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In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate
"May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You"
Praise be to Allaah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.
As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
in the following situations
English Translation
Book by Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
Tahaarah (purity and cleanliness)
Paint or dirt on hands when making wudooIf a person finds something like paint or dirt on his hands etc, whilst making wudoo, and tries to remove it, does this break the continuity of his wudoo and mean that he has to start again?
Answer: According to the most sound opinion, this does not break the continuity of his wudoo, even if the parts of his body that have already been washed become dry, because he was delayed by something that is connected to tahaarah. Similarly his wudoo is not affected if he moves from one tap to another in order to get water, etc.
Dressings on wounds
If a person has an injury in any part of his body that should be washed during wudoo, and cannot put a band-aid or dressing on it, then he should do wudoo, and do tayammum for the wounded part (al-Mughni maa al-Sharh al-Kabeer, 1/282). He does not have to wash the wounded part if this will be harmful.
Traces of janaabah (impurity) on clothes
If a person sees some traces of janaabah (impurity such as semen, etc.) on his clothes, and he has already prayed some prayers without realizing that this was there, he should do ghusl and repeat the prayers done since the most recent period of sleep wearing these clothes. If, however, he knows that this janaabah is from a previous period of sleep, he should repeat all the prayers since the end of the sleep in which he thinks the janaabah occurred. (al-Mughni maa al-Sharh al-Kabeer, 1/199).
The evidence that he should perform ghusl for salaah in cases of janaabah is to be found in many places, such as the aayah “O you who believe! Approach not the prayer when you are in a drunken state until you know (the meaning) of what you utter, nor when you are in a state of janaabah (i.e., in a state of sexual impurity and have not yet taken a bath), except when travelling on the road (without enough water, etc.), till you wash your whole body…†[al-Nisaa 4:43] and the hadeeth of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) in which he said: “I was a man who experienced a lot of urethral discharge, so I kept washing myself (doing ghusl) until the skin on my back started to crack. I mentioned that to the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), or it was mentioned to him, so he said: “Dont do that. If you see discharge, wash your private parts and do wudoo for prayer as usual. If water (i.e., semen) gushes out, then do ghusl.†(Reported by Abu Dawood, no. 206; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Irwaa al-Ghaleel, no. 125). This indicates that when semen is emitted, ghusl is a must, but when there is discharge, it is enough just to wash the private part and do wudoo.
(part 2)
A traveller may find himself on a long plane journey during which he becomes junub (impure). He has no way of performing ghusl, and there is nothing on the plane that he could use for tayammum. If he waits until he reaches his destination, the time for prayer will be over, and it may be a prayer that he cannot join with another, such as fajr, when he set out before fajr and will not arrive until after sunrise, or the time for joining two prayers such as zuhr and asr may also be over, because he set out before zuhr and will not arrive until after maghrib. What should he do in such a situation?
If we accept that he has no means of performing ghusl on board the plane, then he is in the situation known by the scholars as “the one who does not have access to the two purifying materials (i.e., water or earth).” There are varying opinions on this situation. Imaam Ahmad and the majority of muhaddithoon say that he should pray as he is, because this is all that he can do, and “Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope.” [al-Baqarah 2:286 – interpretation of the meaning].
The specific evidence in this case is the report narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh, where it states that the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent some people to look for a necklace that Aaishah had lost. The time for prayer came, and they prayed without wudoo (because they could not find water). When they came to the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), they told him about it and then the aayah of tayammum was revealed. (Saheeh Muslim, 367). The Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not blame or criticize them, neither did he tell them to repeat the prayer. This indicates that prayer is obligatory, and even though tahaarah is a condition for prayer, prayer should not be delayed when tahaarah cannot be accomplished. (al-Mughni maa al-Sharh al-Kabeer, 1/251).
A similar ruling applies to the sick who cannot move their limbs at all, and people who are imprisoned and chained up or suspended.
What is meant is that the prayer should be performed in the best way possible under the circumstances, and it should not be delayed beyond its set time. According to the soundest opinion, it does not have to be repeated, for Allaah does not lay upon us in religion any hardship.
Bleeding after miscarriage – nifaas or not ?
If a woman miscarries and bleeds, should she pray or not? The answer to this question depends on the kind of blood: is it nifaas or not? The scholars have mentioned the regulations concerning this: “If she sees blood after passing something that has any human features, then it is nifaas, but if she sees it after passing something that resembles a blood clot (nutfah or alaq), then it is not nifaas.” (al-Mughni maa al-Sharh al-Kabeer, 1/361).
This is based on the hadeeth narrated by Abd-Allaah ibn Masood according to which the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who is the one who speaks the truth, said: “The creation of each one of you is gathered for forty days in his mothers stomach (womb), then he is alaqah (something that clings) for a similar length of time, then he is mudghah (something like a lump of chewed flesh) for a similar length of time. Then Allaah sends an angel who is commanded to do four things: he is told to write down his deeds, his provision and whether he is to be unfortunate (doomed to Hell) or blessed (destined for Paradise )…” (This version narrated by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 6/303).
Any woman facing this problem should try to seek the advice of doctors to find out exactly what her situation is.
With regard to the blood which may be discharged just prior to a normal birth: if it is accompanied by labour pains or contractions, then it is nifaas, otherwise it is not. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “What she sees when the labour pains begin is nifaas. What is meant here is contractions followed by delivery; if this is not the case then it is not nifaas.” (Majmoo Fataawa Ibn Uthaymeen, 4/327).
(part 3)
Waswaas (insinuating thoughts from Shaytaan)
If, when praying, a person experiences waswaas (insinuating thoughts) from Shaytaan, which cause him to falter in his recitation of Quraan, make him think bad thoughts and make him doubt the number of rakahs he has completed, what should he do?
This happened to one of the Sahaabah, namely Uthmaan ibn Abi al-Aas (may Allaah be pleased with him). He came to the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and complained about it: “The Shaytaan comes between me and my salaah, and causes me to falter in my recitation.” The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “That is a shaytaan (devil) called Khanzab. If you sense his presence, seek refuge with Allaah and spit (dry spitting) to your left three times.” Uthmaan (later) said: “I did that, and Allaah rid me of him.” (Saheeh Muslim, no. 2203).
This hadeeth indicates two ways in which one may ward off the shaytaan who tries to disrupt ones prayers. The first is to seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of Shaytaan, even by pronouncing these words whilst praying – there is nothing wrong with doing so in this case. The second is to spit (dry spitting) to the left three times. This means blowing air in a manner similar to spitting but ejecting more a very small amount of saliva, so long as this will not affect the person next to you or making the masjid dirty.
What if something happens during prayer?
If something happens to a person whilst praying, men should say “Subhaan Allaah,” and women should clap. The evidence for this is the hadeeth narrated from Sahl ibn Sad, according to which the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If something happens to you during salaah, men should say Subhaan Allaah and women should clap.” (Reported by Abu Dawood).
According to the version narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim: “Tasbeeh (saying Subhaan Allaah) is for men, and clapping is for women.” (Sunan Abi Dawood, 941; Saheeh al-Bukhaari (al-Bugha edition), 1145; Saheeh Muslim, 106).
Call of nature when the iqaamah is given
If the prayer is about to start (the iqaamah is given) and a person feels the call of nature, he should go to the bathroom and attend to his need, even if this means he will miss the congregational prayer.
The evidence for this was narrated by Abd-Allaah ibn Arqam: “The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: If any one of you needs to answer the call of nature and the prayer is about to begin, let him tend to his need first.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, no. 88; see also Saheeh al-Jaami, 373).
(part 4)
Doubts about passing wind
If a person who is praying is in doubt as to whether he has passed wind or not, or he feels some movement in his abdomen, should he stop praying or should he continue?
If he is certain that he has passed wind, he should stop praying, but if he is uncertain or doubtful, he should not stop – until he becomes sure of it, either by hearing a sound or by smelling an odour.
If he finds that he has passed wind, he should stop praying, otherwise he should not pay any attention to it.
The evidence for this is the hadeeth reported by Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him):“The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: If any one of you is praying and feels some movement in his back passage, and is in doubt as to whether he has passed wind or not, he should not stop praying until he hears a sound or detects an odour.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, 177; see also Saheeh al-Jaami, 750).
This is one of the important Islamic prescriptions for curing waswaas (the insinuating whispers of Shaytaan).
If adhaan for fajr is called whilst one is praying witr
If a person is praying witr and the muezzin calls the adhaan (call to prayer) for fajr whilst he is still praying, should he continue with his witr?
Yes, if the adhaan comes whilst he is praying witr, he should complete the prayer, and there is nothing wrong with doing so. (Ibn Uthaymeen, Fataawa Islaamiyyah, 1/346). This matter has to do with the timing of witr prayer and whether it ends at the start of fajr or the end of fajr. The majority (of scholars) say that it ends at the start of fajr prayer. (Isaaf Ahl al-Asr bima warada fi Ahkaam Salaat al-Witr by Fayhaan al-Mutayri, p. 33)
Missed asr and reaches masjid when maghrib prayer has started
If a person has missed asr prayer and arrives at the masjid to find that maghrib prayer has started, what should he do?
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: He should pray maghrib with the imaam, then pray asr, as is agreed upon by all leading scholars. As to whether he should repeat maghrib, there are two opinions.
The first is that he should repeat it; this is the view of Ibn Umar, Maalik and Abu Haneefah, and the most well known view of Ahmad. The second opinion is that he does not have to repeat it; this is the view of Ibn Abbaas and al-Shaafii, and the second view of Ahmad.
And Allaah knows best. (Majmoo Fataawa Ibn Taymiyah, 22/106).
(PART5)
Traveller joining congregation without knowing if imaam is also a traveller
If a traveller comes upon a congregation praying, and he does not know if the imaam is also a traveller (so that he can join the prayer with the intention of shortening it), or he is a resident (so that he can pray the complete prayer behind him), what should he do?
According to the strongest opinion, he should act on the basis of what he sees of signs of travel on the imaam, such as clothing or travel gear. If it appears to him that the imaam is a resident, then he should pray the complete prayer behind him.
The evidence for this is the report narrated by Ahmad from Ibn Abbaas, who was asked: “What is the reason why a traveller prays two rakahs if he is alone and four rakahs if he prays behind a resident?” He said: “That is the sunnah.” According to another report he said: “That is the sunnah of Abul-Qaasim.” (Al-Haafiz did not comment on this hadeeth in al-Takhlees, 2/50, but Ahmad Shaakir classed its isnaad as saheeh in his commentary on al-Musnad, 3/260).
If he assumes that the imaam is a traveller, and prays two rakahs with the intention of praying a shortened prayer, then after salaam (completion of the prayer) he discovers that the imaam is in fact a resident and that these two rakahs were the third and fourth prayed by the imaam, in this case he should stand up, pray two more rakahs to complete the prayer, and do sujood sahw (an extra two prostrations). (Al-Majmoo lil-Nawawi, 4/356). There is no harm done by any speaking or asking that were necessary for the sake of his prayer.
Being unable to stand for the rest of a prayer
If a person who is praying is suddenly unable to stand up for the rest of his prayer, or a person who had to pray sitting down is suddenly able to stand, what should he do?
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “As soon as a sick person who is praying becomes able to do what he could not do at the beginning of his prayer, whether it be standing, sitting, bowing, prostrating or any other movement, then he should continue and build on what he has already completed. Similarly, if a person begins the prayer capable of performing all actions, then suddenly becomes unable to do certain things, he should carry on as best he can, and build on what he has already completed as if nothing has changed.” (al-Mughni maa al-Sharh al-Kabeer, 1/782; see
also al-Majmoo lil-Nawawi, 4/318)
The evidence for this is the hadeeth of Imraan ibn Husayn (may Allaah be pleased with him): “I had haemorrhoids (“piles”), so I asked the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about salaah. He said: Pray standing up, but if you cannot, then sitting down, and if you cannot, then on your side.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 2/587).
A knock on the door when one is praying, or a mother seeing her child do something dangerous
If someone knocks on the door whilst one is praying, or a mother who is praying sees her child playing with an electrical outlet or doing something similarly dangerous, what should be done?
If a person who is praying needs to do something relatively minor, such as opening a door, there is nothing wrong with doing so, so long as he continues to face the qiblah.
The evidence for this is the hadeeth narrated by Abu Dawood from Aaishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) who said: “The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray with the door closed. I came and asked him to open it, so he came and opened it for me, then went back to his prayer.” The narrator mentioned that the door was in the direction of the qiblah. (Sunan Abi Dawood, no. 922; Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, 815).
The same applies if a mother is praying and needs to move her child away from something dangerous or harmful, and so on. A simple movement to the right or left, or forwards or backwards, will not affect her prayer. Similarly, if ones ridaa (upper garment) falls off, the one who is praying can pick it up, and if the izaar (lower garment) becomes loose, he can tighten it. In certain cases, shareeah allows excessive movements during prayer, even if this means moving away from facing the qiblah, as is reported in the hadeeth narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him): “The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Kill the two black things while in prayer: the snake and the scorpion.” (Sunan Abi Dawood, no. 92; Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, 814).
(part 6)
If salaam (Islamic greeting) is given to a person whilst he is praying, he can reply with a gesture, as was reported from Suhayb (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said: “I passed by the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as he was praying. I greeted him with salaam, and he responded with a gesture.” (Sunan Abi Dawood, 925; Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, 818).
The gesture is described in a number of ahaadeeth, such as that narrated by Ibn Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: “The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out to Qubaa to pray there. The Ansaar came to him and greeted him with salaam whilst he was praying. I asked Bilaal, How did you see the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) reply to them when they said salaam to him and he was praying? He said: Like this, and flattened his hand.” Jafar ibn Awn (one of the narrators) flattened his hand with the palm facing downwards and the back of his hand facing upwards. (Sunan Abi Dawood, 927; Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, 820).
Joining a prayer in progress
If a man enters the masjid while the imaam is praying, should he join the imaam immediately in whatever position he is in and start praying, or should he wait to see whether the imaam is going to sit or stand?
The correct answer is that which is indicated by the evidence (daleel): he should join the imaam no matter what part of the prayer he has reached – prostrating, standing, bowing or sitting. The evidence is the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him):
The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: If you come to the prayer and we are prostrating, then prostrate, but dont count it, and whoever catches a rakah has caught the prayer.” (Sunan Abi Dawood, 893; Saheeh Sunan Abu Dawood, 792).
Muaadh said: “The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: If one of you comes to prayer and the imaam is in a certain position, then do as the imaam is doing.” (
Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 591; see also Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 484). Also, there is the general meaning of the hadeeth: “Whatever you catch up with, pray.”
Not hastening unduly to join a prayer in progress
If the prayer starts and a person is still on his way to the mosque, he should not hasten unduly; he should walk with calmness and dignity, as indicated in the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him):
“The Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
If the prayer starts, do not approach it running; approach it walking with calmness and dignity. Whatever you catch up with, pray, and whatever you miss, complete it [afterwards].”
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 2/390).
(part 7)
Not hastening unduly to join a prayer in progress
If the prayer starts and a person is still on his way to the mosque, he should not hasten unduly; he should walk with calmness and dignity, as indicated in the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him): “The Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: If the prayer starts, do not approach it running; approach it walking with calmness and dignity. Whatever you catch up with, pray, and whatever you miss, complete it [afterwards].’†(Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 2/390).
Breaking wind during a congregational prayer
If a man breaks wind during a congregational prayer, what should he do in this embarrassing situation?
He should put his hand over his nose, and go out. The evidence for this was reported by Aaishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), who said: “The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: If one of you passes wind whilst he is praying, he should hold his nose and leave.’†(Sunan Abi Dawood, 1114; see also Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, 985).
Al-Teebi said: “The command to hold ones nose is to make it appear as though one is bleeding. This is not lying; it is a form of action that is allowed so that Shaytaan will not convince a person in this situation not to leave because he feels too shy of others.†(Mirqaat al-Mafaateeh Sharh Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 3/18).
This is an example of the kind of ambiguity that is allowed and approved of, in order to avoid embarrassment, as whoever sees him leaving in this manner will assume that he is suffering a nosebleed. Another benefit of this Prophetic advice is that it puts a stop to the insinuating whispers of the Shaytaan, which may otherwise cause him to stay in the row or continue praying with the congregation when he has passed wind, and this does not please Allaah. How can he stay when the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has commanded him to leave?
In this case he is permitted either to pass through the rows, or to walk to the edge of the mosque, in order to leave, so that he can go and make wudoo’ then come back and rejoin the prayer.
When one has already prayed and comes to another mosque to find the people there praying
If a person has already prayed in one mosque, then he comes to another mosque for a lesson or for some other reason, and finds the people there praying, then he should join them and his prayer would be considered a naafil (supererogatory or “extraâ€) prayer. He should do so even if it is during the prohibited times of prayer because there is a reason behind it.
The evidence for this comes from the hadeeth of Yazeed ibn al-Aswad (may Allah be pleased with him): “I performed Hajj with the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and prayed Fajr with him in Masjid Al-Khayf. When he completed his prayer and turned around, he found two people at the back who did not pray with him. He said, I have to talk to them. So he came to them, and they were trembling. He asked them: What prevented you two from praying with us?
They said: O Messenger of Allah! We had already prayed in our places.
Hesaid: Do not do that. If you have already prayed at your places and then came to a congregational mosque, pray with them too and it will become a supererogatory prayer for you.’†(Sunan Al-Tirmidhi, no. 219; Saheeh al-Jaami, 667)
(part 8)
Being informed of the correct direction of the qiblah whilst praying
If there is a congregation praying, and during their prayer they are informed that the qiblah is in a direction other than that which they were facing, they should all turn towards the correct direction. The same is also true for someone praying individually. Whatever part of their prayer has been performed (before changing direction) will be correct.
The evidence for this is a narration reported by Imaam Muslim from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): “While the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was praying towards Bayt-al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), the aayah was revealed to him (interpretation of the meaning): Verily! We have seen the turning of your face towards the heaven. Surely, We shall turn you to a qiblah that shall please you, so turn your face in the direction of al-Masjid al-Haram. [Al-Baqarah 2:144].
A man from Bani Salamah was passing by and found them (i.e., the people of Bani Salamah) in the state of rukoo in the second rakah of the Fajr prayer. He called out to them: The qiblah has been changed, so they changed direction while they were still in rukoo.” (Saheeh Muslim, No. 527)
If someone does not know the direction of the qiblah, he must ask someone if he can, or else he should make ijtihaad (make a judgment to the best of his ability based on the information available) if he is able to, otherwise he must follow someone who is reliable. If he cannot find such a person, then he should fear Allah, do his best and pray, and his prayer is valid.
Falling behind when praying in congregation
If a person is praying in a congregation and the loudspeaker stops working or he becomes drowsy and he lags behind the imaam by one or more obligatory acts (arkaan) of prayer (i.e., the imaam performed it and he did not because of not hearing the imaams voice), then when he wakes up again or the sound of the speaker comes back, he should complete the obligatory acts that he has missed, then continue following the imaam.
This problem may arise in many cases. For example: the imaam recites a verse that contains the word of prostration (sajdah) and some of the people misunderstand it to be a verse of prostration while in reality it is not, so when the imaam says takbeer for rukoo at the end of the verse and performs rukoo, some of the followers (especially those towards the rear of the congregation) take it to be the takbeer for the prostration of recital, so they prostrate. When the imaam stands up from the rukoo saying “samia Allahu li man hamidah”, they stand up from their prostration, thus having missed the act of rukoo and standing up from it. So it is incumbent on them to
complete what they missed and then catch up with the imaam. This is because they did not do it intentionally. However, in the case of one who intentionally lags behind the imaam (e.g., someone who prolongs his prostration to make a long supplication such that he misses the obligatory act which comes after the prostration), the majority of scholars say that the prayer of someone who misses two consecutive obligatory acts of prayer without a valid excuse, is void and he is a sinner. (
Kashshaaf al-Qinaa, 1/467; al-Mawsooah al-Fiqhiyyah, 6/29).
However, the principle is that the imaam must be followed, as the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The imaam is there to be followed, so do not differ from him. When he goes into rukoo, make rukoo. When he says “Samia Allahu li man hamidah” (Allah hears the one who praises Him), say “Rabbanaa lakal-hamd” (O our Lord! To You belongs the Praise). When he goes into sajdah, make sajdah. If he prays sitting, then all should pray sitting.” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, no. 689)
When the imaam nullifies his wudoo
If the Imaam nullifies his wudoo whilst he is praying, or remembers during the prayer that he did not perform ablution, then he should come out from prayer and appoint someone to finish leading the prayer, as was narrated from Umar, Ali, Alqamah and Ataa. If he does not appoint anyone, and the people pray individually, this is also acceptable, and this is the opinion taken by Imaam Al-Shaafii .If he brings someone forward to lead them, that is also permitted.
The evidence for this is what has been narrated regarding Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) when he was stabbed: he took the hand of Abd al-Rahmaan bin Awf and made him step forward, and he led the prayer to completion. (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 7/60).
The reason for this deduction is that Umar did this in the presence of a number of Companions and others and no one opposed this act, so it became a consensus (ijmaa). (Ahkaam al-Imaamah, al-Muneef, p. 234).
If the imaam remembers that he is not in a state of purity, he should indicate to the people to remain as they are and go and purify himself, then come back, say “Allaahu akbar” and lead them in prayer. This is valid. The evidence for this is the report narrated by Abu Dawood from Abu Bakrah: “The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) started to lead the fajr prayer, then he indicated to the people that they should stay in their places. Then he came back and water was dripping from his head.” (Sunan Abi Dawood, no. 233; Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, 1/45.
Abu Dawood included a chapter entitled Fil-Junub yusalli bil-qawmi wa huwa naasin (One who inadvertently leads the people in prayer when in a state of janaabah)).
Commenting on this hadeeth, Imaam Al-Khattaabi said: “In this hadeeth there is evidence that if one is leading the people in prayer while in a state of janaabah and the people do not know of it, then their prayer is unaffected and there is no need for them to repeat it. But the Imaam has to repeat his prayer.” (Sunan Abi Dawood wa maahu Maaalim al-Sunan by al-Khattaabi, edited by al-Daaas, 1/159.)
When the imaams awrah becomes uncovered
If someone is praying in congregation behind the imaam and sees his awrah (those parts of the body that must be covered) uncovered due to an opening in his clothes or due to his clothes being thin and transparent, then if it is possible he should go ahead and cover it with something, otherwise he should come out of his prayer and inform the imaam by saying “cover your awrah” (in Arabic “ghattil-awrah”), or “protect what has been uncovered”.
He should not stay quiet and continue to pray because it is known that the imaams prayer (in this condition) is incorrect and following him is incorrect as well. (From the oral fataawa of Shaykh Abd al-Azeez ibn Baaz).
(part 9)
Realizing that ones wudoo is invalid because of wiping over socks when doing so is no longer acceptable
If one is praying (either as an imaam or as a member of a congregation or individually) and recalls that he had wiped over his socks (khuff) during wudoo at the time when the period during which this is acceptable had expired, he should terminate his prayer because his ablution is incorrect.
This is what has been quoted from Imaams Ahmad and al-Shaafii. (al-Mughni, 2/505)
When the imaam forgets the ending of an aayah
If the Imaam recites a part of the Quran in the prayer and forgets the ending of the verse, and none of the members of the congregation remind him of it, he can choose either to say the takbeer and discontinue the recitation, or to recite one verse or more from another soorah.
But this is allowed only if the forgotten part is not from al-Faatihah. As far as al-Faatihah is concerned, it must be recited in its entirety, as reciting it is an obligatory act of prayer. (Ibn Baaz: Fataawa Islaamiyyah, 396).
Intending to pray for rain, then it rains before the people start the prayer
If the people go out to gather for salaat al-istisqaa (prayer for rain), or were intending to do so, and then it rained, then either of the following apply:
If they had got ready to go out and it rained before they left, then they should thank Allah (subhanahu wa taala) for His blessings and not go out.
If they had already come out, and it rained before they could pray, they should offer a prayer in gratitude to Allah, may He be exalted. (
al-Mughni, 2/296)
(part 10)
Rulings about Forgetfulness
during Prayer (al-sahw)
Doubt about number of rakahs prayedduring Prayer (al-sahw)
If a person is in doubt as to whether he prayed, for example, three or four rakahs, he should act according to what is most likely. However, if he cannot be sure which is more likely, he should assume what he can be certain of, which is the lesser amount, and make the prostrations of forgetfulness (sujood ul-sahw).
The evidence is the hadeeth narrated by Abu Saeed Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: “The Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: If one of you has doubts during his prayer and he does not recall how many rakahs he has prayed, whether three or four, then should forget about his doubt and complete his prayer on the basis of that of which he is certain, and then make two sujood before the salaam. If it turns out that he had prayed five rakah, the two sujood would make it even, and if he ended up completing his four rakahs , they would be in defiance of the Shaytaan.”
(Saheeh Muslim, no. 571)
Imaam remembers that he forgot to recite al-Faatihah during a silent rakah
If the imaam remembers in the final tashahhud (sitting of the prayer) that he had recited at-tahiyyaat (the greetings mentioned during the sitting) in the beginning of a silent rakah instead of al-Faatihah, he should stand up and offer another, correct, rakah, to make up for the one he performed incorrectly where he did not recite al-Faatihah.
This is because the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no prayer for the one who did not recite (in it) al-Faatihah (the opening chapter of the Quran).” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, no. 723)
It is also required for the members of the congregation behind him to follow him, even though it would be the fifth rakah for them. If they do not understand and do not stand up, but say “subhaan Allah” as if to indicate to the imaam that he is in error, the imaam should gesture with hand movements to the right and left to inform them that he did it purposefully and to indicate to them that they should stand up and that he knows what he is doing.
However, if something like this happens to one of the people praying behind the imaam, his prayer will be correct as long as he followed the imaam.