 As-salamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. Welcome to Ahkam SOS, the show that discusses Islamic duties and principles in accordance to His Eminence, the Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sadik Sharazi Hafizullah. I'm your host, Muslim Shah, and joining me is Sheikh Ali Ma'a. As-salamu alaikum sheikhna. As-salamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. How are you this evening? Alhamdulillah, I'm fine. Ma'aashaAllah. Sheikhna, we're talking about Jama'a as-salah. We discussed, you know, the rules in regards to Jama'a, the thawab and praying in Jama'a. Why I wanted to ask you, sheikhna, is in regards to standing and the positions, sometimes we see we have the Imam of the Jama'a, and there's people next to him, not behind, actually just next to him. Is this allowed or is it just, I don't know, lack of space or something? That's why people are standing there. The follower of the Imam, which is known as the Ma'amum, is not allowed to stand ahead of the Imam, because the Imam, the leader, always in the front. In the battle field, he's in the front. And that's why it's called Imam. Ya'umu is to lead. The leader leads people, so he's always in the front. So in the Jama'a as well, the one is not allowed to stand in the front of the Imam and the Imam is behind and perform the Salat of the Jama'a. So always either you stand aligned with the Imam in the same line, next to each other, or you stand behind the Imam and perform the prayers. Of course, he mentions that as per Musta'a precaution, it's not wajib but it's better, that the one who is taller than the Imam, when he stands for the prayers in which his ruku' and sujood would be ahead of the Imam, tries to go back a bit and tries to avoid praying in a way that, when he does the sujood and the ruku' is to be away from the Imam, just in the back of the Imam. So not to proceed the Imam and the ruku' and sujood. Yes. Sheikh, what about ladies and sisters who want to join the Jama'a? Normally I see in the mosque they put like a partition or some sort of curtain or some sort of parda as we say in our language. Is this acceptable? Does this allow the sisters to join the Jama'a? Initially there should be no barriers or curtains or anything like that and screens between the Imam and the Ma'mumin. So if we stand as men to pray as Jama'a, we have to make sure that there's no barriers between us and the Imam. However, if the Imam is male and the Ma'mumin and the followers are female, in this case the Sayyid said there's no objection, there's no issue with it that for the screen to be or the curtain to be between the female Ma'mumin, the followers and the Imam. So imagine the Imam is in the front and there's a curtain behind and the ladies are behind the Imam praying. In this case there's no issue with it. For the man is an issue. We cannot do that. But because we have opposite gender here between the Imam and the Ma'mumin, then they can have the curtain or the screen. And as we've seen this in the mosques back in the Muslim countries that you have the Imam in the front, in the back you have the man, and then you have a curtain or a screen behind the man in which there are women. Of course somebody praying to make sure the link is established between the man and the woman and the Imam. But there's of course a curtain and screen between them, which is fine. This is a personal question that I have. There was a lot of huha in regards to in Canada when there was a female Imam of Jama'at, which is totally unacceptable. We're doing research on it right now, but we haven't got sufficient evidence to say that a female can lead males in the Jama'at as-Sallaah. However, can females lead females in the Jama'at? Do they have their own sort of Jama'at as-Sallaah, or do they pray for other individually and only a male can lead the prayer? Of course, I mean even the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wala he appointed a lady to lead some of the women in Medina in leading the prayers, Imam of Jama'at. So he appointed a group of women to pray behind this woman. That's fine. And we have this in some places, in some centers and mosques that lady Imam of Jama'at, she prays and behind her are the sisters and women. That's fine. There's no issue. It's just the issue that we cannot have a female lady as Imam of Jama'at and behind are men. And of course this is a faqi issue. It's something that we have to go back to the experts and to see why we're not allowed to have such imam in the Jama'at. A female and the ma'umumin and the followers are male. This is something fiqh. Alhamdulillah, we believe in Islam as a complete religion and we submit it to Islam. So we have to submit to this reality that if it is a narration, then we have to respect the narration and follow the guidance of Ahlul Bayt alayhum sallam and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wala with this regard. Sheikhna, how does one join this Salah in the second Raqqa? So the Jama'at is going on. It's in the second Raqqa. How does one join that prayer? Let's say it's Asr and it's the second Raqqa of Asr prayer. How do I join that Asr prayer? Basically if you're in the second, if the Imam is in the second Raqqa and you want to start as the first Raqqa, you just make the intention that this is your war dhoor or asr or whatever the Salah is. And your first Raqqa of course for yourself and you say the Takbirah, Allah Akbar, and you join the Salah. In the second Raqqa for the Imam and for those who follow him they will actually perform, the Imam will perform the Hamdan Surah and the Qunoot. You must also do the Qunoot as well. You can't keep quiet because it's your first Raqqa. So you must follow the Imam. If he does the Qunoot, you do the Qunoot as well. And then you go to the Ruku and Sujood and so forth and that is counted for you as first Raqqa. And when the Imam sits for Tashahud, you sit in a squatting position. Your fingers on the floor. I've seen it. It's like you're getting up but you're not fully getting up. Exactly. So you've began to get up, so you're there squatting with your hands, your fingers on the floor, but you don't continue the action. Exactly. So you wait the Imam to get up and then you get up afterwards. And you continue your Salah if it's, for the Imam will be the third Raqqa, for you will be with the second Raqqa. So you try to catch up with the Hamdan Surah, you read it because the Imam will be reading, Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, that's Biharat Al-Arabah. So you have to make sure you catch up with the Imam by reading the Hamdan Surah and the Qunoot if you can. Otherwise you just leave the Qunoot and you go to the Ruku with the Imam to catch up with the Jama'at. What happens then like if it's the third Raqqa, but it's my second and I have to do the Tashahud. What happens then? Do I quickly do the Tashahud and catch up with the Jama'at? Initially it's the third Raqqa and the Imam is reading, Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, that's Biharat Al-Arabah. And you're reading, and this is your second Raqqa, you're reading Hamd Surah and Qunoot. If the Imam was reading fast and you didn't catch the Imam, then you have to only read Surah Al-Hamd, that's it. You just leave and ignore the citation of Surah and the Qunoot and you go straight with the Imam. If you think that you're not going to catch up with the Ruku of the Imam. So you just read the Hamd and you try to catch up with the Imam's Ruku because he's reading fast for example. And then you normally continue the rest of the acts. Of course Tashahud, also you do the Tashahud and you get up for the next Raqqa which is also you're going to do Tashbihat on the third and they do the Tashbihat on the fourth. And you try to catch up as well with the Imam. And as I mentioned previously that the Sayyid allows for one Tashbihah. So if you don't catch up with the Imam on the fourth that he's reading and you're on the third, one Tashbihah is sufficient to catch up with the Imam. Interesting. So Sheikhan, what about if I'm joining the Salah on the third Raqqa? Obviously there's not enough time for Surah Al Hamd. Maybe the Imam is reciting Surah Al Hamd or maybe he's doing the Tashbihat. What am I going to do? It's my first Raqqa I've just joined. I need to recite Surah Al Hamd and the different Surah. Does that rule still apply to me as well? That I can get away with just reading Surah Al Hamd and continue the Jama'at? Or do I have to do another Surah because it's my first Raqqa but it's the third Raqqa for the Jama'at? In this case you have to wait because you may not be able to catch up to even completing the Surah Al Hamd because the Imam is reciting let's say the second Tashbihah or the third Tashbihah is on the last Tashbihah and any second he might go to the Raqqa so you must wait until he finishes the Tashbihah to Al Arba'a so when he goes to the Raqqa you say Allah Akbar with intention and you go to Raqqa with him that's the best option otherwise if you see that the Imam is reading slowly the Tashbihah to Al Arba'a he just started Tashbihah that's fine you join him and you read Al Hamd and Surah and then you join the Imam for the remainder of the Salah Sheikh, what does one do if I've come I've just gone and done with all I've come into the main hall I do not know which Raqqa the congregation is praying what should one do in such a situation? It is permissible for the one for the follower to join the Jama'at and follow the Imam in this situation but as the Satan states here that he must recite Al Hamd and the Surah because he doesn't know in which Raqqa the Imam is but for yourself who just joined recently you read the Hamd and Surah with the intention of the Qurbah in other words seeking unison to Allah seeking closeness to Allah, the Almighty and you join the Jama'at there's no problem at all and even if the one learns afterwards that the Imam was in the first or second Raqqa his Salah is valid, that's fine because he did it just with the Qurbah of getting the unison to Allah, the Almighty so by this intention you can continue the Salah with the Imam Sheikh, what is the ruling in regard to recitation should I listen to the Imam and what he's saying and not utter any zikr at all or am I allowed to recite behind the Imam maybe in Raqqa what if I finish my zikr before the Imam is this valid, is this allowed or is it not allowed at all with regard to the Hamd and Surah if the Salah is the one in which recitation is allowed like in Salat al-Fajr and Maghrib al-Aisha it's better that you keep silent and listen to the Qara'a and the recitation of the Imam when he reads the Hamd and the Surah you listen to the ayaat and the verses that he's reading in Salat al-Tur'a al-Asr in which he reads them silent you are allowed and it's mustahab that you do zikr, la ilaha illa Allah subhan Allah for example you read these zikr and even the said mentions that Salawat al-Muhammad al-Muhammad salam that even you can mention this while the Imam is reading the Al Hamd and the Surah in Zuhra al-Asr silently so yes you can mention the zikr and even if you're in the Raku'a and you just finish the zikr continue sending the Salawat on Muhammad al-Muhammad salam and even mentioning more zikr la ilaha illa Allah subhan Allah Allah Akbar whatever you can mention as zikr and Quran that's fine is this even acceptable to say the names of the Aima as zikr is this true you can even say the names of the Aima we are saying Allahumma salli ala Muhammad al-Muhammad so Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam is the prophet and he's the master of the ima alaykum as-salam and al-Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam that's fine mentioning their names let's say you say in Sujood Allahumma r-zukr in Shafa'at al-Hussain as a dua all these things that's fine there's no more issue with it thank you very much sheikh any last advice in regards to Jama'a as-salah because it's not very common and it's not popular we're not famous as Shia for Jama'a as-salah and I think you've seen it as well when you go into you know a mal night or you go to a mosque in a Shia mosque you see a lot of people praying individually rather than collecting together is there any advice to give to the Imam that's why as I've mentioned the narration in which the reward for the one who prays the Jama'a and this great reward in which cannot be counted if it exceeds 10 10 followers with the with the Imam and it's important that we have to have this culture of Jama'a we have to learn this culture and apply it into our daily life even at home not only in the mosque or center or Hussainiyah we try to learn as a family member you know bring my family the kids yalla let's start Salat Jama'a and gradually I think our generation will learn and it will get used to this habit which is a good habit and start the Salat Jama'a wherever they've gathered and of course we have to that the one who prays the Imam must be adil just preserves his conditions of the Jama'a that's why we have this issue of the the difference between us and the non-Shia that they pray behind whoever comes you know first come first serve he stand and he says Allah Akbar and the people follow him maybe he's Shave Nuhi he's such and such it doesn't matter we have these conditions of Adal righteousness must be met and that might be one of the reasons but mostly people are Masha'Allah faithful those who gather in Islamic centers and around I think we have to teach this generation to learn more about the Jama'a and the Fawab and the reciters the lecturers should also encourage in their Majalis as well and thank you for today's discussion and thank you to all the viewers for joining us on this episode insha'Allah we pray that you can get involved in congregational prayers and you can promote this Sunnah insha'Allah until next time with a new discussion Salaamu Alaikum