📩 The Question:

I have a question, may Allah bless you. I have never truly understood the ruling of sujud al-sahw, and I always find myself confused about it in my prayer. When I make a mistake in my prayer, should I perform the prostration of forgetfulness before the salam or after it? I really want to make sure I am praying correctly.

📝 The Answer:

Answered by our Shaykh al-ʿAllāmah Muḥammad bin Ḥizām al-Baʿdānī — may Allah preserve him:

The scholars differed: when is the prostration before the salām, and when is it after it?

And the strongest of that — which Imām Aḥmad went to, and Mālik in one narration — is that: If he forgot a wājib (obligatory act) from the obligations of the prayer, then he prostrates before the salām. And if he added a pillar in the prayer, he prostrates after the salām.

And if he fell into doubt — did he pray three or four? Or did he prostrate two prostrations or one? — then he builds upon the lesser amount, and he prostrates before the salām.

And if he fell into doubt, and one of the two possibilities becomes more likely to him, he builds upon it, and he prostrates after the salām.

And from what indicates that if he forgot an obligation, he prostrates before the salām is the ḥadīth of ʿAbdullāh ibn Buhaynah رضي الله عنه:

“The Prophet ﷺ prayed ẓuhr with them, and he stood up after the first two rakʿahs and did not sit. The people stood with him. When he completed the prayer and the people awaited his salām, he said takbīr while sitting and he prostrated two prostrations before he gave the salām, then he gave the salām.”
— Agreed upon.

And from what indicates that if he added a pillar in the prayer, he prostrates after the salām is the ḥadīth of Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه in the two Ṣaḥīḥs:

He said: The Prophet ﷺ prayed ẓuhr with us five (rakʿahs).
So it was said: “Has something been added in the prayer?”
He said: “What is that?”
They said: “You prayed five.”
So he prostrated two prostrations after he gave the salām.

And likewise — the ḥadīth of Dhū al-Yadayn — the ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه in the two Ṣaḥīḥs:
when the Prophet ﷺ added a tashahhud and gave the salām before completing the prayer, then completed the prayer — so the prayer had an addition (salām, sitting, and tashahhud):

“So the Prophet ﷺ prostrated after the salām.”

And from what indicates that if he doubts and neither side is more likely to him, he builds upon the lesser amount and prostrates before the salām is the ḥadīth of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“If one of you doubts in his prayer and does not know whether he prayed three or four, then let him cast away the doubt and build upon what he is certain of, then let him prostrate two prostrations before he gives the salām.
So if he prayed five, the two prostrations will make his prayer even; and if he prayed completing four, they will be a humiliation for Shayṭān.”

And from what indicates that if he doubts and one possibility outweighs the other, he builds upon it, then he prostrates after the salām is the ḥadīth of Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه:

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“And if one of you doubts in his prayer, let him strive to reach what is correct, then complete upon it, then let him give the salām, then let him prostrate two prostrations.”
— Agreed upon, and the wording is from al-Bukhārī.

https://t.me/RulingsofWomen

The Miraculous and Unending Beauty of the Qur’an: No Matter How Many Times You Read It — It Feels New Every Time!

Shaykh Abdussalam As-Shuway’ir حفظه الله

The One Who Possesses Allah’s Companionship Knows No Grief: For With Allah — There Is No Such Thing as Sorrow!

Sheikh Muhammad Sa’eed Raslan حفظه الله

📩 The Question:

Is it permissible for a menstruating woman to remain in the mosque?

📝 The Answer:

Answered by our Shaykh al-ʿAllāmah Muḥammad bin Ḥizām al-Baʿdānī — may Allah preserve him:

The most correct opinion in this issue is that the menstruating woman is allowed to remain in the mosque; due to the non-authenticity of the ḥadīth: “Indeed the mosque is not permissible for the one in a state of major impurity (janābah), nor for the menstruating woman.” A weak ḥadīth.

And it has been reported that a woman had a tent in the mosque in the time of the Prophet ﷺ, and the nature of a woman is that menstruation comes to her.

And there was a black woman who used to clean the mosque — was she the first one or someone else? Both possibilities exist.

And the Prophet ﷺ said to ʿĀ’ishah: “Hand me the khumrah (small prayer mat) from the mosque.” She said: So I said: I am menstruating. He said: “Indeed your menstruation is not in your hand.”

Thus: the correct view is permissibility, and those who prohibited have no clear proof in the issue, and some of them used as evidence His saying, the Most High:

“…nor while you are in a state of sexual impurity (i.e. janābah), except when passing through (the mosque), until you have washed your whole body.”

Meaning: that the one in a state of major impurity (janābah) does not approach the mosques except if it is passing through — “except when passing through.”

And the verse has two interpretations: some of them preferred this interpretation — that what is meant is that the one in major impurity (janābah) does not approach the prayer, meaning: the places of prayer — which are: the mosques — except if it is passing through.

And the second interpretation: “Do not approach the prayer” — the reality of the prayer, meaning its actions: “While you are in a drunken state until you know what you are saying, nor while you are in a state of sexual impurity (i.e. janābah), except when passing through (the mosque), until you have washed your whole body.”

They said: “except when passing through” — meaning: except if you are a traveller, so you wash, and if you do not find water then you perform tayammum. And why was the traveller specifically mentioned? They said: because it is a situation in which the absence of water occurs, so it was singled out for mention so that he may perform tayammum.

And as long as a possibility exists in the verse, we cannot prevent the menstruating woman, with the absence of consensus in the verse, and especially since it came concerning the one in major impurity (janābah) — and the one in major impurity (janābah) can remove the state from himself, whereas the menstruating woman cannot.

What remains is: which is better?

The better for the woman is that she avoids the area of disagreement, and remains in her house until she becomes pure — this is what is better. The better for the woman in the foundation of her affair is that she stays in her house, so if she is menstruating then all the more so — the better for her is to remain in her house, and to turn to remembrance in her house.

However, this may be needed if she has lessons — so she may need this matter in the case of attending knowledge-based lessons. And Allah is the One whose help is sought.

https://t.me/RulingsofWomen

Confused in Your Prayer? Unsure Whether You Prayed Three or Four Units — Here’s How to Correct It Perfectly!

Shaykh Aziz Farhan Al-Anizi حفظه الله

📩 The Question:

Some women, when they become pure from menstruation, remain after purity for a day or two without performing ghusl, under the claim that they are making sure and waiting in case the blood returns. What is the ruling, and does she have to make up the prayer that she missed and did not pray in this situation?

📝 The Answer:

Answered by our Shaykh al-ʿAllāmah Muḥammad bin Ḥizām al-Baʿdānī — may Allah preserve him:

If the white discharge comes out from her after menstruation, then the coming out of it is sufficient, and she does not wait. And if she does not know that the menstruation has ended except by the dryness of the blood, then she waits only one day; if the blood does not return, then she performs ghusl and prays.

And if she has a consistent menstrual habit, then she acts according to her habit, and she does not need to wait the full day; rather, if it stops on her usual day and she knows from her habit that it does not return, then she performs ghusl and prays and does not wait a full day.

And she does not make up the prayer that she missed because she was ignorant, and she must seek Allah’s forgiveness for her falling short in asking, and it is recommended for her to increase in voluntary prayers.

https://t.me/RulingsofWomen

📩 The Question:

A woman began her menses for one day, then it stopped for one day, then the menses began again on the third day. So does she count the two previous days as menstruation? May Allah reward you with good.

📝 The Answer:

Answered by our Shaykh al-ʿAllāmah Muḥammad bin Ḥizām al-Baʿdānī — may Allah preserve him:

As for the first day, it is a day of menstruation, and there is no problem.

And if the menses stopped on the second day—a complete stop—such that the white discharge came to her, then here it is considered a day of purity; her prayer is correct, and if she fasted then her fast is correct.

But if the white discharge did not come to her, then she does not consider this purity, and she counts this day from the days of her menses—the second day in which the blood stopped, she counts it from the days of her menses. We ask Allah for success and steadfastness.

https://t.me/RulingsofWomen

A Night in the Presence of the Beloved ﷺ — As Witnessed by ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās

Among the most precious moments preserved for this Ummah are the nights witnessed by those noble Companions whose eyes observed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in his worship, whose hearts comprehended, and whose tongues transmitted so that generations after them may learn. From these moments is the night described by the young scholar, the ocean of knowledge, ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās — may Allah be pleased with them both — reported authentically in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim.

Ibn ʿAbbās recounts that he spent a night in the home of his aunt Maymūnah, the Mother of the Believers — may Allah be pleased with her — who was also the wife of the Prophet ﷺ. He lay across the pillow, horizontally, while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and Maymūnah lay lengthwise upon it. The house was still, and the night silently passed.

Then — as he narrates — when half the night had passed, or slightly before or after it, the Prophet ﷺ awoke. He sat up and wiped the traces of sleep from his face with his blessed hand, a gentle gesture marking the beginning of his nightly devotion. Immediately after waking, he recited the last ten verses of Sūrat Āl ʿImrān, beginning from:

“Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth…” (Āl ʿImrān 190–200)

He then rose and approached an old waterskin that was hanging nearby, and from it he performed a perfect, complete wuḍū’, fulfilling every part of it with precision and beauty.

Having purified himself, he stood to pray.

Ibn ʿAbbās — who was eager to imitate the Messenger of Allah ﷺ — stood up, performed wuḍū’ exactly as he had seen, and then went to stand beside the Prophet ﷺ. And in one of the most tender prophetic gestures, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ placed his right hand on Ibn ʿAbbās’s head and took hold of his right ear, twisting it gently — either to awaken him fully, to guide him to the correct position in prayer, or as an expression of affection.

Then the Prophet ﷺ prayed:
two units, then two, then two, until he completed twelve rakʿahs — making taslīm after every two — and then he performed the witr prayer, completing his night worship with an odd-numbered prayer as was his Sunnah.

After concluding, he lay upon his side until the mu’adhdhin came to inform him of Fajr. He then prayed two light rakʿahs, the Sunnah of Fajr, and went out to lead the Muslims in the obligatory dawn prayer.

From this single night, Ibn ʿAbbās — may Allah be pleased with them both — preserved for the Ummah priceless treasures:

• the Prophet ﷺ recited Qur’an upon waking, even before wuḍū’ • the Prophet ﷺ wiped the traces of sleep from his face with his blessed hand
• the Prophet ﷺ performed a complete, meticulous wuḍū’
• he prayed twelve rakʿahs in pairs, followed by witr • he lay upon his side until the mu’adhdhin came to inform him of Fajr.
• he prayed the two light Sunnah rakʿahs of Fajr
• he displayed gentleness toward youth, teaching through affection and closeness

This is not merely a report—it is a portrait of prophetic worship. A night in which scripture descended from memory to heart, in which wuḍū’ became purity of soul, and in which prayer flowed in the quiet hours before dawn.

And all of this was preserved by the young companion who followed the Prophet ﷺ step by step, imitating his actions so that his knowledge may reach every household, every heart, and every seeker until the end of time.

May Allah be pleased with the noble companion ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās, the narrator of this noble hadith, and may Allah send peace and blessings upon the one he observed — the Messenger of Allah ﷺ — whose nights were filled with gratitude, reflection, and worship.

When a Jinn Cried and Failed to Enter a Believer — All Because He Recited This Dhikr 100 Times!

Shaykh Aziz Farhan Al-Anizi حفظه الله

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ، وَبَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ.

O Allah, send Your Ṣalāh (praise, grace, honour, and mercy) upon Muḥammad and upon the family of Muḥammad, as You sent Your Ṣalāh (praise, grace, honour, and mercy) upon Ibrāhīm and upon the family of Ibrāhīm; indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Most Glorious. And bless Muḥammad and the family of Muḥammad, as You blessed Ibrāhīm and the family of Ibrāhīm; indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Most Glorious.

How Easy Allah Made Repentance — A Mercy Beyond Imagination!

Shaykh Sulayman Ar-Ruhayli حفظه الله

The Qur’an: A Treasure Containing All You Need — Every Answer, Every Cure, Every Light Is Found Within Its Timeless Words!

Sheikh Muhammad Sa’eed Raslan حفظه الله

I carry within me a memory from my early childhood—soft, warm, and wrapped in the calm of early mornings. I would sit near my father and mother as they recited the Qur’an after Fajr, their voices steady and reverent. Among the verses they often recited was this āyah:

"وَمَا هَٰذِهِ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا لَهْوٌ وَلَعِبٌ ۚ وَإِنَّ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ لَهِيَ الْحَيَوَانُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ"
“And this life of the world is nothing but play and amusement. But the home of the Hereafter is indeed the real life: if they but knew.”

In my small world, with a mind barely awakened to meanings, I only knew one thing: ḥayawān meant animal. So each time I heard it, I would tilt my head and wonder—why is Allah mentioning “an animal” here? Such is the innocence of a child whose language is Arabic, yet whose understanding is limited to what his tiny hands can reach and what his young eyes can grasp.

Years passed. I grew older. The Qur’an grew with me. And one day, curiosity pushed me to finally open the books of tafsīr—to uncover the real meaning behind the verse that had lingered in my memory since childhood. And what I found was more beautiful, more powerful, and more humbling than anything my young mind could have imagined. Imam al-Ṭabarī explains that this worldly life—this life we cling to, chase after, fear over, and fight for—is nothing but play and amusement. A momentary delight for the soul, soon to fade, soon to slip from our hands as quickly as it came. But the Hereafter… the Hereafter is the true ḥayawān—the life that is fully alive, the life of pure vitality, permanence, continuity, and eternity. A life with no end, no fading, no interruption, no death.

Qatādah said: “It is a life in which there is no death.”

Mujāhid said: “There is no dying in it.”

Ibn ʿAbbās, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “It means: everlasting.”

Al-Ṭabarī concludes that if people knew this reality with certainty, they would never reject Allah nor cling to a world destined to fade.

Ibn ʿĀshūr in his Tafsīr at-Taḥrīr wa at-Tanwīr explains that this verse rebukes two groups: those who recognised the truth yet chose the dunya, and those completely absorbed by worldly life with no thought of the Hereafter. Both denied resurrection, so Allah exposed the reality of this fleeting world.

The first point he mentions is that the Dunya is Belittled Through the Word “this”. Allah says: "وَمَا هَٰذِهِ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا". The demonstrative pronoun “this” (هذه) is intentionally used to belittle the worldly life—as if pointing at something small, insignificant, unworthy of attachment. Ibn ʿĀshūr illustrates this with the line of poetry from Qays ibn al-Khaṭīm, who belittled death:
مَتَى يَأْتِ هٰذَا الْمَوْتُ لَا يُلْفِ حَاجَةً
لِنَفْسِي إِلَّا قَدْ قَضَيْتُ قَضَاءَهَا
“When this death comes, it will find no need of mine unmet.” Just as the poet pointed to death with “this” to diminish its seriousness to him, Allah points to the worldly life with “this” to expose its smallness compared to the eternal life to come.

The second point is regarding Why Allah Uses the Word “الحَيَوَان”. Ibn ʿĀshūr explains that Allah uses the powerful form الحَيَوَان because it is built on the morphological pattern فَعَلان—a structure that conveys intensity, fullness, motion, and overflowing vitality. Arabs use similar patterns, like: غليان (boiling), هيجان (surging), and لهبان (flaming). These forms indicate movement and complete liveliness. So when Allah describes the Hereafter as الحَيَوَان, He is declaring that it is the true and complete life—the life that is fully alive, the life possessing every meaning of life in its most perfect form: movement, renewal, continuity, permanence, and everlasting vitality.

The third point is that Their Ignorance Is Total. They are ignorant of its very essence. Thus Allah ends with: "لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ" — “If they but knew.” If they knew the reality of the Hereafter, their hearts would detach from this world, their ambitions would shift, and their priorities would transform completely.

Beware of This Grave Mistake in Prayer: The Prophet ﷺ Warned of Eyes Being Snatched for This Act!

Shaykh Aziz Farhan Al-Anizi حفظه الله