Suppose Congregational salat starts and i need ablution. At this moment whether i go for ablution without meswak or not( As i know meswak is sunnah and sawab of that salat is 70 times more than the salat of without meswak)? if i go for meswak there is a chance for missing one rakah or takber e ulah. When Ikamah starts and i was not reached mosque yet, whether it is beneficial for me running to catch the takber e ulah? Please mention the Fazael of takber e Ulah and meswak with right way of doing meswak? Some people said that if u catch Takber e ulah in salah u will get Sawab of qurbani of 1000 camels is it true?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

May Allaah bless your endeavors, strengthen your conviction and help you in your worship. Your question involves several matters.

The answers are as follows:

1- Your suggestion that the prayer before which Siwaak is used is better seventy times than the prayer before which Siwaak is not used, was not authentically proved, for it was stated in a Hadeeth which was classified as Dha'eef (weak) by Shaykh Al-Albaani in As-Silsilah Adh-Dha‘eefah. For more benefit, kindly refer to Fatwa 85904.

2- If seeking the virtue of using Siwaak conflicts with catching Takbeerat-ul-Ihraam (first Takbeer in the prayer), then Islamically, you should give precedence to Takbeerat-ul-Ihraam. The Permanent Committee has stated in their Fataawa:

Q: "If the Imaam pronounces Takbeerat-ul-Ihraam while someone is busy (reciting Quran) and the Mu'azzin recites Iqaamah (call to start the prayer), should one complete the verse or page, no matter how long it is? If the Imaam pronounces Takbeerat-ul-Ihraam and someone is cleansing his teeth with Siwaak, should he use Siwaak due to its virtue while the Imaam is saying Du‘aa'-ul-Istiftaah (opening supplication when starting the prayer), or should he pronounce Takbeer with the Imaam because of the virtue of following the Imaam? Which is best: using Siwaak even if it means delaying following the Imaam or leaving Siwaak and following the Imaam immediately?

A: "One should stop reading Quran upon hearing the Iqaamah and respond to the call of the Iqaamah like one responds to the call of the Athaan. One should also use Siwaak before starting the prayer and not after the Imaam has proununced Takbeerat-ul-Ihraam. Rather, he should immediately follow the Imaam in prayer. This is based on the generality of the Ahaadeeth on the legitimacy of following the Imaam immediately when starting prayer. For example, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "The Imaam is there to be followed, so do not be at variance with him. When he pronounces Takbeer, pronounce you Takbeer…"" [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

3- Using Siwaak is a confirmed Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. He used it regularly and recommended using it. He said:

• "Were it not that it would cause hardship to my Ummah, I would have commanded them to use the Siwaak." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim and this wording is from Al-Bukhari]

• Huthayfah reported that when the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, got up during the night, he would clean his mouth thoroughly with the Siwaak. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

• ‘Aa’ishah narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "Siwaak cleanses the mouth and pleases the Lord." [An-Nasaa'i and Ibn Maajah]

4- How to clean the mouth with Siwaak? Al-Mawsoo‘ah Al-Fiqhiyyah reads as follows: "It is recommended to hold Siwaak with the right hand, as found in the Hadeeth of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. ‘Aa’ishah said: "The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, liked to start with the right when putting on his shoes, combing his hair, purifying his body, and in all things." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] In another version, "…and when using his Siwaak." The pinky finger should be placed under the Siwaak and the remaining fingers should be placed on top, as Ibn Mas‘ood related from the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Then, begin with the right side and brush the teeth horizontally because using it vertically may wound the gums. The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "Use the Siwaak horizontally, use oil every other day and apply kohl an odd number of times. After that, brush the tips of the upper and lower teeth, inside and out. Then, brush the crowns of the molar teeth, and then gently brush the gums, tongue and palate. If one does not have teeth, he can pass Siwaak over his gum and palate because, although Siwaak is used for its effect, it is also an act of worship by which one gets the reward of following the Sunnah." For more benefit, kindly refer to Fatwa 91191 about how to use Siwaak.

5- Attending the Takbeerat-ul-Ihraam along with the Imaam is highly recommended and greatly rewarded. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "Whoever prays for Allaah's sake for forty days with the congregation, attending the initial Takbeer of the prayer, he will be free of two things: Hellfire and hypocrisy." [At-Tirmithi in As-Sunan - Al-Albaani graded it Hasan (good) in Silsilat Al-Ahaadeeth As-Saheehah]

6- One does not catch Takbeerat-ul-Ihraam unless he joins the Imaam at the time of Takbeer. So, if the Imaam pronounces it before a member of congregation arrives at the Masjid, then he has missed the virtue of Takbeerat-ul-Ihraam according to the strongest opinion of some scholars. Al-Mubaarakfuri said in Tuhfat Al-Ahwathi: "(Whoever prays for Allaah's sake) - that is, sincerely for Allaah, The Almighty, for forty days and nights - (in congregation) - that is, prays in congregation - (attending the initial Takbeer) - this is a participle phrase that apparently refers to the first Takbeer with the Imaam. It may imply the first Takbeer of the follower when catching Rukoo' (bowing) and thus attending the whole prayer in congregation, which is achieved by joining from the first Rak‘ah, as stated by Al-Qaari' in Al-Mirqaah. I say: This interpretation is weak, and the apparent, stronger interpretation is the first one."

As for the suggestion that whoever catches the first Takbeer will get the reward of sacrificing a thousand camels, we have not found any Hadeeth for it. However, 'Abdur-Razzaaq reported in his Al-Musannaf that Mujaahid said: "I heard one of the Companions of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who fought in the Battle of Badr, say to his son: "Did you attend prayer with us?" He (his son) said: "Yes." He said: "Did you attend the first Takbeerah?" He said, "No." He said: "What you have missed is better than one hundred black-eyed camels."

Also, it was reported from Yahya ibn Abi Katheer that a man joined prayer late after the Imaam pronounced the first Takbeer. Ibn Mas‘ood and Ibn ‘Umar said: "What you have missed of it is better than one thousand."

7- It is prescribed to walk to prayer in a tranquil and dignified manner without rushing, even if one fears missing the first Takbeer of the prayer. An-Nawawi states in his Explanation of Saheeh Muslim: "The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said 'When the prayer begins, do not run to it but just walk calmly and pray the part you catch, and complete the part you miss, for when one of you is walking to prayer, he is, in fact, engaged in prayer'. This Hadeeth provides that it is emphatically recommended to walk to prayer in a tranquil and dignified manner and disliked to run to it, whether it is Friday prayer or otherwise, or whether one fears missing Takbeerat-ul-Ihraam or not."

Allaah Knows best.