Fiqh-e-Shafi Q and A

According to Islamic scholars, if a person is in the state of Sakarat (nearing death), those present with him should do Zikr, Tasbeeh, and Tahleel. This helps remind the sick person to also remember Allah. Reading Surah Yaseen or similar verses of the Quran at that time is even better. If the sick person is not in the state of Sakarat , then doing Zikr and Tahleel in front of him is still allowed....

According to Islamic scholars, in prayers of three or four rak‘ahs, it is Sunnah to recite durood only up to the words “Allahumma salli ala Muhammad” during the first tashahhud.

According to Islamic scholars, if a person combines a missed fardh prayer with sunnah or rawatib prayer using one intention, then neither of the two prayers will be valid. This is because both types of prayers are separate acts of worship. Combining them means mixing fardh (obligatory) and nafl (voluntary) prayers, which makes the salah invalid. Imam Al-Ramli explained that joining two prayers lik...

According to Islamic scholars, if any impure thing falls into a liquid other than water—such as milk, oil, or juice—then that liquid becomes impure immediately, even if it is more than two qullah (about 193 liters). However, if a small animal that has no blood, or has blood that does not flow (like a fly, mosquito, or flea), falls into the liquid, then the milk, oil, or juice does not become impur...

According to Islamic scholars, if an impure cloth falls into water that is less than two qullah, both the cloth and the water become impure. But if the water is more than two qullah and the water does not change in color, taste, or smell due to the cloth, then the cloth and the water both remain pure. Imam Nawawi (رحمة الله عليه) stated that if a najis cloth is dipped into water less than two qull...

If a person has doubt during wudhu that they may not have washed a certain body part, what should they do in this situation? According to Islamic scholars, if someone is performing wudhu and becomes doubtful about whether they washed a specific body part or not, they must act on certainty. The Islamic ruling in this case is clear: assume that you have not washed that part yet. For example, if you...

According to Islamic scholars, if a person finds water after performing tayammum, it becomes compulsory (wajib) for them to repeat the ghusl using water. This is the clear Islamic ruling on this matter. Allama Khatib Shirbini (may Allah have mercy on him) explains in his scholarly work that tayammum performed for major ritual impurity (janabah) remains valid only until water becomes available with...

Allah commands in the Holy Quran: "When you touch women and cannot find water, then perform tayammum" (Surah An-Nisa, verse 43). Islamic scholars have used this verse to establish the Islamic ruling that touching a woman breaks wudu. According to this fatwa, the ablution is invalidated regardless of whether the touching is: Intentional or unintentional Voluntary or involuntary Done with...

According to Islamic scholars, men cannot perform salah behind a woman. Imam Nawawi (رحمة الله عليه) said: "واتفق أصحابنا علي انه لا تجوز صلاة رجل بالغ ولا صبي خلف امرأة" (المجموع شرح المهذب 3/427) This means that it is not valid for an adult man or a boy to pray behind a woman. It is also stated in Minhaj al-Talibin (p.120) : "ولا تَصحُّ قُدوةُ رجلٍ ولا خُنثیٰ بِامراةٍ" — the...

Hazrat Azeef bin Haaris reported that he asked Hazrat Aaisha (may Allah be pleased with her) if she had seen the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) performing ghusl of janabah at the beginning of the night or at the end. She replied that sometimes he did it at the beginning of the night and sometimes at the end. Hearing this, Azeef said, “All praise is for Allah who made the matter easy.” From t...

According to Islamic scholars, if someone becomes in a state of janabah (major impurity) on Friday morning and takes a bath before Friday prayer without making the niyyah for fardh ghusl, then that bath will not be counted as the required fardh ghusl. The person must make the intention for the fardh ghusl for it to be valid. As Imam Nawawi (رحمه الله) explains, if the intention is missing before s...

Islamic scholars have said that if a latecomer (masbuq) joins the imam during the final tashahud and sits with him, then stands to complete his own salah after the imam ends, he should not recite dua istiftah. This is because the time and place for reciting it has already passed.

According to Islamic scholars in the Shafi’i fiqh, if the water in a pond changes because it has been unused for a long time, it is still allowed to use this water for ablution and Fardh cleanliness. As long as no clear external impurity has affected it, the change is linked to the long period of stillness, and it remains pure and usable.

Islamic scholars from the Shafi'i school say that sitting while doing wudu is better when it helps to avoid water splashes. Normally, when a person sits to make wudu, the water does not splash back on the body. But when standing, there is a chance that water droplets may bounce back. That is why it is better to sit while doing wudu in a place where the water will not splash.

In Shafi’i fiqh, the sunnah method of saying "Allahu Akbar" in the adhan is to place sukoon (no vowel) on the Ra. This is the most preferred way. However, if someone says the takbeers together without a pause between them, then it is better to use pesh (u), saying "Allahu Akbaru." Even if someone uses zabar (a) or pesh (u), it is still allowed. But between zabar and pesh, using...

Is it necessary to say the intention (niyyah) out loud before performing a prayer or any act of worship? Or is having the intention in the heart enough, according to Shafi’i fiqh? In Islamic law (Shari’ah), niyyah means having the intention in the heart to do a specific act of worship — like praying, fasting, or performing Hajj. According to Shafi’i fiqh, the correct place for intention is the hea...