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The Pandemic Absolves a Person from Friday's Congregational Prayer
Author : The General Iftaa` Department
Date Added : 15-03-2021

 

In the Name of God Almighty and All perfect praise be to Him, The Lord of The Worlds, and may His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all of his family and companions.

The General Iftaa Dept. assures what been mentioned in earlier articles and Fatwas that preserving the human soul of what might be lead to causing harm to it is one of the most important objectives of Sharia; thus, Allah, The Exalted forbade doing any act which might inflict damage upon person's life and enjoined to preserve it in all legal methods, as He said (What means): "Spend your wealth for the cause of Allah, and be not cast by your own hands to ruin; and do good. Lo! Allah loveth the beneficent." [Al-Baqarah/195] in addition, He Said (What means): "and kill not one another. Lo! Allah is ever Merciful unto you." [An-Nisa'/29].

 

Nowadays, our country suffers from the great spread of this pandemic by which many people were passed away while others have been hospitalized for a long period due to their pains, sufferings as well as losses. Therefore, our religious and faithful obligations entail us to abide by all health instructions and guidelines as well the organizational orders issued by parties in charge, in addition to maintain all necessary means to stop the spread and transmission of this disease in order to preserve the strength and stability of the society.

 

In principle, Islamic Sharia arrived to ease people's daily matters and considered this one of its principles, because the objective of the devotions' acts is to manage peoples' affairs and cast away any harm whether in this life or in the hereafter, as Allah, The Exalted Said (What means): "God intends every facility for you; He does not want to put to difficulties." [Al-Baqarah/185].

Besides Muslim jurists are of the view that rain and mud are among the concessions by which a person is excused from offering Friday’s obligatory prayer based on the following narration in (Sahih Moslim): Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah Be Pleased with them) reported that he said to the Mu’adhdhin on a rainy day: When you have announced” I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,” do not say: ”Come to the prayer,” but make this announcement:” Say prayer in your houses.” He (the narrator) said that the people disapproved of it. Ibn ‘Abbas said: Are you astonished at it? He (the Holy Prophet), who is better than I, did it. Jumu’a prayer is no doubt obligatory, but I do not like that I should (force you) to come out and walk in mud and slippery ground. Al-Imam Al-Shafiee stated: ”The aforementioned narration is an among the concessions that permits a person not to offer obligatory prayer due to rain and the like. “

 

These days, the medical parties recommend to avoid gatherings such as the ones intended to  perform Friday’s obligatory prayer, since abiding by it serves a noble goal and righteous intention which are: preserving people’s life where by them the religion is preserved, and by keeping them safe, religious rituals might be established on the basis of Sharia maxims by which the hardship is removed and ease is adopted; thus, the avoidance of performing Friday’s congregational prayer becomes a valid excuse in this case. In addition to the fact that our legal obligation entails us to abide by this objective as we suffer for the time being from the spread of this pandemic among people. 

 

In this regard, we call upon everyone to perform the Duhr prayer at their homes and to abide by precautionary procedures in order to stop the spread and transmission of infection to others, since the Prophet (PBUH) said: ”There is no injury nor return of injury. " [Ibn Majah]. Besides, abiding by these procedures is considered a revival of a human soul whereas preserving it from injury is an obligation. For instance, bringing personal praying-mat while performing congregational prayer in the Mosque, the recitation from a personal copy of the Holy-Quran, making ablution in home, keeping physical distancing and the avoidance of shaking hands, since by adhering to the previous procedures, the prevention of this pandemic takes place among praying people as well as their lives and health is to be preserved.

 

Finally, we pray to Allah, The Exalted to keep our country and all Muslim countries safe and sound and to protect us from sicknesses and diseases as He is Powerful to do so and the conclusion of our prayer will be Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible to distribute the raw meat of the vowed animal sacrifice amongst the poor/to offer it to them in cooked form?

It is impermissible for the vow-maker to eat from the vowed animal sacrifice, rather, he/she should distribute it as he/she had intended upon making the vow, but if the vow was a general one, without any specification then, it is better to give it as raw meat.

I had my menstrual period at the beginning of Ramadan for six days, then it ended and I became pure. After four days, I started noticing some blood again, which has lasted for two days now, but it is not as heavy as menstrual blood. Is this blood considered menstrual blood, and what is the ruling regarding my prayers, fasting, and reading the Quran during this period?
 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad.
The minimum duration of menstruation is one day and one night, and its maximum is fifteen days. Any blood beyond this period is considered irregular bleeding (Istihada). Since the bleeding did not exceed fifteen days, it is considered menstrual blood within the regular cycle. Therefore, you should not pray or fast until the bleeding stops and the signs of purity appear. If the bleeding stops before fifteen days from when it first started, then all the blood you saw is considered menstrual blood, and you must make up the fasts, but not the prayers. If it exceeds fifteen days, then the first six days are menstrual blood, and the blood that follows is considered irregular bleeding. Your prayers and fasting are valid, and there is no issue with them. And Allah Knows Best."
 
*This answer was updated on [18/5/2023].

What is the ruling on training dogs that are of benefit?

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
 
This is permissible because Allah The Almighty Says (What means): "They ask thee what is lawful to them (as food). Say: lawful unto you are (all) things good and pure: and what ye have taught your trained hunting animals (to catch) in the manner directed to you by Allah. eat what they catch for you, but pronounce the name of Allah over it: and fear Allah. for Allah is swift in taking account." [Al-Ma`idah/4]. However, it is prohibited to keep dogs for no benefit because Salim reported on the authority of his father that Allah's Apostle (PBUH) said: "He who kept a dog other than one meant for hunting or for watching the herd, lost two qirat of his reward every day." [Moslim]. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.

What is the ruling of Sharia on marrying a Jewish woman, dealing with the Jews, and going to Israel?

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May Allah`s peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
It is allowed for a Muslim to marry a Jewish or a Christian woman provided that this doesn`t affect his religion. As for dealing with the Jews who are outside Palestine, it is the same as dealing with the Christians; it is permissible as long as it doesn`t harm Islam. As for dealing with the Jews who are inside Palestine, the ruling differs depending on the persons themselves and the situations. By the end of the day, a believer`s heart leads him/her to what is good. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.

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