Q 1. I am a healthcare worker and I work with some very sick patients on a daily basis. Sometimes I feel very bad for them because of their difficult condition. Is it allowable for me to make a prayer (du’a) for their health? (Ibn-Mohammed Samee)
A 1. You should take good care of your patients. All human beings deserve care and kindness regardless of their faith. It is good to begin your work with prayer and pray for all your patients. Pray for their physical and spiritual health. Ask Allah to cure them, guide them to the right path and save them from the punishment of the hellfire. The Prophet -peace be upon him- taught us many du’as for the sick. The following du’a is highly recommended. When you visit a sick person then recite seven times: “As’alu Allah al-Azeem, Rabba al-’Arsh al-Azeem in yashfiyaka” (I ask Allah the Great, the Lord of the Great Throne, to heal you.) Ibn ‘Abbas -may Allah be pleased with him- reported that the Prophet -peace be upon him- said, “Any Muslims who will visit a sick person whose death is not near and will say to him, ‘I ask Allah the Great, the Lord of the Great Throne, to heal you’ seven times, Allah will cure him from his sickness.” (Abu Da’ud, Hadith no. 2700)
Q 2. I am the only Muslim in my family and I read the Hadith that the Paradise lies under the feet of the Mother. Is this also true regarding a parent who is non-Muslim?
A 2. This is an authentic Hadith and it is mentioned in many books of Hadith. In one version reported by Ibn Majah it is mentioned that the Prophet told a person, “Be at your mother’s feet and there is the Paradise.” (Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith no. 2771)
The meaning of the Hadith is that you should serve your mother and take good care of her. Obey her as long as she does not tell you to do something Haram.
It does not make any difference whether the mother is Muslim or non-Muslim. It is the duty of the children to be respectful to their parents, especially mothers. Allah says in the Qur’an:
“And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his weaning: “Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (your final) Goal. But if they strive to make thee join in worship with Me things of which you have no knowledge, obey them not; yet bear them company in this life with justice (And consideration), and follow the way of those who turn to Me. In the End the return of you all is to Me, and I will tell you the truth (and meaning) of all that you did.” (Luqman 31:14-15)
If the mother is a pious Muslim woman then she is the woman of Jannah and in her service indeed there is Jannah. But if she is not a pious Muslimah or if she is not a Muslimah, still your Jannah is in her service because you serve her in obedience to Allah. The Jannah of the children is near the feet of their mothers, but the Jannah of the mothers is in their own obedience to Allah.
Q 3. There are a number of Muslims working in our company. We have also acquired a prayer room where we hold our Zuhr prayer every day. Are we allowed to hold Friday prayer also there or we must go to a Masjid for Jumu’ah prayer?
A 3. According to very strict Hanafi rule, the Jumu’ah prayer should be held in the Masjid only, but according to Imam Shafi’i, Jumu’ah can be held in any place where there are enough people to organize Jumu’ah prayer. In North America there are not many Masajid available, so students hold Jumu’ah prayers in the Universities and schools. Muslims pray in all kinds of rented halls. Similarly workers can hold Jumu’ah prayers in their work places. If a Masjid is not too far from you and you can take time off from your work to attend the Friday prayer with a larger congregation at a Masjid, then you should attend the Jumu’ah at the Masjid. Otherwise if you have enough people then you can hold the Jumu’ah prayer at your company.
The jurists have differed on the minimum number of people for Jumu’ah prayer. According to Imam Abu Hanifah the minimum is three people beside the Imam. According to Imam Malik the minimum is twelve and according to Imam Shafi’i and Ahmad ibn Hanbal the minimum is forty. However, there is really no clear daleel from the Qur’an or Sunnah to specify any number. The jurists have given these number on the basis of their own interpretation and ijtihad. It is better to have a bigger number for Jumu’ah prayer, but it is permissible even with three people beside the Imam.
Q 4. A woman reached the age of menopause, but she still has her menses because she is taking some harmons. My question is, should she treat this as the blood of real menses and not observe her prayers and fasts or she should pray and fast?
A 4. There is not special age of menopause. Some women have earlier menopause and some continue having menses for a longer time. If there was no break in her menstrual habit and she continued having the same kind of menstrual cycle that she had in her earlier life, then this is considered the blood of menses (Hayd) and she is not allowed to make Salah or fast during her menstrual cycle. But if the blood is off and on unlike her previous habit or if the blood is continuous and does not stop then this is considered the blood of Istihadah and she has to make a fresh Wudu for every prayer and should observe her prayers and should observe fasts.
Q 5. I understand that there is no Zakat on the personal home that one uses for residence. I am saving some money to purchase a home and I shall buy it as soon as I shall have enough cash. Do I have to pay Zakat on the savings for my home also?
A 5. According to the jurists any money that you save after paying yours and your family’s expenses and debts is Zakatable, if it has reached the Nisab (the minimum amount on which Zakat become obligatory and that is 80 grams of gold or its cash value). Thus if you purchase your home then there is no Zakat on the home, but if you keep the money as savings then you must pay a minimum of 2.5% Zakat on it every year. InshaAllah, when you give Zakat on this money, Allah will bless you and will give you more to be able to buy your home sooner. The money that is given in Zakat always brings Allah’s blessings, if it is given with true faith (Iman) and sincerity (Ikhlas). Allah says in the Qur’an:
“Whatever of good you give benefits your own souls, and you shall only do so seeking the Countenance of Allah. Whatever good you give, shall be rendered back to you, and you shall not be dealt with unjustly.” (al-Baqarah 2:272)