Jamaat Salaah and Imaamat

Q: When is the sunnah time for the words to straighten the suffoof to be said. What is the ruling in the hanafi madhab regarding it?

Q: We have a small musallah in our area. My question is, I am hoping to perform salaah as the imaam with 1, 2 to 4 musallies every day, but most of the time, I'm reading salaah alone as the imaam in front. Will I still get the full reward of salaah with jamaat?

Q: When the Shaafiee Imaam is not here, the musallis ask me to lead the Fajr Salaah. Since I'm a Hanafi, will it be appropriate for me to read qunoot with the niyyah of qunoot e naazila so as not to create confusion. It is a Shafiee masjid and many people are ignorant about these fiqhi ikhtilaafs.

I remember once a Hanafi Imaam led the Fajr Salaah and he did not read qunoot. After salaah there was a commotion and people started talking to one another that qunoot was not read. Please guide me what to do.

Q: We have children who are not baaliqh attending the fardh salaah. They are standing next to their fathers in the first saff. They were requested on many occasions to have their sons read in the back saff.

Is my salaah nullified? Is it makrooh to have these young boys in the middle of the saff?

Q: Can you run for salaah if you're late? I have seen prominent people doing this. Not outright running, but a very fast walk that a person will have to run after them if they want to catch up.

Q: There is a person who is a khunsa (hermaphrodite), but classified as a man now due to beard, urination etc. But he originally had two private parts. He does not have any attraction to any gender.

1. Is this person considered a khunsa or a man?

2. Is his imaamat of men valid? Or makrooh or what

3. Can a mukhannas be an imam?

From what I understand that it is a man but with womenly movements and speech

Q: I received a message wherein the following Hadith of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was mentioned:

Hazrat Anas bin Maalik (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “If food is served and the Iqaamah for salaah is given, then start with the food.”

The question that I wish to ask is that if one is at home and partaking of meals or one is at a function (e.g. waleemah or a braai etc.) and the food is being served, and the jamaat salaah in the musjid is about to commence, then what should a person do? Should one give preference to partaking of the food or should one attend the jamaat salaah in the musjid, as we have understood from this hadith that one should give preference to the food?

Q: There's a few brothers in a masjid who usually don't like when any scholars from different localities come to their masjid, when jamaat comes and even their own Imaams. They find fault in them. For example, they say that one person is reading too fast, another is making ruku and sajdah too long and they only come when the Imaam has to go on the mimbar for the khutbah.

Will their Salaah be accepted like how they don't appreciate their Imaams? Please advise as to what the normal brothers can do and also what the Imaams can do.

Q: In my locality there was an AGM meeting held which I attended. It was at the madrasah building which is the yard of our musjid. The meeting ended at 8:15 pm just before the Azaan was called. Esha namaaz jamaat was at 8:30pm. Five minutes before namaaz jamaat in the musjid, the brothers decided to read their own jamaat and not join the jamaat namaaz in the musjid. Even perchance if this type of meeting had to continue after Azaan was given, I thought the better place to read namaaz is in the musjid which I did. I also thought that being people in the effort of Deen if someone had to see us reading namaaz separately from the main jamaat in the musjid, it would create confusion or if we had to continue the meeting and read a separate namaaz later, this would also create confusion. In Deen, we have to always look at rewards to motivate us and the Sunnat. I believe we have to instill in our children and people the importance of jamaat namaaz in musjid.

I have seen in the month of Ramadaan, there are some areas if the venue is walking distance to musjid, they first read their Esha in musjid, then move to the venue even if this delays their taraaweeh time, and I also see in Darul Ulooms and Madrasahs that are in or near proximity to the MUSJID, they stop their classes and take time of to make the students read their namaaz with jamaat in the musjid then continue with class. I am sure, to stop students from class and move them to the musjid is abit time consuming.

My question:

1. What is the reward of the reading namaaz in the musjid with jamaat and in a bigger congregation?

2. Is there any disrespect caused when reading another jamaat in the same yard as the musjid after Azaan or few minutes before the Azaan is called except if you a Musaafir (traveller) or urgelty need to set out for a journey or any dire necessities?

3. If the madrasah students who's madrasah is situated in the same yard of the musjid, observe smaller jamaat separately and not in the musjid, what will be the harm of the tarbiyat of those children?

4. How can I help rectify this in my community as it is really disturbing me?

Q: There is a jamaat khana alot closer than the musjid to my home where 5 times salaah and jummah are performed. Is it permissible/advisable to join in the congregational salaah here?