Conditions in prayer Q1. What conditions are necessary for valid prayers? A1. There are certain conditions for a prayer to be valid and if anyone of these are neglected without a genuine excuse then the Salah is considered invalid. The conditions are as follows: n Being a Muslim: A prayer will not be accepted if offered by a non-Muslim. n Sanity: The insane person will not be accountable for not praying or doing other acts of worship. n Maturity: this means that a child who has reached an age where he can understand the meaning and importance of Salah and Tahara (prayer and cleanliness), and can differentiate between right and wrong. The mentioned common age for a child at this stage is seven. Narrated by Abdullah Bin Amr Bin Al-'Aas, The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Command your children to pray when they become seven years old. (Abu Dawud) Therefore, the prayer of this child is valid and accepted even though he has not reached the age of puberty. n Intention: the correct and pure intention to pray should be done in the heart. Declaration of the intention verbally is an act of innovation. n One should always pray on the specified time of each Salah and not before it. For verily Allah said, “Verily, As Salah (the prayer) is enjoined on the believers at fixed time.” (Qur'an, 4:103) n Purity: Major impurity (Janabah) requires total bathing (Ghusl) and minor impurity requires only ablution (Wudu). n Cleanliness: Removal of filth (najasah) from one's cloth and place of prayer. n Covering the Awrah: To cover the lower part of the body that is from the navel to the knee for men with the covering of the shoulder, and covering the whole body except the face and the palms for women. n Facing the Qiblah: One should face the Ka'aba if he is inside the Holy Mosque and face the Holy Mosque if he is in Makkah, and face the direction of Makkah if he is outside the city. Ruling on Aqiqa Q2. Is Aqiqa obligatory? If one was told that his parent didn't make Aqiqa for him when he was born then should he do it by himself? A2. Aqiqah is obligatory as it is a sunnah. It is the slaughtering of two sheep for a baby boy and one for a baby girl on the seventh day of his/her birth. Salman Ibn Amir narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Aqiqah is to be offered for a (new born) boy, so slaughter (an animal) for him, and relieve him of his sufferings.” (Bukhari and Tirmidhi) Samurah also reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “A boy is in pledge for his Aqiqa. Sacrifice is made for him on the seventh day, his head is to be shaved and he is to be given a name.” (Ahmad) If one learns that his or her parent didn't make Aqiqa because of some reason it is recommended for him/her to do it. Attributes of Allah Q3.What is the meaning of Asma'a wal-Sifat? A3. Allah's Names and Attributes (Asma'a wal-Sifat) must be referred according to how He and His Prophet (peace be upon him) have described Him and called Him. Allah as He has referred to Himself, without giving Him any new names or attributes. He calls Himself, therewith, free from comparison (Tashbih), likening Allah's Attributes to those of His Creation (Tamthil), distortion of the meaning (Tahrif) or denial of Allah's Attributes (Ta`til). (Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta' Fatwa number 9772) __
