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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 supplicating in Qunoot, at times of affliction, during obligatory and voluntary prayer a Sunnah, and should it be done before Rukoo` (bowing), or after it?

At times of affliction, it is a Sunnah that Muslims supplicate in Qunoot after the final Rukoo` of each obligatory, or voluntary prayer as individuals, or in congregation.

If someone delays making up fasts for a year, can they give fidyah before performing qada?

Yes, it is permissible to give fidyah before making up the missed fasts (qada), because each is an independent obligation, and there is no required order between them. 

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on performing ṭawāf on the upper floors of al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, given that these floors are situated above the level of the Ka‘bah, and that the one performing ṭawāf passes by certain barriers, such as pillars and walls, during the ṭawāf?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
There are numerous conditions for the validity of ṭawāf (circumambulation around the Ka‘bah), among them: that the one performing ṭawāf be inside the Masjid (al-Masjid al-Ḥarām) — even if the Masjid has been expanded, so long as the expansion does not extend out into al-ḥill (land outside the sanctuary boundaries). It suffices for the ṭawāf to be performed in the airspace of the Masjid or upon its roof, even if that roof is higher than the Ka‘bah (the House) itself.
Al-Khaṭīb ash-Shirbīnī (raḥimahullāh) said: "It [ṭawāf] is valid upon the roof of the Masjid, even if the roof of the Masjid is higher than the House — just as prayer [is valid] upon Mount Abū Qubays despite its elevation above the House. This is the relied-upon (mu‘tamad) position." [Mughnī al-Muḥtāj, Vol.2/P.246]
The validity of the tawaf isn`t affected by the pillars and walls standing between the one performing ṭawāf and the House, since the condition is only that the person performing ṭawāf be within the boundaries of the Masjid and outside the boundaries of the Ka‘bah itself.
Ash-Shirbīnī said: "It [ṭawāf] is valid inside the Masjid, even if it is expanded, and even if a barrier stands between the one circumambulating and the House — such as a water-supply structure (saqāyah) or pillars (sawārī)." [Mughnī al-Muḥtāj, Vol. 2/P.246]
Accordingly, ṭawāf performed on the upper floors is valid, and the presence of barriers such as pillars and walls during the ṭawāf does not affect its validity. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

The Jurisprudential Significance of the Ḥadīth: "Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr Prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking..."
"Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking: 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-ḥamdu yuḥyī wa yumītu wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr' ten times — ten good deeds will be recorded for him, ten bad deeds will be erased from him, he will be raised ten levels, he will spend that day in protection from everything disliked and guarded from the devil, and no sin will be able to befall him on that day except associating partners with Allah" — does this noble ḥadīth apply to the imam, and what is meant by "extraneous speech"?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite, immediately after the final salām, the specific remembrance reported in the sunnah to be said before turning away from one's place of prayer. The imam then leaves his praying spot, and the act of "turning" is fulfilled when the imam faces the congregation — even without physically leaving his spot — by positioning his right side toward them and his left side toward the qiblah, and this applies even while he is engaged in supplication.
Al-ʿAllāmah Ibn Qāsim al-ʿAbbādī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Tuḥfah (Vol.2/P.105): "It is most virtuous for the imam, once he has given the salām, to rise from his place of prayer immediately afterward." He adds that an exception must be made for the remembrances that are specifically required to be recited before he turns away. He then notes, citing Sharḥ al-ʿUbāb: "Yes, an exception to this rising immediately after the salām applies to the Fajr prayer, due to the authentic report that the Prophet ﷺ, when he prayed Fajr, would remain seated until the sun rose." He further cites, from al-Khādim, the ḥadīth concerning one who recites, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer while still in the position of crossing his leg to rise: "Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah..." and the rest of the well-known ḥadīth. He comments that this makes explicit that this particular remembrance is to be recited before the worshipper turns his legs to leave, and the same applies to Maghrib and ʿAṣr, as reported in those contexts as well.
What is meant by "speech" in the relevant ḥadīth is extraneous worldly speech that is not called for after the prayer and for which there is no legitimate excuse. The remembrances reported to be recited upon concluding the prayer, however, do not fall under this category of extraneous speech, since they are themselves required by the sharīʿah.
Al-ʿAllāmah ʿAlī al-Shabrāmalsī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Nihāyah (Vol.1/P.551): "If someone greets a person with salām while he is occupied with reciting this remembrance [i.e., 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh...'], should he return the greeting — without this causing him to forfeit the promised reward, since he is engaged in an obligatory matter — or should he delay returning the greeting until he finishes, this being a legitimate excuse for the delay?" He continues: "I say: the more likely view is the former, and the prohibition on speech is to be understood as applying to extraneous speech for which there is no legitimate excuse. Based on this, should the worshipper give precedence to this remembrance ('Lā ilāha illā Allāh...') or to reciting Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ ('Qul huwa Allāhu aḥad')? This requires consideration, though it is not unlikely that the remembrance takes precedence, given that the Lawgiver urged hastening to it through his words 'while crossing his leg.' This is not considered ordinary speech, since it is not extraneous to what is required after the prayer."
Accordingly, it is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite this remembrance and to give it precedence over the other remembrances of the prayer, ensuring it is said before they move from their place. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

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