• Prayers: Correct direction of qiblah
It has been discovered in our country that the direction of the qiblah in many mosques was incorrect by a few degrees. An expert made it clear to people that they must amend their direction. Some people are confused and still maintain the old direction, while others have stopped coming to the mosque. [A mosque is built in that direction with the management and imam continuing the practice of leading prayer in the old direction.] Some argue that a difference of a few degrees did not matter much! Please comment.
If this man who has declared the need to amend the direction of your mosque is truly an expert in this particular area and he is well known in your community as being a man of honesty and integrity, then you must follow his advice. People need not worry about their past prayers. Those prayers are correct and valid, since the people had done their best to demarcate the direction of the qiblah [and then if there is a difference of a few degrees it will not matter as it was done with best of intentions; without knowledge of being in the wrong]. I am amazed that people should worry about amending the direction, if they are sure that the man's knowledge is sound. It is their duty to make sure that everything related to their prayer is done correctly. The old direction is not sacrosanct. The proper direction is the correct one which is most probably the new one, if the man is really an expert in this field.
I will give you an example. If you are offering prayer in a place where the direction of the qiblah is not marked and you could not determine it in any way, you need only try with whatever means you have at your disposal to determine correct direction. If you cannot then you start your prayer facing the direction you think may be correct. If during your prayer someone familiar with the place enters the room and finds you facing the wrong direction, he should tell you how to amend your direction, suggesting that you turn so many degrees to your right or to your left. You should follow his instructions immediately without stopping your prayers, even if he tells you to turn 180 degrees, i.e. facing the opposite direction, you should do so and continue your prayer, not repeating any part of it. Although this may happen just before you have finished, your prayer is correct and valid. If you do not respond to his instructions, then your prayer becomes invalid. Your original direction was chosen when you did not know which way to face. Once information has been received, you should act on it.
If there is a Hadith which requires men to expose there ankles, is there any need for more clarification by scholars? My friends argue that rulings are needed only on those situations which are not mentioned in the Qur'an or the Hadith.
It is true that when you have a Qur'anic verse or a pronouncement by the Prophet, peace be upon him, which is directly related to a certain situation, then no one can give a special ruling on the matter. However, there are numerous situations in which the role of a scholar is to relate the statements available to each particular case. In such situations, verdicts are required and these take the form of a religious ruling or a fatwah. This task should never be under-estimated. It is very important task and can only be done after a thorough study of Islam and how rulings are deduced from available statement.
You speak about men being required to expose their ankles and ask whether there is any need for any clarification by scholars. What I can tell you is that if there is any Qur'anic verse or authentic Hadith which explicitly makes this requirement, then no one can argue about it or make a statement that differs with it. But such a requirement is certainly not mentioned in the Qur'an. I have not seen or heard of any Hadith which aspires to any degree of authenticity which makes that requirement of all Muslim men. Indeed, the reverse is true, because in cold winter days, the companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and other Muslims used to wear what is known as "khuff" which is a pair of soft shoes which normally cover the ankles. Moreover, the companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to wear socks and wipe over them, when they needed to have ablutions or wudhu. It is well known that socks cover the ankles.
Having said that, I should perhaps explain that in the early days of Islam, it was socially considered a sign of arrogance for any person to wear a dress lower than the middle part of his legs. That [social consideration] meant that the proper dress of a man reached down midway between one's knees and one's ankles. To show any sign of arrogance or to demonstrate conceit is forbidden in Islam. Hence, the insistence of some scholars on the need to wear what is modest and far from suggesting conceit. Nowadays, most Muslim societies have a different view of appropriate dress for men. Many are the Muslim communities where the normal dress is that of a suit, socks and shoes. This means covering of ones legs including one's feet. If this is the normal type of dress, it follows that it is perfectly acceptable to wear during prayers. Otherwise, if we were to insist on the same length of dress which used to be worn in the early Islamic days, we would require anyone who wears a suit to take off his shoes and socks, and fold up his trousers. This is totally unnecessary because it neither follows a Sunnah nor gives a decent appearance.
I can tell you that a great deal ... is being said by people who have little knowledge of Islamic Fiqh. There is simply no virtue in exposing ankles, whether in prayer or outside it. Anyone who has a different view should support it by evidence from the Qur'an or the Hadith.
Followers of the Hanafi school of thought argue that because the Prophet and his companions always covered their head in prayer, anyone who does not follow their example would go astray. Please comment. Is there any authentic Hadith to support the view that covering one's head in prayer is necessary?
There is no Hadith which requires or recommends Muslim men to cover their heads when they offer their prayers, whether obligatory or voluntary. It should be remembered that the Prophet and his companions used to cover their heads when they were in the mosque or in the marketplace or indeed anywhere else. So did the rest of the Arabs. In other words, this was the customary dress in Arabia which continued after Islam. [Certain head gears are linked to specific areas. Arabs, Indonesians, Nepalese, Russians, Pakistanis, Moroccans, etc. can be linked to their origin with their head gears.] As such, wearing a cap or covering one's head by a man for prayers is neither recommended nor obligatory. It is certainly not a Sunnah.
Does it mean that every Muslim has to wear a head covering at all times? Wearing a head-covering was traditional in Arabian society at the time of the Prophet. He would have pointed out that it is recommended or obligatory in prayer if it was so. The fact that he did not tell us that means that he only had his head-covering as part of his traditional dress. If someone wears a head covering in prayer in order to follow the example of the Prophet, he is rewarded simply for his intention. However, since the Prophet has not pointed out anything regarding this particular matter, we cannot say that it is recommended. [When following this example of Prophet earns us a reward, why should we argue over it and not adopt this practice as far as it may be? ]