Questions for Muslims

[cloudyday2]

That is most likely after the end of the salat. some may be making up missed prayers others could be saying personal Duas etc. But whatever it is not one of the 5 obligatory prayers. being done. As all would be doing the same things if it were one of the 5 obligatory prayers.

Being outside is very typical. Most of us will pray outside the Mosque if it is not raining. Usually those closest to the Mosque can hear the Imam and can stay synchronized. the others simply follow what those closest to the Mosque are doing.

Thanks, one more easy question: In the US, Saturday and Sunday are normally not work days but Friday is (of course that isn't true for all people). So how do Muslims deal with that? Is the Friday service not too important?

EDIT: Also school is normally Monday through Friday, so how does that work for Muslims in the US?

 

[WoodrowX2]

Thanks, one more easy question: In the US, Saturday and Sunday are normally not work days but Friday is (of course that isn't true for all people). So how do Muslims deal with that? Is the Friday service not too important?

We don't have any days off work, except for the 2 Eids. As far as Friday Jummah prayer Many US Muslims are self Employed and just work it into their schedule.

It takes about an hour For Jummah in most areas it is from 2-3 PM on Fridays. Usually something many of us manage to work around

Just speaking for North American Muslims Every one I know is self employed. either as a Business owner or in a professional Field The medical field being the most common.

For those that have to work for an employer they try to find jobs with Flexible hours, one reason Convenience store workers and Taxi Drivers are often Muslims.

 

[LoveBeingAMuslimah]

Thanks.

One question I forgot to ask is: must the prayers be performed at specific times of day? Taking McDonald's as an example, I'm sure there would be break periods but I'm not sure where a person would find the privacy for prayer. So in that case can the person defer the prayers until after work?

Each prayer must be performed before the time for the other prayer arrives (before that in the cases of the dawn and night prayers) so this gives people at least a few hours between each.

For example, the second prayer of the day is Dhuhr. Let's say that Dhuhr is from 1-5 PM (which is actually pretty close to when it is these days). A person can pray at any moment between this time though it's better to perform them as early as possible.

Here's a relevant fatwa given to someone who works at a fast food place. Basically, they say that he must do everything in his power to be able to perform the prayers on time (talk to the workplace, try to find another job if that is an option, etc). If he cannot and the job is necessary, then perhaps this falls under the case of necessity and it is permissible to join some of the prayers (2nd and 3rd prayers or 4th and 5th prayers). So in the case of the 2nd & 3rd prayers, a person would have anywhere from 1 PM - 8 PM to pray those two (though during the winter it'll be more like 12 - 5 PM) which should be sufficient time for most people to squeeze the prayers in.

 

[cloudyday2]

We don't have any days off work, except for the 2 Eids. As far as Friday Jummah prayer Many US Muslims are self Employed and just work it into their schedule.

It takes about an hour For Jummah in most areas it is from 2-3 PM on Fridays. Usually something many of us manage to work around

Just speaking for North American Muslims Every one I know is self employed. either as a Business owner or in a professional Field The medical field being the most common.

For those that have to work for an employer they try to find jobs with Flexible hours, one reason Convenience store workers and Taxi Drivers are often Muslims.

Could a Mosque hold their Friday service from 5-6 pm instead of 2-3 pm? This would allow the school children to get home from school and not miss the service.

 

[High Fidelity]

I highly doubt a centralised organisation in Islam would solve the problem.

I would imagine that, centralised organisation and 'authorised' dogma or not, people that end up committing acts of terror are in such a frame of mind that it wouldn't matter. I'm sure there's very likely some serious mental health problems going on, be it depression or worse, that either drives or facilitates the process and the route they end up going down.

I think ultimately it starts and stops within the community though. With that said, I think local communities should do the best they can to try and lead stray feet back to the correct path before it's too late. This probably happens close to as well as can be expected.
This isn't of course an absolute solution; if someone wants to hide something, they will likely succeed, especially so when it isn't of the physical.

 

[cloudyday2]

Each prayer must be performed before the time for the other prayer arrives (before that in the cases of the dawn and night prayers) so this gives people at least a few hours between each.

For example, the second prayer of the day is Dhuhr. Let's say that Dhuhr is from 1-5 PM (which is actually pretty close to when it is these days). A person can pray at any moment between this time though it's better to perform them as early as possible.

Here's a relevant fatwa given to someone who works at a fast food place. Basically, they say that he must do everything in his power to be able to perform the prayers on time (talk to the workplace, try to find another job if that is an option, etc). If he cannot and the job is necessary, then perhaps this falls under the case of necessity and it is permissible to join some of the prayers (2nd and 3rd prayers or 4th and 5th prayers). So in the case of the 2nd & 3rd prayers, a person would have anywhere from 1 PM - 8 PM to pray those two (though during the winter it'll be more like 12 - 5 PM) which should be sufficient time for most people to squeeze the prayers in.

That makes sense. I wonder if people often feel resentful about the obligation to do those prayers? When I was Eastern Orthodox and trying to follow their fasting rules, I often felt like damned if I do and damned if I don't. If I followed the rules, then I felt resentful, hungry, and irritable, but if I ignored the rules then I felt guilty. For a short time I tried to pray the 8 daily prayers in monasteries, and it seemed very time consuming. But I've found that without rules, I do nothing at all.

 

[WoodrowX2]

Could a Mosque hold their Friday service from 5-6 pm instead of 2-3 pm? This would allow the school children to get home from school and not miss the service.

Actually Jummah is only obligatory for Adult males. School age children are always welcome, but there is no harm if they miss Jummah.

But there are several hours during which Jummah can be said. to a large extent a local Mosque will have it at a time convenient for the Majority.

 

[smaneck]

where Islam has slipped up is having its leaders called mullahs because you can add mad before it and they automatically become mad mullah .....nothing really goes before say priest or father or vicar

The term Mullah is used mostly in the Persian speaking areas of the Islamic world, especially in Iran. To call someone a mullah in Pakistan would be considered an insult.

 

[smaneck]

Reformation is not only not needed, it is an impossibility.

I think what a lot of Christians don't realize is that it is not the Reformation which introduced notions such as tolerance etc. into Christendom, it was the Enlightenment, an explicitly anti-Christian movement.

 

[smaneck]

Goodness gracious. Settle down. There is no outcry because there is no terrorism resulting from it, and until it does, your hysteria seems pretty fringe. Every nation has an army, including yours.

Muslims consider aerial bombing an act of terrorism because you can't distinguish between military and civilian targets from the air. I might add that Europeans first felt the same way and would not use those weapons against fellow Europeans. They were used initially only against African "savages."

 

[smaneck]

Thanks, one more easy question: In the US, Saturday and Sunday are normally not work days but Friday is (of course that isn't true for all people). So how do Muslims deal with that? Is the Friday service not too important?

EDIT: Also school is normally Monday through Friday, so how does that work for Muslims in the US?

In predominantly Muslim countries Friday is the day off, although that is not required by the religion. Males should simply attend the noonday prayer if possible. Usually students at universities are able to do this. It is more complicated for working men.

 

[smaneck]

Also, it's been posited here before, but does Islam need a Reformation movement?

The Reformation did not make Christianity less violent, in fact it introduced the most religiously violent century Christendom had ever seen. It was the Enlightenment which reduced religious violence by making people less religious.

 

[WoodrowX2]

That makes sense. I wonder if people often feel resentful about the obligation to do those prayers? When I was Eastern Orthodox and trying to follow their fasting rules, I often felt like damned if I do and damned if I don't. If I followed the rules, then I felt resentful, hungry, and irritable, but if I ignored the rules then I felt guilty. For a short time I tried to pray the 8 daily prayers in monasteries, and it seemed very time consuming. But I've found that without rules, I do nothing at all.

I find the 5 daily prayers to be exhilarating. They are spaced out and make a nice break in the day.

Short timely breaks from the rigors of life.

 

[wn123455]

Muslims consider aerial bombing an act of terrorism because you can't distinguish between military and civilian targets from the air. I might add that Europeans first felt the same way and would not use those weapons against fellow Europeans. They were used initially only against African "savages."

According to you muslims consider aerial bombing as an act of terrorism. indonesian muslims use aerial bombing to kill the mostly non-muslim West Papuans. The muslim majority indonesia is colonizing and occupying the mostly non-muslim West Papua. Therefore according to you indonesian muslims must be terrorists.

Papua conflict - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Report claims Australian-supplied helicopters used by Indonesia in West Papua 'genocide' - Australia Network News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

 

[smaneck]

According to you muslims consider aerial bombing as an act of terrorism. indonesian muslims use aerial bombing to kill the mostly non-muslim West Papuans. The muslim majority indonesia is colonizing and occupying the mostly non-muslim West Papua. Therefore according to you muslims must be terrorists.

Because a single country commits an atrocity that makes an entire religion guilty of that atrocity?

 

[wn123455]

Because a single country commits an atrocity that makes an entire religion guilty of that atrocity?

I can bring up atrocities of other muslim majority countries.

 

[smaneck]

I can bring up atrocities of other muslim majority countries.

And I can bring up even greater atrocities on the part of Christian majority countries. What will that prove?

 

[wn123455]

And I can bring up even greater atrocities on the part of Christian majority countries. What will that prove?

I am just saying if muslims consider aerial bombing to be terrorism why do they do aerial bombing then?

 

[smaneck]

I am just saying if muslims consider aerial bombing to be terrorism why do they do aerial bombing then?

For the same reason we do.

 

[wn123455]

For the same reason we do.

A lot of countries are terrorists if you consider aerial bombing to be terrorism.