Lived Under Communism: Have To Make Up Missed Worship?
5-7 minutes
Question
I am a Muslim woman from Bulgaria. We were living under Communist rule and we did not know anything about Islam; in fact many acts of worship were banned. I did not know anything about Islam until I reached the age of twenty, and after that I began to adhere to the laws of Allah.
My question is: do I have to make up what I missed of prayer and fasting?.
Praise be to Allāh.
Firstly:
We praise Allah for saving you from unjust and oppressive communist rule after it suppressed the Muslims for more than forty years, during which mosques were destroyed and some were turned into museums, Islamic schools were abolished and they strove to change Muslim names and wipe out Muslim identity.
“but Allāh will not allow except that His Light should be perfected even though the Kāfirūn (disbelievers) hate (it)” [al-Tawbah 9:32 – interpretation of the meaning].
Communist rule, with its tyranny and oppression, ended in 1989, to the great joy of the Muslims, who went back to their ancient mosques, which they refurbished and renovated. They went back to teaching their children Qur’ān and the hijāb of Muslim women appeared again in the streets. We ask Allāh to bring the Muslims back to their religion in the best way and to support them and grant them victory and defeat their enemies.
Secondly:
A generation of Muslims grew up in Bulgaria under the oppression of Communist rule and they did not know anything about Islām apart from the fact that they were Muslims. The communist regime prevented them from learning Islām and even banned the import of the Holy Qur’ān and Islamic books into Bulgaria.
Those who did not know anything about the rulings of Islām and Islamic worship and other duties are not obliged to make up any of those acts of worship. If the Muslim was not able to acquire Islamic knowledge and the rulings of sharī‘ah did not reach him, then he is not obliged to do anything because Allāh, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Allāh burdens not a person beyond his scope”
[al-Baqarah 2:286].
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyah (may Allāh have mercy on him) said:
There is no difference of opinion among the Muslims that if a person was living in dār al-kufr (disbeliver lands) and he believed but he was unable to migrate (to a Muslim land), he is not obliged to observe Islamic rituals and laws that he is unable to; rather he is only obliged to do what he is able to. The same applies to matters concerning which he did not know the rulings. If he did not know that prayer was obligatory for him and he did not pray for a while, he does not have to make up those prayers according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions. This is the view of Abū Hanīfah and the literalists, and it is one of the two views of the madhhab of Ahmad.
The same applies to all the other duties such as fasting the month of Ramadān, paying zakāh, and so on.
If he did not know that alcohol is harām and he drank it, then he is not to be subjected to the hadd punishment, according to Muslim consensus. They only differed with regard to whether he has to make up the prayers…
The basic issue with regard to all of this is: are the laws obligatory for one who did not know them or is it the case that no one is under any obligation until after he comes to know?
The correct view concerning this matter is that there is no obligation to adhere to a ruling unless there is the possibility of acquiring knowledge thereof, and nothing has to be made up if it was not known that it is obligatory. It is proven in al-Sahīh that some of the Sahābah ate after dawn in Ramadān until they could tell the white thread apart from the black thread, but the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allāh be upon him) did not instruct them to make up those fasts. Some of them used to remain in a state of janābah (impurity following sexual activity or nocturnal emissions for which ghusl or full ablution is required) for a while and not pray; they did not know that it is permissible to pray with tayammum (dry ablution) – as happened to Abū Dharr, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb and ‘Ammār. But the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allāh be upon him) did not instruct any of them to make up the prayers.
No doubt some Muslims in Makkah and in the wilderness continued to pray facing towards Jerusalem until news reached them that that had been abrogated (and the qiblah had been changed to the Ka‘bah), but they were not instructed to repeat those prayers. And there are many similar examples. This reflects the principle that the early generation and the majority of scholars followed, namely that Allāh burdens not a person beyond his scope. Things are only obligatory when one is able to do them, and the punishment only applies when one fails to do something that is enjoined or does something that is forbidden, after proof has been established. End quote.
Majmū‘ al-Fatāwa, 19/225
Based on that, you do not have to make up any of the acts of worship that you did not know were obligatory.
[...]
We ask Allah to cause Islām and the Muslims to prevail.
Re: Lived Under Communism: Have To Make Up Missed Worship?
Allāh, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“So fear Allāh as much as you are able”
[at-Taghābun 64:16].
‘Izz ad-Dīn ibn ‘Abd as-Salām (may Allāh have mercy on him) said:
If someone is obliged to do some act of worship and he is able to do part of it and unable to do another part, then he must do what he is able to do, and what he is unable to do is waived in his case. … 1
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyah (may Allāh have mercy on him) said:
Whoever studies what it says in the Qur’ān and Sunnah will clearly see that obligation [to do some religious duties] is connected to being able to learn and act. If someone is unable to do either of them, then what he is unable to do is waived in his case, for Allāh does not burden any soul with more than it can bear…2
“If I command you to do a thing, then do as much of it as you can”
"...There is no contradiction between this principle, that a command means a thing is obligatory, and the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him), “If I forbid you to do a thing, then avoid it, and if I command you to do a thing, then do as much of it as you" can” (narrated by al-Bukhāri, 7288; Muslim, 1337), because all that we understand from this hadeeth is that following commands is dependent upon one's ability to carry them out. This is part of the mercy and perfection of Islām. This does not apply only to the commands of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him), rather the commands of Allāh, may He be exalted, are also dependent upon one's ability to do them, as Allāh says (interpretation of the meaning):
“So keep your duty to Allāh and fear Him as much as you can”
[al-Taghābun 64:16]
“Allāh burdens not a person beyond his scope”
[al-Baqarah 2:286]
Al-Nawawī (may Allāh have mercy on him) said in Sharh Muslim: The words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him), “If I command you to do a thing, then do as much of it as you can”, form one of the basic principles of Islām, and is an example of the conciseness of speech which was bestowed upon him (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him). This includes innumerable rulings, such as prayers of all kinds. If a person is unable to do some of the essential parts of the prayer or fulfil some of its conditions, he may do the rest. If he is unable to wash some of the parts that should be washed in wudoo’ or ghusl, he should wash what he can. If he finds water that is only enough to wudoo’ or wash off some impurity partially, he should do whatever he can, and so on. If he finds something to cover only part of his ‘awrah, or he learns some of al-Fātihah and not all of it, he should do whatever he can, and so on. This is well known in the books of fiqh3. End quote. ..."
Re: Lived Under Communism: Have To Make Up Missed Worship?
Concealing Your Islâm Due To Persecution
The following are extracts from the works of Abû Muhammad Al-Maqdisî (May Allâh preserve him) in which he exposes the hypocrisy of the Catholic Church & recalls its persecution of the Muslims in Al-Andalusia.
He (the Shaykh) writes: "...With the visit of the Pope1 of the Vatican to our area in a few days, we are not able to stay silent or close our eyes or overlook what this man has uttered of falsehood, lying and slander upon our Religion and Prophet, , or to the fabrications that leaked out of his impure vessel (his mind), a vessel that wouldn’t be purified even if it was washed seven times, once with dust!..."
He (the Shaykh) continues:
"... Did this man forget the massacres of thousands and thousands of Protestants by the Catholics in his own country? The details of this event don’t concern me so the Protestants can remind him of it themselves. What concerns me is that he forgot, or pretended to forget about it, in all his talk about the intellect and humanity not accepting the spread of a religion by violence and by the sword. It was the courts of the Inquisition that were set up for the Muslims of Andalusia in order to turn them away from their Religion after the fall of Al-Andalus. Your catholic grandfathers burned and killed those they would find with a Qur’ân. They would even kill the one who would take a bath on Friday or on ‘Îd! Your ancestors, because of their filthiness, prohibited the Muslims from bathing, and a decree was issued ordering the execution of anyone who they found had taken a bath in order to prevent those attributed to Islâm from performing Salât.
The burning with fire, killing after torture, and severing the limbs included the men,elderly, women and even children, in order to force them to convert to Christianity and turn back from Islâm...."
[...]
"...Read, if you wish, the book of Gustave Le Bon, The Civilization of the Arabs. He mentioned that, “The courts of Inquisition burned from among the Muslims an amount that cannot be enumerated. And priest Bleda suggested cutting the heads of all Arabs who don’t embrace Christianity without exception, including women and children. And in this way they killed or expelled three million Arabs.”
And this was despite the covenant that was in place by them when Grenada – the last fort in Spain – fell in 897 H. / 1492 G...."
Then (the Shaykh) mentions our persecuted chaste Muslim sisters of Coptic roots:
"...What religious dialogue do they speak of? They choke every free voice from them that opposes their religious contradictions, and thinks of turning to Islâm. Even our Muslim sisters of Coptic roots need to conceal their Islâm for long periods of time where they cannot reveal their Wudhû’ or their prayer or fasting, and they are – In Shâ’ Allâh –excused in these matters. Their situation in the shade of weakness and the end of the Islâmic state and the absence of those that will support and harbor them, is similar to the likes of the oppressed that conceal their faith and have no strategy or way [out of their situation]. And they are also like those that the Christians conquered after the fall of Al-Andalus.
Therefore, we refer to them some of the verdicts of the people of knowledge from the Muslims of Al-Andalus at that time. He is the Shaykh Ahmad Ibn Bû Jumu’ah Al-Maghrâwî, Al-Wahrânî, and he was of those who issued verdicts to the Muslims of Al-Andalus who were forced to become Christians during the Inquisition while concealing their faith. I convey parts of this Fatwâ to our oppressed Muslim sisters so that I can inform that hateful priest about the actions of his people.
The Shaykh, may Allâh have Mercy upon him, said,
“All praise is due to Allâh and may blessings and peace be upon our Prophet, Muhammad, upon his family and companions.’
“Our brethren, the ones clutching on to their Religion like the one clutching onto a hot coal; those for whom Allâh generously distributes rewards for what they have endured for His sake; those who have made their souls and their children patient in their sufferance for His Pleasure...’
“The strangers who are close, In Shâ’ Allâh, to neighboring His Prophet in Al-Firdaws Al-A’lâ in His Gardens...’
“The inheritors of the path of the (righteous) predecessors in enduring hardship even if the soul reaches its collar bone...’
“We ask Allâh to be gentle with us and to assist us and you in observing His rights with perfect faith and truthfulness, and that He makes for us and you a relief from these matters and an escape from all hardship.’
“From the small (in stature) slave of Allâh, the smallest of His slaves and the neediest of His forgiveness and His increase, Ahmad Ibn Bû Jumu’ah Al-Maghrâwî, Al-Wahrânî, stressing upon you the [need of] adherence to the Religion of Islâm and of ordering your children who have reached puberty with it...’
“Glad tidings to the strangers, those that are righteous when people become corrupt; and indeed the one who remembers Allâh amongst the heedless is like the living amongst the dead...’
“Know that the idols are fashioned from wood and stone boulders that neither harm nor benefit, and that the dominion is the dominion of Allâh. Allâh did not beget a son, and has no deity with him. So worship Him and have patience in His worship.’
“So [adhere to] the prayer even if with a gesture, and [adhere to] the Zakât even if it is as though it is a gift to your poor, because Allâh does not look at your outer image, but rather at your hearts. And [adhere to] the washing from sexual impurity even if it is in the form of swimming in the oceans.’
“And if they force you at the times of prayer to prostrate to idols or to attend their prayers, then perform (the Takbîr of) Ihrâm while intending your Shar’î (Islâmically legal) prayers. The one you’re intending is Allâh, even if it away from the Qiblah, as it falls (from obligation) in your circumstances, similar to the Salât al-Khawf (fear prayer) during the battle.’
“And if they force you and compel upon you that which is forbidden, like drinking wine or eating swine, then there is no blame upon you as long as you are rejecting it in your hearts and believe in its forbiddance. And if they force you to state the words of disbelief and you are able to speak with double entendre2 and innuendo, then do so. And if not, then make your hearts assured with Faith if you do speak the word of Kufr, and deny it [in your hearts].’
“And I ask Allâh that He returns the authority to Islâm so you can worship Allâh openly with no hardship and fear.’
“The approximate date of Rajab, year 910 H. May it reach the strangers, In Shâ’ Allâh, Ta’âlâ.” – End quote, after summarization. ..."
--------------- Source: 'To the Slave of the Cross, Pope of the Vatican, Benedict XVI: Your House Is Made of Glass So Don’t Throw Stones at the People', Shaykh Abû Muhammad Al-Maqdisî (May Allâh preserve him), At-Tibyân Publications (English).
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, or to the fabrications that leaked out of his impure vessel (his mind), a vessel that wouldn’t be purified even if it was washed seven times, once with dust!..."
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