Issue and Questions on Removing the Facial Hair, 786, Obeying the Parents
Q 1. What should a person do if he is in the first line of a multiline Jama'a prayer and looses his Wudu'?
A 1. If a person breaks his Wudu during the prayer, whether praying alone or in Jama'ah, he should immediately leave the prayer, should go to renew the Wudu and then he can resume his prayer from where he left as long as he has not spoken to any one. If he spoke to any one then he has to repeat the prayer. This rule is according to a Hadith of the Prophet -peace be upon him- reported in Sunan Ibn Majah and al-Darmi. It does not make any difference whether a person is in the first line or any other line, he must leave the prayer immediately after breaking the Wudu, even the Imam has to leave the prayer in this situation and has to place someone else in his place to continue leading the prayer.
Q 2. I never quite understood the idea behind the number "786". Is it possible for you to explain its significance at your earliest convenience? (Asim)
A 2. "786" is the total value of the letters of "Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim". In Arabic there are two methods of arranging letters. One method is the most common method known as the alphabetical method. Here we begin with Alif, ba, ta, tha etc. The other method is known as the Abjad method or ordinal method. In this method each letter has an arithmetic value assigned to it from one to one thousand. The letters are arranged in the following order: Abjad, Hawwaz, Hutti, Kalaman, Sa'fas, Qarshat, Sakhaz, Zazagh. This arrangement was done, most probably in the 3rd century of Hijrah during the 'Abbasid period, following other Semitic languages such as Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Chaldean etc.
If you take the numeric values of all the letters of the Basmalah, according to the Abjad order, the total will be 786. In the Indian subcontinent the Abjad numerals became quite popular. Some people, mostly in India and Pakistan, use 786 as a substitute for Bismillah. They write this number to avoid writing the name of Allah or the Qur'anic ayah on ordinary papers. This tradition is not from the time of the Prophet -peace be upon him- or his Sahabah. It developed much later, perhaps during the later 'Abbasid period. We do not know of any reputable Imams or Jurists who used this number instead of the Bismillah.
It is better that we use Bismillah, rather than using any mystery numbers. There is a great blessing in reciting Bismillah before any important act.
Q 3. First of all, I would like to thank you for providing this service. May Allah reward you for all of your efforts. I was wondering if women are allowed to remove unwanted or untidy hair from their faces. I have read Hadith which prohibit women from plucking their eyebrows. Does this imply that women cannot remove hair from other parts of their faces such as above the upper lip or between the eyebrows?
A 3. It is reported in some Ahadith that the Prophet -peace be upon him- forbade al-nams which is the removal of the hair of the eyebrows in order to thin them. It is mentioned by the commentators of the Hadith that this was the way some prostitutes used to appear at his time. The Prophet -peace be upon him- always wanted the men and women of his Ummah to appear in a dignified way. So he forbade Muslim women and told them not to thin their eyebrows. Some jurists have used this Hadith to include the facial hair also. But Dr. al-Qaradawi in his book, The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam has mentioned that "Al-Tabari reports a narrative concerning the wife of Abu Ishaq, who loved to beautify herself. Once she visited 'Aisha -may Allah be pleased with her- and asked, 'What if a woman removes the hair from her forehead to please her husband?' 'Aisha -may Allah be pleased with her- said, 'Remove what is harmful from yourself whenever possible.' " (see p. 90)
Q 4. The question I have regards the degree to which I must obey my mother. Her requirements of my time, money and effort become very strange and unreasonable at times. Sometimes she asks me to do things for her that will in effect harm her. For example, my wife and I do not go to Indian concerts because of the fahash (abominable) activities that go on there: Drinking, bad language, dance and music. My mother wants me to take her there.
I politely refused citing her why it's not allowed in Islam, and especially since this event is for teenagers. I am not in my teens. Secondly, the event is late at night 9 p.m.- 12 midnight in a downtown where I do not dare venture. She is now going on her own with my sister into that part of town. Neither is a good driver, nor with a good sense of direction. They have only been in the US for 3 months. Now how do I stop them? Doesn't the obeying end here? For more serious examples, she enjoys going to functions where there is bidah (Bean counting khatums and milaads etc.) and expects my wife or me to drive her there. I do not believe in the activities that go on at such places and have made my opinions clear about not going. However, she cites this Hadith about obeying the parents and my wife or I take them grudgingly. I drop them and pick them up but do not enter.
What do I do? How can I educate someone like this? Am I committing a sin by not taking them to a concert? (Please do not publish my name)
A 4. What a sad story! Yes, it is not only the youth who need Islamic education, our adults and grown ups also need that. However, I am also very pleased to know about your and your wife's commitment to values and virtues. May Allah bless you and keep you strong in your faith. You are absolutely right in telling your mother that whatever she is doing is wrong. The wrong is wrong. It does not make any difference whether a child does it or a parent.
One has to obey one's parent if what they say is not against the teachings of Allah and His Messenger. You should treat her well and be nice and respectful to her, but you should tell her very politely that you obey Allah and His Messenger first and then you obey her. If there is any conflict between her demands and the commands of Allah and His Messenger, then the priority goes to Allah and the Messenger.
You should pray for your mother. Ask Allah to guide her and keep you strong in your obedience to Allah. Take her to some Islamic center and let her hear some good words from the Imam or teachers. She needs reminding. She is coming from a background where religion is only a matter of culture, not a conscious commitment to the Qur'an and the Sunnah. May Allah bless you.