Fatwa ID: 02917

Answered by:  Aalimah Nasima Umm Hamza

Question:

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah

I am working on merchant ships and we are in a continuous journey (safar). We offer salat qasar alhamdulillah. Please advise if we can offer salat qasar jama (zuhar asar together and maghrib Isha together in awwal waqt) in what conditions.

Please keep note that although we are in safar, our life is very comfortable here on board ship and we only have enough time to offer qasar salat on their correct times. Please answer the way of taqwa that we should offer qasar jama or offer five qasar salat on time?

Question 2: Please advise about the imamat of a person who shaves his beard?

Question 3: Please advise about rakaats of taraweeh one should follow? Also how many rakaats of taraweeh followed in masjid ul nabi and masjid e Haram?

Question 4: Please advise about the reading through mushaf while offering taraweeh? What should we prefer? Either to offer taraweeh salaat with small surahs which we remember or by reading through open mushaf?

   بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم

                                              In the name of ALLAH the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Answer:

Assalamualaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuh

1- In the Hanafi madhab, a traveller shortens (qasr) the four rakaat prayers (i.e. Zuhr, Asr and Esha) to 2 rakaat only. There is no combining (jam’) of the prayers.

[Al-Hidayah, Imran Nyazee Version, Book II, Page 242]

2- Prayer behind an imam without a beard is valid due to the differences in opinion in this matter.

3- The number of rakaat for tarawih is 20, this is also what is followed in the Two Holy Mosques.

[Al-Hidayah, Imran Nyazee Version, Page 209-210]

4- Holding a mushaf to recite in salah will invalidate the salah. Therefore you must read from the surahs you have memorised.

[Ibn Abideen, Raddul Muhtaar, Volume 1, Page 624]

Only Allah Ta'ala knows best.

Written by Aalimah Nasima Umm Hamza

Check and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham