #¢ used to be silent between the recitation of Surat Al-Fatihah and the recitation of the Surah after it?

A. The silence between the recitation of Surat Al-Fatihah and the recitation of the Surah has not been reported from the Prophet # in the manner claimed by some of the scholars of Islamic Jurisprudence. That is, that the Imam remains silent long enough for the one being led in prayer to recite Surat AlFatihah; it is only a short pause in which to take breath on the one hand, and on the other hand, it opens the door for the one being led in prayer, so that he may begin to recite and to complete it, even though the Imam may be reciting; so it is a short pause, not a long one.

"I This is a part of the Hadith of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, whose authenticity is agreed upon (by Al-Bukhari and Muslim): It was reported by Al-Bukhari in the Book of the adhan, in the Chapter: The Virtue of Calling the adhan, Hadith 608; and by Muslim in the Book of Prayer, in the Chapter: The Virtue of the adhan and the Flight of Satan When He Hears it 1:291, Hadith 19 (389).

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Q. 246. If a person misses a Rak‘ah from the Fajr prayer, should he complete it reciting audibly, or quietly?

A. He may choose to do either, but it is better to complete it quietly, because there might be someone else completing his prayer and it would disturb him if he recited aloud.

Q. 247. I read in a book regarding the manner of the prayer of the Prophet #% that placing the hands on the chest after straightening up from Ruku’ is an innovation and a misguidance; what is the correct position, may Allah reward you with goodness for guiding us and all of the Muslims?

A. Firstly: I avoid saying that one who contradicts the Sunnah in a matter in which it is permissible to exercise [jtihad is an innovator. So those who place their hands on their chests after rising from Ruku’ are only basing this opinion of theirs upon evidence from the Sunnah. For us to say that it is an innovation because it contradicts our Ijtihad is very hard upon a person and it is not fitting for a person to apply the word innovation in matters such as this. This will lead to people labelling each other as innovators in matters of Jjtihad, in which the truth might be this opinion or that opinion; and it will cause splitting into sects and conflicts to a degree only Allah knows.