['Aalim Network QR] Death Rites and Fasting By Traveller

[Maqbul Rahim <100530.1344@compuserve.com>]

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|       In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the All-Merciful       |\
|  Greeting of Allah be upon Muhammad and the pure members of his House |\
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Salaamun Alaykum

Khushali Mubarak on the Wiladat of our beloved Imam Al Mehdi Al-Sahibuzaman a.s.
May Allah hasten his reappearance.
 
The  following questions on Death Rites and Fasting by a regular traveller
were kindly answered by Ma'alim Hamid Mavani.  

Jazakallah

With Duas and Salaams

Maqbul Rahim
Acting Moderator for ABDG-A
...........................................................................

QUESTIONS:

I am a  muqallid of  Ayt. Khamenei.

Q1. What religious actions should we do if our father/mother is laying on
the bed and in the state of dying?  

ANSWER: 
For the person approaching death, it is recommended to place
him/her on their back such that the soles of the feet are facing the
qiblah.  Also, the basic tenets of faith should be read out aloud in
a language that the dying person understands.  There are some du'as
that one can recite which are mentioned in books of supplication.
If the person is experiencing great torment and difficulty, then it
is recommended to place him/her at the place where he/she customarily
offered the prayers.  It is also recommended to recite certain suras
and passages from the Qur'an - Surah Yasin, as-Saffat, al-Ahzab, Ayat-
ul-Kursi, verse 54 of Surah al-A'raf and the last three verses of
Surah al-Baqarah and/or other parts of the Qur'an.


Q2. Suppose the working distance of my workplace is more than 100 km from
the place where I stay, should I continue fasting in the month of
Ramadan or my fasting would be considered void since I am travelling
to work?

ANSWER:
If the distance between the city boundary and place of employment
exceeds 28 miles/44 km for one-way trip or 14 miles/22 km each way for
round trip, then the person would be categorized amongst those whose
profession requires travelling, like pilots, bus drivers, etc. and thus
would be required to pray full (tamaam) prayers and observe the fasts.  So, in
your case, you are obligated to fast because the travelling is an
integral part of reaching the workplace.  This is the ruling of
Ayat. Sayyid Ali Khamena'i (Ajwibat-ul-Istifta'at, p. 190) and also
Ayat. Khu'i and Ayat. Seestani.  However, Ayat. Khumayni had a different
scheme in defining city boundaries and was also of the opinion that
those who travel more than 22km/44km to get to their workplace would be
deemed as travellers (musafir) and thus would be required to shorten
the prayers and would not be allowed to fast, however, the qada should
be made up before the onset of the next month of Ramadan.

wa bi-l-laahi-t-tawfiq,

Hamid Mavani

SOURCES:  Ayat. Khu'i, Minhaj-us-Salihin
          Ayat. Khumayni, Tahrir-ul-Wasilah
          Ayat. Khamena'i, Ajwibat-ul-Istifta'at
          Ayat. Seestani, Al-Masa'il-ul-Muntakhabah

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