Question:
Assalamualaikum SS Dato’ Seri Mufti. We are from the mosque management and we would like to get your opinion regarding the purity status of the usage of wheelchair by people with disabilities, where they would pass roads outside of the mosque on their wheelchairs and then straight away come and enter the saf for prayer.
Hope for your opinion. Thank you.
Answer:
Waalaikumussalam wrt. wbt.
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
Allah SWT commanded Muslims to clean and purify themselves before going to the mosque to perform the congregational prayer. Furthermore, it is also encouraged to wear beautiful and proper clothing. Allah SWT state in the Quran:
يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُوا زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ
“O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid,”
Surah al-Aa’raf (31)
Likewise, Allah SWT commanded the Prophet PBUH to clean his clothes when he wants to pray. Allah SWT state:
وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ
“And your clothing purify,”
Surah al-Muddatsir (4)
Thus, scholars have set the condition of being pure from minor and major hadas as well as free from najis on one’s body, clothes and place of prayer as one of the valid conditions of prayer. This is stated in various fiqh books, among them is by Imam Ibn Qasim al-Syafie:
الشرط الأول (طهارة الأعضاء من الحدث) الأصغر والأكبر.. (و) طهارة (النجس) -الذي لا يعفى عنه- في ثوب وبدن ومكان
“The first valid conditions of prayer is being pure from minor and major hadas, as well as clean from najis, - which is unforgiven najis on one’s clothes, body and place of prayer. (Refer Fath al-Qarib al-Mujib Syarh Matan al-Taqrib: 73)
According to the above opinion, we found that wheelchair that is brought in prayer is included under the condition to be free from najis. The reason is, it is included as the things that is used in performing prayer such as praying mat, clothes and others. Thus, one should ensure that there is no najis on the wheel chair when used to pray.
However, if we analyse the issue further, we found that the issue is similar with the situation of the ruling of wearing shoes or khuf when praying. In a hadith, the Prophet PBUH said:
إِذَا جَاءَ أَحَدُكُمْ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ فَلْيَنْظُرْ : فَإِنْ رَأَى فِي نَعْلَيْهِ قَذَرًا أَوْ أَذًى فَلْيَمْسَحْهُ وَلْيُصَلِّ فِيهِمَا
“When any of you comes to the mosque, he should see; if he finds filth on his sandals, he should wipe it off and pray in them.”
Sunan Abu Daud (650) and al-Baihaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubra (3889)
Ibn Ruslan said: The word ‘الْأَذَى’ literally means something disgusting and filthy, whether it is clean or najis. (Refer Syarh Sunan Abi Daud, 3/72). This is as we have previously discussed in the article Al-Kafi #1235: Wearing Shoes While Praying.
In another narration, the Prophet PBUH said:
إِنَّ جِبْرِيلَ أَتَانِي فَأَخْبَرَنِي أَنَّ بِهِمَا خَبَثًا ، فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَحَدُكُمُ الْمَسْجِدَ فَلْيَقْلِبْ نَعْلَيْهِ ، فَلْيَنْظُرْ : فِيهِمَا خَبَثٌ ؟ فَإِنْ وَجَدَ فِيهِمَا خَبَثًا ، فَلْيَمْسَحْهُمَا بِالْأَرْضِ، ثُمَّ لِيُصَلِّ فِيهِمَا
“Gabriel came to me and informed me that there was filth in them. When any of you comes to the mosque, he should see; if he finds filth on his sandals, he should wipe it off and pray in them.”
Musnad Ahmad (11153) and al-Hakim (955)
Ibn Malik commented on the above hadith saying:
أن النعل إذا أصابته نجاسة ، فمسحت بالأرض حتى ذهب أثرها، جازت الصلاة فيه
“Indeed, if there’s najis on one’s shoes, then he should remove it by wiping it on soil, until it is completely removed, then it is permissible for him to pray in them.” (Refer Syarh Masabih al-Sunnah, 1:457)
Thus, it could be understood from the hadith that if something is worn in prayer such as shoes or rollerblades. If there are no visible filth or najis on them or it is removed by wiping it off, then it is valid and permissible to be worn in prayer. However, if there is filth on it, then the filth should be removed first.
In another hadith, narrated from Ummu Walad, Ibrahim bin Abdul Rahman bin ‘Auf asked Ummu Salamah, the wife of the Prophet PBUH, and she replied:
إِنِّي امْرَأَةٌ أُطِيلُ ذَيْلِي وَأَمْشِي فِي الْمَكَانِ الْقَذِرِ . فَقَالَتْ أُمُّ سَلَمَةَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم : يُطَهِّرُهُ مَا بَعْدَهُ
“I am a woman having a long border of clothes and I walk in filthy place; (then what should I do?). Umm Salamah replied: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: What comes after it cleanses it.”
Sunan Abu Daud (383)
This shows that when a person is wearing a long jubah and he walked through a dirty road, then it would be cleansed by the pure and clean soil after it. We see the prophet PBUH does not burden Ummu Salamah by asking her to clean or wash her clothes after she walks through a dirty road. This proves that as long as there are no visible traces of filth or najis, then it is considered as pure and clean.
Conclusion
According to the above discussion, we conclude that the status of the purity of wheel chair that is brought into saf for prayer, as long as there is no visible najis on it and it does not dirty the floor and carpet of the mosque is pure and permissible. If there is filth or najis that could taint the purity of the mosque, then it should first be removed and cleansed. Furthermore, if there are any suggestion to prepare wheel chairs specific for indoor use in mosque by the management of the mosque itself, then this highly encouraged.
Lastly, we should commend the effort and sacrifice of those with disabilities to still come and attend to the mosque to perform the congregational prayer and celebrate then by easing their effort to complete this worship. Indeed, Allah SWT does not burden His slave with something that he is unable to bear. Allah SWT state:
وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ
“And [He] has not placed upon you in the religion any difficulty.”
Surah al-Hajj (78)
Wallahua’lam.