Five questions on Salat (VII)

By Taoheed Gbadamosi

IF a weaning male child urinates on the cloth, one can just sprinkle water on the part affected but if it is a female weaning child, the whole cloth should be washed.

PURIFICATION OF THE PLACE OF WORSHIP
The place of worship should be cleansed of all forms of dirt, human and animal impurity.The place of worship must not be a church, synagogue, shrine, graveyard. It must not be a toilet, a bathroom or any other place where people relieve themselves.The place of worship can be inside the house (in case of non-obligatory prayers like Tahajjud) , an open field, or a mosque. One must not spit, urinate or pour any dirty substance on the floor and wall. If somebody or animal urinates on the floor, one should pour water on the portion affected. The place is to be cleaned from time to time and perfumed.

PURIFICATION OF OTHER TOOLS USED FOR WORSHIP
Other materials, equipment and tools used in worship or as aid should be purified from any form of impurities be it from man, animal, or the environment. If a dog licks or drinks water from a kettle or bowl used to perform ablution, it is to be washed first with muddy sand and then with water (without soap) six times. The seventh time will be with soap. If other animals like pig drink water from the bowl, it is suffice to wash it with soap and water. The praying mat, kettle and bowl used must be washed when dirty or contaminated.

CHAPTER TWO
AL-HADATH [UNCLEANNESS]
AI-Hadath is an unclean state in man due to an-Najasah (impurities). The unclean state is of two types The first type is al-Hadathal Akbar, which is the state of major uncleanness due to the release and presence of major impurities on the body. The second type is al-Hadathal-Asghar which is a state of minor impurity that one attains after a minor impurity leaves the body.

There is another impurity that comes from outside/external object or body and stains the body or cloth. This is referred to as al-Khabath. Whenever one is going to the toilet, bathroom or any other place used for cleaning and relieving oneself, one is to place the left leg in first and say. Bismillahi, Allahuma inni audhubika minal-khubthi wal-khaba ‘ith, meaning: In the name of Allah. 0 Allah’ I seek refuge in you from the male and female noxious beings (devil/jinn) (Muslim).

When one finishes and wants to leave the toilet, he is to place the right leg in front first and say: Ghufranakal-hamdu Iillahi-Iadhi adh-haba ‘an nil-dhaa wa’afaanii, meaning: I seek Your (Allah) Forgiveness. Praise be to Allah, who relieved me from the suffering/filth and who has given me health.

MAJOR IMPURITY
This is a situation when an impure substance has left the body or one is considered to be impure due to the presence or release of any of the following:

AL-MANI (SPERM/SEXUAL DISCHARGE)
This is the secretion of the male organ that comes as a result of intercourse, when the male reproductive organ comes in contact with the female organ. It can also come out as a result of romancing with a woman or dreaming about having sexual intercourse with a woman while sleeping. Sperm is usually white in colour and milky. The colour of the woman’s sexual discharge differs according to nationality. It could be yellowish or white. Its peculiarity is that it gushes out in spurts and is followed by some slight feeling of laxity in the body. It also has a smell similar to that of the egg. Whenever this comes out of the body, one needs to take his bath (Ghusl) and wash the affected cloth. After the emission of the sperm (before bath) one must not:

1 . Observe Solat. 2. Do circumambulation of the Kaa’ba. 3. Touch or recite the Holy Qur’an. 4. Touch anything inscribed with the name of Allah and verses of the Qur’an. If a man and a woman had sexual intercourse, Ghusl is needed (by the man and woman) whether there is emission of sperm or not.

AL-MADHIY (PROSTATE FLUID/VAGINAL FLUID)
This is also a secretion of the reproductive/sexual organ (male and female). It is slimy and sticky in nature like mucus and white in colour. It flows freely without gushing and is not followed by any feeling of laxity in the body. It comes as a result of deep thought about the opposite sex while one will not be aware when it will be secreted. It could also occur as a result of erotic excitement from lustful thinking or flirtation. It should be thoroughly washed away from the cloth (including the underwear) and body (especially the private parts) there is no need for Ghusl but ablution.

‘Godliness, not religion, will check corruption’

By Adebayo Waheed

From left: Mr. Abdul-Raheem Shittu (chairman
of the occasion);,Mr. Ibrahim Bappa, representative
of the EFCC chairman and the Governor, The
Muslim Congress (TMC), Oyo State, Ustadh Zaynul
Abideen AbdulGaniy, at the 6th annual special
lecture held in Ibadan recently.
Photo: Alolade Ganiyu. Former Oyo State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Barrister Abdul- Raheem Shittu, has said that the war against corruption may not be won unless Nigerians are Godly.

The former Commissioner who was the chairman at this year’s lecture organised by The Muslim Congress (TMC) in Ibadan, said no law or religious means put in place to stop corruption would succeed until Nigerians inculcate Godliness in their practices.

He said, “no structure, laws, institutions, practical measures and even religious measures put in place to stop the act of corruption in this country will succeed until we inculcate Godliness in our religious practices”.
Shittu lamented that Nigerians practise religion without Godliness and charged religious leaders to internalise religious practice in their followers and imbibe in them the courage to live a meaningful life out of corruption.

Also speaking, Dr. Abdul-Wasiu Gabadeen of the Department of Educational Management, Lagos State University, Ojo,who was a guest lecturer at the event, said the success of the government anti-corruption war through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and other similar agencies, would depend largely on the co-operation of Islamic scholars, who naturally related better with people at individual levels.

Describing corruption as a cankerworm of the heart, Gabadeen added that “it is a disease curable only by Allah. He, therefore, called for the involvement of Islamic scholars in any moves by the government aimed at stemming corruption in the society for such moves to be fruitful.

Another guest lecturer, Ustadh Tirmidhi Jamiu, the Chairman of the Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation, emphasised that a return to Allah , following his injunctions as well as remembrance of the last day, are the lasting solutions to corruption in Nigeria.

The Wali (Governor) of TMC in Oyo State, Ustadhi Zaynul Abideen Abdul Ganiy, said it was imperative to tackle the various imbalances among the people and understand the root causes of corruption so as to proffer meaningful solutions to the menace.