umm anwar
May 29th, 2008, 19:48
Fiqh Course: FQ210 Ad-Durrar Al-Bahiyyah - Kitaab as-Salaah
Book: Ad-Durar Al-Bahiyyah of Muhammad Ash-Shawkaani
Shaykh: Wasi-Ullaah Abbaas
Class #3 - May 24th 2008 - Draft
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Introduction:<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
The Shaykh began by praising Allaah subhaanahu wa ta’alaa, and sending the salaah and salaam upon the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam. <o:p></o:p>
The Characteristics of the Prophet’s prayer (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam) is the prayer that all of us should strive diligently to mold our prayer to be like. As the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam) said in an authentic hadeeth, “Pray as you have seen me praying”, and this is a commandment of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam) to the Ummah. So, we should be diligent and conform our prayer to the prayer of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam). <o:p></o:p>
We are reading from the book of our beloved Shaykh Al-Albaanee (rahimahullaahi ta’alaa), the Characteristics of the Prophet’s Prayer Described and it is imperative for us to complete this book and understand the precepts and the things that are mentioned within it. <o:p></o:p>
Facing the Qiblah:
<o:p></o:p>
We explained and clarified previously that it is incumbent for the Muslim to understand the characteristics of the salaah and being diligent in preserving his salaah by allowing his prayer to be in conformity to the prayer of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam) and we clarified that the most important act of worship after the Shahaadatayn is the salaah. The salaah has conditions and the first condition we will look at is to face the direction of the qiblah or to face the ka’bah if you can see it with your own eyes. This is the case whether you are praying the superogatory prayer or one of the five obligatory prayers. <o:p></o:p>
Evidences for the Condition of Facing the Qiblah:
<o:p></o:p>
Hadeeth
This particular condition is extracted from the hadeeth of the ‘one who prayed badly’. A man came into the masjid while the Prophet was teaching his Companions a lesson, and he prayed two raka’aat and after he prayed, he went to join the circle of knowledge where the Prophet was sitting with his Companions, and then gave the salaam and was told, by the Prophet, ‘go back and pray for indeed you have not prayed’…(to the end of that hadeeth to where the individual said, after this happened three times, to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam)… “I swear by the One who has sent you with the Truth, I cannot pray better than what you have seen me praying, please teach me how to pray.” So the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam) said to him that when you want to pray, be diligent in performing wudoo in the most perfect manner, this is because there is no salaah for the one (…audio breaks). And this is where this particular condition is extracted from. <o:p></o:p>
Quraan
Verily! We have seen the turning of your (Muhammad's) face towards the heaven. Surely, We shall turn you to a Qiblah (prayer direction) that shall please you, so turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid- al-Harâm (at Makkah). And wheresoever you people are, turn your faces (in prayer) in that direction. Certainly, the people who were given the Scriptures (i.e. Jews and the Christians) know well that, that (your turning towards the direction of the Ka'bah at Makkah in prayers) is the truth from their Lord. And Allâh is not unaware of what they do.
(Al-Baqarah 2:144)<o:p></o:p>
And from wheresoever you start forth (for prayers), turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid-al-Harâm (at Makkah), that is indeed the truth from your Lord. And Allâh is not unaware of what you do.
(Al-Baqarah 2:149)<o:p></o:p>
If you can see the ka’bah with your own eyes, then you must face looking at it. If you cannot see it directly, you must face the direction of the qiblah, the ka’bah. Then you begin the salaah with the takbeer, the opening saying of ‘Allaahu Akbar’. This is how the individual enters [salaah].
<o:p></o:p>
[font=Verdana]Exception of Times When One Does Not Have to Face the Qiblah:
<o:p></o:p>
The Allowance of Praying Upon a Moving means of Transport
Sometimes when the Prophet was traveling he would pray on his riding animal. And he only prayed on his riding animal for the superogatory prayers. He would begin his prayer facing the qiblah, but then would allow his riding animal to face which ever direction it would go, not worrying that it deviated from the direction of the ka’bah. This allowance is only made for the superogatory prayers and it shows the permissibility that one can be in a animal or vehicle, whatever you are riding on, that you initial start praying facing the qiblah and then the vehicle can take you whichever direction is goes. But when he wanted to pray the mandatory prayer, he would get down off his animal and face the qiblah. <o:p></o:p>
Also, while the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam) was on his riding animal he would make rukoo’ and sujood. He used to do this by bending over for rukoo’ and bending over for sujood, the bending of his sujood was lower than for that of rukoo’. This showed that there was a difference between the two types of bending. <o:p></o:p>
(Audio break)…came out at the time before salaatul Dhuhr he would combine Dhuhr and ‘Asr at the time of ‘Asr, and he would do so by getting down off of his riding animal and face the qiblah.
<o:p></o:p>
Prayer at the Time of Danger (salaatul khowf)
When you are in danger or in fear of your life it is not conditional to face the qiblah at this time, nor is it obligatory to make rukoo’ or sujood in this particular situation since the enemies of the Muslims are surrounding the Muslims. This is because the Muslim may subject himself to his life being taken from him or whatever the case may be. Therefore, in this case where it is not necessary or that one is in fear for his life, allowances have been made so that one does not have to go into sujood or rukoo’. However, one still has to perform the salaah in its proper time. This is based on the statement of Allaah, what is translated to mean, <o:p></o:p>
“The Salaah has been mandated upon the believers at prescribed times”<o:p></o:p>
So although we are in war we still establish the salaah based on the allowances that have been given. It could be the case that while in war, the enemies are in the direction of the qiblah, so it may not be possible during these circumstances for you to face the qiblah.
<o:p></o:p>
The Direction of the Qiblah and Working Diligently to Find it:
<o:p></o:p>
The Prophet said sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam, “what is between the East and West is a qiblah”. The scholars explain this hadeeth by saying that if you can see the ka’bah with your bear eyes then you have to face the ka’bah by looking at it. If not, then you must turn to its direction. So if you are in the West you must face the East and if you are in the East and would face the West. <o:p></o:p>
There is a narration on Jaabir radiyaAllaah ‘anhu, he said that we were with the Prophet on a journey (or he said, during a battle. There is some doubt here) and cloudiness overcame us. The Sahabah were not able to determine the direction of the qiblah, so we worked diligently trying to figure out the direction of the qiblah. And so the people differed, some of the companions said the direction is this way and others said it is that way. So they ended up each praying in the way that he thought was correct, and when they woke up in the morning they found out that they had prayed in the wrong direction. So they took this to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam and he did not reprimand them nor did he order them to repeat the salaah. <o:p></o:p>
It is deducted from this hadeeth that it is the sunnah of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam to face the qiblah, due to the diligence of the Sahabah in trying to find it even in those cloudy conditions. Therefore, facing the qiblah is from the conditions of the salaah. It is also deducted that one should first ask people what is the direction of north-east, and one should not just pray in any direction. Rather one must worked diligently and utilize that which will help him help find the direction of the qiblah. If he does so, and he finds that he was wrong, his salaah is valid.
<o:p></o:p>
From the minhaj of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam is that he would not act except with that which Allaah subhaanahu wa ta’alaa commanded him to do. This is why the author, Shaykh al-Albaanee mentions in his book, Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam was praying towards Jerusalem, and while he was in the salaah he would turn his face a bit towards the ka’bah because of his love for the first house built for the worship of Allaah ta’alaa, built by Ibraaheem ‘alaihi salaam. Because of this Allaah acknowledged his love for making the ka’bah the direction of prayer and states, <o:p></o:p>
Verily! We have seen the turning of your (Muhammad's) face towards the heaven. Surely, We shall turn you to a Qiblah (prayer direction) that shall please you, so turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid- al-Harâm (at Makkah). And wheresoever you people are, turn your faces (in prayer) in that direction. Certainly, the people who were given the Scriptures (i.e. Jews and the Christians) know well that, that (your turning towards the direction of the Ka'bah at Makkah in prayers) is the truth from their Lord. And Allâh is not unaware of what they do.
(Al-Baqarah 2:144)<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
So even though the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam loved to face towards the Makkah (?) he did not do it until he was commanded. This shows that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam was totally obedient to Allaah subhaanahu wa ta’alaa even though he desired something. This is the minhaj of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam.
<o:p></o:p>
During this time, not all of the Muslims were praying with the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam so the news of the changing of the qiblah had not reached all of the Muslims. And some of those praying with the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam went to Masjid al-Quba and informed the Muslims, while they were in prayer, of the changed direction of the qiblah. He yelled out that they should change their direction from Jerusalem and they changed the direction while they were in prayer. The Imaam went to the back and those praying followed. Therefore, this shows that when the command reached them, they changed the direction they were facing. This is based upon obedience to Allaah and is based on the ayah, <o:p></o:p>
“It is not benefiting for the Muslim nor the Muslimah that when Allaah and His Messenger have decreed a matter, that they have any choice in the matter”<o:p></o:p>
This is the characteristic of the Muslim. This hadeeth also shows that the Sahabah never use to lie to one another and they use to believe each other. Here one man came to them and informed them, and they changed their direction. They didn’t stop their salaah to check the authenticity of the report due to the fact that amongst the Sahabah, lying was something unheard of and they used to believe one another even with the report of one person.
<o:p></o:p>
The Obligation to Stand in Prayer and its Exceptions:
<o:p></o:p>
The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam use to stand in the obligatory prayer and in the superogatory prayers. However, if he had an excuse (i.e. sickness), he would sit. And standing is an obligation due to the statement,
<o:p></o:p>
[font=Verdana]Guard strictly (five obligatory) As­Salawât (the prayers) especially the middle Salât (i.e. the best prayer ­ 'Asr). And stand before Allâh with obedience [and do not speak to others during the Salât (prayers)].[/font]
(Al-Baqarah 2:238)<o:p></o:p>
And if you fear (an enemy), perfrom Salât (pray) on foot or riding. And when you are in safety, offer the Salât (prayer) in the manner He has taught you, which you knew not (before).
(Al-Baqarah 2:239)<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
So, this is a command. But allowances have been made for those who have a sickness or an ailment or an issue that would not allow them to stand. So we’ve seen before that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam would pray sitting when riding (…audio breaking). Likewise, if the individual is in fear for his life. In this ayah, the scholars have stated that the salaatul-wustaa is the ‘Asr prayer and Allaah emphasizes this salaah. There is a difference of opinion here, but there are other texts indicating ‘Asr and it is the time that the Malaa.ikah come down. This prayer has been emphasized more than any other prayer to be preformed in its proper time. So in this ayah Allaah has made allowable praying standing or squatting or however you are, if you are in a state of fear.
<o:p></o:p>
Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam when he was on his death bed, he prayed sitting down. This is allowed for one who has some type of ailment and he should pray as he is able. And we know that when he was praying sitting down, the Sahabah behind them were standing and he indicated to them that they should all sit down. There is a difference of opinion here in relation to if the Imaam is sitting due to an ailment and those behind him do not have this ailment, should they sit or stand. Some have said that the ailment is what excuses the Imaam from standing, so they followers should stand because they have no excuse though Imaam is sitting. From this particular hadeeth, it is understood that if the Imaam is sitting then everyone behind him should sit. <o:p></o:p>
This is based upon another hadeeth where the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam said, I fear for you the characteristics of the people of Rome, there leaders would sit and their followers would stand for them. So I prevent you from doing this, if I stand you stand and if I sit, you sit. If I go into rukoo’, you go into rukoo’. If I go into sujood, you go into sujood.’ And he said that ‘the Imaam has been put there to be followed’. This indicated that the sitting should be done if the Imaam is sitting and standing should be done if the Imaam is standing. <o:p></o:p>
This ended class three and the Question/Answers period followed. <o:p></o:p>
[/font]
Book: Ad-Durar Al-Bahiyyah of Muhammad Ash-Shawkaani
Shaykh: Wasi-Ullaah Abbaas
Class #3 - May 24th 2008 - Draft
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Introduction:<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
The Shaykh began by praising Allaah subhaanahu wa ta’alaa, and sending the salaah and salaam upon the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam. <o:p></o:p>
The Characteristics of the Prophet’s prayer (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam) is the prayer that all of us should strive diligently to mold our prayer to be like. As the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam) said in an authentic hadeeth, “Pray as you have seen me praying”, and this is a commandment of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam) to the Ummah. So, we should be diligent and conform our prayer to the prayer of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam). <o:p></o:p>
We are reading from the book of our beloved Shaykh Al-Albaanee (rahimahullaahi ta’alaa), the Characteristics of the Prophet’s Prayer Described and it is imperative for us to complete this book and understand the precepts and the things that are mentioned within it. <o:p></o:p>
Facing the Qiblah:
<o:p></o:p>
We explained and clarified previously that it is incumbent for the Muslim to understand the characteristics of the salaah and being diligent in preserving his salaah by allowing his prayer to be in conformity to the prayer of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam) and we clarified that the most important act of worship after the Shahaadatayn is the salaah. The salaah has conditions and the first condition we will look at is to face the direction of the qiblah or to face the ka’bah if you can see it with your own eyes. This is the case whether you are praying the superogatory prayer or one of the five obligatory prayers. <o:p></o:p>
Evidences for the Condition of Facing the Qiblah:
<o:p></o:p>
Hadeeth
This particular condition is extracted from the hadeeth of the ‘one who prayed badly’. A man came into the masjid while the Prophet was teaching his Companions a lesson, and he prayed two raka’aat and after he prayed, he went to join the circle of knowledge where the Prophet was sitting with his Companions, and then gave the salaam and was told, by the Prophet, ‘go back and pray for indeed you have not prayed’…(to the end of that hadeeth to where the individual said, after this happened three times, to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam)… “I swear by the One who has sent you with the Truth, I cannot pray better than what you have seen me praying, please teach me how to pray.” So the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam) said to him that when you want to pray, be diligent in performing wudoo in the most perfect manner, this is because there is no salaah for the one (…audio breaks). And this is where this particular condition is extracted from. <o:p></o:p>
Quraan
Verily! We have seen the turning of your (Muhammad's) face towards the heaven. Surely, We shall turn you to a Qiblah (prayer direction) that shall please you, so turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid- al-Harâm (at Makkah). And wheresoever you people are, turn your faces (in prayer) in that direction. Certainly, the people who were given the Scriptures (i.e. Jews and the Christians) know well that, that (your turning towards the direction of the Ka'bah at Makkah in prayers) is the truth from their Lord. And Allâh is not unaware of what they do.
(Al-Baqarah 2:144)<o:p></o:p>
And from wheresoever you start forth (for prayers), turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid-al-Harâm (at Makkah), that is indeed the truth from your Lord. And Allâh is not unaware of what you do.
(Al-Baqarah 2:149)<o:p></o:p>
If you can see the ka’bah with your own eyes, then you must face looking at it. If you cannot see it directly, you must face the direction of the qiblah, the ka’bah. Then you begin the salaah with the takbeer, the opening saying of ‘Allaahu Akbar’. This is how the individual enters [salaah].
<o:p></o:p>
[font=Verdana]Exception of Times When One Does Not Have to Face the Qiblah:
<o:p></o:p>
The Allowance of Praying Upon a Moving means of Transport
Sometimes when the Prophet was traveling he would pray on his riding animal. And he only prayed on his riding animal for the superogatory prayers. He would begin his prayer facing the qiblah, but then would allow his riding animal to face which ever direction it would go, not worrying that it deviated from the direction of the ka’bah. This allowance is only made for the superogatory prayers and it shows the permissibility that one can be in a animal or vehicle, whatever you are riding on, that you initial start praying facing the qiblah and then the vehicle can take you whichever direction is goes. But when he wanted to pray the mandatory prayer, he would get down off his animal and face the qiblah. <o:p></o:p>
Also, while the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam) was on his riding animal he would make rukoo’ and sujood. He used to do this by bending over for rukoo’ and bending over for sujood, the bending of his sujood was lower than for that of rukoo’. This showed that there was a difference between the two types of bending. <o:p></o:p>
(Audio break)…came out at the time before salaatul Dhuhr he would combine Dhuhr and ‘Asr at the time of ‘Asr, and he would do so by getting down off of his riding animal and face the qiblah.
<o:p></o:p>
Prayer at the Time of Danger (salaatul khowf)
When you are in danger or in fear of your life it is not conditional to face the qiblah at this time, nor is it obligatory to make rukoo’ or sujood in this particular situation since the enemies of the Muslims are surrounding the Muslims. This is because the Muslim may subject himself to his life being taken from him or whatever the case may be. Therefore, in this case where it is not necessary or that one is in fear for his life, allowances have been made so that one does not have to go into sujood or rukoo’. However, one still has to perform the salaah in its proper time. This is based on the statement of Allaah, what is translated to mean, <o:p></o:p>
“The Salaah has been mandated upon the believers at prescribed times”<o:p></o:p>
So although we are in war we still establish the salaah based on the allowances that have been given. It could be the case that while in war, the enemies are in the direction of the qiblah, so it may not be possible during these circumstances for you to face the qiblah.
<o:p></o:p>
The Direction of the Qiblah and Working Diligently to Find it:
<o:p></o:p>
The Prophet said sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam, “what is between the East and West is a qiblah”. The scholars explain this hadeeth by saying that if you can see the ka’bah with your bear eyes then you have to face the ka’bah by looking at it. If not, then you must turn to its direction. So if you are in the West you must face the East and if you are in the East and would face the West. <o:p></o:p>
There is a narration on Jaabir radiyaAllaah ‘anhu, he said that we were with the Prophet on a journey (or he said, during a battle. There is some doubt here) and cloudiness overcame us. The Sahabah were not able to determine the direction of the qiblah, so we worked diligently trying to figure out the direction of the qiblah. And so the people differed, some of the companions said the direction is this way and others said it is that way. So they ended up each praying in the way that he thought was correct, and when they woke up in the morning they found out that they had prayed in the wrong direction. So they took this to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam and he did not reprimand them nor did he order them to repeat the salaah. <o:p></o:p>
It is deducted from this hadeeth that it is the sunnah of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam to face the qiblah, due to the diligence of the Sahabah in trying to find it even in those cloudy conditions. Therefore, facing the qiblah is from the conditions of the salaah. It is also deducted that one should first ask people what is the direction of north-east, and one should not just pray in any direction. Rather one must worked diligently and utilize that which will help him help find the direction of the qiblah. If he does so, and he finds that he was wrong, his salaah is valid.
<o:p></o:p>
From the minhaj of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam is that he would not act except with that which Allaah subhaanahu wa ta’alaa commanded him to do. This is why the author, Shaykh al-Albaanee mentions in his book, Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam was praying towards Jerusalem, and while he was in the salaah he would turn his face a bit towards the ka’bah because of his love for the first house built for the worship of Allaah ta’alaa, built by Ibraaheem ‘alaihi salaam. Because of this Allaah acknowledged his love for making the ka’bah the direction of prayer and states, <o:p></o:p>
Verily! We have seen the turning of your (Muhammad's) face towards the heaven. Surely, We shall turn you to a Qiblah (prayer direction) that shall please you, so turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid- al-Harâm (at Makkah). And wheresoever you people are, turn your faces (in prayer) in that direction. Certainly, the people who were given the Scriptures (i.e. Jews and the Christians) know well that, that (your turning towards the direction of the Ka'bah at Makkah in prayers) is the truth from their Lord. And Allâh is not unaware of what they do.
(Al-Baqarah 2:144)<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
So even though the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam loved to face towards the Makkah (?) he did not do it until he was commanded. This shows that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam was totally obedient to Allaah subhaanahu wa ta’alaa even though he desired something. This is the minhaj of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam.
<o:p></o:p>
During this time, not all of the Muslims were praying with the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam so the news of the changing of the qiblah had not reached all of the Muslims. And some of those praying with the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam went to Masjid al-Quba and informed the Muslims, while they were in prayer, of the changed direction of the qiblah. He yelled out that they should change their direction from Jerusalem and they changed the direction while they were in prayer. The Imaam went to the back and those praying followed. Therefore, this shows that when the command reached them, they changed the direction they were facing. This is based upon obedience to Allaah and is based on the ayah, <o:p></o:p>
“It is not benefiting for the Muslim nor the Muslimah that when Allaah and His Messenger have decreed a matter, that they have any choice in the matter”<o:p></o:p>
This is the characteristic of the Muslim. This hadeeth also shows that the Sahabah never use to lie to one another and they use to believe each other. Here one man came to them and informed them, and they changed their direction. They didn’t stop their salaah to check the authenticity of the report due to the fact that amongst the Sahabah, lying was something unheard of and they used to believe one another even with the report of one person.
<o:p></o:p>
The Obligation to Stand in Prayer and its Exceptions:
<o:p></o:p>
The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam use to stand in the obligatory prayer and in the superogatory prayers. However, if he had an excuse (i.e. sickness), he would sit. And standing is an obligation due to the statement,
<o:p></o:p>
[font=Verdana]Guard strictly (five obligatory) As­Salawât (the prayers) especially the middle Salât (i.e. the best prayer ­ 'Asr). And stand before Allâh with obedience [and do not speak to others during the Salât (prayers)].[/font]
(Al-Baqarah 2:238)<o:p></o:p>
And if you fear (an enemy), perfrom Salât (pray) on foot or riding. And when you are in safety, offer the Salât (prayer) in the manner He has taught you, which you knew not (before).
(Al-Baqarah 2:239)<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
So, this is a command. But allowances have been made for those who have a sickness or an ailment or an issue that would not allow them to stand. So we’ve seen before that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam would pray sitting when riding (…audio breaking). Likewise, if the individual is in fear for his life. In this ayah, the scholars have stated that the salaatul-wustaa is the ‘Asr prayer and Allaah emphasizes this salaah. There is a difference of opinion here, but there are other texts indicating ‘Asr and it is the time that the Malaa.ikah come down. This prayer has been emphasized more than any other prayer to be preformed in its proper time. So in this ayah Allaah has made allowable praying standing or squatting or however you are, if you are in a state of fear.
<o:p></o:p>
Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam when he was on his death bed, he prayed sitting down. This is allowed for one who has some type of ailment and he should pray as he is able. And we know that when he was praying sitting down, the Sahabah behind them were standing and he indicated to them that they should all sit down. There is a difference of opinion here in relation to if the Imaam is sitting due to an ailment and those behind him do not have this ailment, should they sit or stand. Some have said that the ailment is what excuses the Imaam from standing, so they followers should stand because they have no excuse though Imaam is sitting. From this particular hadeeth, it is understood that if the Imaam is sitting then everyone behind him should sit. <o:p></o:p>
This is based upon another hadeeth where the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wassallam said, I fear for you the characteristics of the people of Rome, there leaders would sit and their followers would stand for them. So I prevent you from doing this, if I stand you stand and if I sit, you sit. If I go into rukoo’, you go into rukoo’. If I go into sujood, you go into sujood.’ And he said that ‘the Imaam has been put there to be followed’. This indicated that the sitting should be done if the Imaam is sitting and standing should be done if the Imaam is standing. <o:p></o:p>
This ended class three and the Question/Answers period followed. <o:p></o:p>
[/font]