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:

my questions are

1 while giving aqamat,is it necessary to turn ur face left n right while saying Hayya Las Salah and Hayya Lal Fallah?

2 when doing wazoo, do we have to wet the entire feet or just by using 2 fingers v can do masah or wet the outline of the foot?

3 being a bohra, its impossible for me to fast on the actual day of Arafah, because my family celebrates eid that day, whereas in the rest of pakistan it is 8th zilhajj. can i fast on the day when saudis have their 9 zilhajj, although im residing in pakistan 

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Answer:

Fasting day of Arafah

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: while giving aqamat,is it necessary to turn ur face left n right while saying Hayya Las Salah and Hayya Lal Fallah?

Imam An-Nawawi said that the most authentic form is that one should turn with his head, neck and chest to the right upon saying "Hayya 'alas-salah" and to the left upon saying Hayya 'alalfalah."

Reported Abu Juhaifah, "Bilal made the Adhan, and I saw the movement of his mouth from this side to that side upon saying "Hayya 'alas-salah" and "Hayya 'alal-falah."

Related by Ahmad, al-Bukhari and Muslim.

It is Sunnah to turn ones head, neck and chest slightly to the right upon declaring ‘Hayya alas-Salaah’ and to the left upon declaring ‘Hayya alal-Falaah’ during the adhaan and the iqamah; but if for any reason one forgets or does not do so the ‘call to prayer’ will still be considered valid.

Q-2: when doing wazoo, do we have to wet the entire feet or just by using 2 fingers v can do masah or wet the outline of the foot?

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 6 (part):

6 O ye who believe! When ye prepare for prayer wash your faces and your hands (and arms) to the elbows; rub your heads (with water); and (wash) your feet to the ankles.

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 857 Narrated by Rifa'ah ibn Rafi'

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: ‘The prayer of any of you is not complete until he performs ablution perfectly, as Allah, the Exalted, has ordered you. He should wash his face, and hands up to the elbows, wipe his head, and wash his feet up to the ankles.’

Allah Subhanah has Commanded and made the performing of wudu or ablution an obligatory condition of prayer; and the washing of both feet upto the ankles is an absolutely obligatory condition of wudu.

If one simply wipes one’s feet, or does ‘masaa’, or simply wets the outline of the foot….one would not have completed one’s wudu; and without wudu, one’s salaah would not be valid in the Sight of Allah Subhanah.

It is absolutely obligatory that one washes both feet completely upto the ankles making sure no part of the foot is left dry, for the washing of the feet is indeed an absolutely obligatory condition of performing wudu.

Your Question-3: being a bohra, its impossible for me to fast on the actual day of Arafah, because my family celebrates eid that day, whereas in the rest of pakistan it is 8th zilhajj. can i fast on the day when saudis have their 9 zilhajj, although im residing in pakistan 

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 2431 Narrated by One of the wives of the Prophet (saws)

Hunaydah ibn Khalid narrated from his wife on the authority of one of the wives of the Prophet (saws) who said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (saws) used to fast the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah, Ashura' and three days of every month.’

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 2419 Narrated by Abu Qatadah

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: ‘The observance of three days' fast every month and of one Ramadan to the other (i.e. the fast of Ramadan every year) is (equivalent to) a perpetual fast. I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of Arafah may atone for the sins of the preceding and the coming year, and I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of Ashura' may atone for the sins of the preceding year.’

Beloved Sister in Islam, it is indeed a Sunnah and a preferred practice of the Messenger of Allah (saws) to fast the first nine days of the month of Dhul-Hijjah. If one, for any reason is unable to fast all the nine days, one may fast any number of days in the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah; and if one is not able to do even that, than one should at least observe the fast on the blessed Day of Arafah, for this one fast atones for the sins of the preceding and the coming year.

The fasts of the Dhul-Hijja and of the Day of Arafah are considered supererogatory worship; if one observes them one would receive a huge reward from Allah Subhanah, and if for any reason one is unable to perform them, there is absolutely no sin.

Beloved Sister, rest assured that your Lord, Allah Subhanah, knows the exact condition of each of His believing slaves. If for any reason because of family or sect pressure you are unable to or not allowed to fast on the blessed Day of Arafah, you may observe supererogatory fasts for as many days before or after the Day of Eid-Al-Adha as is easy or convenient for you; it is expected that your Lord Most Gracious, Who is very well aware of your exact situation and condition, will not diminish your reward in the least, Insha Allah.

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

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan