THE RULING ON PRAYING TOWARDS A SUTRAH THAT HAS AN OPENING IN THE BOTTOM – SHAIKH AL-ALBANI

Questioner: The issue of a sutrahs which are connected to the ground and they have pillars and are not completely stuck on the ground. Should they be taken as a sutrah and should the person praying place their legs to the right or left of him? Like for example, this table or should he pray towards the opening [of the table ]?

Shaikh: He should not pray to this opening. He should pray to the leg.

Questioner: Alright. The Hadith of the bed. Oh Shaikh. the Prophet sallahu alayhi wa salam prayed towards the bed. Is it not understood that the bed had an opening?

Shaikh: prayed towards the bed?

Questioner: Yes

Shaikh: Alright, we do not have an official picture nor a descriptive image that it was open nor covered. So why do we go into detail with this when we know that a sutrah is anything in front of a praying person even if it is a spear? So if he prayed towards a bed, then it is a must for us to suppose that the affair is not ordinary and the affair is actually ordinary. The ordinary affair is to use as a sutrah with something fixed and not something open. So if he prays towards a bed and we suppose that the bed is like a table which is in front of us, that it had a open space between the legs, then no doubt we pray towards one of the two legs. This if we suppose that it is open and not covered. We are close to this in a lot of situations in our room. We find a bed and there is a cloth for example. This cloth is covering the bed such that it covers the opening. So if you pray to this opening of the bed in this situation, you are not praying towards the opening. You are praying towards the screen which is this cloth. As comes in the narration of Ali may Allah be pleased with him in the Musnad that he said: that if a narration comes to you from the Messenger of Allah sallahu alahi wa salam, this is the meaning of the Hadith not the actual wording, carry the Hadith to the best of meaning. Do you remember the wording?

Questioner: We think that is what it is

Shaikh: Possibly yes

Questioner: In Ibn Majah also

Shaikh: Therefore, we carry the Hadith upon the best of meaning. We carry the Hadith according to what agrees with other Hadith. Not upon what is incompatible. Yes

Questioner: Alright, oh Shaikh we recall in this speech that the Prophet sallahu alayhi wa salam prayed towards a saddle. And a saddle is well-known to have an hole

Shaikh: The saddle is standing upon air?

Questioner: It is standing upon the earth, however…

Shaikh: The affair is ended. Your position is clear that is your speech is about the table

Another Questioner: The table itself

Shaikh: The table itself

Questioner: Jazakallahu Khairan

Shaikh: Wa iyyaka”

[Silsilatul Huda wan-Nur no. 812 side A]

Translated by

Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan

Abu Sulaymaan

DRIVING A CAR OR RIDING A BIKE TO THE MASJID – SHAIKH ABDUL-MUHSIN AL-‘ABBAD

Question: Those who drive cars or ride bikes, do they enter into [the Hadith] about taking more steps to the Masaajid*?

Answer: “No doubt, whether he arrives on his feet or by car. This distance he travels, he will be rewarded for the steps”.

[Sharh Tirmidhi no. 13]

Translated by

Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan

* The Hadith in reference is the following:

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال‏:‏ ‏”‏ألا أدلكم على ما يمحو الله به الخطايا، ويرفع به الدرجات‏؟‏ ‏”‏ قالوا بلى يا رسول الله‏.‏ قال‏:‏ ‏‏إسباغ الوضوء على المكاره، وكثرة الخطا إلى المساجد، وانتظار الصلاة بعد الصلاة، فذلكم الرباط، فذلكم الرباط

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Shall I not tell you something by which Allah effaces the sins and elevates the ranks (in Jannah).” The Companions said: “Yes (please tell us), O Messenger of Allah.” He said, “Performing the Wudu’ properly in spite of difficult circumstances, walking with more paces to the mosque, and waiting for the next Salat (prayer) after a observing Salat; and that is Ar-Ribat, and that is Ar-Ribat.

[Reported by Muslim no. 251, Tirmidhi no. 51, and others]

Ash-Shaykh al-Uthaymeen was asked the following question,

Question: A man missed the fajr prayer with the congregation. Does he pray the Raatibah [the Sunnah] or the obligation knowing that the congregation has left?

Answer: “He precedes the Raatibah over the obligation because the Sunnah of fajr is before the obligation. Even if the congregants have left the Masjid”

[Majmoo’ al-Fatawa wa Rasaail question no. 868]

Translated by

Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan

Shaikh Ibn ul-‘Uthaymeen rahimahullah said:

“As for the one who exits from the masjid then returns soon, then he does not pray tahiyyatul Masjid because he did not leave with a leaving that is interrupted. So like this it was not reported from the Messenger sallahu alayhi wa salam that when he exited to go to his house for a need and he was in ‘Itikaaf then returned that he prayed two rakat. Also, this exiting is not considered exiting by the evidence that it does not break the Itikaaf of the one in Itikaaf. If his exiting is considered separating from the masjid, then his itikaaf would be broken. So like this, if a person exited from the masjid with an intention not to return except for the following obligatory prayer, then after taking some steps he returns to speak to another person even after half a minute, then this one prays two rakat because he left with the intention of leaving that is interrupted/suspended”

[Majmoo al-Fatawa wa Rasaail (14/352)]

Translated by

Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan

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