618. Can I WIPE My Face In Ihraam?

By Asma bint Shameem 

A LOT of women have this  BASELESS *MISCONCEPTION* that NOTHING can TOUCH their FACE during ihraam. 

This misconception is so common, not just among everyone but even the niqaabi sisters put a CAP on their head and then drape a piece of cloth over the cap in such a way that the cloth stays away from their face and does not touch it. 

That’s because they think it is “forbidden” for anything to touch their face during ihraam. 

But in reality, they go through all this trouble for NOTHING!

In order for anything in our Deen to be “allowed” or “not allowed”, we have to look at the Qur’aan and the authentic teachings/practice of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam. 

But we find that there’s NO PROOF in the Sharee’ah that says that a woman cannot “touch” or “wipe” or “rub” her face while in ihraam. 

There’s NO Aayah in the Qur’aan 

There’s NOTHING in the authentic ahaadeeth to prevent that. 

So if there’s nothing in these sources to prevent a woman from touching her face, why IMPOSE something that’s NOT proven and in the Sharee’ah?

Why make life difficult?

Proof:

Our Mother Aaishah radhi Allaahu anhaa said: 

“The riders used to pass by us when we were with the Messenger of Allaah (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam) in ihraam. 

When they came alongside us we would lower our jilbaabs from our heads over our faces, and when they had passed by we would uncover them.”  

(Abu Dawood--saheeh by al-Albaani)  

This above hadeeth PROVES that if it was some UNACCEPTABLE thing for anything to touch the face, then WHY would Aaishah radhi Allaahu anhaa pull her Hijaab over her face to cover herself when other nonmahram men passed by?!

Surely such a pious, knowledgeable Sahaabiyah would have taken care of this ruling. 

And the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam would have CORRECTED her, if she was wrong. 

But he DIDN’T. 

 

Shaikh Ibn Baaz said: 

"Many women wear a headband under the veil to keep it away from the face. *This action has NO BASIS*." (Fataawa bin Baaz)

 So What to Do?

GO AHEAD and WIPE your face if you need to. 

TOUCH your face if you want to. 

Scratch or rub it when you’re itchy. 

Alhamdulillaah there’s NO restriction on you in this regard. 

And Allaah knows best

617. Can I DELAY My Ghusl Till After Fajr?

 By Asma Bint Shameen

Yes if your menses ends before fajr, but there’s not enough time for you to make ghusl before Fajr, you can make the intention to fast and then take the purification bath later, after Fajr adhaan. 

But be sure to hurry up and not delay your ghusl too long because you don’t want to miss the Fajr prayer. 

Similarly, you can delay your purification bath after having intimacy with your husband until after fajr if there’s no time to take the ghusl earlier. 

But you should have your INTENTION to fast BEFORE Fajr. 

Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said:

“If she becomes pure just before dawn and fasts, her fast is valid even if she does not do ghusl until after dawn. This is like the one who is junub – if he intends to fast when he is junub and does not do ghusl until after dawn breaks, his fast is valid, because of the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah radhi Allaahu anhaa who said: The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam used to wake up junub as the result of intercourse, not a wet dream, and he would fast in Ramadhaan.” (al-Bukhaari, Muslim)”

And Allaah knows best

616. Can I Last The Six Days Of Shawwaal even after The Month Is Over?

By Asma bint Shameem 

If you had a *VALID* reason that *prevented* you from fasting at all in the month of Shawwaal, for example:

-you had continuous menses or nifaas or 

-you were sick throughout the month of Shawwaal or 

-you had too many fardh fasts of Ramadhaan to make up before you could begin to fast the Nafl fasts of Shawwaal and there was no time left for you to fast the six days of Shawwaal or

-other such valid reasons,

then in such situations, the scholars say that you can fast *even after Shawwaal ends.* 

*And it will count as if you fasted the six days of Shawwaal.*

Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said:

“If a woman still owes days from Ramadhaan, then she should not fast the six days of Shawwaal until after she has made up what she owes, because the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said: 

“Whoever fasts Ramadaan then follows it with six days of Shawwaal…” 

Whoever still has days to make up from Ramadhaan has not fasted Ramadhaan, so she will not attain the reward of fasting the six days of Shawwaal until after she has finished making up the days she owes. 

If we assume that this making up missed fasts lasts throughout Shawwaal, such as if a woman was bleeding following childbirth and did not fast at all in Ramadhaan, then she started to make up her missed fasts in Shawwaal and did not finish that until Dhu’l-Qa’dah began, then she may fast the six days, and she will have the reward of one who fasted them in Shawwaal, because she delayed it for a necessary reason, so she will have the reward.”

(Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 20/19)

Alhamdulillaah! 

Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala is *Most Merciful*.

He KNOWS your situation and He knows you intention. 

He *knows* that you could not fast the six days of Shawwaal although you wanted to, so He will reward you for your fasting even if you fasted the six days after the month of Shawwaal is over. 

But if you were just “lazy” or didn’t “think” about fasting in Shawwaal and want to make that intention, after the month is over, then it would not count as “the six fasts of Shawwaal”. 

It will just be a “general” Nafl fast. 

And Allaah knows best

615. How The Sick/Injured Can Make Wudhu And Pray

By Asma bint Shameem 

Prayer is obligatory under all circumstances even if we’re sick or injured. 

Imraan ibn Husayn radhi Allaahu anhu said: 

“I had haemorrhoids, so I asked the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam and he said: 

“Pray standing, and if you cannot, then (pray) sitting, and if you cannot then (pray) on your side.” 

(al-Bukhaari 1066)

So prayer is obligatory no matter what. 

Making Wudhu

If someone is sick or injured and it’s difficult for them to make wudhu by themselves, they can make wudhu with the help of someone who can either take them to the sink or they can bring water in a pot for them to make wudhu, and that would be best.

 

That’s because the default rule is that wudhu must be made with water if that’s possible. 

But if water is harmful for them or it’s too difficult for them to make wudhu with water, they can perform tayammum. 

But that’s ONLY if water is harmful for them or they cannot make wudhu. 

And if they’re too sick to perform tayammum themselves, someone can help them do that. 

The scholars of the Standing Committee said:

“ If it is too difficult for the sick person to do wudhu' or tayammum himself, someone else should do wudoo' or tayammum for him, and that is acceptable.”

Another thing to ease the situation of the sick is that they can put on SOCKS after making wudhu and them just wipe over them for the next 24 hours. 

That will make it more convenient for them and would ease their situation. 

Wiping over the socks is confirmed and proven from the action of the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam and the Sahaabah. 

For example:

When al-Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah radhi Allaahu anhu wanted to take off the Prophet’s khuffayn in order to wash his feet, the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said to him: “Leave them, for I put them on pure,” so *he wiped over them*.” 

(al-Bukhaari, 206; Muslim, 274)

 And Ali ibn Abi Taalib radhi Allaahu anhu said: 

“The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam stated one day and one night for the one who is not traveling, and three days and three nights for the one who is traveling, i.e., for wiping over the khufoof.” 

(Saheeh Muslim) 

Keep in mind that the socks don’t have to be of leather only. 

Rather, they can be of any material as long as they are thick and cover the entire foot up to the ankles. 

 Ibn Hazm said: 

“Wiping over anything that is worn on the feet – of things that are permitted to be worn and which come up above the ankles – is Sunnah, whether they are slippers (khuffayn) made of leather or felt or wood, or socks made of linen, wool, cotton, camel hair or goat hair, whether leather is worn over them or not, or whether they are overshoes or slippers worn over slippers or socks worn over socks.” (Al-Muhalla, 1/321)

If they have a splint, cast or bandage of some sort on their limbs or any of the body parts that need to be washed during wudhu, the correct way to make wudhu  is to wash the REST of the parts like you would do for wudhu, and WIPE over the part that’s in a cast/splint’ or covered with a bandage. 

Al-Bayhaqi said: 

“Ibn ‘Umar radhi Allaahu anhu did wudhu when his hand was bandaged, and he wiped over it and over the dressing, and he washed everything else.”

(Al-Majmoo’, 2/368)

Someone asked Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen about how to do wudhu with a bandage (plaster/cast) on his hand. 

He said:

“When you do wudhu, wash the part of the hand where there is no bandage, and for the part where the bandage is, it will be sufficient for you to wipe over the outside of it by wetting your hand with water and moving it over the outside of the bandage. 

This will suffice for you instead of washing what is beneath it for as long as it needs to stay, even if that is for many prayer times or for several days.”

And if the plaster or bandage is over the arm or leg but the fingers or toes are uncovered, then you must WASH the fingers/toes. 

Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said:

“Sometimes the cast covers the palm and the fingers are not covered. 

In that case, it is obligatory to wash the fingers and the cast may be wiped over. Similarly, in the case of [a cast on] the leg, the toes may be not covered, so they must be washed and the cast must be wiped over.” 

[al-Liqaa’ ash-Shahri (61/27)]

Offering Prayers

1. If someone who’s sick can stand and offer their prayers, that would be best. 

But if they can’t do that, then they should pray sitting. 

And if they can’t do that, then they should pray lying down. 

And if they can’t even do that, then they should pray “however” it is easy for them.  

Proof:

The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam told a sahaabi who couldn’t pray standing:

“Pray standing; if you cannot, then sitting; and if you cannot then lying on your side.” (al-Bukhaari)

How to pray sitting?

If a person cannot perform rukoo and sujood the normal way and has to offer the prayer sitting, they can sit on the floor and offer the prayers. 

And if they can’t sit on the floor, they can sit on a chair.

They should just bend themselves forward a little bit for the rukoo and a bend a little deeper for sujood.

There’s NO need to put a table in front to put the head on it.

Nor is there a need to put the arms forward in midair to make sujood in between the hands.

Just put your hands on your knees and lean forward for the rukoo and lean some more for the sujood.

Proof:

Once the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam visited a sick person and saw him praying (leaning) on a pillow, so he took it and cast it aside. 

So the man took a stick to pray (leaning) on it, but he took it and cast it aside and said:

“Pray on the ground if you can, but otherwise make movements with your head, making your sujood lower than your rukoo.” 

(at-Tabaraanee, Bazzaar, and others. Saheeh by shaikh al-Albaani In Silsilah al-Ahaadeeth.)

Facing the qiblah

It’s best if the person can face the qiblah when offering salaah. 

However if that’s not possible then even pointing his feet towards the qiblah is enough. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said: 

“If a sick person cannot stand or sit, he should pray lying on his side with his face towards the qiblah, and if he cannot then *he should pray on his back with his feet towards the qiblah.*” 

(Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 2/976)

Combining the prayers 

-Such people can also COMBINE their prayers at the times that it’s allowed to in the Sharee’ah, “IF” it’s too difficult for them to pray each prayer on time. 

But they should do that WITHOUT shortening the prayers.  

So they can combine Dhuhr with Asr either at the time of Dhuhr or later at the time of Asr. 

And they could also combine Maghrib with Ishaa, either at the time of Maghrib or later at the time of Ishaa. 

The scholars of the Standing Committee said;

“If it is too hard for the sick person to offer every prayer on time, then he may join Dhuhr and ‘Asr, and Maghrib and ‘Isha’, at the time of the earlier or later prayer, according to what is easy for him. 

If he wishes he may join ‘Asr with Dhuhr at the time of Dhuhr, or if he wishes he may delay Dhuhr and join it with ‘Asr; 

if he wishes he may join ‘Isha’ with Maghrib at the time of Maghrib, or he may delay Maghrib and join it with ‘Ishaa’.

As for Fajr, it cannot be joined with the prayer before it or after it, because its time is separate from the times of the prayers that come before and after it.”

[Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah 24/405]

And Allaah knows best