H 346 - In another book, a letter is mentioned containing the following questions, which were written to a special envoy of Imam Mahdi : Question: May the Almighty Allah continue your respect and honor; ask the Faqih (Imam Qaim) following questions and inform me: When a worshipper gets up after reciting the first Tashahud to recite the third Rakat, is it obligatory for him to recite the Takbir? Because some of our scholars say that it is not obligatory, on the contrary he is allowed to say Bihawlillaahi Quwwatihi aqoomo wa aqud. Reply: There are two traditions in this connection: the first is that when the worshipper lifts his head from Sajdah he recites the Takbir, then he sits and then he stands up; thus he does not need to recite the Takbir for standing up after sitting. The same is with the case of the first Tashahud. One can choose any of the options. Question: Also please inquire if one can pray wearing a ring of Hadid? Reply: It is detestable (Makruh). Question: A person bought a sacrificial animal on behalf of a person who was not present as the latter had told him to sacrifice in Mina on his behalf; but when he wanted to slaughter the animal, he forgot the name of that person and he remembered it only after the sacrifice; is it a proper procedure for the person who delegated the ritual? Reply: There is no problem; the sacrifice was complete. Question: There are some Majusi weavers among us who eat carrion and don’t perform bath (Ghusl) of Janabat; can we pray in the clothes weaved by them without purifying them? Reply: There is no problem in it. Question: A person is reciting Midnight Prayers in dark; when he goes into Sajdah, his forehead falls on something other than the place of prostration; that is the floor etc. Now when he raises his head, he finds the Turbah; does he have to count that Sajdah? Reply: Till he does not sit upright, he can raise his head to search for the Turbah. Question: A person who is wearing Ihram removes the covering of the canopy, but leaves the frame. Is it allowed? Reply: There is no problem if he leaves the frame. One of the things a person in Ihram has to avoid is shade. Thus, if he rides a camel with a canopy or a bus with roof, he has to pay the Penalty (Kaffarah) of sacrificing a sheep, but if the covering of the canopy or the bus is removed, leaving the frame and walls, there is no problem in it. Question: If a person wearing Ihram shades himself with a sack or with something else to protect himself or his seat from getting soaked in rain, is it allowed for him to do so? Reply: If he does this on the way with canopy, the Kaffarah is obligatory on him. The penalty of a goat is due to the fact that the person has shaded himself from rain and to shade oneself is an omission for a person in Ihram. Question: Is it necessary for a person doing Hajj as proxy, to mention the name of the one whose Hajj he is doing at the time of Ihram? Is it obligatory that he must make separate sacrifice for himself as well as whose Hajj he is performing? Reply: It is not necessary to recite it in detail and one sacrifice is sufficient on behalf of the one whose Hajj he is performing. Question: Is it permitted for man to tie up the Ihram with a sheet of fur? Reply: There is no problem; righteous and decent people have dressed (been Muhrim) in it. Question: Is it permitted for man to keep with himself an iron knife or an iron key while praying? Reply: It is allowed. Question: A man goes for Hajj with a group of Sunnis and they do not put on the Ihram at Maslakh. Whether this man is allowed to delay his Ihram till Zaat-e-Arq so that he becomes Muhrim with them at that place? Reply: It is necessary to become Muhrim from the Miqaat and say the Thalbiya softly and when he reaches the Miqaat with them, he should make it obvious. Question: How is wearing leather slippers, because people say that it is Makruh to wear them? Reply: It is permissible and there is no problem. Question: A man is a treasurer in endowments and he is careless. He considers as permissible for himself the endowments, which are under his control, and he does not abstain from them. Often when I enter his office and he is present or I enter his house and he is present, he invites me to eat and if I don’t eat at his place, he would become inimical to me and say: such and such has not considered my food lawful. Now please tell me if it is allowed for me to eat with him and then later pay Sadaqah for it. And how much Sadaqah should I pay? Or whether it is allowed for me to accept a gift from him? Reply: If this man is having other property in addition to the endowments he holds and has other occupations as well, you may eat with him and accept his gifts. If it is not so, you must neither eat at his place nor accept any gift from him. Question: A man is a Shia and considers Mutah and temporary marriage permissible and also believes in the Rajat (return) and all his family members are united. This man has made a vow that he would neither take a second wife nor do Mutah. And he has spent 19 years with this vow. Now if he breaks his vow, does he become liable for a penalty or sin? Reply: It is Mustahab (recommended) for him to do Mutah at least once for obedience of Allah, so that the sin of the vow is removed from him. [This letter is followed by the discourse of Husain bin Rauh as follows:] Thus if you consider it proper, may Almighty Allah strengthen your honor, ask these questions from Imam and leave their explanation for me and write to me the command in each issue and leave your favor on me. May the Almighty Allah deem you as the channel of all good and may He issue it through you. If you do this, you would have performed a preferred and a rewardable act. May Almighty Allah give you a long life, may He preserve your respect and good fortune and complete His bounties on you and may He increase His favors on you. May He deem me your ransom in every calamity and may He fix my death before you. All praise is from the Lord of the worlds and exceeding benedictions be on His Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (s) and his family.