I am pleased to write this letter.Please try to reply to my questions as soon as possible,my duas and any help which i can do for you will be a great pleasure for me. I have main 3 questions and i wish that you shall answer both.
1)This quest. is regarding my parents.We live in Saudia Arabia- The Holy Land.My parents are having a very distressful life here.I feel very hopeless to see such of my parents condition.Here they are away from their religion, I mean to say that they dont pray.My mother and father both are bound with physical problems,they both have many diseases and one of their major physical stress is depression.My parents negligence in religion is affecting my religion too.But by Allah’s grace I am trying to follow religion on my own side but I dont know how to spread it to my parents.My parents both are having many physical problems,the way my father prays salah is not the correct way..and also my mother due to physical problems cannot pray(although she tried few times).I am not mentioning what is their problems since i dont know correctly about it.I just want some some for making them religious and eliminating their physical problems…Can you help me in such case.
2)I want to say that whenever i stand in jammat in salah here in saudi arabia people dont concentrate on keeping the legs joined with one another.when i join my for eg left leg to a person left of me the person on the right doesnot come and join his right leg to mine.sometimes there is a big gap.Also whenever i join my leg to other they move it away as they are not accostumed to it,so nearly in every rakat i have to join my legs with them.Do in salah i should pull them towards me or shall i speak to them after salah.the problem is they are all elder and i being a 15 years old boy cannot talk with them or it doesnot look nice that i am guiding them…
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
1) At the outset, it is important to mention the importance of salat. Allah Ta’ala has mentioned the importance of guarding one’s salat numerous times in the Holy Quran as well as the punishment for those who do not guard their salat:
حافظوا على الصلوات
“Take due care of all the prayers” (2:238)
قد أفلح المؤمنون……والذين هم على صلواتهم يحافظون
“Success is really attained by the believers…..And (by those) who consistently observe their prayers” (23:1, 9)
ما سلككم في سقر (42) قالوا لم نك من المصلين (43)
The dwellers of Paradise will be asking those in the Hellfire…”What has brought you to Hell? They will say, “We were not among those who offered salat” (74:42-43)
Allah Ta’ala has also mentioned “Establish salat” many times throughout the Holy Quran.
Besides the verses of the Quran, many Ahadith have also mentioned the importance of salat. Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) has mentioned that salat stands between man and disbelief. Another Hadith mentions that salat will be the first thing we will be questioned about on the Day of Judgment. If that test is passed, then it is likely the following tests will also be passed. If it is failed, then the following tests will be more difficult.
The abovementioned clearly shows the importance of salat and that salat is a fundamental pillar of Islam. Therefore, extreme care and caution should always be taken in matters of obeying the commandments of Allah and His Rasul (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam), otherwise severe punishments are in store for those in the Hereafter who do not take these matters seriously.
We must mention that Allah Ta’ala has surely blessed the believers by making the Deen easy to follow. For example, when we are in travel, we are permitted to shorten our salat and delay our fasts of Ramadan. When we are sick, we are permitted to delay our fasts. When there is no water for wudu, we are permitted to make tayammum etc. Allah Ta’ala has made it easy for us to follow the Deen regardless of the situation we are in. Similarly, if one is physically weak or disabled, Allah Ta’ala has permitted us to sit and pray salat. If one cannot even sit, then it is permissible to pray lying down. If one cannot even move, then it is permitted to use whichever gestures are possible. Therefore, with such ease we have no excuse whatsoever to say that the obligation of salat is difficult for us. As mentioned above salat is fardh upon us and utmost care should be taken to guard our salat.
You should consult with a local reliable scholar as well to assist you and your family and to personally talk to your father. If salat is not being offered in a correct manner, you can also purchase simple books which explain the correct step-by-step method of salat such as Ta’leemul-Haq. It is never too late in one’s life to refer to these books to make sure one is offering their salat correctly. You should also try to pray salat with congregation at the masjid as much as possible.
In regards to their depression, it is stated in a Hadith to say the following supplication (in bold) to ease depression and anxiety:
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- « مَا قَالَ عَبْدٌ قَطُّ إِذَا أَصَابَهُ هَمٌّ وَحَزَنٌ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّى عَبْدُكَ وَابْنُ عَبْدِكَ وَابْنُ أَمَتِكَ نَاصِيَتِى بِيَدِكَ مَاضٍ فِىَّ حُكْمُكَ عَدْلٌ فِىَّ قَضَاؤُكَ أَسْأَلُكَ بِكُلِّ اسْمٍ هُوَ لَكَ سَمَّيْتَ بِهِ نَفْسَكَ أَوْ أَنْزَلْتَهُ فِى كِتَابِكَ أَوْ عَلَّمْتَهُ أَحَداً مِنْ خَلْقِكَ أَوِ اسْتَأْثَرْتَ بِهِ فِى عِلْمِ الْغَيْبِ عِنْدَكَ أَنْ تَجْعَلَ الْقُرْآنَ رَبِيعَ قَلْبِى وَنُورَ صَدْرِى وَجَلاَءَ حُزْنِى وَذَهَابَ هَمِّى. إِلاَّ أَذْهَبَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ هَمَّهُ وَأَبْدَلَهُ مَكَانَ حُزْنِهِ فَرَحاً ».
“Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (RadiyAllahu Anhu) narrates that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: No person suffers any anxiety or grief, and says: (O Allah, I am Your slave, son of Your slave, son of Your female slave, my forelock is in Your hand, Your command over me is forever executed and Your decree over me is just. I ask You by every Name belonging to You which You named Yourself with, or revealed in Your Book, or You taught to any of Your creation, or You have preserved in the knowledge of the unseen with You, that You make the Quran the life of my heart and the light of my breast, and a departure for my sorrow and a release for my anxiety) – but Allah will take away his sorrow and grief, and give him joy instead”
(Musnad Ahmed, #4406)
We ask Allah Ta’ala to guide them and cure them of their ailments. Ameen.
2) It is firstly important to mention outright that it is not a desired sunnah of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) to join the feet with others in congregational prayer. The Hadiths reported in Sunan Abi Dawud and Sahih Bukhari have been misunderstood by many non-scholars who attempt to understand Hadith by just looking at their wordings without inquiring into their various interpretations.
In Abu Dawud, Abu’l Qasim al-Jadali (Rahimahullah) reports: I heard Nu’man ibn Bashir (RadiyAllahu Anhu) relate that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) faced the people and instructed, “Straighten your rows” three times. “By Allah, you should straighten your rows or else Allah will create disagreement between your hearts.”
Nu’man ibn Bashir (RadiyAllahu Anhu) then states, “I saw each person join his shoulders with the next person including the knees and ankles.” (Sunan Abi Dawud #662)
حدثنا عثمان بن أبى شيبة حدثنا وكيع عن زكريا بن أبى زائدة عن أبى القاسم الجدلى قال سمعت النعمان بن بشير يقول أقبل رسول الله -صلى الله عليه وسلم- على الناس بوجهه فقال « أقيموا صفوفكم ». ثلاثا « والله لتقيمن صفوفكم أو ليخالفن الله بين قلوبكم ». قال فرأيت الرجل يلزق منكبه بمنكب صاحبه وركبته بركبة صاحبه وكعبه بكعبه.
About the abovementioned Hadith:
(1) The words which actually describe the joining of the feet are not the words of the Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam), but are the words of the narrator, i.e. his observation. Hence, that portion of the narration is not a statement of the Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) himself (marfu’). The narrator is the one who describes the reaction of the Companions present at the time to the command and warning of the Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam). In fact, this type of an observation added by the narrator is not even found in the majority of narrations that emphasize orderly rows. Hence, it becomes quite clear that the Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) did not command that the feet be joined together. He merely commanded that the lines be orderly, and the Companions employed this method of joining their feet and shoulders together to fulfill that.
(2) The hadith merely tells us about the behavior of the Companions before the prayer had begun. In other words, to comply with the instruction of the Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) they attempted to form a straight line by joining their shoulders and feet together before the prayer commenced. No where in the hadith does it indicate that this was also done during the prayer. It states that the Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) turned towards them to instruct them in this regard, which proves that this activity took place prior to the beginning of prayer. Whether this arrangement was continued throughout the prayer or not is not mentioned in the narrations.
(3) If for the sake of argument, we were to accept that the joining of the feet was maintained throughout the prayer, a number of questions would arise. For one, it would be enquired whether the feet should be joined together in all postures of the prayer or only during the standing posture (qiyam). If the answer is that it is required only during the standing posture, then the question would be what is the evidence for that? Why is this arrangement confined to the standing posture only and not required in any other posture? If the answer is that it is necessary in all postures of prayer, then the question would be, How will people in each row go about joining their feet and shoulders together whilst in prostration or in the sitting posture? As is clear, it would be quite impossible to achieve that.
Moreover, if the counter-argument is that it is only necessary to have the feet together while standing up because it is difficult to do so in the other postures of prayer, then the answer to that would be, it is also very difficult, and sometimes quite inconvenient, for many people to ensure this joining arrangement during the standing posture as well, just as it is in other postures.
(4) If it is considered necessary to join the shoulders and feet together on account of the above hadith, then why have the knees been excluded? As is mentioned in the above narration of Sunan Abi Dawud that the Companions joined their knees together, it should also be treated as an obligation throughout the prayer. However, one must be warned that standing even for a short while with one’s knees joined to the next persons can be quite painful, in fact impossible in some cases, when there is significant difference in the size of the two people standing next to each other.
(Fiqh al-Imam, White Thread Press)
Those who are insistent upon this act have also looked at the chapter in Sahih al-Bukhari entitled the “Chapter regarding the joining of shoulders to shoulders and feet to feet in prayer rows” and are thought to understand the words without looking into its various interpretations.
However, Ibn Hajar ‘Asqalaani (Rahimahullah) says that Imam Bukhari (Rahimahullah) chose this title for mubaalagha (exaggeration) on the importance of straightening the rows and filling the gaps in between. (Fathul Bari, 2/167, Ihyaa Turath)
‘Allamah Anwar Shah Kashmiri (Rahimahullah) states that whenever any verse of the Quran, Hadith, or athar is ambiguous, we must look at the practice of the Sahabah and the Salaf. In this case neither was in the habit of joining their shoulders and feet as some do today. Furthermore, none of the four madhaahib have this view. (Faydul-Bari, 2/301, Ilmiyya)
Shaykhul Hadith Hadhrat Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhlawi (Rahimahullah) has also mentioned that physically joining shoulders and feet would only be possible when the shoulders of all those standing in the row are at the same height and their feet are of the same length. Moreover, to do this, all the people standing in the row would have to spend some time before saying the takbir and entering their prayer to get their shoulders and feet in the right place. Clearly, this would be contrary to khushu’ (the desired calmness and the spirit of salat). (Lami’ al-Darari ‘ala Jami’ al-Bukhari, 1/279, HM Saeed)
Finally, Anas (RadiyAllahu) has stated about this act (of joining the feet and ankles):
“Had I done this with anyone today, they would have fled away like a wild donkey.” (Fathul bari, 2/168, Ihya Turath)
This statement clearly indicates that this practice was not continued by the Sahaba (RadiyAllahu Anhum) after the demise of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam). It is also a proof that the joining of feet and ankles in prayer is not a desired sunnah act. If it had been, none of the Sahaba (RadiyAllahu Anhum) would have forsaken the act for the fear of others disliking it.
(Imdadul-Ahkam, 1/288, Darul Uloom Karachi)
And Allah knows best
Wassalaamu `alaykum
Ml. Asif Umar,
Student Darul Iftaa
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa, Madrassah In’aamiyyah