Q. Our home is just opposite the mosque, separated by a very narrow lane, and we can see the inside of the mosque. Is it appropriate to join the congregational prayer while we remain at home?
N. Al-Badri
A. While a congregation may stretch very far, extending into several kilometers if necessary, it does not seem appropriate to join the congregation in the situation you describe. The rule is that you could join a congregational prayer at a reasonable distance if you do not have any physical impediment separating you from the Imam. This is logical, because a congregation means a group of people joining together in one action, so they need to be together.
Although in the situation you describe there seems to be a close proximity when you are at home and the congregation is praying at the mosque, yet you are not actually together. You have a closed door between you and the rest of the congregation. No one could come in and join the congregation at your end. It just does not seem right. Besides, if you are so close to the mosque, what prevents you from crossing this narrow alleyway and joining the prayer in the mosque? You will certainly have more reward there.
Prayer and the sun, etc.
Q. 1. It is said that one cannot say any prayer when the sun is rising or setting. Is this true? What is the time range when the sun could be said to be rising?
Q. 2. It is also said that Maghrib time is sacred, and it is very good time to pray for whatever we wish. Please explain.
Q. 3. Animals slaughtered by machines are considered to be unlawful to eat, because it is necessary to slaughter an animal by hand and to mention God’s name at the time. Considering the facilities modern technology offers, could it be permissible to slaughter animals by machine while God’s name is mentioned through the use of a recorded tape?
A. S. Patel, Canada
A.1. There are three times of day when regular prayers are discouraged. These are after one has prayed Fajr, or dawn prayer, until the sun has risen well into the sky, i.e. something like 20 minutes after sunrise; and after one has prayed Asr, i.e. the mid-afternoon prayer, until the sun has set and disappeared; and when the sun is at its highest point; i.e. just before Dhuhr or midday prayer. The reason is that because the sun was worshipped as a deity by human community, Islam is keen that its worship is not confused with other people’s worship. You note that we say that prayer at such times is discouraged, not forbidden.
A.2. There is no such concept as a sacred part of day. Maghrib, or prayer after sunset, does not carry any special sanctity. As regard time, the only sacredness is that of the four months when fighting is not allowed. These are the three consecutive months of Dhul-Qaadah, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram, and the month of Rajab in the Islamic lunar calendar. As for prayer it can be done at any time; and when it is sincere it is always answered.
Having said that, some scholars insist that the time allowed for Maghrib prayer is very short, and they try to offer Maghrib prayer as soon as possible when it has fallen due.
A.3. There is nothing wrong with the use of machine in slaughtering animals, provided that the conditions required by Islam are met. The slaughter should cut the main arteries of the animals to ensure very quick and least painful killing, and the mention of God’s name. This should be done by a person, not by recorded tape.
Marriage against parents’ advice
Q. I have always been a dutiful son, and I support my parents all the time with a portion of my salary. However, disagreement occurred between us, when I told them of my desire to marry a certain woman. They objected to this marriage after having gone to a fortune-teller who told them that this marriage would not be successful. I have known this lady for sometime and I am sure she is the right choice for me. She prayed the istikharah and she says that the indication is very positive. In order to get my parents to agree to this marriage I have stopped telephoning them and I have not sent them money for the last couple of months. I do not want to hurt them or to stop helping them, but I wish that they agree to my marriage.
(Name and address withheld)
A. There are several points to be highlighted in this case. The first is the parents’ reliance on fortune-tellers to determine whether to sanction the marriage or not. This is a highly un-Islamic way. The Prophet has warned us very clearly against consulting fortune-tellers. He says that consulting them is ‘tantamount to disbelief in what has been revealed to Muhammad.’ This is very serious as it constitutes a rejection of Islam altogether.
Secondly, the lady speaks of indications she had after her istikharah, which is a prayer to God to help her with her choice. These indications described by the reader rely on dreams, but these do not seem to be of any clear relevance. When we perform istikharah, it is not necessary that we see an indication in a dream. This is in fact unlikely in most cases. If we see a dream that is directly relevant, well and good. But what we should understand is that the istikharah is a request for God’s help to make a choice. He responds by facilitating for us the course of action which serves our interests best. Therefore, we rely on what He makes easy for us to do, trusting that it is the proper choice.
Thirdly, I must take issue with the reader for changing his treatment of his parents. In fact, he is doing the opposite of what he should do. He wants his parents to agree to his marriage, and to do so, he withholds his help from them and stops telephoning them. This is very unkind. While he maintains that he has no intention of hurting them, he is doing just that. Had he done the opposite and been extra kind to them, putting to them the argument that fortune-tellers are no more than crooks and liars, and that a Muslim is forbidden to consult them, they may very well agree. Besides, he does not really need their agreement. He may go ahead and marry the woman he wants to marry without telling his parents. While I do not advise such course unless it is the only way, he incurs no sin by doing it.
Chocolates
Q. Chocolates are produced by mixing and blending different proportions of cocoa liquor and cocoa butter, and putting these into different production processes. As such, are chocolates permissible to eat?
S.A. Khan
A. Yes, chocolates are permissible to eat, although they are produced after putting the cocoa beans through many processes which change the outcome each time.
Even though these processes give us at one point what is called cocoa liquor and at another cocoa butter, at no point is the product intoxicating. But even if we assume that cocoa liquor has an intoxicating effect, it goes through other processes to make chocolate, which is in no way intoxicating, no matter what quantity of it you eat. Therefore, it is perfectly permissible to eat chocolate, except the type which is known as liquor chocolate, because this contains a small quantity of an intoxicating drink.
