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Ruling when the Friday Prayer and the E`ed Prayer Come on the Same Day
Author : The General Iftaa' Department
Date Added : 14-07-2015

Ruling when the Friday Prayer and the E`ed Prayer Come on the Same Day

When the E`ed occurs on a Friday, the Friday prayer remains obligatory because the E`ed prayer is a confirmed Sunna; whereas, the Friday prayer is an individual duty. Sunnah doesn`t invalidate an obligation, nor suffices for it. This is indicated by the following verse (What means): "O ye who believe! When the call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday (the Day of Assembly), hasten earnestly to the Remembrance of God, and leave off business (and traffic): That is best for you if ye but knew!" [Al-Jum`ah/9].

 

At the time of the Prophet (PBUH), E`ed occurred on a Friday, so he performed the E`ed prayer as well as the Friday prayer and delivered both sermons, and this is very famous in the books of Sunnah and the traditions. In addition, this is the opinion of the majority of the Muslim scholars: The Hanafites, The Malikites, The Shafites and in one narration of the Hanbalites.

 

He (PBUH) permitted the people from the outskirts not to attend the Friday prayer that day and instead offer the Zuhr prayer in their neighborhoods. The Prophet (PBUH) said: Two festivals (E'ed and Friday) have synchronized on this day. If anyone does not want to offer the Friday prayer, the E'ed prayer is sufficient for him. But we shall offer the Friday prayer." [Abu Dawood].

 

The majority of the Hanafite, Malikite and Shafite jurists said that the aforementioned Hadith applies to those who came from the outskirts of Medina in order to offer the E`ed prayer in the Prophet`s Mosque, and they aren`t obliged to offer the Friday prayer in principle, because they live in the outskirts of cities, far from populated areas. If they waited to offer the Friday prayer after having performed the E`ed prayer, they will face hardship and they will face the same hardship if they went home and returned to offer the Friday prayer, and this is why the Prophet(PBUH) permitted them not to attend the Friday prayer.

 

Therefore, it is more prudent to observe both prayers on that day, and as regards the opinion of some Hanbalite jurists states that whoever prays the E`ed prayer isn`t obliged to pray the Friday prayer, and should pray the Zuhr prayer instead, it contradicts prudence and acquittal.

 

As regards the opinion which states that praying the E`ed prayer invalidates the Zuhr prayer, this has never been stated by any of the four schools of jurisprudence and contradicts the provisions of Sharia which make offering five prayers for each day and night obligatory. Therefore, it is impermissible to apply this opinion, imitate it, or issue rulings based on it. Moreover, some narrations, related to some companions, state that the E`ed prayer makes the Friday prayer not obligatory if they happened on the same day, aren`t to be taken into consideration.

 

Finally, there is no room for dispute and  argument since Muslims are about to receive the Feast of Al-Fitr, rather, a Muslim should adhere to matters whose meanings are established, leave matters whose meanings are allegorical and follow the established opinions of the four juristic schools. And Allah Knows Best.

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on praying seated due to severe obesity, given that I experience hardship in performing the prayer — especially when rising from the ground after sujūd to perform the next rak‘ah?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Standing, when one is able to do so, is a pillar of the prayer. However, whoever would experience severe, intolerable hardship, or fears harm to himself or to a limb due to obesity, or finds that standing causes him to lose his khushū‘ (humble focus and concentration) in prayer, then there is no objection to his praying seated on a chair or on the ground, performing rukū‘ (bowing) and sujūd (prostration) through gesture — provided that the gesture for sujūd is made lower than that for rukū‘. Whoever is able, at any point, to properly perform any one of these pillars, is obligated to perform it in full; for omitting it is a concession that applies only in cases of genuine inability. The Prophet ﷺ said: "When I command you to do something, do of it whatever you are able." (Related by al-Bukhārī). As the scholars of fiqh have established: what remains possible is not waived on account of what is difficult.
The criterion for determining genuine inability, as chosen by Imam al-Ḥaramayn al-Juwaynī (raḥimahullāh), is that the worshipper experiences hardship that causes him to lose his khushū‘.
As for voluntary (nafl) prayer, there is no objection to performing it while seated, even if one is able to stand. However, rukū‘ and sujūd must still be performed [in their proper physical form] by anyone who is able to do so. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on a latecomer who joins the imam during the standing position of the first rakʿah but was unable to complete the recitation of al-Fātiḥah?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
If a latecomer (masbuq) joins the prayer while the imam is standing, he should begin reciting Sūrat al-Fātiḥah immediately, without pausing to recite the opening supplication (duʿāʾ al-istiftāḥ) or the seeking of refuge (taʿawwudh). If the imam bows before he completes al-Fātiḥah, he follows the imam into the bow and leaves whatever remains of al-Fātiḥah — the imam bears it on his behalf.
It is stated in ʿUmdat al-Sālik (p. 47): "If a latecomer finds the imam standing and is confident that he has enough time to recite the taʿawwudh and al-Fātiḥah in full, he may do so. If he is uncertain, he should neither recite the opening supplication nor the taʿawwudh, but rather begin directly with al-Fātiḥah. If the imam bows before he completes it, he follows him into the bow — provided he had not already begun the opening supplication or the taʿawwudh. If he had begun either of them, he continues reciting al-Fātiḥah for as long as he spent on them." And Allah the Almighty knows best.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "There will emerge from my nation people who will drink the Qurʾān as they drink milk" — is this ḥadīth authentic, and what does it mean?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
ʿUqbah ibn ʿĀmir, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "There will emerge from my nation people who will drink the Qurʾān as they drink milk." (Reported by al-Ṭabarānī in al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr, and cited by al-Haythamī in Majmaʿ al-Zawāʾid, who stated: "Its narrators are trustworthy.")
The meaning of this ḥadīth is that there will emerge from this blessed nation people who recite the Holy Qurʾān without reflecting upon its meanings or pondering its rulings — the noble verses passing over their tongues just as milk passes over them when it is drunk, leaving no trace of thought, understanding, or contemplation behind. [See: al-Taysīr bi-Sharḥ al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr,Vol.2/P.63] And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on undoing braids of hair during the ritual bath?

It is not a condition to undo braids if the water reaches all the hair and penetrates to its base. If the water does not reach except by undoing the braids, then it is obligatory to undo them for the water to reach. And Allah the Almighty knows best.