The Nafilah of Isha Prayer
Question :

How many Rak'as is the recommended (Nafilah) prayer for Isha? Does it make a difference if we pray sitting or standing? I heard that two Rak'as sitting is equal to one Rak'ah standing.

Answer :

It is a two-Rak'ah prayer, to be offered sitting.

Prayer in Usurped Area
Question :

I offered the prayer in an usurped place without knowing that it is actually usurped. Is my prayer valid?

Answer :

Yes, it is valid provided that other conditions of the prayer are fulfilled, such as the intention of seeking closeness to Almighty Allah.

Prayer on a Usurped Place
Question :

A person is a tenant of a property owned by a Shia Waqf organization. That person refuses to pay the agreed rent amount. Can such a person offer prayers in his house where the arrears are still outstanding and are such prayers valid?

Answer :

If the said property is used by a person without paying its due rent then he is considered as a ghasib (usurper) and the prayer in such a place - if he is attentive of the fact that it is prohibited - is void.

Usurped
Question :

There is a company which has a prayer room for employees. But that company generates haram income and rent is paid from that income. Is it permitted to offer our prayers in that room?

Answer :

The prayer is correct in the room as long as the room itself is not usurped, even if the rent is paid using a prohibited source.

Covering the Hair During Prayers
Question :

Is it permissible if sometimes a bit of hair shows during prayer from underneath the headscarf of a woman?

Answer :

Women must cover their hair entirely during prayer; the prayer is valid if she noticed after the prayer that a bit of hair was not covered during the prayer.

Prayer in the Outdoor
Question :

Sometimes, when I am travelling or commuting, I have to pray on the outdoors somewhere by the street; otherwise the prayer time will end. Is this permissible?

Answer :

It is permissible to offer the prayer in the streets, but one should take off his shoes.

Cover the face in prayers
Question :

If a woman covers her face and hands as a form of modesty, does she need to uncover these for prayer? If her forehead is left uncovered, so that it may touch a Turbah, can the rest of her face remain covered?

Answer :

Yes, this is fine.

What Should be Covered during Prayer
Question :

Are men allowed to wear shorts that go slightly above the knee? Is this the same for the prayers too?

Answer :

During the prayer, it is obligatory for men to cover their private parts, which are the male reproductive organs and the anus. It is not obligatory to cover the rest of the body. The same is obligatory for men for outside the prayers.

Prayer
Question :

Is it permissible to offer prayers without a shirt?

Answer :

Yes, it is permissible.

Time of Morning Prayer
Question :

When does the time for Morning Prayer end?

Answer :

The time for Morning Prayer does not end until sunrise.

Not Paying Tax
Question :

If live in a town in the UK. If I register with the council or let them know that I am living here, the government will make me pay council tax every month. If I do not register or don't pay this tax, will my prayer be valid here in my apartment, while I do pay my rent to the landlord as normal?

Answer :

This will not make your prayers there invalid.

Fake Asylum
Question :

If someone travels to a non-Muslim country and claims asylum on a fake story and gives false information, and his claim was accepted, is his prayer and fasting valid as long as he stays in this country?

Answer :

The acts of worships are not affected by this.

A Mosque on a Government Property
Question :

The mosque in our city was built on a government property. It was vacant when the mosque was built. Those who built the mosque are willing to pay the cost of the plot when the government asks them to pay. Can we pray in the mosque?

Answer :

It is permissible to pray in the said mosque.

Praying in the Same Room
Question :

If a man and a woman are praying in the same room, how far apart they must be from each other.

Answer :

It is permissible for the man and woman to pray next to each other, although it is disliked. Such dislike can be avoided when the position of the man is ahead of the woman, in such a way that when she prostrates her forehead would be adjacent to his knees. It is better that the man's position is ahead of that of the woman's by a distance of a step.

Covering the Head
Question :

Is it obligatory to cover our head when offering prayer?

Answer :

It is not obligatory for men to cover their heads during prayer.

Redness in the Sky
Question :

Is the lack of redness in the sky one of the signs of the time of Maghrib?

Answer :

The time of Maghrib prayer is the setting of the sun. If there is doubt about it, then one should wait till he is certain that the sun has set. The disappearance of the redness in the eastern sky is an indication that the sun has indeed set.

Best time for the Prayer
Question :

What is the method to determine the best time for Fajr (Morning) Prayer?

Answer :

It is best to perform the Fajr prayer immediately after the break of dawn.

Prayer on Top of the Ka'ba
Question :

What is your ruling regarding offering the prayer on the top of Ka'ba or inside it?

Answer :

It is permissible in both of the mentioned cases.

Prostrating on the Rock
Question :

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

Answer :

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.

Isha Prayer timing
Question :

If I offer the Maghrib prayer immediately after sunset, can I offer the Isha prayer immediately afterwards?

Answer :

Yes, you can.