The Press Release on the Attack in Nigeria

The Press Release on the Attack in Nigeria
2016/07/02

We strongly condemn the savage attack that resulted in the horrible massacre against the Muslim followers of the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them) in Nigeria.

The circumstances and the intensity of the tragedy suggest the suspicious meditated intention of parties who do not care about the stability of the country or about the harmony between the sects of the nation.

We hold the Government of Nigeria fully responsible in investigating the circumstances of the tragedy, bringing the criminals to justice, freeing the innocents, and preventing this from taking place again.

We call the concerned international communities to uphold their responsibility in condemning this crime and pressuring those who caused it.

We ask Almighty Allah to grant the wounded fast recovery, to have His mercy on the souls of the victims and to give patience to their relatives. He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

Day Questions

Is a man allowed to will some amount of his property to relatives or any other person who according to Sharia would not receive anything otherwise? If yes, what is the maximum he can give to him?

It is permissible to will any amount without any limit to anybody. However, if the will pertains to a third of the inherited wealth or less, it is implemented. If it is more than a third, then the excess of the third is not implemented without the permission of the inheritors.

Why do we pray on the rock? And is it prohibited to pray on carpet like Sunnis without a rock?

Prayer is not valid on the carpet since prostration - based on the jurisprudence of the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them) - must be on natural earth like soil, stones, rocks and similar materials, or on what grows on earth provided that it is not consumed for food or worn as clothing. It is narrated - in both Sunni and Shia books of traditions - that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) said: "Earth is made for me as a place of prostration and a purifying agent". Some Sunni books of narrations state that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) used to have a piece of cloth in which he put soil in it and he opened it and prostrated on the soil.

I have hired various persons who are poor and pious believers and mostly careful in Sharia laws to make up for the lapsed prayers of my late wife. Now I have been told that they cannot offer prayers at the same time. Is this true?

It is not a requirement in the prayers on behalf of the deceased that they are not offered at the same time. They can offer the prayers based on their own circumstances and time.