• Prayers: Mark on the forehead
You once said that praying on a hard surface or a dirty place brings the prayer mark on the forehead of some people. I feel that this contradicts Verse 29 of Surah 48, which speaks of the effect of prostration being seen in the faces of worshippers.
Certainly the verse you refer to mentions that prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and those who are with him have certain qualities which are worthy of praise. It goes on to say:
"You recognize them by their marks on their faces, traced by prostration."
Here the recognition is general. It is not a special case. They are recognized by people generally, as their worship and prostration leave their "trace" on them. That "trace" is, as Muhammad Asad says, "the spiritual reflection of... faith in the believer’s manner of life and even in his outward aspect." You may even take it literally and say that prayers leave its mark in a sort of calm serenity in the overall bearing of a person.
This is totally different from the black mark on the foreheads of some people, which is wrongly associated with prayer. The Qur’anic verse does not refer to any physical mark. To say so is to suggest that people who have the mark are given a testimony in their favor. That leaves others who do not have that mark feeling inferior. It is not right.
May I also point out that this mark is quite common among people of certain countries, but not noticed among the population of other countries. Does that tell us something? May be it confirms what I say about the causes of that mark, which is sometimes so bad that you could see that it conceals some infection.
• Prayers: Menstruation, traces of discharge and prayersMy period lasts for three days during which I have frequent discharge. The next four days I have very little discharge or none at all. What I normally do is to have a shower on the fourth day and even on later days, and then pray Fajr. If it continues to be clean, I offer my prayer normally, but when I see traces of discharge, I stop praying for the rest of the day. Please comment.
If you know that your period lasts seven days, then that is your period, despite the fact that the discharge is only trickling in the last two or four days. Let me make that very clear. If after the three days when your discharge is very frequent, you find that it has stopped for several hours, but you know from experience that you will still have some little discharge in the evening on the following day, then you are still in the period. Most women know the frequency, regularity of their periods and the volume of their discharge, etc. They can identify how long their period will last. In your case, it seems to me that it lasts seven days. During a woman's period, she is not required to pray, and, according to most scholars, she may not read the Qur'an. My advice to you is to make clear in your mind how long your period lasts. When you have identified that length, then a temporary stoppage, even though it may be for the last half of a day or so, should be disregarded.
Young women used to come to Lady Aisha with their pieces of cotton to show her and ask her whether they should resume prayer. She would tell them not to hurry until they have made sure that the discharge is all white. I think that should give you enough guidance.
A woman started having a blood discharge and thought it was menses, which was totally unexpected. She stopped offering prayers. Subsequently it was confirmed that the discharge was not from menstruation. Therefore, she took a bath and continued with her normal prayers. What does she do about the prayers she had missed?
The Prophet has told us very clearly that Allah, out of His grace does not question about what we do as a result of a genuine mistake, out of forgetfulness or by compulsion. This lady has missed prayers through a genuine mistake. She had a discharge which she thought to be of the type which would require her not to pray. She acted on that until she realized she was mistaken. Hence, she is not accountable for missing those prayers.
However, those prayers which were obligatory to her, she would have normally offered them. They remained outstanding. She should have offered them immediately after taking her bath. Now that they remain outstanding, she should offer them as soon as possible. She should also pray Allah to forgive her for this delay. Although it is not intended, still we need to ask Allah's forgiveness for any omission or mistake we do. Moreover, we are always in need of Allah's forgiveness. He certainly grants it to anyone who asks for it sincerely and with a genuine resolve to abide by Allah's laws. Nevertheless, human beings are liable to be in error at every juncture. Hence, praying for Allah's forgiveness is strongly recommended at all times.