Monday, December 27, 2004

Accidents during group prayer

Breaking ones ablution in prayer

  • The one who breaks his ablution during prayer unintentionally, but not intentionally or by loss of mind or ejaculation, may go to take ablution and then continue from where he was in the prayer. If he does anything else that invalidates the prayer other than making the necessary movements to make ablution, such as speaking, exposing the ^awrah, or passing by water close by in order to use other water, then his prayer is invalidated. It is also invalidated if he waits for the time it takes to perform an obligation before he takes off, or performs a part of the prayer after breaking the ablution. It is in any case better to start over.
  • If the leader broke his ablution unintentionally or became unable to recite (before completing the minimum recital), then he appoints a replacement immediately.

12 invalidators of the prayer before saying the ending salaam

These invalidate the prayer even after sitting for the last tashahhud before saying the salam:
  1. The one who has taken ablution by soil sees water.
  2. The unintentional exposure of the foot of the one who has been wiping his footwear (khuff) by little movement.
  3. The time-period for wiping the footwear runs out.
  4. The unable to recite learns to recite a suurah of the Quran.
  5. The naked one finds something to cover with.
  6. The one who was only hinting at the movements of prayer became strong enough to bow and prostrate.
  7. Someone remembered an obligatory prayer that he missed and didn't pray yet.
  8. The leader of the prayer broke his ablution and appointed a replacement that doesn't know how to recite.
  9. The time of Fajr ended.
  10. The time of Asr entered during the Friday Group Prayer.
  11. Someone was wearing a bandage and it fell off exposing a healed wound.
  12. Someone became well after being excused from taking ablution from some of its invalidators due to an ailment, such as irregular vaginal bleeding.

When the leader ends his prayer by other than saying salaam

  • If the leader of the prayer sat for the length of time of the tashahhud (the last obligation), and then laughed or willfully broke his ablution then:
    1. The prayer is valid, but it is a duty to repeat it.
    2. Those who did not catch the first subset with him have invalid prayers.
  • If the leader spoke or exited from the moske after completing all his obligations, without saying the salaam, then the prayers of those who did not catch the first subset were not invalidated.

Prayer Leadership

Group Prayer

Group prayer for men in the 5 obligatory prayers in the masjid is an Ascertained Merit. It's disliked, but valid, for women to pray alone as a group. It is disliked for the young woman to join the group prayer in the mosque.

The suitability of a Prayer Leader (Imaam)

  • The most fit leader of the prayer, is the one who has the most knowledge.
  • It is disliked, but valid, to let a big sinner lead the prayer
  • It's invalid to pray an obligatory prayer behind someone in an optional prayer
  • It is invalid for a man to follow a woman or boy that has not reached puberty
  • It's invalid for a person who has complete ablution to pray behind someone who is excused from having to take ablution due to an ailment
  • It's invalid for all if the one who is not able to recite leads someone who can
  • It’s invalid for the one who is able to bow and prostrate, to pray behind the one who only hints at the prayer movements
  • Someone who is able to stand in prayer can pray behind the one who sits (but is able to prostrate) - but he himself must stand
  • The one who has taken ablution by earth (tayammum) may lead those who have ablution by water
  • The one who wipes his footwear instead of washing his feet, may lead the prayer of those who are washing
  • Someone who is praying an optional prayer may pray behind someone praying an obligatory prayer
  • The follower in the prayer that later finds out that the leader did not have ablution, must repeat his prayer

Arranging the rows

  • When setting up the rows for the group prayer, the men should come first, then young boys, and finally women
  • A single follower stands to the right and slightly behind.
  • Two followers in the prayer stand behind

Sunday, December 26, 2004

Reciting in prayer

When to perform loud or silent reciting

To recite silently means making your self hear only, whereas reciting loudly means to make others hear.
  1. The leader of the prayer recites Quran loudly as a duty:
    • In the two first subsets of all obligatory prayers except Thuhr and Asr.
    • The Friday Prayer, the Eiid prayers, Witr Prayer (in Ramadan) and taraawiiH
    • .
  2. The one praying alone may pray silently in all prayers if he likes.
  3. Optional prayers are silent in daytime, but one may recite loudly in them at night.
  4. The followers in a group prayer keep silent.
  5. Attendees of the Friday Speech keep silent (except if the speaker recites the aayah that orders to praise Prophet Muhammad (may Allah raise his rank.))
  6. If one misses the obligatory night prayer, and performs it the next day in a group, then the leader of the prayer recites loudly. However, if one is praying it alone then one must recite silently.

Forgetting Fatihah

The one who recited Quran, but forgot to recite the Faatihah in the first two subsets of an obligatory prayer, does not catch them up in the last to subsets. However, if one recited the Faatihah in the two first subsets and nothing more, then it is waajib (a duty) to catch up by reciting it again with another suurah in the two last subsets (loudly if it was supposed to have been recited aloud). One must prostrate for innatentiveness (sujuud al-sahw) in both cases above.

Obligatory and Waajib Reciting

  • The obligatory required reciting is fulfilled by a single aayah. This must be done in every subset in optional prayer, but at least in two in obligatory prayers.
  • It is a duty to read at least an additional suurah or a long aayah after the Fatihah (except in the 3rd and 4th subsets of the 5 obligatory daily prayers).
  • It is a sunnah to read the Fatihah in all subsets in obligatory prayers (but one does not add to it other reciting in the 3rd and 4th subsets).

The preferred amount to recite

The Quran is divided into 30 parts, the last three of these as a unit are called "The Divided One" because its divided into many suurahs.
  • It is a convention in the Fajr prayer and the Thuhr prayer to recite in the first two subsets between 40 and 50 aayah, or the longer suurahs of The Divided One. This is in addition to the Faatihah.
  • Other numbers have been related, and the way to make agreement between the sayings is to say that the leader recites with the hard-working 100 aayah, but with the lazy only 40, and with average people between 50 and 60. Others said that the criteria is to look at how busy people are, especially with regard to Thuhr prayer.
  • In the Asr prayer and the Eisha prayer, one should read middle length suurahs from The Divided One. For the Maghrib prayer one should recite shorter suurahs from The Divided One.
  • The first subset of the Fajr prayer should be made longer than the second one. This is to help people make the group prayer at a time when they are sleeping or drowsy.
  • The first two subsets of Thuhr prayer are equally deserving of recital length. The same is true for all the prayers except the Fajr prayer, as mentioned. It does not matter if the first or second subset is longer than the other one by two or three aayahs.
  • The traveler recites the Faatihah and any suurah, if he is in a hurry.