Bahaar-e-Shariat Volume 4 (Book on Salaah)

This work provides a comprehensive codification of the laws of Salaah (prayer) according to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence, as understood within the tradition of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamaah. It details the rulings for various forms of prayer, including the Witr, Sunan, Nawafil, Qaza (missed prayers), and congregational prayers such as Jummah and Eidain. The text specifies the conditions for validity, the requirements for congregational participation, and the specific procedures for performing prayers under exceptional circumstances, such as illness, travel, or during times of danger.

Beyond the mechanics of prayer, the work addresses the rites associated with death, burial, and the status of the martyr (Shaheed). It outlines the protocols for attending to the dying, the performance of the ritual bath (Ghusl), the preparation of the shroud (Kafan), and the conduct of the funeral prayer (Janaazah). Throughout, the work integrates legal rulings with relevant ahadith and emphasizes the spiritual significance of these acts, providing specific supplications and recitations for the reader to employ at various stages of worship and life transitions.

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Key topics & takeaways

Witr Namaaz

• Status of Witr — it is held to be Waajib (compulsory), and missing it intentionally or unintentionally necessitates Qaza ▸page 6.
• Performance — it consists of three raka'ats with a Qa'da-e-Ula (first sitting) in which only At-Tahiyat is recited ▸page 6.
• Dua-e-Qunoot — it is Waajib to recite this in the third raka'at before the ruku, with the hands raised to the ears as in Takbeer-e-Tahreema ▸page 7.
• Missing Qunoot — if one forgets the Qunoot and enters ruku, one should not return to the standing position; if one does return, the prayer is not invalidated, but the person is sinful ▸page 10.
• Congregation — performing Witr in congregation is considered Makruh outside of the month of Ramadan ▸page 12.

Sunan and Nawafil

• Sunnat-e-Fajr — it is impermissible to omit these even when performing the Fard prayer alone, and they should not be performed before the break of dawn ▸page 22.
• Commencing Nafil — it is impermissible to start Nafil prayers once the congregational Fard prayer has commenced, except for the Sunnat of Fajr if one expects to join the congregation before it ends ▸page 22.
• Posture — while it is permissible to perform Nafil prayers while sitting, standing is considered more virtuous, and the practice of performing them sitting is not a special attribute of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ for the general believer ▸page 30.
• Breaking Nafil — commencing a Nafil prayer makes it Waajib to complete; breaking it without a valid Shari'i reason is considered Haraam ▸page 29.
• Istikhaara — it is performed as two raka'ats of Nafil followed by a specific supplication, and it is best to perform it for seven nights ▸page 48.
• Salaatut Tasbeeh — it consists of four raka'ats with a total of 300 tasbeehs recited throughout the postures ▸page 51.

Qaza Namaaz

• Order of Qaza — for a Saahib-e-Tarteeb (one with fewer than six missed prayers), maintaining the proper sequence of prayers is Fard ▸page 84.
• Exemptions — if a person has six or more missed prayers, the requirement to maintain sequence (Tarteeb) is lifted ▸page 88.
• Illness — if a person is unable to perform prayer even by gesturing, and this state persists for six prayer times, the Qaza for those prayers is not Waajib ▸page 82.

Sajdah-e-Sahw

• Requirement — it is Waajib when a Waajib act of prayer is omitted, delayed, or performed out of order, such as forgetting the first Qa'da or reciting aloud in a silent prayer ▸page 101.
• Procedure — it involves performing two prostrations at the end of the prayer before the final Salaam ▸page 101.

Jummah

• Conditions — six conditions must be met for Jummah to be valid, including the location being a city or its outskirts, the presence of the Sultan or his representative, the time of Zuhr, the Khutbah, the congregation, and public access (Izn-e-Aam) ▸page 186.
• Khutbah — listening to the Khutbah is Fard, and speaking or performing other prayers during it is disallowed ▸page 204.

Death and Burial

• Talqeen — it is Sunnat to recite the Kalima near the dying person, but one should not command them to recite it ▸page 262.
• Ghusl — bathing the deceased is Fard-e-Kifaayah, and it is preferred that a close relative of the same gender performs it ▸page 267.
• Burial — the deceased should be placed on their right side facing the Qibla, and it is Mustahab to remain at the gravesite after burial to recite the Qur'an and make Dua ▸page 321.

The Shaheed (Martyr)

• Definition — a Shaheed in the legal sense is a Muslim slain by aggression who did not benefit from worldly treatment after being wounded ▸page 348.
• Burial Rites — a Shaheed is buried without the ritual Ghusl and in the clothes they were wearing at the time of death, provided they are not excessive ▸page 348.