Salaah

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: I have a habit of making intention for Salat-ut-Tawbah, Shukr, Haajat & Tahajjud in a single two rakaat nafl salaah. Is this permissible and will it be more effective to do them individually?

Q: How should salaats missed over several years be performed and discharged in a situation where one has no record of the number of salaats missed and from when?

One also does not know when one had become baaliq, in which case, does missed salaats have to be estimated from the age of 12 or 15?

Q: Dad was ill in hospital and shortly after he got admitted he passed away. He did not give wasiyat for his missed fast and salaah, so I've taken it upon myself to fulfil some sort of kaffarah (fidyah) on his behalf, and insha'allah Allah will accept.

In terms of spending the kaffarah (fidyah), there is a young baligh male who is from a poor family and needs to sort out his final year of studies in order for him to get his degree/diploma in order to move forward with his life.

Is it possible for me to give him the money or a 3rd party who is currently financially responsible for his payments to pay off his final year of studies?

Q:

1. How do we know number of missed prayer when we used to pray occasionally (based on years) and how to perform those missed prayers?

2. Can we attach one extra prayer in lieu of missed prayers in Fajr and Maghrib?

Q: Is the prayer of someone who has inserted something into its rectum (to block flatulence) before doing wudhu and removed it after praying valid?

Q: I was the imam in a salaah while travelling, a few other travellers also stopped, joined us and we performed salaah.

We had departed after Fajr, and had decided we will stop for Zohr at this location. After stopping we had meals etc. made wudhu and went to perform salaah.

At the time of starting the 2 rakaat jamaat salaah, I don't remember having a definite intention of performing Zohr Salah itself, although it was for this very reason we stopped. After saying the takbir the thought came into my mind that what salah am I performing? Is it Asr? Then I immediately realised no its Zohr.

After salaah I mentioned this to an alim there who said its fine, since we stopped for that very reason so "ilm" was evident, and "amal" as well was evident. When these two are found then this is sufficient, its not necessary to make the specific intention before salah.

1. Is this correct? Is the salah valid?

2. If it is invalid, what should one do when the musallis behind one cannot be traced?

Q: If I travel from Johannesburg to Durban for 20 days, but stay at different suburbs in Durban for a few days each, e.g. Musgrave, Sherwood, Overport, Clare Estate, Westville, etc.

1. Would I be a musafir?

2. What is considered in determining whether a place is considered as one or two different places? E.g. Is it based on the city name, suburb, physical break in buildings, etc?

Q: Due to the pandemic, my husband is not allowed in the hospital during my delivery. Can he recite the azaan through the phone loudspeaker in my baby’s ears? What is the other option I can do? 

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.