If the Sunnah prayer of Ad-Duha (forenoon) is missed, can it be made up or not? A- If the time of Ad-Duha is missed, then the prayer is missed. This is because the Sunnah of Ad-Duha is restricted to that time frame. However, the regular Sunnah prayers, because they follow the obligatory prayers, can be made up, as can the witr prayer. This is because it is confirmed by the Prophet's Sunnah that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) was overcome by sleep or sickness, he would offer 12 Rak'ahs during the day. So witr may also be made up. Q- Some people, when they enter the mosque near the time of iqamah, stand and wait for the arrival of the imam and don't offer the salutation to the mosque. What is the ruling concerning this action? A- If the time is so short that it is not possible to perform the salutation to the mosque prayer, then there is no sin upon them. But if they do not know when the imam will arrive, then it is better to offer the salutation to the mosque. Then if the imam comes and the iqamah is called while you are in the first rak'ah, then you should not continue, but if you are in the second rak'ah, then complete it quickly. Q- Is there Zakah payable on one's personal car? A- There is no Zakah payable on it. Everything a person uses for himself, except gold and silver jewelry, there is no Zakah to be paid on it, whether a car, a camel, a farm implement or anything else, according to a saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him), “There is no Zakah payable by a Muslim on his slave, nor on his horse.” Q- Is there a special prayer for ihram? A- There is no special prayer for ihram. If a person arrives at the starting point (for Hajj or Umrah) and it is close to the time of an obligatory prayer, then it is better to delay assuming ihram until he offers the obligatory prayer, then assumes ihram. But if he reaches the starting point at a time when no obligatory prayer is due, then as is well known, he should perform ghusl as he would have a shower due to major ritual impurity, wear perfume and don the garments of ihram. Then if he wishes, he may offer the forenoon (Duha) prayer if is the due time for it, or he may offer the Sunnah of ablution (Sunnat Al-Wudu) if it is not the time for the forenoon prayer, and assume ihram after that, which is better. As for there being a special prayer for ihram, that has not been reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him). And Allah knows best. Q- Is it permissible to perform Umrah on behalf of the dead? A- It is permissible to perform Umrah on behalf of the dead, just as it is permissible to perform Hajj on behalf of a dead person, and similarly, it is permissible to perform tawaf on behalf of the dead. Likewise, it is permissible to perform all kinds of righteous deeds on behalf of the dead person. Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “Every good deed which a person performs and whose reward he allocates to a Muslim whether living or dead will benefit him.” But supplicating for the deceased is better than assigning a reward to him, the evidence for which is the Hadith in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “When a person dies, all of his deeds except three are cut off: except continuing charity, knowledge from which people benefit, or a righteous son who supplicates for him.” And Allah knows best. – Excerpted from Islamic Verdicts on the Pillars of Islam by Sheikh Muhammad Bin Salih Al-‘Uthaimeen, complied and arranged by Fahd Bin Nasir Ibrahim As
