4841 bismilaah aodobillah etc

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:

Is it OK for a group of people who do Jama'at at work for example, with varying degrees of knowledge, for them to swap the Imamate around from prayer to prayer?

I've noticed after Fard jamaat in a home for example, people then swap praying positions for the sunnat. I heard it is because it will be marked everywhere you prayed. Is this true, and should or shouldn't we do it?

In general everyday actions, can you mix madhabs? i.e. follow Hanafi fiqh in some instances and Sha'afi Fiqh in others? Can you give examples When starting a Surah which is not from the beginning, is it a must to say BismillahHirahmanNiraheem? Does a Kalmah, Durood shareef or a Du'ua require saying BismillahHirahmanNiraheem before them I always hear Imams not say ismillahHirahmanNiraheem before surahs in Jamaat. Is it not necessary?

Does it matter if we don't where a hat during salat?

Should we not prayer infront of a mirror?

(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:

Bismilaah aodobillah etc

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.

Your Question: Is it OK for a group of people who do Jama'at at work for example, with varying degrees of knowledge, for them to swap the Imamate around from prayer to prayer?

When an ‘imam’ is officially appointed in a place of worship by those in authority, then it is best and in accordance with Islamic etiquette that the prayer be led by that appointed ‘imam’ or someone whom that ‘imam’ delegates to lead the prayer in his absence.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 5.595 Narrated by Amr bin Salama

That he heard the Prophet (saws) say: “Offer such-and-such prayer at such-and-such time, and when the time for the prayer becomes due, then one of you should pronounce the Adhan (for the prayer), and let the one amongst you who knows Qur'an most to lead the prayer."

But if the believers wish to pray in congregation amongst themselves for example at work, then the one amongst them who knows the Quran the most should be chosen to lead the congregation.

There is absolutely no harm and no restriction if one brother is chosen to lead one prayer, and another brother is chosen to lead the next prayer.

Your Question: I've noticed after Fard jamaat in a home for example, people then swap praying positions for the sunnat. I heard it is because it will be marked everywhere you prayed. Is this true, and should or shouldn't we do it?

One of the companions of the Prophet (saws) reports that the Prophet (saws) prayed the afternoon prayer and right afterward a man stood up to pray (his Nafl prayers). 'Umar saw him and told him: "Sit, the People of the Book were destroyed because they did not differentiate between their prayers." The Prophet (saws) said: "Well said, Ibn al-Khattab [i.e., 'Umar]."

This is related by Ahmad.

Sahih Muslim Hadith 1921

As-Sa'ib the son of Namir's sister said that he heard a companion of the Prophet say: ‘Whenever you have observed the Jumu'ah prayer, do not observe (sunnah prayer) till you have talked or got about for the Messenger of Allah (saws) had ordered us to do this and not to combine two (types of) prayers without talking or going about.’

It is preferred to make a separation between the Fard and Sunnah or Nafl prayers after one finishes the Fard prayer. It is also preferred to change the place of prayer a little, so that a clear differentiation is made between the prayers. It is the opinion of some of the scholars that since Allah Subhanah will call everything and everyone to witness man’s good and evil deeds; every place of prayer and every spot of prostration will bear witness to the person’s worship in the Just Court of Allah Subhanah; thus if there is the luxury of extra space available, it would be preferred that one should change the spot of prayer a little so that a clear differentiation is made between the two types of prayers.

Your Question: In general everyday actions, can you mix madhabs? i.e. follow Hanafi fiqh in some instances and Sha'afi Fiqh in others? Can you give examples.

Dear and beloved brother in Islam, rest assured that each of the four eminent and recognized scholars based their opinion on nothing but the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah. Although the four eminent schools of thought are absolutely unanimous in almost 95% of the deen; in some small matters of jurisprudence or Fiqh, the scholars may have differed in their opinion….and that too only because one amongst the scholars may have chosen to give more weight to one Verse of the Quran or one Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) than another.

Thus whenever one is faced with a matter of Jurisprudence or Fiqh and seeks an opinion from one amongst the four eminent and recognized scholars, one should know that the difference between the opinion of one school to the other is never between right and wrong, but rather between good and best; for all the four eminent and recognized scholars have based their opinion in light of the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah.

If one chooses to follow the opinion of only one of the four ‘imams’, it is good….but if one chooses to take advantage of the knowledge of all the four imams and chooses the best opinion amongst the four ‘imams’, then obviously it would be better.

Your Question: When starting a Surah which is not from the beginning, is it a must to say BismillahHirahmanNiraheem?

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 98:

98 When thou dost recite the Quran seek Allah's protection from Shaytaan, the rejected one.

Allah Subhanah has Commanded and Guided the believers that whenever they start the recitation of the Glorious Quran, they should first and foremost seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytaan.

The Sunnah and practice of the Messenger of Allah (saws) before starting any recitation of the Glorious Quran was first and foremost to seek the protection of Allah from the accursed Shaytaan by declaraing: ‘Aoodobillahe minas Shaytaan ar-rajeem’. Then if he (saws) started the Surah from the beginning (except Surah 9 Taubah), he (saws) would start the recitation with ‘Bismillaah……’; and if he (saws) chose to start the recitation of the Quran from the middle of any Surah, the declaration of ‘aoodobillahe…..’ would suffice and he (saws) would simply start his recitation without saying ‘Bismillah……’.

Your Question: Does a Kalmah, Durood shareef or a Du'ua require saying

bismillahHirahmanNiraheem before them

When starting the doing of anything good (and the Messenger of Allah (saws) only did good), it was the practice of the Messenger of Allah (saws) to start in the blessed Name of the Lord by declaring ‘Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem’.

There is absolutely no requirement nor obligation in Shariah that one must declare ‘Bismillah…..’ before one recites the Kalimah, or Durood, or making supplication….but if one does declare ‘Bismilaah….’, there is absolutely no harm.

Your Question: I always hear Imams not say BismillahHirahmanNiraheem before surahs in Jamaat. Is it not necessary?

The Sunnah and practice of the Messenger of Allah (saws) in prayer was that after declaring the ‘takbeer’ (Allah-o-Akbar) to signal the start of prayer, he (saws) would make a supplication he (saws) willed to Allah, declare ‘Aoodo billaahe minas Shaytaan ar-rajeem’ once, then ‘Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem’ and then recite the Surah Fatihah.

If the subsequent verses he (saws) intended to recite were from the beginning of a Surah, he (saws) would first declare ‘Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem), and if the subsequent verses were from the middle of a Surah, he would simply recite them without reciting ‘Aoodo billaah….’ Or ‘Bismillaah….’.

Hadrat Anas ibn Malik (r.a.) said, "I prayed behind the Messenger of Allah (saws), Abu Bakr (r.a.), 'Umar (r.a.) and 'Uthman (r.a.), and they did not recite it (Bismillah….) aloud (in their prayers)."

Related by an-Nasa'I and Ibn Hibban.

Ibn al-Qayyim has reported that sometimes the Prophet (saws) would recite it (Bismillah….. in his prayers) aloud, but most of the time he (saws) would say it (Bismillah…..in his prayers) quietly and not aloud."

Beloved brother in Islam, it is preferred that if one starts the recitation of a Surah from the beginning (except Surah 9 Taubah), then one must start the recitation with the declaration of ‘Bismillah….’. The reason you may not have heard the ‘imam recite the ‘Bismillah….’ in the congregational prayers is because they may chosen to follow the preferred Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws), and recited the ‘Bismilaah…..’ before the recitation silently or quietly.

Your Question: Does it matter if we don't where a hat during salat?

Wearing a covering on the head while offering prayers or while reciting the Quran is not amongst the obligatory acts for a believing male in Shariah. If one covers his head, or leaves it uncovered; both ways his prayers and his worship will be considered valid in the Sight of Allah Subhanah.

The dressing norm at the time of the Messenger of Allah (saws) was such that the Arabs used to wear a turban over their heads; and thus the Messenger of Allah (saws) normally always prayed with his head covered. Thus, if the normal dress code of the person is such that he covers his head (like the Arab ‘gatra’ or head-cover); then it is fine to pray with the head cover. But if the normal dress code of the person is such that in normal circumstances he does not cover his head, there is no need to specially cover his head while praying or reciting the Quran. But if he does cover his head, there is absolutely no harm.

Ibn 'Asakir related that the Prophet would sometimes remove his head cover (turban) and place it in front of him as a ‘sutrah’ for prayer.

It is absolutely obligatory for a believing woman to cover her head and her full body while offering her prayers.

Your Question: Should we not prayer infront of a mirror?

To the best of our knowledge there is absolutely nothing in Shariah Law which prohibits a worshipper from offering his prayers in the presence of mirrors, or in front of a mirror. There is absolutely no harm if one happens to offer his prayers in a room which has some mirrors, or one can see himself in those mirrors.

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