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Q. “Is it necessary that the khutbah of Jum’ah is given in Arabic language or can it be given in some other language also. Some people say that if it is given in a local language it may be more useful to the audience.”.
(Shabbir Ali, Toronto)

A. The Khutbah of Jum’ah is not essentially a lecture meant for the people. Rather, it is a part of the prayer of Jum’ah. It is evident that the numbers of Rak’at in a Zuhr Prayer is four. On the Day of Jum’ah, the number of Rak’at has been reduced to two only, and the remaining two Rak’ats have been substituted by a Khutbah, which is basically a form of dhikr (ritual recitation of Allah’s name), and by this name it has been referred to in the Holy Qur’an (Surah al’Jum’ah).  Read more... (250 words, estimated 1:00 mins reading time)

“Pilgrimage to the House (of Allah) is a duty man owes to Allah upon those who can afford the journey.”

The ulama inform us that Hajj became obligatory when this verse was revealed. When we look at the verse we see a lot of emphasis and stress. Let us study it:

Firstly, we find a Laam on the word of Allah (Lillaahi) which lays emphasis on the fact that Hajj is obligatory. (see Allama Ainy)

‘Alan-naas’ is another term that denotes extreme emphasis.  Read more... (437 words, estimated 1:45 mins reading time)

THE AZAN  Read more... (976 words, estimated 3:54 mins reading time)

1. The words of the azan should be called slowly while those of the iqama should be called rapidly (but not so fast that the words are not properly articulated).
2. It is necessary for the muezzin to know the timing of the salat, the best times to form the jamaat and the directions of Qibla.
3. One should not cry himself hoarse while calling the azan.
4. If some one else calls the azan in the muazzin’s absence he should not be annoyed at it.
5. One should call the azan in a loud and agreeable melodious voice but not like a song.

Taqleed of The Masses

This is the first level of taqleed. By masses, we mean:

(i) Those who are completely unaware of the Arabic language and the Islamic sciences though they may be well educated and adept in other sciences.

(ii) Those who though they know Arabic and can understand Arabic books, but have not acquired knowledge of tafseer, Hadith, fiqh and related religious matters from a teacher in a proper way.

(iii) Those who though they have accomplished Islamic sciences formally but have not gained proficiency in tafseer, Hadith, fiqh and their fundamentals, nor do they have insight in them.  Read more... (1709 words, estimated 6:50 mins reading time)