Q.1. Should one offer the prayer of greeting the mosque every time he enters a mosque, even though he offers all his prayers there, or is once a day sufficient?
Q.2. In our local mosque, people gather after Asr prayer on Thursdays for a session of congregational glorification of God. This starts in very low voices, but become louder as it progresses. Toward the end, the sound is so loud, it is deafening. Afterward, people distribute fruit. Although it appears rude, I refuse to take the fruit. Please comment.
Q.3. What is the position of nasheed in Islam? Why is it so widespread in Muslim countries?
S.N. Shafiullah
A.1. The prayer known as Tahiyyat Al-Masjid, or greeting to the mosque, consists of two short rak’ahs one offers on entry. This is a Sunnah the Prophet (peace be upon him) did. When we say of anything that it is a Sunnah, it means that it is recommended. By definition, what is recommended is not obligatory. So there is no obligation here. One offers this prayer if there is time and he feels he wants to offer it.
Moreover, this prayer may be combined at the same time with any obligatory or recommended prayer one wants to do as one enters the mosque. So, if you get to the mosque after Zuhr has been called and before the congregational prayer begins, you want to offer the Zuhr Sunnah. You offer this Sunnah intending it as greeting to the mosque at the same time.
This means that you offer two rak’ahs but earn the reward for four. The same applies if you find the congregation about to start and you join it, intending the greeting to the mosque Sunnah to be combined with the obligatory prayer.
A.2. It was never known that the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked his companions to engage in such sessions, nor was it ever known that they organized them. We have no Hadith recommending them. Therefore, such functions are not part of Islamic worship. They constitute deviation from the normal Islamic practice. As for the fruit, if people place the fruit in front of the group or in the middle and consider that it becomes blessed by the glorification, then this is alien to Islamic practice and better not to be taken. If, on the other hand, no such thought is entertained, but the fruit is made as a gesture of hospitality, it is better to accept a brother’s hospitality.
A.3. Nasheed is a poem recited in accordance with a particular tune. Sometimes it is accompanied by music. The idea of singing on joyous occasions is acceptable. When the Prophet arrived in Madinah with his companion Abu Bakr, the Muslim community there received him warmly singing the well-known poem, Tala’ Al-Badru Alayna. One day the Prophet came home to find that his wives were out. On inquiring, he was told that they were attending a wedding at some quarters of the Ansar. He said: “Why have they not taken a maid to sing?” He also suggested the lines to be sung. Having said that, it is important to point out that the wording is of great importance. Some poems made for singing include strange ideas which may not be acceptable. Some express ideas of pantheism, which runs against the basic Islamic beliefs, while others exaggerate the Prophet’s praises in a way that displeases God and the Prophet. Such poems must never be used.
Sharing Rooms and Tolerance
Q. We seem to have problems in our place where we live in shared accommodation. In order to be clear, may I ask whether it is permissible to watch a film or television serial while having a meal? Can one person read the Qur’an or engage in God’s glorification, keeping his voice low, while others are watching television in the same room? If a person performs wudhu or ablution to get ready for prayer, then watches television before praying, does he have to renew his ablution for prayer?
M.S. Arfin
A. It seems to me that these questions suggest a problem of conflicting views among people sharing the same facilities. When people share a flat or a house, they need to accommodate one another, and try to understand that they cannot live in a regimented way. Some of them will need relaxation when others feel eager to do something more serious. Unless they tolerate one another and accommodate each other’s wishes, they will soon quarrel and life together becomes a burden for all. Some will feel aggrieved. But all this is unnecessary. The Prophet says: “May God have mercy on a person who adopts an easy attitude when he buys, sells and when he asks for what is due to him.” This is meant to cover all life situations, because the three situations mentioned by the Prophet are the ones when people are most keen to get maximum benefit. The Prophet showed the perfect example when he went as far as buying a camel from Jabir, then gave Jabir the price and the camel. Being easy with one’s brethren is most important, because it helps to maintain social relations on the best level.
It is permissible to watch television, including films and drama serials, provided that these do not include what is in direct conflict with Islamic principles and teachings.
If it is an ordinary program or film, watching at any time is permissible, provided it does not stop a person from attending to his religious duties. Thus, it is perfectly permissible to watch a film while having a meal. We do not need supporting evidence for saying so, because permissibility does not need evidence, as everything is permissible unless pronounced otherwise. It is prohibition that needs supporting evidence.
Watching television does not invalidate ablution, or wudhu. So, if you have just prayed Zuhr and sat down to watch a program, and then it is time for Asr, you do not need to have a fresh ablution only because you watched television. If you have a sitting room for everyone, and one of you is reading the Qur’an or doing some other form of recommended worship, such as glorifying God, he should not impose his activity on others.
Thus, he should read to himself, not raising his voice, when other people are in the same room, reading a book or watching television. If he cannot concentrate, he should move somewhere else. On the other hand, they should allow him a reasonable time for his activity.