Nafilah Prayers

Q1: What is Ghufailah prayer and when is it offered?
A1: Ghufayla prayers is one of the Mustahab prayers which is offered between Maghrib and Isha prayers. Its time is after Maghrib prayer till the redness in western sky is gone.
Q2: Can I offer Nafila-e Zuhr and Nafila-e Asr when I am on a journey?
A2: Zuhr Nafilah and Asr Nafilah should not be offered when one is on a journey.
Q3: Can Nafilah prayers be offered in sitting posture?
A3: All Nafilah prayers can be offered while sitting, but then, 2 Rak’ats prayed sitting should be counted as one Rak’at. For example, if a person wishes to offer Zuhr Nafilah which consists of 8 Rak’ats, in a sitting posture, he should offer 16 Rak’ats. And if he wishes to offer Witr prayers while sitting, he should offer two prayers of 1 Rak’at each.

Night Prayers

Q1: What are the niyats to be attached with Night Prayers?
A1: Out of the 11 Rak’ats of the night Nafilah, 8 Rak’ats should be offered with the Niyyat of the Nafilah, 2 Rak’ats with the Niyyat of Shaf’a, and 1 Rak’at with the Niyyat of Witr. Complete instructions regarding Namaz-e-Shab are given in the books of prayers.
Q1: What time is it better to offer the Night Prayers?
A2: The time for Nafilah of Shab stretches from mid-night till Adhan for Fajr prayers, and it is better to offer it nearer the time of Fajr prayer.

Najasat

Q1: If a Muslim, who eats haram food several times and knows about it, decides one day to stop eating haram, will God forgive him or will his body be najis forever? If Yes, what does he need to do to purify his body from najasat? When he eats haram, is he allowed to pray? Will his saliva become najis also?
A1: 1. Yes, by repenting, God forgives all sins, and in order to purify the soul try to fast some days. 2. The body will not remain impure (Najis). 3. Under no circumstances is the duty to perform prayer dropped. 4. His saliva is not impure, unless there is something najis in it.
Q2: Are non-Muslims najis (ritually impure)?
Ahl-e Kitab (People of the Book) are Tahir (ritually pure) provided that they are not Mushrik (polytheists). All non believers other than the people of the Book including the polytheists are najis (unclean). Therefore, if they touch something while their hands are wet, then that thing becomes najis.
Q3: I am from India and I travel by train. In summer season while on board I see a lot of Sikhs and Hindus perspiring some of them with me in my compartment. Do I have to change my cloth, if I know that my clothes have come into contact with their perspiration?
A3: Yes, you must change your clothe in the said case.

Non-Muslims' Food

Q1: What is your ruling on food prepared by the Ahlul Kitab? Can we eat it, and should we (from an Akhlaaqi point of view) eat their cooking as long as nothing forbidden is in it?
A1: If their food does not contain any haram ingredients like haram meat, fat and intoxicating liquid, it is permissible to eat it.
Q2: Many grocery stores in North America and Europe which are run and owned by non-Muslims sell forbidden products and also are now carrying “halal” meat – both slaughtered by Muslims who are known to be Muslims and to be slaughtered according to Islam and also others which only bear a label of “halal” however we do not know its actual source. What is the rule on buying this meat?
A2: They can use the meat only when they are certain that the meat is halal.
Q3: What is your opinion on Muslims eating in non-Muslim or even Muslim owned and operated restaurants which serve halal food however also serve alcoholic drinks? If the alcohol is not being consumed at our table, does this change the ruling?
A3: If there is no alcoholic drink on your table, there is no problem in eating in these restaurants. Yes, if going to restaurants where alcoholic liquids are served is degrading for a Muslim, it is not permissible to eat in there.

Nail Polish

Q1: Is nail polish considered a barrier for wudhu (ablution) and ghusl?
A1: Yes, it prevents water from reaching the nailplates
Q2: Do I have to remove the nail polish for mas\h (wiping of the feet)?
A2: If you remove the paint from one of your toe fingers and wipe on it, it is sufficient.

Non-Muslims

Q1: Are Christians and Jews clean?
A1: Yes, they are clean?
Q2: Are the Buddhists and Sikhs clean?
A1: They are najis (ritually impure).

Nowruz

Q1: Is it recommended (mustahab) to keep fast (sawm) on the day of Nowruz (21 of march)? Is Nowruz considered as a Muslim festival?
A1: It is recommended (mustahab) to fast around the time of Nowruz. Nowruz is an Iranian national feast. However the positive aspects of it such as cleanliness, wearing new clothes, visiting people etc. are all customs recommended by Islam.

Nafaqah

Q1: What do the Qur’an and Sunnah say about providing the wife with maintenance after the divorce, while the dowry has been fully paid and there is no child?
A1: Once the waiting period (iddah) has terminated, the wife is responsible for her own expenses. Her divorced husband is under no obligation to pay for her. But if the divorce is revocable then the husband should pay her expenses for the duration of the waiting period. Maintenance, including clothes, housing, and food, must be according to the wife's social status. The husband should not expel the wife from the house during the waiting period.
Q2: My wife refuses to submit herself to me for sexual intercourse. She has been doing this for the past many months without any valid excuse. At present she has gone to her mother's home without my consent. She does not want to return and persists that she will live with her mother; Is it obligatory on me to pay for her maintenance?
A2: In the said supposition in which your wife disobeys you, she is considered Nashiza (a woman who disobeys her husband where she should not). In such case, it is not necessary for you to send her anything. She will no longer have maintenance right on the husband.