Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We thank you for your trust in our site, and we ask Allaah to
help us meet your expectations, and to bless you with strength and guidance.
We also appreciate your eagerness to learn that which you do not know. This
is something that is obligatory upon every Muslim, for man is not born with
knowledge. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said, “Knowledge comes by learning.” (Classed as hasan by Ibn Hajar in
Fath al-Baari). Do not think that asking about things you do not know is
stupid, rather it is something that is necessary and a person is to be
commended for doing so.
Secondly:
With regard to the questions that have to do with prayer, you
will find under question no.
13340 a detailed answer describing the prayer
and what is to be said in it.
Thirdly:
With regard to reciting Qur’aan in Arabic or another
language, you will find under question no.
3471 a detailed answer concerning
this matter. We advise you to try hard to learn Arabic, at least Soorat
al-Faatihah and the pillars and essential parts of prayer. That should be
easy, either by learning it from a Muslim who knows it by heart and can read
it well, or by going to a website on the Internet that has audio recordings
of the Holy Qur’aan and listening to it and memorizing it from that.
Fourthly:
With regard to missing prayers, one of the following two
scenarios must apply:
1 – When you miss a prayer unintentionally, for a legitimate
shar’i excuse, such as forgetting or sleeping, although you are basically
very keen to perform the prayer on time. In this case you are excused but
you have to make it up as soon as you remember it. The evidence for that is
the hadeeth narrated in Saheeh Muslim (681) which tells how the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions
slept and missed Fajr prayer, and the Sahaabah began to ask one another,
“What is the expiation (kafaarah) for what we have done by neglecting the
prayer?” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said. “Sleeping does not mean that you are neglecting the prayer.
Rather neglecting the prayer means not praying one prayer until the time for
the next prayer comes. Whoever does that let him pray when he remembers
it.”
This does not mean that a person should sleep deliberately
when a prayer is due, until he misses it, then use sleep as an excuse, or
neglect a means that would help him to do the prayer, and then take that as
an excuse. Rather he must make use of all the means he can, as the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did in this case, when he
appointed one person to stay awake and wake them up to pray, but that person
was overcome by drowsiness, so he did not wake them up. This is the case in
which a person may be excused.
2 – When you miss a prayer deliberately. This is a major sin,
and it is so serious that some of the scholars stated that the one who does
this is a kaafir. (as it says in Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Samaahat
al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 10/374). The one who does this has to repent
sincerely, according to scholarly consensus. With regard to making up the
prayer, there was a difference of opinion among the scholars as to whether
or not it would be accepted from him if he makes it up afterwards. Most of
the scholars said that he should make it up and that his prayer is valid,
although he is a sinner (i.e., if he does not repent – and Allaah knows
best), as Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthyameen quoted from them in al-Sharh al-Mumti’,
2/89. The view favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have
mercy on him) is that it is not valid, and that it is not prescribed for him
to make it up. He said in al-Ikhtiyaaraat (34): “It is not prescribed
for the one who misses a prayer deliberately to make it up, and the prayer,
if he makes it up, is not valid; rather he should do a lot of voluntary
(naafil) prayers. This is the view of a group among the Salaf.” One of the
contemporary scholars who regarded this view as more correct is Shaykh Ibn
‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him); he quoted as evidence for that
the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
“Whoever does an action that is not in accordance with this matter of ours
(i.e., Islam), will have it rejected.” (Agreed upon).
So you must beware of this and strive to perform all the
prayers on time, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, As‑Salaah (the prayer) is enjoined on the
believers at fixed hours”
[al-Nisa’ 4:103]
With regard to
repentance, you will find a detailed answer under question no.
14289 on this
website.
With regard to meat that has been slaughtered by a
non-Muslim, you will find an answer under question no.
10339.
With regard to your question about seafood, it is all halaal
in principle, because Allaah say (interpretation of the meaning):
“Lawful to you is (the pursuit of)
water game and its use for food — for the benefit of yourselves”
[al-Maa'idah 5:96]
We ask Allaah to help you to learn Arabic and to understand
Islam, and to do more righteous deeds, for He is Able to do that.