13.0 THE BOOK OF PRAYER
“The book of prayer”: This discusses the rules o f both obligatory prayers and optional prayers which includes the prayer o f eclipse, the prayer for seeking rain and the two Eid prayers. This book covers all of the various types of prayers.
The obligatory prayer is the second pillar of Islam after the two declarations of faith (shahadatayn) as stipulated in the hadith narrated by Umar ibn al-Khattab.( Reported by Muslim (1/28, 29) and Ahmad (1/28, 51) from the narration of Umar ibn al-Khattab which is also found in al-Bukhari (1/19-20) as narrated by Abu Hurairah. ) It is mentioned in another hadith narrated by Ibn Umar which lists the pillars o f Islam.( Reported by al-Bukhari (1/9) and Muslim (1/34). ) Many other ahadlth mention that the obligatory prayer is the second pillar of Islam. In fact it is the pillar of Islam. As mentioned in the authentic hadith, “The head of the matter is Islam, its foundation is the prayer and the pinnacle of it is fighting for the sake of Allah(swt).” ( Reported by Ahmad (5/231-237), al-Tirmidhi (2616) and Ibn Majah (3973) from the narration of Mu’adh ibn Jabal. )
The prayer has great significance to Allah and to the Muslims. Allah mentions it numerous times in the Quran, at times ordering that it be fulfilled and at others exhorting the Muslims to safeguard it. He(pbuh) also lauds those who are steadfast in performing their prayers just as he admonishes those who are negligent and heedless of it. Allah mentions the virtue o f diligently offering prayers in the ayah: {And keep up the prayer; surely prayer keeps [one] away from indecency and evil, and certainly the remembrance of Allah is the greatest, and Allah knows what you do.} ( Al-Ankabut: 45 ) Allah(swt) urges the Muslims to seek help by being patient and by offering the prayers: {And seek assistance through patience and prayer, and most surely it is a hard thing except for the humble ones. Who knows that they shall meet their Lord and that they shall return to Him .}( Al-Baqarah: 45-46 ) {O you who believe! Seek assistance through patience and prayer; surely Allah is with the patient.}( Al-Baqarah: 153 ) Allah advises us to seek help during hardship and difficulties by offering prayers.
The Prophet(pbuh) used to offer salah (prayer) whenever he was overwhelmed by a problem or faced a difficulty.( Reported by Ahmad (5/388), Abu Dawud (1319) from the narration of Hudhayfah. ) This is because the one who prays begins communicating with Allah and he surrenders all of his affairs to Him(swt). Allah commences the description o f the characteristics of the believer, those who are the dwellers of Paradise and the dwellers of Firdaws (the highest level of Paradise), with prayers and ends with prayers. He says: {Successful indeed are the believers. Who are humble in their prayers.}( Al-Mu’minun: 1-2 )And towards the end: {And those who keep a guard on their prayers. These are they who are the heirs, who shall inherit the Paradise; they shall abide therein.}( Al-Mu’minun: 9-11 ) Similarly, Allah says: {Surely man is created of a hasty temperament. Being greatly grieved when evil afflicts him. And withholding when good befalls him. Except those who pray. Those who are constant at their prayer.}(Al-Ma’arij: 19-23 ) And He concludes saying: {And those who keep a guard on their prayer. Those shall be in gardens, honoured.}( Al-Ma’arij: 34-35 )
Salah is an important act of worship of which there are acts that are not performed in the other forms of worship like standing, bowing and prostrating. There is Quranic recitation and glorification of Allah(swt) . A Muslim resonates that Allah is free of shortcomings and defects when he says, “Subhana rabi al-‘azim and “Subhana rabi al-a’la.” Prayer is a form of supplication, supplication in the form of worship and personal supplications. Scholars technically define salah as words and deeds which commence with the takbir (allahu akbar) and which end with pronouncing the taslim (assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullah”).( See al-Iqna(1/113))
As for the linguistic definition, prayer means supplication.( See al-Dar al-Naqi (1/157). ) Allah says: {Take alms out of their property, you would cleanse them and purify them thereby, and pray for them .}( Al-Tawbah: 103 ) I.e. to supplicate for them.
The great significance of salah is evident when Allah decided to make it obligatory upon his servant M uham m ad sfe and upon his followers on the Laylat al-Mi’raj. He(swt) raised the Prophet(pbuh) from Bayt al-Maqdis (in Jerusalem) to the heavens. He ascended the seven levels o f heaven and then Allah ordained it directly to the Prophet(pbuh) without the usual intermediary, the angel Jibril.
This happened whilst the Prophet was still in Makkah before the migration to Madinah. He performed salah whilst still in Makkah whilst the rest of the ordainments of Islam such as zakah, fasting and Hajj were made obligatory after the migration to Madinah.
Salah is a link between the servant and his Creator. Whosoever neglects it on purpose, has indeed disbelieved. This disbelief is tantamount to apostasy such that some scholars from the salaf stated that neglect of no other act of worship leads to disbelief except salah. This is substantiated by evidences from the Quran and Sunnah. Allah(swt) when mentioning the polytheists says: {Then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them.}( Al-Tawbah: 5 ) In another ayah Allah says: {But if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, they are your brethren in faith.}( Al-Tawbah: 11 ) This ayah proves that those who do not pray are not our brethren in Islam and that they are disbelievers. Allah says: {Every soul, for what it has earned, will be retained. Except the companions of the right, [Who will be] in gardens, questioning each other about the guilty. [And asking them], “What put you into Saqar?”They shall say: “We were not of those who prayed.”}( Al-Mudathir: 38-43 ) The first reason mentioned by the disbelievers for their dwelling in Hell is that they were not amongst those who prayed.
Allah says about the disbelievers: {And when it is said to them, “Bow [in prayer],” they do not bow. Woe on that day to the rejecters.}( Al-Mursalat: 48-49 ) The Prophet said, “Between the servant and kufr and shirk lies the neglect o f prayers.”( Reported by Muslim (1/61-62) from the narration of jabir ibn Abdullah. ) He also said, “The difference between us and them is the prayer. Whosoever leaves it has disbelieved.”( Reported by Ahmad (5/346 and 355), al-Tirmidhi (2621), al-Nasai (1/231) and Ibn Majah (1079) from the narration of Buraydah ibn al-Hasb al-Islami. )The great significance of the prayer is also highlighted by Allah’s command that masjids be built especially for this act of worship. The adhan was revealed just so that people can come to pray at the masjid. Allah says: {In houses (masjids), which Allah has ordered to be raised (to be cleaned, and to be honoured), in them His Name is glorified in the mornings and in the afternoons or the evenings, [are] men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah and performance of prayer and giving of zakah.}( Al-Nur: 36-37 )
All of these evidences illustrate the importance of salah in Islam. However, many Muslims are still neglectful of it. There are those who leave it completely, claiming that Islam is not just about praying. Some do pray, however they perform their prayers beyond the prescribed times of prayer. Most often, the delay is purposeful. Allah says regarding this: {But there came after them successors who neglected prayer and pursued desires.}( Maryam: 59 ) {So woe to those who pray, [But] who are heedless of their prayer.}382 These people are addressed as those who pray. However, they are negligent of it by delaying it beyond the prescribed times without a valid excuse that is acceptable in Islamic law. Allah says: {Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.}( Al-Nisa: 103 ) I.e. Each prayer has its own prescribed time which is fixed. More details will follow later in the chapter. There are those who pray, but their prayer is incomplete. There are also Muslims who do not observe tamaninah (moments of stillness in between the movements of prayer) and are hasty in their prayers. These types of prayers may become invalid.
A man entered the masjid, prayed and then greeted the Prophet(pbuh) who reciprocated and then added, “Pray again for indeed you have not prayed.” So the man repeated the prayer. When he returned on the second occasion, the Prophet(pbuh) told him to repeat his prayer again. The man said, “I swear by Him who has sent you as a prophet that I do not know how to better my prayer more than this. So teach me.” He (pbuh) said, “If you stand for prayer, then make takbir and read what is easy for you in the Quran. Bow until you are tranquil in the bowing and rise until you are tranquil in your standing. Then prostrate until you are tranquil in your prostration. Do this throughout your prayer.” ( Reported by al-Bukhari (1/192) (8/68) and Muslim (2/10 and 11) from the narration of Abu Hurairah. ) The Prophet said that the man had not prayed because his prayer was void of tamaninah.
There are also those who pray hastily without a conscious effort to focus on the prayer. Their thoughts are elsewhere whilst they are physically present at the masjid. The heart sometimes is preoccupied with worldly affairs even as one prays. How can one taste the sweetness of salah when his heart and mind are engrossed in so many other thoughts? No one is going to order this person to repeat his prayer as outwardly he has accomplished the action. However his prayer does not benefit him except for those fleeting moments where his thoughts were drawn back to the prayer.
There are those who do not pray in congregation, choosing to pray in their houses or elsewhere, not in the masjids even though they can hear the adhan. They claim that the congregational prayer is only Sunnah and not obligatory. A blind man came to the Prophet(pbuh) and said, “O Messenger of Allah! I am a blind man and there is no one to guide me and there are many venomous creatures in Madinah. Do I have an excuse to pray at home?”To which the Prophet(pbuh) asked, “Do you hear the call for prayer?” The blind man replied, “Yes”. Then the Prophet(pbuh) replied, “So answer it.” ( Reported by Abu Dawud (533), al-Nasa’i (2/109), Ibn Khuzaimah (1478) from the narration of Amr ibn Umm Maktum . )
The blind man was not pardoned from attending congregational prayers at the masjid even though he had a valid excuse. Since there was a possibility o f him finding someone to guide him to the masjid, his excuses were not fully justified. In fact, the obligation to attend congregational prayers is ratified even in dire situations such as the prayer of fear (salat al-khawf) which is performed whilst in the midst of a battle with the enemy. Allah commanded the Muslims to pray in congregation even as an armed conflict was going on around them. The imam divides the congregation in two during this situation. This is yet another explicit proof that congregational prayer is an obligation though some scholars said that it is only strongly recommended (mustahab). This is an independent judgment (ijtihad) on their part which is incorrect.( Like that of Malik, al-Thawri, Abu Hanifah and al-Shafi’i. See al-Mughni (3/5). ) It contradicts the evidences in the Quran and the Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger(pbuh).
The Prophet(pbuh) said, “Whoever hears the adhan and does not respond to the call, there is no prayer for him except for those who possess a valid excuse.’’The narrator, Ibn ‘Abbas was asked, “What is the valid excuse?” He replied, “Fear and sickness.” ( Reported by Abu Dawud (551), Ibn Majah (793) from the narration of Abdullah ibn
Abbas. )
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud said, “Whosoever wishes to meet Allah as a Muslim tomorrow, let him be steadfast in performing the prayer where it is called. Verily Allah has ordained for your Prophet sunan (traditions) that guide. These prayers are the sunan that guide. If you all prayed at your houses, just like this rebel who prayed in his house, you have indeed let go of the Sunnah of your Prophet. If you leave the Sunnah of your Prophet you will go astray. We have observed that only the hypocrite known for his hypocrisy does that. There were men who were assisted to the masjid by two men supporting them on either side until they stood in the rows for the prayer.”( Reported by Muslim (2/124). )
The Companions of the Prophet( pbuh ) never missed the prayer in congregation. Even the old men amongst them sought support from people to get to the masjid. [When considering the manner of the elderly Companions,] what do we say regarding the fit and young from amongst them? Would they ignore the call to prayer? Evidently we say no, for they knew its great significance.
Let us not heed the advice of he who says that praying in congregation is only recommended and not an obligation. We heed the guidance of Allah and His Messenger. Scholars do err at times while the Prophet(pbuh) is always correct and he is free of sin and error. His words are insusceptible to mistakes. So why do we neglect his guidance and hold on to the opinion of others? Having said this, it must be pointed out that those scholars (may Allah have mercy upon them) gave the relaxed ruling whilst they themselves never missed praying in congregation.
To summarise, the above discussion emphasises the importance of prayer and its significance. We are also urged to help facilitate anyone who wishes to pray to the best of our ability. We are told to warn people not to be lackadaisical regarding it and to be steadfast in performing it in congregation. These are the immediate objectives and goals for a student of knowledge and those who act as advisors or counsellors. It is unbecoming of them to ignore the indifference people have towards the daily prayers. Turning a blind eye to this problem by regarding it as normal only exacerbates the situation.
Some others propound that the din is about transactions, or about akhlaq (manners). The underlying agenda which is alluded to is that Islam is about being fair in all transactions with the people and showing them the best of manners. This is the core of the religion and the prayer is only secondary. We affirm that these are from religion, however the basis of the religion is as the Prophet(pbuh) said, “Islam is the declaration that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, the establishment of prayer, giving of zakat, fasting in Ramadan and making Hajj to the house if one has the means to do so.” ( Reported by Muslim (1/28, 29, 30), Ahmad (1/28, 51) from the narration of Umar ibn al-Khattab. )
May Allah guide the wayward Muslims to the right path and make the observing Muslims more steadfast upon the truth.
It is obligatory upon all Muslims who are mukallaf except the menstruating woman and the woman having post-natal bleeding.
The following are the conditions that make prayer an obligation:
First: “It is obligatory upon all Muslims”: The first condition is that they have to be Muslim. Non-Muslims are not required to do so. It becomes obligatory upon them as soon as they embrace Islam. If one prays in the state of disbelief, his prayer is not accepted. Therefore the primary obligation upon the non-Muslim is to embrace Islam and then comes the obligation of prayer. As the Prophet M instructed Mu’adh, “The first thing you should invite them towards is the declaration that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. If they were to accept this, then teach them that Allah has made the five daily prayers obligatory upon them … [to the end of the hadith].”( Reported by al-Bukhari (2/130 and 169) and (3/169), Muslim (1/38) from the narration of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas. )
Second: “Mukallaf: I.e. one who is mature and of sound mind. Exceptions would be a child who has not yet reached maturity and the insane who have lost the mental capacity to think rationally. They are not obliged to pray as the Prophet said, “The pen has been raised from three; a child until he reaches maturity, the sleeping person until he wakes up and the insane until he attains sanity.” ( Reported by Ahmad (1/154,158), Abu Dawud (4401 and 4402), al-Tirmidhi (1423) from the narration of Ali ibn Abi Talib. )
“Except the menstruating woman and the woman having post-natal bleeding”: Though they are Muslims and mukallaf, they are exempted from prayers due to haydh and nifas respectively. This is because the prerequisite for prayer is taharah and the above two conditions make women impure during the entirety of the duration of them being in this state. Therefore they are not obliged to pray as a form of concession which is a mercy from Allah upon them. The evidence for their exemption is that women during the era of the Prophet(pbuh) used to stop praying while they had their menstruation.( Reported by al-Bukhari (1/88) and Muslim (1/182) from the narration of Mua’dhah said: “A woman asked Aishah, ‘Does a woman repay the prayers that she has missed due to her menses?’ Aishah replied, Are you a haruriyah” We used to menstruate with the Prophet and then become pure, and he did not tell us to make up for the prayers we missed.’” )
Those who lose consciousness due to sleep, fainting or intoxication have to make up their prayers. An insane person’s prayer is not accepted as is the prayer of a non-believer. If one performs it, then he is adjudged a Muslim.
“Those who lose consciousness due to sleep”: I.e. It is temporary. The Prophet(pbuh) said, “Whoever forgets to perform his prayers or has fallen asleep during the prayer time, he shall do so when he remembers. There is no penalty for it except the prayer itself.” ( Reported by al-Bukhari (1/155), Muslim (2/142) from the narration of Anas ibn Malik.)
“Fainting”: Those who have fainting spells have to make up the prayer when they regain consciousness. This is applicable as long as they are of sound mind and have fully recovered their cognitive abilities.
“Intoxication”: This is because intoxication diminishes the ability to think rationally. Allah says: {Do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated until you know what you are saying.}( Al-Nisa: 43 ) If he is no longer intoxicated, he must make up for the missed prayer.
Those who are in a state of confusion for an extended period after a bad road accident are exempted from making up their missed prayers.
“An insane person’s prayer is not accepted as is the prayer of a non-believer”: An insane person loses his faculties due to his mind becoming overcome or possessed. He is not obliged to pray for he is among those who are exempted. He does not have to make up the prayers that he missed if he regains sanity. This is because it was not an obligation upon him during the period he was insane. If he prays while being insane, it is not valid for he could not have had the proper intention to pray.
Similarly, a non-Muslim’s prayer is invalid as prayer is an act of worship. These acts have a prerequisite that one has to be M uslim before their performance. This applies to the apostate as well.
“If one performs it, then he is adjudged a Muslim”: Superficially he is a Muslim and one assumes that he has verbalised the two declarations of faith. However, his intention is known only to him and Allah.
A child of seven should be ordered to perform the prayer and at the age of ten, he is struck if he doesn’t pray. If he or she attains puberty during the prayer or afterwards while the prayer time has yet to lapse, he or she must repeat the prayer.
“A child o f seven should be ordered to perform the prayer”: We have discussed that it is not obligatory for a child to perform the prayer. However, they are urged to pray from the age o f seven so that it serves as training for the future. The prayer is still optional for the child and he is rewarded for it. The Prophet(pbuh) said, “Command children to pray at seven years old.”( Reported by Ahmad (2/180 and 187), Abu Dawud (495 and 496), al-Hakim (1/197) and al-Bayhaql in his Sunan (2/229) from the hadith of Abdullah ibn Amr. ) Children below this age are not commanded to pray for they will not comprehend its importance.
“At the age of ten, he is struck if he doesn’t pray”: Corporal punishment is served to instil discipline and to stress the importance of obligatory prayers. A child of seven is instructed to pray and he is struck for not doing so at ten. Many parents do not take this advice from the Prophet. Their children are left to their own fancy. We see parents fuming if their children skip school without their knowledge. However, they do not bat an eyelid if their children fail to perform their prayers. It is of little significance to them.
“If he or she attains puberty during the prayer or afterwards while the prayer time has yet to lapse, he or she must repeat the prayer”: If one of the two signs of puberty appear whilst the child is performing his prayer, then he must repeat it. Similarly if it appears after the prayer but the prayer time has yet to lapse, he must repeat the prayer. This is because the prayer is not obligatory for a child before puberty. Since he or she attains it, the prayer becomes obligatory. Since there is a shift in intention, the prayer is repeated with the intention that it is obligatory upon him.
Delaying a prayer until after its specific time is prohibited except when combining prayers or when preoccupied with completing one of its conditions and he is close to completing it.
“Delaying a prayer until after its specific time is prohibited except when combining prayers”: One should not do so without an excuse that is valid according to Islamic law. The example of a valid excuse would be the combining of prayers whilst one is on a journey or at times when he is very sick. He delays the one prayer until the next one is due. For example the zuhr prayer is delayed until the asr prayer and prayed together one after the other in succession or he delays maghrib until the isha prayer. This delay in prayer is permitted if an individual falls under the above categories.
“Or when preoccupied with completing one o f its conditions and he is close to completing it”: For example one is busy trying to fulfil a condition of the prayer such as finding or procuring water so as to make ablution with it. The Hanbali madhab propounds that one should persist in the quest for water if he is sure that it can be obtained. This is a valid reason to delay the prayer.( See al-Insaf( 1/398-399). )
Another view is that one should make tayyamum and perform his prayer if he does not have water. This view is preferred as Allah jSfe says in the Quran: {So fear Allah as much as you are able.}( Al-Taghabun: 16 ) He should not delay the prayer beyond its specific time as its time is ordained by Allah. The timing is also a prerequisite for prayers. Allah says: {Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.}( Al- Nisa: 103 )
Whoever denies its obligation has disbelieved. A similar riding applies for the one who misses prayers on purpose. The ruler or his assistant must order him to pray and insist he do so until the time for the next prayer draws to a close. He is not executed until the passing of a three-day grace period by which time he must repent. This applies to both situations.
“Whoever denies its obligation has disbelieved”: I.e. those among the Muslims who deny the obligation of the five daily prayers. He believes Allah by taking such a stance for it is the Almighty who ordained it as obligatory. He has lied against the Prophet and the consensus of the M uslims( See al-Mughni (3/301). ) by denying the obligation of prayer and becomes an apostate as a result. No Muslim can plead ignorance to the obligation of the five daily prayers.
“A similar ruling applies for the one who misses prayers on purpose”: Those who recognise the obligation of the prayer yet do not pray without a valid reason due to their negligence have disbelieved as well. The evidence against them is similar to the one who refutes the obligation of prayers.
“Or his assistant”: For example a judge or the governor who will insist that he prays.
“Until the time for the next prayer draws to a close”: This is to negate a potential claim that he combined his prayers. If he does combine both prayers, it is explained to him that it can be done so only in certain circumstances and with valid excuses.
“He is not executed until the passing of a three-dav grace period by which time he must repent”: He is asked to repent for missing prayers as Islamic law offers respite to the apostate by means o f repentance before he is executed. The one who misses his prayer is an apostate and is asked to repent over a three-day period. He is ordered to repent each day by those in authority. If he does not repent by the end of this grace period, he is executed.
“This applies to both situations”: I.e. he who denies or refutes the obligation of the five daily prayers and he who misses the prayer out of negligence.
By Shaykh Salih ibn Fawzan al-Fawzan
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