Q 1. I have a question regarding an issue close to me. My youngest son is autistic and mentally retarded and at times behaves in a way that he stands out from normal children. I was recently told a Hadith which I do not know if it is a true Hadith or weak Hadith or strong Hadith. According to the Hadith the Prophet (pbuh) said, "Keep your insane people and your children away from the Masjid" Is this true? Should I keep my youngest son away from the Masjid? I love my son very much and am resigned to the fact that he will never recover from this illness, but I feel very sad that he cannot be part of the Muslim community like his siblings. Also, as his mother I am concerned that I will miss being part of the community as well since I will remain home with him if he is not to go to the Masjid. Please answer as I don't know what to do. (Anonymous)
A 1. The Hadith is reported by Ibn Majah in his Sunan (Hadith no 742). It is part of a long Hadith in which the Prophet -peace be upon him- gave some Adab of Masjid. He is reported to have said, "Keep away from your Masajid, your babies, your insane people, your buying and selling, your quarrels, raising of your voices, execution of Hudud and brandishing of swords. Make washing and purification areas near their doors and perfume them on Fridays." These are all good recommendations for the Masajid. We should respect our places of worship. We should keep them clean, organized and dignified. Noise, loud talks, quarrels, running around of children in the mosques, all these things are against the etiquette of the Masajid.
It is, however, not forbidden to take the babies or insane people in the Masajid, as long as one makes sure that they do not make the Masjid unclean and do not disturb other people's prayers. It is the duty of the parents to control their children when they bring them to the Masjid. Also if you bring an insane or mentally retarded person to the Masjid, then take good care of that person and if he/she is out of control then should be taken out as soon as possible.
In our community mosques we should build especial rooms for the care of little children and some of our sisters, especially those who are not in a position to pray, should look after those children. Insane people also can come to the Masjid, but we must make sure that they do not go out of control.
Q 2. I have a question regarding passing urine while standing. As you know, outside the house, most of us have to urinate while standing. My question is if one is wearing underwear and urinates and the shirt touches the underwear that is impure (palid) due to drops of urine, is that shirt also impure (palid) now? What if the underwear is dry? I have also read somewhere that if something is impure and then dries up it automatically becomes pure (pak). Is this right? What if something is wet and impure and touches other clothes, but it is not wet enough to make other clothes wet. In this case, are the clothes in contact with something impure will be considered impure. I would be grateful if you would clarify this topic (pure and impure). (Abrar)
A 2. The preferred way of passing urine is to do it in the sitting position. Urine is Najas (unclean) and it should not touch the body or the clothes. After urination one should wash one's self or should dry oneself thoroughly with paper. Urination in the standing position may soil the clothes or the body. However, if a person is sick and cannot sit down, or the place is unclean, then it is allowed to urinate in the standing position also. There are a number of Ahadith reported by Imam Bukhari, Muslim and others that indicate that the Prophet -peace be upon him- once came to an unclean place (subatah) and he urinated in the standing position. Some scholars of Hadith say that the Prophet -peace be upon him- had pain in his leg at that time. This shows that urination in the standing position is permissible only in the case of some excuse, otherwise, the proper position is the sitting position.
If any parts of the body or clothes had urine on them, they should be washed, whether the urine is wet or it has dried up. If the urine was on the ground and the sun made it dry, then washing of the ground is not necessary. Any clothes that touch the wet urine clothes should also be washed.
People in the West do not care very much about urine. Many do not even wash their hands when they come out of the bathrooms. Islam teaches us extra care in this matter. For us it is a matter of hygiene, good health as well as our Taharah. Our prayers are not valid, if our body and clothes are not very clean. We should be thankful to Allah that he guided us even in these simple things.
Q 3. Is it allowed in Islam to marry a woman with the condition that the husband would not have any financial obligations?
A 3. The marriage will be valid, but the condition is not valid. After the marriage, if the wife wants she can demand the husband to pay her expenses and the Islamic court can oblige him to do so, or will separate them. According to the Shari'ah, it is the duty of the husband to provide for his wife's well being.
Q 4. My parents were planning to make Hajj this year, but then my father suddenly died. My mother is in her 'Iddah, but she would like to make Hajj. She says that she made the Niyyah and if she does not go to Hajj this year, she does not what will happen to her next year. Please advice.
A 4. May Allah bless you father and give patience to you and your family. During the 'Iddah the widow has to stay in her home for four moths and ten days (al-Baqarah 2:234). She is not allowed to travel even for Hajj, whether it is obligatory Hajj (fard) or non-obligatory (nafl). She has to complete the 'Iddah now and then she can go for Hajj. She made the intention for Hajj, and InshaAllah if she is alive and healthy she can make Hajj next year, but she should not travel during the 'Iddah.