B. Ghusl of hayd
Hayd is blood which women experience and which Allah creates in the womb for certain interests. It is mostly black or red with slight straining and burning. If it happens to her and she finishes it, then
Ghusl is obligatory on her, and it is forbidden for her during (the period) of
hayd to touch the name of Allah, the Exalted, the names of the prophets, of the pure Imams, the writing of the Qur'a`n, to stay in mosques and to enter them apart from passing them, and others.
D. Ghusl for touching a corpse
Ghusl is obligatory when one touches a corpse after it has become cold and before washing it. As for the animals other than man,
Ghusl is not obligatory on him when he touches them after their death.
These are some obligatory
Ghusls which the Imam, peace be on him, has mentioned. The rest of them are
Ghusl of istihada (obligatory for women after certain kinds of irregular bleeding), and
Ghusl al-maiyit (obligatory ceremonial washing of the corpse of a Muslim). The jurists have mentioned them in details.
The Recommended Ghusls
As for the recommended
Ghusls, they of three types: time, local, and actual. As for the time (
Ghusls), they are as follows:
A.
Ghusl for Friday:
It is the most important of them, and its timing is from the rise of the second dawn of Friday to the declination (of the sun).
B.
Ghusl for the two 'Ids:
'Id al-Addha`, and 'Id al-Fitr.
Ghusl is also recommended on the Day of al-Ghadïr, which is the eighteenth day of Dhi al-Hijja, which is the immortal day when the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, appointed as successor after him the master of his family, the gate of the city of his knowledge, Ima`m 'Ali, the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him.
C.
Ghusl for the Day of 'Arafa
D.
Ghusl for the first night of the blessed month of Ramadan
E.
Ghusl for the nineteenth night of Ramada`n, the twenty-first
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night of it, and the twenty-third night of it, which is the blessed night when it is thought that the Night of the Divine Decree occurred.
As for the local
Ghusls, they are:
A.
Ghusl for entering Holy Mecca.
B.
Ghusl for entering Medina.
C.
Ghusl for visiting the Holy Shrines.
As for the actual
Ghusls, they are:
Ghusl for
ihram (the ceremonies of 'umra and hajj) or tawa`f (the procession round the Ka'ba), and others, as the jurists have mentioned.
Imam al-Rida, peace be on him, has said: "The obligatory (daily) prayers are: (
salat) al-zuhr or the noon prayer is four
rak'as; (
salat) al-'asr or the afternoon prayer is four
rak'as; (salat) al-maghrib or the evening prayer is three
rak'as; (
salat) al-'asha' or the night prayer is four
rak'as; (
salat) al-fajr or the dawn prayer is two
rak'as. So that is seventeen
rak'as.
"And the recommended (prayers) are thirty-four
rak'as: eight
rak'as before noon (prayer), eight
rak'as after it, four
rak'as after the evening (prayer), two
rak'as in sitting position after the night (prayer), which numbered as one (prayer), eight
rak'as in the early morning (sahr); the odd prayer (
al-witr) is three
rak'as, and two
rak'as after the odd prayer ."
This paragraph gives an account of some obligatory prayers of which are the daily prayers which are five religious duties: the morning prayer is two
rak'as; the noon prayer is four
rak'as; the afternoon prayer is four
rak'as; the evening prayer is three
rak'as; the night prayer is four
rak'as, so they are seventeen
rak'as. It also gives an account of the daily recommended supererogatory prayers, which are: eight
rak'as is the noon supererogatory prayers before the noon prayer and eight
rak'as after it before the afternoon prayer ( for the
____________
1. His statement ' the odd prayer (al-witr) is three rak'as means that the first two rak'as are by the virtue of the intention of the even prayer (al-shaf) and the other by virtue of the intention of the odd prayer.
2.His statement 'and two rak'as after the odd prayer means the morning supererogatory prayer.
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afternoon); four
rak'as is the night supererogatory prayer (for the night); eight
rak'as is the late-night supererogatory prayers (
salat al-layl); two
rak'as is the even prayer after it; one rak'a is the odd prayer after it; two
rak'as is the dawn prayer before the morning prayer, so they are thirty-four
rak'as.
Imam al-Rida, peace be on him, has said: "And prayer should be (performed) at the beginning of the timings. The excellence of the congregational prayer over the individual prayer is one thousand
rak'as for one rak'a. Do not pray behind the sinner, and do not imitate anyone except men of authority (wilaya)."
These words contain the following:
Firstly, the Imam ordered prayer to be performed at the beginning of its time, and concerning that repeatedly stated traditions have been transmitted from the Ima`ms of guidance, peace be on them.
Secondly, the Imam , peace be on him, presented the excellence of the congregational prayer, and indicated that one rak'a of it equaled one thousand
rak'as of the individual prayer.
Thirdly, the Ima`m, peace be on him, prevented (Muslims) from praying behind the prayer-leader (Ima`m) who was sinner or among unjust rulers.
He (the Imam), peace be on him, has said: "And do not pray (while wearing) the skins of the dead (animals) or those of the beasts of prey."
The Imam, peace be on him, presented some conditions of the garment of prayer of which were that they should not be of the skins of the dead animals; nor should they be of their parts in which life occupied, whether they were of an animal whose meat was lawful or unlawful, that they should not be of the skins of the beasts of prey, that they should permissible, for it was not permissible to pray in usurped garments, that they should be pure, for it was not permissible to pray in impure garments, that they should not be of pure silk (this concern men), and other conditions which jurists have mentioned.
He, peace be on him, has said: " (Prayer) is shortened after (covering) four
firsikhs back and forth, twelve miles; and when you shorten (your prayers), then you should break the fast."
____________
1. A farsakh ( league is about three miles.
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In these words the Ima`m, peace be on him, has discussed the traveler's prayer in which the four-rak'a prayer is shortened, that is through omitting the last two
rak'as of them; the person must begin the journey with the intention of covering the distance; the intended journey must consist of a single trip of at least 44 kilometers/28 miles or a round trip with a maximum extent of at least 22 kilometers/14 miles. The intention of covering the distance is not the only condition; rather the jurists have mentioned other conditions of which are: the journey should be lawful, for example, if he/she travels for killing a respected soul or for stealing or other unlawful things, then he/she should perform prayer completely; of them is that intention should continue, if he/she changes his intention before covering the 22 kilometers/14 miles, he/she should perform his/her prayer completely; of them is that he/she should not take journey as his/her work such as him who hires animals (
al-imkari), the trader who circles for his trade, the pilot, and the like.
Yet the Ima`m, peace be on him, has mentioned a further condition of shortening prayer, and it is that man should break his fasting, for it has been mentioned in the tradition: "It is not an act of piety to fast during journey."
He (Imam al-Rida), peace be on him, has said: "And
qunut is in five prayers: the dawn prayer, the noon prayer, the evening prayer, the night prayer, and the Friday prayer. Every
qunut is before
ruku' and after the recitation."
As for
qunut, it is among the recommended acts of prayer, especially as it concerns prayers which should be performed loudly in the first two
rak'as such as the dawn prayer, the evening prayer, Friday prayer, noon prayer, and afternoon prayer. It is performed one time in each prayer after the recitation and before
ruku' in the second rak'a except Friday prayer, which consists of two qunuts: one before
ruku' in the first rak'a and the other is after
ruku' in the second
rak'a. As for 'Id prayer, it consists of five qunu`ts in the first rak'a and four
qunuts in the second rak'a.
He, peace be on him, has said: "As for the prayer for the dead, it consists of five
takbïrs (i.e. five times Allah Akbar), but it has no
taslïm, for it has neither
ruku' nor
sujud."
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The prayer for the deceased Muslims, male or female, is a general obligation (wajib kifa'i). It is performed as follows: At the first place, the worshipper should say the first takbïr (Allahu akbar), then recite the Shahadatayn, then say the second takbïr (Allahu akbar) and call down blessing upon the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, then say the third takbïr (Allahu akbar) and pray for the faithful, then say the fourth takbïr (Allahu akbar) and supplicate for the deceased, then say the fifth takbïr (Allahu akbar) and depart. In this prayer it is not necessary for the persons who perform it to have done purity from ritual impurity (al-hadath) or filth (al-khabath), to have worn lawful clothes and covered the pudendum, as it is necessary for them to do that in the rest of the prayers. Some jurists think that such a prayer is a mere supplication, not a real prayer.
He, peace be on him, has said: "Bismllahar rahma`nr rahïm is the Fa`tihat al-Kita`b (i. e. the Opening Chapter of the Book or Surat al-Fa`tiha) should be recited in a loud voice."
Among the recommended acts to which the worshipper should conform is reciting the basmala in a loud voice, and that is certain in noon and afternoon prayers in the Surat al-Hamad and the Sura (which is recited after it).
1
He, peace be on him, has said: "As for the obligatory
Zakat, it is five dirhams per two hundred dirhams, and it is not obligatory on that which is less than that. As for increase, it is a dirham per forty dirhams, and it is not obligatory on that which is less than forty (dirhams) and it is not obligatory until one year has passed. It is not given (to anyone) except to men of authority (wila`ya) and knowledge. Half a dinar per twenty dinars."
Zakat is among the creative regulations in economic, Islamic regime, for Islam has appointed it in order to put an end to poverty and to spread welfare among people and in addition to that it gathers men in the field of love and unify their ranks, for men are disposed by nature for love those who do good for them. Zaka`t is the clearest aspect of charity.
____________
1. Al-'Urwat al-Withqa.
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This part of the speech of the Ima`m, peace be on him, shows the following:
Firstly, the Ima`m, peace be on him, explains the precepts regarding Zaka`t due on the two coins (i. e. gold and silver): Nisa`b (the minimum amount of property liable to payment of Zaka`t) is necessary. As for the nisa`b of silver, it is two hundred dirhams and five dirhams is obligatory on them, and then there is one dirham payable on them when they increase forty by forty whatever they reach. There is no zaka`t on the dirhams less than two hundreds nor on those less than forty dirhams.
As for the nisa`b of gold, it is twenty dinars, and there is half a dinar due on them. When four dinars is an addition to them, then two Qirats, which equals one-tenth dinar, is obligatory on them. It (zaka`t) is due on the addition to the four (dinars), and it is not obligatory on the dinars less than four. One full year is necessary for paying the zaka`t of the two coins (i.e. gold and silver). If one year has not passed, then there is no zaka`t obligatory on them.
Secondly,
Zakat may be spent on eight types of men of whom is the poor and the needy, provided that they should not oppose the True Religion, for it is not permissible to give zaka`t to them.
He, peace be on him, has said: "And the one-fifth tax (
Khums) is one time (taken) from the whole wealth."
As for
Khums, it is one of the financial taxes which Islam has imposed and which the Shï'ites of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them, have adopted; none of the Islamic sects has adopted it except them. Allah, the Exalted, has imposed
Khums for the greatest Prophet and his progeny, may Allah increase them in honor, in place of zaka`t; and it is obligatory on seven items of which are: the profits of earnings, the one year's surplus of the responsible (
mukallaf) and his own family from among the interest of handicrafts, agriculture, trades, wages, and the rest of the various kinds of earnings on which
Khums is obligatory.
Man spends some of his money on his hajj and visitations, his alms, tightening the bonds of kin, his gifts, his vows, his religious expiation, marrying his children, and other than these of which he is
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indeed and which he spends on lawful items. Accordingly,
Khums is divided into two equal shares: The first share is to be paid to the Imam , the blessings of Allah be on him, in the time of his appearance, but in the time of his occultation it (
Khums) is given to his deputy, the qualified just jurist, in order that he may spend it on spreading Islam, the precepts of religion, helping the men of knowledge, and other affairs through which he gains the pleasure of the Ima`m, peace be on him.
As for the second share of
Khums, it is given to the orphans of the Hashimites, their needy, and their tramps. In their scientific treatises, the Muslim jurists have mentioned many researches on
Khums.
He, peace be on him, has said: "And al-'ushr (one-tenth tax) is obligatory on wheat, barely, dates, raisins, and all the seeds which come forth from earth, if they are five wasaqs (camel-loads).
Al-'ushr is due on them when they are irrigated by flowing water. The half of al-'ushr is obligatory on them when they are irrigated by Persian wheels; this concerns the impoverished and the wealthy. A handful or two handfuls are taken out of the seeds. That is because
Allah does not impose upon any soul a duty but to the extent of its capacity; nor does He impose upon servant anything more than his ability. Wasaq (a camel load) is sixty
Sa's (a measure of capacity); Sa`' is six Ratls (a weight);
Ratl is four Mudds (measure);
Mudd is two and a quarter Iraqi
Ratl. Imam al-Sadiq, peace be on him, said:
'Mudd is nine Iraqi
Ratls or six Medinan
Ratls."
In this paragraph the Ima`m, peace be on him, has presented the zaka`t imposed on these four corps, which are wheat, barely, dates, and raisins.
Zakat is obligatory on these corps. As for the
zakat on the rest of the corps, it is recommended, so this statement of him, peace be on him: 'and all the seeds which come forth from earth' is joined to the four corps and apparently (
zakat) is obligatory on them, but there is a group of authentic traditions which indicate that
zakat is not obligatory (on the seeds except the four corps); there for, (the Imam's statement) is regarded as recommended, and this is one of the sources of bringing traditions together, as the jurists say.
Zakat is due on the four corps when they reach the minimum amount (
nisab) which is five wasaqs, which is in this time estimated at eight hundred and forty-eight kilograms. The amount which should be taken out of the
zakat of the corps is al-'ushr or one-tenth. That is when the corps are irrigated by flowing water and rain. Half of al-'ushr is obligatory on them when they are irrigated by Persian wheels, water pumps, water wheels, and the like.
Zakat is obligatory on him who has such an amount of crop whether he is a farmer, a land owner, rich, or poor.
He, peace be on him, has said: "As for
zakat al-fitr, it is a religious duty (farïda) on the young and the old, free or slave. It is half a sa`' of wheat; a sa`' of dates and raisins. It should not be given to anyone except men of authority (
ahl al-wilaya), for it is a religious duty."
As for
zakat al-fitra, it is the first financial obligation in Islam, and it is called the alms of bodies (
zakat al-Abdan). It is obligatory on him who has gathered the conditions such as bulu`gh (ritual puberty, 15 years in the case of boys and 9 years in the case of girls), sanity, non-fainting, and non-poverty. When these conditions are available in the evening of the night of 'Id al-Fitr, then zakat is obligatory on every Muslims and their breadwinners, whether they are young or old.
A
sa' on behalf of each person should be taken out, and the amount of
sa' is about three kilograms. The Imami jurists think that
zakat al-fitra should be one of foodstuffs famous in that country such as wheat, barely, dates, raisins, rice, durra, cheese. Sa`' is due on all these items. They also stipulate that this
zakat should be given to the believing follower of the members of the House (
ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them, and it is not permissible to give it to other than him.
He, peace be on him, has said: "The period of hayd (regular menstrual bleeding) may not be less than three days or more than ten days. A woman who has
istihada (irregular bleeding) should perform the
Ghusl and pray. A menstruating woman should leave prayer and not perform these prayers later on as
qada'; she should leave fasting and compensate for it (by fasting later on)."
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1. Minhajj al-Salihin, vol. p. 266.
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This paragraph gives an account as follows:
1. The period of hayd (regular menstrual bleeding) may not be less than three days or more than ten days. As for bleeding which the woman sees more than ten days or less than three days, it is not regular menstrual bleeding or
hayd; rather it is irregular bleeding or istihada.
2.
Istihada is of three kinds: light bleeding, medium bleeding, and heavy bleeding. As for the precept of light bleeding, it is that wudu`' is due for each obligatory prayer. As for the precept of medium bleeding, it is that wudu`' is due for each prayer and the
Ghusl before the dawn prayer. As for the precept of heavy bleeding, it is that
wudu' is due for each prayer and the
ghusl for the dawn prayer. In these three kinds of
istihada, the woman has to change the cotton which prevents blood from flowing.
3. As for the precepts regarding the acts of worship of a menstruating woman, it is obligatory on her to leave prayer and it is not obligatory on her to compensate for that prayer. As for fasting, it is not permissible for her to fast, and she should compensate for that fasting.
He, peace be on him, has said: "Fasting is observed in the month of Ramada`n when (the moon) is sighted and is broken when it is sighted."
The first and end of the blessed month of Ramada`n are established if the moon is sighted. That is according to these words of him, peace be on him: "Observe fasting when you sight the moon and break (it) when you sight it."
The first of the month of Ramada`n is not established through the words of astrologers and the like; rather it is established when thirty days of the month of Sha'ban has passed. Likewise, the month of Shawwal is established when thirty days of the month of Ramadan has passed.
He, peace be on him, has said: "And it is not permissible to perform the
tarawïh (the long prayers in the nights of Ramadan) in congregation."
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As for the
tarawïh, they were not legislated in the time of the greatest Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family. It was 'Umar (b. al-Khatta`b) who originated them. They are twenty
rak'as apart from the odd prayer (
al-witr). Their time is after the night prayer. It is recommended to him who performs the tara wïh to sit without praying for rest, for this reason they have been called the
tarawïh. In them, congregation is recommended according to the viewpoints of the four Islamic schools. The Imam did not permit congregation in them.
He, peace be on him, has said: "And it is recommended to fast three days in each month; (a day) in each ten days: Thursday in the first ten (days), Wednesday in the middle ten (days), and Thursday in the last ten (days).
"Fasting (in the month of) Sha'ban is good and recommended. Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, said: 'Sha'ban is my month, and the month of Ramadan is the month of Allah.' And if you compensate for the past month of Ramada`n in a separated (manner), it will be sufficient for you."
The Imam, peace be on him, presented some recommended fasts of which is fasting for three days in each month. The best method in performing these fasts as the Imam, peace be on him, has mentioned is the first Thursday of every month, the first Wednesday of the ten middle days, and the last Thursday of the last ten days.
It is recommended to fast the whole month of Sha'ba`n. The Ima`m mentioned that if someone missed fasting the month of Ramada`n, he/she had to choose between continuing the compensatory days and separating them, for each of these two ways is sufficient for him/her.
He, peace be on him, has said: "And pilgrimage to the House (is incumbent on) him who is able to undertake the journey to it. And the way (
sabïl) is journey provisions and a she-camel. It is not permissible for him/her to make the pilgrimage except the greater pilgrimage (
mtamati'an). (
Hajj) al-ifrad (which consists of only the major pilgrimage without the
'umra (lesser) pilgrimage) and (
hajj al-Quran)
____________
1. Al-Fiqh 'ala al-Madhahil al-Arba'a vol. 1, 340-343.
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which the non-Shï'ites (
'amma) make are not permissible. And (
hajj) al-ihram apart from miqat (point and time) is not permissible. Allah said: And accomplish the pilgrimage and the 'umra for Allah. The castrated sacrifice is not permitted, for it is defective. As for
al-mouju' (the sacrifice whose testicles have been bruised), it is permissible."
The hajj is one of the five pillars on which Islam has been built. It is a political and spiritual act of worship which results in economic, health, and spiritual profits and interests. It is a political conference which brings the Muslims together in the Holiest Place, that they may know each other, discuss the economic and political problems of their countries and nations, and the like. The holy verse refers to that. He, the Exalted, said:
And proclaim among men the pilgrimage: they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, coming from every remote path, that they may witness advantages for them and mention the name of Allah during stated days.
The Muslims have unanimously agreed on that it is obligatory on each Muslim to make the pilgrimage at least one time in his span of life. In this paragraph the Ima`m, peace be on him, has mentioned a group of precepts regarding the
hajj. They are as follows:
