Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

ASSALAMUALAIKUM WARAMATULLA WABARAKATU.SIR I WOULD LIKE TO ASK SOME PRAYER I CAN SAY TO OVERCOME BAD DREAMS.I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ASK IF IT IS ALLOWED TO PASS INFRONT OF A PERSON PRAYING.I ALSO PREFER READING THE TRANSLATED VERSION OF THE QURAN SO I WANT TO ASK IF IT IS PERMITTED TO READ THE ENGLISH VERSION AND IGNORE THE ARABIC ONE.PLEASE ANSWER AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
MA SALAM

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Can one read only translation?

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Q-1: I WOULD LIKE TO ASK SOME PRAYER I CAN SAY TO OVERCOME BAD DREAMS.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 6.536A Narrated by Aisha

Whenever the Prophet (saws) would go went to bed every night, he used to cup his hands together and blow over it after reciting Surat Al-Ikhlas, Surat Al-Falaq and Surat An-Nas, and then rub his hands over whatever parts of his body he was able to rub, starting with his head, face and front of his body. He used to do that three times.

The Prophet (saws) instructed his Companions that when they go to bed they should supplicate, "In Your name, O Lord, I lay me down to sleep. And by Your leave I raise myself up. So if You take away my soul during sleep, forgive it; and if You keep it alive after sleep protect it just as You protect Your pious servants."

The Prophet (saws) once advised his daughter, Fatimah, "Say Subhan-Allah thirty three times, Al-Hamdu-lillah, thirty three times, and Allahu Akbar, thirty four times." He also commended the recitation of Ayatal-Kursi, the verse of the Throne, Qur'an 2.255 along with the above supplications, and said that he who does so will be under the protection of Allah, Who will assign a protector to protect him.

Al-Muwatta Hadith 52.4

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Abu Salama ibn Abd ar-Rahman said, "I heard Abu Qatada ibn Ribiyy say that he heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say, 'The good dream is from Allah, and the bad dream is from Shaytan. When you see what you dislike, spit to your left side three times when you wake up, and seek refuge with Allah from its evil. It will not harm you then, Allah willing.' " Abu Salama said, "I would see dreams which weighed on me more heavily than a mountain. When I heard this hadith, I was not concerned about it."

Q-2: I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ASK IF IT IS ALLOWED TO PASS INFRONT OF A PERSON PRAYING.

It is preferred for the one who is praying to place a sutrah (or some sort of partition) in front of him in order to keep others from passing in front of him and to keep his eyesight from going behind this partition.

Abu Sa'id reports that the Prophet (saws) said: "When one of you prays, he should pray toward his sutrah, and he should be close to it."

Related by Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah.

Ibn Umar relates that when the Prophet (saws) went out to pray Salatul Eid, he asked for a spear and placed it in front of himself (as a ‘sutrah), and he offered salah toward it and the people prayed behind him.

Related by al-Bukhari, Muslim, and Abu Dawud.

It is forbidden to pass in front of a person who is praying (i.e., between him and his sutrah), or between the person praying and the place of his prostration.

Al-Muwatta Hadith 9.37

Yahya related to me from Malik that Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhani sent him to Abu Juhaym to ask him what he had heard from the Messenger of Allah (saws) about passing in front of someone praying. Abu Juhaym said, "The Messenger of Allah (saws) said, 'If the one who passes in front of a man praying knew what he was bringing upon himself, it would be better for him to stop for forty (… ) than to pass in front of him.'"

Abu'n-Nadr said, "I do not know whether he said forty days, or months, or years."

Zaid ibn Khalid relates that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "If the one who passes in front of one who is praying knew what was upon him [of sin], it would be better for him to stand [and wait] for forty autumns, than to pass in front of him." Related by al-Bazzar with a sahih chain.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.488 Narrated by Abu Salih As Samman

Abu Sa'id said, "I heard the Prophet (saws) saying, 'If anybody amongst you is praying behind something as a Sutra and somebody tries to pass in front of him, then he should repulse him; and if he refuses, he should use force against him for he is a Shaitaan.'"

Q-3: I ALSO PREFER READING THE TRANSLATED VERSION OF THE QURAN SO I WANT TO ASK IF IT IS PERMITTED TO READ THE ENGLISH VERSION AND IGNORE THE ARABIC ONE.

The believers must make it a habit of reciting the Quran in its original Arabic text, for Allah Subhanah Alone knows what reward He has reserved for those who recite His Glorious Words.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2137 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Mas'ud

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "If anyone recites a letter from Allah's Book he will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets a tenfold reward. I do not say that Alif-Lam-Mim are one letter, but ‘alif’ is a letter, ‘lam’ is a letter, and ‘mim’ is a letter."

Sahih Muslim Hadith 1757 Narrated by Abu Umamah

Abu Umamah heard Allah's Messenger (saws) say: ‘Recite the Qur'an, for on the Day of Resurrection it will come as an intercessor for those who recite it. Recite the two Bright Ones, Surah Al-Baqarah and Surah Ale-Imran, for on the Day of Resurrection they will come as two clouds or two shades, or two flocks of birds in ranks, pleading for those who recite them. Recite Surah Al-Baqarah, for to take recourse to it is a blessing and to give it up is a cause of grief, and the magicians cannot confront it.’

The believers should strive to learn the Quranic Arabic language, for the translation is only a shadow of the vastness and beauty of the original language. But if the Arabic language is not one’s original language, there is absolutely no harm if one reads the translation to understand and study the Quran, so that he may follow its commandments with more conviction.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan