Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(220): "Ruling on the Permissibility of the two Athans for the Friday Prayer"

Date Added : 21-12-2015

Resolution No.(220)(10/2015) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on the Permissibility of the two Athans for the Friday Prayer"

Date: 24/Thulhijjah/1436 AH, corresponding to 8/10/2015 AD.

 

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
On the above given date, the Board reviewed the question sent by some citizens, and it reads as follows:

Nowadays, some students of Islamic Sharia argue that the Sunnah is to have one Athan (Call for prayer) for Friday prayer and it should be pronounced  after the Imam sits on the pulpit (Mimbar),  and not two Athans as the Sunnah which used to be practiced by the Caliphate Othman Bin Affaan (May Allah be pleased with him). As a result, this matter has led to dispute in some mosques. Would you kindly clarify the ruling of Islamic Sharia on this issue and issue a Fatwa in this regard in order to settle the dispute and  to ward off the trial?

After researching and deliberating, the Board decided what follows:
 In the lifetime of the Prophet (PBUH), the Athan for Friday prayer used to be pronounced after the Imam sat on the pulpit , and there is no dispute about its permissibility, as stated by Ibn Qodamah: "There is no dispute about the permissibility of the Athan for Friday prayer which is pronounced after the Imam sat on the pulpit, as it used to be in the lifetime of the Prophet (PBUH)." As-Saa`b Ibn Yazeed said: "In the lifetime of the Prophet, Abu Bakr and `Umar, the Adhan for the Jumua prayer used to be pronounced when the Imam sat on the pulpit." (Bukhari).
As regards pronouncing the Athan before the Imam sat on the pulpit, it is the Sunnah of Uthman Bin Affaan and it was approved by the Prophet`s companions, so this proves that it is permissible. The wisdom behind this Athan is to remind the people to get ready for the Friday prayer, one hour before its due time. As a result, this Athan remained until present, following the Sunnah of the rightly guided Caliphs (May Allah be pleased with them). The Messenger (PBUH) said: "So you must keep to my Sunnah and to the Sunnah of the Caliphs Ar-Rashideen (the rightly guided caliphs), those who guide to the right way. Cling to it stubbornly [literally: with your molar teeth]. " {Mosnad ahmad}.

Nowadays, although the time between the two Athans for Friday prayer is short, it fulfills the essential purpose observed in the Sunnah of the Caliph Uthman Bin Affan (May Allah Be Pleased with him), giving prayer performers extra minutes to reach the mosque before the Imam sits on the Pulpit.

There is no sound reason for denying this Athan (the one pronounced before the Imam sits on the pulpit), nowadays, as it fulfills the aim of the Sunnah which used to be practiced by Uthman, 
and since its permissibility is based on the fact that the Prophet`s companions approved it. This is despite the fact that some traditions describe this Athan as one of the newly invented matters (in religion), as reported by Ibn Rajab in his book [Fateh Al-Bari, vol.8/pp.218-220]. It is considered newly invented (Mohdath) in the sense that it wasn`t pronounced in the lifetime of the Prophet (PBUH), and it isn`t intended for banning and forbidding. In fact, the companions invented as well as sanctioned it, and since there is no Sharia-approved evidence that it is forbidden, the four juristic schools have agreed that it is lawful as follows:

[Hashyat Ibn Adeen], a Hanafte book, stated: "The second Athan for Friday prayer is pronounced after the Imam sits on the pulpit, as a Sunnah."

[Manh Al-Jaleel], a Malikite book, stated: "The first Athan for the Friday prayer is a Sunnah."

[E`anat At-Talibeen], a Shafite book, stated: "The two Athans for the Friday prayer are permissible."

[Kash-shaaf Al-khina]," a Hanbalite book, stated: "The first Athan for the Friday prayer is recommended because Uthman has kept it as Sunnah and was observed by the Muslim Nation."

Pronouncing the Athan for the Friday prayer twice is effective in Jordan as determined by the Ministry of Awqaf, Islamic Affairs and the Holy Sites. It is also adopted in the rest of  the Muslim World. Therefore, those who have a different opinion in this regard based on their Ijtihad (independent reasoning) aren`t allowed to create dispute and conflict in mosques to impose their view. In addition, they aren`t allowed to criticize others for not following suit. And Allah Knows Best.

 

Chairman of the Iftaa` Board, The Grand Mufti of Jordan: Sheikh AbdulKareem al-Khasawneh
Vice-Chairman of the Iftaa` Board, Dr. Ahmad Hilayel
Prof. Abdulnasser Abulbasal / Member
Dr. Yahia al-Botoosh / Member
Sheikh Sae`id Hijjawi / Member
Prof. Mohammad al-Qhodat / Member
Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh / Member
Dr. Mohammad Khair Al-Esa / Member
Dr. Mohammad  al-Z`obi / Member

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Summarized Fatawaa

If the bleeding ceases after 40 days following childbirth, but then returns intermittently during two days of fasting, what is the ruling?

 
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Whenever the post-natal bleeding (Nifas) ceases and the woman is certain it will not return, she has become pure; therefore, she must perform the ritual bath (Ghusl) and resume praying and fasting. However, if the blood returns within fifteen days of its cessation and before sixty days have passed since the delivery, the ruling of Nifas applies once again. Consequently, any fasting or prayer performed during that interval of purity is rendered invalid; she must make up for the missed fasts of those days, but she is not required to make up for the prayers. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

Is it permissible for a woman who has become pure before the end of forty days of confinement to perform different acts of worship? and is it lawful for her husband to have sex with her?

Once postpartum bleeding ceases and she is certain that it won`t happen again, she becomes pure, and so she should perform Ghusl (ritual bath), pray, and fast. She can also have sex with her husband even before the end of (40) days because the minimum of postpartum bleeding is a moment, and the maximum is (60) days. However, the postpartum bleeding for the majority of women is (40) days, but this does not apply to rest of them.

Is it obligatory to have an intention (niyyah) for every prayer?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is obligatory for the worshiper to have a specific intention (Niyyah) for every prayer, meaning they must consciously intend the act of worship they are performing. The intention is a pillar (Rukn) of the prayer, and the prayer is not valid without it. It is not a requirement to utter the intention verbally; rather, doing so is considered a recommended Sunnah. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

What is the ruling on making up missed prayers during prohibited times?

 

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is permissible to make up (qada’) missed prayers at any time, even during the periods when prayer is generally prohibited. The prayers that are forbidden and considered invalid during these times are 'absolute voluntary prayers' (nafl mutlaq)—which have no specific cause—and voluntary prayers whose cause follows the prayer itself, such as the Sunnah of entering Ihram or the Sunnah of the Istikharah prayer. Furthermore, no prayer is considered disliked (makruh) during these prohibited times when performed within the Meccan Sanctuary (Makkah al-Mukarramah).
 
It is stated in Bushra al-Karim (Vol.1/P.181), one of the Shafi’i texts: 'It is not forbidden to perform prayers that have a cause that is not delayed (i.e., the cause is preceding), such as making up a missed prayer (fa’itah)—even if it was a voluntary one—and the funeral prayer (janazah); or a cause that is simultaneous, such as the prayer for rain (istisqa’) or the eclipse prayer (kusuf)... and the Sunnah of wudu, the greeting of the mosque (tahiyyat al-masjid), the Sunnah of circumambulation (tawaf), the Sunnah of arrival, and the prostrations of recitation (tilawah) or thankfulness (shukr). These mentioned prayers and their like are not forbidden provided that one does not specifically intend (ta'ammud) to perform them during the disliked time because it is a disliked time. If one does so intentionally, it becomes forbidden, even if it is a mandatory makeup prayer that is due immediately; because in that case, one is acting in defiance of the Sharia. This is in contrast to when one does not specifically seek out that time, even if the prayer happens to fall within it, or if one seeks it for another purpose—such as delaying a funeral prayer to that time so that a larger number of people may pray over the deceased; in such cases, it is permissible and valid... And it is forbidden to perform prayers with no cause at all, like absolute nafl, or those with a delayed cause, such as the Istikharah prayer, the prayer for Ihram, the prayer for a need (hajah), the prayer before leaving the house, or the prayer before execution; because their causes occur after the prayer itself.' And Allah the Exalted knows best."