Ask Imam is headed by Shaykh Ashrafuz Zaman

Shaykh Ashraf Zaman is currently a Lecturer in Fiqh and Islamic Studies at Ebrahim College.

He was born in Bangladesh and brought up in the UK. During his teens Shaykh Ashraf went away to West Yorkshire to study at the Institute of Islamic Education, Dewsbury, where he studied the Islamic sciences according to the Dars Nizami system. He then travelled to Pakistan and continued his studies at the renowned Darul-Uloom Karachi under some of the greatest scholars of the world such as Mufti Muhammad Taqi and Rafi Usmani, may Allah (SWT) protect them both.

He graduated from Darul-Uloom Karachi in 1996 with ijazah from his shuyukh. After graduation Shaykh Ashraf was devoted to helping the youth in East London, organizing lectures, study circles and other youth activities. In 1999 he founded a media organization named An-Najm which propagated knowledge through the production and distribution of Islamic media products. In 2003 Shaykh Ashraf became a Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) teacher at Ebrahim College and the head of the Fiqh department. He has also taught Balaghah (Rhetoric) and Tajweed. He has also compiled various resources on the subjects which he is continuing to develop for publication insha-Allah.

Question

As salaamu’alaykum wa RaHmatullaHi

My question is regarding clipping the nails and cutting hair during the first 9 days of Dhul Hijjah for the non hajji.

If me and my family each contribute a portion of money to purchase an animal for qurbani/udhiyah, do we all have to refrain from clipping our nails and cutting our hair. And if we do cut out hair, is there a penalty.

Jazaakum’Allahu khairaan wa salaamun’alayk

Answer

Assalamualaikum

According to Hanafi and Maliki fiqh it is recommended not to cut hair/nail. So it’s something praiseworthy to do but there is no penalty if you cut it.

Mohammed Zaman

Question

Salam Alaykum Imam

My question is regarding whether to pray jummah prayer or dhuhr prayer in congregation on the day of friday. I work in a warehouse on fridays where i am unable to take time off to perform salat ul jummah in congregation in the mosque.

i am unable to hear the adhan in my workplace also the mosque is very far from my workplace, about 10 people gather to pray salat regularly during our work hours so my question can we pray salat al jummah as a congregation in the workplace or we must pray salat al dhuhr as a congregation in the workplace?

Answer

You can pray in congregation but you have to anounce it in the neighbourhood that you are going hold Jumuah prayers.

Conclusion by Mufti Taqi Usmani

All that has been mentioned may be summed up as follows:

1) If there is a place in which — through the command of the ruler — only one congregation is held, public access must be provided to the extent that all people upon whom the Friday prayer is obligatory may be able to attend. Without this level of public access, the entire congregation is invalid.

2) Similarly, if a congregation is being held in a private home, house, or store, the congregation will not be valid unless such public access is found, as was mentioned in the last point, even if the congregation is being performed in other areas in the same city.

3) If there is an area where enough eligible people are present, but access to that area is blocked from the outside due to a public or strategic benefit, the congregation will be sound provided the local people have unequivocal, unrestricted access to it. For example, in large prisons, military bases, or big airports which are in sufficiently large cities and always have at least 100 people — despite their restricted access granted to people outside — the Friday congregation will be permissible, subject to the preceding condition that all the people in that prison, factory, airport, or railway station have unrestricted access to the congregation.

Allah — the Majestic — is best-aware of what is correct.

(Fiqhi Maqalat, vol. 4, p. 31)
Mufti Taqi Usmani

If you have any questions you would like to ask, please email askimam@ebrahimcollege.org.uk

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