Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

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One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear Brother Burhan,

Thanks for all your update mails, may Allah bless you, me and all brothers with his mercy.

I have two querries please send me an answer if possible.

1. Is eating of prawns is haraam

2. According to my knowledge Namaz of Witr said in Esha Prayer is Wajib. Is it right or wrong.

Please explain in the light of Quran and Hadith.

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Answer:

Prawns sea food and witr prayer

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Q-1: Is eating of prawns is haraam

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 14:

It is He (Allah) Who has subjected the sea to your service so that you may get fresh flesh from it to eat and bring out of it articles of ornaments, which you wear.

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 83 Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

A man asked the Messenger of Allah (saws): ‘O Messenger of Allah (saws), we travel on the sea and take a small quantity of water with us. If we use this for ablution, we would suffer from thirst. Can we perform ablution with sea water?’ The Messenger of Allah (saws) replied: ‘Its water is pure and (even) what dies in it is lawful food.’

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 5.648 Narrated by Jabir

We set out in the army of Al-Khabt and Abu Ubaida was the commander of the troops. We were struck with severe hunger and the sea threw out a dead fish the like of which we had never seen, and it was called Al-'Anbar. We ate of it for half a month. Abu Ubaida took (and fixed) one of its bones and a rider passed underneath it (without touching it). (Jabir added:) Abu 'Ubaida said (to us), "Eat (of that fish)." When we arrived at Medina, we informed the Prophet (saws) about that, and he said, "Eat, for it is food Allah has brought out for you, and feed us if you have some of it." So some of them gave him (of that fish) and he (saws) ate it.

In light of the above clear guidance of Allah and His Messenger (saws), the absolute majority of the eminent scholars and jurists in Islam are of the opinion that the flesh of every animal that predominantly lives in the sea, without exception, would be absolutely ‘halaal’ for the believers to consume.

Because the natural habitat of prawns is the sea, its consumption would be considered absolutely lawful for the believers as food.

Q-2: According to my knowledge Namaz of Witr said in Esha Prayer is Wajib. Is it right or wrong.

Firstly, please allow us to clarify the difference between Fard, Sunnah and Nafl prayers.

Fard prayers: These are the five obligatory prayers at their appointed times of the day. If one prays them, he will earn a huge reward from Allah Subhanah; and if one does not pray them, there will be a severe accounting and punishment.

Nafl prayers: These are the voluntary or non-obligatory prayers. If one prays them, he will earn a huge reward from Allah Subhanah; and if one does not pray them, there is no sin.

Sunnah prayers: These are the Nafl or voluntary prayers which were prayed by the Messenger of Allah (saws), and thus they become his (saw’s) Sunnah for us. If one prays them, he will earn a huge reward from Allah Subhanah; and if one does not pray them, there is no sin. The most that can be said of one who does not pray the Sunnah prayers is that he lost a great opportunity to earn huge rewards from Allah Subhanah.

It is reported that Hadrat Ali (r.a.) said: "The witr prayer is not required like your obligatory prayers, but the Prophet (saws) would perform the witr prayer and say: 'O you people [followers] of the Qur'an, perform the witr prayer, for Allah is One and He loves the witr.'"

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 2.112 Narrated by Abdullah bin Umar

The Prophet (saws) said, "Make Witr as your last prayer at night."

The ‘witr’ prayers are not ‘fard’ or obligatory, but an extremely preferred Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws), and he (saws) time and again exhorted the believers to offer the ‘witr’ prayers and make it the absolute last prayer of the night.

As much as the Prophet (saws) exhorted and encouraged the believers to offer the ‘witr’ prayer, they are not obligatory, but rather considered an extremely preferred Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) or ‘mustahab’.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan