Night-Prayer: in the Qunut of the Witr rak'at

Salaat and leather jacket

Third SHAHADAH in TASHAHHUD . . . Yes or No?

Dhuhr Nafilah before time

Qadha vs Nafilah

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Question: in the Jama'at

The question is regarding another brother that will not pray behind the Imam at the Mosque, because he says that the Imam is a bad person. He chooses to pray outside of Jama'at while we are all praying. He prays separately. Also, this person has started fights with almost every member of the Mosque. How should a person like this be treated, also should this individual pray separately when we are doing Jama'at.... even if he has no confidence in the Imam?

Answer

To pray Jama'ah has much reward, but one is not obliged to participate in the Jama'ah prayer; he will just loose out on the reward, Thawab, of the Jama'ah.

As for the requirements for the imam of Jama'ah, one of them is (‘ADL) which means that it is sufficient that the imam is a practicing Muslim, and does not commits acts which are Haraam such as saying lies or cheating, etc.

If the person concerned is engaging in fights with others, it would be good if you, all of you, to be nice and kind to him. In this way you will, InSha'Allah, show him the way Islam teaches its followers to behave and, InSha'Allah, this conduct of yours might help him reflect and ponder upon his own conduct with others. By you setting him an example of how to react in difficult situations, you will help him, InSha'Allah, to achieve the intended outcome.

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Question: in the Qunut of the Witr prayer . . .

Regarding the one rak'at al-witr in the night prayer:

"...and pray for forty believers in the Qunut of al-witr, saying, O Allah forgive so and so, mentioning the name of the believing persons in place of so and so. Ladies and children are not counted of the forty people...."

Page 69, Ayatullah Al-Uzma Sayyid Muhammed Al-Husayni Al-Shirazi's "Islamic laws of worship and contracts" (First U.S. Edition 1993) published by Az-Zahra Islamic Foundation, P.O. Box 515 Snowden, Quebec H3X3T7 Canada.

Can you please clarify why exactly women and children are not included? Or rather, what exactly this phrase means and perhaps the reason behind it.

Answer

Bismillah al-Rahmaan al-Raheem

Referring to the translation aforementioned, the translator has not been accurate enough, since the sentence referred to in your email should read:

"O Allah forgive so and so, mentioning the name of the believing men in place of so and so."

In general there are many issues that we do not know the reason for the way they are.  For example we do not know the reason for the Salaat-al-Fajr being two Rak'ah, and not three or four, etc.  And the reason for mentioning the men in the Qunut of Salaat-al-Witr could be of such category.

However, when it is said that forty men should be mentioned in the Qunut, it does not mean exclude the women and children, but in fact to include them, since men are considered as the head of the family and to represent them.  Therefore when a man is mentioned in the prayers it is intended to include that man as well as his family, i.e. the idea is to pray for forty family, each of which is referred to by the head, or representative of that family.

Furthermore, one may also pray for women and children, provided you mention the minimum number of (40) men.

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Question: leather jacket and salaat

Is it alright to pray salaat if you are wearing a Leather Jacket you purchased in the United States ? The other day when I was at the Mosque...a brother came to me and said that I should not pray wearing the leather jacket. I had not heard of this before...is this a valid argument?

Answer

The brother concerned has a valid argument. It is based on the presumption that the leather jacket bought in the USA is probably made from leather that is produced in the USA , and since the USA is not a Muslim country, therefore the leather is obtained from either haram animals, or Halal animals not killed in a Halal way. In the latter case the skin/leather is regarded Najis.

However, leather materials imported from Muslim countries are regarded as Halaal since animals are slaughtered in the Halaal way in those countries and the leather is not Najis. Also artificial or man-made leather is Halaal too.

I hope this has been useful.

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Question: Third Shahadah in Tashahhud

I would like to ask whether we can declare the third Shahadah, "ASH HADU ANNA AMEER AL MUMEENNA ALI YAN WALI ULLAH", in the Tashahhud of the Salaat, is it allowed or not? Does it make the Salaat – the obligatory daily prayers – null and void or is it OK?  Please write back to inform us of this matter.

Answer

Bismillah al-Rahmaan al-Raheem

You can say the third SHAHADAH in the Tashahhud in the Salaat - Namaz - the obligatory daily prayers.

Saying the third SHAHADAT in the Salaat - Namaz - does NOT make the Salaat BATIL, but it is not Wajib to say it in the Tashahhud.

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Question: Dhuhr Nafilah before time

Can the Nafele for Dhuhr prayer be performed before the time of the Waajib Dhuhr prayer (as the sobh Nafele can be prayed before the time of the Waajib sobh prayer)?

Answer

No. The Nafele for Dhuhr prayer can only be done once the time of the Waajib Dhuhr prayer has arrived.

[The sobh Nafele can only be prayed just before the time of the Waajib sobh prayer, not much before that; say some two or three minutes before the Waajib time.]

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Question: Qatha vs Nafilah

Can Qatha (missed) prayers be prayed instead of Nafele prayers with the thawab of the Nafele? For example instead of praying 4x2 rak'aat Nafele for Asr you pray a Qatha Dhuhr and Asr prayer.

Answer

No.

It is compulsory to perform the Qadha (missed) prayers but it is not so for the Nafele. The Qadha would not be a substitute for the Nafele.

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