Among the rulings of the prayer for rain and the festival prayer
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Your Eminence! Regarding the prayer for rain and the two festival prayers, if a person misses them, does he make them up or not? And if he misses a unit of prayer, does he make up the additional takbirs or not? And regarding the imams who do not ask the congregation to straighten their rows, what is your advice to them?
This question comes at a good occasion; because it coincided with the day on which we performed the prayer for rain. As we know, the prayer for rain is seeking rain, and seeking rain takes many forms. One may seek rain while in prostration, or while sitting in a gathering with his companions, or the preacher may seek rain on Friday, or the people may go out to the festival prayer ground to perform the prayer for rain.
The description of the prayer for rain is like the festival prayer, but the sermon is a single sermon, and it is not like the festival sermon, for the festival has two sermons, and this is the well-known view among the scholars of knowledge.And it was said: The festival has one sermon, and this is what the sound proofs, free from weakness, indicate: that the festival sermon is one, but the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to preach to the men first, then descend to the women and admonish them.
As for the prayer for rain, it is one sermon, even according to the view of those who hold that the festival prayer has two sermons; it is one sermon, either before the prayer or after the prayer, so the matter is entirely permissible. If the imam, upon arriving at the prayer ground, faced the qiblah, made supplication, and the people said "Ameen" to it, that would be sufficient. And if he delayed the sermon until after the prayer, that is also sufficient and permissible, so the matter is broad in this regard.
I said this so that no one would object to what some imams do in the prayer for rain, which is preaching and supplicating before the prayer. If he does that, he should not be objected to, because it is a recommended practice established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
As for if a person misses the prayer for rain, I do not know of any recommended practice from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding this, but if he prays and supplicates, there is nothing wrong with it.
As for the festival prayer, it is not made up if it is missed, because it is a prayer legislated in a specific manner, which is the presence of the people and their gathering behind one imam. So if it is missed, it is not made up.
Likewise, the Friday prayer, if it is missed, is not made up, but one prays the midday prayer in its place, because this is the time for the midday prayer. So if one is unable to perform the Friday prayer, he prays the midday prayer.
As for the festival prayer, no substitute has been reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for it. So if you miss it with the imam, you have missed it, and it is not prescribed for you to make it up. As for the additional takbirs after the takbir of intention, if you enter with the imam after the takbirs have ended, you do not repeat the takbirs, because they are a recommended practice whose time has passed, and if its time passes, it is dropped.
As for the second unit, you will say takbir with the imam. And if you miss the first unit and do not enter with the imam until the second unit, it is known that you will say the takbirs that the imam says, or whatever remains of them. And when you stand to make up what you missed, you will say takbir in the unit you are making up.
As for the imams asking to straighten the rows in the festival prayer and the prayer for rain, it is prescribed, like other prayers, because if the people are not reminded of this, they may neglect it. So in every prayer where congregation is prescribed, it is prescribed for the imam, if the people are in rows, to remind them and say: "Straighten your rows, be even."
And as for the saying of some imams: "Be upright."
This has no basis, and it has not been reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I have looked into it and asked some of the brothers to look into it, and they did not find a basis for it from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he used to say "Be upright" instead of "Straighten your rows" .
And there is no justification for saying "Be upright" , because the meaning of "Be upright" is: upon the religion of Allah, and this is not the place for that, because this is the place for ordering the people to establish the rows in prayer,The prescribed thing is to say: "Straighten your rows, be even in your rows," and the like of that.
This question comes at a good occasion; because it coincided with the day on which we performed the prayer for rain. As we know, the prayer for rain is seeking rain, and seeking rain takes many forms. One may seek rain while in prostration, or while sitting in a gathering with his companions, or the preacher may seek rain on Friday, or the people may go out to the festival prayer ground to perform the prayer for rain.
The description of the prayer for rain is like the festival prayer, but the sermon is a single sermon, and it is not like the festival sermon, for the festival has two sermons, and this is the well-known view among the scholars of knowledge.And it was said: The festival has one sermon, and this is what the sound proofs, free from weakness, indicate: that the festival sermon is one, but the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to preach to the men first, then descend to the women and admonish them.
As for the prayer for rain, it is one sermon, even according to the view of those who hold that the festival prayer has two sermons; it is one sermon, either before the prayer or after the prayer, so the matter is entirely permissible. If the imam, upon arriving at the prayer ground, faced the qiblah, made supplication, and the people said "Ameen" to it, that would be sufficient. And if he delayed the sermon until after the prayer, that is also sufficient and permissible, so the matter is broad in this regard.
I said this so that no one would object to what some imams do in the prayer for rain, which is preaching and supplicating before the prayer. If he does that, he should not be objected to, because it is a recommended practice established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
As for if a person misses the prayer for rain, I do not know of any recommended practice from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding this, but if he prays and supplicates, there is nothing wrong with it.
As for the festival prayer, it is not made up if it is missed, because it is a prayer legislated in a specific manner, which is the presence of the people and their gathering behind one imam. So if it is missed, it is not made up.
Likewise, the Friday prayer, if it is missed, is not made up, but one prays the midday prayer in its place, because this is the time for the midday prayer. So if one is unable to perform the Friday prayer, he prays the midday prayer.
As for the festival prayer, no substitute has been reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for it. So if you miss it with the imam, you have missed it, and it is not prescribed for you to make it up. As for the additional takbirs after the takbir of intention, if you enter with the imam after the takbirs have ended, you do not repeat the takbirs, because they are a recommended practice whose time has passed, and if its time passes, it is dropped.
As for the second unit, you will say takbir with the imam. And if you miss the first unit and do not enter with the imam until the second unit, it is known that you will say the takbirs that the imam says, or whatever remains of them. And when you stand to make up what you missed, you will say takbir in the unit you are making up.
As for the imams asking to straighten the rows in the festival prayer and the prayer for rain, it is prescribed, like other prayers, because if the people are not reminded of this, they may neglect it. So in every prayer where congregation is prescribed, it is prescribed for the imam, if the people are in rows, to remind them and say: "Straighten your rows, be even."
And as for the saying of some imams: "Be upright."
This has no basis, and it has not been reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I have looked into it and asked some of the brothers to look into it, and they did not find a basis for it from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he used to say "Be upright" instead of "Straighten your rows" .
And there is no justification for saying "Be upright" , because the meaning of "Be upright" is: upon the religion of Allah, and this is not the place for that, because this is the place for ordering the people to establish the rows in prayer,The prescribed thing is to say: "Straighten your rows, be even in your rows," and the like of that.