Imam Bargah Ali Reza (A.S.) Sharjah Deeniyat Classes – Ramadhan 1435 Group C Taqlid 1. It is necessary for a Muslim to believe in the fundamentals of faith with his own insight and understanding, and he cannot follow anyone in this respect i.e. he cannot accept the word of another who knows, simply because he has said it. However, one who has faith in the true tenets of Islam, and manifests it by his deeds, is a Muslim and Mo'min, even if he is not very profound, and the laws related to a Muslim will hold good for him. In matters of religious laws, apart from the ones clearly defined, or ones which are indisputable, a person must either be a Mujtahid (jurist) himself, capable of inferring and deducing from the religious sources and evidence; or if he is not a Mujtahid himself, he should follow one, i.e. he should act according to the verdicts (Fatwa) of the Mujtahid; or if he is neither a Mujtahid nor a follower (Muqallid), he should act on such precaution which should assure him that he has fulfilled his religious obligation. For example, if some Mujtahids consider an act to be haraam, while others say that it is not, he should not perform that act. Similarly, if some Mujtahid consider an act to be obligatory (Wajib) while others consider it to be recommended (Mustahab), he should perform it. Therefore, it is obligatory upon those persons who are neither Mujtahids, nor able to act on precautionary measures (Ihtiyat), to follow a Mujtahid. 2. Taqlid in religious laws means acting according to the verdict of a Mujtahid. It is necessary for the Mujtahid who is followed, to be male, baligh, Shi'ah Ithna Ash'ari, sane, of legitimate birth, living and just ('Adil). A person is said to be just when he performs all those acts which are obligatory upon him, and refrains from all those things which are forbidden to him. And the sign of being just is that one is apparently of a good character, so that if enquiries are made about him from the people of his locality, or from his neighbors, or from those persons with whom he lives, they would confirm his good conduct. And if one knows that the verdicts of the Mujtahids differ with regard to the problems which we face in everyday life, it is necessary that the Mujtahid who is followed be A'lam (the most learned), who is more capable of understanding the divine laws than any of the contemporary Mujtahids. 3. There are three ways of identifying a Mujtahid, and the A'alam: a. when a person is certain that a particular person is a Mujtahid, or the most learned one. For this, he should be a learned person himself, and should possess the capacity to identify a Mujtahid or an A'alam; b. when two persons, who are learned and just and possess the capacity to identify a Mujtahid or the A'alam, confirm that a person is a Mujtahid or an A'lam, provided that two other learned and just persons do not contradict them. In fact, being a Mujtahid or an A'lam can also be established by a statement of only one trusted and reliable person; c. by means of any other logical method though which one is satisfied about a Mujtahid or an A’lam. For instance a group learned individuals (Ahle Khibra) who possess the capacity to identify a Mujtahid or an A’lam and one is satisfied by their statement, confirm that a person is a Mujtahid or an A’lam. 4. There are four ways of obtaining the verdicts of a Mujtahid: a. When a man hears from the Mujtahid himself. b. When the verdict is quoted by two just persons who narrates verdicts of mujtahid c. When a man hears the verdict from a person whose statement satisfies him. d. By reading the Mujtahid's book of Masae'l, provided that, one is satisfied about the correctness of the book. 9. It is necessary for a mukalif to learn the verdicts which he believes that by not learning he will be involved in the displeasure of Allah, i.e. he may neglect a Wajib act or undertake a Haram act. 11. If a person relates the fatwa of a Mujtahid to someone, and then that fatwa is changed, it is not necessary for him to inform that person about the change. But if he realizes after having related the fatwa that he had made an error, and the error would lead someone to contradicting the laws of Shariah, then as an obligatory precaution, he should do his best to rectify the error. Things for which Wudhu is Obligatory Issue 322: * It is obligatory to perform Wudhu for the following six things: • For all obligatory prayers, except Salat al-Mayyit. As regards Mustahab prayers, Wudhu is a condition for their validity. • For the Sajdah and Tashahhud which a person forgot to perform during the prayers, provided that he invalidated his Wudhu after Salat , and before performing those forgotten acts. It is not obligatory to perform Wudhu for Sajdatus sahw. • For the obligatory Tawaf of the holy Ka'bah. • If a person has made a Nadhr, or a solemn pledge, or taken an oath for Wudhu. • If a person has made a Nadhr, for example, that he would kiss the Holy Qur'an. • For washing and making Clean (tahir/pak) the holy Qur'an which has become najis, or for taking it out from lavatory etc. in which it has fallen, when he becomes obliged to touch the script of the holy Qur'an with his hand, or some other part of his body. But if t he delay by making Wudhu causes further desecration of the holy Qur'an, one should take it out from lavatory etc., or make it Clean (tahir/pak), without performing Wudhu. Obligatory Salat The following six prayers are obligatory: • Daily Salat . • Salat al-Ayaat • Salat al-Mayyit. • Salat for the obligatory Tawaf of the holy Ka'bah. • Qadha Salat of father which are, as a precaution, obligatory upon his eldest son. • Salat which become obligatory on account of hire,vow or oath. Salat al-Jumuah is included in the Daily Salat . Obligatory Acts Relating to Salat There are eleven obligatory acts for prayers: • Niyyat (intention) • Qiyam (standing erect) • Takbiratul Ehram (saying Allahu Akbar while commencing the prayers) • Ruku' (bowing) • Sajdatayn (two prostration) • Qira'at (recitation of Surah al-Hamd and other surah) • Zikr (prescribed recitation in Ruku' and Sajdah) • Tashahhud (bearing witness after completing the Sajdah of the second and the last Rak'at • Salaam (Salutation) • Tartib (sequence) • Muwalat (to perform the different acts of prayers in regular succession). Issue 951: * Some of the obligatory acts of prayers are elemental (Rukn). Hence, a person who does not offer them, whether intentionally or by mistake, his prayers become void. Some other obligatory acts of prayers are not elemental. Therefore, if they are omitted by mistake, the prayers do not become void. The elementals of Salat are five: • Intention (Niyyat) • Takbiratul Ehram • Standing before the Ruku' • Ruku' • Two Sajdah in every Rak'at. Any addition made to these elemental (Rukni) acts, intentionally, will render the prayers void. If the addition is done by mistake, the prayers does not become void except when a Ruku' is added, or more than two Sajdah are offered in one Rak'at. Issue 366: * There are two methods of performing Ghusls, both Wajib and Mustahab. • Tartibi (Sequential) • Irtimasi (By submerging the whole body). Tartibi Issue 367: * In this method, a person should first make a niyyat for Ghusl. Thereafter one should first wash one's head and neck, and thereafter the remaining parts of one's body as an obligatory precaution. It is better that one washes the right part of the body first and then the left part. And if a person, while standing under the water, jerks each of these parts on one's body with an intention of performing Tartibi Ghusl, it will not be sufficient and the precaution is that one should not content oneself with it. And if a person washes the body before washing the head, either intentionally, or on account of forgetfulness or because of not knowing the rule, Ghusl is void. Issue 368: * If a person washed the body before the head it will not be necessary to repeat the bath. What one has to do is to wash the body again and Ghusl will then be correct. Issue 369: If a person is not sure that both the parts (head, neck and remaining parts of the body) have been washed thoroughly one should, while washing a part, also include some portion of the other part with it. Issue 370: After the Ghusl, if a person realises that certain parts of the body have been left out, not knowing which, it will not be necessary to wash the head again. One will wash only those parts of one's body which one feels had not been washed. Issue 371: If one realises after Ghusl that one has not washed a certain part of the body it is sufficient to wash only that part if it is the left side. However, if that part is the right side then the recommended precaution is that after washing that part of the body one should wash the left side again. And if the unwashed part is that of head and neck one should, after washing that part, wash the body once again.