Salaah

Women's Salaah

Q: I read in your book that women's clothes during salaah can't reveal her body shape. My salaah dress is not tight, however when I go to ruku you can see the shape of the knees, going to sajda – shape of back, in jalsah – shape of knees again as I sit, etc. so the dress is not tight but not very flowing and loose. Is it a problem? I have also question about sleeves of the dress. It is not tight, but not that its very wide, when bending an arm it shows shapes of elbow, etc. is it a problem? In one my abaya a sleeve has a tight ending, around 20 cm from a wrist upwards towards elbow. Is this tight ending a problem from making salah in this abaya? Also, is it ok to make salah in hijab (scarf) or only in khimar is ok, because hijab when wrapped around head looks tight and khimar flows down. At home I make it in khimar (till belly), but outside in hijab (scarf), what is the status of common hijab (scarf) for salah? By the way, even khimar falling down the bosom still shows its shape. Is it ok or we have to wear khimar 3 times bigger our size to have many gathers to hide all possible shapes? Is it what we have to try to achieve in our dress for salah and our khimar? In your book its stated that arms of a woman must be under burqa. I checked burqa in the internet and saw a dress that clothes all face including eyes. Is this the requirement, because it is also written in the book that face can be open? My khimar is till belly and its inconvenient to put hands under it for takbeer. Is it ok to do it on top?

How to determine the boundaries of a locality

Q: In beheshti zewar, in the chapter of salaah on a journey, mention is made that if the azaan from one place cannot be heard in another place, then they are regarded as two places, for the purpose of the musafir if he spends 10 days in each place, he would still be a musafir. Does this still apply today when determining where are boundaries? Or does one look at the municipal boundaries between suburbs and localities?

Tahajjud Salaah

Q: It is mentioned in the Hadith that Voluntary Worship is a means of attaining proximity to Allah. Besides the Obligatory and Essential Prayers, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) used to make arrangements for the Voluntary (Nawafil) Prayers too.

1) I want to perform tahajjud namaz daily but when I sleep I don't wake up at the time of tahajjud. So can I just offer eight rakats Voluntary Worship for Allah before going to sleep daily?

2) Is it allowed to perform extra Voluntary Worship any time of a day and any time of night before going to sleep?

Incorrect recitation

Q: I realized that I was reading surah Ikhlas pausing in letter Mim (everywhere where it has sukun in this surah) in last ayats making it as double letter – shadda. Does it change the meaning? If during salah I realize I did it again, do I have to start salahs from the beginning or I have to make sajda-sawh or can proceed without it as normal? Could you please also let me know, is it true that kaza of sunna of fajr cant be made in a fajr time, but has to be made any other time after fajr?