Is Wudu necessary for performing Sajdah Shukr?

Where should a person coming for Salah stand in a new row?

Question: What do blessed ‘Ulama [Islamic scholars] and Muftis [Islamic Jurists] state regarding the following matter: If the last row is full and a person comes for Salah, where should he stand? [Should he stand] exactly behind the Imam, or on his right or left side [in a new row]?

(Questioner: A Reader of Monthly Magazine Faizan-e-Madinah)

بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ  ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

Answer: The actual Shar’i ruling regarding it is as follows: If a person comes for offering Salah in a congregation and the last row is full, it is better for him to wait for another Salah-offering-person to come. If the other person comes, the first one should begin offering Salah with him. If no one comes and the Imam is about to do Ruku’, the person should beckon someone from the forward row to come to stand with him (and that person should move back, acting upon the Shar’i ruling. He should not move with the intention of following the order of the person calling him, otherwise his Salah will become invalid). If there is no one in the forward row who is aware of this Islamic ruling or if there is a fear that the person who will be beckoned will break his Salah and start quarrelling with the person who has called him, then this person who has come should stand exactly behind the Imam alone in the new row and begin offering Salah; not on the right or left side of the Imam.

However, in the present era, due to prevalent ignorance and lack of necessary Islamic knowledge, the following Shar’i ruling will be given: A person coming to offer Salah in congregation should stand alone exactly behind the Imam in a new row [if the last row is complete], and should not beckon anyone from the forward row.

وَاللہُ  اَعْلَمُ   عَزَّوَجَلَّ   وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم   صَلَّی اللّٰہُ عَلَیْہِ واٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم

Is Wudu necessary for performing Sajdah-Shukr?

Question: What do blessed Ulama state regarding the following matter: Is Wudu necessary for Sajdah-Shukr^[1]? (Questioner:  A Reader of Monthly Magazine Faizan e Madinah)

بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ  ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

Sajdah-Shukr, like Salah, is also such Ibadah-Maqsoodah for which Kamil [perfect] Taharah [purity] is a necessary condition, i.e. it is a condition that a person is free of both Hadas-e-Akbar (anything which makes Ghusl Fard) as well as Hadas-e-Asghar (anything which invalidates Wudu). Hence, for Sajdah-Shukr also, it is necessary to be free of both Hadas-e-Akbar and Hadas-e-Asghar.

The Holy Prophet صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم has said: ‘مفتاح الصلاة الطهور’, i.e. Taharah is the key to Salah. In the explanation of this blessed Hadees, ‘Allamah Badruddin ‘Ayni Hanafi رَحْمَةُالـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه has stated: ‘أجمعت الأمة على تحريم الصلاة بغير طهارة من ماء أو تراب، أي صلاة كانت، حتى سجدة التلاوة، وسجدةالشكر، وصلاة الجنازة’ i.e. There is Ijma’ of the Ummah that it is Haraam [prohibited] to offer Salah without attaining Taharah [purity] through water or earth, be it any Salah; in fact, Sajdah-Tilawat, Sajdah-Shukr and Salat-ul-Janazah are also (Haraam without Taharah).(Sharh Sunan Abi Dawood, vol. 1, pp. 184)

Imam-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat, As-Shah Imam Ahmad Raza Khan رَحْمَةُالـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه has stated: Kamil [perfect] Taharah is a condition for Salah, Salat-ul-Janazah, Sajdah-Tilawat and Sajdah-Shukr. However, it is permissible to recite the Holy Quran from memory without touching it when a person is not in the state of Wudu. (Fatawa Razawiyyah, vol. 3, pp. 557; summarised)

وَاللہُ  اَعْلَمُ   عَزَّوَجَلَّ   وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم   صَلَّی اللّٰہُ عَلَیْہِ واٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم