Q. A person in the congregation finds himself late in his reading of the Surah Al-Fatihah when the imam bows for rukoo, so he completes his reading. By the time he begins to bow, the imam has stood up. Finally the man catches up with the imam while the latter is in prostration, i.e. sujood. Please comment.
S. Alavi, Jeddah
A. The very term, imam, means a leader to be followed. So when he proceeds with his prayer, the congregation must follow suit immediately, without any one in the congregation taking it slow so as to be left behind, or moving fast so as to go ahead of the imam. The Prophet says: “The imam is there to be followed. When he bows down, you should bow down, and when he rises, you should rise.” (Related by Al-Bukhari).
This shows very clearly the case in question is wrong. The man went on reading Al-Fatihah when he should have bowed down like the Prophet has explained. He might have felt that if he did, he would not have completed his reading, which is obligatory according to some schools of thought. But even these schools of thought would require him to bow with the imam. There are no two ways about it. The only thing that would have been allowed to him is that if he could have finished his reading very quickly and bowed down before the imam rose. But even then, following the imam is obligatory. When the imam moves from one position to another, the congregation should follow. If one has not completed the task in hand, his prayer is still valid.
Learning the Qur’an or acting on it
Q. I have decided not to learn the Qur’an until I have practiced as many obligatory and recommended practices as possible. I feel that God has revealed the Qur’an to be implemented, not to be learnt by heart. Please comment.
A. Sheikh, Riyadh
A. It is true that the Qur’an is meant for implementation in the first place. However, implementation can only come as a result of learning and understanding. How is it possible that someone who has not read the Qur’an or learnt any part of it can implement it? While the reader’s desire to act on the teachings of the Qur’an and implement them in real life is highly commendable, he cannot do that without reading the Qur’an regularly and learning the meaning of its verses. The two go hand in hand.
Moreover, to read the Qur’an is an act of worship. God rewards us for reading the Qur’an crediting us with 10 good points for each letter of every word. God says in the Qur’an: “Keep up prayers when the sun is on its decline, in the darkness of the night, and recite the Qur’an at dawn, for the recitation of the Qur’an at dawn is indeed witnessed. At night, rise from your sleep to recite it in prayer, as an additional bonus for you.” (17: 78-79) In this verse, reading the Qur’an is ranked with prayers at the same level. Just as God commands us to offer prayers at the beginning of the night and the early hours of the day, He tells us to recite the Qur’an at dawn, because such a recitation is witnessed by the angels. At night, we are meant to recite it, just like we are recommended to offer prayers in the depth of the night as voluntary worship.
Needless to say, the Qur’an is not meant for absent-minded reading, without understanding or implementation. But even then, if a person does not know Arabic, and reads the Qur’an as an act of worship, he is rewarded for his reading.
Utilization of zakah funds
Q.1. I bought a plot of land and built a house on it. Later I received a letter from a bank saying that the land belongs to the bank as security for a loan they had advanced to the original owner who had sold it to the man from whom I bought it. I have to fight the case in court. Could I use my zakah money to cover some of the court expenses?
Q. 2. A woman tried to burn herself after a quarrel with her husband. When she was taken to hospital, neither her husband nor her father were willing to pay the bill, because they blamed each other for the injuries she had suffered. I paid the hospital bill. Can I make that payment a part of my zakah?
A. L. Munshi, Al-Khobar
A.1. All parties concerned seem to be at fault. Perhaps the larger part of the blame falls on the original owner who had borrowed money from the bank and pledged the land as security and then sold it without disclosing the fact. If he did that deliberately, he is guilty of deception, and he should bear the responsibility. But it is probable that he cannot compensate you because he seems unable or unwilling to repay his bank loan. The second owner who sold you the land is also at fault because he did not reveal the fact that the land carries a charge and could not be sold without agreement by the bank. But the bank is also at fault because they allowed the land to be sold twice without noticing. In fact the land stayed with you for a while, as you were able to build a house on it, before the bank wrote to you. Thus, it bears some responsibility for negligence. It is unfortunate that you have to fight in court for this, but you are also at fault for buying a land without making sure that the vendor is able to sell it.
It is not permissible to use zakah funds to cover the court expenses except in the case where you do not have enough money to pay for the court action and you are threatened with eviction and becoming homeless. But in this case, you would have no zakah funds to pay. So the question would not arise. Zakah funds are payable only to the 8 classes of people mentioned in verse 60 of Surah 9 which specifies who may benefit by zakah.
A.2. The woman was in desperate need of medical treatment and her family were unwilling to pay for that treatment. In her situation, she would qualify as zakah beneficiary. However, your intention at the time when you generously helped her is the deciding factor. If you had intended the payment as part of your zakah, then it counts as such. But if you intended it as a charity to help someone in need, then that is what it actually is. If you had intended it as a charity, without any thought of its being zakah, you cannot subsequently adjust it as zakah in order to avoid paying your zakah in full. The point is that any action is treated as intended. The Prophet says: “Actions are but by intention, and each person shall have only what he has intended.”
