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Is the hadeeth which speaks about praying qiyaam on the night before Eid saheeh?.

Praise be to Allah.This hadeeth was narrated by Ibn Maajah (1782) from Abu Umaamah (may Allaah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Whoever spends the nights of the two Eids in praying qiyaam al-layl, seeking reward from Allaah, his heart will not die on the Day when hearts will die.”  This is a da’eef (weak) hadeeth which does not have any saheeh isnaad from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).  Al-Nawawi said in al-Adhkaar:  It is a da’eef hadeeth which we have narrated from Abu Umaamah in both marfoo’ and mawqoof reports, both of which are da’eef.  Al-Haafiz al-‘Iraaqi said in Takhreej Ahaadeeth Ihya’ ‘Uloom al-Deen: its isnaad is da’eef.  Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said: This is a ghareeb hadeeth whose isnaad is mudtarib (unsound). See al-Futoohaat al-Rabaaniyyah, 4/235.  Al-Albaani mentioned it in Da’eef Ibn Maajah, and said it is mawdoo’ (fabricated).  He also mentioned it in Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Da’eefah (521) and said, it is da’eef jiddan (very weak).  This hadeeth was narrated by al-Tabaraani from ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit, who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever spends the night of (Eid) al-Fitr and the night of (Eid) al-Adha in prayer, his heart will not die on the Day when hearts will die.”  This is also da’eef (weak).  Al-Haythami said in Majma’ al-Zawaa’id: It was narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer and al-Awsat. Its isnaad includes ‘Umar ibn Haroon al-Balkhi who is mostly da’eef. Ibn Mahdi and others praised him, but he was classed as da’eef by many. And Allaah knows best.  This was mentioned by al-Albaani in Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Da’eefah (520); he said it is mawdoo’ (fabricated).  Al-Nawawi said in al-Majmoo’:  Our companions said: It is mustahabb to spend the nights before the two Eids in prayer and doing other acts of worship. Our companions quoted as evidence for that the hadeeth of Abu Umaamah, according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever spends the night of Eid in prayer, his heart will not die on the Day when hearts die.” According to a version narrated by al-Shaafa’i and Ibn Maajah: “Whoever spends the nights of the two Eids in praying qiyaam al-layl, seeking reward from Allaah, his heart will not die on the Day when hearts will die.” It was narrated from Abu’l-Darda’ with a mawqoof isnaad, and it was narrated from Abu Umaamah with a mawqoof isnaad and a marfoo’ isnaad, as stated above, but all the isnaads are da’eef. End quote.  Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:  The ahaadeeth in which the nights before the two Eids are mentioned are falsely attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). End quote.  This does not mean that it is not recommended to spend the night before Eid in prayer, rather qiyaam al-layl is prescribed on all nights. Hence the scholars agreed that it is mustahabb to spend the night before Eid in prayer, as is mentioned in al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 2/235. Our point here is that the hadeeth which speaks of the virtue of spending this night in prayer is da’eef.  And Allaah knows best.

If the father refuses to prepare his daughter to get married, does her maternal uncle have to spend on preparing her?.

Praise be to Allah. In the answer to question no. 2127 we have discussed the rulings on marriage in detail, and we have defined who is the guardian for marriage purposes.  From this it is known that the maternal uncle is not one of the woman’s guardians with regard to marriage. If her father refuses to spend on her wedding and on preparing her for marriage, then does her maternal uncle have to do that in this case?  Shaykh Ibn Jibreen (may Allaah preserve him) told us that the maternal uncle is not obliged to spend on her; in this case the closest male relatives on the father’s side are the ones who are obliged to spend, such as her brothers and paternal uncles; or the husband has to spend it and it becomes part of her mahr.  And Allaah is the source of strength.

I love my wife, but she has said that she doesn't love me. She does not want to have intercource with me. Earlier in our marraige we performed oral sex. Her position now that it is najas (impure), therefore she is turned of completely sexually. We have agreed that to fulfill my needs, I should marry another wife. But my job cut my salary considerably. I am afraid of angering Allah by divorcing her. Could I marry a woman who would waive some of my financial responsibilities until I am able to equally provide for both?

Praise be to Allah.You should know that it is not permissible for you to force your wife to do anything repulsive or that may cause impurity (najaasah) to enter the stomach, and you should have intercourse with her in a natural manner. Your wife should know that it is not permissible for her to forsake her husband’s bed when he calls her to do something that is permitted in Islam and to fulfil one of his rights, which is to enjoy her in the manner that Allaah has permitted. It is not permissible for a wife to refuse to share her husband’s bed without a legitimate shar’i excuse, such as when she is menstruating or bleeding following childbirth. A stern warning is issued to the wife who refuses to share her husband’s bed, and there are many ahaadeeth concerning that. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘When a man calls his wife to his bed and she refuses, and he spends the night angry with her, the angels will curse her until morning comes.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, Bid’ al-Khalq, 2998)  It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If a woman spends the night having forsaken her husband’s bed, the angels will curse her until she goes back.’” (narrated by al-Bukhaari, al-Nikaah, 4795)  And it was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘By the One in Whose hand is my soul, there is no one who would be pleased with her.’” (Narrated by Muslim, al-Nikaah, 2595).  It was narrated that Talq ibn ‘Ali said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘When a man calls his wife to him, then let her respond, even if she is at the oven (baking bread).’” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1080, classed as saheeh by al-Albaani, no. 927, in Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi).  If a woman consistently refuses to spend the night with her husband in his bed, then she forfeits her rights to maintenance and also her share of her husband’s time [in the case of a plural marriage], because maintenance is a right given in return for intimacy. Such a woman is considered to be naashiz (defiant, rebellious, disobedient). Al-Bahooti said: Nushooz (defiance, rebellion) means when a wife does not let her husband be intimate with her or she responds to him unwillingly as if she finds it too much when he calls her, and she only responds reluctantly.  (Sharh Muntaha al-Iraadaat by al-Bahooti, vol. 3, p. 55)  If a woman is defiant, then she no longer has the right to maintenance, because maintenance is in return for allowing her husband to have intercourse with her.  Nushooz means a wife disobeying her husband with regard to her obligations towards him. Allaah has stated what the husband is permitted to do in the case of his wife’s being disobedient. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “As to those women on whose part you see ill‑conduct, admonish them (first), (next) refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them (lightly, if it is useful); but if they return to obedience, seek not against them means (of annoyance). Surely, Allaah is Ever Most High, Most Great”[al-Nisa’ 4:34] The fuqaha’ said: If she persists in her disobedience after he has admonished her and refused to share her bed, i.e., not slept with her as long as she persists in that, and not spoken to her for three days, because Allaah says, ‘refuse to share their beds’ – if she persists even though he has refused to share her bed and not spoken to her for three days, then he may hit her, but not hard.  In this case, it is permissible for him to divorce her. Al-Mardaawi said: divorce is permissible when necessary because of the woman’s bad attitude and bad behaviour, or because of harm caused to him by her actions. So divorce is permissible in this case, and there is no scholarly dispute on this point.  (al-Insaaf, vol. 8, p. 430)  But if she has gone off you in a way that cannot be remedied, and she dislikes you so much, then in this case divorce is recommended, because staying married in this case is harmful to the wife. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There should be no harming or reciprocating harm.”  See al-Mulakhkhas al-Fiqhi, vol. 2, p. 305.  You will not be considered a sinner if you divorce her in this case.  With regard to the solution of your financial problems, it is permissible for you to marry a woman who agrees to support herself, or who agrees to let you off some of your financial responsibilities towards her, just as it is permissible for you to agree with your first wife to stay married whilst forgoing some of her rights. It is permissible for a wife to forego some of her rights to a share of her husband’s time and maintenance so that he will keep her and so that she may stay married to him, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “And if a woman fears cruelty or desertion on her husband’s part, there is no sin on them both if they make terms of peace between themselves; and making peace is better” [al-Nisa’ 4:128] ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “This refers to a woman who is married to a man and he wants to divorce her, so she says, ‘Keep me and do not divorce me, and you are freed any obligation to spend on me or give me a share of your time…’”  al-Mulakhkhas al-Fiqhi, vol. 2, p. 296  Because maintenance is one of the wife’s rights, so when they reach an agreement that she will forgo her rights or some of her rights, then that is up to her. On this basis then if the woman whom you want to marry agrees to forgo maintenance, that is permissible. And Allaah knows best.

Please tell me, can I marry a beliver if I`ve had sex with a non-Muslim? Please answer.

Praise be to Allah.If a fornicator repents sincerely, Allah accepts his repentance. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “And those who invoke not any other ilah (god) along with Allah, nor kill such a person as Allah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment. The torment will be doubled for him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace; Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. And whosoever repents and does righteous good deeds; then verily, he repents towards Allah with true repentance.” [25:68-71]  See also question no. 728.  If he repents, then he may marry a believing woman. If a fornicator repents, he should conceal his past and not spread word of it. And Allah knows best.

Last year, I did the Omra and the Haj.I knew that wearing niqab was forbidden, but Ithought that Ihad to wear it because there were a lot of people.During the Haj, someone told me that what I did was wrong and that I had to veil my face with something else. What have I to do to correct this mistake?.

Praise be to Allah.Wearing niqaab is one of the things that are forbidden when in ihram. A woman can cover her face in front of non-mahram men after entering ihram with part of her garment, lowering it from the top of her head over her face, without committing the forbidden action of wearing niqaab.  It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: A man stood up and said: “O Messenger of Allah, what clothes do you command us to wear in ihram?” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not wear shirts, pants or any kind of headgear… and women in ihram should not wear niqaab or gloves.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1741.  Ibn Qudaamah said:  Ibn al-Mundhir said: The fact that wearing the burqa’ (face veil – during ihram) is makrooh is narrated from Sa’d, Ibn ‘Umar, Ibn ‘Abbaas and ‘Aa’ishah. We do not know of anyone who held a different view. Al-Bukhaari and others narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “A woman should not wear niqaab or gloves.” But if she needs to cover her face because men are passing close by her, then she should lower part of her garment from the top of her head over her face. This was narrated from ‘Uthmaan and ‘Aa’ishah, and this was the view of ‘Ata’, Maalik, al-Thawri, al-Shaafa’i, Ishaaq and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan, and we do not know of any opposing view. This is because of the report narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) who said: “The riders used to pass by us when we were in ihram with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). When they drew near, one of us would lower her jilbaab from her head over her face, and when they had passed by we would uncover our faces.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1833 and by al-Athram. Al-Mughni, 3/154. The hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Risaalat Jilbaab al-Mra’ah.  Doing an action that is forbidden in ihram deliberately for a valid reason requires offering a fidyah (ransom), which is fasting for three days, or feeding six poor persons among the poor of the sanctuary, or slaughtering a sheep in the sanctuary. But there is no sin involved because there is a valid reason or excuse for doing that forbidden action. It seems that this is the case in your situation, because you say that you needed to wear niqaab because there were a lot of men, So you have to offer the fidyah as mentioned above, and there is no sin on you. This is because you specifically mention niqaab in your question, and not covering the face with some other kind of garment. But if what happened is that you covered your face with something other than niqaab, or in a manner in which it is not usually worn, then you do not have to do anything and you will be rewarded, in sha Allah, for your keenness to cover yourself and keep away from the gaze of men.   Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:  If a person in ihram does any of the things that are forbidden, such as having intercourse, killing game, etc, then one of the following three scenarios must apply:  1 – He forgot or was unaware of the ruling, or he was forced or he was asleep. In that case he does not have to do anything. There is no sin on him and he does not have to offer the fidyah, and his pilgrimage is still valid, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians); our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Mawlaa (Patron, Supporter and Protector) and give us victory over the disbelieving people” [al-Baqarah 2:286]  “And there is no sin on you concerning that in which you made a mistake, except in regard to what your hearts deliberately intend. And Allah is Ever Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Ahzaab 33:5] 2 – He did the forbidden action deliberately but for a valid reason that makes it permissible. In that case he has to do what is required in the event of committing a forbidden action (i.e., offer the fidyah) but there is no sin on him, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “And perform properly (i.e. all the ceremonies according to the ways of Prophet Muhammad), the Hajj and ‘Umrah (i.e. the pilgrimage to Makkah) for Allah. But if you are prevented (from completing them), sacrifice a Hady (animal, i.e. a sheep, a cow, or a camel) such as you can afford, and do not shave your heads until the Hady reaches the place of sacrifice. And whosoever of you is ill or has an ailment in his scalp (necessitating shaving), he must pay a Fidyah (ransom) of either observing Sawm (fasts) (three days) or giving Sadaqah (charity — feeding six poor persons) or offering sacrifice (one sheep)” [al-Baqarah 2:196]. 3 – He did the forbidden action deliberately but with no valid reason that makes it permissible. In this case he has to do what is required in the event of committing a forbidden action (i.e., offer the fidyah) and there is sin on him.    (Manaasik al-Hajj wa’l-‘Umrah, Ch. 5, Mahdhooraat al-ihram). And Allah knows best.

on what conditions is it allowed for a muslim to marry more than one wife?

Praise be to Allah.Marrying more than one wife is a matter which is recommended, subject to certain conditions: that the man be financially and physically able for it, and that he be able to treat his wives justly.  Plural marriage brings a lot of benefits, including protecting the chastity of the women whom he marries, bringing people closer together, and producing a lot of children. This is what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) referred to when he said: “Marry the one who is loving and fertile”. And it serves a lot of other purposes. But for a man to marry more than one wife by way of boasting and taking that as a challenge to prove himself, this is a form of extravagance and extravagance is forbidden. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “and waste not by extravagance. Verily, He likes not al-musrifoon (those who waste by extravagance)”[al-An’aam 6:141]

As I browse some of the answers I found this phrase the most correct ruling, this was about the ruling of covering woman face, while I found that most scolars say the oppisite regarding this issue, I found it in the "al-fiqh alaa almathahib al arbaa'a by abdelrahman aljazeeri".   Then how come the shiekh did not mention this and just state one opinion, I can understand if the sheikh sees the strongest opinion for that is his, but the others too see theirs as well. Then why did not he tell us that this is based on his opinion and not the majority of scholars.

Praise be to Allah.This phrase, “the most correct opinion”, means that the opinion chosen is the strongest opinion in terms of evidence. It does not mean that it is the view of the majority of fuqaha’; it may be so, or it may be the view of some of them.  The view which we chose – which is that it is obligatory for women to cover their faces – is what is indicated by the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and was the practice of the believing women for many centuries. It is also the view expressed in fatwas by contemporary scholars such as ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, the scholars of the Standing Committee (al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah) and others.  The Standing Committee, under the leadership of Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, was asked the following question: Is the woman’s face ‘awrah?  They replied:  “Yes, the woman’s face is ‘awrah according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions.”  Majallat al-Buhooth al-Islamiyyah, 24/75.  It should be noted that when there is a difference of opinion, Muslims are obliged to refer to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as Allaah commanded when He said (interpretation of the meaning):  “(And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allaah and His Messenger, if you believe in Allaah and in the Last Day” [al-Nisa’ 4:59] By referring to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), it becomes clear that the Muslim woman is obliged to cover her face in front of non-mahram men. There follows some of the evidence for that:  1 – Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allaah is Ever Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Ahzaab 33:59] Al-Bukhaari narrated that ‘Aa’ishah said: “May Allaah have mercy on the Muhaajir women! When Allaah revealed the words ‘and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms)’ [al-Noor 24:31 – interpretation of the meaning] they tore their aprons and covered their faces with them.” See also question no. 6991.  2 – Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts) and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent” [al-Noor 24:31] In this verse, Allaah forbids showing all adornment except that which is apparent, which is that which a woman cannot avoid showing, such as the outer garment. Hence Allaah said “except only that which is apparent”, and He did not say, except that which they show. Then He again forbade showing any adornment, except to those for whom an exception is made [“and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers…” al-Noor 24:31 – interpretation of the meaning]”. This indicates that the adornment mentioned in the second phrase is not like the adornment mentioned in the first; the first adornment is that which appears in all cases and cannot be hidden, and the second adornment is that which is hidden, and is done deliberately [but concealed from all but those mentioned in this verse]. If it were permissible for everyone to see the hidden adornment, then there would be not point of speaking in general terms about the first and making an exception in the case of the second adornment.  3 – Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allaah is Ever Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Ahzaab 33:59] Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “Allaah commanded the believing women, when they go out of their houses for some need, to cover their faces from the top of the head with the jilbaab, and to leave only one eye showing.”  There is a great deal of evidence. Please see also questions no. 13646, 21536, 23496  And Allaah knows best.

When is it prescribed for a worshipper to do the prostration of forgetfulness?

Praise be to Allah.By the mercy of Allah to His slaves, as one of the beauties of this perfect religion, Allah has prescribed that His slaves may make up for shortcomings and mistakes that they make in their worship and cannot avoid completely, by performing supererogatory (nafl) acts of worship, praying for forgiveness and so on.  One of the things that Allah has prescribed for His slaves to make up for shortcomings that may occur in their prayer is the prostration of forgetfulness, but it is only prescribed to make up for certain things; it does not make up for everything nor is it prescribed for everything.  Reasons for Sujud As-Sahw Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about the reasons for doing the prostration of forgetfulness , and he replied as follows:  The prostration of forgetfulness in prayer is generally prescribed for three reasons:  Doing something extra Omitting something Being uncertain Doing something extra: for example, doing an extra bow (ruku`), prostration (sujud), standing or sitting.  Omitting something: such as omitting an essential part of the prayer, or omitting one of the obligatory parts of the prayer.  Being uncertain: such as when a person is not sure how many rak`ahs he has prayed , whether it was three or four, for example.  How to offer Sujud as-Sahw when doing something extra in prayer In the case of doing something extra, if a person adds something to his prayer – bowing, prostrating, standing or sitting – deliberately, then his prayer becomes invalid, because when he added it, that means that he did not do the prayer in the manner ordained by Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever does an action that is not part of this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), will have it rejected.” (Narrated by Muslim, 1718)  But if he did that extra thing by mistake, then his prayer is not invalidated, but he should do the prostration of forgetfulness after saying the salam. The evidence for that is the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said the salam after two rak`ahs in one of the two afternoon prayers, either Zuhr or ‘Asr, and they told him about that, he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did the rest of the prayer, then he said the salam, then he prostrated twice (the prostration of forgetfulness) after saying the salam. Narrated by al-Bukhari, 482; Muslim, 573.  And Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) led them in praying Zuhr and he prayed five rak`ahs. When he had finished it was said to him: “Has something been added to the prayer?”  He said: “Why are you asking that?”  They said: “You prayed five (rak`ahs).”  So he turned towards the qiblah and prostrated twice. Narrated by al-Bukhari, 4040; Muslim, 572.  How to offer Sujud as-Sahw when omitting something in prayer In the case of omitting something, if a person omits one of the essential parts of the prayer, one of the following two scenarios must apply:  Either he remembers it before he reaches the same point in the following rak`ah, so he has to go back and do that essential part of the prayer and whatever came after it,  Or he does not remember it until he reaches the same point in the following rak`ah, in which case the following rak`ah takes the place of the one in which he omitted that essential part, and he should make up the invalid rak`ah.  In either of these two cases, he should do the prostration of forgetfulness after saying the salam.  For example: a man stood up after doing the first prostration of the first rak`ah and did not sit or do the second prostration. When he started to recite Quran he remembers that he had not done the second prostration or sat between the two prostrations. In that case he should go back and sit as between the two prostrations, then prostrate, then stand up and do whatever is left of his prayer, and do the prostration of forgetfulness after saying the salam.  An example of one who did not remember until after he reached the same point in the following rak`ah is a man who stood up following the first prostration in the first rak`ah and did not do the second prostration or sit between the two prostrations, but he did not remember that until he sat between the two prostrations in the second rak`ah. In this case he should make the second rak`ah the first rak`ah, and add another rak`ah to his prayer, then say the salam then do the prostration of forgetfulness.  Omitting an obligatory part of the prayer – such as if he omits an obligatory part and moves on to the next part of the prayer. For example, he forgets to say Subhan Rabbiy al-A’la (Glory be to my Lord Most High) and he does not remember until he has got up from prostrating. In this case he has omitted an obligatory part of the prayer by mistake, so he should carry on with his prayer then do the prostration of forgetfulness before saying the salam, because when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) omitted the first tashahhud he carried on with his prayer and did not go back and repeat anything, then he did the prostration of forgetfulness before saying the salam.  How to offer Sujud as-Sahw when you are uncertain In the case of being uncertain, such as if a person is not sure if he has done something extra or omitted something, e.g., he is not sure whether he has prayed three rak`ahs or four, one of the following two scenarios must apply:  Either he thinks that one or the other is more likely to be case, whether it is doing more or omitting something, in which case he should proceed on the basis of what he thinks is more likely to be the case, complete his prayer accordingly, then do the prostration of forgetfulness after saying the salam;  Or neither appears more likely to be the case, so he should proceed on the basis of what is certain, namely the lesser amount, and complete his prayer accordingly, then do the prostration of forgetfulness before saying the salam.  For example: a man prays Zuhr then he is not sure whether he is praying the third or fourth rak`ah, but he thinks it more likely that it is the third. So he should pray another rak`ah, then say the salam, then do the prostration of forgetfulness.  An example of when neither seems to him more likely to be the case is when a man is praying Zuhr and is not sure whether he is in the third rak`ah or the fourth, and neither seems to him more likely to be the case. In that case he should proceed on the basis of what is certain, which is the lesser amount. So he should regard it as the third rak`ah, then do another rak`ah and do the prostration of forgetfulness before saying the salam. Thus it becomes clear that sujud as-sawh should be done before the salam if you have omitted one of the obligatory parts of the prayer or if you are not sure how many rak`ahs you have done, and neither of the two choices seems more likely to be the case. And it should be done after the salam if you have added something extra to the prayer or you are not certain but one of the two choices seems more likely to be the case. (See Majmu’ Fatawa al-Shaykh, 14/14-16)  For more, please see this category: Prostration of Forgetfulness And Allah knows best.

A woman gave her husband a promise that she would never marry anyone after him, until Allaah joined them by His mercy and grace. Does she have the right to marry anyone after him? Is this regarded as not fulfilling a promise which is one of the attributes of the hypocrites?.

Praise be to Allah. It is permissible for this woman to marry after her husband dies, but she should offer expiation for her oath, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “By Allaah, if Allaah wills, I do not swear an oath then see something better than it but I will offer expiation for my oath and do that which is better.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3133; Muslim, 1649. And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If you swear an oath then you see something that is better than it, offer expiation for your oath and do that which is better.”  Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2622; Muslim, 1652.  Marriage is better for this woman then her remaining unmarried, because that serves many interests.

On the first night after getting married, can one use contraceptives (e.g. condom) or should this not be allowed? This is because it may be possible (by the will of Allah) for my future wife to get pregnant, but we may not choose to have children so early in our marriage. Please advise.

Praise be to Allah.Engaging in coitus interruptus in Islam It is permissible to engage in coitus interruptus if a person does not want a child, and it is also permissible to use a condom , but that is subject to the condition that the wife gives her permission for that. This is because the wife has the right to full enjoyment and also to have a child.  Evidence for engaging in coitus interruptus  The evidence for that is the hadith of Jabir ibn ‘Abd-Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: We used to engage in coitus interruptus at the time of the Messenger of Allah. News of that reached the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and he did not forbid us to do that. Narrated by al-Bukhari, 250; Muslim, 160  Coitus interruptus: The secret burying alive of children Although that is permitted, it is nevertheless makruh and intensely disliked. Muslim (1442) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked about coitus interruptus and he said: “That is the secret burying alive of infants.” This indicates that it is strongly disliked.  Al-Nawawi said:  “Coitus interruptus means intercourse in which, when ejaculation approaches, the man withdraws and ejaculates outside the vagina. It is makruh in our view in all circumstances and with all women, whether the woman consents to that or not, because it is a means of preventing offspring. Hence in the hadith it is called “the secret burying alive of children,” because it cuts off the means of producing offspring, like killing a newborn by burying him or her alive. With regard to it being haram, our companions said that it was not forbidden…  These ahadith and others, when taken in conjunction, may be understood as meaning that it is makruh, but not strongly so, and the reports in which permission is given for that may be understood as meaning that it is not haram; they do not mean that it is not makruh.”   It is better for the Muslim not to do that, unless there is a need for it, such as if the woman is sick and cannot cope with a pregnancy or it would be too difficult for her or would cause her harm. Also, coitus interruptus cancels out one of the purposes of marriage, which is to have a lot of children, and it also means that the woman’s pleasure is incomplete.

Sometimes a person dies by committing suicide; or a person drinks intoxicants in such great amounts that this leads to death; or a person is attacked to put an end to his evil. Is it permissible to console the mother or other relatives of a person who dies in one of these ways? I am very confused about this matter. Should I go (and offer condolences) or not?

Praise be to Allah.There is nothing wrong with offering condolences, in fact it is mustahabb, even if the person who died was a sinner who committed suicide etc., just as it is mustahabb to offer condolences to the family of a person who was killed in retaliation (qasaas, i.e., a sentence passed in a sharee’ah court allowing the family of the murder victim to execute the murderer) or as a hadd punishment, such as a married adulterer, or the family of a person who drank himself to death. There is nothing to stop us offering condolences to their families, or making du’aa’ for them and other sinners and asking for forgiveness and mercy for them. They should be washed and prayed for, but not by prominent figures in the Muslim community such as the ruler or qaadi etc. Rather some of the people should pray for them in order to deter others from committing the evil deeds that they did. As for one who dies because of the aggression of another, he has been killed unlawfully, so the funeral prayer should be offered for him and du’aa’ should be made for him, if he was Muslim. The same applies in the case of one who is killed in retaliation (qasaas), as stated above, the funeral prayer should be offered for him and du’aa’ should be made for him, and condolences should be offered to his family, if he was Muslim and there is no reason to assume that he was an apostate. And Allaah is the Source of strength.

Is it compulsory (Fard)for a wife to cook food for her husband? If she doesn't will it be a sin?

Praise be to Allah.Shaykh Ibn Jibreen said: the custom of the Muslims has always been that the wife should serve her husband in the customary manner, by preparing food, washing his clothes and vessels, cleaning the house, etc., according to what is appropriate. This was the custom at the time of the Prophet and has remained so until the present day, and no one has objected to it. But the wife should not be burdened in a manner that causes her hardship or difficulty, rather it should be in accordance with her ability and what is customary. And Allaah is the Source of strength.  See Question no. 10680.

Is it harm to pay interest based on inflation.

Praise be to Allah.Yes, it is haram to pay interest on loans even if that is because of inflation.  The scholars are agreed that if it is stipulated that a loan be repaid with something extra, that is riba (usury) which is forbidden by Allah and His Messenger.  Ibn Qudamah said in al-Mughni (6/436):  Every loan in which it is stipulated that something extra be repaid is haram, and there is no difference of scholarly opinion on this point.  Ibn al-Mundhir said: They are unanimously agreed that if the lender stipulates that the borrower pay something extra or give him s gift, and gives the loan on the basis of receiving something extra, that is riba.  It was narrated that Ubayy ibn Ka’b, Ibn ‘Abbaas and Ibn Mas’ood forbade loans that brought benefits. End quote.  The scholars stated that the borrower must return the same amount of property as he borrowed, regardless of whether its value on the day of paying it back is higher or lower than it was on the day that he borrowed it.  But Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) made an exception in one case, which is if the ruler has forbidden dealing in the currency in which the loan was made, in which case its value on the day of the loan should be worked out, then the loan should be repaid in the new currency. That is because a ban on dealing in it means that it is no longer valid and no longer has any value.  Ibn Qudamah said in al-Mughni (6/441):  We mentioned that the borrower should return the same amount, whether the price has fallen or risen, or is still the same. … If the loan was in coins that the ruler has banned, and they are no longer dealt in, then the lender is entitled to the equivalent value, but he does not have to accept it. … Maalik, al-Layth ibn Sa’d and al-Shaafa’i said: He is not entitled to anything except what he lent, because that is not because anything happened to what he lent, so it is like a decrease in its price. The evidence for what we have said is that if the ruler bans it, then it cannot be spent and it is no longer valid. So it is as if part of it has been destroyed or lost. But as for a fall in prices, that does not mean that it cannot be repaid, whether it is a lot or a little, because nothing has happened to it, rather the price has changed. It is like wheat, when the price for it rises or falls. End quote.  And Allah knows best.

My question is if you would help me to know the Hadith or the point of vieuw from the Islamic law on the follwing situation. If a woman is married to a man and that this man is also married to an other woman without her, the last, knows about this marriage. No need to say that this is a difficult and very exceptional situation but seems the best concerning the circumstances?

Praise be to Allah. The wife’s approval is not a condition for plural marriage, and it is not obligatory for the husband to have the approval of his first wife if he wants to marry a second wife. But it is good manners and kind treatment to approach the issue in such a way as to reduce the pain which women naturally feel in such cases, by smiling at her, greeting her warmly, speaking nicely to her and spending money on her according to his means, in order to gain her approval. Fataawa Islamiyyah, 3/204.  If a husband takes a second wife, he has to treat his wives equally as far as possible. If he does not treat them equally then he is exposing himself to a stern warning, for it was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever has two wives and inclines more towards one of them than the other, will come on the Day of Resurrection with half of his body leaning.” (narrated by al-Nisaa’i, ‘Ushrat al-Nisaa’, 3881; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Nasaa’i, no. 3682).  When Allaah permitted us to marry more than one woman, He said (interpretation of the meaning):  “but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one or (slaves) that your right hands possess. That is nearer to prevent you from doing injustice”[al-Nisaa’ 4:3]  So Allaah commands that a man should restrict himself to one wife, if he knows that he cannot be just. And Allaah is the source of strength.  See Fataawa Manaar al-Islam, 2/570.

What is the origin of the forty-day anniversary? Is there any evidence that eulogizing is acceptable in Islam?

Praise be to Allah.Firstly: the origin of this is a Pharaonic custom which was practised by the Pharaohs before Islam, then it spread from them to other nations. It is a reprehensible innovation (bid’ah) which has no basis in Islam, and it is be rejected as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours (Islam) which is not a part of it, will have it rejected.” (Saheeh – agreed upon).  Secondly: commemorating and eulogizing the dead in the manner that is done nowadays, when people gather for that purpose and exaggerate in praising the deceased is not permitted. It was narrated by Ahmad and Ibn Maajah, and classed as saheeh by al-Haakim, that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Awfaa said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade eulogizing.” (And it is not permitted) because mentioning the attributes of the deceased usually involves boasting and provokes sorrow and grief. But simply speaking well of him when he is mentioned or when his funeral passes by, or mentioning his good deeds and so on, in a manner similar to the way in which the Sahaabah eulogized those who were killed at Uhud and others, is permissible. It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “A funeral passed by and they spoke well of the deceased. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘He deserved it.’ Then another funeral passed by and they spoke ill of the deceased. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘He deserved it.’ ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said, ‘What did they deserve?’ He (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘The first one you spoke well of, and he deserved Paradise, and the second one you spoke ill of, and he deserved Hell. You are the witnesses of Allaah on earth.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim).

I have a problem as regard marriage. I am engaged to my cousin. we are both muslims, but out degree of knowledge about islam is very different. Infact i wear the hijab and try to be a good muslim while on the other hand he tries to be a good muslim but i get the impression that he is not trying hard. He is a very nice and sweet person, but sometimes i am scarred that he would not be up to standard as regard islamic practices.. for example on the weekend he goes clubbing with his friends. I am scarred and confused!! Should i marry him? we decided to get married in 5 years time, so is there time to charge him? He is always accusing me of trying to change him, but i want him to change for the better. What should i do?

Praise be to Allah.We share your fears concerning marriage to this man, and we urge you to agree to marry a man who is religiously committed and of good character if one comes and proposes to you, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If there comes to you one with whose religious commitment and character you are pleased, then marry (your female relative under your care) to him, for if you do not do that there will be tribulation in the land and great mischief.”  The decision mentioned in the question to get married after five years is strange, but so long as your relative has chosen this lengthy period, you have plenty of time to find someone else who is more suitable, if such a one should come and propose – so long as there is no marriage contract (nikaah) between you and your relative. If no one who is more suitable comes along during this time, it is permissible for you to marry him (your relative), so long as He is a Muslim and he is not doing anything that would put him beyond the pale of Islam. We ask Allaah to give you strength.

Is it O.K. to drink non alcoholic beer?

Praise be to Allah.The basic ruling on food and drink is that things are halaal, except for those which are specifically described in sharee’ah as being haraam, such as alcoholic drinks. If the drink includes any intoxicating substance, it is haraam. On this basis it may be said that beer (a drink made from barley), if it is intoxicating when drunk in large amounts, then it is not permissible to drink it. It was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every intoxicating substance is haraam.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, al-Ahkaam, 6637) And it was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Every intoxicating substance is haraam, and whatever intoxicates in large amounts, a handful of it is haraam.’” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, al-Ashribah, 1789; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 1521). Al-Teebi said: “ ‘a handful of it’ is an expression meaning a small amount.” And Allaah knows best.

Why does Islam forbid pork, when the pig is one of the creations of God?.

Praise be to Allah.Firstly:  Our Lord has forbidden eating pork in definitive terms. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “Say (O Muhammad): I find not in that which has been revealed to me anything forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it be Maytah (a dead animal) or blood poured forth (by slaughtering or the like), or the flesh of swine (pork); for that surely, is impure or impious (unlawful) meat (of an animal) which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allaah (or has been slaughtered for idols, or on which Allaah’s Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering)” [al-An’aam 6:145] By the mercy of Allaah and His kindness towards us, Allaah has permitted us to eat all good things, and He has not forbidden anything but those that are impure. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “…he allows them as lawful At‑Tayyibaat (i.e. all good and lawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons and foods), and prohibits them as unlawful Al‑Khabaa’ith (i.e. all evil and unlawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons and foods)” [al-A’raaf 7:157] We do not doubt for an instant that the pig is a dirty and filthy animal, and that eating it is harmful to man. Moreover it lives on dirt and filth, and it is something that is off-putting to those of a sound nature who refuse to touch it, because eating it is either a cause or a sign of a person’s oddness.  Secondly:  With regard to the physical harm caused by eating pork, modern science has proved a number of things, such as the following:  ‎Pork is regarded as one of the kinds of meat that contain the most cholesterol, an increase of which in the bloodstream leads to an increased likelihood of blocked arteries. The fatty acids in pork are also of an unusual formation, when compared with the fatty acids in other types of food, which makes them more easily absorbed by the body, thus increasing cholesterol levels. ‎Pork meat and pork fat contribute to the spread of cancers of the colon, rectum, prostate and blood. ‎Pork meat and pork fat contribute to obesity and related diseases that are difficult to treat. ‎Eating pork leads to scabies, allergies and stomach ulcers. ‎Eating pork causes lung infections which result from tapeworms, lungworms and microbial infections of the lungs. The most serious danger of eating pork is that pork contains tapeworms which may grow to a length of 2-3 meters. The growth of the eggs of these worms in the human body may lead to insanity and hysteria if they grow in the area of the brain. If they grow in the region of the heart that may lead to high blood pressure and heart attacks. Another kind of worm that is to be found in pork is the trichinosis worm that cannot be killed by cooking, the growth of which in the body may lead to paralysis and skin rashes.  The doctors have confirmed that tapeworm disease is regarded as one of the serious diseases that may result from eating pork. It may develop in the small intestine and after several months may grow into a large worm whose body is composed of a thousand segments, with a length of 4-10 meters, which lives alone in the intestine of the infected person and part of it may appear when he defecates. When the pig swallows and ingests its eggs, they enter the tissues and muscles in the form of larvae sacs containing fluid and the head of the tapeworm. When a person eats infected pork, the larva turns into a complete worm in the intestine. These worms cause weakness and vitamin B12 deficiency, which leads to a specific type of anaemia, which may in turn cause nervous problems. In some cases the larvae may reach the brain, causing convulsions, increased pressure within the brain, epilepsy and even paralysis.  Eating pork that is not thoroughly cooked may also lead to trichinosis (infestation with a hairlike nematode worm). When these parasites reach the small intestine, three to five days later many larvae appear which enter the intestine and reach the blood, from which they reach most of the tissues of the body. The larvae move to the muscles and form cysts there, and the patient suffers intense muscle pains. The disease may develop into infection of the cerebral membrane and brain, and infections of the heart muscle, lungs, kidneys and nerves. It may be a fatal disease in rare cases.  It is well known that there are some diseases that are unique to humans and are nor shared with any other animals except pigs, such as rheumatism and joint pain. Allaah indeed spoke the truth when He said (interpretation of the meaning):   “He has forbidden you only the Maytah (dead animals), and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allaah (or has been slaughtered for idols, on which Allaah’s Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering). But if one is forced by necessity without willful disobedience nor transgressing due limits, then there is no sin on him. Truly, Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Baqarah 2:173] These are some of the harmful effects of eating pork. Perhaps after studying them you will not have any doubts that it is forbidden. We hope that this will be the first step in your being guided towards the true religion. So stop, research, look and think, objectively and fairly, seeking only to find out the truth and follow it. I ask Allaah to guide you to that which is best for you in this world and in the Hereafter.  But even if we did not know about the harmful effects of eating pork, this would not change our belief that it is haraam in the slightest, or weaken our resolve to abstain from it. You know that when Adam (peace be upon him) was expelled from the Garden, it was because he ate from the tree from which Allaah forbade him to eat. We do not know anything about that tree, and Adam did not need to enquire into the reason why it was forbidden to eat from it. Rather it was sufficient for him, as it is sufficient for us and for every believer, to know that Allaah has forbidden it.  Look at some of the harmful effects of eating pork; look at the research of the Fourth Annual Conference of Islamic Medicine, Kuwait edition, p. 731 ff; and al-Wiqaayah al-Sihhiyyah fi Daw’ al-Kitaab wa’l-Sunnah by Lu’lu’ah bint Saalih, p. 635 ff.  But we ask you once again: Isn’t pork forbidden in the Old Testament which forms part of your Holy Book?  “Do not eat any detestable thing. These are the animals you may eat… The pig is also unclean; although it has a split hoof, it does not chew the cud, you are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses.” (Deuteronomy 14:3-8)  See also Leviticus 11-1-8.  We do not need to quote evidence that pork is forbidden for the Jews. If you have any doubt then ask people and they will tell you. But what we think we need to draw you attention to is some other things that are also mentioned in your Holy Book, this time in the New Testament which tells you that the rulings of the Torah still apply to you and cannot be changed. Does’t it say in the Bible that the Messiah said:  “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” Matthew 5:17-18?  With this text, we do not need to look for another ruling on pork in the New Testament, but we will add here another quotation which shows definitively that pork is impure:  “A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus: ‘Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.’ He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs.” Mark 5:11-13  Perhaps you will say that this is abrogated, and that Peter said such and such and Paul said such and such…?  This is changing the words of Allaah and abrogating the Torah and the words of the Messiah who confirmed to you that it would abide as long as heaven and earth remain. Can this be abrogated by the words of Paul or Peter?  Let us assume that this is true and that the prohibition was indeed abrogated, but why are you criticizing this prohibition in Islam when it was prohibited for you at first?  Thirdly:  With regard to your saying that if eating it is forbidden, then why did Allaah create pigs? We do not think that you are serious, otherwise we would ask you: why did Allaah create such and such of other things that are harmful or repulsive? Rather we would ask you: why did Allaah create the Shaytaan?  Is it not the prerogative of the Creator to command His slaves as He will, and to rule them as He will. No one can overturn His ruling or change His words.  Is it not the duty of the created being, the slave, to say to his Lord, whenever He commands him to do something: “We hear and we obey”?  You may enjoy its taste and want to eat it, and those around you may enjoy it, but doesn’t Paradise deserve some sacrifice on your part of that which your heart desires?.

At what times can the Quran be read? My understanding is that the Quran is one of the forms of dhikr and dhikr can be done at any time. But few brothers in our mosque feel that it cannot be read between Fajr and sun rise. The reason is we cannot perform sujud during this time and if sujud at-tilawah comes, we cannot perform it and hence we should not be reading during this time. Please answer this question in light of the Quran and Sunnah with some evidence.

Praise be to Allah.This question covers a number of issues  When you should not read the Quran?  It is permissible for a Muslim to read Quran in all situations, except when he is junub (in a state of major ritual impurity following sexual activity). Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] said: “The scholars unanimously agree that it is forbidden for the person who is junub to read the Quran.” (See Tawdih al-Ahkam by ‘Abd-Allah al-Bassam, vol. 1, p. 309)  With regard to what is mentioned about reading the Quran being dhikr, this is correct, indeed it is one of the best forms of dhikr, because it is the words of Allah.  Forbidden time to offer prayer The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade prayer at certain times . It was narrated that it is not allowed to pray or to bury the dead at those times , but that does not include reading the Quran. Rather it was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that it is mustahabb to remember Allah (dhikr) after Fajr, which undoubtedly includes reading the Quran.  Al-Tirmidhi narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever prays Fajr in congregation, then sits and remembers Allah until the sun comes up, then prays two rak’ahs, will have a reward like that of Hajj and ‘Umrah .” He said: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Complete, complete, complete.” (al-Jumu’ah 535; classed as good by al-Albani in Sahih Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 480).  Disallowing this is not valid unless there is evidence to that effect; how can that be when there is evidence to indicate that it is mustahabb?  Is sujud al-tilawah considered to be prayer?  Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin said:  Some of the scholars were of the view that sujud al-tilawah is prayer. Some of the scholars were of the view that it is not prayer, because the definition of prayer does not apply to it, as it is not proven in the Sunnah that there is any takbir (saying “Allahu akbar” as in the beginning of prayer) or taslim (saying salams, as at the end of prayer) involved in it.  The hadiths narrated concerning Sujud al-Tilawah do not mention anything except sujud (prostration) – “he prostrated and we prostrated with him” – except for one hadith which was narrated by Abu Dawud, but its isnad is subject to question (“he said ‘Allahu akbar’ when he prostrated”). But there is no taslim.  It was not narrated in any hadith, da’if (weak) or sahih (sound), that he said taslim after doing sujud al-tilawah. If there is no sahih hadith to indicate that one should say taslim, then it is not prayer, because prayer has to begin with takbir and end with taslim.  This is the view favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him). On this basis there is no need for taharah (to have wudu) or to cover one’s ‘awrah or to face the qiblah.  It is permissible to prostrate even if one has broken one’s wudu (minor impurity). Whoever studies the words of Ibn Taymiyah will see that the correct view is that which he expressed, which is that sujud al-tilawah is not prayer and is not subject to the same conditions as prayer.  If you recite the Quran from memory and you do not have wudu , and you come to a verse  where sujud is required, then according to this view you may prostrate and it is OK. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), even though he was known to be very strict, used to prostrate when he did not have wudu, but to be on the safe side it is better not to prostrate without having wudu. (Al-Sharh al-Mumti’ by Ibn ‘Uthaymin, vol. 4, p. 126)  On this basis, it is permissible to read the Quran after Fajr prayer, indeed it is mustahabb. With regard to the issue of the reader coming across a verse where sujud al-tilawah is required, after Fajr or after ‘Asr, Shaykh Ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked whether the person who is reading the Quran after ‘Asr or after Fajr should do sujud al-tilawah. He said:  “It is prescribed to do sujud al-tilawah after Fajr and after ‘Asr, because this is something that is done for a reason, and because it does not come under the rulings of prayer according to the more correct of the two scholarly views. Rather it comes under the ruling of reading Quran and saying tasbih (“subhan Allah”) and tahlil (“la ilaha ill-Allah”), so it is permissible for the one who is reading Quran to do sujud al-tilawah, even if he does not have wudu, according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions.” (Fatawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy on him), vol. 2, p. 344) And Allah knows best.

There is a pilot whose job is based in Saudi Arabia and he has iqaamah (residence permit) there, but he has a home in another country where his wife and children live, and he travels to visit them from time to time. How should he pray when he is there?

Praise be to Allah.To be on the safe side, he should not avail himself of the dispensations allowed to travellers, either in Saudi Arabia or in his own country. It is as if he has two homes, so we say to him, do not avail yourself of the dispensations either in your place of work or in the place where your family live.

What is a right hand servant? Do you have to be married to have one? How can you finalize it and get one and state this person as your right hand servant?.

Praise be to Allah.Firstly:  If Allaah enables the Muslim mujahideen to defeat kaafir enemies in war, then the men may be killed, ransomed, set free without ransom or enslaved. The choice between these four options is to be made by the ruler, according to what he thinks is the best course.  With regard to the women, they become slaves and “those whom one's right hand possesses” (described as a “right hand servant” in the question). Male children also become slaves. The ruler shares out these slaves among the mujaahideen.  Shaykh al-Shanqeeti (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The reason why a person may be taken as a slave is his being a kaafir and waging war against Allaah and His Messenger. If Allaah enables the Muslims who are striving and sacrificing their lives and their wealth and all that Allaah has given them to make the word of Allaah supreme over the kaafirs, then He allows them to enslave the kuffaar when they capture them, unless the ruler chooses to free them or to ransom them, if that serves the interests of the Muslims.  Adwa’ al-Bayaan, 3/387  Islam limited the sources of slaves which existed before the mission of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to just one source, namely slavery resulting from capturing prisoners from among the kuffaar.   Islam treated female slaves more kindly in their enslavement than other cultures did. Their honour was not considered to be permissible to anyone by way of prostitution, which was the fate of female prisoners of war in most cases. Rather Islam made them the property of their masters alone, and forbade anyone else to also have intercourse with them, even if that was his son. Islam made it their right to become free through a contract of manumission; it encouraged setting them free and promised reward for that. Islam made setting slaves free an obligation in the case of some kinds of expiation (kafaarah), such as the expiation for accidental killing, zihaar (a jaahili form of divorce in which a man said to his wife, “You are to me as my mother’s back”), and breaking oaths. They received the best treatment from their masters, as was enjoined by the pure sharee’ah.  Secondly:  A mujaahid does not have to be married in order to gain possession of a “slave whom one’s right hand possesses.” None of the scholars expressed such a view.  Thirdly:  If a mujaahid takes possession of a female slave or male slave, it is permissible for him to sell them. In either case – whether one acquires a slave through battle or through purchase – it is not permissible for a man to have intercourse with a female slave until she has had a period from which it may be ascertained that she is not pregnant. If she is pregnant then he must wait until she gives birth.  It was narrated that Ruwayfi’ ibn Thaabit al-Ansaari said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say on the day of Hunayn: “It is not permissible for any man who believes in Allaah and the Last Day to irrigate the crop of another else – meaning to have intercourse with a woman who is pregnant. And it is not permissible for a man who believes in Allaah and the Last Day to have intercourse with a captured woman until he has established that she is not pregnant. And it is not permissible for a man who believes in Allaah and the Last Day to sell any booty until it has been shared out.”  Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2158; classed as hasan by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 1890.  For many reasons, including the fact that the Muslims have long since given up jihad, slavery is now very rare. This means that the Muslims must be extra cautious by examining any case in which it is claimed that someone is a slave, whether male or female.  For more information see question no. 26067  And Allaah knows best.

Why does Islam forbid alcohol whilst promising the people of Paradise that they will drink wine there?.

Praise be to Allah.We have already listed some of the evil consequences that result from drinking alcohol, which are the reason why drinking it is absolutely forbidden in the religion of Allah. See for example question no 40882.  But the questioner – may Allah guide us and him to knowledge of the truth – thinks that the prohibition on alcohol in this world, and the promise to the believers that they will enjoy it in Paradise, is a contradiction or fault in the religion of Allah, or at best he is confused by this.  Allah forbid that there should be any contradiction in his Book or His laws, for He is the All-Knowing, All-Wise, All-Aware. Contradictions come from others, not from Him, may He be exalted. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “Do they not then consider the Quran carefully? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely, have found therein many a contradiction” [Al-Nisa’ 4:82] Contradictions come from human beings when they try to criticize the revealed words, and from their misunderstanding when they fail to grasp the intended meaning or the wisdom behind the words.  The Book of Allah is protected by Him, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):  “Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Quran) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption)” [Al-Hijr 15:9].  With regard to other books (scriptures), Allah has not guaranteed to preserve them, rather He commanded their people to guard them, but they altered them and changed them, so no one longer has any doubt that they have been changed from the form in which Allah revealed them. Indeed anyone among the people of these Books who has the slightest knowledge does not claim that this is how they were revealed from God or that the Messiah conveyed them like this during his lifetime. See question no. 47516.  Now let us return to the question and ask the questioner:  Are you objecting to the prohibition on alcohol in this world? Do you want it to be permitted as it will be a delight for the people of Paradise? In that case we ask you: Wasn’t alcohol forbidden in your holy Book, and is that not mentioned repeatedly in the Old Testament in which you believe? If you do not know about that, then listen:  “Woe to those who are champions at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks” Isaiah 5:22 (New International Version)  “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor” Proverbs 23:20-21 (New International Version)  “Then the LORD said to Aaron: ‘You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the Tent of Meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You must distinguish between the holy and the profane, between the unclean and the clean.’” Leviticus 10:8-10 (New International Version)  This is sufficient evidence for anyone who is wise; as for discussing these verses in detail, we do not have room to do so here.  Even in the New Testament of your holy Book, there remain some verses which point to that:  “But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, and idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard of a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.” 1 Corinthians 5:11 (New International Version)  “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of Gos.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (New International Version)  “Do not get drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18 (New International Version)  And there any many similar verses.  “Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny?” [Al-Rahmaan 55:13] If you claim, as you do, that this prohibition was abrogated and that it became permissible for you, then why do you object to the idea that the Quran abrogated that permission and that Allah has forbidden it to people in this world?  Or are you objecting to the fact that it will become a delight in the Hereafter after it was forbidden in this world? Do you want it to be forbidden in both realms?  In that case, it remains for us to ask you: if you accept that the prohibition of alcohol in this world was abrogated, so it became permissible – as you claim – then is it not more appropriate that you should accept that in the Hereafter? Even though the Hereafter is not a place of obligations, rather it is the place of delight for the people of Paradise and the torment of Hell for the people of the Fire.  But we say this simply for the sake of argument, to show to him that he was being fair to his opponent when he did not look at what he has (in the Bible).  But if the questioner really wants to know the truth, then the truth is simpler than that, for it is light, and in that case we say to him:  Allah has forbidden alcohol because it is an evil abomination, of the Devil’s handiwork; it destroys the mind of the one who drinks it and distracts him from worshipping and obeying Allah, and leads him to disobey Him, and it generates enmity and hatred in the hearts of the believers. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), and gambling, and Al‑Ansaab (stone altars for sacrifices to idols etc), and Al‑Azlaam (arrows for seeking luck or decision) are an abomination of Shaytaan’s (Satan’s) handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful. 91. Shaytaan (Satan) wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from As‑Salaah (the prayer). So, will you not then abstain?” [Al-Maa’idah 5:90-91] The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Every intoxicant is khamr and all khamr is haraam.” Saheeh Muslim, 2003.  This is what it says in your holy Book:  “Then the LORD said to Aaron: ‘You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink ... You must distinguish between the holy and the profane, between the unclean and the clean.’” Leviticus 10:8-10 (New International Version)  As for the wine of the Hereafter, it is delightful and is free of all the filth and impurities of worldly wine. Paradise is the abode of the good and pure, and there is nothing in it but good things. Our Lord says (interpretation of the meaning):  “Round them will be passed a cup of pure wine — 46. White, delicious to the drinkers. 47. Neither will they have Ghoul (any kind of hurt, abdominal pain, headache, a sin) from that nor will they suffer intoxication therefrom” [Al-Saaffaat 37:45-47] They will not suffer any kind of hurt, pain, or headaches, and it will not destroy their wealth.  The wine of the Hereafter bears no resemblance to the wine of this world except in name. As for its real nature, no eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has it entered the heart of man. Our Lord says (interpretation of the meaning):  “No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do” [Al-Sajdah 32:17] The one who contaminate himself with the wine of this world deserves to be denied the wine of the Hereafter. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Every intoxicant is khamr and every intoxicant is haraam. Whoever drinks wine in this world and dies having persisted in drinking it and not having repented, will never drink it in the Hereafter.”  Saheeh Muslim, 2003.  We ask Allah to guide you to the truth and help you to give up specious arguments.  And Allah is the source of strength, and there is no lord but He.

Is it permissible for a man to shave off his beard if he needs to go to a country where men with beards are persecuted?.

Praise be to Allah.First of all we should remember that it is forbidden to travel to the lands of the mushrikeen or lands where there is a great deal of corruption and promiscuity. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I disavow myself of every Muslim who settles among the mushrikeen.” They said: “O Messenger of Allaah, why?” He said: “They should not be able to see one another’s fires.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1604; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.  Please see also question no 21344 and 8919.  If a person needs to travel to such countries and cannot avoid doing so, or if that will serve the public interest of the Muslims, then it is permissible to travel, but he has to learn enough of the rulings of Islam that he needs in this country, and he should avoid places of fitnah (temptation, tribulation) that may affect his religious commitment, as much as he can, whether that has to do with physical temptations that are available in the kaafir land or it has to do with doubts and specious arguments that the enemies of Islam throw at him, overtly or otherwise, to shake the faith that is in people’s hearts. See question no. 6154. If this trip requires him to shave off his beard, such as if he needs to go to a place where wearing a beard is forbidden, or he will exposed to mistreatment because of his beard, and he cannot bear it, then Shaykh Ibn Jibreen tells us that:  If he has no alternative but to go to that country, or if his going there will strengthen the Muslims, then there is nothing wrong with him shaving off his beard. But if he is going there only for some worldly gain or the mistreatment to which he will be exposed is something that he can bear, then it is not permissible for him to shave it off.  It should also be noted that if trimming his beard a little will be sufficient to ward off harm from himself, then doing that will be less serious than shaving it off. And Allaah knows best.

What is the ruling on saying salam to a person to whom you are speaking on the phone, when you do not know whether he is a Muslim or not?.

Praise be to Allah.The ruling is the same as when meeting him in person. If you know that he is a kaafir, then do not initiate the greeting. But if you do not know, there is nothing wrong with that.  And Allah is the Source of strength.

Why is playing cards – I mean only playing, without gambling – counted as haraam? We are not playing for money

Praise be to Allah. The Standing Committee was asked about playing cards if that does not distract people from prayer and there is no money involved. They answered:  Playing cards is not permitted, even if there is no money involved, because the problem with that is that it distracts people from remembering Allaah (dhikr) and from prayer. Even if they claim that this is not the case, then it is still a means that may lead to gambling which is expressly forbidden in the Qur’aan. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), and gambling, and Al-Ansaab (stone altars for sacrifices to false gods) and Al-Azlaam (arrows for seeking luck or decision) are an abomination of Shaytaan’s (Satan’s) handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful” [al-Maa’idah 5:90] These cards have an effect on society, for the bonds of a strong society are achieved by means of two things: following the commands of Allaah and heeding His prohibitions. A society disintegrates when it neglects any of those duties or does any of those things that are forbidden. These cards form one of the factors which have an effect on society. They cause people to neglect prayer in congregation, and they generate alienation, breaking of ties, hatred and negligence through the committing of haraam actions, and they make people too lazy to earn a living.  Fataawa Islamiyyah, 4/436  With regard to the history of these playing cards: No one really knows who invented playing cards or when or where they were invented. It has been said that they are of Chinese or Indian origin, or otherwise. But historians are agreed that they came to Europe from the Middle East in the latter part of the Middle Ages. Experts also say that there is agreement that playing cards have clearly evolved from that time until now.  Playing cards made their first appearance in Europe in Andalusia, and were brought to northern Spain in the eleventh century CE.  The traditional deck of cards in Spain consisted of 40 cards, including the numbers 1 to 7, plus three characters, the highest of which was the “ruler”, followed by the “deputy”, then the “scribe” or “knight.”  In the sixteenth century, the French changed the cards, replacing the “ruler” with the king, the “deputy” with the queen, and the “knight” with the jack. They also added three new numbers, so that the deck now consisted of 52 cards. In the seventeenth century, the Germans added a fourth character, the joker.  We have quoted above the fatwa on playing with these cards. It may also be added that playing cards is devoid of any of the goals of recreational activities as required in Islam; it does not teach any skill that is needed for jihad or any useful knowledge or bring any social benefit or relaxation that will calm the nerves. Rather it is a game that has nothing good in it; it causes arguments and simply kills time. It is based on speculation and chance, and it is like playing with dice, in that it leads to disputes and fighting, and it is like alcohol and gambling.  Based on the above, it would not be farfetched to suggest that it is haraam rather than makrooh, by analogy with dice, because both are based on chance and both lead to arguments.  The same view was favoured by Shaykh Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, and it is the view of our contemporary scholars, and of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen among the fuqaha’ of al-Najd, who transmitted it from his shaykhs. This is based on the fact that it leads to enmity and hatred, and because it is a great waste of time and it distracts people from remembering Allaah (dhikr) and keeps them from worshipping and obeying Him.  This view is further supported by the fact that one of the French kings issued orders banning people from playing cards during the day, and stating that everyone who went against this order was to be arrested and punished. That was because the French people loved playing cards too much, to such an extent that they were neglecting their work in order to play cards. The punishment dictated by this French king was not just a brief imprisonment, he also added a severe beating as a deterrent to others.  Yet despite these decrees and others, he did not succeed in uprooting the habit of playing cards; the only result was that the people started to play in secret rather than openly.  From Qadaaya al-Lahw wa’l-Tarfeeh by Maadoon Rasheed, p. 185-187.

We live in a country with a mixed population of Christians, idol-worshippers and ignorant Muslims, and we do not know whether they mention the name of Allaah when slaughtering the meat or not. What is the ruling on eating meat slaughtered by all of these people, when it is difficult to distinguish what has been slaughtered by whom?.

Praise be to Allah.If the matter is as described, with the meat being slaughtered by a mixture of people that includes people of the Book, idol-worshippers and ignorant Muslims, and you cannot tell who has slaughtered what and it is not known whether the name of Allaah was mentioned at the time of slaughter or not, then it is haraam to eat the meat when you are confused about who did the slaughtering, because the basic principle is that animals of the an’aam class (i.e., camels, cattle, sheep and goats), and animals that come under the same rulings, are haraam unless they are slaughtered in the proper manner as prescribed in sharee’ah. In this case there is doubt as to whether the slaughtering is done in the proper shar’i manner or not, because of the mixture of slaughterers, some of whose meat is permissible and some is not permissible – such as the idol-worshippers and innovators among the ignorant Muslims whose bid’ah involves shirk.  If it can be determined what has been slaughtered by whom, then you can eat meat slaughtered by a Muslim or a Christian if it is known that he mentioned the name of Allaah at the time of slaughter, or if it is not known whether he mentioned the name of Allaah or not. But you may not eat meat slaughtered by an idol-worshipper or by a Muslim who follows innovation that involves shirk, whether he mentioned the name of Allaah over it or not.  The Muslim should strive to be on the safe side in all matters of religion and he should seek that which is halaal in his food, drink, clothing and all his affairs. With regard to matters such as that asked about here, the Ahl al-Sunnah should choose the right people to slaughter their meat.

What is the ruling on what many women's guardians do nowadays of making excessive demands regarding the dowry and asking the husband for more than he can afford, which makes him take on many debts in order to get married, and which may put many young men off getting married?.

Praise be to Allah.We have already explained in the answer to question no. 10525that Islam teaches that the dowry should be reduced and made simple, and that this is in the interests of both the husband and the wife. As the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The best of marriage is that which is made easiest.” Narrated by Ibn Hibbaan, classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3300. The scholars have spoken a great deal about this issue and explained the harm that results from exaggerating concerning the mahr. For example, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem issued a lengthy fatwa on this matter, in which he said: One of the things that people have gone too far in, until they reached the level of extravagance and excess, is the matter of exaggerating concerning the mahr, and being extravagant in clothing, wedding feasts, and so on. The knowledgeable and wise people have started to complain about this because of the many evil consequences to which it leads, such as many women remaining unmarried, because many men cannot afford the expenses of getting married, which leads to many kinds of evil consequences…. I have researched this matter from all angles and reached the following conclusions:  1 – Accepting a moderate dowry and not demanding more of the husband than he can afford are enjoined by sharee’ah, according to the consensus of the scholars of the earlier and later generations. This is the Sunnah that is proven from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).  2 – If the husband takes on payment of a dowry that he cannot afford and that is beyond his means, he deserves to be denounced for that, because he has done something makrooh, even if that dowry is less than the dowry given by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Muslim narrated in his Saheeh (1424) that Abu Hurayrah said: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: “I have got married to a woman from among the Ansaar.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him: “Have you looked at her? For there may be something in the eyes of the Ansaar.” He said: “(Yes) I have looked at her.” He said: “For how much did you get married?” He said: ‘For four uqiyahs.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “For four uqiyahs! It is as if you are getting this silver by digging it up from the side of this mountain. We do not have anything to give you, but perhaps we will send you on a campaign from which you might get something.” So he sent a campaign to Bani ‘Abs, and he sent that man among them.  Al-Nawawi said in his commentary on this hadeeth: what this means is that it is makrooh to make the dowry too much in relation to the husband’s situation.  3 – There can be no doubt that marriage is something that is prescribed and encouraged in sharee’ah, and in most cases it reaches the degree of being obligatory. Most people cannot manage to do this thing that is prescribed or mustahabb when there is this exaggeration concerning the mahr. It is well known that whatever is essential to doing something obligatory is also obligatory, from which we may understand that it is prescribed to make people aware of the seriousness of this matter and stop them from going to extremes in this matter which is preventing men from doing that which Allaah has enjoined upon them (i.e., getting married), especially since the command to reduce the mahr will not lead to any evil consequences, rather it is wholly in the interests of both the husband and the wife, and is in fact something that is liked and encouraged in Islam, as stated above.  4 – There is no shar’i justification for the woman’s guardian to refuse to marry her to a compatible man if he proposes marriage to her and she is pleased with him, because he cannot pay the large dowry that the guardian demands because of his personal greed or for the purpose of extravagance and showing off. Rather this comes under the heading of preventing marriage for which the one who does it is regarded as a faasiq (evildoer) if he does it repeatedly.  Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:  The scholars found a way around this obstacle when they said that if a guardian refuses to marry his female relative under his care to a compatible man with whom she is pleased, then that guardianship passes to another. For example, if a woman’s father refuses to marry her to a man whose religious commitment and character are suitable and with whom she is pleased and whom she wants to marry, then the closest of people to her after him, among her brothers, paternal uncles or cousins, should marry her to him.”  5 – Increasing the mahr and exaggerating concerning it forms a strong obstacle to marriage, and the many evil consequences that result from that and the spread of evil actions among men and women, are well known. The means come under the same ruling as the ends. Islam came to achieve and complete people’s best interests, and to do away with and reduce evils. Even if reducing dowries were to do no more than block the ways that lead to haraam things, that would be sufficient.  6 – The evil consequences of exaggerating concerning dowries are well known. How many free, chaste women have been prevented from marrying by their guardians, who have wronged them and left them without husbands and children.  How many women has that led to respond to the calls of their own desire and the Shaytaan, so they have committed evil actions and brought shame upon themselves and their families and clans, because they have committed sins that anger the Most Merciful?  How many young men have been unable to meet these demands for which no authority was sent down by Allaah, so the devils and evil companions took control of them, until they led them astray and caused them to lose out, so they lost their families and lost their way, and they became lost to their ummah and homeland, and they lost out in this world and in the Hereafter.  7 – Another harmful effect of exaggerating concerning dowries is the appearance of mental illness among young people of both sexes, because of having to suppress their natural urges and because of the frustration they encounter when they try to get married.  8 – Making demands of the husband that he cannot meet may stir up enmity in his heart against his wife, due to the financial difficulties that he suffers because of her. But the aim (of marriage) is happiness, not hardship.  9 – Even if there is any benefit in a large dowry for the women or her guardians, the evil consequences outweigh any such benefits. The basic principle in sharee’ah is that warding off evil takes precedence over achieving benefits.  10 – With regard to the story narrated from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him), that when he forbade increasing the mahr to more than four hundred dirhams, a woman from among Quraysh objected to that and said: “O Ameer al-Mu’mineen, you have forbidden increasing the mahr of women to more than four hundred dirhams, have you not heard the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): ‘…and you have given one of them a Qintaar (of gold, i.e. a great amount as Mahr)…’ [al-Nisa’ 4:20]?”  He said: “O Allaah, forgive me. All the people have more understanding of religion than ‘Umar.” Then he went back and ascended the minbar, and said: “O people, I forbade you to increase women’s dowries to more than four hundred. But whoever wants to give as much as he wants of his wealth, let him do so.”  But this story may be understood in different ways, and cannot be used as evidence or to oppose the proven texts referred to above, especially when there is no report of any objection to ‘Umar or denunciation of him on the part of any of the Sahaabah apart from this woman.  Adapted from the words of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem. See Fataawa al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem, 10/187-199.

Is there anything such as witch doctors? What should we do if someone says "I don't believe in magic" because "this is just an illusion"?

Praise be to Allah.Sihr (witchcraft or magic) is a word referring to something hidden. It is real and there are kinds of witchcraft that may affect people psychologically and physically, so that they become sick and die, or husbands and wives are separated. Its effects happen by the will of Allah. It is a devilish action, most of which is only achieved by means of shirk (polytheism) and drawing close to the jinn and shayateen (devils) by means of that which they love, and it is based on associating others with Allah (shirk).  There are doctors who are also practitioners of witchcraft, who treat people by means of seeking the help of the jinn. They claim to have knowledge of the sickness with no need to identify it, and they prescribe for the patient foods and drinks that bring him closer to his allies among the devils. He may tell them to slaughter a pig whilst saying “Bismillah” (in the name of Allah) over it, or to slaughter a permissible animal without saying “Bismillah”, or when saying the name of one of the devils.  This is kufr or disbelief in Allah, and it is not permissible under any circumstances to go to these people. The hadd (Islamic prescribed) punishment for these people is execution. It has been proven from three of the sahabah (companions - may Allah be pleased with them) that the practitioners of witchcraft are to be put to death.  The Standing Committee was asked a question about this matter, in which it was said:  Please note that in Zambia there is a Muslim man who claims that he has with him a jinn, and the people come to him and ask him to treat their sicknesses, and this jinn states what their treatment should be. Is that permissible?  They replied:  It is not permissible for this man to use the jinn, and it is not permissible for the people to go to him seeking treatment for sickness through his using the jinn, or to meet any other need by this means.  Seeking treatment through human medical doctors and using permissible medicines is sufficient and means that there is no need for that, and it keeps people safe from the sorcery of the magicians.   It was narrated in a saheeh (authentic) report that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him about something, his prayer will not be accepted for forty days.” [Muslim].  And it was narrated by the authors of al-Sunan and by al-Hakim, who classed it as saheeh, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever goes to a soothsayer and believes what he says has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad.”  This man and his companions from among the jinn are regarded as being among the fortune-tellers and soothsayers, so it is not permissible to ask them anything or to believe them.  Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Daimah.  Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baz said:  Given that there are so many charlatans lately, who claim to be doctors and to treat people by means of magic and witchcraft, and they have become widespread in some countries and they exploit the naïveté of the ignorant, I thought that in the spirit of sincerity towards Allah and His slaves, that I should explain the grave danger that this poses to Islam and the Muslims, because it involves dependence on something other than Allah and going against His command and the command of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), so I say, seeking the help of Allah:  It is permissible to seek treatment according to scholarly consensus. The Muslim may go to a doctor to seek treatment for internal diseases, injuries, nervous complaints, etc, so that he can identify the disease and treat it in an appropriate manner, using medicines that are permissible according to sharee’ah (Islamic law), based on his knowledge of medicine, because this comes under the heading of using the ordinary means, and it is not contrary to the idea of putting one's trust in Allah. Allah has sent down the disease but He has also sent down with it the cure; those who know it know it and those who do not do not. But Allah has not created the healing for His slaves in that which He has forbidden to them, so it is not permissible for the sick person to go to a soothsayer who claims to know the unseen, in order to find out from them what is wrong with him. And it is not permissible for him to believe what they tell him, because they speak of the unseen without knowledge, or they summon the jinn and seek their help in doing what they want. The ruling on these people is that they are kafirs (disbelievers) and misguided, because they claim to have knowledge of the unseen. Muslim narrated in his Saheeh that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him about something, his prayer will not be accepted for forty days.” And it was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever goes to a soothsayer and believes what he says has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).” [Abu Dawood and the four authors of al-Sunan]. Al-Hakim narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever goes to a fortune-teller or soothsayer and believes what he says has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).” And it was narrated that ‘Imran ibn Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “He does not belong to us who observes bird omens or has that done for him, or who seeks divination or who has that done for him, or who practices witchcraft or has that done for him. Whoever goes to a soothsayer and believes what he says has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).” [al-Bazzaar]. These ahadeeth (reports) demonstrate that it is forbidden to go to soothsayers, fortune-tellers, witches and the like, and ask them questions and believe them, and a warning is issued to those who do this. Community leaders and those in positions of power and authority must forbid going to fortune-tellers, soothsayers and the like, and not allow anyone who deals in such things to operate in the marketplaces or elsewhere. They should denounce them emphatically, and denounce those who go to them. We should not be deceived by the fact that they may get things right sometimes, or by the fact that many people go to them, because they are ignorant and the people should not be deceived by them. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade going to them, asking them questions and believing them, because this is a great evil, a serious danger and leads to bad consequences, and because they are immoral liars. These ahadeeth also indicate that soothsayers and witches are also kafirs, because they claim to have knowledge of the unseen, which is kufr (disbelief), and because they only reach their goals by serving the jinn and worshipping them instead of Allah, which is kufr or disbelief in Him and associating others with Him (shirk). The one who believes them and their claims to have knowledge of the unseen is like them. Everyone who goes to these people and deals with them, is disowned by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It is not permissible for the Muslim to accept what they claim is a kind of treatment, such as their muttering mumbo-jumbo or pouring lead and other kinds of nonsense that they do. This is a kind of sorcery and deception of the people. Whoever accepts it is helping them in their falsehood and kufr.  Majmoo’ Fatawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baz.  Secondly:  With regard to witchcraft (sihr), it is real and is not an illusion, and it may have an effect by Allah’s leave.  Al-Qurafi said: Sihr is real, and the person against whom it is done may die, or his nature or habits may be changed, even if he does not deal with it himself. This was the view of al-Shafi’i and Ibn Hanbal.  Al-Furooq.  The Mu’tazalis, Qadaris and some of the scholars held a different view, but no attention should be paid to that. Al-Qurafi and others mentioned that the sahabah (companions) were unanimously agreed that it is real before there appeared those who denied that.  The evidence of Ahl al-Sunnah (those upon the prophetic teachings) concerning that is as follows:  1.     Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “… but the shayateen (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic and such things that came down at Babylon to the two angels, Harut and Marut, but neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things) till they had said, “We are for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this magic from us).” And from these (angels) people learn that by which they cause separation between man and his wife, but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah’s leave. And they learn that which harms them and profits them not.” [2:102]  This verse clearly indicates what we are trying to say, which is that sihr (witchcraft) is real, and that the practitioner of witchcraft may create a division between a man and his wife thereby, and that he may harm people by means of his witchcraft, but he cannot do any harm except by Allah’s leave.  2.     Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “And from the evil of those who practice witchcraft when they blow in the knots.” [113:4]  “… those who practice witchcraft when they blow in the knots” refers to female witches whose witchcraft involved tying knots then blowing into them. If witchcraft were not something real, Allah would not have commanded us to seek refuge from it.  3.     Further evidence is provided by the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was bewitched by the Jew Labeed ibn al-A’asam. This is a saheeh hadeeth (authentic narration) that was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.  Ibn al-Qayyim said: The witchcraft which can cause sickness, lethargy, mental sickness, love, hatred and delusions is something that does exist and is known by the masses. Many people know it from experience. Al-Tafsir al-Qayyim.  Thirdly:  There are many types of witchcraft, including illusions and deceiving the eyes. But not all sihr is as such. Some scholars listed different kinds of witchcraft, and counted eight kinds, the most well known of which are:  1.     Knots and incantations   i.e., reciting words and mumbo-jumbo by means of which the witch is able to use the devils to do what he wants of harming the person being bewitched. But Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “… but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah’s leave.” [2:102]  2.     Sleight of hand  They become skilled in this by means of practice and training to do things quickly, and bring out something hidden.   For example, the magician may bring a dove and strangle it in front of the audience; then he hits it with his hand and it gets up and flies.  But in fact there was a kind of anesthetic in his hand and he made it smell it and made the audience think that he had strangled it and killed it, then when he hits it, he wakes it up from that stupor.  3.     Bewitching the eyes  This is very common among the liars; the magician does not really put a sword in his body, rather he bewitches the eyes of the audience, and puts the sword by his side, but the bewitched people think that he puts it through his middle.  These tricksters have become well known among us, because among the audience there are those who protected themselves with Quran and dhikr (remembrance of Allah), and remembered Allah a great deal whilst sitting in the gathering watching the magician, so they saw what really happened, unlike what those who were bewitched saw.  4.     Using chemicals This is done well by those who know how substances react with one another, thus producing a substance that is not affected by some other substances, such as the Sufi Rifa’iyyah who make people think that they are not affected by fire, when in fact they coat themselves with some fireproof substances. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) challenged them to wash with hot water before entering the fire and they refused because this would have exposed their deceit.  And there are many other things that the practitioners of witchcraft do, which could not happen unless Allah decreed it.  See Tafsir Ibn Kathir; Majmoo’ Fatawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen; al-Sihr by Shaykh ‘Umar al-Ashqar.  And Allah knows best.

If a buyer and seller agree on a purchase, and the buyer makes a down payment, then later on he changes his mind and decides not to buy, does the seller have the right to keep the down payment and not return it to the purchaser?.

Praise be to Allah. Yes, he has the right to do that. This was done by ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab, and this is the view of Imam Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him).  Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:  There is nothing wrong with keeping the down payment, according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions, if the seller and buyer had agreed to that and the sale had not been completed.  Fataawa li’l-Tijjaar wa Rijaal al-A’maal, p. 49  It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 13/133:  Making down payments is permissible; that is when the buyer gives the seller or his agent a sum of money that is less than the price of the goods, after the agreement is made, to guarantee that he will get the goods and no one else will take them, and when the goods are delivered, this down payment is to be regarded as part of the price. If he does not then buy the goods, the seller may take the down payment and keep it, and the transaction is valid, whether he stipulated a time for payment of the rest of the price or not. The seller has the right to ask the purchaser to pay the rest of the price once the transaction has been completed and the goods have been handed over. The fact that making down payments is permissible is indicated by the fact that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) did that. Imam Ahmad said concerning making down payments: There is nothing wrong with it. And it was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) regarded it as permissible. Sa’eed ibn al-Musayyib and Ibn Sireen said: There is nothing wrong returning the product if he did not like it and giving something with it. With regard to the hadeeth that was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), saying that he forbade making down payments, this is a da’eef (weak) hadeeth which was classed as such by Imam Ahmad and others, and it cannot be taken as evidence.

What is ruling concerning attending/watching game shows such as "Wheel of Fortune", etc.? Also, in general, is it permissible to enter oneself in a drawing for a prize, say a car?.

Praise be to Allah. It is not appropriate for a Muslim to waste his time in things that will not benefit him, so how about spending time doing things that are sinful or haraam? The time that a person wastes in his day is part of his life, and he should use it in doing things that will bring him closer to his Lord and avoid wasting it in doing haraam or evil things.  The program which the questioner mentions is a foolish program which the Muslim should not watch, in which women appear improperly dressed and in which young men and women appear together as boyfriend-girlfriend couples and the like, and in which the contestant collects a large amount of money then loses it if the wheel lands on the word “Bankrupt”. How can the viewer denounce what he sees of nakedness and gambling?  Secondly:  There is nothing wrong with a Muslim buying a product and then entering a prize draw from that company, but that is subject to conditions:  Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:  Companies nowadays offer prizes to those who buy from them, and we say that there is nothing wrong with this, subject to two conditions:  The first condition:  The price of the item purchased should be its true price, i.e., the price should not be raised in order to cover the cost of the prize. If the price is raised in order to cover the cost of the prize, then this is gambling and is not permitted.  The second condition:  The person should not buy the item in order to try to win the prize. If he buys it only in order to try to win the prize, and he has no real use for the item, then this is a waste of money. We have heard that some people buy cartons of milk or yogurt which they do not need, but they buy it for a chance of winning the prize. So you find that they buy it and pour it out in the marketplace or on the way home. This is not permissible, because it is a waste of money, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has forbidden wasting money.  As’ilah al-Baab al-Maftooh, no. 1162.  And Allaah knows best.

Is it correct to join them in this or should we pray witr seperately?.

Praise be to Allah. Firstly:  It is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade making Witr prayer resemble Maghrib. See question no. 38230.  The scholars differed concerning the case where the imam does something in the prayer that the person praying behind him thinks is not allowed, or if the imam omits to do something that the person praying behind him thinks is obligatory – should he follow him or not?  Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) mentioned the scholarly dispute and favoured the view that he should follow the imam so long as the matter is something that is subject to ijtihaad.  He said in al-Fataawa al-Kubra (2/117):  They disputed regarding a case where the imam omits something that the person praying behind him thinks is obligatory, such as if he omits to recite the Basmalah, and the person praying behind him thinks that it is obligatory, or he touches his penis and does not do wudoo’, and the person praying behind him thinks that wudoo’ is obligatory in that case, or he prays wearing tanned leather from an animal that died naturally, and the person praying behind him thinks that tanning does not render the animal skin pure, or he is treated with cupping and does not do wudoo’ after that, and the person praying behind him thinks that one should do wudoo’ after cupping – the definitive correct view is that the prayer of the person who prays behind an imam is valid, even if the imam makes a mistake, because it is narrated in al-Saheeh that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “They lead you in prayer and if they get it right, it is for you and for them, and if they make a mistake it is for you and against them.” Similarly if the person praying in congregation follows someone who recites qunoot in Fajr or Witr, he should recite qunoot with him, whether before or after bowing, and if he does not usually recite qunoot, then he should not recite qunoot with him. If the imam thinks that something is mustahabb but the people praying behind him do not think it is mustahabb, and he omits it for the sake of harmony, he has done well. An example of that is Witr: there are three scholarly opinions concerning it:  1 – That it can only be offered as three rak’ahs joined together, like Maghrib, as was the view of some of the people of Iraq; 2 – That it can only be a single rak’ah offered separately from those that come before it, as was the view of some of the people of the Hijaaz; 3 – That both are permissible, as appears to be the view of al-Shaafa’i, Ahmad and others, and this is the correct view.   If these people are of the view that it should be separate from whatever comes before, and if the imam is of the view that it should be separate, but the people praying behind him favour the view that Witr should be like Maghrib, and he goes along with them in the interests of harmony, then he has done well, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to ‘Aa’ishah: “Were it not that your people are new in Islam, I would have knocked down the Ka’bah, made its door level with the ground, and I would have given it two doors, one through which the people could enter and another through which they could exit.” But he chose to forego that which he thought was better, so as not to upset the people.  End quote.  He also said in al-Fataawa al-Kubra (2/320):  If the imam does not do something that the person praying behind him thinks is obligatory there are two opinions concerning that. The more correct of them is that the prayer of the person praying behind the imam is valid. This is the view of Maalik and the clearer of the two reports narrated from Ahmad concerning such matters. This is also narrated from al-Shaafa’i, because he used to pray behind the Maalikis who do not recite the Basmalah, but his view is that it is obligatory to recite it. The evidence for that is the report narrated by al-Bukhaari and others, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “They lead you in prayer and if they get it right, it is for you and for them, and if they make a mistake it is for you and against them.” So he said that the imam’s mistake counts against him but not against the one who prays behind him. So if the imam’s view is the correct one in such cases, then there is no dispute; if he is mistaken then his mistake affects him alone. The one who thinks that the person praying behind the imam should not follow him in that says: the person praying behind the imam thinks that his imam’s prayer is invalid. Shaykh al-Islam said: That is not the case, rather he thinks that the imam is praying on the basis of ijtihaad or taqleed; if he gets it right then he will have two rewards and if he gets it wrong he will still have one reward.  End quote.  And he said in al-Ikhtiyaaraat al-Fiqhiyyah (70):  If the imam does something that is forbidden in the eyes of the one who is praying behind him but not in his own eyes, which is a matter that is subject to ijtihaad, then his prayer offered behind him is valid. This is the well-known view narrated from Ahmad. And he said: The reports narrated from Ahmad may appear contradictory but they are not, rather the apparent meaning is that in every case where a person is certain that the imam has made a mistake,  then he has to repeat the prayer, and in every case  where there is no such certainty, then he should not repeat the prayer. This is what is indicated by the Sunnah and the reports. There is a well-known dispute on this point among the scholars.  So you have to follow the imam, because this is a matter of ijtihaad concerning which the imams differed.  If you can advise the imam and explain the Sunnah to him, with evidence, then this is what you should do.  And Allaah knows best.

What is the ruling on one who eats or drinks during the day in Ramadan by mistake?.

Praise be to Allah.There is no sin on him and his fast is still valid, because Allah says at the end of Soorat al-Baqarah (interpretation of the meaning):  “Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error” [al-Baqarah 2:286] and it was narrated in a saheeh hadeeth from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that Allah said, “Your prayer is accepted.” And it was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever forgets when he is fasting and eats or drinks, let him complete his fast, for it is Allah Who has fed him and given him to drink.”  The same applies if he has intercourse, forgetting that he is fasting. His fast is still valid according to the more sound of the two scholarly opinions, because of the verse quoted above and because of this hadeeth, and because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever breaks his fast in Ramadan by mistake does not have to make it up or offer any expiation.”  Narrated and classed as saheeh by al-Haakim; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 6070. This wording includes intercourse and other things that break the fast, if the fasting person does them by mistake out of forgetfulness. This is by the mercy, generosity and kindness of Allah, to Whom be praise and thanks.

Is it permissible to divorce one’s wife when she is pregnant?.

Praise be to Allah. Divorcing a pregnant wife is in accordance with the Sunnah. There is a widespread notion among the common people that it is contrary to the Sunnah, but there is no basis or evidence for this view.  Muslim (1471) narrated the story of how Ibn ‘Umar divorced his wife, in which it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Tell him to take her back then divorce her when she is pure (i.e., not menstruating) or is pregnant.”  Al-Nawawi said in Sharh Muslim:  This indicates that it is permissible to divorce a pregnant woman whose pregnancy is established. This is the view of al-Shaafa’i. Ibn al-Mundhir said: This is also the view of most of the scholars, including Tawoos, al-Hasan, Ibn Sireen, Rabee’ah, Hammaad ibn Abi Sulaymaan, Maalik, Ahmad, Ishaaq, Abu Thawr, and Abu ‘Ubayd.  Ibn al-Mundhir said: This is also my opinion, and that of some of the Maalikis, but some of them said: It is haraam. Ibn al-Mundhir narrated another report from al-Hasan in which he said that divorcing a pregnant woman is makrooh. End quote.  Ibn al-Qayyim said in Tahdheeb al-Sunan:  The words “then divorce her when she is pure (i.e., not menstruating) or is pregnant” indicate that divorcing a pregnant woman is in accordance with the Sunnah.  We have quoted in the answer to question no. 12287 the fatwa of Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) on the ruling on divorcing a pregnant woman.

With regard to the expiation (fidyah) to be offered by one who did not fast in Ramadan, should it be paid each day or in one go after Ramadaan?.

Praise be to Allah.Whoever does not fast in Ramadan because he has an excuse which is not expected to go away, such as being elderly, has to feed one person for each day. He has the choice of offering this food day by day, or waiting until the month is over and then feeding the same number of poor persons as there were days in the month.  Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 6/335:  The time of offering the food is his choice. If he wants he can offer the expiation for each day on the day, or if he wants he can delay it until the last day, because that is what Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) did.

What is the ruling of Islamic sharee’ah on the situation of workers who work in exhausting jobs, especially in the summer months. I can give you an example of those who work with furnaces for smelting metals. Is it permissible for them not to fast in Ramadaan?.

Praise be to Allah.One of the basic facts of Islam, which no Muslim has any excuse for not knowing, is that fasting the month of Ramadaan is obligatory upon each person who is accountable, and it is one of the pillars of Islam. So every person who is accountable must strive to fast it in order to fulfil the obligation that Allaah has enjoined upon him, hoping for His reward and fearing His punishment, without forgetting permissible earnings in this world and without preferring this world to the Hereafter. If there is a conflict between doing the acts of worship enjoined by Allaah and working to earn a living in this world, then he must strike a balance between them so that he will be able to do both. In the example mentioned in the question, he should make the night his time for working to earn his living in this world, and if that is not possible then he should take a leave of absence from his work during Ramadaan, even if that is without pay. If that is not possible then he should look for other work where he will be able to fulfil both duties.   His worldly interests should not affect his Hereafter interests. There are lots of jobs and the ways of earning a living are not limited to this kind of difficult work. By Allaah’s Leave, the Muslim will never want for permissible ways of earning a living which will allow him also to do the acts of worship enjoined upon him by Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “And whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allaah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allaah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allaah has set a measure for all things” [al-Talaaq 65:2-3]  If we assume that he cannot find any work other than that mentioned, which causes him hardship, then he should flee for the sake of his religion from that land to another land where it will be easy for him to fulfil both his religious and worldly duties, and where he can cooperate with other Muslims in righteousness and piety, for the earth of Allaah is spacious. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “He who emigrates (from his home) in the Cause of Allaah, will find on earth many dwelling places and plenty to live by” [al-Nisa’ 4:100]  “Say (O Muhammad): O My slaves who believe (in the Oneness of Allaah Islamic Monotheism), be afraid of your Lord (Allaah) and keep your duty to Him. Good is (the reward) for those who do good in this world, and Allaah’s earth is spacious (so if you cannot worship Allaah at a place, then go to another)! Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning” [al-Zumar 39:10]  But if he cannot manage to do any of these things and he is forced to do the kind of difficult work mentioned in the question, then he should fast until he feels that he cannot bear to continue fasting, and then eat and drink enough to keep him going, then he should refrain from eating and drinking. And he has to make up the missed fasts on days when it is easy to fast.  And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

Does saliva invalidate the fast during Ramadan or not because I produce a lot of saliva especially when reading the Quran and when I am in the mosque?

Praise be to Allah.Does swallowing saliva break the fast? “If a fasting person swallows his saliva that does not invalidate his fast even if there is a lot of it and if that happens in the mosque or elsewhere. However, if it is thick like mucus, he should not swallow it , rather he should spit it out into a tissue or something else if he is in the mosque.  And Allah is the Source of strength. May Allah send blessings and peace upon of Prophet Muhammad and his family and Companions.” (Al-Lajnah al-Daimah li’l-Buhuth wa’l-Ifta, 1-/270) Is it permissible to swallow mucus?  If it is asked, is it permissible to swallow mucus deliberately?  The answer is:  “It is haram to swallow mucus whether one is fasting or not, because it is considered to be dirty and it may carry diseases produced by the body. But it does not break the fast if a fasting person swallows it, because it does not come from blood and swallowing it is not regarded as food or drink. If he swallows it after it reaches the mouth, it does not break the fast. (Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 6/428 by Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymin, may Allah have mercy on him) And Allah knows best.

What is the reward for giving iftar to one who is fasting?

Praise be to Allah.Reward of feeding a fasting person Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhani said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever gives iftar to one who is fasting will have a reward like his, without that detracting from the reward of the fasting person in the slightest.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 807; Ibn Majah, 1746. Classed as sahih by Ibn Hiban, 8/216 and by al-Albani in Sahih al-Jami’, 6415)  Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] said: “What is meant by giving him iftar is giving him enough to satisfy him.” (Al-Ikhtiyarat, p. 194)  The righteous salaf were keen to provide food for others and they thought that this was one of the best of righteous deeds.  One of the salaf said:  “For me to invite ten of my companions and feed them food that they like is dearer to me than freeing ten of the sons of Isma’il from slavery.”  Many of the salaf used to give up their iftar for others, such as ‘Abd-Allah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), Dawud al-Tai, Malik ibn Dinar and Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Ibn ‘Umar used to break his fast with orphans and the poor and needy.  There were among the salaf those who used to offer food to their brothers whilst fasting, and they would sit and serve them, such as al-Hasan and Ibn al-Mubarak.  Abu al-Siwar al-‘Adawi said: “Men from the tribe of Banu ‘Adiyy used to pray in this mosque and not one of them would break his fast on his own; if they found someone to join them they would eat with him, otherwise they would take their food out to the mosque and eat with the people, and the people would eat with them.  Virtues of feeding people  From the ‘ibadah of providing food for people stem many other acts of worship such as creating love and friendship towards those who are given the food, which is a means of entering Paradise, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “You will not enter Paradise until you truly believe, and you will not truly believe until you love one another.” Narrated by Muslim, 54. It also fosters the practice of sitting with righteous people and seeking reward by helping them to do acts of worship for which they gain strength by eating your food. And Allah knows best.

I am a Doctor.Can I receive gifts & dinner-offers by medical representatives.They offer these things so that we promote their drugs irrespective of price & quality

Praise be to Allah.If you are a doctor working on your own account (i.e., in a clinic of your own), then it is permissible for you to accept the invitations of these companies, on condition that you do not let that influence the kind of medicine you give to the sick. Rather you should prescribe the best medicine for the patient, paying attention to the price, or you should give him the freedom to choose. On this basis, your acceptance of the invitations extended by these companies should be to enable you to find out what kind of medicines etc. they have to offer. By the same token, if you are not working for yourself, if you accept these invitations simply to acquaint yourself with the company’s products, that is o.k., but if that will make you biased towards one company rather than another because of these invitations or because of gifts that they have given to you, then that is not right.  If you are not working in your own clinic, and you have influence in the hospital where you work such that they will buy the kind of medicine that you advise them to buy, then it is better to avoid these invitations in order to be on the safe side.

If someone reaches Jumu`ah during the Tashahhud, what should he do? If someone is held up by something out of his control eg. bus breaks down... is he sinful if he is late to Jumu`ah or misses it? Does he miss out on the rewards he would have gotten and the moment of the acceptance of Du`a, etc.?

Praise be to Allah.How to catch up with Friday prayer You can only catch up with the Jumu`ah prayer if you catch a Rak`ah with the Imam, and catching a Rak`ah means catching up with the Ruku` with the Imam. If you catch up with the Imam before he stands up from Ruku` in the second Rak`ah, then you have caught up with the prayer, and you should then complete your prayer after the Imam says the Salam. You should stand up and complete the remaining Rak`ah of your prayer.  However, if you catch up with the Imam after he has stood up from Ruku`, this means that you have missed the Jumu`ah prayer, and have not caught up with it. In this case you have to pray it as Zuhr. You should stand up after the Imam has said the Salam and complete your prayer with four Rak`ahs, because it is Zuhr and not Jumu`ah.  This is the view of the majority of scholars, Malik, Al-Shafi`i and Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on them). (See Al-Majmu’ by Al-Nawawi, 4/558) They quoted several texts as evidence, such as:  The words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): “Whoever catches up with one Rak`ah of the prayer has caught up with the prayer.” (Al-Bukhari, 580; Muslim, 607).  The report narrated by Al-Nasa’i from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever catches up with one Rak`ah of Jumu`ah or any other prayer, let him add more Rak`ahs to it to complete his prayer.’” (Classed as authentic by Al-Albani in Al-Irwa’, 622).  Missing the prayer for a valid excuse If a person does not catch up with the prayer for a reason that is beyond his control, such as the bus breaking down, as mentioned in the question, or other excuses such as oversleeping or forgetting, then there is no sin on him in that case, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “And there is no sin on you concerning that in which you made a mistake, except in regard to what your hearts deliberately intend” [Al-Ahzab 33:5] A person in such cases does not deliberately intend to miss the prayer .  The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah has forgiven my Ummah for what they forget and what they do by mistake, and for what they are forced to do.” (Narrated by Ibn Majah; classed as authentic by Al-Albani in Al-Irwa’, 82)  In this case, if one is sincere in his resolve to pray, but has an excuse, he will earn the reward in full, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Actions are (recompensed) by intentions, and every person will have but that which he intended.” (Al-Bukhari, 1; Muslim, 1907)  The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said to his companions on the way back from the battle of Tabuk: “In Madinah there are men who, whenever you cover a distance or cross a valley, they share the reward with you; they have been detained by sickness.” (Muslim, 1911) And Allah knows best.

In some countries there is a time approximately ten minutes before Fajr which they say is the time of imsak (stopping eating and drinking), when the people usually start fasting and stop eating and drinking. Is what they do correct?

Praise be to Allah.Imsak means to stop eating and drinking when the dawn comes. If some people in some countries stop eating and drinking ten minutes before Fajr, this is not correct.  Allah has permitted the fasting person to eat and drink until dawn comes . Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “and eat and drink until the white thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread (darkness of night).” [al-Baqarah 2:187] Al-Bukhari (1919) and Muslim (1092) narrated from Ibn ‘Umar and ‘Aishah that Bilal used to give the adhan at night. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Eat and drink until Ibn Umm Maktum gives the adhan, for he does not give the adhan until dawn comes.”  Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:  “This shows that it is permissible to eat, drink, have intercourse , etc. until dawn comes.”  Al-Hafiz ibn Hajar said in Fath al-Bari (4/199):  “One of the reprehensible innovations that have appeared in our times is giving the second adhan approximately twenty minutes before Fajr in Ramadan, and extinguishing the lamps which indicate that it is haraam to eat and drink for those who want to fast. Those who introduced this innovation claim that they are erring on the side of caution with regard to an act of worship.”  Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin was asked about some timetables which give the time of imsak as being approximately one-quarter of an hour before Fajr. He said:  “This is a kind of bid’ah (innovation) which has no basis in the Sunnah. Rather the Sunnah is to do the opposite, because Allah says in His Noble Book (interpretation of the meaning):  “and eat and drink until the white thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread (darkness of night).” [al-Baqarah 2:187] And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Bilaal gives the adhan at night, so eat and drink until you hear the adhan of Ibn Umm Maktum , for he does not give the adhan until dawn comes.”  This imsak which some of the people do is an addition to that which Allah has enjoined, so it is false. It is a kind of extremism in religion, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Those who go to extremes are doomed, those who go to extremes are doomed, those who go to extremes are doomed.” (Narrated by Muslim, 2670) And Allah knows best.

If a person learns one of the branches of religious knowledge in order to play his role in the village where he lives, and he memorizes Qur’aan in order to lead the young men in praying at night in Ramadaan, will that be a kind of minor shirk (al-shirk al-asghar)?

Praise be to Allah.It is known from the evidence of sharee’ah that seeking knowledge and seeking to understand the religion is one of the best acts of worship and obedience. The same is true of studying the Qur’aan and trying to recite it a lot and to memorize it or as much as one can. All of these are among the best acts of worship. If you do what you should of teaching the people of your village, guiding them, leading them – the young men and others – in prayer, all of these are good deeds which will be appreciated and for which you will be rewarded. This is not showing off and it is not shirk, if your aim is to seek the pleasure of Allaah and the Hereafter, and you are not doing it to show off to people and earn their praise, but to help them and increase their knowledge and understanding of their religion. That could be minor shirk only if you did it to show off to people or to earn their praise. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “The thing that I fear most for you is minor shirk.” He was asked what that was, and he said, “Showing off.” “When a man stands up to pray and he makes his prayer beautiful because he thinks that the people are looking at him.” On the Day of Resurrection, Allaah will say to those who show off, “Go to those for whom you used to show off in the world, and see whether you find any reward with them.” Showing off means that you do something with the aim of people seeing you and praising you; reputation is a part of that. For example, if you read Qur’aan so that people will praise you and say, “He is a good reader” or “He reads well”; or you do a lot of dhikr so that they will praise you and say, “He does a lot of dhikr”; or you enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil so that people will praise you. This is showing off, and this is minor shirk. It is essential to beware of that and to do what you do for the sake of Allaah alone, not for the sake of showing off to people and earning their praise. But you should learn in order to act upon that knowledge and to teach your brothers and lead them in prayer, and hope for the reward that is with Allaah. You should do that with the aim of helping them, not for the purposes of showing off or enhancing your reputation. If you read from the Mus-haf there is nothing wrong with that if you lead your brothers in prayer reading from the Mus-haf in Ramadaan. The freed slave of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) used to lead her in prayer reading from the Mus-haf. So it is OK to read from the Mus-haf when praying at night in Ramadaan if you have not memorized it, but if one has learned it by heart and can recite it from memory, that is better, but there is nothing wrong with reading from the Mus-haf if necessary.

Is it permissible to dress a child in clothes on which there are images of animate beings?.

Praise be to Allah.The scholars say that it is haraam to dress a child in clothes that adults are forbidden to wear. Clothes with images are forbidden for adults, so it is also haraam to dress children in them.  What the Muslims should do is to shun these kinds of clothes and shoes, so that the people of evil will not have the opportunity to corrupt us in this way. If we boycott them they will never be able to bring them into the Muslim lands and make the Muslims take this matter lightly.  And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

I have been using chat session for some time I am a married woman mother of two. During one session with a Male member, i got a little emotionally involved and even went to the extent of sending my photo thru email.I feel very guilty now and feel very ashamed of my behaviour.I also want to say that i never once indulged in immoral behaviour and any usage of bad language. Please tell me if what i have done is Haram. I have been asking for Almighty Allahs pardon since then. Could you please help me out in this.

Praise be to Allah.Firstly, there is no doubt that such conversations, if they lead to evil and to fitnah (temptation) – as happened to you when you were infatuated with this man – are haraam and are not permitted. Everything that leads to haraam is also haraam. See the answer to Question # 6453.  Secondly: you have to repent to Allaah and seek His forgiveness for doing this haraam thing. You have to regret it and immediately stop engaging in chats with non-mahram men on these channels. You have to ask Allaah to cover your faults in this world and in the Hereafter. We advise you to use your time in things that will benefit you in your religious and worldly affairs, such as learning about your religion, taking care of your husband and looking after your children. Undoubtedly these are things for which Allaah will reward you. And you have to do a lot of righteous deeds, and get to know good women so that you will have alternatives to harmful uses of your time that bring no benefits. We ask Allaah to guide us all and give us all strength.

Do the cupper and the one to whom cupping is done break their fast if that is done during the day in Ramadan?

Praise be to Allah.The cupper and the one to whom cupping is done both break their fast; they have to refrain from eating etc for the rest of that day, and they have to make up that day later on, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The cupper and the one to whom cupping is done both break their fast.”  Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2367; Ibn Maajah, 1676. Classed as saheeh by al-Albani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 2074.  And Allah is the source of strength. May Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and companions.

Does my wife have to wear hijab in prayer when it is just her and I in prayer alone

Praise be to Allah.When a woman is praying, even if she is with her husband, her situation is different than at other times. Covering the ‘awrah is one of the conditions of the prayer being valid, for both men and women. Her prayer cannot be valid otherwise. It was narrated in a saheeh report from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah does not accept the prayer of a woman of child-bearing age unless (she covers herself) with a khimaar.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, al-Salaah, 546; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, 596). What this means is that the prayer of an adult woman is not valid (if she does not cover herself), because if something is not accepted, it is not valid.  Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] said: If a woman is praying alone, she is commanded to cover herself… so the person who is praying covers during the prayer things which he or she is allowed to leave uncovered outside of prayer. (See Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, vol. 22, p. 109)  On this basis, a woman is required to cover all of her body during prayer apart from the face and hands. See question no. 1046 concerning the woman’s ‘awrah  which she has to cover during prayer.  And Allah knows best.

Why is it so difficult for the Muslims to believe that Christ was crucified to erase our sins? Why do they reject the idea of the Crucifixion altogether?.

Praise be to Allah.There is nothing strange about the Muslims rejecting this idea, because the Quran in which they believe and accept what it tells them definitively states that that did not happen, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “And because of their saying (in boast), ‘We killed Messiah ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), the Messenger of Allah,’ — but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but it appeared so to them the resemblance of ‘Eesa (Jesus) was put over another man (and they killed that man)], and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely; they killed him not [i.e. ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)]” [al-Nisa’ 4:157] Rather the problem rests with the Christians for whom the doctrine of the crucifixion and redemption has become a central issue, so much so that the cross is the symbol of their religion.  It is strange that they differ concerning the form of this cross which indicates their confusion about this fabrication.  There are differences between their Gospels and their historians regarding everything that has to do with the story of the crucifixion.  They differ concerning the timing of the Last Supper, which according to them was one of the events in the lead-up to the crucifixion. They differ concerning the traitor who led (the Romans) to Christ – did that happen at least one day before the Last Supper, as narrated by Luke, or during it, after Christ gave him the piece of bread, as narrated by John?  Was Christ the one who carried his cross, as John says, as was customary with one who was going to be crucified, according to Nottingham, or was it Simon of Cyrene, as the other three Gospels state?  They say that two thieves were crucified alongside Christ, one on his right and one on his left, so what was the attitude of these two towards the Messiah who was being crucified, as they claim?  Did the thieves scorn him for being crucified, and say that his Lord had abandoned him and left him to his enemies? Or did only one of them scorn him, and did the other rebuke the one who scorned him?   At what hour did this crucifixion take place – was it in the third hour, as Mark says, or in the sixth as John says?  What happened after the so-called crucifixion?   Mark says that the veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom. Matthew adds that the earth shook and rocks crumbled, and many of the saints rose from their graves and entered the holy city, appearing to many. Luke says that the sun turned dark, and the veil of the Temple was torn in the middle, and when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God and said, “Truly this man was righteous.”  But John does not know anything about all that!  These are not the only weak elements and indications of falseness in the story of the crucifixion, as narrated in the gospels. Rather the one who studies the details of the gospel narratives of this story will, with the least effort, notice the great differences in the details of this story, which are such that it is impossible to believe it all or even any part of it!  How desperate are the failed attempts to fill this gap and conceal the faults of this distorted book. Allah indeed spoke the truth when He said in His Book which He has preserved (interpretation of the meaning):  “Do they not then consider the Quran carefully? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely, have found therein many a contradiction” [Al-Nisa’ 4:82] Apart from the fact that the gospel accounts are not sound, and their authors themselves admit that they were not revealed to the Messiah in this form, nor were they even written during his lifetime, none of the witnesses were present at the events to which they testify, as Mark says:   “Then everyone deserted him and fled.” Mark 14:50 – New International Version (NIV) Because these events were not witnessed by anyone who narrated them, there is a great deal of room for imagination and poetic licence.  We will complete our discussion of the fable of the crucifixion of Christ (peace be upon him) by looking at what the Gospels say about the Messiah’s prediction that he would be saved from death:  On one occasion the Pharisees and chief priests sent the guards to arrest him and he said to them:  “I am with you for only a short time, and then I go to the one who sent me. You will look for me, but you will not find me, and where I am, you cannot come.” John 7:33-34 – NIV Elsewhere he says:  “Once more Jesus said to them, ‘I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.’ This made the Jews ask, ‘Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, “Where I go, you cannot come”?’ But he continued, ‘You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.’ ‘Who are you?’ they asked. ‘Just what I have been claiming all along,’ Jesus replied. ‘I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.’ They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.’” John 8:21-29 – NIV Then at the end he tells them again:  “For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'” Matthew 23:39 – NIV, also Luke 13:35 The Messiah, as these texts and others show, was certain that God would never hand him over to his enemies, and would never forsake him.  “But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:32-33 Because of that the passers by, and indeed everyone who attended the so-called crucifixion, mocked the Messiah, as the writer of this Gospel says (although that could not have been true):  “Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!’ In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, “I am the Son of God.”’ In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.” Matthew 27:39-44 – NIV But it seems that Jesus’ certainty that God was with him began to waver, according to the distorted Gospel narrative, (although that could not have been true):  “Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’ Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’ Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping.   … He went away a second time and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.’ When he came back, he again found them sleeping, … So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, sayingthe same thing. Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners’” Matthew 26:36-45 – NIV Luke describes the scene and says:  “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. ‘Why are you sleeping?’ he asked them. ‘Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.’” Luke 22:44-46 – NIV Because of this mockery of the message of Christ – according to their claims – and because Christ thought that God was with him and would never forsake him, then it follows that the writer who fabricated this dramatic scene would end it with a vision of the despair of the Messiah and his feelings of being abandoned by God – exalted be Allah far above what the wrongdoers say. The fabricator says:  “From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Matthew 27:38-47 – NIV See also Mark 15:34 If we understand what this story means when subjected to criticism, the same will apply to the doctrine of redemption and sacrifice that is based on it.  With regard to the Christian doctrine of salvation, see also question no. 6  And Allah is the Source of strength and the guide to the Straight Path, and there is no Lord but He.

Is saying "Ramadan Mubarak" or "Ramadan Karim" considered bid`ah?

Praise be to Allah.There is nothing wrong with congratulating one another at the beginning of the month of Ramadan . The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to tell his Companions the good news of the onset of Ramadan, and urge them to make the most of it. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘There has come to you Ramadan , a blessed month. Allah has made it obligatory on you to fast (this month). During it the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are locked, and the devils are chained up. In it, there is a night that is better than a thousand months , and whoever is deprived of its goodness is deprived indeed.’” (Reported by al-Nasai, 4/129; Sahih al-Targhib, 1/490) For more, please download this E-Book: 70 Matters Related to Fasting And Allah knows best.

If you're child is going to be muslim must they have a muslim name or can it be a western name as i am not muslim (as yet) my boyfriend is and without sounding cheeky i dont like much of the muslim names.

Praise be to Allah.Firstly:  Your Muslim boyfriend should not have a girlfriend. If he wants to marry you, that is o.k. even if you are not Muslim, but on the condition that you are one of the People of the Book, i.e., Jewish or Christian. We ask Allaah to guide you to Islam and to help you to embrace it, and you will feel happy and it will change your life for the better, in sha Allaah (if Allaah wills).  Secondly:  It is not essential for your child to have an Islamic name, although it is preferable. But it should not be a name that has an ugly or offensive meaning, or a name which is distinctively the name of a kaafir (disbeliever), such as ‘Abd al-Maseeh (meaning “slave of the Messiah” – a name that is common among Arab Christians).  For us, names have great significance.  Ibn al-Qayyim – one of the greatest Muslim scholars – said:  Because names carry meanings, it makes sense that there should be a connection between the name and the meaning, and that the meaning should not be like a total stranger with no connection to the name. Rather names have an impact on the things named, and the things named are affected by their names, whether they are beautiful or ugly, light or heavy, soft or rough.  Zaad al-Ma’aad, 2/336.  So long as your child will be a Muslim – as will you, in sha Allaah – we hope that you will not make him an object of mockery to others or make him stand out because of his having a name that is different from the names of other Muslims.  As the child has not yet been born, you still have the opportunity to choose a good name for him, because it may be difficult to change it after he grows up.  Thirdly:  You could choose some good names for boys and girls from a book by Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd entitled Tasmiyat al-Mawlood. Please also see question no. 7180.  And Allaah knows best.

Is it sufficient to greet the dead with salaam once when first entering the graveyard?

Praise be to Allah.That is sufficient, and that achieves the purpose of visiting the graves. If the graves are far away and one visits them from all directions, that is OK.  Kitaab Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), vol. 13, p. 335.  The shaykh (may Allaah have mercy on him) was also asked: When visiting the graves, is it prescribed for the visitor to go to the particular grave that he wants to visit?  He (may Allaah have mercy on him) answered: It is sufficient for him (to say salaams) at the first graves he comes to, but if he wants to go to the grave of the person that he wants to visit and say salaams to him, then that is OK.

We often use the word “Sayyid” when addressing one another, for people whose ancestry can be traced to a particular family. Is it OK to do this?   [Translator’s note: the word “Sayyid” literally means “master”; it is used as a title of respect for descendants of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and others; it is sometimes used as an equivalent of the English “Mister” or “Sir”]

Praise be to Allah.If a person is known by this title, there is nothing wrong with that, because the word “Sayyid” may be used for the leader of a people, or for a faqeeh or scholar, or for those who are descended from Faatimah through the children of al-Hasan and al-Husayn. All of these are forms of address which are well known among the people. The Arabs used to call tribal leaders and elders “Sayyid” (e.g. Sayyid Bani Foolaan – the leader of such-and-such tribe, etc). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used this word, when he asked some of the Arabs, “Who is your leader (sayyid), O Banu So-and-so? Who is your leader (sayyid), O Banu So-and-so?”, i.e., who is your chief? And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said concerning al-Hasan, “This son of mine is a sayyid and perhaps Allaah will reconcile two great groups of Muslims through him.” It is disliked (makrooh) to address a person as Ya sayyidi (O my master) or Yaa sayyidanaa (O our master), because when it was said to the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “You are our master,” he said, “The Master is Allaah, may He blessed and exalted”; and because this may make him conceited and proud. So we should not do that. Instead we should say, “O So and so” or “So Abu (father of) So and so,” using the names, kunyas (Abu So and so, etc.) and nicknames which are known.  With regard to using the phrases “Yaa Sayyidi” and “Yaa Sayyidanaa” when addressing one another, it is better not to do that.  Saying “Sayyid” to a munaafiq or kaafir is not permissible, because of the hadeeth, “Do not say ‘Sayyidanaa’ to a munaafiq, because if he is really your master then you have angered your Lord.” (Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawood and al-Nasaa’i; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 7405, p. 1234)  And Allaah knows best.

We heard that some of those who use the Qur’aan for treatment – by reading Qur’aan and du’aa’s prescribed in sharee’ah over water or perfumed oil for the treatment of sihr (witchcraft), the evil eye and the touch of the Shaytaan (madness) – take payment for doing that. Is this permissible according  to sharee’ah? Does reciting over oil or water come under the same ruling as reciting over the patient himself for the purpose of treatment?

Praise be to Allah.There is nothing wrong with taking payment for treating the sick by means of ruqyah, because it was reported in al-Saheehayn that a group of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) went to a tribe among the Arabs who did not offer them hospitality. Their chief was stung, and they did everything but to no avail. Then they came to that group of Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) and said, “Is there any raaqi (one who does ruqyah) among you? For our chief have been stung.” They said, “Yes, but you did not offer us hospitality, so we will not do ruqyah for him unless we make a deal.” So they agreed upon a number of sheep, then one of the Sahaabah did ruqyah for him by reciting Soorat al-Faatihah, and he recovered. They gave them what had been agreed upon, then the Sahaabah said to one another, “Let us not do anything until we tell the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).” When they came to Madeenah, they told him about it and he said, “You did the right thing.” There is nothing wrong with reciting into water or oil to treat the sick, the one who is affected by sihr (witchcraft) or the insane, but reciting over the sick person and blowing onto him is better and is preferable. Abu Dawood (may Allaah have mercy on him) narrated with a hasan isnaad that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) recited into water for Thaabit ibn Qays ibn Shammaas, then he poured it over him. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “There is nothing wrong with ruqyah so long as it does not involve shirk.” This saheeh hadeeth includes the sick person doing ruqyah for himself, and doing ruqyah by reciting into water, oil, etc. And Allaah is the Source of strength.

Why do you shun the truth and say that Jesus is only a Messenger instead of regarding him as the son of God? Jesus is the only son of the Lord and that is the truth!!

Praise be to Allah.Thank you for giving us the opportunity to communicate and discuss the truth which we all need to know and follow, no matter what our previous differences of opinion and beliefs. It is only by means of this, I mean by knowing the truth and following it, that we can free ourselves of our sins, as it says in your Bible:  “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” John 8:31 – New International Version (NIV)  So let us pause for a while and think about this truth, as it is stated in your Bible despite all the distortions and changes that have happened to it! The message that was brought by the Messiah (peace be upon him) was the call to worship God, the One, the Lord of the Messiah and the Lord of the worlds:  “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” John 17:3 – NIV  “A certain ruler asked him: ‘Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No one is good – except God alone.’” Luke 18:18-19 – NIV  “The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, ‘I will give you all their authority and splendour, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”’” Luke 4:5-8 – NIV  Believing in and worshipping Allah alone, besides Whom there is no other god, is the greatest teaching brought by the Messiah, and it is the greatest teaching brought by all the Prophets.  “One of the teachers of the law came and noticed them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’ ‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.’ ‘Well said, teacher,’ the man replied. ‘You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.’ When Jesus saw that he has answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.” Mark 12:28-34 – NIV  But do not think that this advice was given to Israel or to his own people only. Rather this is the basis of the teachings of all the Prophets. The same advice appears in the Gospel of Matthew, in similar wording, after which he says:  “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:39 – NIV   This belief in the oneness of God is indeed the message of all of the Prophets. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad) but We revealed to him (saying): Laa ilaaha illa Ana [none has the right to be worshipped but I (Allah)], so worship Me (Alone and none else)” [al-Anbiya’ 21:25] This is the basic message to which the Messiah called people and warned them against differing from that. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “Surely, they have disbelieved who say: ‘Allah is the Messiah [‘Eesa (Jesus)], son of Maryam (Mary).’ But the Messiah [‘Eesa (Jesus)] said: ‘O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.’ Verily, whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise to him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers) there are no helpers” [al-Maa'idah 5:72] This is the basic principle on which we should all agree. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “Say (O Muhammad): ‘O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians): Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allah (Alone), and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allah.’ Then, if they turn away, say: ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims’” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:64]  It is alien to true Christianity, this futile attempt to reconcile the belief in the Oneness of God, which is the message brought by the Prophets, and which is clearly stated in their Bible, and affirmed in the Torah in particular, with their belief in the trinity.  It says in the American Encyclopedia:  The belief in the Oneness of God – as a theological movement – began at a very early stage in history, and in fact it preceded the belief in trinity by many decades. Christianity developed from Judaism, and Judaism firmly believes that there is one God.  The path that led from Jerusalem (the home of the first disciples of Christ) to Nicea (where it was decided in 325 CE that Christ was equal to God in essence and eternal nature) can hardly be described as a straight path. The doctrine of trinity which was affirmed in the fourth century CE bears no resemblance to the original teachings of Christ concerning the nature of God. Au contraire, it is the opposite, a deviation from that teaching. Hence it developed in opposition to the belief in One God… (27/294).  You can refer to the views of some of those Christians who still believe in the Oneness of God in the same American Encyclopedia, 27/300-301  It is difficult to comprehend, so no wonder you were never able to comprehend it. But what is strange is that you believe in something that is impossible to understand, unless we deceive ourselves and say that this understanding will come on the Last Day:  “We understand that as much as our minds are able to, and we hope that we will understand it more clearly in the future, when the veil is removed from all things in heaven and on earth. But for now, the extent to which we do understand it is enough!”  Yes, the truth will become perfectly clear to you in the future, as it is clear to us today, praise be to Allah, on the Day on which Allah will gather the Messengers and make them bear witness concerning their nations. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “And (remember) when Allah will say (on the Day of Resurrection): ‘O ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)! Did you say unto men: Worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allah?’  He will say: ‘Glory be to You! It was not for me to say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, You would surely have known it. You know what is in my inner‑self though I do not know what is in Yours; truly, You, only You, are the All‑Knower of all that is hidden (and unseen). ‘Never did I say to them aught except what You (Allah) did command me to say: Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them, but when You took me up, You were the Watcher over them; and You are a Witness to all things. (This is a great admonition and warning to the Christians of the whole world). ‘If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, verily, You, only You, are the All‑Mighty, the All‑Wise.’ Allah will say: This is a Day on which the truthful will profit from their truth: theirs are Gardens under which rivers flow (in Paradise) — they shall abide therein forever. Allah is pleased with them and they with Him. That is the great success (Paradise). 120. To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all that is therein, and He is Able to do all things” [al-Maa’idah 5:116-120].

I am 21 year old muslim. I do want to get married soon. I especially want to get Married to someone who is older than me(e.g.somebody about 7 years older). Is There anything 'wrong' in wanting to do this? I know that the prophet's 1st wife was About 15 years older than him. However, people might think my preference is a little odd. After all, it does not happen much nowadays

Praise be to Allah.Age does not matter, and it does not matter if the woman is older or if the husband is older. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) married Khadeejah when she was forty and he was twenty-five. What does matter is that the man should look for a righteous woman who is religiously-committed, even if she is older than him, if she is still young enough to bear children. The point is that age should not be a problem and such a marriage is not wrong if the man is righteous and the woman is righteous. May Allaah guide us all to the best way.  Summarized from the fatwa of Shaykh Ibn Baaz in Fataawa Islamiyyah, part 3, p. 107

As Muslims, are we allowed to use hypnosis (hypnotherapy)? It claims to help people in many ways e.g. eliminating peoples’ fears, phobias as well as instilling confidence in people about general life?

Praise be to Allah.Our contemporary scholars have ruled that the issue of hypnosis (hypnotherapy) has something to do with using the help of the jinn , and based on that we must note the following two points:  1– It is not permissible to seek the help of the jinn or any other creatures in trying to find out matters of the unseen, whether that is by calling upon them, trying to please them or any other method. Rather that is shirk because this is a kind of worship, and Allah has taught His slaves to worship Him ِlone and say, “You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything)” [al-Fatihah 1:5 – interpretation of the meaning].  It was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to Ibn 'Abbas: “If you ask, then ask of Allah, and if you seek help, then seek help from Allah.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2516)  2– Hypnosis is a kind of fortune-telling or magic whereby the hypnotist uses the jinn to overpower the subject and then speak through his tongue and give him strength to do things by means of controlling his faculties.  This is if the jinni is sincere towards the hypnotist and obeys him in return for the things by means of which the hypnotist draws close to him. So the jinni makes the subject obey the wishes of the hypnotist to do things or tell him things, through the help of the jinni.  Thus using hypnosis as a means of finding out where stolen goods are hidden, or where a lost item is, or as a means of treating disease or of doing anything else is not permissible. Rather it is shirk, for the reasons stated above, and because it implies turning to someone other than Allah and goes beyond the ordinary means which Allah has created for His creatures and permitted them to use. And Allah knows best.

My parents have told me to stop being friends with good people, and not to travel with them to do ‘Umrah. Please note that I am on my way to becoming religiously committed. Do I have to obey them in this matter?.

Praise be to Allah.You do not have to obey them in disobeying Allaah or in anything that will adversely affect you, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Obedience is only with regard to what is right and proper,” and “There is no obedience to any created being if it involves disobedience towards the Creator.” The person who tells you not to be friends with good people is not to be obeyed, whether they are your parents or anyone else. You should not obey anyone who tells you to be friends with bad people either. But you should speak to your parents in a good manner and in a way that is better, such as saying “These are good people, I benefit a lot from them, I am fond of them and I am learning a lot from them.” You should respond to them with kind words and good manners, and not be harsh with them. If they tell you not to be friends with them, do not tell them that you are seeking out good people and getting in touch with them, or that you have gone places with them if they do not approve of that. You only have to obey them with regard to acts of worship and what is good and proper.  If they tell you to make friends with bad people, or they tell you to smoke or drink alcohol or commit adultery, or other sins, then do not obey them or anyone else who tells you to do such things, because of the two hadeeth quoted above. And Allaah is the Source of strength.

If true Christianity brought the message of the Oneness of God (Tawheed), and stated that He alone is to be worshipped to the exclusion of anyone else in His creation, whether that is ‘Eesa (Jesus) or anyone else, then how did this religion become mixed with polytheistic beliefs (shirk) and how did they take ‘Eesa (Jesus – peace be upon him) and his mother as gods besides Allaah?.

Praise be to Allah. There can be no doubt that the call to believe in Allaah alone (Tawheed) and to worship Him alone to the exclusion of anyone else, is the basic message that was brought by the Prophet of Allaah ‘Eesa (peace be upon him), as it was the basic message brought by all the Prophets. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): ‘Worship Allaah (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Taghoot (all false deities, i.e. do not worship Taghoot besides Allaah).’ Then of them were some whom Allaah guided and of them were some upon whom the straying was justified. So travel through the land and see what was the end of those who denied (the truth)” [al-Nahl 16:36]  “And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad) but We revealed to him (saying): Laa ilaaha illa Ana [none has the right to be worshipped but I (Allaah)], so worship Me (Alone and none else)” [al-Anbiya’ 21:25] ‘Eesa will bear witness to this call against his people, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And (remember) when Allaah will say (on the Day of Resurrection): 'O ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)! Did you say unto men: “Worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allaah?”’ He will say: ‘Glory be to You! It was not for me to say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, You would surely have known it. You know what is in my inner‑self though I do not know what is in Yours; truly, You, only You, are the All‑Knower of all that is hidden (and unseen). 117. ‘Never did I say to them aught except what You (Allaah) did command me to say: “Worship Allaah, my Lord and your Lord.” And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them, but when You took me up, You were the Watcher over them; and You are a Witness to all things’” [al-Maa'idah 5:117] With regard to how the followers of this religion deviated after that from pure Tawheed to idolatrous beliefs and the worship of Jesus and his mother besides God, this is something which happened early on in Christian history. We will quote here some evidence to that effect from their own people’s words. Let whoever has ears listen.  It says in the American Encyclopedia:  The belief in the Oneness of God – as a theological movement – began at a very early stage in history, and in fact it preceded the belief in trinity by many decades. Christianity developed from Judaism, and Judaism firmly believes that there is one God.  The path that led from Jerusalem (the home of the first disciples of Christ) to Nicea (where it was decided in 325 CE that Christ was equal to God in essence and eternal nature) can hardly be described as a straight path. The doctrine of trinity which was affirmed in the fourth century CE bears no resemblance to the original teachings of Christ concerning the nature of God. Au contraire, it is the opposite, a deviation from that teaching. Hence it developed in opposition to the belief in One God… (27/294).  You can refer to the views of some of those Christians who still believe in the Oneness of God in the same American Encyclopedia, 27/300-301  Will Durant says:  When Christianity conquered Rome, the new religion (i.e., Christianity) was infused with the blood of the old idolatrous religion: the title of archbishop, worship for the great mother, and an innumerable number of lords who gave peace of mind and were like who exist in all places and cannot be detected with the senses. All of this came into Christianity as the blood of the mother comes into her child.  The civilized empire handed over power and administration to the papacy and the impact of the word replaced the impact of the sword. The preachers of the church started to assume positions of power.  Christianity did not put an end to idolatry, rather it reinforced it. The Greek mind came back to life in a new form, in the doctrines and rituals of the church. The Greek rituals appeared in the rituals of the monastic saints. From Egypt came the idea of the holy trinity, the day of reckoning, eternal reward and punishment, and man’s eternal life in one of the other. From Egypt also came the worship of the mother and child, the mystical union with God, the union which led to Platonism and agnosticism, and the erasing of Christian doctrine. And from Persia came the belief in the return of the Messiah and his ruling the earth for 1000 years.  Qissat al-Hadaarah, 11/418 (The Story of Civilization)  Despite the element of atheism in the words of Durant, which is something that he is known for, and which is apparent in his claim that the idea of eternal reward or punishment came from the Egyptians, tracing the origins of deviant idolatry in Christianity is no longer a secret, and he is not the only one who has researched them. In his book Christianity and Idolatry, Robertson states that Mithraism, which is a religion of Persian origin, flourished in Persia approximately six centuries before the birth of Christ, and it reached Rome around the year 70 CE, where it spread throughout the Roman lands. Then it reached Britain and spread to a number of British cities. What concerns us here about this religion is that it says:  -That Mithras, after whom it is named, was an intermediary between God and man (for a similar doctrine in Christianity, see Acts 4:12). -He was born in a cave or in a corner of the earth (cf. Luke 2:8) -His birthday was December 25 (which is the day celebrated by the Christians as the day when Jesus was born) -He had twelve disciples (cf. Matthew 10:1) -He died to save the world (cf. I Corinthians 15:3) -He was buried but he came back to life (cf. I Corinthians 15:4) -He ascended to heaven in front of his disciples (cf. Acts 1:9) -He was called “Saviour” (cf. Titus 2:13) -Among his attributes is that he is like a peaceful lamb (cf. John 1:29) -The “Divine supper” was held in his memory every year (cf. I Corinthians 11:23-25) -One of his symbols was baptism -Sunday was sacred to them The French Orientalist Leon Joteh, in his book “An Introduction to Islamic philosophy” is of the view that the origin of the Christian trinity is to be found in Greek philosophy, specifically in the ideas of modern Platonism, which took the basis of the idea of trinity as a view of the Creator of the universe from Plato, then developed it to a great extent, so that the resemblance between this idea and Christianity became greater. So (in their view) the Creator, the One Who is absolutely perfect, appointed two intermediaries between him and mankind, who emanated from Him, and were also part of Him at the same time, meaning that they are contained in His essence. These two entities are reasoning and divine spirit. Then he said:  The marriage of Jewish belief and Greek philosophy did not only produce philosophy, rather it produced a religion too, namely Christianity which imbibed many ideas from the Greeks. The Christian concept of divinity is taken from the same source as modern Platonism. Hence you see many similarities between the two, although they may vary in some details. They are both based on a belief in trinity, in which the three “persons” are one.   This is what the American writer Draper refers to:  Idolatry and polytheism entered Christianity through the influence of the hypocrites who occupied positions of influence and high positions in the Roman state by pretending to be Christians, but they never cared about religion and were not sincere at all. Similarly Constantine had spent his life in darkness and evil, and he did not follow the commands of the church except for a short while at the end of his life. (p. 337)  Although the followers of Christianity gained some power, to the extent that they managed to have Constantine appointed as ruler, they failed to eradicate idolatry completely. As a result of their struggle, their principles became fused with idolatry, from which point there developed a new religion in which Christianity and idolatry were manifested equally.  Thus the Christians followed the same path of those disbelievers who had come before them, step by step, as their own Book testifies. And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “And the Jews say: ‘Uzayr (Ezra) is the son of Allaah, and the Christians say: Messiah is the son of Allaah. That is their saying with their mouths, resembling the saying of those who disbelieved aforetime. Allaah’s Curse be on them, how they are deluded away from the truth!” [al-Tawbah 9:30] And Allaah is the Source of strength.

How can you expect non-Muslims to believe what your Book says about ‘Eesa, and to reject the story of his crucifixion and deny that he is the son of God, when the Bible affirms these things?.

Praise be to Allah. We may be repeating ourselves here if we point out that the Gospels, or the Bible, of which we are speaking, that is extant among the people nowadays, is something other than that which was revealed from Allaah to His slave and Messenger ‘Eesa ibn Maryam (Jesus son of Mary – peace be upon him). With regard to what was revealed from Allaah, no one's faith is valid if he disbelieves in it or in any part of it. We have warned against that in question no. 47516.  But for reasons of divine wisdom, that book continued to be distorted and misinterpreted from ancient times until its divine origin was lost and disappeared. All that the people have in their hands now is no more than a mixture of the darkness of shirk and trinity with the glimmer of the light of Tawheed, an accumulation of lies and distortions mixed with the remnants of the truth and knowledge of the Prophets.  Now, after so many centuries of tampering, it is impossible for anyone to be certain whether any part of the Bible is true or false, unless it is checked in the light of the truth that confirms that which went before, the divine light of which has not been extinguished by the darkness of ignorance and whims and desires, and whose pure truthfulness has not been contaminated with even a single lie or mistake. That can be nothing other than the Holy Qur’aan which Allaah has guaranteed to preserve, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):  “Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur’aan) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption)” [al-Hijr 15:9] Even though one of the greatest Christian scholars and defenders of the Bible, namely Norton, tried to defend the Bible against the criticism of Ackharn the German, he was forced to admit that distinguishing truth from lies nowadays is very difficult.  From this we reach the matter asked about in the question. We say that whoever does not believe in the Qur’aan will never have any valid book in which to believe, and whoever casts aspersions upon the truthfulness of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the validity of the Islamic religion, will not be able to offer any proof that the religion which he follows is valid.  The point is that whoever casts aspersions upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the things that he said about his Prophethood and the Revelation that he received from heaven, even though miracles happened at his hands that confirmed the veracity of what he said, and all his life he continued to challenge his enemies to produce the like of the Book which he attributed to the revelation of his Lord, and even challenged mankind and the jinn together to cooperate and produce something like this Qur’aan, as Allaah said:  “Say: “If the mankind and the jinn were together to produce the like of this Qur’aan, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they helped one another” [al-Isra’ 17:88] But they were not able to do that and produce anything like it, throughout history and until now, in spite of the numerous enemies who opposed him and wished that they could prove that he was lying. But there is no way they can do that!  Moreover, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) continued to prevail over his enemies and they were unable to prove him wrong. They were never able to prove that he was lying in anything he said, even in the regular kind of talk that people engage in amongst themselves, let alone telling lies about his Lord Who had sent him.   I wonder, if they reject all that evidence, how they could have any evidence of the soundness of the idea of “divine inspiration” which forms the foundation of their belief in their books, in spite of the fact that they do not claim that the Gospel was revealed to Jesus, or that he wrote it or dictated it, or even that the Gospels were written during his lifetime!  Moreover, there is no sound evidence concerning the personalities of the four men who wrote the Gospels: who they were, how they lived their lives, and whether what they wrote came from divine revelation or divine inspiration, as they claim, or it was only their own ideas or what was inspired to them by their devils. Horn, one of the greatest exegetes of the Bible, says: “If it is said that the Bible was revealed from God, that does not mean that every single word or phrase of it is inspired by God. Rather we know from the statements of those who wrote the Bible, from the differences in their styles, that they were permitted to write according to their own natures, customs and understanding. It is unimaginable that they could have been inspired in everything they described or in every ruling they stated.”  The Encyclopaedia Britannica refers to the different opinions among Christian scholars and researchers concerning the matter of divine inspiration and whether every phrase of the Bible is divinely inspired or not. Then it comments on that in one article (19/20) where it says: “Those who say that every phrase is divinely inspired cannot prove their claims with any ease.”  We say: and they cannot do so even with difficulty!  There are dozens of places where the Gospels contradict one another, and dozens of historical errors and false prophecies that never materialized. Frederick Grant stated that “The New Testament is not homogeneous because it is a compilation of scattered elements. It does not represent a single point of view or style from beginning to end, rather it represents different points of view.  The American Encyclopaedia states that there is a serious problem that results from the contradictions that appear in different places throughout the fourth Gospel and the three synoptic Gospels. The differences between them are so great that if you accept the synoptic Gospels as sound and correct, this will lead to the conclusion that the Gospel of John is not sound.  It is worth noting that the Gospel of John is the one which focuses the most on their doctrine of trinity; indeed they admit that it was written to establish this doctrine, which the other three Gospels failed to do, and to put an end to the dispute concerning this matter.  The Catholic Church, which strongly adheres to the idea of divine inspiration as the origin of the Bible, confirmed that in a meeting of the Vatican in 1869-1870. But a century later it revised its opinion and admitted, in Vatican II (1962-1965) that these books contain a great deal of defects and some falsehoods, according to what was reported by the French Catholic researcher Dr Maurice Bucaille, who later became a Muslim.  Moreover, if a person disbelieves in any of the miracles of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or any aspects of his life story that point to his truthfulness, how can he prove the miracles of these so-called apostles who wrote the Gospels, or prove that their claim to divine inspiration is correct?  For them, the idea of divine inspiration is correct on the basis of what is written in the Bible, and the miracles mentioned therein, and the Bible is sound and correct because it is divinely inspired!  Thus their evidence ends in a vicious circle, as was mentioned in the Encyclopaedia by some researchers: “So the Bible is sound because it is divinely inspired and their inspiration is proven because the Bible testifies to that!”  If a person disbelieves in the Qur’aan, which was transmitted by means of tawaatur (a process in which something is narrated from so many by so many that it is inconceivable that they could all agree upon a lie), throughout the Muslim world, east and west, generation after generation, by memory and in writing, with no variant copies and no contradictions, how can he prove the Gospels to be sound or rely on them, when there is no shred of evidence, not even a hint, that they existed any earlier than two hundred years after the death of Christ, according to what Norton quoted from Ackharn the German? Then there were the calamities that befell the Christians in the fourth century CE, when their churches were destroyed and their books were burned, which makes one lose confidence in any of their books that appeared after that. When did they appear and in whose possession were they during that period of persecution and hiding? How did they reach us?… There are many questions about this problem as was expressed in the Encyclopaedia Britannica where it says:  “We have no certain knowledge of the way in which the canonical soundness of these four Gospels was established, nor where or when this decision was made.”  With regard to not knowing who translated it from the language in which it was originally written, how reliable his knowledge was and how qualified he was for this task, and how we can be certain that he translated it in the proper manner, that is a whole other issue!  For more details on what we have mentioned in summary in this answer, please see: Izhaar al-Haq by Shaykh Rahmat-Allaah al-Hindi. And Munaazarah bayna al-Islam wa’l-Nasraaniyyah by Shaykh Muhammad Jameel Ghaazi et al.  May Allaah guide us and you to the Straight Path.

If one sells an item at Rs.10 against cash payment, can he demand a higher price from a a buyer who wants to buy on 30 days credit. IN other words: If an item is sold for Rs. 10 against cash payment, can the seller demand Rs, 11 for the same item from a buyer who wants to buy against 30 days credit. This question needs clarification in the light of Riba .

Praise be to Allah.It is permissible to sell an item on credit for a higher price than if it is paid for immediately, whether the payment is to be made in installments or in one payment at the later date. But this is conditional upon the two parties not separating until they have agreed how the transaction is to be done, whether it is to be paid immediately or deferred. In this case the additional amount is not riba, and there is nothing in sharee’ah to specify the amount of the extra payment in the case of deferred payment. But the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) encouraged tolerance in matters of selling, buying, paying off debts and asking others to pay debts. Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah See Fataawa Islaamiyyah, part 2, p. 335 But if he sells it for ten, for example, then the purchaser subsequently wants to delay payment, it is not permissible for the vendor to add anything to that. If he adds something in return for extending the time period, this is riba and is haraam and a major sin. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound. See also the answer to question no. 1231.

Is it permissible for the mujaahideen to break their fast in Ramadaan? Please note that they are in their own country and are not travelling.

Praise be to Allah.Yes, it is permissible for the mujaahideen to break their fast in Ramadaan, so that they will have strength for jihad, even if they are in their own country, for fasting weakens their ability to fight and deal with the enemy.  This is one of the two opinions of Imam Ahmad and was the view favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah and his two students Ibn Muflih and Ibn al-Qayyim, and other scholars. See al-Furoo’ by Ibn Muflih, 3/28  There is evidence narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that indicates that it is prescribed to break one’s fast because of jihad.  Muslim (1120) narrated that Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: We traveled with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to Makkah – meaning at the Conquest of Makkah – and we were fasting. We stopped to camp and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “You are approaching your enemy and breaking the fast will make you stronger.” This was a concession, and some of us continued to fast and some of us broke our fast. Then we stopped to camp again, and he said, “You are going to meet your enemy in the morning, and breaking the fast will make you stronger, so break your fast.” So we had no choice but to break our fast.  Abu Dawood (2365) narrated that one of the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: I saw the Messenger of Allaah (S) telling the people on a journey in the year of the Conquest (of Makkah) to break their fast. He said, “Gain strength to face your enemy.”  Al-Haafiz said in al-Talkhees al-Habeer: this was classed as saheeh by al-Haakim and Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr  These two hadeeths indicate that the command to break the fast was not because of travelling, rather it was in order to gain strength for jihad.  It says in al-Muntaqa Sharh Muwatta’ al-Imam Maalik:  The words “Gain strength to face your enemy” indicate that this was the reason breaking the fast. If the reason was travelling then he would not have explained it as being in order to gain strength to face the enemy, rather he would have said it was because of travelling.  Al-Manaawi said in Fayd al-Qadeer:  He said, “You are going to meet your enemy in the morning.” According to another version, “You have come close to your enemy…” From the fact that he gave the reason as their approaching the enemy and their needing physical strength to meet their enemy, it may be understood that in this case the fast was broken because of jihad, not because of travelling. If the enemy attacked them in their own land [i.e., when they were not travelling] and they needed physical strength, then it would be permissible for them to break their fast, based on what is said, because that is more necessary than breaking one's fast just because of travelling.  Ibn al-Qayyim said in Zaad al-Ma’aad (2/53-54):  The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded them to break their fast when they got close to their enemy so that they would have the strength to fight them. If such a situation happened when they were not travelling, and breaking their fast would make them stronger to face their enemy, would they be allowed to break their fast? There are two opinions on this matter, the one which is based on the soundest evidence is that they are allowed to do that. This is the view favoured by Ibn Taymiyah, and this is the view stated in the fatwa he issued to the Muslim troops when they met the enemy on the outskirts of Damascus. Undoubtedly breaking the fast for that reason is more necessary than breaking it for travelling alone, rather the fact that the traveller is allowed not to fast alerts us to the fact that it is allowed in this situation (i.e., jihad), for it is more apt that it be allowed in this case because physical strength in that case only benefits the traveller himself, whereas in this case it benefits the mujahid and the Muslims, and because the hardship of jihad is greater than the hardship of travel, and because the interest served by the mujahid not fasting is greater than the interest served by the traveller not fasting. And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “And make ready against them all you can of power” [al-Anfaal 8:60] Breaking one’s fast when meeting the enemy is one of the greatest means of strength and power… and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, when they drew close to their enemy: “You are approaching your enemy and breaking the fast will make you stronger.” This was a concession, and some of us fasted and some of us broke our fast. Then we stopped to camp again, and he said, “You are going to meet your enemy in the morning, and breaking the fast will make you stronger, so break your fast.” So we had no choice but to break our fast.  So he gave the reason that they were approaching the enemy and they needed their physical strength to meet the enemy. This is a reason other than travel. Travel is a separate reason in and of itself, and he did not mention it or refer to it here. So in conclusion the principles and wisdom of the Lawgiver dictate that breaking one's fast for the purpose of jihad is more necessary than doing so simply because of travelling. So how about if the reason is explained and stated clearly in the text? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) insisted that they should break their fast for that reason, and this is indicated by the report narrated by ‘Eesa ibn Yoonus from Shu’bah from ‘Amr ibn Dinar who said: I heard Ibn ‘Umar say: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to his companions on the day of the Conquest of Makkah: “This is a day of fighting, so break your fast.” He named fighting as the reason, and used the word “fa” (= so) when issuing the command to fight. From this wording each of them understood that breaking the fast was for the purpose of fighting.  And Allaah knows best.  The battle mentioned by Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) took place between the Muslims and the Tatars in 702 AH, and the Muslims were the victors.  Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:  He – meaning Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) – issued a fatwa telling the people to break their fast for the duration of the fighting, and he himself also broke his fast. He used to go around among the soldiers and commanders, eating some food that he had in his hand, to show them that it was better for them to break their fast so that they would have more strength to fight. Then the people ate.  See al-Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah, 14/31.

Is it permissible to observe i'tikaaf at any time other than the last ten days of Ramadaan?.

Praise be to Allah.Yes, it is permissible to observe i'tikaaf at any time, but the best is to do so during the last ten days of Ramadaan, following the example of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them). It was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also observed i'tikaaf during Shawwaal in some years.  And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and companions.

Is listening to music haram while fasting?

Praise be to Allah.Is listening to music in Ramadan haram? Listening to music is haram , whether in Ramadan or at other times, but it is more forbidden in Ramadan, and is a greater sin. Fasting does not only mean refraining from eating and drinking, rather it means attaining piety or fear of Allah, and it means that all the physical faculties should refrain from disobeying Allah .  Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious)” [al-Baqarah 2:183] And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Fasting does not just mean (abstaining) from eating and drinking, rather fasting means (abstaining) from idle and obscene talk…” Narrated by al-Hakim who said: This hadith is sahih according to the conditions of Muslim.  The sahih Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) clearly indicates that listening to musical instruments is haram.  Al-Bukhari narrated in a mu’allaq report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There will be among my ummah people who regard adultery, silk, pork and musical instruments as permissible…” Al-Tabarani and al-Bayhaqi said that this was a mawsul report.  Why are musical instruments haram? This hadith indicates that musical instruments are haram in two ways:  The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “[they] will regard… as permissible.” This clearly indicates that the things mentioned are haram, but those people will regard them as permissible.  Musical instruments are mentioned in conjunction with things that are definitely haram, namely adultery (zina) and alcohol. If it were not haram it would not have been mentioned alongside them. (See al-Silsilah al-Sahihah by al-Albani , hadith no. 91) Does listening to music in Ramadan invalidate the fast? Sin (including listening to music) detracts from the reward of fasting. So the more the fasting person sins, and the more grievous his sins, the more it detracts from the reward of his fas, and he may lose the reward altogether. Thus he will have deprived himself of food and drink, and all other things that break the fast, and will also have deprived himself of the reward for that, by disobeying Allah. Hence the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There may be someone who fasts and gets nothing from his fast except hunger, and there may be someone who prays qiyaam and gets nothing from his qiyaam but a sleepless night.” Narrated by Ibn Maajah (1690); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah. With regard to whether the fast is invalidated by committing sins, including listening to music, fasting is not invalidated by that; rather it is valid and the fasting person has discharged his duty and is not required to make it up, but his reward is reduced because of his committing sin, and the reward may even be lost altogether, as noted above. Please see also the answers to questions no. 50063 and 37877 . How to make the best of Ramadan? The believer should make the most of this blessed month and turn to his Lord. He should repent to Allah and give up haram things that he was in the habit of doing before Ramadan, so that Allah might accept his fast and set his affairs straight. And Allah knows best.

I give out money on my father's behalf (deceased). I would like to do good for my father, what else can I do other than feed a Muslim for the month of Ramadan?.

Praise be to Allah.Charity (sadaqah) given on behalf of the deceased will benefit him and its reward will reach him, according to the consensus of the Muslims.  Muslim (1630) narrated from Abu Hurayrah that a man said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “My father has died and left behind wealth, and he did not make a will.  Will it be an expiation for him if I give in charity on his behalf?” He said, “Yes.”  Muslim also narrated (1004) from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased wth her) that a man said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “My mother died suddenly and I think that if she could have spoken she would have given in charity [i.e., left instructions that some of her estate be given in charity]. Will I have a reward if I spend in charity on her behalf?” He said, “Yes.”  Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:  This hadeeth indicates that it is permissible to give in charity on behalf of the deceased and that doing so is mustahabb, and that the reward for that will reach the deceased and benefit him or her; it will also benefit the one who gives the charity. There is consensus on all of that among the Muslims.  Feeding the poor is one of the acts of kindness and charity that was enjoined by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), especially providing iftaar to one who is fasting.  Also among the best things that you can do to benefit your father and honour him is to make du’aa’ for him. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When a man dies, all his good deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity; beneficial knowledge; and a righteous son who will pray for him.” Narrated by Muslim, 1631.  So you should make a lot of du’aa’ for your father, during your prayer and at other times, asking Allaah to forgive him, and admit him to Paradise, and keep him away from Hell.  And Allaah knows best.

We know that in Ramadaan the devils (we seek refuge with Allaah from them) are chained up. And I would like to know whether the practitioners of sihr (magic, witchcraft) – may the curse of Allaah be upon them – practise their craft in this month?.

Praise be to Allah.Yes, the devils may whisper to man in Ramadaan, and the practitioners of witchcraft may practise their craft during Ramadaan, but that undoubtedly happens to a lesser extent than at times other than Ramadaan.  It was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When Ramadaan begins, the gates of Paradise are opened, and the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained up.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3277; Muslim, 1079. According to al-Nasaa’i: “The most evil jinn are chained up.”  This does not mean that the devils have no influence at all, rather it indicates that they become weaker in Ramadaan and are not able to do what they are able to do at times other than Ramadaan.  It may be interpreted as meaning that the ones who are chained up are the most evil devils, not all of them.  Al-Qurtubi said: If it is said, how come we see many evil actions and sins being committed in Ramadaan, for if the devils were chained up, that would not happen?  The answer is that (evil actions) are reduced on the part of those who fast meeting all the conditions of fasting and paying attention to the etiquette of fasting.  Or some of the devils – namely the most evil ones – are chained up, not all of them, as previously mentioned in some reports.  Or it may mean that evil actions are reduced in Ramadaan, which is something that we can see. Even though evil actions happen in Ramadaan, they are less than at other times. Even if all of the devils were to be chained up, that does not mean that no evil action would happen, because there are other causes of evil action besides the devils, such as evil souls, bad habits and the human devils.  From Fath al-Baari.  And Allaah knows best.

Is a person who does not fast a kaafir, if he still prays, and he does not fast even though he is not sick and has no other excuse?.

Praise be to Allah.Whoever does not fast because he denies that it is obligatory is a kaafir according to scholarly consensus. If a person does not fast because he is lazy or heedless, some scholars say that that makes him a kaafir, although the correct view is that it does not, but he is in serious danger because he has forsaken one of the pillars of Islam on which there is consensus that it is obligatory. And he deserves to be punished and disciplined by the ruler in such a manner as to deter him from this. He must also make up the fasts that he has missed and repent to Allaah.  And Allaah knows best.  See Fataawa al-Lajnah, 10/143.

I heard a hadeeth which said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to the people who were fasting on a journey, “You are disobedient.” Does that mean that it is haraam for a traveller to fast?.

Praise be to Allah.We have previously stated in the answer to question no. 20165 that if the traveller is finding it too difficult to fast, then it is better for him to break his fast, and fasting is makrooh for him. His fasting may become haraam if it leads to harm or the fear that he may die.  The hadeeth to which the questioner refers may be interpreted in this way, i.e., if the traveller finds it extremely difficult to fast or if he will be harmed by fasting. The context of the hadeeth indicates this.  Muslim (1114) narrated from Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) set out for Makkah in the year of the Conquest in Ramadaan, and he fasted until he reached Kuraa’ al-Ghameem – which is a place between Makkah and Madeenah. It was said to him that the people were finding it hard to fast, and they were waiting to see what he would do. He called for a vessel of water after ‘Asr, and he lifted it up so that the people could see it, then he drank from it. It was said to him afterwards that some of the people were still fasting. He said, “Those people are disobedient, those people are disobedient.”  From the context of the hadeeth it may be understood that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called them disobedient for two reasons:  1 – They continued to fast even though it was difficult for them 2 – The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) broke his fast so that they would follow his example, so it was as if he had commanded them to break their fast but they did not do so, so he called them disobedient.  Al-Nawawi said:  This hadeeth is to be understood as referring to cases when fasting is harmful… This interpretation is supported by the fact that the hadeeth says that the people were finding it hard to fast. Based on this, fasting whilst travelling is not regarded as an act of disobedience or sin if a person is not harmed by it.  Ibn al-Qayyim said in Tahdheeb al-Sunan:  With regard to the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “Those people are disobedient,” that applies to one specific case, when he wanted them to break their fast and some of them went against him, so he said that… The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) broke his fast after ‘Asr so that his example would be followed, and when some of them did not follow his example, he said, “Those people are disobedient,” but he did not mean by that that it is haraam for the traveller to fast in all cases.  Al-Haafiz said:  The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called those people who continued to fast whilst travelling disobedient because he had told them to do something and they went against that.   Based on this, the hadeeth applies to a specific situation, and it is not right to apply it to all those who fast whilst travelling.  That is also indicated by the fact that it is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to fast whilst travelling. If it was a sin to do so then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would not have done that.  And Allaah knows best.

This is quite an embarrassing question which I am finding difficult to ask anyone. Please could you tell me exactly which parts are you supposed to wash when doing istinjaa? Is it sufficient to just wash the orifices or should one wash the whole penis and the areas where one has pubic hair in this region?

Praise be to Allah.Istinjaa’ is obligatory; this means removing whatever has been passed from the front or back passages with water, stones, or anything else that is pure and will remove the impurity (najaasah) – such as pebbles or coarse tissue paper, or clean pieces of paper on which there is no mention of Allah or any of His names – apart from bones and dung. This is to be done when something impure is emitted, of stools or urine. But if nothing has come out apart from passing wind, then it is not obligatory to do instinjaa’. With regard to what has to be washed, if a person has passed urine, then it is sufficient for him to wash the end of the penis, to cleanse it of urine. It is not prescribed for him to wash the anus, because nothing has come out of it. In the case of the back passage, he has to remove any dirt from it, then wash the anal sphincter to cleanse it of any dirt that may be attached to it. For more information see Fatawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, vol. 10, p. 36; al-Sharh al-Mumti’ by Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, vol. 1, p. 88. This is what has to do with urine and stools. With regard to semen and prostatic fluid, please see question no. 2458. There is no doubt that if the urine or stools go beyond the place where they come out, those areas must also be washed, and the impurity and dirt must be removed from them. This is a summary of the etiquette of relieving oneself, which it is mustahabb for the Muslim to observe when relieving himself. 1 – It is Sunnah to say “Bismillaah (in the name of Allah)” when entering the washroom, because it was narrated from ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The eyes of the jinn are blocked from seeing the ‘awraat of the sons of Adam when one of them says, on entering the washroom, ‘Bismillaah.’” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, al-Jumu’ah, 551. Classed as saheeh by al-Albani in Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 496). It was also proven in the hadeeth of Anas that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Allahumma inni a’oodhu bika min al-khubthi wa’l-khabaa’ith (O Allah, I seek refuge in You from all offensive and wicked things (evil deeds and evil spirits).” (Narrated by al-Bukhari, al-Wudu, 139) 2 – He should enter with his left foot first, and exit with his right foot first. 3 – If he wants to relieve himself in a place that is not designated for that purpose, it is recommended for him to go far away (from people). 4 – He should not face the qiblah or turn his back towards it when relieving himself, because of the hadeeth narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in which he said: “When any one of you needs to defecate, let him not face the qiblah or turn his back toward it; face east or west” [because Makkah is south of Madeenah – Translator].” (Narrated by al-Bukhari, al-Wudu, 141). 5 – When urinating, a person must be careful not to let drops of urine land on his clothes or body, because it was narrated in the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas that “the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed by one of the gardens of Madeenah or Makkah, and he heard the voices of two men who were being punished in their graves. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘They are being punished but they are not being punished for a major sin.’ Then he said, ‘No, one of them used not to take precautions to protect himself from his urine, and the other used to go about spreading slander.’ Then he called for a palm-branch, which he broke in two and placed each piece on a grave, It was said to him, ‘O Messenger of Allah, why did you do that?’ He said, ‘May their torment be reduced so long as these do not dry out’ or ‘until these dry out.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhari, al-Wudu, 209). 6 – He should not hold his penis with his right hand whilst urinating, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “When any one of you goes to the lavatory, he should neither touch his penis nor clean his private parts with his right hand.” (Narrated by al-Bukhari, al-Wudu, 149) 7 – It is not permissible to relieve oneself in the street or in the shade, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Beware of two things which provoke cursing.” They said, “What are the two things which provoke cursing, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “Relieving oneself on the street or in the shade.” (Narrated by Muslim, al-Tahaarah, 397) 8 – It is makrooh to speak whilst relieving oneself. 9 – It is mustahabb when coming out of the washroom to say “Ghufraanak (I ask You (Allah) for Your forgiveness),” because it was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came out of the washroom, he would say, ‘Ghufraanak.’” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, al-Tahaarah, 7; classed as saheeh by al-Albani in Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 7

I would like to know the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) with regard to i’tikaf.

Praise be to Allah.The guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) with regard to i'tikaf was the most perfect and moderate of guidance.  Once he observed i'tikaf in the first ten days of Ramadan, then in the middle ten days, seeking Laylat al-Qadr . Then he was told that it is in the last ten days, so then he always observed i'tikaf during the last ten days, until he met his Lord.  On one occasion he did not observe i’tikaf during the last ten days, so he made it up in Shawwal and observed i'tikaf during the first ten days thereof. This was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim. In the year in which he died, he observed i’tikaf for twenty days. Narrated by al-Bukhari, 2040.  “It was said that the reason for that is that he knew his life was drawing to a close, so he wanted to increase his good deeds, to show his ummah how to strive hard in doing good deeds when the opportunity for doing so drew to close, so that they could meet Allah in the best way. And it was said that the reason was that Jibril used to review the Quran with him once each Ramadan, but in the year in which he died, he reviewed it with him twice, which is why his i’tikaf was twice as long as usual.  A more likely reason is that he observed i’tikaf for twenty days in that year because the year before he had been traveling. This is indicated by the report narrated by al-Nasai and Abu Dawud, and classed as sahih by Ibn Hibban and others, from Ubayy ibn Ka’b who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to observe i’tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadan, but he travelled one year and did not observe i’tikaf , so the following year he observed i’tikaf for twenty days.” (Fath al-Bari)  The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to order that a kind of tent be pitched for him in the mosque, and he would stay in it, keeping away from people and turning to his Lord, so he could be on his own with his Lord in a true sense of the word.  On one occasion he observed i’tikaf in a small tent, and put a reed mat over the door. Narrated by Muslim, 1167.  Ibn al-Qayyim said in Zad al-Ma'ad, 2/90:  “All of this to achieve the spirit and purpose of i’tikaf, and is the opposite of what the ignorant do, whereby the place of i’tikaf becomes a place of gathering and meeting with people and chatting to them. This is one thing, and i’tikaf as observed by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is something else.”  He used to stay in the mosque the whole time , and not leave it except to relieve himself. ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “He would not enter his house for anything except for a need when he was observing i’tikaf.” Narrated by al-Bukhari, 2029; Muslim, 297. According to a report narrated by Muslim: “Except for human needs.” Al-Zuhri interpreted this as referring to urination and defecation.  He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) made sure he remained clean. He would lean his head out of the mosque into `Aishah’s apartment so that she should wash his head and comb his hair.  Al-Bukhari (2028) and Muslim (297) narrated that `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to lean his head towards me when he was observing i’tikaf in the mosque, and I would comb his hair, when I was menstruating.” According to a report also narrated by al-Bukhari: “And I would wash it.”  Al-Hafiz said:  This hadith indicates that it is permissible to clean oneself, put on perfume, wash oneself, comb one’s hair etc (when in i’tikaf). The majority of scholars are of the view that nothing is makruh except that which it is makruh to do in the mosque.  When he was in i’tikaf, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not visit the sick or attend funerals . This was so that he could concentrate fully on conversing with Allah and achieving the purpose of i’tikaf, which is to cut oneself off from people and turn to Allah.  `Aishah said: The Sunnah is for the person in i’tikaf not to visit the sick or attend funerals, or to be intimate with his wife. But there is nothing wrong with his going out for essential needs. (Narrated by Abu Dawud, 2473; classed as sahih by al-Albani in Sahih Abi Dawud.)  “or to be intimate with his wife” means intercourse. This was stated by al-Shawkani in Nayl al-Awtar.  Some of his wives used to visit him when he was in i’tikaf. When she stood up to leave, he would take her home – that was at night.  It was narrated from Safiyyah the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that she came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and visited him when he was in i’tikaf in the mosque, during the last ten days of Ramadan. She spoke with him for a while, then she stood up to leave. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood up with her to take her home. (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 2035; Muslim, 2175)  In conclusion, his i’tikaf was moderate and not harsh. He spent all his time remembering Allah and turning to Him in worship, seeking Laylat al-Qadr.  References:  Zad al-Ma Aad by Ibn al-Qayyim, 2/90;  Al-I’tikaf: Nazrah Tarbawiyyah by Dr ‘Abd al-Latif Balto. For more, please see this category: I’tikaf. And Allah knows best.

A fasting person vomited then he swallowed a little of his vomit unintentionally. What is the ruling?

Praise be to Allah.“If he vomited deliberately, his fast is invalidated, but if he couldn’t help it, then his fast is not invalidated. Similarly it is not invalidated by his swallowing some so long as that was not deliberate.” And Allah is the Source of strength. May Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and Companions.” (Standing Committee for Academic Research And Issuing Fatwas, 10/254)  For more, please see these answers: 78479 , 105467 , 78438 , and 38023 . And Allah knows best.

In our city there is a group of committed brothers, but they differ from us with regard to some matters, such as fasting in Ramadaan. They do not fast until they see the moon with the naked eye. Sometimes we fast two or three days before them in Ramadaan, and they break their fast one or two days after Eid al-Fitr. Every time we ask them about fasting on the day of Eid they say, “We do not break our fast or start to fast until we see the new moon with the naked eye, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Fast when you see it and break your fast when you see it.’” But they do not recognize the sighting of the moon with instruments as you know. They also differ with regard to the time of Eid prayer, and they do not pray until after Eid according to their sighting. Similarly on Eid al-Adha they differ from us with regard to offering the sacrifice of Eid and the standing at ‘Arafaah. They celebrate two days after Eid al-Adha, i.e., they do not offer the sacrifice until after all the Muslims have offered their sacrifices. Is what they are doing correct? May Allaah reward you with good.

Praise be to Allah.They should fast with the people and break their fast with the people, and they should offer the Eid prayer with the Muslims in their city because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Fast when you see it (the new moon) and break your fast when you see it, and if it is cloudy then complete the number (of days – i.e., assume the month is thirty days).” (Agreed upon). What is meant by this command to fast and to break the fast is if the sighting is proven by the naked eye or by means that help the eye to see, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Fasting is the day when you (i.e., the Muslim community) fast, iftaar is the day when you (all) break your fast and adha is the day when you (all) offer your sacrifice.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2324; al-Tirmidhi, 697; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 561).  And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and companions.

I went through all the Questions and Answers relating to Masturbation and Having Intercourse after the Periods but without her Ghusl. I just wanted the clarification for the above in the sense, Is there any Repentance like Dua or anything to overcome the Sin he or she has committed?

Praise be to Allah.Having intercourse with a menstruating woman in her vagina is haraam, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “They ask you concerning menstruation. Say: that is an Adha (a harmful thing for a husband to have a sexual intercourse with his wife while she is having her menses), therefore, keep away from women during menses” [al-Baqarah 2:222] Whoever does that has to seek the forgiveness of Allaah and repent to Him, and he has to give a dinar or half a dinar in charity as expiation for what he has done. Ahmad and the authors of al-Sunan narrated with a jayyid isnaad from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever has intercourse with his wife when she is menstruating should give a dinar or half a dinar in charity.” Whichever you give is sufficient.  It is not permissible to have intercourse with one's wife after she has become pure, i.e., after the bleeding has stopped, and before she has done ghusl, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “and go not unto them till they are purified (from menses and have taken a bath)” [al-Baqarah 2:222] Allaah has not given permission for a man to have intercourse with a menstruating woman until her bleeding stops and she purifies herself, i.e., does ghusl. Whoever has intercourse with his wife before she has done ghusl has committed a sin and has to offer expiation (kafaarah).  See Fataawa al-‘Ulama’ fi ‘Ushrat al-Nisa’, p. 51  Fatwa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah  With regard to the way to rid oneself of sins that a man and woman have committed, please see Question No. 14289, 329.  You have to repent to Allaah for going against the prohibition mentioned in this aayah and for not paying heed to the words (interpretation of the meaning):  “And when they have purified themselves, then go in unto them as Allaah has ordained for you” [al-Baqarah 2:222] That is done by regretting what has happened and resolving not to do it again, and by doing a lot of good deeds, for good deeds wipe out bad deeds. And Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Is it allowed for a muslim kiss (friendly) a non-mahrum muslim of the opposite sex on the cheek? How about friendly hugging? Is the sin of the same magnitude if done when in need of friendly company which only the other person can provide?

Praise be to Allah.It is haraam for a man to take women as friends. See question no. 1114.  A person should be wise, because whoever says that a man may kiss his female friend on the face in a friendly manner and hug her in a friendly manner is saying something that is regarded as foolish and stupid. It is obvious to any wise person than this kind of behaviour provokes desire, and this is the path that leads to zina (fornication, adultery). It cannot be said that his intention is pure, because Allaah has created men with an inclination to be attracted towards women. Hence Allaah has forbidden men to look at women and has commanded them to lower their gaze. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts)” [al-Noor 24:30] The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The eye may commit zina, and its zina is looking.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, al-Nikaah, 1840; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, no. 1884).  Hence it is haraam to mix with women or to be alone with a woman, even if she is wearing hijaab, so how about if the woman is making a wanton display of herself? There are very many aayahs and ahaadeeth which forbid that. It is also forbidden to shake hands with women; see question no. 2459. A person who allows himself to do these things may start to commit zina zina with her on the grounds of friendship. It cannot be said that this is because of difficult circumstances where he needs a person to stand by him and be his friend. All of that is haraam and is not allowed. Whoever falls into such things must hasten to repent sincerely from this sin, and turn back to Allaah and regret what he has done. The Muslim must realize that if he turns to Allaah for help with the calamities and problems that befall him in this world, Allaah will relieve him of his trouble and grant him relief and a way out, so he should fear Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty)” [al-Talaaq 65:2-3]  “and whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make his matter easy for him” [al-Talaaq 65:4] And Allaah knows best.

A worried sister asks what should be done as her mother's husband tried to rape her. He tried molesting her but was unable to succeed in having intercourse with her. Does this have any effect on the marriage contract between the man and her mother? Should she tell her sisters and her mother (even though the mother is unlikely to believe her)?

Praise be to Allah. This girl has to tell her mother and her brothers so that they can put a stop to this crime before it happens. The girl must not sit with him in the place where he is sitting, rather she must keep away from him even if he is her mahram. The mahram – even if he is a father or brother – if there is no guarantee that he can be trusted (Allaah forbid), then it is not permissible to be near him, rather the guardian should prevent that from happening. If that can only be achieved by punishing or imprisoning him, then so be it. Whatever the case, this girl has to take every precaution to prevent this evil from happening.

Is it permissible for a Muslim to eat the foods that the people of the Book or the mushrikoon prepare for their festivals or accept such foods if they are given on the occasion of their festivals?.

Praise be to Allah.It is not permissible for the Muslim to eat foods that the Jews, Christians and mushrikoon make for their festivals. It is not permissible either for a Muslim to accept such things that are given to them on the occasion of their festivals, because that implies honouring them and cooperating with them in manifesting their symbols and propagating their innovations and sharing their happiness on the days of their festivals. That may also lead to taking their festivals as festivals for us too, or to exchanging invitations to meals or to give gifts on one another’s festivals at the very least. This is a kind of deviation and innovation in religion. It was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not part of it, will have it rejected.” And it is not permissible to give them anything on the occasion of their festivals.

I hope that you can explain the ‘iddah of a woman divorced by talaq.

Praise be to Allah.‘Iddah after divorce If the woman is divorced by talaq before the man has entered upon her and been alone with her, i.e., before intercourse or intimacy with her, then she does not have to observe any ‘iddah at all. Simply by virtue of the divorce it becomes permissible for her to marry another man.  But if he has entered upon her and been alone with her and had intercourse with her, then she has to observe the ‘iddah (waiting period) which takes one of the following forms: Forms of ‘iddah after divorce  If she is pregnant then her ‘iddah lasts until the pregnancy ends and she delivers, whether that is a long time or a short one. It may so happen that he divorces her in the morning and she gives birth at noon, in which case her ‘iddah is over. Or it may be that he divorces her in Muharram and she does not give birth until Dhu’l-Hijjah, so she remains in ‘iddah for twelve months. The point is that the ‘iddah of the pregnant woman lasts until she gives birth, no matter what the case, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “And for those who are pregnant (whether they are divorced or their husbands are dead), their ‘Iddah (prescribed period) is until they lay down their burden.” [al-Talaq 65:4] If the woman is not pregnant and she menstruates (is of child-bearing age), then her ‘iddah is three complete menstrual cycles after the divorce, i.e., her period comes then she becomes pure, then her period comes again and she becomes pure, then her period comes again and she becomes pure. That is three complete menstrual cycles, regardless of whether the time between them is long or short. Based on this, if he divorces her and she is breastfeeding and does not menstruate until two years later, then she remains in ‘iddah until she has had three menstrual cycles, so she may stay in this state for two years or more. The point is that she should go through three complete menstrual cycles whether the time involved is long or short, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “And divorced women shall wait (as regards their marriage) for three menstrual periods.” [al-Baqarah 2:228] If a woman does not menstruate, either because she is very young or old and past menopause, then her ‘iddah is three months, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “And those of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the ‘Iddah (prescribed period), if you have doubt (about their periods), is three months; and for those who have no courses [(i.e. they are still immature) their ‘Iddah (prescribed period) is three months likewise…” [al-Talaq 65:4] If a woman’s periods have ceased for a known reason and she will not menstruate again, such as if her uterus has been removed (hysterectomy), then she is like one who has passed menopause and her ‘iddah is three months.  If her periods have ceased and she knows the cause, she should wait for the cause to cease and for her periods to return, then she should observe ‘iddah according to her menstrual cycle.  If her periods have ceased and she doesn't know what caused that, then the scholars say that she should observe an ‘iddah of a full year, nine months for pregnancy and three months for ‘iddah.  These are the categories of ‘iddah for women divorced by talaq.  For more about ‘iddah issues, please see these answers: 145 , 127974 , 101546 and 311 . And Allah knows best.

It was mentioned in question 210 that their was a difference of scholarly opinion concerning the use of animal-derived ingredients in non-food products such as lotions and soaps and whether we as Muslims can use these products. I wanted to know if you could clarify this point and the meaning of the ayah and hadiths that follow: "Say (O Muhammad): "I find not in that which has been inspired to me anything forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it be Maytah (a dead animal) or blood poured forth..." 6:145   the hadith: Jabir b. Abdullah (RAA) reported Allah's Messenger (S) as saying in the Year of Victory while he was in Mecca: Verily Allah and His Messenger have forbidden the sale of wine,carcass,swine,and idols. It was said: Allah's Messenger, you see that the fat of the carcasss is used for coating the boats and varnishing the hides and people use it for lighting purposes, whereupon he said: No, it is forbidden. Then Allah's Messenger (S) said: May Allah the Exalted and Majestic destroy the Jews; when Allah forbade the use of fat of the carcass for them, they melted it,and then sold it and made use of its price (received from it). [Sahih Muslim Eng. Trans. Vol. 3 Hadith 3840]   The freed slave girl of Maimuna was given a goat in charity but it died. The Messenger of Allah (S) happened to pass by that (carcass). Upon this he said: Why did you not take off its skin? You could put it to use, after tanning it. They (the Companions) said: It was dead. Upon this he (the Messenger of Allah) said: Only its eating is prohibited. [Sahih Muslim Eng. Trans. Vol. 1 Haidith 704].

Praise be to Allah.Firstly:  With regard to the ruling on using fats from haraam animals in manufacturing soap etc., we have mentioned in the question referred to that there is a difference of scholarly opinion, but it is most likely the case that they are haraam and we are not allowed to use them.  We will explain this further – in sha Allah – in the following points.  Secondly:  With regard to the verse (interpretation of the meaning):  “Say (O Muhammad): ‘I find not in that which has been revealed to me anything forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it be Maytah (a dead animal) or blood poured forth (by slaughtering or the like), or the flesh of swine (pork); for that surely, is impure or impious (unlawful) meat (of an animal) which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allaah (or has been slaughtered for idols, or on which Allaah’s Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering). But whosoever is forced by necessity without wilful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits; (for him) certainly, your Lord is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful’” [al-An’aam 6:145] its meaning is as follows:  “Say (O Muhammad): ‘I find not in that which has been revealed to me anything forbidden to be eaten” – Here Allaah is commanding His slave and Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): Say, O Muhammad, my Lord has not forbidden any foods apart from these; everything else is halaal (permissible).  “unless it be Maytah (a dead animal)” this refers to whatever dies a natural death, such as an animal that is dealt a fatal blow, falls or is gored by another, or that which is slaughtered in a manner other than that which is prescribed in sharee’ah.  “or blood poured forth (by slaughtering or the like)” means blood that flows, unlike other things that are described as “blood” (damm), such as the liver and spleen, and unlike the blood which remains in the flesh and veins after slaughter.  “or the flesh of swine (pork)” which is the well known animal (pig).  “for that surely, is impure” means it is filthy, abominable and harmful.  “or impious (unlawful) meat (of an animal) which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allaah (or has been slaughtered for idols, or on which Allaah’s Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering)” means, it has been slaughtered in a name other than His.  “But whosoever is forced by necessity” to eat one of the things mentioned here, “without wilful disobedience” not wanting to eat it without being forced to, “nor transgressing due limits” – “(for him) certainly, your Lord is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful” means, He will forgive him for what he has eaten, and will be Merciful towards him.  However, we should note that there are other haraam things which are not mentioned in this verse. They were forbidden later on, such as every wild animal that has fangs and every bird that has talons, and the meat of domestic donkeys.  Thirdly:  The hadeeth of Jaabir was narrated by al-Bukhaari (2121) and Muslim (1581).  The wording is as follows: It was narrated from Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that he heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say on the day of the Conquest when he was in Makkah: “Allaah and His Messenger have forbidden the sale of alcohol, dead meat, pigs and idols.” It was said, “O Messenger of Allaah, what do you think of the fat taken from a dead animal which is used for caulking ships, greasing animal skins and which people use to light their lamps?” He said, “No, it is haraam.” Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “May Allaah curse the Jews, for Allaah forbade them the fat, but they melted it then they sold it and consumed its price.”  With regard to the meaning:  It is clear that the context is explaining the prohibition on selling alcohol (khamr – that which fogs (khaamara) the mind – which includes all kinds of alcohol), dead meat, pigs and idols – which are things made from wood, copper, gold, etc, in the form of people or animals.  Then the Sahaabah wanted to make an exception from this prohibition in the case of selling the fat of dead animals, because of the benefits that there were in it, which that it was used as caulking for ships, to protect the wood from water, and to grease animal skins in order to keep them soft and supple, and as fuel for lamps.  The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not make these things exceptions from the prohibition, as he said, “No, it is forbidden.” Then he mentioned what the Jews did, which was that they melted down the fat that Allaah has forbidden to them, and turned it into another substance, such as wax, which they then sold and consumed its price. The scholars differed as to what the pronoun huwa (it) in the Prophet’s phrase Laa, huwa haraam (No, it is forbidden) referred. Some of them said that what is haraam is benefitting from the thing; others said that what is haraam is selling it. The latter view is the one which was regarded as correct by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him), who said in al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (8/136):  “This view is the one which is correct: that the pronoun in the phrase ‘it is forbidden’ refers to selling, even though the substance in question has these uses that the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) mentioned. That is because the context of the hadeeth has to do with selling.  And it was said that ‘it is forbidden’ refers to benefitting from it in these ways, so it is not permissible to caulk ships with it, or grease animal skins with it, or to use it in people’s lamps. But this view is da’eef (weak).  The correct view is that it is permissible to caulk ships with it, and grease animal skins, and use it in people’s lamps.”  Al-San’aani said:  The pronoun in the phrase ‘it is forbidden’ is to be understood as referring to selling, i.e., that selling the fat is haraam. This is the most apparent meaning, because this is what is implied by the context, and because the same hadeeth was narrated by Ahmad, in whose version it says, ‘And what do you think of selling the fat of dead meat?’ Or it may be interpreted as referring to the uses to which it is put, in the phrase, ‘for it is used for caulking ships’ etc.. The majority interpreted it in this manner and said, ‘No use should be made of a dead animal apart from its skin, if it is tanned.’  Those who say that the pronoun refers to selling quote as evidence the fact that there is scholarly consensus that it is permissible to feed dead meat to dogs even if they are hunting dogs. It is known that the pronoun is more likely to refer to selling, so it is permissible to make use of naajis (impure) things in general and it is haraam to sell them for the reasons that are known. This view is supported by the fact that the Prophet (S) condemned the Jews for melting down the fat then selling it and consuming its price. So it is clear that the prohibition is directed against the selling which results in the consumption of its price. If the prohibition applies to selling then it is permissible to make use of the fat of dead animals and impure (naajis) fats for all purposes except food for humans or use on human bodies. (i.e., it is not permissible for a human being to eat the fat from a dead animal or to apply impure (naajis) fats to his body). So the prohibition is like the prohibition on eating dead meat or using impure substances on the body. But it is permissible to feed the fat of dead animals to dogs or to feed honey that is contaminated with an impure substance to bees. All of that is regarded as permissible in the Shaafa’i madhhab, and was narrated by al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad from Maalik and most of his companions, and from Abu Haneefah and his companions, and from al-Layth.  This hadeeth also indicates that if it is haraam to sell a thing, its price is also forbidden, and that every contrivance that leads to permitting something which is forbidden is false. Subul al-Salaam, 3/6.  Fourthly:  With regard to the hadeeth of Maymoonah, it was narrated by al-Bukhaari (1421) and Muslim (363). The following version is quoted from Muslim because the version narrated by al-Bukhaari does not contain the word “tanning”.  It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: A sheep was given in charity to the freed slave woman of Maymoonah, and it died. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) passed by it and said: “Why do you not take its skin, tan it and make use of it?” They said, “It is dead meat.” He said, “It is only haraam to eat it.”  With regard to its meaning:  Maymoonah had a freed slave woman who had a sheep that someone had given to her in charity. When it died, they thought that it was not permissible to make any use of it at all, so they threw it away. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) passed by it with some of his companions and when he saw it, he said to them “Why do you not take the skin of this dead animal and make use of it?” They said to him, “It is dead meat.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to them, “What is forbidden is to eat it; with regard to anything other than eating it, such as making use of the skin, that is permissible after tanning it.”  The scholars differed concerning the ruling on the skin of dead animals if it is tanned.  Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen favoured the view that tanning purifies the skin of the dead animal if it is from an animal whose meat may be eaten, such as camels, cattle and sheep. But if it comes from an animal whose meat may not be eaten, such as pigs, then it cannot be purified by tanning. Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 1/72.  Shaykh al-Islam said, after quoting the views of the scholars:  The point of confusion has to do with tanning: is it the case that the skin of animals which pure when they are alive may be purified by tanning when they are dead or is it the case that tanning can only purify the skin of an animal that is slaughtered properly according to sharee’ah? The second opinion is more likely to be correct, and the evidence for that is that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade using the skin of carnivores, as was narrated by Usaamah ibn ‘Umayr al-Dhuhali.  Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawood, and al-Nasaa’i. Al-Tirmidhi added the phrase “and (he forbade) their use as furnishing.”   This opinion reconciles all the ahaadeeth .   Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 21/95-96  And Allaah knows best.

If a man is keen to fast in Ramadaan and to pray in Ramadaan only, but he gives up praying as soon as Ramadaan is over, is his fasting valid?

Praise be to Allah.Prayer is one of the pillars of Islam, and it is the most important pillar after the Shahaadatayn (twin testimony of faith). It is also an individual obligation. Whoever does not do it because he denies that it is obligatory or he does not do it because he is lazy and heedless, is a kaafir. As for those who fast in Ramadaan and pray only in Ramadaan, they are trying to deceive Allaah. How bad are those who only acknowledge Allaah in Ramadaan. Their fast is not valid if they only pray in Ramadaan, rather by doing this they are kaafirs who are guilty of major kufr, even if they do not deny that prayer is obligatory; this is according to the more correct of the two scholarly views. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “The covenant that stands between us and them is prayer; whoever does not pray is a kaafir.” Narrated by Imam Ahmad, 22428; al-Tirmidhi, 2621; al-Nasaa’i, 431; Ibn Maajah, 1079 – with a saheeh isnaad from Buraydah al-Aslami (may Allaah be pleased with him). And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The head of the matter is Islam, its foundation (or its pillar) is prayer and its pinnacle is jihad for the sake of Allaah.” Narrated by Imam al-Tirmidhi, 2616, with a saheeh isnaad from Mu’aadh ibn Jabal (may Allaah be pleased with him). And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Between a man and kufr and shirk there stands his giving up prayer.” Narrated by Imam Muslim in his Saheeh, 82, from Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Ansaari (may Allaah be pleased with him). And there are many similar ahaadeeth. And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

I suffer from emission of semen during the day in Ramadaan whilst fasting, without any wet dream or masturbation. Does this have any effect on my fasting?.

Praise be to Allah.If the matter is as described, then emission of semen without any feelings of pleasure on your part during the day in Ramadaan does not have any effect on your fasting, and you do not have to make up those days.  And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

Is it permissible to exchange old gold for new gold, and pay the difference in value to the goldsmith?.

Praise be to Allah.It is not permissible to exchange worn-out gold for good gold and pay the difference. This is haraam and is not permissible. That is indicated by the reports proven in al-Saheehayn and elsewhere in the story of Bilaal (may Allaah be pleased with him), who brought some good dates to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he said to him: “Where did these come from?” Bilaal said: “We had some bad dates and I paid two saa’s of them for a saa’ so that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) might have some of it.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Oh! Do not do that, (it is) the essence of riba, the essence of riba.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3212.  The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated that giving more when equal amounts should be exchanged because of the difference in quality is the essence of riba, and it is not permissible to do that. But the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as was his wont, pointed out the permissible way. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told him to sell the bad dates for money (dirhams) and then buy the good dates with the money.  Based on this we say: If a woman has some worn-out gold or gold that people no longer wear, she can sell it in the market and take the money, then buy good gold of her choosing. This is the way taught by our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),

Some people fiddle with their clothes, clean their nails or look at their watches etc whilst praying, especially when the imam is reciting. This often provokes feelings of annoyance among the worshippers standing next to them. What is the ruling on that?

Praise be to Allah.Types of moving while praying Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him) stated that the basic ruling on moving while praying is that it is makruh unless it is done for a reason. However it may be divided into five categories:  Obligatory movements Forbidden movements Makruh movements Mustahabb movements Permissible movements Obligatory movements in prayer The obligatory movements are those on which the validity of the prayer depends. For example if a person notices something impure on his ghutrah (head gear), he has to move to remove it and take off his ghutrah. That is because Jibril came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when he was leading the people in prayer and told him that there was something dirty on his shoe. So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) took it off while he was praying and carried on praying. (Narrated by Abu Dawud, 650; classed as sahih by al-Albani in al-Irwa, 284) Or if someone tells him that he is not facing the qiblah, he should move to face the qiblah.  Forbidden movements in prayer The forbidden movements are continuous movements done for no reason, because this kind of movement invalidates the prayer, and whatever invalidates the prayer is not permissible, because it is like mocking the signs of Allah.  Mustahabb movements in prayer The mustahabb movements are those done in order to do things that are mustahabb in prayer, such as if a person moves to make the row straight, or if he sees a gap in the row in front, so he moves forward whilst praying, or if there is a gap in his row and he moves to fill the gap and other such movements which allow one to do a deed that is mustahabb in prayer, because that makes the prayer more perfect and complete. Hence when Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) prayed with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and stood to his left, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) took hold of his head from behind and made him stand on his right. (Agreed upon)  Permissible movements n prayer The permissible movements are small movements done when there is a reason, or large movements done in cases of necessity. Small movements done for a reason are like what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did when he was praying and he carried Umamah, the daughter of Zaynab the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), whose maternal grandfather he was. When he stood up he picked her up, and when he prostrated he put her down. Al-Bukhari, 5996; Muslim, 543.  Large movements in cases of necessity include praying while fighting. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “Guard strictly (five obligatory) As-Salawat (the prayers) especially the middle Salah (i.e. the best prayer - ‘Asr). And stand before Allah with obedience [and do not speak to others during the Salah (prayers)]. 239. And if you fear (an enemy), perform Salah (pray) on foot or riding. And when you are in safety, offer the Salah (prayer) in the manner He has taught you, which you knew not (before).” [al-Baqarah 2:238-239] If a person prays while walking he is undoubtedly moving a great deal, but in cases of necessity that is permitted and does not invalidate the prayer.  Makruh movements in prayer The makruh movements are all movements other than those mentioned above. This is the basic principle concerning movements while praying. How much movement invalidates the prayer Based on this, we say to those who move whilst praying that their action is makruh and detracts from their prayer. This is something that is seen in many cases, so you may see a person fiddling with his watch or pen or ghutrah or nose or beard and so on. All of that comes under the heading of makruh, unless it is done a great deal and is continuous, in which case it is haram and invalidates the prayer.  Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him) also stated that there is no specific number of movements that invalidates the prayer, rather it is any movement that contradicts the idea of prayer in the sense that if anyone saw this man doing that it would look as if he were not praying. This is the kind of movement that invalidates the prayer. Hence the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) defined it as something based on custom (al-‘urf) and said: “If movements are many and are continuous, then they invalidate the prayer without mentioning a specific number. Some scholars defined three such movements but that requires evidence because everyone who sets a certain limit or number or manner should produce evidence, otherwise he is introducing new ideas.” (Majmu’ Fatawa al-Shaykh, 13/309-311)  Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about a man who moved a great deal whilst praying: did that invalidate his prayer and how could he rid himself of this habit?  He (may Allah have mercy on him) replied:  “The Sunnah is to focus on one’s prayer with proper humility, body and soul, whether it is an obligatory prayer or a nafl prayer, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “Successful indeed are the believers. Those who offer their Salaah (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness.” [Al-Muminun 23:1-2] He must pray in a tranquil and dignified manner. This is one of the most important pillars and obligations of prayer, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to one who prayed badly and was not tranquil and dignified in his prayer: “Go back and pray for you have not prayed.” And he did that three times. Then the man said: “O Messenger of Allah, by the One Who sent you with the truth, I cannot do any better than this, teach me.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “When you stand up to pray, do wudu well, then turn to face the qiblah and say takbir, and recite whatever you can of the Quran. Then bow until you are at ease in bowing, then raise your head until you are standing up straight. Then prostrate until you are at ease in prostration, then sit up until you are sitting up straight and are at ease in sitting. Then prostrate until you are at ease in prostration, then get up until you are standing up straight. Then do that throughout your prayer.” (Agreed upon)   According to a version narrated by Abu Dawud, he said: “Then recite the Essence of the Quran (al-Fatihah) and whatever Allah wills.”  This sahih hadith indicates that being at ease in the postures is a pillar or essential part of the prayer, and an important obligation, without which prayer is not valid. Whoever pecks out his prayer (by moving too rapidly), there is no prayer for him. Khushu` (proper focus and humility) is the essence of prayer. It is prescribed for the believer to pay attention to that and strive to achieve it.  With regard to defining the movements that contradict this ease and focus in prayer and limiting them to three movements, there is no hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to support this idea. Rather that is the suggestion of some scholars for which there is no reliable evidence.  But it is makruh to fidget during the prayer, such as touching one's nose, beard or clothes and being distracted by that. Fidgeting a great deal invalidates the prayer. But if it is done a little, according to what is customary, or is done a great deal but is not continuous, then the prayer is not invalidated thereby. But it is prescribed for the believer to maintain proper focus and humility, and to avoid fidgeting a little or a lot, and to strive to make his prayer perfect.  The evidence that small movements, or repeated movements that are not continuous, do not invalidate the prayer is the report which says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) opened the door for ‘Aishah one day whilst he was praying. Narrated by Abu Dawud, 922; al-Nasai, 601; classed as sahih by Shaykh al-Albani in Sahih al-Tirmidhi, 601.   And it was proven in the hadith of Abu Qatadah (may Allah have mercy on him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) led the people in prayer one day when he was carrying Umamah the daughter of Zaynab. When he prostrated he put her down and when he stood up he picked her up.” (Fatawa ‘Ulama al-Balad al-Haram, 162-164) For more, please see these answers: 87749 , 146675 , 8673 , 135372 , 326070 , and 190016 . And Allah knows best.

A man died, leaving behind a mother, five full brothers, two full sisters, and two half-brothers through his father. How should the estate be divided?.

Praise be to Allah.In the answer to the question ( 21925 ), we stated that if there is a male among the full siblings, the half-brothers through the father do not inherit, according to scholarly consensus.  Based on this, the estate in this case should be divided as follows:  The mother gets one-sixth, because of the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “if the deceased left brothers or (sisters), the mother has a sixth” [al-Nisa’ 4:11] The remainder of the estate is shared among the full siblings, both male and female, with each male getting twice the share of each female, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “if there are brothers and sisters, the male will have twice the share of the female” [al-Nisa’ 4:176] And Allaah knows best.

What is the ruling if a fasting person suffers a nosebleed, because this happened to me?.

Praise be to Allah.If the matter is as you describe, then your fast is valid, because your nosebleed did not happen by your choice, so the fact that it happened does not mean that you broke your fast. The evidence for that is the fact that sharee’ah seeks to avoid making things difficult for people, such as the verses in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope” [al-Baqarah 2:286]  “Allaah does not want to place you in difficulty” [al-Maa'idah 5:6] And Allaah is the source of strength. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and companions.

A woman’s period ended in Ramadaan before dawn came, so she fasted that day, then Zuhr came and she prayed, then she noticed a yellow discharge. Is her fast valid?.

Praise be to Allah.If her period ended before dawn and then she fasted, her fast is valid, and the yellow discharge that she noticed after her period ended does not have any effect on it, because Umm ‘Atiyyah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “We used not to regard the brownish and yellowish discharge that comes after the period ends as meaning anything.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1/84; Abu Dawood, 307.  And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

What is the status of the hadeeth, “Seek to draw closer to Allaah by virtue of my status, for my status with Allaah is great”?

Praise be to Allah.This hadeeth has no basis.  Ibn Taymiyah and al-Albaani said: it has no basis.  See Iqtidaa’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem by Ibn Taymiyah, 2/415; al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah, 22

After a woman purified herself, she started to see some small drops of blood. Should she break her fast and stop praying, or what should she do?.

Praise be to Allah. Women’s problems with their menses are endless, and one of the causes of that is their use of contraceptive pills and pills used to prevent menstruation.  People never used to face such problems before. It is true that there have always been some problems since the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came and since women were created, but this situation where people are so confused is something regrettable. However, the basic principle is that if a woman becomes pure (her period ends) and she sees the tuhr (white discharge) which signals that her period has indeed ended, then any brownish or yellowish discharge that she sees after that, or any drops or wetness, is not menses, so it does not prevent her form praying, fasting or having intercourse with her husband, because it is not menses.  Umm ‘Atiyyah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “We used not to regard the yellowish or brownish discharge after the tuhr as anything important.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari. Abu Dawood added the phrase “after the tuhr”. Its isnaad is saheeh.  Based on this we say: Everything that happens after the definite tuhr does not affect the woman and it does not prevent her from praying, fasting and having intercourse with her husband. But she should not be in a hurry to see the tuhr because some women, when the flow becomes lighter, hasten to do ghusl before seeing the tuhr. Hence the women of the Sahaabah used to send pieces of cotton to the Mother of the Believers ‘Aa’ishah on which there were traces of yellow, and she would say to them: “Do not hasten until you see the white discharge.”

My question is about what is done by advertising reps of pharmaceutical companies. Nowadays some or most of these companies operate by means of gifts or bribes. They give gifts to doctors so that they will prescribe the drugs that are produced by these companies, and the reps fear for their positions in the companies if they do not do that. Many doctors will not prescribe drugs for patients because they have not been given gifts, and will only prescribe the drugs sold by those who have given them gifts. So the reps are forced to compete with other companies in the matter of gift giving. What is the ruling on this?  Is it regarded as a case of necessity because he fears losing his job, or not? Especially since he may have financial obligations which he must fulfil.

Praise be to Allah. The company rep who gives gifts to doctors so that they will distribute the drugs of that company and not others is regarded as the intermediary between the one who is giving the bribe and the one who is taking it. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed all three and said: “May Allaah curse the one who gives a bribe, the one who takes it and the intermediary between them.”  And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

When fasting for kafaarat al-yameen (expiation for breaking an oath), do the three days have to be consecutive?.

Praise be to Allah.When fasting for kafaarat al-yameen, the three days do not have to be consecutive. If you fast them separately, that is sufficient, because of the general meaning of the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “Allaah will not punish you for what is unintentional in your oaths, but He will punish you for your deliberate oaths; for its expiation (a deliberate oath) feed ten Masaakeen (poor persons), on a scale of the average of that with which you feed your own families, or clothe them or manumit a slave. But whosoever cannot afford (that), then he should fast for three days…” [al-Maa’idah 5:89] Allaah did not stipulate that they must be consecutive.  Ibn Hazm said in al-Muhalla (6/345):  It is sufficient to fast the three days separately, if one wishes – which is the view of Maalik and al-Shaafa’i – because Allaah did not stipulate whether they should be consecutive or separate. So however a person fasts them is sufficient.  And it says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (23/22):  It is better if the fasts for kafaarat al-yameen are done consecutively, but if they are not, then there is nothing wrong with that.  See al-Insaaf, 11/42 , Al-Mughni, 10/15 , Al-Mudawwanah, 1/280.

What is the ruling on muslim men cutting there hair is there limitaions like it has to be done equall length..Please explain this

Praise be to Allah. Cutting hair to make it all of equal length, reaching the shoulders or ears is OK, so long as that does not involve resembling the kuffaar. Resembling the kuffaar is haraam even if it is in regard to something that in principle is permitted.  With regard to cutting some of the hair and leaving some of it, that is not permitted. This is the hairstyle which was forbidden by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as is narrated in Saheeh al-Bukhaari and elsewhere.  This ruling applies to both men and women. It is OK to cut the hair and make it of equal length so long as that does not involve resembling the kuffaar, or making men resemble women and vice versa. Women should not cut their hair short in a manner that resembles men’s hairstyles.

Do we get rewarded by allah in this world not only the next.. Meaning allah will reward us in life for doing good deeds and also get more reward in the hereafter..

Praise be to Allah.Yes, Allaah has promised the believer who does righteous deeds reward in this world, as well as the greater reward which awaits him in the Hereafter.  Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “Whoever works righteousness — whether male or female — while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter” [al-Nahl 16:97] Ibn al-Qayyim said: Allaah guarantees to those who believe and do righteous deeds reward in this world with a good life, and Paradise on the Day of Resurrection.  The rewards in this life for some good deeds have been mentioned in the Qur’aan and Sunnah. These include the following:  1 – Spending for the sake of Allaah  Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “and whatsoever you spend of anything (in Allaah’s Cause), He will replace it. And He is the Best of providers” [Saba’ 34:39] It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah says: ‘O son of Adam, spend and I will spend on you.’”  (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4407; Muslim, 993).  Spending for the sake of Allaah is one of the means of increasing one’s provision.  2 – Being easy-going with a debtor who is facing hardship, concealing a Muslim’s faults and helping him.  It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever relieves a Muslim of some distress in this world, Allaah will relieve him of some distress on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever is easy-going with a debtor who is facing hardship, Allaah will make it easy for him in this world and in the Hereafter. And whoever conceals a Muslim’s faults, Allaah will conceal his faults in this world and the Hereafter. And Allaah will help His slave so long as His slave helps his brother.”  Narrated by Muslim, 2699.  3 – Being humble for the sake of Allaah.   It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Wealth never decreases because of charity. No person shows forbearance but Allaah will honour him and no one is humble for the sake of Allaah but Allaah will raise him in status.”  Narrated by Muslim, 2588.  Al-Mubaarakfoori said:  “raise him in status” means in this world and in the Hereafter.  Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi, 6/150.  4 – Upholding the ties of kinship  It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Whoever would like to have his provision increased or his lifespan extended, let him uphold the ties of kinship.”  Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1961; Muslim, 2557.  With regard to the extension of one’s lifespan there is a well-known scholarly discussion, which is that lifespans and provisions are decreed and cannot increase or decrease. “when their term comes, neither can they delay it nor can they advance it an hour (or a moment)” [Yoonus 10:49 – interpretation of the meaning]. The scholars came up with several answers to this issue, the most correct of which:  That this refers to an increase of blessing during one's lifetime, being guided to do good deeds and to make use of one's times in ways that will be of benefit in the Hereafter and to make the most of his time for the sake of Allaah.  The second suggestion is that it refers to what the angels see and what is in al-Lawh al-Mahfooz, etc. For the angels see in al-Lawh al-Mahfooz that a person’s lifespan will be sixty years, unless he upholds the ties of kinship, in which case another forty years will be added to his life. Allaah knows what will happen to him in that regard. This is the meaning of the words (interpretation of the meaning): “Allaah blots out what He wills and confirms (what He wills)” [al-Ra’d 13:39].  With regard to what Allaah knows and what He has already decreed, nothing can be added to that; such a thing is impossible. With regard to what people see, they see that it is increased. This is what is meant by the hadeeth.  And Allaah knows best.  Sharh Muslim, 16/114

It is with sorrow that i ask this question.My friend has been raped be her father for many years.She was conceived outside her parent's marriage but they married following her birth.She revealed the rape after she got married.Her father is a religious man with a solid reputation.I ahve heard once that the father of an illigitimate child is allowed to have a sexual realtionship with her because in Islam she is not his daughter,kindly clear me on that matter

Praise be to Allah. If what is mentioned in the question is true, then what can we say about a mother’s husband who is so despicable, vile and contemptible, and who is lacking in religious commitment and transgresses the limits set by Allaah? To Allaah we belong and unto Him is our return; there is no power and no strength except with Allaah.  Does he not know that Allaah has forbidden a man to marry the daughter of his wife with whom he has consummated the marriage? Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “Forbidden to you (for marriage) are: your mothers, your daughters, … your stepdaughters under your guardianship, born of your wives to whom you have gone in” [al-Nisa’ 4:23] Let alone committing immoral actions with her. Does this man not know of the serious threat which Allaah issues and the painful torment that awaits the zaani (adulterer, one who engages in unlawful sexual relations)? Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “And those who invoke not any other ilaah (god) along with Allaah, nor kill such person as Allaah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace” [al-Furqaan 25:68-69] Does he not know that committing adultery with one's neighbour’s wife is worse than committing adultery with any other woman? It says in the hadeeth that ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, which sin is the worst?’ He said, ‘Setting up a rival to Allaah when He has created you.’ I said, ‘Then what?’ He said, ‘Killing your child so that he will not eat with you.’ I said, ‘Then what?’ He said, ‘Committing adultery with your neighbour’s wife.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, al-Hudood, 6313).   Committing adultery with one’s neighbour’s wife is regarded as a greater sin than committing adultery with any other woman, so how about committing zina with someone who is his mahram and is forbidden to him, as this evil man has done?  Ibn Abi Shaybah said: Question on committing zina with a mahram: Hafs narrated from Ash’ath from ‘Adiyy ibn Thaabit from al-Bara’ that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent him to a man who had married his father’s wife, and ordered him to bring him his head. Wakee’ narrated from Hasan ibn Saalih from al-Suddi from ‘Adiyy ibn Thaabit that al-Bara’ said: “I met my maternal uncle and he was carrying a banner. I said, ‘Where are you going?’ He said, ‘The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has sent me to a man who married his father’s wife, to kill him, or to strike his neck.’”  Al-Musannaaf by Ibn Abi Shaybah, part 8, p. 380. Also narrated by al-Nasaa’i, al-Nikaah, 3279; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Nasaa’i, 3123.  So how about if he forced this girl to do that, and committed zina with her against her will?  It is very strange that it says in the question that he is very religious, even though he has audaciously transgressed the limits set by Allaah. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound.  One of the basic principles of Islam which no Muslim has no excuse for not knowing is that zina – with any woman at all – is haraam and is a major sin, and it is even worse if the woman with whom a person commits zina is one whom he is permanently forbidden to marry. We seek refuge with Allaah from the things that earn His wrath and painful torment.

I have not yet reached the age of puberty. Is it correct that a girl could get married before her menses start, or is that just a traditional myth?.

Praise be to Allah.Firstly:  Marriage to a young girl before she reaches puberty is permissible according to sharee’ah, and it was narrated that there was scholarly consensus on this point.  1 – Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “And those of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the ‘Iddah (prescribed period), if you have doubt (about their periods), is three months; and for those who have no courses [(i.e. they are still immature) their ‘Iddah (prescribed period) is three months likewise” [al-Talaaq 65:4] In this verse we see that Allaah states that for those who do not menstruate – because they are young and have not yet reached the age of puberty – the ‘iddah in the case of divorce is three months. This clearly indicates that it is permissible for a young girl who has not started her periods to marry.  Al-Tabari (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:  The interpretation of the verse “And those of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the ‘Iddah (prescribed period), if you have doubt (about their periods), is three months; and for those who have no courses [(i.e. they are still immature) their ‘Iddah (prescribed period) is three months likewise”. He said: The same applies to the ‘idaah for girls who do not menstruate because they are too young, if their husbands divorce them after consummating the marriage with them.  Tafseer al-Tabari, 14/142  2 – It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) married her when she was six years old, and consummated the marriage with her when she was nine, and she stayed with him for nine years.  Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4840; Muslim, 1422.  Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said:  The scholars are unanimously agreed that a father may marry off his young daughter without consulting her. The Messenger of Allaah married ‘Aa’ishah bint Abi Bakr when she was young, six or seven years old, when her father married her to him.  Al-Istidhkaar, 16/49-50.  Secondly:  The fact that it is permissible to marry a minor girl does not imply that it is permissible to have intercourse with her, rather the husband should not have intercourse with her until she becomes able for that. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) delayed consummating the marriage to ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her).  And Allaah knows best.

What is the ruling on a woman who smiles in front of a non-mahram man, but without showing her teeth or making any sound?.

Praise be to Allah.It is haraam for a woman to uncover her face or to smile at a non-mahram man, because of the evil to which that may lead.  And Allaah is the Source of strength.

In christianity the word TRINITY is used as the main pillers of the religion.is there any mention of this belief mentioned in Quran.If this is a true belief,will this not come within the perview of SHIRK.

Praise be to Allah.Yes, this belief is mentioned in the Quran, but that is by way of refutation and proving it to be false, and describing the one who believes in it as a kaafir and mushrik. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “Surely, in disbelief are they who say that Allah is the Messiah, son of Maryam (Mary)” [Al-Maa'idah 5:17]  “Surely, disbelievers are those who said: ‘Allah is the third of the three (in a Trinity).’ But there is no Ilaah (god) (none who has the right to be worshipped) but One Ilaah (God —Allah). And if they cease not from what they say, verily, a painful torment will befall on the disbelievers among them” [Al-Maa'idah 5:73]  “And the Jews say: ‘Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: Messiah is the son of Allah. That is their saying with their mouths, resembling the saying of those who disbelieved aforetime. Allah’s Curse be on them, how they are deluded away from the truth! They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah (by obeying them in things which they made lawful or unlawful according to their own desires without being ordered by Allah), and (they also took as their Lord) Messiah, son of Maryam (Mary), while they (Jews and Christians) were commanded [in the Tawraat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] to worship none but One Ilaah (God — Allah) Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). Praise and glory be to Him (far above is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him)” [Al-Tawbah 9:31] This is something that is well known among the Muslims, and they are unanimously agreed that the Christians are kaafirs, and even that those who do not regard them as kaafirs are also kaafirs. Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab said concerning the things which are unanimously agreed to nullify Islam:  “Whoever does not regard the mushrikoon as kaafirs, or doubts that they are kaafirs, or thinks their religion is correct, is himself a kaafir.” (See also question no. 31807).  We are surprised at the question, in which the questioner appears to think that the shirk which exists among the Christians also exists in the religion of the Muslims. Hence we advise the questioner to read the books of ‘aqeedah which explain Tawheed (the Oneness of Allah) and discuss its meaning and rulings, and also describe the various kinds of shirk. He should also listen to useful tapes on this topic, for this is one of the most important obligations that are enjoined upon people. This trinity in which the Christians believe is not one of the things that lead to shirk, rather it is the essence of shirk. The trinity that the later Christians have fabricated has no evidence in reason and fitrah (the innate nature of man), and there is nothing to support it in the divinely-revealed Books which Allah sent down.  Ibn al-Qayyim said:  This is the attitude all the people of misguidance with their leaders and followers. When a monotheist (believer in Tawheed) disputes with the ignorant Christians and points out that their trinity is false and self-contradictory, they say, “The answer is with the priest.” The priest says, “The answer is with the archbishop.” The archbishop says, “The answer is with the patriarch.” The patriarch says that the answer is with the three hundred and eighteen clergymen who gathered at the time of Constantine and enjoined upon the Christians this trinity and shirk which contradicts sound reasoning and religion… "(Miftaah Daar al-Sa’aadah, 2/148).  With regard to the word “trinity” (tathleeth) it is not mentioned in either the Quran or the Sunnah, rather the word tathleeth (in the sense of doing something three times) is mentioned by the scholars when they discuss cleaning onself with pebbles after relieving oneself, or when discussing wudoo’, ghusl, washing the dead, saying tasbeeh when bowing and prostrating, asking permission to enter a house, etc.  What is meant in all of these cases is doing something three times, and it has nothing to do with the trinity of the Christians, which Allah mentions describing their words and commanding them to believe that He is One (Tawheed) and to believe that ‘Eesa (Jesus) is a Messenger and not a god.  Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:  Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “O people of the Scripture (Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say of Allah aught but the truth. The Messiah ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), was (no more than) a Messenger of Allah and His Word, (‘Be’  — and he was) which He bestowed on Maryam (Mary) and a spirit (Rooh) created by Him; so believe in Allah and His Messengers. Say not: ‘Three (trinity)!’ Cease! (it is) better for you” [Al-Nisa’ 4:171] In this verse Allah referred to ‘trinity and incarnation, and forbade both of these beliefs. He states that the Messiah is only “a Messenger of Allah and His Word, (‘Be’  — and he was) which He bestowed on Maryam (Mary) and a spirit (Rooh) created by Him”. And He says, “so believe in Allah and His Messengers”, then He says, “Say not: ‘Three (trinity)!’ Cease! (it is) better for you”."(Al-Jawaab al-Saheeh, 2/15) Some Christians – because of their ignorance – think that the plural pronoun which is used to show respect in verses such as “Verily, We have given you (O Muhammad) a manifest victory” [Al-Fath 48:1] and “Verily, We have sent it down as an Arabic Quran…” [Yoosuf 12:2] is proof of their false belief in trinity.  Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:  The view of the salaf (early generations) of this ummah and of its imams and later generations is that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) heard the Quran from Jibreel, and Jibreel heard it from Allah. The use of plural forms in such phrases is the style of Arabic speech used to refer to one who is of high standing and has helpers who obey him. So if his helpers do something by his command, he says, “we did it”. This is like when a king says, “We conquered this land, we defeated this army” and so on. Because he did that through the actions of his helpers. Allah is the Lord of the angels and they speak not until He has spoken, and they act in accordance with His commands; they do not disobey the commands of Allah, rather they do what He commands. Moreover He is their Creator and the creator of their deeds and their power. But He has no need of them; He is not like a king whose helpers do things by their own strength. So what He says when He does something through His angels is, “We did it”, this is more appropriate and He is more entitled to say it than some king.  This plural form is ambiguous and the Christians try to use it as evidence against the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), when they find such phrases in the Quran as “Verily, We have given you (O Muhammad) a manifest victory” [al-Fath 48:1], etc. But Allah condemned them for ignoring the clear verses in the Quran which state that God is One, but they cling to the ambiguous verses which may be interpreted as referring to one who has a peer with him, or to one who has helpers who are his slaves and creation. They follow the ambiguous verses, seeking to stir up confusion in this manner. This is confusion in the heart, by thinking that there are many gods, and seeking to twist the meaning. No one knows the true interpretation except Allah and those who are well versed in knowledge."( Majmoo’ al-Fatawa, 5/233, 234)  See also question no. 606  And Allah knows best.

In one of the mosques I found a piece of paper on which was written “Du’aa’ al-Tahseen (prayer for protection). The du’aa’ was as follows:  “I seek protection in Allaah besides Whom there is no god, my God and the God of all things. I seek the protection of my Lord and the Lord of all things. I put my trust in the Ever-Living Who does not die, and I ward off evil with (the words) there is no power and no strength except with Allaah. Allaah is sufficient for us and He is the best disposer of affairs. Allaah is sufficient for me Who is sufficient for us. The Lord is sufficient for me and I have no need of His slaves. The Creator is sufficient for me and I have no need of His creation. The Provider is sufficient for me and I have no need of those who are granted provision. He is sufficient for me Who is sufficient for me. He is sufficient for me in Whose hand is the sovereignty of all things, Who protects (all), while against Whom there is no protector (i.e. if Allaah saves anyone, none can punish or harm him; and if Allaah punishes or harms anyone, none can save him) [cf. al-Mu’minoon 23:88]. He is sufficient for me. Allaah hears those who call upon Him, and there is no object of hope beyond Allaah. Allaah is sufficient for me, there is no god but He. In Him do I put my trust and He is the Lord of the mighty Throne.” Is this hadeeth saheeh?.

Praise be to Allah.This du’aa’ is not proven from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Something similar was narrated by Ibn Abi’l-Dunya in al-Faraj ba’d al-Shiddah, via al-Khaleel ibn Murrah from the faqeeh of the people of Jordan, who said “we heard that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)…” It was classed as da’eef by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah, 4173; and Da’eef al-Jaami’, 4348  Since it has not been proven in any saheeh report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said this, no attention should be paid to it.  There are du’aa’s which have been narrated in saheeh ahaadeeth which are sufficient, and we have no need for the du’aa’s narrated in weak reports. These du’aa’s protect the Muslim, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) always used to recite them, such as the dhikrs for morning and evening, and other saheeh ahaadeeth. For example:  1 – Reciting the last two verses of Soorat al-Baqarah every night. It was narrated that Abu Mas’ood al-Badri (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The last two verses of Soorat al-Baqarah, whoever recites them at night, they will be sufficient for him.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4008; Muslim, 807. al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “With regard to the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ‘they will be sufficient for him,’ it was said that it means they will suffice instead of praying qiyaam al-layl; and it was said, they will suffice him against the Shaytaan, or against harm. It may be understood as meaning all of these things.’”  2 – Du’aa’ al-karb (prayer at times of stress). It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say at times of stress: “Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah ul-‘azeem al-haleem, laa ilaaha ill-Allaah Rabb il-‘arsh il’azeem, laa ilaaha ill-Allaah Rabb ul-samawaati wa rabb ul-ard wa rabb ul-‘arsh il-kareem (There is no god but Allaah, the Almighty, the Forbearing; there is no god but Allaah, Lord of the Mighty Throne; there is no god but Allaah, Lord of the heavens, Lord of the earth and Lord of the noble Throne).” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6346; Muslim, 2730.  Reciting Soorat al-Ikhlaas, Soorat al-Falaq and Soorat al-Naas. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite them when going to sleep, and he would blow into his hands and then wipe them over whatever he could reach of his body. It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah that every night when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went to bed, he would cup his hands together, blow into them then recite into them Qul Huwa Allaahu ahad, Qul a’oodhu bi Rabb il-falaq and Qul ‘aoodhu bi Rabb il-naas, then he would wipe as much as he could reach of his body, starting with his head and face and the front of his body. And he would do that three times. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5018.  And it was narrated that ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Have you not seen the verses that were revealed tonight, the like of which has never been seen? Qul a’oodhu bi Rabb il-falaq and Qul ‘aoodhu bi Rabb il-naas. Narrated by Muslim, 814.  And Allaah knows best.

Why is it that a woman interrupts a man's prayer if she passes in front of him?.

Praise be to Allah.Firstly:  The Muslim has to accept the rulings of sharee’ah, whether he understands the reasons behind them or not.  Secondly:  Women are not impure (naajis), but some of the scholars said that the reason why a woman interrupts the prayer is that women are a temptation for men.   Thirdly:  There is a saheeh hadeeth in which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that these three interrupt prayer if they pass in front of a praying man if he has not placed an object to serve as a sutrah [screen], or if they pass between him and his sutrah. ( See question no. 3404 ) . So we must accept and submit to the rulings of Allaah, and follow them. What is meant by interrupting the prayer is that the prayer is rendered invalid, according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions.  And Allaah is the Source of strength.  Al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Ifta’, 17/12.

Can a Muslim visit a sick kaafir and attend his funeral?

Praise be to Allah.Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah was asked about Muslim people who have Christian neighbours – is it permissible for a Muslim to visit a Christian if he gets sick, or to attend his funeral if he dies? Is there any sin on a Muslim who does these things, or not?  He replied:  Praise be to the Lord of the Worlds. He should not attend his funeral, but visiting him when he is sick is fine, because this may serve an interest, namely opening his heart to Islam.  But then if he dies as a kaafir, he will deserve Hell, hence the prayers should not be offered for him. And Allaah knows best.

What is the ruling if some drops of urine get in the under pants while urinating normally or in a hurry. 1. Is Ghusl needed to purify yourself?  2. Do you have to wash the whole underpants or always change it or wash only the parts on which there is urine?   3. How to pray in this condition? Is the prayer valid if you pray?   4. What if there are some doubts where the drop has fallen and  is not washed? Will it affect the prayers and purity?   5. Should he repeat his prayers ? Is reading or handling the Quran allowed? 6. What things are prohibited in this case?  Hope you clear my doubts with clear fatwas.

Praise be to Allah.The obligation of removing impurity The Muslim must beware of impurity and try to avoid it as much as he can. Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed by two graves and said, “They are being punished, but they are not being punished for something that was difficult to avoid. One of them used to walk about spreading malicious gossip, and the other used not to take care to avoid getting urine on himself.” (Narrated by Muslim, At-Taharah, 439)  What is meant is that he did not take precautions to avoid getting it on himself. Hence it is permissible to urinate standing up so long as a person can be sure that he will not get splashes of urine on his clothes or his body.  Secondly, with regard to the points raised in the question:  Is Ghusl required if Najasah gets on your clothes? If Najasah gets onto a person’s clothes, he does not have to do Ghusl, because Najasah is not one of the things that invalidate Wudu’ or Ghusl . Rather Ghusl is required in the case of major impurity and Wudu’ is required in the case of minor impurity. But what he has to do in this case is to remove the Najasah.  We are commanded to remove impurity from our clothes because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “And purify your garments.” [Al-Muddaththir 74:4] The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, concerning menstrual blood that gets on the clothes, “Take hold of the soiled place, rub it and put it in water and rub it in order to remove the traces of blood and then pour water over it. Then pray in it.”  If Najasah gets onto something that can be wrung out, then this is what must be done.  How to remove impurity Removing the impurity may be done by washing it until the traces of the impurity have disappeared. So if the Najasah gets onto his clothes, he only has to wash the part of the garment where the impurity is, and he does not have to wash the rest of it. Also, he does not have to change his clothes, but if he wants to change his clothes, there is nothing wrong with him doing that.  Can you pray in a garment that has some impurity?  With regard to the ruling on praying in a garment on which there is some impurity , it should be noted that being pure and free from Najasah is a condition of the prayer being valid, and if a person is not free from impurity then his prayer is invalid, because he prayed when he was contaminated with this impurity. So if he prays when he is contaminated with impurity then he has prayed in a manner that is not enjoined by Allah and His Messenger. It was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever does an action that is not part of this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), will have it rejected.”  When impurities get onto clothes, one of the following scenarios must apply:  When a person is certain that impurity has gotten onto a particular part of his garment, in which case he must wash the area where the impurity is. When he thinks it most likely that the impurity is on a particular part of the garment. When a person thinks that there may be some impurity in some part of the garment. In the second and third cases, he should make a decision, and whatever part of the garment he thinks is affected by the Najasah, he must wash it. (See Ash-Sharh Al-Mumti’ by Ibn ‘Uthaymin, 2/221)  Ruling on a small amount of impurity Some of the scholars said that a small amount of impurity cannot be overlooked at all.   However, some of them said that a small amount of all types of impurity may be overlooked. This is the view of Abu Hanifah and was the view favoured by Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, especially with regard to problems that many people face, because it is too difficult to be thorough and to clean it properly all the time. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “and [Allah] has not laid upon you in religion any hardship.” [Al-Hajj 22:78] The correct view is the view of Abu Hanifah and Ibn Taymiyyah. Among the small amounts of impurity that may be overlooked because it is too difficult to guard against it is a small amount of urine in the case of one who suffers from incontinence but tries to guard against it as much as he can. (See Ash-Sharh al-Mumti’ by Ibn ‘Uthaymien, 1/382)  With regard to what constitutes a small amount, whatever ordinary people consider to be a lot is a lot, and whatever they consider to be a little is a little.   On this basis, it may be said that the basic principle is that if a few drops of urine get on a person’s garment and he washes off whatever got on it, until he thinks it most likely that the Najasah has disappeared, then whatever is left and is not washed comes under the heading of the small amount of Najasah that may be overlooked, as stated above. And Allah knows best.  Ruling on not being aware of impurity Shaykh Ibn Baz was asked about the case of one who is unaware of the Najasah . He said:  If he does not find out that it is impure until after he has finished praying, then his prayer is valid, because when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was told by Jibril while he was praying that there was something impure on his shoe, he did not repeat the first part of his prayer. The same applies if he knows about it (i.e., the impurity) before he prays, then he forgets and prays wearing (the garment with the impurity), and does not remember until after he has finished praying, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error.” [Al-Baqarah 2: 286] But if he has some doubts while praying as to whether there is some impurity on his clothes, it is not permissible for him to stop praying, whether he is leading the prayers or is praying alone; he must complete his prayer. (Fatawa Ash-Shaykh Ibn Baz, 12/396-397)  Doubts about impurity The issue of not being sure whether the impurity has been removed: if he gets some impurity on his clothes then this is the certain fact and this certainty will remain until the impurity is removed. Then if he is not sure whether he has removed the impurity or not, he should go by that which is certain, which is that he has not yet removed the impurity. The converse also applies, if he is certain that his clothes are pure, then he becomes unsure whether something impure got onto them or not, he should go by that which is certain, which is that his clothes are pure because that is what he is certain of.  Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin said:  “With regard to a person’s clothes, the basic principle is that they are pure so long as he is not certain that some impurity has gotten onto his body or clothes. This basic principle is supported by what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said when a man complained to him that something happened to him during his prayer – i.e., he invalidated his Wudu’. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to him: “Do not stop praying unless you hear a sound or detect a smell.” If a person is not sure about it, then the basic principle is that he is pure. A person may think it is more likely that his clothes have become contaminated with Najasah but so long as he is not certain, the basic principle is that they remain pure.” (Fatawa Ibn ‘Uthaymin, 11/107)  The only thing that is not permissible if a person has Najasah on his clothes is prayer, even if he has not invalidated his Wudu’. Other actions such as reading the Quran etc. are not prohibited.  And Allah knows best.

What is the ruling about giving blood in land of Kufr that will be probably given to a Kaafir? There is the case of children suffering from blood illness and they are in desperate need of blood platelets? Is the ruling the same? I was told by an imaam that blood should not be given? Can you please answer with daleel?

Praise be to Allah. Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about that and he said:  “I do not know of any reason not to do that, because Allaah says in His Book (interpretation of the meaning):  “Allaah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion nor drove you out of your homes” [al-Mumtahanah 60:8] So Allaah tells us that He does not forbid us to deal justly and kindly with those kaafirs who are not fighting us and who have not driven us out of our homes, or with those who are in urgent need of help. The mother of Asmaa’ bint Abi Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with her) came to her daughter in Madeenah, at the time of the peace treaty between the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the people of Makkah, and she was still a kaafir, to ask her to uphold the ties of kinship. Asmaa’ consulted the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he told her to uphold the ties of kinship, saying, “Uphold the ties of kinship with your mother even though she is a kaafir.”  If a kaafir who has a peace treaty with the Muslims or is under the protection of the Muslims, and is not hostile towards Islam and is not in a state of war with us is in urgent need, then there is nothing wrong with giving blood to him. You will be rewarded for that, because there is nothing wrong with you helping one who is in urgent need of charity or help.  From Kitaab Fataawa Noor ‘ala al-Darb, vol. 1, p. 376  Based on the above, if the kaafir is hostile or in a state of war with the Muslims, then it is not permissible to give him blood, because by doing so you are helping him in his aggression against the Muslims. This is a very serious matter. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound.

Someone left a sum of money with me as a trust, on the basis that he would come back within a short period of time and collect it. But he has not got in touch and he has not come for a long time. I called him on the number he left with me but I did not find him there. My question is: Is it permissible for me to use this money for trade, on the basis that I will protect it and repay him when he asks for it, and will bear in full any loss that happens to this money?.

Praise be to Allah. Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) have commanded us to render back trusts to their owners. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “Verily, Allaah commands that you should render back the trusts to those, to whom they are due” [al-Nisa’ 4:58] And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Render back trusts to those who entrusted you with them.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1264; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Jaami’ al-Tirmidhi.  So what you have to do is to return the money to its owner. You have to look for him and ask for him, and keep on trying to get in touch with him until you find him.  If you cannot find him then you have to keep his money for him until he comes and asks for it. In that case you may give it in charity on behalf of its owner – after doing your utmost to return it to him – then if he comes along one day you should tell him what you have done. If he agrees to the act of charity, he will be rewarded for it, but if he wants to take his money, then you will be rewarded for the act of charity.  The Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas was asked about a man who left something for safekeeping with another person and did not come back to collect it, and many years had passed.  They replied:  You have to do your utmost to find the owner of this trust. If you find him or one of his heirs then give it to him. If you cannot find him then donate it to some charitable cause, with the intention of giving charity on behalf of the owner. If the owner or his heir comes along after that, then tell him what you have done. If he approves of that, all well and good, but if he does not approve, give him the equivalent amount, and you will have the reward for what you gave in charity, in sha Allaah.  Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 15/404  The Standing Committee was also asked about a man who left a sum of money with another man for safekeeping, then he went back to his own country and did not come back. The person with whom the money was left does not know what town the man came from. What should he do with this money?  They replied:  If the situation is as you describe, then if you wish you may keep it and try hard to find out where this man is, or if you wish you may give it in charity to the poor, or donate it to some other charitable cause with the intention that the reward for that should go to its owner. If the owner or his heir comes to you after that, then tell him what happened. If he approves, all well and good, otherwise give him the same amount of money, and you will have the reward in sha Allaah.  Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 15/406.

you will be able to answer my question. I would like to know, besides repenting to Allah, is there a certain punishment a sister in Islam should receive for having an Abortion? And,if so, who carries out the punishment?

Praise be to Allah.She has to repent for deliberately aborting her pregnanacy after it had been created, because aborting it is haraam and is not allowed. Once pregnancy is known, it has to be protected and it is haraam for the mother to harm it in any way, because it is a trust which Allaah has placed in her womb, and it has rights. So it is not permitted to treat it badly or to abort it. Shaykh al-Fawzaan said: if the soul has been breathed into the foetus and it has started to move, then the woman aborts it after that and it dies, then she is considered to have killed a soul and she is obliged to offer the kafaarah (expiation), which is freeing a slave. If she cannot do that, then she has to fast for two consecutive months and repent to Allaah. That is if the pregnancy was over four months, because in that case the soul has been breathed into it. So if she aborts it after that time, then she has to offer kafaarah as we have menioned. This is a serious matter and it is not permissible to take it lightly. And Allaah knows best. See al-Fataawa al-Jaami’ah li’l-Mar’ah al-Muslimah, 3/1052

what is the best way to tell my non muslim mother, who is very critical of islam, that my husband is about to take on another wife?

Praise be to Allah. There is nothing wrong with you happening to mention to your mother whilst you are talking to her that your husband is thinking of taking a second wife, and telling her that he has valid reasons for doing so, such as not having any children from you, or that he is not satisfied with one wife, and so on. That will be like an introduction for her if she knows. But do not tell her about the matter now, less that open the door to problems for you that you can do without. If she finds out about that in the future, then you can explain to her, one way or another, that Islam is the religion of justice and does not approve of injustice on anyone’s part, and that in a plural marriage there are many great benefits which the countries which claim to be civilized cannot attain. (See question no. 12528). Even if she is not convinced at first, she will become convinced as the days and years go by. But you should not express too many objections about this matter in front of her, because by doing so you will provoke her to criticize Islam. Rather you have to show her that you accept this and approve of it, and show her that  it is not affecting your relationship with your husband.