Part 17

A. I know of no Sunnah from the Prophet 2% regarding completing the recitation of the Quran during the night prayer in the month of Ramadan, nor from his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. The most which has been reported in this regard is that whenever Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, completed the recitation of the Qur’aén, he would gather his family and supplicate, but this is not in the prayer.

Also, with regard to such completion, along with the fact that no basis has been confirmed for it in the Sunnah, is the fact that the people especially women gather in large numbers in this particular Masjid and this results in mixing of men and women at the time of leaving, which is well known to those who have witnessed it.

However, some of the scholars have said that it is recommended to complete the recitation of the Qur’an with this supplication.

If the Imam supplicated the prayer of completion in the last part of the night and made it in the place of the Qunut of Witr, there would be no objection to that, since Qunut has been legislated.

Q. 281. Is Lailatul-Qadr fixed on a certain night in every year, or does it move from one night to another?

A. There is no doubt that Lailatul-Qadr is in Ramadan, according to the Words of Allah, the Most High:

“Verily, We have sent it (this Qur‘an) down in the Night of Al-

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Qadr (Decree).”""! And Allah, the Most High has made clear in another Verse that

He sent down the Qur’an in Ramadan, for He, the Almighty, the All-Powerful says:

RG AT aa jt weal BS 28 “The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’an.

And the Prophet #% performed I‘tikaf in the first ten days of Ramadan, seeking Lailatul-Qadr, then he performed I‘tikafin the second ten days, then he saw it in the last ten days of Ramadan.'*! Then the visions of a number of the Companions of the Prophet #8 agreed that it was in the last seven nights of Ramadan, and he said:

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“I see that your visions have agreed that it is ‘in the last seven nights, so whoever was seeking it, let him seek it in the last seven nights."

This is the least thing which has been reported about it being restricted to a particular time.

If we examine the evidences reported regarding Lailatul-Qadr, it becomes clear to us that it moves from one night to another and that it is not on a fixed night every year. For the Prophet #% was shown Lailatul-Qadr, in a dream, and he was prostrating in the

61 Reported by Al-Bukhari in the Book of the Virtue of Lailatul-Qadr, in the Chapter: Seeking Lailatul-Qadr (2016); and by Muslim in the Book of Fasting, in the Chapter: The Virtue of Lailatul-Qadr(215).

‘41 Reported by Al-Bukhari in the Book of the Virtue of Lailatul-Qadr, in the Chapter: Seeking Lailatul-Qadr (2015); and by Muslim in the Book of Fasting, in the Chapter: The Virtue of Lailatul-Qadr (215).

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morning after it in water and mud, and that night was the night of the twenty-first."") He #& said:

6185 be 26M Aah po idl BS igjeh “Search for Lailatul-Qadr in the last ten nights of Ramadan.’"*!

This proves that it is not confined to a fixed night and the consensus of the evidences proves this. So a person should hope that he may encounter Lailatul-Qadr on every one of the last ten nights of Ramadan. The reward of Lailatul-Qadr is attained by the one who undertakes it with faith and hoping for the reward of it, whether he knows when it occurred or not, because the Prophet #% said:

tags bs pad & 245 5 Clash l5 buy Bera i a if “Whoever stood in prayer on LailatulQadr, with faith and hoping for a reward, he will be forgiven all of his previous sins.”"*!

And he did not say: if he knew that he had caught it, so it is not a condition of attaining the reward of Lai/atui-Qadr that the one who performs the night prayer on that night knows exactly which night it is. Instead, whoever performed the night prayer in all of the last ten nights of Ramadan with faith, and hoping for a reward, we can be sure that he will catch Lailatul-Qadr, whether it is at the beginning of the ten, in the middle of them, or at the end of them. And Allah is the Granter of success.

"1 The reference for this Hadith was mentioned previously in the above location.

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Q 282. What is the ruling on those being led in prayer holding copies of the Qur’an during the Tarawih prayers in Ramadan, for the purpose of following the Imam?

A. Holding a copy of the Qur’dn for this purpose is contradictory to the Sunnah for a number of reasons:

1, That a person is unable to place his right hand over his left hand while standing.

2. That it leads to frequent unnecessary movements, such as opening the Book and closing it, placing it under the arm, or in the pocket etc.

3. That in fact, these movements distract the worshipper (from his prayers).

4. That the worshipper is unable to look at the place of prostration and most of the scholars consider that looking at the place of prostration is a Sunnah and is preferred.

5. That the one who does so might forget that he is in prayer, if his heart does not call to mind that he is praying. If he were ina state of humility, placing his right hand over his left hand, with his head lowered, looking towards the place of prostration, then it is more likely that he will call to mind that he is praying, and that he is behind an Imam.

Q. 283. The Imams in some Masjids try to soften the hearts of the people and produce an effect on them by changing the tone of their voice at times during the Tarawih prayers. I have heard some people express disapproval of that; what is your view on this, may Allah protect you?

A. | consider that if this act is within the limits of the Islamic Law, without being excessive, then there is no objection to it and there is no sin in it. Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari, may Allah be pleased with him, said to the Prophet #: “If I had known that you were

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listening to my recitation, I would have made it more elegant.”""!

That is, I would have beautified it and embellished it.

So, if some people beautify their voices or recite in a manner which softens the hearts, then I do not see any objection. However, if the exaggeration is such that he does not recite a single word in the Qur’an without doing this thing which was mentioned in the question, I consider that this is a form of excess and itis undesirable that one should do it. And Allah knows best.

Q. 284. Some of the scholars say that the time of the Sunan before and after the regular prayers is from the start of the time of the obligatory prayer and ends when the time of the obligatory prayers ends. Some of them say that the time for the prayers before the obligatory prayer ends once the obligatory prayer is performed; what is the most authoritative opinion?

A. The most authoritative opinion is that the time for the Sunnah before the obligatory prayer, is between the start of the time of that prayer and the time of its performance. So, the time for the regular prayers before the Zuhr prayer begins from the adhan of Zuhr, i.e. from the time when the sun passes its zenith and it ends with the performance of the prayer, i.e. the Zuhr prayer.

The time for the Sunnah following the obligatory prayer begins with the end of that prayer and ends when the permissible time for the performance of it ends.

But if the time for the Sunnah before the obligatory prayer has passed without it being due to neglect on someone’s part, then he may make it up after the obligatory prayer. However, if he delayed the performance of the regular Sunnah before the obligatory prayer without an excuse, then it will not benefit him even if he

\'] Reported by Al-Baihaqi in the Book of Testimonies, in the Chapter: Beautifying the Voice When Reciting the Qur’an 10:231; and by Abu

Seas os ghd .. made it up. This is because the correct opinion is that every act of worship is bound to a fixed time, and if that time passes without

any excuse, then it is not correct, and it is not accepted.

Q. 285. What is the ruling on making up for the Sunnah of Fajr after the Fajr prayer by one who was unable to perform it before the prayer? And does this contradict the prohibition of praying after the Fajr prayer?

A. There is no objection to a person making up for the Sunnah of Fajr after the Fajr prayer, according to the most authoritative opinion.

This does not contradict the Hadith prohibiting the offering of

prayer, because what is prohibited is prayer for which there is no reason.

But if he delayed making it up until after sunrise and he did not fear that he will forget it or be too busy to pray it, then that is preferable.

Q. 286. If a person entered the Masjid before the adhan and offered the salutation to the Masjid prayer, then the Muw’aththin called the adhan, is it prescribed for him to offer a supererogatory prayer?

A. If the adhan was for the Fajr prayer or the Zuhr prayer, after the Mu‘aththin had completed the adhan, he should offer the regular two Rak‘ah prayer for Fajr and four Rak‘ahs before Zuhr. If the adhan was for any of the other prayers, then it is prescribed for him to offer a supererogatory prayer also, according to the words of the Prophet #: