Part 7

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slightly from the direction of the Qiblah does not harm, according to the words of the Prophet #% regarding the people of Al-Madinah:

“What lies between the east and the west is a Qiblah.”'"!

So, to those who are to the north of the Ka‘bah, we say: What lies between the east and the west is a Qiblah, and likewise to those who are south of it. To those who are east or west of it, we say: What lies between the north and south is a Qiblah, so deviating slightly has no effect and does no harm.

Here there is a matter which I would like to draw attention to: If anyone is in the Sacred Masjid and can see the Ka‘bah, then he is required to face directly towards the Ka‘bah, not in its general direction. If he deviated from the exact direction of the Ka‘bah, he will not be facing towards the Qiblah; and I see many people in the Sacred Masjid who are not facing directly towards the Ka‘bah. One finds a long stretched-out row (of worshippers) and one knows for a certainty that many of them are not facing exactly towards the Ka‘bah, and this is a serious mistake which it is incumbent upon the Muslims to beware of and to correct. If they pray in this way, they are praying towards a direction other than that of the Qiblah.

Q. 222. What is the ruling on pronouncing the intention (to pray)?

A. The Prophet 2% said: tH Ges pl IN Gy oy Sue lp

“Deeds are with intentions and every person shall have that which he intended."'?!

") The reference for this Hadith was mentioned in the previous answer. "21 Reported by Al-Bukhari in the Book of the Beginning of the

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The place of the intention is the heart, and it does not need to be spoken. If you stand up to perform the ablution, this is the intention, and it is not possible for a rational person who is not forced to do something to do that thing without having the intention to do it, which is why some of the scholars have said that if Allah imposed upon us the obligation to do something without an intention, it would be a commission to do something impossible.

It has not been reported from the Messenger of Allah # or from his Companions that they used to pronounce their intention. Those whom you hear pronouncing the intention do so either due to ignorance, or blindly following those among the scholars who tell them to do so. This is because they say that it is necessary to pronounce the intention so that the heart may concur with the tongue, but we say that this saying of theirs is not correct, for if the matter were to be legislated, the Messenger #% would have madc it clear to the people, either by words or deed. And Allah is the Granter of success.

Q. 223. What is the ruling on offering the obligatory prayer behind one who is offering a supererogatory prayer, such as one praying the ‘Isha’ prayer with those who are praying Tarawih?

A. There is no objection to him offering the ‘Isha’ prayer behind one who is praying Tarawih and Imam Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, has determined this. So, if he was a traveller, or he caught the Imam at the beginning of the prayer, he may make the Taslim with him and if not, he should complete what remains after the Imam makes his Taslim.

‘ Q. 224. If a traveller caught the last two Rak‘ahs of the prayer with the resident Imam, may he make the Taslim

Revelation (1); and Muslim in the Book of Government, (1907).

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with him with the intention of shortening the prayer?

A. It is not permissible for the traveller, if he completes the prayer with the Imam, to shorten the prayer, according to the general meaning of the words of the Prophet 2:

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“Whatever you catch of the prayer, pray it and whatever you have

missed, complete it.’""! So based upon this, if the traveller caught the last two Rak‘ahs of the prayer with the resident Imam, it is incumbent upon him to offer two Rak‘ahs after the Imam makes his Taslim and it is not permissible for him to make his Taslim with the Imam by shortening his prayer to two Rak‘ahs. And Allah knows best.

Q. 225. What is the ruling on rushing when walking to prayer?

A. It is prohibited for a person to rush when walking to prayer. The Prophet #% ordered us to walk to the Masjid calmly and with tranquility, and he prohibited us from hurrying. Although some of the scholars said that there is no objection to a person hurrying moderately, if he fears that he will miss a Rak‘ah, such as if he entered the Masjid while the Imam was bowing and he hurried in a manner which was not objectionable; as one sees some of the people doing, they come running wildly, and this is prohibited. Coming calmly and with tranquility, not hurrying, is better, even if he feared that he will miss the Rak‘ah, according to the general meaning of the Hadith.

") Reported by Al-Bukhari in the Book of the adhan, in the Chapter: Do not Hasten to Prayer (636); and by Muslim in the Book of the Masjids, in the Chapter: The Recommendation to go to the Masjid with Sedateness (151).

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Q. 226. Is it permissible to hurry in order to catch the Rak‘ah with the Imam in the congregational prayer? Deliver a verdict for us, and may Allah preserve you and protect you.

A. If you entered while the Imam was bowing, do not hurry and do not begin praying before you reach the first row, because the Prophet #% said to Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him, when he did that:

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“May Allah increase you in striving, but do not do it again.’""!

Q. 227. What is the ruling on reciting the Qur’an in the Masjid in a loud voice, that causes disturbance to the other worshippers?

A. The ruling on a man reciting the Quran in the Masjid in a manner which disturbs the other worshippers, or those studying, or a person reciting the Qur’an, is that it is unlawful. This is because he falls into something which the Prophet £% has prohibited. It has been reported by Malik in Al-Muwatta’?!

on the authority of Al-Bayadhi (he is Farwah bin ‘Amr) that the Prophet #¢ went out to the people while they were praying and their voices were raised in recitation and he said:

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“Verily, the worshipper in prayer is talking confidentially to his Lord, so he should consider what he is confiding to Him. Some of

"1 Reported by Al-Bukhari in the Book of the adhan, in the Chapter: If He Bows Outside the Row.

'2] Reported by Malik in the Book of Prayer, in the Chapter: Behavior in Prayer.

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them should not raise their voices over those of others when reciting the Qur‘an.”” Abu Dawud reported something similar from the Hadith of Abu Sa‘id Al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him.!"!

Q. 228. Some people, when they enter the Masjid near to the time of the Igamah, stand and wait for the arrival of the Imam and abandon the salutation to the Masjid; what is the ruling on this action?

A. If the time is short that it is not possible to perform the salutation to the Masjid, then there is no sin upon them. But if they do not know when the Imam will arrive, then it is better to offer the salutation to the Masjid, then if the Imam comes and the Igamah is called while you are in the first Rak‘ah, then you should stop it, but if you are in the second Rak‘ah, then complete it quickly.

Q. 229. It is observed that in the Sacred Masjid, some men form rows behind the women’s rows in the obligatory prayers; is their prayer accepted? And do you have any advice for them?

A. If men pray behind women, then the scholars say that there is no objection. But this contradicts the Sunnah, because the Sunnah is that the women should be behind the men, except that in the Sacred Masjid where there is crowding and restriction of movement. Women come and form rows, and men come after them and form rows behind them. It is incumbent upon the worshipper to guard against this, as much as he can, because it might result in Fitnah for the men. So, a person should avoid praying behind women, even though it may be permissible according to what the scholars of Islamic

) Reported by Abu Dawud in the Book of Prayer, in the Chapter: Raising the Voice During Recitation in the Night Prayer (1332).

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Jurisprudence have determined. We say: It is desirable for a person to avoid this as much as he is able, and it is desirable for women also not to pray in places near to the men.

Q. 230. Is it permissible to remove a young boy from his place in the row?

A. The correct view is that it is not permissible to remove a young boy from his place in the row. This is according to the Hadith of Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, in which it is stated that the Prophet # said:

: boots asa Moa e ot 58 Gobbs QS ends Se G25! 25 BD “A man should not make another man stand up from his place then sit in it.)

It also involves violating the rights of the young boy, discouraging him (from praying), arousing an aversion to prayer in him, and planting seeds of hatred and jealousy in his heart.

Also, if we said that it is permissible to pull a young boy back to the last row, they would all be gathered in one row and it would result in them playing and indulging in horseplay during prayer. But there is no objection to removing him from his place in order to separate them if it is feared that they will play.