FAQ

What are the reasons due to which wuzu is considered void?

• Besides defecation and urination, If anything – gas, blood, pus, worms, or any liquid – exudes from the anus or the penis, the wuzu is considered void. The wuzu is not void in the case of vomit, or burping. Also eating, drinking, cutting nails, or cutting hair does not make the wuzu void.

If an individual is convinced that he has done wuzu, but is uncertain whether anything has happened that results in the wuzu being considered void, what should he do?

• If the individual is convinced that he had done wuzu but is uncertain whether anything has happened that results in the wuzu being void, his uncertainty is not a reason due to which his wuzu can be considered void. But if he is sure that his wuzu had become void but is uncertain whether he has done wuzu or not after that, he must do wuzu again.

If a person inadvertently changes the order of the wuzu, what should he do?

• If a person knows the proper order of the wuzu but changes it inadvertently, he must do the wuzu properly again. But if the person does not know the order of the wuzu his wuzu is not considered void.

If an individual forgets to do istinjaa (washing the place where urine or stool has passed), and then does wuzu and prays namaaz, what should he do?

• In such a situation he should pray namaaz again after doing istinjaa and then wuzu. istinjaa is necessary to maintain proper tahaarat.

Who is a masbooq?

• Masbooq is a person who has missed a part of his imamat namaaz. If the individual joins the namaaz after the imam rises from the ruku, then it is considered that he has missed that rak’at. Even if a person joins the imamat namaaz in the tashahhud he is considered to have prayed the namaaz with imamat. In all such cases, after the imam has given the salaam, he should stand up and complete his namaaz by praying the number of rak’ats he has missed.

If an individual joins Isha, Zohor or Asar Imamat Namaz and the Imam leading the namaz is already in the second rak’at, what should he do?

• He should pray the niyyat and then join with takbeeratul ehraam, or if there is no time he should have the niyyat in his mind and just join with takbeeratul ehram. Though the Imam is in the second rak’at, he should consider it his first rak’at, and pray with the Imam. When the Imam sits for small tashahhud, he should sit ‘ghayr mutamakkin’, i.e. with both feet under him and not to the side as in the normal tashahhud position. When the Imam stands for the third rak’at, he should quickly recite “al-hamdo” and one other “utarti” surat of the Quran in his mind. When the Imam rises from the sajda in the third rak’at, he should sit and quickly pray tashahhud and then rise up before the Imam goes into the fourth ruku’. Again when the Imam sits for the long tashahhud he should sit ‘ghayr mutamakkin’, and after the Imam has ended his namaz with the ‘salaam’, he should stand up and pray his last rak’at.

If an individual enters the masjid at the time of zohor asar namaaz and the imam is leading asar namaaz, should he pray zohor by himself i.e not in imamat and then asar, or should he take the niyyat of zohor and join in the asar faraz that is being led by the imam?

• If zohor is adaa, then the individual should take the niyyat of zohor and join in the imamat namaaz even though the faraz being prayed is asar. if zohor is not adaa then he should take the niyyat of asar and continue in the imamat namaaz. He will have to pray the zohor faraz as qazaa (vaali de).

If an individual joins isha, zohor or asar Imamat Namaz and the imam is already in the third Rak’at – what should he do?

• He should join and consider that his first rak’at, and he should pray wajjahtu wajhi, al-hamdo and one surat in his mind. The Imam’s fourth rak’at will be his second, so he should pray al-hamdo and an utarti surat in his mind. When the Imam sits for the long tashahhud, he should pray the short tashahhud and then sit ‘ghayr mutamakkin’. Then when the Imam has completed his namaz with salaam, he should stand up and pray his third and fourth rak’at by himself.

If an individual joins Isha, Zohor or Asar Imamat Namaz and the Imam leading the namaz is already in the second Rak’at – what should he do?

• He should pray the niyyat and then join with takbeeratul ehraam, or if there is no time he should have the niyyat in his mind and just join with Takbeeratul ehram. Though the Imam is in the second Rak’at, he should consider it his first Rak’at, and pray with the Imam. When the Imam sits for small tashahhud, he should sit ‘ghayr mutamakkin’, i.e. with both feet under him and not to the side as in the normal tashahhud position. When the Imam stands for the third rak’at, he should quickly recite “al-hamdo” and one other “utarti” surat of the Quran in his mind. When the Imam rises from the sajda in the third rak’at, he should sit and quickly pray tashahhud and then rise up before the Imam goes into the fourth ruku’. Again when the Imam sits for the long tashahhud he should sit ‘ghayr mutamakkin’, and after the Imam has ended his namaz with the ‘salaam’, he should stand up and pray his last rak’at.

If a traveler meets his relative who is “ghair baaligh” (not yet given misaq), should he pray the entire namaaz or should he pray qasar namaaz?

• It is of no significance that his relative is “baaligh” (given misaq) or “ghair baaligh”. Both are the same. He should pray the entire namaaz.

What is the time of nisful layl?

• The time at night corresponding to zawaal is the time of nisful layl. Nisful-layl may be prayed for about one ‘ghari’ (12^th part of night) generally.

What is the prescribed format of the namaaz of Tasbih al Aazam ?

• There are four rak’ats of the namaaz of tasbih al aazam. The niyyat of tasbih al aazam is as follows -- ا صلي صلوة التسبيح الاعظم اربع ركعات لله -- In this namaaz “charhti surat” must be prayed. After the qiraa’at this tasbeeh -- سبحان الله والحمد لله ولا اله الا الله والله اكبر – has to be prayed 15 times before going into the ruku. After the tasbih of ruku, the tasbih mentioned above has to be recited 10 times. Upon rising from the ruku, “sameallaho leman hameda, rabbana lakal hamd” should be said while raising the hands to the ears for the takbeera, then the same tasbih should be recited 10 times while standing, before saying “allaho akabar” and going into the sajda, After the tasbih of sajda the same tasbeeh mentioned above should be recited the tasbih 10 times. Then when sitting in between the two sajdas, after praying -- اللهم اغفرلي--- the tasbih mentioned above should be recited 10 times. Similarly in the second sajda. After the sajda, the same tasbih should again be recited 10 times while sitting “ghair mutamakkin”, that is with feet folded under rather than at the side. Then one should stand up for the second rak’at and repeat the same amal, sitting up from the second sajda in the normal tashahhud posture, pray the long tashahhud and give salaam. Then one must stand up and say Allaho akbar and complete the remaining two rak’ats in the same way.

If an individual who has prayed shafaa vatar juloos at home or alongwith the behori, enters the masjid and the shafaa namaaz is still adaa, what should he do?

• He should know that if he prays tahiyyatul masjid, he will have to pray shafaa again. According to Syedi Sadiqali Saheb’s nasihat he should pray tahiyyatul masjid and pray shafaa vatar juloos again.

If an individual enters the masjid when it is not the time of namaaz i.e. for example before zawaal. Should he pray tahiyyatul masjid?

• But if he has entered just before the namaaz time, he should pray tahiyyatul masjid when it is the time for namaaz. Otherwise it is not the custom to pray tahiyyatul masjid, when it is not a prayer time.

If an individual enters the masjid towards the end of the zohr namaaz time, should he pray tahiyyatul masjid if it is possible that zohor may become qazaa?

• The individual should not pray tahiyyatul masjid. He should pray zohr.

• Gharan namaaz is prayed during solar as well as lunar eclipses. Gharan namaaz can be prayed by imamat, but those who cannot go for imamat can also pray alone.
• There is no azaan or iqamat. Gharan namaaz has 10 rak’ats / ruku's, 4 sajda-s (2 after each set of five rak’ats), 5 qunuts (after every even-numbered rak’at, i.e. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10), mhotto tashahhud followed by salaam.
• Take niyyat as follows: (for solar) Usalli salata kosufish shamse ashara raka’atin wa arba’ sajadatin lillahe azza wajalla adaa an mustaqbelal ka’batil harame allaho akbar (for lunar) usalli salata khosufil qamare ashara raka’atin wa arba’ sajadatin lillahe azza wajalla adaa an mustaqbelal ka’batil harame allaho akbar
• Start namaaz with takbeeratul ehraam, then start qira’at: al-hamd, followed by another surat.The longer the surat prayed the better, depending on the duration of the eclipse. Utarti surat should be prayed. One long surat (for example yaseen) can be prayed in sections, i.e. start yaseen after al-hamd in one rak’at, then in second rak’at do not pray al-hamd or bismillah and just continue the surate yaseen; and this can be done over 5 rak’ats; the yaseen should be finished before the sajdas in the fifth rak’at.
• After qira'at pray takbeera with hands raised to ears and then go into ruku’; ruku’ should also be long (meaning many tasbeehs can be done not just 3). Then pray takbeera "Allahu Akbar" with hands raised to ears and stand up – do not continue into sajda – and start qira’at of second rak'at. After the qira’at, pray qunoot – raise your hands in front of your face and pray the gharan qunoot dua; la ilaha ilallahul hakimul kareem. La ilaha ilallahul aliyul a’zeem. Subhana rabbis samawaatis sabe’ wa ma fihinna wa ma bainahunna wa rabbil ardeenas sabe’ wa ma fihinna wa ma bainahunna wa rabbil arshil azeem. Walhamdolillahe rabbil a’lameen. Allahumma salle a’laa mohammedin wa a’laa aale mohammedin wasabbit qalbi alaa deeneka wa deene nabiyeka. Wa la tozigh qalbi ba’da iz hadaitani. Wa habli min ladunka rahmatan innaka antal wahhaab. Allahummaj a’lni mimman khalaqtahu lejannateka wakhtartahu ledeeneka watub alaiyya innaka antat tawa’abur raheem. Wa salle a’laa mohammedin wa a’laa aale mohammedin kama anta ahlohu wahom beka ahlohu salawatoka a’laihim ajmaee’n. if you don't remember this doa, you can pray the doa that is prayed in the qunoot of fajr namaaz. Then pray takbeera and go into the second ruku'.
• After ruku’, again stand for 3rd raka'at without going into sajda. After qira’at, perform ruku' and again stand up for the 4th rak'at; After qira’at again pray qunoot. Then perform ruku', then stand up for the 5th rak'at. After the qira’at and ruku' of the 5th rak'at, pray “sameallahu leman hameda rabbana lakal hamd, allahu akbar …” and continue into sajda, 2 sajdas with sitting for a brief period in between as we do in all namaaz. Sajda should also be long with tasbeeh prayed many times, like the ruku’.
• After two Sajda-s, stand up (no tashahhud) and repeat the amal of the first five raka'ats. Qunoot should be in 6th, 8th and 10th rak'ats. After the 10th rak'at, continue after ruku’ into 2 sajdas, then sit and pray long tashahhud followed by salaam.
• If Gharan namaaz gets over and the eclipse is yet ongoing, remain on the masallah and read Quran, duas, or do tasbeeh and dua.
• If you cannot pray Gharan namaaz, read Quran, duas, tasbeeh etc.. One should not eat or drink anything for the duration of the eclipse.
• Pregnant women should stay at home during eclipses, and avoid touching any metallic or sharp object.

What is the prescribed format to offer “sehew na sajda”?

• After completing namaaz i.e. after offering salaam at the end of the long tashahhud, one should say allaho akbar and give two sajdas as he does in any namaaz. Upon sitting up from the second sajda one should pray بسم الله وبالله اشهد ان لا اله الا الله وصل الله على محمد واله and then give salaam.

If an individual does a mistake in imamat namaaz, what should he do?

• The person does not need to offer “sehew na sajda” for the imam will bear his mistake.

If an individual prays the long tashahhud instead of the short tashahhud, and gives the salaam after just two rak’ats instead of four, what should he do?

• He should stand up and say the takbeeratul ehraam and pray the remaining rak’ats, and after giving salaam he should give “sehew na sajda”.

If an individual is not certain whether he has given the ruku’ or not, what should he do?

• If he has not already gone into sajda, he should give the ruku’ and continue the namaz, and pray the two “sehew na sajda” after completing the namaz. If he has already gone into sajda and then the doubt arises, as long as it is a doubt and not a certainty, he should continue the namaz, and pray the two sehew na sajda after completing the namaz. If he is certain he has missed a ruku’ he will have to pray the namaz again.

During namaaz if an individual is not certain whether he has prayed two rak’ats or four, what should he do?

• He should sit and pray the long tashahhud, and after giving the salaam he should stand up and say the takbeeratul ehraam and pray 2 rak’ats. He should pray only surat al-Hamd in both the two rak’ats. He should then offer “sehew na sajda”.

If an individual forgets to sit for the short tashahhud and stands up for the third rak’at, and before the ruku he realizes that he hasn’t prayed the short tashahhud, what should he do?

• He should sit down again for the short tashahhud and after completing the namaaz he should offer “sehew na sajda”.

If an individual is not sure whether he has prayed three rak’ats or four in a faraz with four rak’ats, what should he do?

• He should sit and pray the long tashahhud and do the salaam, then he should say the takbeeratul ehraam and pray two rak’ats sitting (as in the juloos namaz). After that he should give the “sehew na sajda”.

If an individual forgets to give takbeeratul ahraam before commencing the subsequent salaam in the sunnat namaaz, what should he do?

• His namaaz is considered as void. He should pray it again.

What is the niyyat for qazaa namaaz?

• The niyyat is as follows: اصلي فرض صلوة الظهر الفائتة اربع ركعات لله (substitute the name of the concerned faraz)

While praying namaaz should a person who is ill sit in the way one sits in the juloos namaaz or should he sit ‘comfortably’ (with legs folded to the side as in tashahhud)?

• He should sit in the way one sits in juloos for the qira’at, then while giving ruku he should sit ‘comfortably’ and bow/ bend his upper body for ruku, then give sajda normally. If he cannot sit in the juloos position, he can sit ‘comfortably’, or in the position he is able to.

What is the prescribed way for an individual who is ill to pray namaaz?

• If the illness is so severe that the individual cannot pray surat al-Hamd and another surat of 3 aayats, he should sit and pray namaaz. He should bow with his upper body for ruku’, and if he cannot do sajda he should bow lower than the bow for his ruku for sajda. If he cannot pray sitting, he should lie down on his right side and should face the qibla and pray namaaz. if he cannot lie down on his right side then he should lie down on his back and face the qibla and pray namaaz by ishara, by signs: raising the hands for takbeera if possible, and moving the head forward for ruku and sajda as possible.