Quran on Number of Prayers, Husband-Wife Relations, Soyem and Chelum Q 1. Please let me know, where, if, Qur’an instructs us to offer prayer 5 times every day. A cousin of mine says that Qur’an instructs to offer prayers only 3 times a day.
A 1. In the Qur’an Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has given us some specific times of prayers, but He did not mention the number. It is not said anywhere in the Qur’an that one must pray five times or three times. The Qur’an mentions that the prayer is prescribed for the believers on specific times (al-Nisa’ 4:103). In Surah al-Isra’ Allah says, “Establish regular prayers at the sun’s decline till the darkness of the night, and the morning prayer and reading: for the prayer and reading in the morning carry their testimony. And pray in the small watches of the morning: (it would be) an additional prayer (or spiritual profit) for thee: soon will thy Lord raise thee to a Station of Praise and Glory.” (17:78-79) The time of “sun’s decline” (duluk al-shams) is interpreted as Zuhr, ‘Asr and Maghrib. The “darkness of the night” (ghsaq al-layl) is interpreted as ‘Isha prayer. And “prayer and reading in the morning” (Qur’an al-Fajr) is Fajr prayer.
In Surah Taha Allah says, “Therefore be patient with what they say, and celebrate (constantly) the praises of thy Lord, before the rising of the sun, and before its setting; yea, celebrate them for part of the hours of the night, and at the sides of the day: that thou mayest have (spiritual) joy.” (Taha 20:130) In Surah al-Rum Allah says, “So (give) glory to Allah, when you reach eventide and when you rise in the morning. Yea, to Him be praise, in the heavens and on earth; and in the late afternoon and when the day begins to decline. (Al-Rum 30: 17-18)
The number of prayers are not mentioned in the Qur’an, but they are mentioned in the Ahadith. The Prophet -peace be upon him- under the guidance of Allah told us when to pray, how many times to pray and how to pray. He gave us five times of prayers. He told us that Allah has prescribed for us five prayers every day. There are hundreds of Ahadith on this subject. The whole Ummah is unanimous and has a consensus (ijma’) that five prayers are obligatory. Any one who denies this or says that the obligatory prayers are less than five or more than five, that person is not a Muslim. Your cousin either does not know what Islam is, or someone has mislead him or he is trying to mislead you. Have no doubt in your mind that five prayers are obligatory and they must be performed.
Q 2. I’m a 21 year old muhajjibah (one who observes Hijab) getting married soon. I have a few questions pertaining to my life after marriage. First of all, I would like to know, to what extent it is allowed for a husband and wife to see each other in the undressed state. Also would you recommend a good book for girls on the topic of marriage.
A 2. Congratulations and may Allah give you a very happy and blessed married life. Someone asked the Prophet -peace be upon him- about covering or uncovering of the private parts of body. The Prophet -peace be upon him- said, “Cover your private parts except from your spouse.” The person asked about men when they are among themselves. The Prophet said, “If you can, let no one see your private parts.” The person said, “What if a person is alone by himself?” The Prophet said, “Allah is more entitled that one should give respect to Him.” (Tirmidhi, Hadith no. 2693) Muslims should always observe modesty, even when a person is alone, one should not be unnecessarily naked. Husband and wife, however, when they are alone for their conjugal relations they are exempt from this restriction.
On the topic of marriage there are a number of good books in English. I would recommend a recent book by Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood, The Muslim Marriage Guide, published by Goodword Books, New Delhi 1998.
Q 3. A gas station with a convenience store is for sale, with property. The convenience store sells bear. The owners are retiring. Can I buy the property and then lease it out?
A 3. A Muslim is not allowed to buy or sell anything that is Haram. If you can buy the property without purchasing the bear and if you can lease it out without having the bear sold there, then you are permitted to involve in this transaction.
Q 4. Is it allowed to pray in shorts that reach below the knees?
A 4. If the shorts reach below the knees, meaning that the knees are covered, then it is permissible to pray in them. However, when you go to pray in the Masjid, it is better that you have more decent dress that should cover your legs properly. Allah says in the Qur’an, “O children of Adam, take your proper attire at every Masjid…” (al-A’raf 7:31)
Q 5. My father passed away 2 weeks ago. The following day the family invited neighbors, family members and the Moulanas for Ziyaret, where a du’a was read for the deceased. Next will be the Ziyaret of 40 days where lunch will be served. My view is that in Islam the mourning period is 3 days; thereafter life has to go on.
- Could you please clarify on the Ziyarets above and how did it come about.
- Is it necessary to hold on the Janaza to wait for family members residing out of town to arrive, if so what is the significance in terms of Shari’ah or benefit to the deceased?
- Does the deceased benefit if we make Khatam of Yasin for his Esale-Sawab?
A 5. May Allah bless your father. You should remember him in your prayers, give some charity on his behalf and take care of his friends and his commitments as much as you can. These are your duties towards your deceased father. It is good human relation to give condolences to the bereaved family.
There is also a great reward and blessing in visiting the bereaved family and expressing condolences to them. The bereaved family should set aside three days to receive condolences. But there is no special ceremony or ritual required. It is not necessary for the relatives and friends to get together on the third day to do the Khatam or to share a meal. However, if people want to do Khatam, they should not be criticized or condemned. People need time to recover from their sadness and these gatherings help in healing the sorrows. Also forty day ceremony known in India and Pakistan as “Chaliswan” is not required. These are local customs, not the Sunnah of the Prophet -peace be upon him.
One should try to bury the deceased as soon as possible. However, it is not forbidden to hold the funeral for a little while to allow some close relatives to attend the funeral. The deceased does not benefit from this, but it is indeed comforting to the close relatives to participate in the burial of their loved one. As long as it can be done within a reasonable time period, it should be done. It is not right to delay the funeral for several days for this purpose.
It is permissible in Islam to make the intention that the reward of one’s virtuous deeds go for the benefit of another person living or dead. This is called “Isal Thawab”. The opposite of that is “Isal ‘Iqab” which is to pray that the punishment of one’s bad deeds go to someone else. This cannot happen and it is not allowed in Islam.
According to some jurists one is allowed to do “Isal Thawab” in the case of some monetary charity only. Imam Abu Hanifah and some other jurists allow this for any good deed. You may read the Qur’an, pray some Nafl prayer, make some Nafl fast, do a Nafl Hajj, Umrah or tawaf, or any other good deed and ask Allah to give the reward of these good deeds to your relatives, friends, teachers or any Muslim or Muslims. This is permissible. It is a kind of du’a. Muslims do du’a also for those who passed away. After doing some deeds of piety and charity it is good to make du’a and include our relatives and teachers in this du’a. Such du’as help those who are living as well as those who passed away. But it is a bid’ah to make special ceremonies or appoint special days for Isal Thawab.