Why Do We Pray Istikhara Prayer (صلاة الاستخارة)? This prayer is prescribed because a believer comes across numerous choices in his/her life that leaves him/her puzzled and uncertain about which choice to make. This may lead him/her to be unable to make a decision due to fear of making the wrong choice. Therefore, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) advised the believers to use this prayer as a form of seeking guidance from Allah on the matter. The specific supplication (du’a) prescribed by the Prophet (pbuh) asks Allah to guide the decision of the person to whatever is good for him/her in…

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There is a difference of opinion among Muslims scholars as to what type of things are considered impure (najas). The evidences behind their conclusions are discussed in more advanced classes. In the Hanbali school, the following things are considered impure (najas): Any intoxicating liquid This includes any hashisha that intoxicates Any bird or animal that is not allowed to be eaten and is larger than a cat Examples: lions, wolves, dogs, pigs, eagles, elephants, vultures, etc. Anything originating from such animals is also considered impure, such as, their saliva, snot, meat, milk, sperm, urine, feces, etc. Any carcass that has flowing blood…

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There is a difference of opinion among Muslims scholars as to what exactly breaks one’s wudu. The evidences behind the rulings are discussed in more advanced classes. In the Hanbali school, the following eight things are considered to invalidate one’s wudu: Anything that comes out of the two private parts It does not matter if it’s something impure like urine or pure like a stone, as long as it comes out of one of the two private parts, it will invalidate the wudu. Any impurity that comes out of the rest of the body If it is urine or stool,…

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