It is not open for anyone to introduce changes into Islamic worship. We offer our worship in the manner and form the Prophet has taught us, particularly with respect to prayer and pilgrimage. The emphasis on these is due to what the Prophet has said concerning them. With respect to prayer, he said, "Pray as you have seen me pray", and with respect to pilgrimage, he said, "Learn your rites from me". But there will be no shortage of people behaving in the wrong manner, even in matters of worship. Mr. A.P. Mangilay tells me of a friend of his who did not offer the sacrifice required in pilgrimage. When he was asked about that omission he replied that he would be doing the sacrifice when he goes back home.
Pilgrimage is done at a particular time and particular place. This man went to pilgrimage at the right time and place. Why has he chosen to do one of the pilgrimage rites at a different place? Had anyone suggested to him to do the tawaf around the most famous mosque in his home country, he would have thought the suggestion ludicrous. The same applies to the sacrifice. It must be offered with the rest of pilgrimage duties, at Makkah or the Haram area. That applies if he must do the sacrifice as a duty, which is required of people who choose the tamattu’ or the qiran methods. But if he chose the ifraad method, he would have no sacrifice to make as a duty. It become only recommended.
My reader asks why we read the Qur’an aloud in Fajr, maghrib and Isha prayers. The reason is that we have learned this from the Prophet who prayed in this manner. This means that God wants us to pray in this fashion. We follow the Prophet’s footsteps.
The same reader has another question on prayer, and in answer I would like to tell him that if he misses Fajr prayer through oversleeping, he should offer it immediately when he wakes up. He should not busy himself with anything other than offering the prayer. If he needs to take a shower first, for purification, he should do so, but he may not busy himself with anything else first, such as shaving or having breakfast.
For any person to pay zakah, he should own more than the threshold of zakah, which is the equivalent of 85 grams of gold, and to be so for a year. If after one year of owning such an amount, he is still in possession of it or any higher amount, he is a zakah payer. He calculates what he has and pays his zakah at the standard rate of 2.5%. But a man with a salary of SR1,500 a month is unlikely to be a zakah payer.
Praying after Fajr
Q. I normally offer 2 rakaahs after the obligatory dawn prayer. A few days ago, someone told me that I should not do that. He added that such voluntary prayers are not allowed until noon time. The reasons he gave me were not convincing. Please comment.
T.M. Hannan
Riyadh
A. There are times during the day when offering voluntary prayers is not appropriate. These are from the time one offers the obligatory dawn prayer until about half an hour after sunrise, and after one has completed the obligatory Asr prayer until sunset, and at the time when the sun is at its highest point at midday. This means that the practice of our reader, offering two rakaahs of Sunnah after Fajr is wrong. He should follow the guidance of the Prophet and offer such voluntary prayer at that time. An exception to this rule is that, should a person arrive in the mosque for dawn prayer and find the congregation has started. He cannot then begin with the voluntary Sunnah. He has to join the congregation. In this case, he may offer the Sunnah after he has finished the obligatory part with the imam. He may also delay it until after sunrise.
What my reader was told about the extent of the restriction and its continuing until midday is wrong. It finishes about half an hour after sunrise.
One may give different reasons for the restriction. However, I am not attempting any. I only say that we learn the obligations, practices and requirements of our religion from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him). Whatever he teaches us is good, true and faultless. He made this restriction and we obey it without hesitation. After all, we have learnt every thing about prayer from him. He instructed us: "Pray as you have seen me pray." When we follow his example, we are rewarded by God for that, in addition to the reward we get for performing our duties.
