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The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Ties
Author : Dr. Ahmad Al-Harasees
Date Added : 10-01-2023

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Ties

 

 

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds; may His peace and blessings be upon Prophet Mohammad, his family and noble companions.

Allah The Almighty Says {What means}: "Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere," {Al-Baqarah/155}.

In light of this global pandemic and the spatiotemporal frame of the social reality in Jordan, two trends can be observed:

First: The positive trend.  Creating opportunity from the very womb of affliction and positive changes in the visible and clear patterns of behavior in society as a whole or in the family. Both sociologists and specialists in social and family relations must consider these changes, work on the change management process, strengthen the positives and build on them.

There are several examples on this; some of which are: abstaining from what is called "Conspicuous consumption", investing in new positive patterns in the family system and building on them in the future; particularly since the pandemic has given a bigger chance for interdependence and solidarity within the family itself. In addition, the family system and solidarity among its members must be worked on in the future. This can be achieved through paying more attention to solidarity and love compared to rights and duties. In this regard, Allah Says  {What means}: " And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect." {Ar-rum/21}.

Many aspects of excessive extravagance related to happy as well as sad occasions have changed. This is in addition to terminating extravagance and ostentation, and burdening the family with issues concerning society`s security.

Hence societal effort through the society as a whole, governmental or voluntary, emphasized these positives via media, cultural platforms, and the fatwas-based on divine guidance and Prophetic traditions-issued by the Iftaa` Department in this regard. In fact, several Friday sermons addressing this pandemic were delivered prior to the comprehensive ban. Their theme was the higher objectives of Sharia; namely preserving life and the importance of prevention as it is better than cure. Then a fatwa was issued regarding the permissibility of praying Friday and congregational prayers at home during the time of the pandemic was an act of new Ijtihad.* The latter took the common good into consideration by laying emphasis on preserving life as one of the higher objectives of Sharia. Moreover, many fatwas were issued concerning social distancing, spacing among prayer performers, wearing masks, instructions of attending Friday and congregational prayers, and washing the person who died due to COVID-19. This is in addition to many fatwas and Sharia guidance, which had a significant effect in raising people`s awareness, not questioning the instructions issued about this pandemic within the frames of Ijtihad conducted on the higher objectives of Sharia.

Second: The negative impact of the pandemic. On top of this is the financial status of many families relying on daily income, which led to family problems and divorce cases caused by poverty, destitution, and inability to secure the basic needs of the family.

I refer here to the need to study the poll published by the Center for Strategic Studies of the University of Jordan on "COVID-19 and Domestic Violence." It showed results and indicators that needed careful consideration. However, some results were positive, must be focused on, built on, and encouraged. One of these is society`s rejection to the idea that it is the right of the husband to be violent against his wife. The percentage in favor of this idea was 99%, 85% recognized wife`s household responsibilities, 66% tried to find solutions for their children problems, and 80% was the percentage of parent-child communication, in addition to many other positive aspects.

In conclusion, this pandemic has shown many positive as well as negative aspects in society. It is the duty of the professionals of this field to study further this case, build on the positives within the society change management, and reduce the negative aspects through awareness raising.

We ask Allah The Exalted to protect Jordan and its people, and end this scourge. All perfect praise be to Allah The Lord of The Worlds.

 

 

* Ijtihad is an Islamic legal term referring to independent reasoning by an expert in Islamic law, or the thorough exertion of a jurist's mental faculty in finding a solution to a legal question. It is contrasted with taqlid.

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on sitting between the two prostrations, and what is the ruling on the dhikr recited during it?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
Sitting between the two prostrations (al-jalsah bayna al-sajdatayn) is one of the pillars (arkān) of the prayer, while the dhikr recited during it is Sunnah according to the Shāfi'ī scholars. It is recommended (mustahabb) to say what was narrated from Ibn 'Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say between the two prostrations in the night prayer: 'Rabbi ighfir lī, warhamnī, wajburnī, warzuqnī, warfa'nī' (My Lord, forgive me, have mercy on me, make good my deficiencies, provide for me, and raise me)." If one were to say a different supplication instead, such as "Rabbi ighfir lī" (My Lord, forgive me), the prayer would still be valid.
If the worshipper omits this dhikr between the two prostrations, whether intentionally or out of forgetfulness, their prayer remains valid and nothing is required of them, though they miss the reward of following the Sunnah. Leaving it out does not necessitate the prostration of forgetfulness (sujūd al-sahw).
It is stated in Hāshiyat al-Bājūrī 'alā Sharḥ Ibn Qāsim 'alā Matn Abī Shujā' (Vol.1/P.298): "The eleventh — i.e., of the eighteen pillars — his statement: 'sitting between the two prostrations,' meaning even in a supererogatory (nafl) prayer... his statement: 'with the supplication that has been narrated concerning it,' meaning: 'Rabbi ighfir lī, warhamnī, wajburnī, warfa'nī, warzuqnī, wahdinī, wa 'āfinī' (My Lord, forgive me, have mercy on me, make good my deficiencies, raise me, provide for me, guide me, and grant me well-being). Al-Ghazālī added: 'wa'fu 'annī' (and pardon me). Al-Mutawallī also added: 'Rabbi hab lī qalban taqiyyan, naqiyyan min al-shirk, bariyyan lā kāfiran wa lā shaqiyyan' (My Lord, grant me a heart that is God-fearing, pure from associating partners with You, innocent, neither disbelieving nor wretched)."And Allah, the Most High, knows best.

What is required of one who doubts the number of rakʿāt during prayer?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
If a person doubts the number of rakʿāt he has prayed, he should build upon the lesser number, as that is what he is certain of. He should then perform the prostration of forgetfulness (sujūd al-sahw) before the final salām at the end of the prayer. ʿAṭāʾ ibn Yasār narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "When any one of you is in doubt during his prayer and does not know whether he has prayed three rakʿāt or four, let him pray one more rakʿah and then perform two prostrations while seated before the salām. If the rakʿah he prayed was a fifth, these two prostrations will make it even; and if it was the fourth, then the two prostrations serve as a humiliation for the devil." (Reported by Abū Dāwūd.)
It is stated in al-Muqaddimah al-Ḥaḍramiyyah — one of the foundational texts of the Shāfiʿī school: "If one doubts whether he has prayed three rakʿāt or four, he is obliged to build upon the lesser number."
However, if such doubt recurs repeatedly and reaches the level of obsessive whispering (waswasah), he should not build upon the lesser number in that case — rather, he should build upon the greater number. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

I broke my oath and am now obligated to pay the expiation for a broken oath (kaffārat al-yamīn). Would it be valid to fulfill this by inviting the poor and needy to a meal for them to eat from?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The expiation for a broken oath (kaffārat al-yamīn) is given to the poor (fuqarā') and needy (masākīn), and it must be given in the form of ownership (tamlīk) transferred to them of the required amount — namely, one mudd of the staple food of the locality, or its equivalent monetary value. It isn`t valid to invite the poor or needy to a meal prepared for them to eat from, as this does not constitute "ownership" (tamlīk) but merely "permission to partake" (ibāḥah).
Imam al-Shirbīnī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "What is intended is that ownership be transferred to them; therefore, providing them with lunch or dinner [as a meal to eat from] isn`t valid." [Summarized from Mughnī al-Muhtāj,Vol. 5/P.50]. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is it permissible for a woman to perform the obligatory prayer immediately after the adhan and before the Iqamah is performed in the mosque?

 

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Yes, it is permissible for a woman to perform the obligatory (Fard) prayer immediately after the Adhan (call to prayer) and before the Iqamah (call to commence prayer) is performed in the mosque. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

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