Kashaful Salat

Questioning and Answering in the Grave

When a person dies, we bury him in the grave. Two angels come to him and put his soul back in his body by the orders of Allah. These angels will then ask him some questions. If he gives the right answers, the angels give him the good news of jannah and return back from whence they came. The blessings of jannah will start for him. If he answers wrongly, then the angels give him the news of jahannum. The sufferings of jahunnum will start for him. The angels who come to the kafirs (enemies of Ahlul Bayt as) are named Munkir and Nunkir.

The angels who come to momin are named Mobashir and Bashir. Ameerul Momineen (as) comes in the graves to help His Shia with the answering of the questions. Moula Ali (as) does not pay attention to thos e who were His enemies. Here are the questions which will be asked in the grave and their correct replies.

Who is your Lord?

Allah is my Lord. 2. What is your religion? Islam is my religion. 3. Who is your prophet? Muhammad (as) is my prophet. 4. Who is your Imam & wali? Ali (as) ibn Abi Talib (as) is my imam and wali. 5. What is your book? Quran is my book. 6. What is your Qibla? Kaaba Khana is my Qibla.

Punishment in the grave

The punishment of the grave is when both corners of the grave come together and crush the body of the deceased. There is no punishment of the grave for momin.

Barzakh

The period from the time of death until the Day of Judgment is called Barzakh. The human lives there with such a body that is extremely light and cannot be seen.

Scale and Bridge

Mizan is scale. According to some narrations a scale will be fixed on the day of judgment. The actions of the people will be measured upon that scale. If one s good deeds is heavier than he will go to jannah. If one s bad deeds are heavier than he will go to jahannum (hell).

Regarding bridge there are some narrations which say it is such a bridge that will be sharper than the sword and thinner than the hair. The momin will easily cross this bridge, but the kafirs (enemies of Ahlul Bayt as) will be unable to cross it and will fall into the jahannum (hell). These are traditions, but Masoomeen (as) have told us what is the truth regarding the scale and bridge.

Moula Ali (as) says, "I am the scale." RasoolAllah (saw) said, "O Ali (as)! You are Siratul Mustaqeem." So you must remember the scale and bridge both are our Moula (as), Ameerul Momineen Ali (as) ibn Abi Talib (as). On the day of judgment, the acts of every person will be measured against the love and marifat of Moula Ali (as).

Intercession

The meaning of shifaat (intercession) is to take one s right of ownership. So on the day of judgment, Masoomeen (as) will send all of Their lovers into the jannah (paradise). Shaitan will also take all of his followers into jahannum (hell) with him.

Orders

Allah has ordered us to perform certain acts. These acts are called awamer (lawful acts). He ordered us to refrain from doing certain acts. These acts are called nawahi (forbidden acts). Within the acts which are compulsory and which are forbidden, there are two different kinds each.

Kinds of Awamer (lawful acts)

Wajib: These acts are wajib (compulsory). If we do these, we get rewarded. If we abandon them, we become sinful. For example, namaz (prayer), fasting, obedience of one s parents, etc.
Mustahab: These acts are those which if you do them you will be rewarded, but if you do not do them, then you will not become sinful. For example, mustahab prayers, fasting during the days other than Ramadan, etc.

Kinds of Nawahi (forbidden acts)

Haram: This is the opposite of wajib. If you refrain from doing these acts, you will be rewarded. If you do these acts, you will become sinful. For example, drinking alcohol and eating pork.
Makrooh: This is the opposite of mustahab. If you refrain from doing these acts, you will be rewarded, but if you commit these acts, you will not be punished. For example, doing wudhu with such water that is hot from the sunshine.

There is another thing which is between awamer and nawahi. It is called mubah. Another name of this is halal.

This is only a permission. It has nothing to do with reward or sin. For example, eating the meat of cow etc. You have understood the difference between awamer and nawahi. You should know these are only applicable upon those who have reached the age of adulthood.

The conditions of adulthood are different for men and women. A boy becomes an adult (baligh) when one of these three signs appears; when he is 15 yrs old, he has wet dreams, or when the hair grows under his belly. A girl becomes an adult (baligh) when one of these two signs appears; when she reaches 9 yrs old or sees the blood of menses (children should consult their parents for the details of these signs).

Rules of Purity

Tahirat (purity) is the process of cleaning to remove those filths as determined by Islamic laws. It is necessary to know what those impurities and filths are.

Filth is such a thing which is impure itself and makes whatever it touches also becomes impure.

It can never become pure. Some things are pure by their own nature, but after touching some filth, they become impure themselves. These things can become pure again.

T hese things are filths:

Nasibi (one who hates the lovers of Ahlul Bayt as)
Mushrik (polytheist)
Kafir (disbeliever)
Urine
Feces
Semen
Deceased
Blood which squirts from the animal
Dogs
Pigs
Alcohol and all intoxicants
Perspiration of that animal which eats filth

In or der to make those things pure again which have become impure from touching these filths, one must follow one of sever al methods, but these methods cannot be explained here. It is the duty of the parents to inform their children regarding matters of tahirat (purity). If they need any help in explaining, they should read our book "Kashaful Ahkam".

Rules of wudhu

Before we can explain the rules of namaz (prayer), we must first explain those things which are compulsory to do before the prayer can be performed. The first thing is tahirat (cleanliness). When you go for prayer, your body, dress, and the place where you will perform your prayers must be clean. After tahirat, the second most important thing is wudhu (ablution).

The following are compulsory for performing wudhu:

Niyyat (intention): There is a niyyat (intention) for wudhu the same way there is a niyyat for all other aspects of religion. Niyyat (intention) is related to one s heart. It is not compulsory to say the words out loud. It is enough to make one s intention in one s heart. You should make this intention before performing wudhu: " I am doing wudhu for removing any impurity and to make my pr ayer mubah. W ajib qurbatan illallah".
Water for wudhu must be tahir (pure). It should not be mixed with anything which will change its color or taste. However, if the color and the taste of water changes on its own, then you can do wudhu with this type of water. If pure water is available, then you cannot do wudhu with water whose color has changed on its own.
You should be the owner of the water. It should not be usurped from another. If you are not the owner, then you must obtain the permission of the owner before using it.

4 . You should be the owner of the place in which you are performing wudhu. It should not be usurped from another. If you are not the owner, then you must obtain the permission of the owner before using it.

Before performing wudhu, your body, dress, and the place where you are going to pray must be pak (clean).
The pot which you are using for wudhu should not be made from silver or gold. It should not be usurped from any other. No picture should be printed upon the pot.
You should perform the wudhu yourself without the help of any other. However, if there is a reason you are unable to perform wudhu by yourself, then you can obtain the help of another.
The water must completely cover all of those parts which are included in wudhu. If there is an obstacle, i.e. ring etc., then it should be removed befor e performing wudhu.
You should not talk during wudhu.

Method of wudhu

Before performing wudhu, it is mustahab (recommended) to wash the wrists twice, to rinse your mouth three times, and rinse your nose three times. If you do not do this, it has no effect on your wudhu.
After this make your niyyat (intention) for wudhu.
Take the water in your right hand and wash your face. The boundaries of the face are above one s forehead from the hair line until under one s chin and the part which is covered by your thumb and middle finger as you are wiping your face. Start washing at your forehead and stop at your chin. Make sure none of the parts of your face which are included in the wudhu should remain dry. In order to ensure your whole face is wet, you can wipe your face more than once, but you must be careful not to go beyond the boundaries of what is included in wudhu such as your neck or side of the head.
Wash your right arm from the elbow to your fingertips. Only use one handful of water.
Wash your left arm from your elbow to your fingertips. Use one handful of water. When a male washes his arms, the inside of the arm (palm face down) being washed should be down towards the floor. When a female washes, the inside of her arm (palm face up) should be facing up.
After this use three fingers of your right hand to wash your head from the crown until the point where the hair touches one s forehead. Using two fingers is not enough.
Use your right hand to wipe the top of your right foot.
Use your left hand to wipe the top of your left foot.

The method for wiping one s feet is to place your palm on your toes and drag it towards your ankle. You c annot wipe your feet with your fingers. While wiping one s head and feet, you should remember to only move your hands. Do not move your head and feet.

You must remember a male will do wudhu without covering his head, but a female must cover her head for doing wudhu. When a female wipes her head, she should put her hand under the scarf so it touches her head. However, when a female does wudhu for fajr and maghrib, she should remove her scarf.

Things which invalidate wudhu

There are seven things which invalidate one s wudhu.

Urine
Feces
Semen
Passing gas
Unconsciousness caused by sleep, however if one is aware enough to recognize voices around him, then it will not invalidate his wudhu
Intoxication
Unconsciousness caused by other than sleep

You should remember vomiting, nose bleeds, nail cutting, hair cutting, and loud laughing do not invalidate wudhu. If a bone is broken and covered by a plaster cast which cannot be made wet, then you do not have to make the broken area wet. In this condition, the wudhu remains valid.

Tayyamum

When no water is available for you to do wudhu, then you must do Tayyamum. There are a few conditions one must meet before being able to perform tayyumam.

After searching but being unable to find water
If you have only enough water for drinking purposes, then you can do tayyumam. If you do not have enough water for both removing your thirst and performing wudhu, then you may keep the water for drinking and instead perform tayyamum.
When water is unclean and can harm your health
When the time for prayer will finish before you can complete your wudhu, then you can perform tayyamum.

Method of Tayyamum

The method of tayyamum is first you make this intention: "I am performing tayyamum instead of wudhu wajib qurbatan illallah".

Then immediately strike both of your hands on clean soil or clay. Then wipe both of your palms. Wipe your whole forehead fr om where the hair touches the forehead. After this again strike both hands in the soil. W ipe your hands together from the wrists until the tips of your fingers. First the right hand, then the left hand. Keep these points in your mind. First tayyumam can only be performed with pak (clean), dry soil or clay.

If it is not available, then you cannot substitute any other kind of soil or clay in its place. If clean soil or clay is unavailable, then you can perform tayyumam on a pak piece of cloth which contains dust that is pak (clean). Apart from this, you can also perform tayyumam on wet clay, but not on ashes. Secondly, you can perfor m many prayers after making tayyumam once the same way you can with wudhu because tayyumam is a substitute for wudhu.

Rules of Namaz (prayer)

Of all the acts which were made wajib (compulsory) upon us, the greatest is namaz (prayer). Prayer reminds man that he is a slave of someone, he was created by someone, and he is dependent on someone. In upcoming topics, we will tell you about the true reality and purpose of prayer. Here we are writing those rules and method of prayer which were told to us by Masoomeen (as). You should keep in your mind that in Quran Allah has placed three types of obedience upon us. As it is stated in Quran, "Obey Allah, RasoolAllah (saw),

and Olil Amr (Imam as)". Obeying any other than these three is haram (forbidden) and shirk fil ibadaat (shirk in worship). It does not matter whether your actions are good or bad. It only matters whose obedience you are in. Even if you are doing good deeds, but you are doing them without obeying Allah, RasoolAllah (saw), or Imam (as), then you are worshiping shaitan. If this same act is being performed under the obedience of Allah, RasoolAllah (saw), and Imam (as), then it is the worship of Allah. Whenever you have any problems, always look for its solution in the sayings of Allah. If you follow the fatwa of non masoom, then you will be opposing Allah and placing yourself in destruction.

There are a few aspects of prayer which are wajib (compulsory) to be performed. If you do not perform these acts, then your prayer is invalid. Apart from these acts, all other acts are mustahab (recommended) and do not invalidate one s prayer if they are not performed. It does not mean you should intentionally not perform them. These are the wajib acts of prayer.

Timing of prayer
Tahirat (wudhu)
Facing towards Qibla
Absolute attention. Your attention should not be diverted during prayer.
Rukoo
Sajda (prostration)
Recitation of Hamd and another sura

Timing of prayer

In Quran, Allah has mentioned three timings for prayer; morning, afternoon, and night. There are five prayers which we perform during these three time periods; fajr (dawn), zuhr (noon), asr (afternoon), maghrib (evening), and isha (night). We will explain the timing of each individual prayer. You must remember if the time has passed you can still perform the prayer.

However, you cannot perform any pr ayer before its time. If someone performs prayer befor e the time has come, their prayer will be invalid, and he must repeat his prayer. You must be aware of the timings for prayer. Remember this always and make sure you never perform a prayer before its correct time. Timing for fajr (morning prayer)

The time for fajr starts when the brightness of morning spreads across the sky and light starts to appear. This prayer can be performed before the sunrise. Time for zuhr (noon prayer)

The time for zuhr (noon prayer) begins when the sun reaches at the point where a shadow becomes equal to one s hand Time for asr (afternoon prayer)

The time for asr (afternoon prayer) begins with the zuhr prayer. Zuhr must be performed before the asr prayers. If anyone performs asr prayers before performing zuhr prayers, then he must repeat his asr prayers. Both prayers can be performed before sunset.

Time for maghrib (evening prayer) The time of maghrib begins as soon as the sun has set and the redness has disappeared from the sky. Time for isha (night prayer)

The time of isha prayer starts at the time of maghrib prayer. The maghrib prayer must be performed before the isha prayer. If anyone performs isha before maghrib, then he must perform his isha prayer again. Isha pr ayer can be performed until midnight. If someone mistakenly performs asr before zuhr or isha before maghrib, but realizes his mistake before he finishes the whole prayer, he can change his niyyat and his prayer will remain valid.

We have previously explained the rules of tahirat and wudhu. There fore we will not repeat them here.

Facing towards Qibla

It is wajib (compulsory) to face the Khana Kaaba when one is performing prayer. If a person deliberately does not face towards the Kaaba, not only does it invalidate his prayers, but he becomes a jahannumi (one destined to hellfire).

If someone mistakenly or unintentionally does not face Kaaba and performs his prayer and later comes to know the correct direction of Qibla, then he should repeat his prayer if time is remaining. If the time has finished, his prayer is valid and does not need to repeat it.

If a person believes he is facing Qibla, but after performing his prayer he realizes he was slightly turned in the wrong direction, his prayer is valid.

If a person is unable to know the true direction of Qibla, then he may perform his prayer while facing any direction.

Adhan and Iqama (calls to prayer)

It is mustahab to perform adhan and iqama before performing one s prayer regardless if one is in a gathering or alone. However there is no adhan or iqama for females.

Method of Adhan Recite the following:

Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest) four times Ashhadu al la ilaha illa "llah ( I testify there is no god other than Allah ) two times Ashhadu anna Muhammadar rasoolullah (I testify that Muhammad (saw) is the messenger of Allah ) two times Ashhadu anna Ameerul Momineen wa Imam ul Muttaqeen Aliyun waliullah wasi rasoolullah wa khalifatul bil fasaal ( I testify that Ali (as) is the master of all believers, leader of all the pious, and the wali of Allah, successor of RasoolAllah (saw) and nothing shall come between Them ) two times Hayya ala salah (Hasten to prayer ) two times Hayya ala falah ( Hasten to salvation) two times

Hayya ala kharyi "l "amal (Hasten to the best of actions) two times Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest) two times La ilaha illa "llah (There is no god except Allah) two times