Q1. My son is working in Japan. He attends the Tarawih prayer at a mosque, where two imams lead the Tarawih prayer on alternate days. One is an Egyptian and another one is from some Arab country. This Imam is not professional imam. He is a wealthy person in the city where my son resides. The Imam has not sported the beard. Some Pakistanis do not pray behind him when he leads the Tarawih prayer, objecting that it is not right for a person to pray behind an imam, who does not sport a beard. But my son prays behind that imam and he is very much puzzled over this matter whether to pray or not to pray behind the imam who does not sport a beard. My son has sent this query over the phone seeking clarification.
G. A. Basheer, Bangalore
A1. Shaving beard is Fisq and the one who does that is Fasiq. It is preferable to have an Imam having a beard. However, if such an Imam is not available, then it is allowed to offer Salah behind a beardless Imam. It is agreed upon by the Ahle-Sunnah-Wal- Jam’ah that offering Salah behind every righteous or Fasiq Muslim is allowed and his Salah is valid so that there is unity amongst the Muslims, in order to avoid any conflict. Therefore your son is correct in offering Salah behind the imam. Infact, those who do not offer Salah behind him should also start doing so, in order to avoid any conflict. However, as soon as an Imam with beard is available, you may start offering Salah behind him, and Allah knows the best.
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Posted by Mohamed Shihab on May 15, 2009 at 8:16 pm
To begin with, let me request you to ask yourself this question… Is it mentioned in the Quran to offer 2 rakat farz in fajr and 4 rakat farz in zohr and 4 rakat in asar and so on…. The answer is,of course, NO… Why? Thats coz we get to know it from the ahadith of prophet(saw)… ALLAH just commands us to offer salaat in the Quran… but to know how to offer and how many to offer, we should refer the authentic ahadith…. Similarly, to sport a beard is not a direct commandment of ALLAH… But ALLAH commands us to obey the prophet(saw) and the prophet(saw) tells the muslims to do the opposite of what the pagans do.. i.e, grow the beard and cut the moustache short… It is an authentic hadith my friend, May ALLAH guide you.. aameen.. please take pleasure in asking some more questions on islam… I would love to answer them…
Posted by Sk Samsher Ali on May 18, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Salam,
Qur’an says that we should not accept any other Source as source of Law of Islam except IT(Qur’an). It also says that IT is Complete, Perfect & Fully Detailed. (6:114-115) So logically if there is no mentioned in the Qur’an about the ‘Rakat system’ of Salat then we can’t say that it is the rules of Islam to offer salat by maintaining 2rakat….4rakat…etc
2ndly, Obey God and obey the Messenger means to Obey the Qur’an. It does not mean we should obey the hadith besides obeying the message (Qur’an).
The word Messenger is derived from the word Message. A Messenger delivers a Message. If there were no message there would not be a messenger. To Obey the Messenger would thus mean to obey the message he is delivering.
God is the most efficient in expressing any meaning. All Quranic words are chosen by God to convey a precise meaning.
We never read anywhere in the Quran words like “Obey God and obey Muhammad” or obey Jesus, or Moses. The words used are always “obey the word messenger”. This is to emphasise that it is the “message” of God that is to be obeyed and not the personal words or views of the messenger.
As mentioned earlier, the word Messenger is derived from the word Message. If there were no message there would not be a messenger. To Obey the Messenger thus means to OBEY THE MESSAGE HE DELIVERED.
Samsher
Posted by Kazi on May 18, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Sk Samsher Ali
You give lame excuses to the subject. Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) warned his companions that days will come when there will be people who bravely tell people around them that we don’t need to follow the sunnah of our prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) but only Quran will do. Please don’t try to interpret the Quran all by yourselves without the help of scholars and aalims who study on Islam. This may lead to misunderstanding. Quran should be read with authentic tafsir. I use “tafsirul mareful Quran” from Quran Printing Press, Madinah.
Quran is Allah’s direct word. Authentic hadiths are the words of Allah described by prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) himself. Whenever the Quran says follow Allah and his Messenger it tells us to follow Quran and Sunnah as well. There is no chance to mistake that.
I did some study on your produced verses that you think it is against hadith and those verses that tells us to follow Allah’s Messenger that is Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).
1.
“Shall I seek other than Allah for judge, when He it is Who hath revealed unto you (this) Scripture, fully explained ? Those unto whom We gave the Scripture (aforetime) know that it is revealed from thy Lord in truth. So be not thou (O Muhammad) of the waverers.[6:114]
Perfected is the Word of thy Lord in truth and justice. There is naught that can change His words. He is the Hearer, the Knower.[6:115]”
These verses tell us to follow Quran. But does that rule out the sunnah of Allah’s messenger? Find a authentic tafsir of the quran and read those verses. Never does it rule out sunnah. Following the right sunnahs has no contradiction with the Quran. If anyone find a sunnah contradicting with the Quran (which happen for misunderstanding), he should follow the quran. This only happens if the sunnah is misrepeated or misheard or forgotten by the raabi. But there are lots of authentic hadith to follow.
2. Following of the sunnah is a practice well practiced by the Muslims of all time. Read the following verses and their tafsir to understand the need of following sunnah.
[53:1-5]
By the Star when it setteth, Your comrade erreth not, nor is deceived; Nor doth he speak of (his own) desire. It is naught save an inspiration that is inspired, Which one of mighty powers hath taught him,
(These verses tell us prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said nothing from himself but everything from Allah. This includes sunnah. Again read authentic tafsir.)
[69:44-46]
And if he had invented false sayings concerning Us, We assuredly had taken him by the right hand And then severed his life-artery,
(This also tells us that he (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said nothing but Allah’s words.)
[59:7]
That which Allah giveth as spoil unto His messenger from the people of the townships, it is for Allah and His messenger and for the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer, that it become not a commodity between the rich among you. And whatsoever the messenger giveth you, take it. And whatsoever he forbiddeth, abstain (from it). And keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is stern in reprisal.
(Though these verses refer to wealth but the language is universal and repeats that we must follow Allah and his Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) as well. So this includes hadith. No lame excuse.
[3:31-32]
Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. Say: Obey Allah and the messenger. But if they turn away, lo! Allah loveth not the disbelievers (in His guidance).
[24:52-54]
He who obeyeth Allah and His messenger, and feareth Allah, and keepeth duty (unto Him): such indeed are the victorious. They swear by Allah solemnly that, if thou order them, they will go forth. Say: Swear not; known obedience (is better). Lo! Allah is Informed of what ye do. Say: Obey Allah and obey the messenger. But if ye turn away, then (it is) for him (to do) only that wherewith he hath been charged, and for you (to do) only that wherewith ye have been charged. If ye obey him, ye will go aright. But the messenger hath no other charge than to convey (the message) plainly.
[33:56-57]
Lo! Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation. Lo! those who malign Allah and His messenger, Allah hath cursed them in the world and the Hereafter, and hath prepared for them the doom of the disdained.
(these are about the respect of Rasulullah(sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)
[4:59]
O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the messenger and those of you who are in authority; and if ye have a dispute concerning any matter, refer it to Allah and the messenger if ye are (in truth) believers in Allah and the Last Day. That is better and more seemly in the end.
(We have the Quran to refer to Allah, but what do we have to refer to Prophet(sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)? The only answer is Hadith.
[4:80]
Whoso obeyeth the messenger hath obeyed Allah, and whoso turneth away: We have not sent thee as a warder over them.
[8:1]
They ask thee (O Muhammad) of the spoils of war. Say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the messenger, so keep your duty to Allah, and adjust the matter of your difference, and obey Allah and His messenger, if ye are (true) believers.
[24:63]
Make not the calling of the messenger among you as your calling one of another. Allah knoweth those of you who steal away, hiding themselves. And let those who conspire to evade orders beware lest grief or painful punishment befall them.
(We should be respectful while talking of the Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) )
[9:100]
And the first to lead the way, of the Muhajirin and the Ansar, and those who followed them in goodness – Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him, and He hath made ready for them Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide for ever. That is the supreme triumph.
(This verse tells us that Allah is pleased with the Muhajirin and the Ansars. These are the people who followed hadith and spread or passed to each other the sunnahs of Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). As Allah is pleased with them, we should also look into their lives and we will only find that they acted upon Quran and Hadith both of which they got from Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). So Allah is pleased with them who follow the Quran and Hadith.)
Posted by Loga on June 12, 2009 at 2:31 am
Just a short reminder on having a beard:
http://loga-abdullah.blogspot.com/2009/06/is-beard-sunna.html
InshaAllah you’ll share your words.