When you can't make salat...

[Mevlevi]

brothers and sisters,

I'm still getting used to salat (thankfully my years of studying Middle Eastern & Islamic History in university is paying off) and have been working on learning it 5x a day... but I need some help.

Let's put out a hypothetical scenario:

I'm out with my non-Muslim friends, let's say out to eat or something... I look at my watch... oh snap, it's time for Maghrib prayer!

Now, I learned in Turkey about 6 years back (long before my reversion) that if you're in a place where you can't say salat, you should put your hands on the ground, rub your arms with a bit of dust, and then say a dua (another question: WHICH dua?). BUT WAIT, I'm indoors, in a restaurant: there's no dirt on the floor, well... there may be, but that'd be gross. So what do I do or say? Help me out here.

Thanks!

[hansa]

brothers and sisters,

I'm still getting used to salat (thankfully my years of studying Middle Eastern & Islamic History in university is paying off) and have been working on learning it 5x a day... but I need some help.

Let's put out a hypothetical scenario:

I'm out with my non-Muslim friends, let's say out to eat or something... I look at my watch... oh snap, it's time for Maghrib prayer!

Now, I learned in Turkey about 6 years back (long before my reversion) that if you're in a place where you can't say salat, you should put your hands on the ground, rub your arms with a bit of dust, and then say a dua (another question: WHICH dua?). BUT WAIT, I'm indoors, in a restaurant: there's no dirt on the floor, well... there may be, but that'd be gross. So what do I do or say? Help me out here.

Thanks!

The rubbing of dust you mention is known as tayammum, but is only an alternative for wudhu NOT for salaah (salaah has to be performed normally):

To get rid of NAJAASAT HUKMIYYA by making use of clean earth or clay in a special way is called TAYAMMUM.

TAYAMMUM IS PERMITTED IN THE FOLLOWING CASES:-

When water is not available within a radius of approximately 1.7km.
When there is fear of an enemy or a dangerous animal or a snake is near the water.
When the water is so little that, if the water is used up for Wudhu or Ghusl then there is fear of thirst.
When there is no rope or bucket to draw water from a well or one cannot reach water that is nearby (due to some reason) and no other person is available to fetch the water.
When it is known by ones own experience or a capable doctor says that the use of water would definitely be injurious to ones health.
When one does not have sufficient amount of money to pay for water which is being sold.
If water is sold at a very ridiculous price.
One is at a place where there is no water. He himself guesses or someone tells him that water is available within approximately one mile. It will now be necessary to fetch water and perform Wudhu.
IT WILL NOT BE NECESSARY TO FETCH WATER IF:-

There is no trace of water.
No one is present to give information regarding water,
It is believed that water will be found after a distance of approximately one mile or more.
If so little water is available that a person can only carry out the four FARAA'ID of WUDHU, then TAYAMMUM is not permissible.
If something NAJIS had fallen on the ground or sand etc. it is not permissible to use that earth for TAYAMMUM even if it dries up. But Salaah on that place is permissible after it has become dry.
lf there is very little water and one is in need of GHUSL or WUDHU and his clothes and body is also NAJIS, then first, one should wash off the NAJAASAT from ones body and clothes and then do TAYAMMUM.
FARAAID OF TAYAMMUM

There are three FARAA'ID (Compulsory Acts) of TAYAMMUM:

NIYYAT (intention).
Striking both hands on earth and rubbing them on the face.
Striking both hands on earth and rubbing both forearms including the elbows.
MASNOON WAY OF TAYAMMUM

FIRST
Recite Bismillah then make Niyyah
Make NIYYAT or intention in the following way:
"O Allah, I am making TAYAMMUM for WUDHU or GHUSL, to perform my Salaah or recite the QURAAN SHARIF, etc."


SECOND
Strike both hands on clean earth or dust. Then dust the hands and blow off the excess dust or earth on the hands. Rub both the hands over the complete face without leaving a hair's breadth of space.

THIRD
Strike both hands again on the ground.
Then dust the hands and blow off the excess dust.
Rub the left hand over the complete right hand including the elbow.
Rub the right hand over the complete left-hand including the elbow.
Then do KHILAAL of fingers.
If one is wearing a ring it is necessary to remove it or at least revolve it.
It is SUNNAH to do KHILAL of the beard also.

ITEMS ON WHICH TAYAMMUM IS PERMITTED

Pure earth.
Sand.
Stone.
Limestone.
Baked earthen pots (Unglazed).
Walls of mud, stone or brick.
Clay.
All items which have thick dust on them.
ITEMS ON WHICH TAYAMMUM IS NOT PERMITTED

Wood.
Metal.
Glass.
Food items.
All items, which burn to ash, rot or melt.
ITEMS ON WHICH TAYAMMUM IS PERMITTED

Things on which TAYAMMUM is allowed need not be covered with dust.

If there is a stone, brick or clay pot, it can be used for TAYAMMUM even after it was washed clean and has no dust on it.
TAYAMMUM is permissible if one is on the point of missing the JANAZAH SALAAH or EIDAIN SALAAH as there is no qadha for these two salaah.
It will not be necessary to repeat the Salaah already performed should water be found after the Salaah.
The duration of TAYAMMUM, is as long as water is not available or the helplessness continues. This can last for years.
BREAKERS OF TAYAMMUM

Things which break wudhu also break tayammum.
Tayammum for ghusl breaks only after hadath akbar.
Tayammum done when water is not found breaks when water is found.
Tayammum done due to a disease breaks when one is cured from that disease.
One can perform any number of salaah by one tayammum as long as it does not break.
Tayammum done for fardh salaah will be valid for nafl, for reading the holy quraan, janaza salaah, sajda-e-tilaawat and for all other kinds of salaah.

[hansa]

brothers and sisters,

I'm still getting used to salat (thankfully my years of studying Middle Eastern & Islamic History in university is paying off) and have been working on learning it 5x a day... but I need some help.

Let's put out a hypothetical scenario:

I'm out with my non-Muslim friends, let's say out to eat or something... I look at my watch... oh snap, it's time for Maghrib prayer!

Now, I learned in Turkey about 6 years back (long before my reversion) that if you're in a place where you can't say salat, you should put your hands on the ground, rub your arms with a bit of dust, and then say a dua (another question: WHICH dua?). BUT WAIT, I'm indoors, in a restaurant: there's no dirt on the floor, well... there may be, but that'd be gross. So what do I do or say? Help me out here.

Thanks!

Regarding when is salaah excused, see this thread http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/show...-salah-excused
"it's OK to miss salah if you're a small child, if you're insane, or if you're a non-Muslim (kaffir)"
"The salah of a person who has fainted or been unconscious for more than a full day and night is excused. If it is less than a full day and night then they must be made up as qadha."

Excuses for missing salah
Posted on August 21, 2011 by admin
Excuses for missing Salah?



In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful.



Answer



It is narrated by Saaiduna Jabir Radiallahu Anhu that the Prophet of Allah Sallallahu Alahi Wasalam said “Between man and disbelief is the abandonment of Salah”. (Mishkaatul Masaabeeh p.58 v.1)



In another hadith the Prophet of Allah Sallallahu Alahi Wasalam has said “The agreement that is between us and them is the prayer. Whoever leaves it has disbelieved”. (Mishkaatul Masaabeeh p.58 v.1)



Allah (SWA) in the Holy Quran says “What has brought you to (Saqar Hell)? They will say, We were not among those who offered Salah”. (Surah Muddaththir v.42-43)



From the moment a child reaches the age of puberty or a person accepts Imaan, Salah becomes compulsory. The Shariah does go to great lengths to accommodate our circumstances. If you cannot stand, you can offer it sitting down. If you cannot sit, you can offer it lying down. If you are travelling, you offer two rakats instead of four for Zuhr, Asr and Ishaa prayers and so on.



However, if a woman is experiencing her periods (haidh) or nifaas then she is exempted from praying her Salah. (Raddul Muhtar p.484 v.1)



Similarly, if a person faints or is unconscious for a full day and night or more, he must not perform the Salah he has missed. He is exempted from performing them and there is no qaza. (Raddul Muhtar p.573 v.2)



Furthermore, if a patient has no strength to even move the head for isharaa (gestures), then one should not perform the Salah. If his condition continues for more than a day and night, one will not need to read qaza for the missed prayers. However, if one gains the strength of moving the head for gestures within a day or night in a period less than that, qaza will have to be performed for the missed Salah. (Raddul Muhtar p.570 v.2)



Only Allah Knows Best


Mohammed Tosir Miah

[Shuayb Abdul-Khaaliq]

brothers and sisters,

May Allah reward you for trying to guard your salat 5x a day and may He make it easy for you and all of us. Ameen.

I'm out with my non-Muslim friends, let's say out to eat or something... I look at my watch... oh snap, it's time for Maghrib prayer!

That's an easy one. Then you excuse yourself, go to the bathroom of the establishment & make wudu. If the establishment does not have a bathroom for some reason, then you go out in search of a bathroom or a place to make wudu (sometimes in parks and stuff they have water fountains and water taps in the ground etc). Then you look for a place to make your salat. If it's a halal restaurant, more often than not they will have a space to make salat in the backroom or something (yes, even in the 'western world', you just have to ask), and even if they don't have a special place to make salat, you can ask them that you need to pray and if you can do so in a backroom or a corner somewhere etc.

If there is music playing in the establishment (sadly the case these days even in 'halal' restaurants), then I don't know what the scholarly ruling on it is, but my personal inclination normally is to find somewhere where music is not being played. I was once in a halal restaurant, very nice & family oriented, and it was time for salat so I went and made wudu. They had very loud music playing though. So I went and made salat in the parking lot. When the restaurant owner saw that I was making salat in the parking lot, he felt bad and told my friends who were inside that I should have asked him, they have a special room in the back to make salat. I already figured they would have a place to make salat, or would let me use a place at least, but I didn't even bother asking because of the loud music which was playing there.

Bottom line, when it's time for salat, it doesn't matter if you're with non-muslims and where you are, you find a place to make wudu, then you find a place to make salat. I often carry a small towel with me now when I know I will be outdoors during salat time, which I put on the ground for the sajda place so I don't have to put my face on the ground (even though that's fine as well and even very rewarding Insha'Allah). I use rocks, my cell phone, or whatever to hold the towel in place so wind doesn't blow it away. I've also used pieces of paper, napkins, and all kinds of random items if I wasn't prepared in advance.

As far as the tayammum issue, that's not allowed unless there is no water around whatsoever. I am not sure but I think I read somewhere that there has to be no water in a 1 mile radius for one to qualify for tayammum, but that is a complete guess at this point and don't go by that without asking a scholar first. The point is, in the society we live in, Alhamdulillah it is easy to find water just about everywhere, so we have no excuse to do tayammum instead of wudu.

It gets easier. Do it once and you will see Alhamdulillah how Allah facilitates the whole thing for you. When I started guarding my salat Alhamdulillah, and I was at places where I thought I would feel very 'weird' making salat or didn't even know what I would do, such as airports etc, I made constant dua to Allah to make it easy for me and to help me do it, and things just fell into place where I found a completely empty bathroom to make wudu, a nice clean carpeted corner to make salat, and just everything was obviously facilitated by Allah and it was no coincidence.

Also remember that making salat in public is Insha'Allah a form of silent dawah and you don't know who it will end up touching (muslim or non-Muslim) and Allah may give someone hidayat due to your making salat in public, getting you so much reward which you don't even know about (until you're in the hereafter of course).

Lastly, my advice would be that if you find it tough to make salat in public, especially when hanging out with non-Muslim friends etc, then you should not hang out with these people, especially around salat time. It is better to stay home and make salat in peace or go to the Masjid preferably. That's one of the reasons you always hear the age-old "I just started practicing the deen and all of the sudden I have no friends". It's worth it.

Allah knows best.

[Abdullah.ibn.Islam]

I think that as long as you pray before the next adhaan, your salat is valid. You will be rewarded more greatly for praying at the correct time of prayer, but any prayer before the next adhaan should be okay. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. And... Allah knows best!

[hansa]

I think that as long as you pray before the next adhaan, your salat is valid. You will be rewarded more greatly for praying at the correct time of prayer, but any prayer before the next adhaan should be okay. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. And... Allah knows best!

Not necessarily before the next azan, its before the time for the next salaah sets in (in some places azan is given at the time salaah sets in). And it is makrooh to delay reading salaah right till just before the next salah time sets in.

[Abdullah.ibn.Islam]

Not necessarily before the next azan, its before the time for the next salaah sets in (in some places azan is given at the time salaah sets in). And it is makrooh to delay reading salaah right till just before the next salah time sets in.

Of course, you are right. Not the next azan, but before the time of the next salaah.