Visiting a Shrine

Imam Ahmad Rida Khan
Translated by Abdul Naim Azizi

Question: When we visit a Wali’s shrine, how do we pray [the fatiha] there and what should be [further] recited in the prayer?

Answer:
To visit shrines of Awliya, go from the foot of the shrine and stand facing the head of the shrine at a distance of about six feet, and [then] greet them respectfully with a voice neither loud nor quiet, saying: ‘assalamu `alaykum ya Sayyidi wa- rahmatullahi wa-barakatuh.’ Then recite durud ghawsiyya (Allahumma salli `ala Sayyidina Muhammadin ma’dan al-judi wal karami wa `ala ahlihi wa-sahbihi wa-barik wa-sallim) thrice, al-hamd sharif once, Ayat al-Kursi once, Surat Ikhlas seven times and if there is enough time [left], recite Surat Mulk and Surat Ya Sin too.

And pray to Allah Ta`ala,

‘Oh Lord, Give as much reward for this recitation as is worthy to your Grace and not as much that is worthy of my action, and convey it to your favorite slave as an offering.’

After this du`a for your lawful [and] good desires, make the Wali sleeping in this shrine a means in the court of Allah Ta`ala. And then, after offering the greeting, return in the same way. Don’t touch the shrine or kiss it. Circumventing it is unanimously forbidden, and prostration is purely haram.

And Allah Ta`ala knows best!

Source: http://www.marifah.net

Is it haraam to urinate standing up?

Question:
What is the Shari ruling regarding standing while urinating?
There is a hot debate here regarding this. While some claim that it is permissible others claim it is haram. Their argument is that there is a hadith in which Aisha (ra) says that whoever tells you that the Prophet (pbuh) urinated while standing do not believe him. Please clarify the issue.
Praise be to Allaah.

Answer:
It is not haraam for a man to urinate standing up, but it is Sunnah for him to urinate sitting down, because ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “Whoever tells you that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to urinate standing up, do not believe him. He only ever used to urinate sitting down.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, al-Tahaarah, 12; he said, this is the most saheeh report on this topic.

And because this is more concealing, and it reduces the risk of any drops of urine splashing up onto him.

It was narrated from ‘Umar, Ibn ‘Umar and Zayd ibn Thaabit (may Allaah be pleased with them) that it is allowed to urinate standing up on the condition that there is no risk of drops of urine splashing onto one’s body or clothes, and that one does not expose one's ‘awrah,

Al-Bukhaari and Muslim narrated from Hudhayfah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to a garden belonging to some people, and urinated standing up.

There is no contradiction between this and the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), because it is possible that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did that because he was in a place where he was unable to sit down, or he did that to show the people that it is not haraam.

This does not contradict the basic principle mentioned by ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) urinated sitting down, because it is Sunnah, it is not something waajib (obligatory) which it is forbidden to go against.

And Allaah knows best.

Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 5/88 .