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What sura in the Quran is related or mentions about the curruption of the Torah and Gospel?

Praise be to Allah.Allah says about the Jews (interpretation of the meaning): “Do you (faithful believers) covet that they will belive in your religion in spite of the fact that a party of them (Jewish rabbis) used to hear the Word of Allah (the Tawraat), then they used to change it knowingly after they understood it?” [al-Baqarah 2:75] Qutaadah said: “The phrase ‘then they used to change it knowingly after they understood it’ refers to the Jews, who used to hear the words of Allah, then they altered it after they had understood what it meant.” Abu ‘Aaliyah said: “They took what Allah had revealed in their Book describing Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and changed its meaning.” Ibn Zayd said: “The phrase ‘[they] used to hear the Word of Allah (the Tawraat), then they used to change it’ refers to the Tawraat which Allah revealed to them; they changed it, making what it permitted forbidden, and what was forbidden allowed, changing the truth to falsehood and falsehood to truth…” [Tafseer Ibn Katheer] Allah also said (interpretation of the meaning): “Among those who are Jews, there are some who displace words from (their) right places and say: ‘We hear your word (O Muhammad) and disobey,’ and ‘Hear and let you (Muhammad) hear nothing.’ And Raa’ina [in Arabic this means, ‘Be careful, listen to us and we listen to you,’ whereas in Hebrew it means ‘an insult.’] with a twist of their tongues and as a mockery of the religion (Islam). And if only they had said, ‘We hear and obey,’ and ‘Do make us understand,’ it would have been better for them, and more proper, but Allah has cursed them for their disbelief, so they believe not except for a few.” [al-Nisaa’ 4:46] The phrase “[they] displace words from (their) right places” means that they misinterpret them and understand them in a way that Allah did not intend, doing this deliberately and inventing lies against Allah. [Tafseer Ibn Katheer] Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “So because of their breach of their covenant, We cursed them, and made their hearts grow hard. They change the words from their (right) places and have abandoned a good part of the Message that was sent to them. And you will not cease to discover deceit in them, except a few of them. But forgive them, and overlook (their misdeeds). Verily, Allah loves al-Muhsineen (good-doers).” [al-Maa’idah 5:13] The phrase “because of their breach of their covenant, We cursed them” refers to the fact that they broke the Covenant which had been made with them, so Allah cursed them, i.e., He kept them away from following the True Guidance. “[We] made their hearts grow hard” means that they will not benefit from any preaching because their hearts are so hard. “They change the words from their (right) places” means that they play havoc with the words of Allah and misinterpret His Book, taking it to mean things that were never meant and attributing to Allah things that He never said; may Allah protect us from that. “[They] have abandoned a good part of the Message that was sent to them” means that they stopped following its teachings because they did not want to follow them. Al-Hasan said: “They did not adhere to their religion or keep their duties towards Allah, without which no deeds are acceptable to Him; their fitrah (innate nature) was not sound and their deeds were not righteous.” [Tafseer Ibn Katheer] So it becomes quite clear that the ways in which the Children of Israel tampered with the Tawraat and Injeel include the following: Changing Omitting Adding things and attributing to Allah words that He did not say Misinterpreting the words of Allah. When Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sent, the original Tawraat and Injeel had already been altered and distorted. Allah revealed the Qur’aan to His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and guaranteed that He Himself would preserve it, 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] This distinguishing feature was not found in any Book before the Qur’aan. From the time of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) until the present (more than fourteen hundred years) the Qur’aan has stayed the same, and not a single letter of it has been changed, as ancient manuscripts and the hearts of generation after generation of people who have memorized the entire text and earned the title of “haafiz” bear witness. We ask Allah to guide us to the true and straight path. And Allah knows best.

I need to know whether we as Muslims are allowed to eat the eyes of a fish. I was eating at a seafood restaurant with a friend and I was enjoying the head of the fish and then I ate the eye and he was quite disgusted and said that it is not allowed in Islam. Is that true?

Praise be to Allah.Is seafood halal? Allah has permitted us all the produce of the sea . Hence we know that all parts of the fish are halal, including its skin, tail, eyes, etc. {Lawful to you is (the pursuit of) water-game and its use for food} [al-Maidah 2:96 interpretation of the meaning].  The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told us that it is halal (lawful) to eat dead creatures from the sea and dead fish , and no part of the fish was excluded from this permission.  Can you eat fish eyes? Hence we know that all parts of the fish are halal, including its skin, tail, eyes, etc. It is strange indeed that a person could dare to forbid something that Allah has permitted. This is a very serious matter, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): {O you who believe! Make not unlawful the tayyibat (all that is good) which Allah has made lawful to you, and transgress not. Verily, Allah does not like the transgressors.} [al-Maidah 5:87] {Say: Who has forbidden the adornment with clothes given by Allah, which He has produced for His slaves, and al-Tayyibat [all kinds of halal (lawful) things] of food? Say: They are, in the life of this world, for those who believe, (and) exclusively for them (believers) on the Day of Resurrection (the disbelievers will not share them). Thus We explain the ayat (Islamic law) in detail for people who have knowledge.} [al-A’raf 7:32] {Say: Tell me, what provision Allah has sent down to you! And you have made of it lawful and unlawful. Say: has Allah permitted you (to do so), or do you invent a lie against Allah?} [Yunus 10:59] Allah has also warned His slave against forbidding anything without knowledge. He said (interpretation of the meaning): {And say not concerning that which your tongues put forth falsely: This is lawful and this is forbidden, so as to invent lies against Allah. Verily, those who invent lies against Allah will never prosper.} [al-Nahl 16:116] This person who has invented a lie against Allah by saying that it is haram to eat the eye of a fish must repent to Allah, and not go beyond the limits in talking about the Religion of Allah. He should not speak without knowledge. Even if he is put off by something or feels disgusted by it, he has no right to say that it is haram.  Disliking certain foods does not mean prohibiting them The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) hated the smell of garlic, and said: Whoever eats anything from this unpleasant plant should not approach us in the mosque. The people said, “It has become haram (forbidden), it has become haram.” When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) heard what was being said, he said: O people, it is not for me to forbid something that Allah has permitted; this is just a vegetable whose smell is unpleasant. (Reported by Ahmad and Muslim, 877) The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) explained that the fact that he disliked garlic and told people not to come to the mosque after eating it did not mean that it was haram. Although the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) disliked the idea of eating lizard-meat, he did not forbid others to eat it, as is reported in the following story: Khalid ibn al-Walid reported that some grilled lizard meat was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and put in front of him. He stretched out his hand to take some, but one of the people present said, O Messenger of Allah, it is lizard meat, so he pulled his hand back. Khalid ibn al-Walid asked, O Messenger of Allah, is lizard haram? He said, No, but it is not known among my people and I cannot face eating it. So Khalid took some of the lizard meat and ate it, whilst the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) looked on. (Reported by al-Bukhari, 4981, al-Nasai, 4242, and Abu Dawud, 3300) After explaining this answer to you, I want to warn you about something that I noticed in your question, where you said that you went to the seafood restaurant with a male friend. If this person is not your husband or a mahram (blood-relative whom you are permanently forbidden to marry), then you should fear Allah. Ask yourself: which is more serious, eating the eye of a fish or going out with a man to whom you are not related to sit and chat with him in a restaurant? I ask Allah to protect us from all things that earn His wrath and to help us remember and fear Him. May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad. For more, please see these answers: 13348 , 10498 , 169813 and 70320 . And Allah knows best.

If a wife does not allow her husband to have intercourse, should he divorce her or should he marry a second wife?

Praise be to Allah.If a woman refuses her husband’s request to come to bed with no Islamically-sound reason (such as sickness, or his being drunk, for example), what happens is as described below: Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘If a man calls his wife to his bed and she refuses [and does not come], and he spends the night angry with her, the angels will curse her until morning.’” (Reported by al-Bukhari, 4794; the additional phrase quoted in square brackets is from Abu Dawud, al-Sunan, Kitab al-Nikaah, Bab haqq al-zawj ‘ala’l-mar-ah). In the phrase “if a man calls his wife to his bed,” the word “bed” is obviously a metaphor for intercourse. Metaphors are used in the Quran and Sunnah to refer to things about which people usually feel shy. Does this apply only to the nighttime, or does it include the daytime too? The answer may be found in a hadith narrated by Muslim: “By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, there is no man who calls his wife to his bed and she refuses, but the One Who is above the heavens [i.e. Allah] will be angry with her, until he (her husband) is pleased with her.”  Ibn Khuzaymah and Ibn Hibban report a hadith narrated by Jabir: “There are three whose prayers will not be accepted and none of whose good deeds will ascend to heaven: a runaway slave, until he returns to his master; a drunken man until he becomes sober; and a woman with whom her husband is angry, until he is pleased with her.” These are general terms, which include both night and day. The phrase “and he spends the night angry with her” refers to the cause of the angels’ curse, because this confirms that she is a sinner, which is a different matter than if he accepts her excuse and is not angry with her, or lets the matter drop.  Is she to blame if he keeps her away from his bed? The answer is: no, unless she is the one who started the separation and he is keeping away from her because of it, and she did not apologize but prolonged the separation. But if he is the one who started it, and is thus treating her unfairly, then she is not to blame. In one report, instead of the words “the angels curse her until morning,” the wording is “… until she returns” – and this is a useful variant. This hadith tells us that denying a spouse’s rights – whether physical or financial – is something that will inevitably bring about the wrath of Allah, unless Allah grants His mercy to the sinner. We also learn that the angels will pray against a sinner so long as he or she persists in the sin. The hadith also directs a wife to help her husband and seek his satisfaction, because a man is less patient than a woman when it comes to doing without intercourse. The most disturbing thing for a man is his sexual impulse, so Islam urges women to help their husbands in this regard. (Adapted and abbreviated from the commentary by al-Hafiz Ibn Hijr – may Allah have mercy on him – on this hadith in Fath al-Bari). Whether the husband wants to discipline his wife, or forgive her, or take another wife, or divorce her, this is all up to him to choose. Let the woman beware of incurring her husband’s wrath because this will lead to Allah’s being angry with her. We ask Allah to rectify this situation. May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad. For more, please see these answers: 166912 , 10680 , 66621 , and 13661 .  And Allah knows best.

My friend and his wife are living horrible life. They do not like each other. They do not have intercourse since last six years. Wife does not allow his husband to have intercoure. Do they have a relation of husband and wife? Do they continue their life? What do you suggest for them?

Praise be to Allah.We put this question to our shaykh, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Barraak, who responded as follows: Yes, the relationship between them is that of husband and wife. So long as he does not divorce her, she is his wife. The marital contract is not cancelled by a lack of love between the spouses or by whatever disputes and differences there may be between them. It can only be cancelled if her husband divorces her or the marriage is annulled. Both partners should fear Allaah, and the husband should treat his wife decently. If he dislikes her, he should either keep her and treat her decently, or let her go in a proper manner. The wife should fear Allaah, give her husband his rights, put up with his bad treatment and obey him in things that are good and proper. And Allaah knows best. With regard to the ruling on the case of a wife refusing her husband’s call to his bed, see Question # 2006.

Is it permissible for a person who cannot adjust with his current wife to marry a second wife?  He does not want to leave his first wife.

Praise be to Allah.and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. It is OK for you to marry a second wife, and in fact this could be the solution to your problem, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "… then marry women of your choice, two or three, or four…" [al-Nisaa’ 4:3] - as long as you are going to treat them equally with regard to where you spend your nights and how much you spend on them. So if you spend one night with one, and the next night with the other, and spend on them equally, there is nothing wrong at all with marrying a second wife. And Allaah knows best.

I am a high school student who recently came to Toronto, Canada, I was in riyadh for 13 years and I am giving islamic halaqas in my high school to Muslim students.  Boys to my left and girls to my right, the question is: Is this ikhtilat ?? Mixing between boys and girls??  I am the MSA leader and not quite sure of this issue ,,,, Salam

Praise be to Allah.May Allaah reward you for your efforts in giving useful lessons to these Muslim students in your city, who are in the greatest need of learning about their religion in a land of kufr. Perhaps your background of having lived in Saudi Arabia will help you with this. I advise you to concentrate on teaching them about Tawheed and correct Islamic ‘aqeedah (belief), explaining how to do acts of worship from a Fiqh point of view, and teaching them the biographies of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his Companions. As for the matter which you raised in your question, letting boys and girls sit together facing one another in one halaqah is not free from dangers, as you know. I think that you feel the same way, which is what made you ask this question, especially when we expect that the hijaab of the girls where you live is incomplete and that the faces of some of them, at least, are uncovered in front of the boys. For this reason I suggest one of two things: either get the girls to sit behind the boys, wearing full hijaab, so that you don’t feel embarrassed when you face the group to give a lesson; or put up a barrier or screen between the boys and girls, such that they can still hear your voice, if the girls do not want to wear full hijaab. Then they can ask questions from behind the screen, so long as they are not soft in speech, or they can write questions on pieces of paper. May Allaah help us and you to do good and to call people to His way and earn His pleasure. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

A disbeliever regards Prophet Muhammad (sal) as a great scholar, a great person but not approving him as the prophet of God.If we mentions the prophecy made by Muhammad (sal) and in the Quran, he compares it with the prophecy made by some other persons like Nostradamus. How to clarify him?

Praise be to Allah.It seems that your friend, in his ignorance of the true nature of Prophethood, does not make a distinction between a Prophet and an astrologer, and so he compares the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the astrology of the French physicist Nostradamus who lived in the 16th century CE and composed books of fantasies and illusions. His books are written in ambiguous language about events that will happen up until the end of the world, which he expected would happen in the year 3797. A person like this needs to understand the true nature of Prophethood and why mankind needs to believe in it, and he needs to know that the Unseen can only be known through the Prophets who were chosen by Allaah. He needs to know that Prophethood is a gift from Allaah, may He be glorified, and it cannot be attained by a person’s desires or own efforts. Prophethood is a pure blessing from Allaah, as is indicated in His words (interpretation of the meanings): “Those were they unto whom Allaah bestowed His Grace from along the Prophets, of the offspring of Adam, and of those whom We carried (in the ship) with Nooh…” [Maryam 19:58] “Thus will your Lord choose you…” [Yoosuf 12:6] “… I have chosen you above men by My Messages and by My speaking (to you)…” [al-A’raaf 7:144] “… Allaah knows best with whom to place His Message…” [al-An’aam 6:124] Then he should realize that the way in which Allaah conveys His message to His Prophets and Messengers is by wahy (revelation). Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, We have inspired you (O Muhammad) as We inspired Nooh and the Prophets after him…” [al-Nisa’ 4:163]. There is nothing wrong with explaining to him the three types or levels of wahy so that he may have a better understanding of this channel of communication between Allaah and His creation, which is so essential for mankind. These three types or levels have been mentioned by Allaah in the Qur’aan (interpretation of the meaning): “It is not given to any human being that Allaah should speak to him unless (it be) by Inspiration, or from behind a veil, or (that) He sends a Messenger to reveal what He wills by His leave. Verily, He is Most High, Most Wise.” [al-Shooraa 42:51] These three types or levels may be further explained as follows: Inspiring something in the heart of a Prophet in such a way that he has no doubt about it and is certain that it is from Allaah. It was reported in a hadeeth that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The holy spirit (i.e., Jibreel) blew into my heart that no soul dies until its provision (rizq) and appointed time have expired, so fear Allaah and be polite and reasonable when you seek to earn a living from others.” (Reported by Ibn Hibbaan). This type of revelation also includes the visions of the Prophets, which are true, as is proven in the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah Umm al-Mu’mineen (may Allaah be pleased with her) who said: “The first thing that happened to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) of wahy was true vision in his dreams: he did not see something but it would become as true as daybreak.” (Agreed upon). Therefore the Prophet and Friend of Allaah, Ibraaheem, hastened to sacrifice his son when he saw that he was commanded to do so in a dream. He took this dream as being a revelation to him, as Allaah tells us (interpretation of the meaning): “So We gave him the glad tidings of a forbearing boy. And, when he (his son) was old enough to walk with him, he said, ‘O my son! I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you (offering you in sacrifice to Allaah), so look what you think!’ He said: ‘O my father! Do that which you are commanded, in sha Allaah (if Allaah will) you will find me of al-saabireen (the patient ones).’ Then, when they had both submitted themselves (to the Will of Allaah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (or on the side of his forehead, for slaughtering), And We called out to him: ‘O Ibraaheem! You have fulfilled the dream (vision)! Verily, thus do We reward the muhsinoon (good-doers). Verily, that was a manifest trial, And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice (a ram).” [al-Saaffaat 37:101-107] Speaking to His Messengers from behind a barrier. Allaah spoke thus to Moosa, upon whom be peace, as He says (interpretation of the meanings): “And when Moosa came at the time and place appointed by Us, and his Lord spoke to him…” [al-A’raaf 7:143] “And when he came to it (the fire), he was called by name, ‘O Moosa! Verily, I am your Lord! So take off your shoes, you are in the sacred valley, Tuwa. And I have chosen you. So listen to that which is inspired to you. Verily, I am Allaah! None has the right to be worshipped but I, so worship Me, and perform al-salaat (prayer) for My Remembrance.’”[Ta-Ha 20:12-14] Revelation to a Prophet via an angel. This is what Allaah refers to in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): “… or He sends a Messenger to reveal what He wills by His leave…” [al-Shoora 42:51]. This messenger is Jibreel, upon whom be peace. The angel came to the Prophet in three forms as is proven in the shar’i texts. These three forms are: The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw him in the form in which Allaah created him. This happened to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) twice. The revelation came with a noise like the sound of a bell, which went away after the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had understood what he had said. The angel appeared in the form of a man and spoke to him, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) understood what he said. This was the easiest of the three ways for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This what happened the first time Jibreel came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the Cave of Hira’. Then you should tell your friend something of the evidence of the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his miracles (see Question # 2114), the chief of which is the Qur’aan. There is no harm in giving him a copy of the translation of its meanings. If he believes, then praise be to Allaah, and if he remains a disbeliever after this, then he will bear the consequences of his kufr and will be one of the losers, so do not worry about him, for Allaah is independent of all creatures.

As-salam wai lai kum, When helping brothers/sisters to find suitable Muslim partners, what questions can be asked, and what is forbidden to ask ? Can one ask about their past when they were non-Muslim or not practicing Muslims ? Can one ask ones wife/sister to describe in detail the appearance of an intended wife or describe in detail to them regarding a brother ? Was Salam

Praise be to Allah.If you want to look for a wife for someone, or a husband for a woman, then you can ask him about his wishes, such as the desired age, level of education, employment situation, country and origin and position of the family, and whether he has any preferences about her general appearance, such as skin colour, height, etc. The most important characteristic to ask about is a person’s level of commitment to Islam. This kind of useful question is fine. But asking for details of a person’s past and wanting to know what sins they might have committed when they were ignorant about Islam – this is not right at all. Allaah covers people’s sins and loves to see them covered (i.e., not dragged out into the open). So long as a person has repented, his sins have been wiped out. Islam deletes whatever came before, so why should we ask questions that will only embarrass people? Allaah accepts people’s repentance without their having to confess or expose their sins to any other person. A number of the Sahaabah had committed adultery and murder repeatedly, or had buried infant girls alive, or stolen things, but when they entered Islam they were the best of people. No one needs to be reminded of a shameful past; it is over and done with, and Allaah is the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. What matters when considering a person for marriage is how that person is now: is he righteous or not? Has he cut all ties with his past and his wrong deeds, or not? If he is clearly living a good and righteous life now, then it is wrong to dig up the past. If there is any fear of anything that could have future implications, such as certain diseases and so on, then there are medical tests which can give the answer and put your mind at rest. As far as giving a detailed description of a prospective wife to someone is concerned, this can be done in writing: one of her mahram relatives (i.e. a blood relative to whom marriage is permanently forbidden) or a woman who knows her can write down a description, then a trustworthy person can deliver it to one who is seriously considering a marriage proposal. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No woman should describe another woman to her husband as if he can see her.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 4839) The wisdom behind this prohibition is the fact that a husband might like the sound of what he hears, so he may divorce the one who described the other to him, or there may be temptation to do wrong. (Commentary on the above hadeeth in Fath al-Baari). We ask Allaah to help us all to do that which He loves and will earn His pleasure. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

Is calling to Allah obligatory on every Muslim, be a man or a woman, or is propagation confined to scholars and knowledge seekers?

Praise be to Allah.If one is knowledgeable of what he is propagating, it does not matter whether he is a great scholar, a knowledge seeker, or a common Muslim. The Prophet, Peace and blessings be upon him said, “Report from me even if a verse. Therefore, the caller to faith does not have to be of great knowledge, but one should be knowledgeable of what he is calling to otherwise one be a caller with sheer passion, which is not allowed. Those people are apt to falling into dangerous abyss: preventing what Allah has permitted and imposing what He has not imposed. This is devastating because prohibiting something that has been made legal by Allah is similar to legalizing something He has prevented.

Is it ok for a wife to pray in the house behind her husband while he leads the prayer? Can you please give me any hadiths or ayats supporting this?

Praise be to Allah.If a woman prays in jamaa’ah (congregation) behind her husband, he should stand in one row and she should stand in another behind him. Ibn Rushd (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Bidaayah al-Mujtahid, 1/361): ‘I do not know of any difference of opinion about the Sunnah that a woman should stand behind the man or men, if there is another man besides the imaam, or behind the imaam if she is alone. This is known from the hadeeth of Anas which was reported by al-Bukhaari, in which he said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led him and his mother and maternal aunt in prayer: “He made me stand on his right, and made the woman stand behind us.” This was also reported by Maalik, according to whom he said: “I and the orphan stood behind him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and the old woman stood behind us.”’ Elsewhere he said: ‘There is no difference of opinion regarding the fact that a woman on her own should pray behind the imaam, and that if there is another man present, he should stand beside the imaam and the woman should stand behind him.” This is the opinion of all four Imaams. And Allaah knows best.

I would like to know about the status of Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him

Praise be to Allah.It is prescribed for everyone who hears the adhaan and call to prayer to repeat after the muezzin (caller to prayer), and when he has finished repeating the entire adhaan, he should send prayers and blessings on the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then recite the words narrated in the saheeh hadeeth (authentic prophetic narration) from Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah, who reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever says when he hears the call to prayer, ‘Allaahummah Rabba haadhihi’l-da’wat il-taammah wa’l-salaat il-qaa’imah, aati Muhammadan al-waseelata wa’l-fadeelah, wab’athhu maqaaman mahmoodan alladhi wa’adtahu (O Allaah, Lord of this perfect Call and the Prayer to be offered, grant Muhammad the privilege and also the eminence, and resurrect him to the praised position that You have promised), will be granted my intercession on the Day of Resurrection.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 579). There is no phrase in this du’aa’ like “al-darajah al-‘aaliyah al-rafee’ah (the high and elevated status),” so this should not be said. The conjunction “wa” in the phrase “al-waseelata wa’l-fadeelah (the privilege and also the eminence) is by way of explanation; waseelah is the status higher than the rest of creation. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained it in the hadeeth narrated by ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas, who said that he heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “When you hear the muezzin and say something like he says, then send blessings on me, whoever sends blessings on me, Allaah will send blessings tenfold on him. Then ask Allaah to grant me al-waseelah, for it is a status in Paradise that only one of the slaves of Allaah will reach, and I hope that I will be the one. Whoever asks for al-waseelah for me will be granted intercession.” (Reported by Muslim, 577). The “praised position”(maqaam mahmood) is intercession before Allaah so that He will start to judge between His slaves, and no one will be granted this except Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This is mentioned in the words of Allaah addressed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning): “Perform al-salaah from mid-day till the darkness of the night (i.e., the Zuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib and ‘Isha’ prayers), and recite the Qur’aan in the early dawn (i.e., the morning prayer). Verily, the recitation of the Qur’aan in the early dawn is ever witnessed (attended by the angels in charge of mankind of the day and the night). And in some parts of the night (also) offer the salaah (prayer) with it (i.e., recite the Qur’aan in the prayer), as an additional prayer (tahajjud – optional prayer) for you (O Muhammad). It may be that your Lord will raise you to maqaaman mahmoodah (a station of praise and glory, i.e., the highest degree in Paradise).” [al-Isra’ 17:78-79] It is called al-maqaam al-mahmood because all of creation will praise Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) for that status, because his intercession will ease their distress on that terrible day by setting the process of judgement in motion. And Allaah knows best.

I know that men should not wear silk garments, but if a garment is made of party silk but is not silky, soft, shiny, and feminine looking and looks like wool (suit coat), then would it be OK?

Praise be to Allah.Can men wear silk? The scholars agreed that it is permissible for women to wear and use pure silk , and that it is haram for men to do so. ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) took a piece of silk in his right hand and a piece of gold in his left, held them aloft and said: “These are haram for the males of my ummah and permitted for the females.” (Reported by Ibn Majah, 2/1189) Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Gold and silk have been permitted for the females of my ummah and forbidden for the males.” Indeed, a stern warning has been narrated concerning this matter, as was reported by al-Bukhari (5853) and Muslim (2069) in the hadith of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Silk is only worn in this world by the one who will have no share of the pleasure of the Hereafter.”  Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever wears silk in this world will not wear it in the Hereafter.” (Reported by al-Bukhari, 5832) When can men wear silk? The scholars allowed men to wear silk in certain exceptional circumstances where there is Shar’i evidence to support this, such as Muslim combatants in war who are allowed to wear silk in order to show off and annoy the enemy, which is a kind of psychological warfare.  People who are sick may also be permitted to wear silk to relieve their suffering, as Anas reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) allowed ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf and Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both) to wear silk because of a skin irritation that they suffered from. (Reported by al-Bukhari, 10/295, and Muslim, 3/1646) The scholars also allowed men to wear garments containing four fingers’ width of silk, because of the hadith of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade the wearing of silk except for an area the width of two fingers, or three or four.” (Reported by Muslim, 3/1644) With regard to the matters mentioned in the question, the issue is not what a thing is called but what it really is. If the item that a man is going to wear is made of natural silk, then it is not permissible for him to wear it, no matter how it looks or feels, and no matter whether it is a shirt, pants, socks, a necktie or anything else.  And Allah knows best.

what is the importance of prorhecy for the humanety? Why is faith in Prophethood so important?

Praise be to Allah.Mankind is in need of Messengers and Prophets from Allah, to light the way and guide them to ways of peace, and to warn them against the ways of evil and corruption. Some of the things for which mankind clearly needs Messengers and Prophets are: 1 - Guidance to Allah, may He be exalted and glorified Mankind has gone through periods where they did not have Messengers and Messages from Allah for a long time, and so they fell into the traps of illusions and myths, so they prayed to natural phenomena and heavenly bodies, or idols that could neither benefit nor harm them, worshipping them in fear and hope. At the same time, they were subjected to humiliation by those who claimed divinity, such as the Pharaohs and others. Even though there was never a time when at least a few people wondered about Who had sovereignty over the heavens and the earth and instinctively realized that there was a Creator, they still failed to worship Him properly and heed His commands and prohibitions and understand what He wanted them to do and not do, because they had no contact with anybody who could tell that about all that. The wisdom of Allah dictated that He should save the confused and misguided by blessing them with the knowledge of His Divine qualities and Beautiful Names, so He honoured them and all of humanity by sending Messengers who would guide them towards the Creator, as He tells us in the story of Nooh (peace be upon him): "Indeed, We sent Nooh to his people and he said, 'O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other ilaah (god) but Him. Certainly, I fear for you the torment of a Great Day!'" [Al-A'raaf 7:59]. All the Prophets and Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon them, came one after the other, bringing the same Message. 2 - Guidance regarding the Hereafter One of the reasons why Prophets and Messengers were sent was to tell people about the Hereafter, because if man does not believe in Allah and the Last Day, he will be a slave to his desires, running after material things and following the ways of misguidance. If he is reminded or advised, he will deny that he is answerable for his deeds. Allah has described such people in His words (interpretation of the meaning): "And they say, 'There is nothing but our life of this world, we die and we live and nothing destroys us except al-dahr (the time).' And they have no knowledge of it, they only conjecture." [Al-Jaathiyah 45:24]. So it was the task of the Prophets and Messengers to establish proof of the Last Day, and to explain that the One Who created mankind from nothing is able to bring them back to life after their death, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Say: 'Allah gives you life, then causes you to die, then He will assemble you on the Day of Resurrection about which there is no doubt. But most of mankind know not." [al-Jaathiyah 45:26]. On that Day, the scales of justice will be set up and scores between oppressors and their victims will be settled. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): "And We shall set up balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything. And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And Sufficient are We as Reckoners." [Al-Anbiya' 21:47]. If it were not for this Reckoning, which we know about only through Prophethood, life would be pointless and a means only for wrongdoing - and this is contrary to the wisdom of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. 3 - Meeting man's need for religion So long as man remains sound of nature, clear of mind and pure of heart, his need for religion remains a part of him, and he understands that there has to be an Almighty Creator who created and organized the universe in the best way. Thus there emerges from the depths of his being the urge to submit himself fully to the Creator, to seek His help at times of calamity and distress, and to humble himself before Him, as he feels his great need for Him both at times of ease and of hardship. This is referred to in the Qur'aan (interpretation of the meaning): "So set your face towards the religion of pure Islamic monotheism haneefa (worship none but Allah Alone), Allah's fitrah (pattern) with which He has created mankind. No change let there be in khalq-illah [i.e., the Religion of Allah], that is the straight religion, but most of men know not." [Al-Room 30:30] According to a hadeeth narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "Every new-born baby is born according to the fitrah, then his parents make him into a Jew or a Christian or a Magian (Zoroastrian)" (Agreed upon). How could a man know how to become religious and worship his Creator without Revelation from Allah to tell him about it? There has to be a mediator between Allah and His creation so that mankind can know about the religion which the Creator wants them to follow; this is the role of the Prophets. 4 - Guidance regarding proper ways of dealing with one another It is well known that man is by nature sociable, and that he has wishes and desires that cannot be achieved except in cooperation with his fellow-man. So it is clear that mankind urgently needs guidance to regulate his relationships with others, to outline the right way of behaving, to resolve disputes and conflicts, to guard against wrong-doing and oppression, and to protect people's rights - lest some people oppress others. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Indeed We have sent Our Messengers with clear proofs, and revealed with them the Scriptures and the Balance (justice) that mankind may keep up justice" [Al-Hadeed 57:24]. 5 - Guidance towards sound morals It is also a part of man's nature that he will strive to fulfil his needs even if he does so by means of oppression and domination. So he urgently needs a deterrent, in the form of belief in Allah and the Last Day, to motivate him to acquire good qualities and praiseworthy morals. These can only be known through the divine laws brought and conveyed by the Prophets and Messengers of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon them. 6 - Achieving justice in accordance with the will of Allah It is well known that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is Fair and Just. He rewards the one who does good as a blessing and favour from Him, and He punishes the one who does wrong as an act of justice on His part. Allah, by His wisdom and mercy, sent His Messengers, from Aadam to Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all) to establish proof (so that people would have no excuse). Allah says (interpretation of the meanings): "And if We had destroyed them with a torment before this (i.e., Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the Qur'aan), they would surely have said, 'Our Lord! If only You had sent us a Messenger, we should certainly have followed Your aayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), before we were humiliated and disgraced.'" [Ta-Ha 20:134] "Messengers as bearers of good news as well as of warning in order that mankind should have no plea against Allah after the Messengers" [Al-Nisa' 4:165] Allah, Who is the Most Just of judges, has decreed that He will not punish a nation until He has sent a Messenger to them, as He says: "Whoever goes right, then he goes right only for the benefit of his own self. And whoever goes astray, then he goes astray to his own loss. No one laden with burdens can bear another's burden. And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger (to give warning)." [Al-Isra' 17:15] The above should explain the extent of mankind's need for Messengers and their Messages, and why their happiness in this world and the next is connected to that. And Allah knows best.

  There are some Muslims that claim certain numbers have a special meaning. Some people including unbelievers and Muslims say that the number 13 is a bad or evil number, and some Muslims have found reasons to believe this too. One Muslim said that the Jews captured Jerusalem from Muslims on Friday the 13 and the general who captured it used 13 armies, thus the number is cursed. Is all this just superstition and omen searching which has no place in Islam?

Praise be to Allah.It is not permitted for the Muslim who believes in Allaah as his Lord, Islam as his religion, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as a Prophet and Messenger, and in the divine decree, both good and bad, to think that any being, entity or quality can have a specific effect in bringing good or warding off harm, as there is no evidence in shareeah to that effect. This is part of the legacy of jaahiliyyah (ignorance) which has been cancelled out by Islam and is regarded as being shirk which negates perfect Tawheed, because it is insinuating thoughts (waswaas) and scare tactics from the Shaytaan. It is like the attitude of the people of Pharaoh, about whom Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning): But whenever good came to them, they said, Ours is this. And if evil afflicted them, they ascribed it to evil omens connected with Moosa and those with him [al-Araaf 7:131]. If some disaster or drought befell them, they blamed it on evil omens which they associated with Moosa and the believers with him, but Allaah refuted this and said (interpretation of the meaning): Verily, their evil omens are with Allaah [al-Araaf 7:131]. Ibn Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said: Their evil omens means what He decreed for them; they were the cause of what happened to them because of their kufr and rejection of the signs and messengers of Allaah. Many ahaadeeth were reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in which he forbade pessimism and superstitious belief in evil omens. The word tatayyur (pessimism) is derived from teer (birds), because some birds were viewed as evil omens, then the word came to be applied to everything that is taken as a bad sign. Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, No adwaa [transmission of infectious diease without the permission of Allaah], no tiyarah [superstitious belief in bird omens], no haamah [refers to a Jaahili Arab tradition described variously as: a worm that infests the grave of a murder victim until he is avenged; an owl; or the bones of a dead person turned into a bird that could fly], and no Safar [the month of Safar was regarded as unlucky in the Jaahiliyyah]. [Translators notes in square brackets]. (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 5757, and Muslim, 2220.] Muslim added in one of his reports: And no naw (star promising rain) and no ghool (evil demon living in the desert). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) denounced adwaa, the Jaahili belief that attributed sickness to something other than Allaah and said that the sickness could transmit itself without the decree of Allaah. He explained that all of that happens by the decree of Allaah, and that people are instructed to avoid the causes of disaster if they are in good health. The words no Safar, according to one of the interpretations given by the scholars, refer to the month of Safar, which the people of the Jaahiliyyah viewed with pessimism as being unlucky, as was reported in Sunan Abi Dawood (3914) from Muhammad ibn Raashid from someone who heard him say: The people of the Jaahiliyyah used to regard Safar as inauspicious, and said that it was an unlucky month. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) refuted that. Imaam Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Regarding Safar as inauspicious is a kind of superstition that is forbidden. Also forbidden is regarding particular days, such as Wednesdays, as inauspicious, or following the Jaahili custom of regarding Shawwaal as inauspicious for weddings. No doubt this also includes the superstitions about the number 13 mentioned in the question. There is no indication in the Quraan or Sunnah that this number should be regarded as inauspicious in any way. The thirteenth is just an ordinary day, like any other day, and anything that happens on such a day happens by divine decree; Allaah decreed that it should happen on that day in that way. If a person tried to spend his time counting the numbers of days or dates on which calamities befell the Muslim ummah, he might find some patterns in some instances, but this has nothing to do with bad luck because of certain numbers or dates on which those events happened. The remedy for this kind of waswaas is for a person to strengthen his heart, have certain faith (yaqeen) in Allaah and put his trust in Him. He should know that no disaster happens except by the decree of Allaah, and he should beware of getting carried away with this waswaas from the Shaytaan or these ideas that may cross his mind. He may be punished with the very thing that he is fearing, because he is turning away from having faith in Allaah and the belief that all good is in His hands, and that He Alone is the one who wards off harm by His power and grace. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught us the kafaarah (expiation) to be offered by the one who indulges in any kind of superstitious pessimism. Abd-Allaah ibn Amr reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Whoever lets tiyarah (superstition) stop him from doing something is guilty of shirk. They said, What is the kafaarah (expiation) for that? He said, To say: Allaahumma la khayra illaa khayruka wa laa tayra illaa tayruka wa laa ilaaha ghayruka (O Allaah, there is no good except Your good, no birds except Yours, and there is no god beside You). And Allaah knows best. As this issue is widespread among people nowadays, there is no harm in going into further detail, as follows: In the Name of Allaah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful Tiyarah and Fal (Bad omens and good omens) [1] Tiyarah (seeing bad omens) comes from the word tayr (birds) [because the ancient Arabs used to see omens in the movements of birds and other creatures Translator], and is the opposite of fal (good omens). The Arabs all used to have the same ideas about fal and tiyarah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) approved of and encouraged the idea of seeing good omens, but he disapproved and forbade the idea of seeing bad omens. [2] Al-Izz ibn Abd al-Salaam said: The difference between al-tiyarah and al-tatayyur is that tatayyur means feeling in one's heart that something bad is going to happen, whilst tiyarah means acting on the basis of those pessimistic feelings. [3] Tiyarah existed long before Islam. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): But whenever good came to them, they said, Ours is this. And if evil afflicted them, they ascribed it to evil omens connected with Moosa and those with him [al-Araaf 7:131]. [4] Types of superstitious belief in bad omens, ancient and modern: Certain days or months, such as Safar and Shawwaal. Certain birds, such as crows and owls. Certain animals, such as snakes, black cats and monkeys, or their movements, such as the passing of gazelles. Certain types of people, such as a one-eyed man or a hunchback. Certain numbers, such as 13 among the Christians, 7 among the Bedouin and 10 among the Raafidis; in the latter case because they dislike the asharah mubashsharah (the ten Sahaabah who were given the certain promise of Paradise) with the exception of Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him). Hence they will say Nine plus one instead of ten. Certain sounds, such as the voice of a crow or the sound of an ambulance or fire truck. Frightening or disturbing dreams. Colours, such as the colour of blood, or yellow. When the eyelashes of the left eye tremble involuntarily, they say, Something bad is going to happen to us. Calling a child by the name of a living person, such as the father or mother and so on. Witnessing an accident or a fire in the morning. Seeing ones wifes mother in the morning. When the right hand or right foot itches. [5] The virtue of tawakkul (putting ones trust in Allaah) and not indulging in tiyarah. The Prophet ( peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Seventy thousand people will enter Paradise without being called to account and without being punished. Among the virtues of these people, he described them as not believing in tiyarah and as putting their trust in Allaah. (Reported by Muslim). [6] Condemnation of tiyarah and explanation that it is a kind of shirk. Ibn Masood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Al-tiyarah is shirk, and he said it three times. (Reported by Abu Dawood and others, and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani). Imraan ibn Husayn (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: He is not one of us who does tiyarah or has it done for himself Al-Albaani said: Its isnaad is hasan. Ibn al-Qayyim said: Tiyarah is a kind of shirk and a way in which the Shaytaan influences and scares a person. It is very serious for the one who takes it to heart and pays too much attention to it, but it is insignificant for the one who pays no attention to it and is not concerned about it. [7] Negation of tiyarah and superstition. Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: There is no adwaa (contagion) or tiyarah, but I like righteous fal. (Muslim). And he said, No adwaa, no tiyarah, no haamah, and no Safar. (Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim). Muaawiyah ibn al-Hakam al-Salami reported that he said to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): Some of us believe in tiyarah. He said, That is something that any of you may feel in himself, but it should not stop you from doing anything. (Muslim). So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained that any anxiety suffered because of tiyarah is all in the mind and has nothing to do with the object that caused the fear. It is the persons own illusion, fear and shirk that is affecting him and stopping him from doing what he wants to do, not the thing that he saw or heard. Whoever adheres firmly to the bonds of Tawheed and puts all his trust in Allaah, thus nipping the ideas of tiyarah in the bud before they take hold, will be successful and happy in this world and the next. In a saheeh hadeeth, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Leave any ideas of tiyarah as they are [i.e., do not take them any further]. (Saheeh Abi Dawood). What this hadeeth means is that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wanted them not to pay attention to such ideas, but to leave them alone, as Allaah had made them, because they can bring neither benefit nor harm. Ibn Jareer said: What this means is to leave birds (tayr) alone without shooing them away, and carry on with one's own business, because shooing them away does not bring any benefit or ward off any harm. Ikrimah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: We were sitting with Ibn Abbaas when a bird flew over us and screeched. A man who was there said, Good! Ibn Abbaas said to him, It is neither good nor bad. He hastened to rebuke him lest he think that it had any influence for good or evil. Taawoos set out on a journey with one of his friends, and a crow screeched. The man said, Good! Taawoos said, What is the good in that? Do not accompany me any further. Ibn Abd al-Hakam said: Muzaahim said, When Umar ibn Abd al-Azeez set out from Madeenah, I looked and saw that the moon was in Hyades [a group of stars in Taurus], and I did not want to tell him that, so I just said to him, Look how beautiful the moon looks tonight. Umar looked, and saw that the moon was in Hyades, and said, It is as if you wanted to tell me that the moon was in Hyades. O Muzaahim, we do not go out by the help of the sun or the moon; we go out by the help of Allaah, al-Waahid, al-Qahhaar. [8] The limits of tiyarah. The kind of tiyarah that makes a person go ahead with his plans or stops him from going ahead is the kind of tiyarah that is prohibited. As for the good omens (fal) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) liked, this is a kind of optimism that a person does not feel dependent upon, unlike things that may make a person either go ahead or change his plans, in which a person is in a sense depending upon it. And Allah knows best. [9] Kafaarah (expiation) for one who engages in tiyarah. Imaam Ahmad reported in his Musnad and Ibn al-Sunni also reported with a saheeh isnaad from Abd-Allaah ibn Amr that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Whoever lets tiyarah stop him from doing something is guilty of shirk. They said, What is the kafaarah for that? He said, To say: Allaahumma la khayra illaa khayruka wa laa tayra illaa tayruka wa laa ilaaha ghayruka (O Allaah, there is no good except Your good, no birds except Yours, and there is no god beside You). no birds except Yours means: the birds are part of Your creation, they can bring neither benefit nor harm, and the only One Who can bring benefit or harm is You, may You be glorified. [10] Remedies for tatayyur: (a) tawakkul, which means delegating all ones affairs to Allaah and relying on Him, whilst at the same time taking the necessary means and precautions. This is an obligation which must be done purely and sincerely for Allaah, because it is one of the best forms of worship and highest levels of Tawheed. Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings): and put your trust in Allaah, if you are believers indeed. [al-Maaidah 5:23] and And put yout trust in the Ever-Living One Who dies not, and glorify His Praises, and Sufficient is He as the All-Knower of the sins of His slaves. [al-Furqaan 25:58]. Putting ones trust in Allaah is one of the greatest and most important ways of getting rid of pessimism and superstition and other matters pertaining to shirk. (b) Knowing that everything that happens, happens by the decree of Allaah. Blessings and calamities alike are covered by the will and decree of Allaah, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but is inscribed in the Book of Decrees (al-lawh al-mahfooz), before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allaah. [al-Hadeed 57:22]. Thus a person may be reassured about these matters, and there is no need for tatayyur or tiyarah, because good and bad alike are subject to the will and decree of Allaah. (c)   Istikhaarah. This is one of the greatest forms of worship and is complete tawakkul or dependence on Allaah. It is the alternative to tatayyur and tiyarah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to teach his Companions to make istikhaarah for all their affairs just as he used to teach them the soorahs of the Quraan. (d)   Moving away from places which one thinks are unlucky. Here we are talking about doubt, not certainty. Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: A man said, O Messenger of Allaah, we lived in a house where our number was great and our wealth was abundant, then we moved to a house where our numbers dwindled and our wealth decreased. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Leave it, for it is bad. (Reported by Maalik, Abu Dawood, al-Bukhaari in al-Adab al-Mufrad, and classed as hasan by al-Albaani). Leave it, for it is bad Ibn Abd al-Barr said: I think that he said it lest they adhere to thoughts of tiyarah. Al-Baghawi said: He told them to move away from it because they did not like it and did not feel comfortable; if they moved, the things they were feeling would go away. He did not tell them to move because the house was the cause of the problems. But the Creator made that the time for His decree to be carried out. suggested by Ibn al-Arabi al-Maaliki. (e)   Fal (good omen). This is the opposite of tiyarah, for example when a man who is sick hears another addressing him as Ya saalim (O healthy one)!. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: There is no adwaa (contagion) and no tiyarah, but I like righteous fal, a good word. (Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim). The difference between fal and tiyarah is that fal involves thinking in positive terms about Allaah, whereas tiyarah involves the opposite, so for this reason it is disliked. There is another issue here: if a person puts his trust in Allaah and goes ahead with his plans, then disaster strikes and harm befalls him, how can this happen when he thought of Allaah in positive terms? Our answer is that this is a test, not an omen or tiyarah; the believer is tested in accordance with the level of his faith. Haafiz al-Hakami said: One of the conditions of fal is that it is not something that a person relies on or tries to figure out; it is just a coincidence that happens to a person without him thinking about it. It is a particularly loathsome form of bidah to try to find fal in the Quraan [by opening it at random]. The one who takes the Verses of Allaah as a joke or idle entertainment is surely doing wrong. If a person tries to figure out fal and use it to get good luck, this is tiyarah, like using arrows to seek luck or a decision. O Allaah, we seek refuge with You from associating anything knowingly with You, and we seek Your forgiveness for that which we do unknowingly. References: Al-Qawl al-Mufeed ala Kitaab al-Tawheed . Ibn Uthaymeen. Al-Tiyarah wal-Fal . Mahmoud al-Jaasim Tayseer al-Azeez al-Hameed Sharh Kitaab al-Tawheed . Sulaymaan ibn Abd-Allaah. Fath al-Baari . Ibn Hajar. Fath al-Majeed Sharh Kitaab al-Tawheed . Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Hasan. Maaarij al-Qubool . Al-Hakam. Miftaah Daar al-Saaadah . Ibn al-Qayyim.

Polygamy...I understand what Allah (swt)has said regarding this subject in as much as the economic and importance of the family structure however where in the Quaran does it address the distressed feelings of a woman when her husband decides to take another wife, and how these two should live in harmony under one roof?

Praise be to Allah.The first wife’s distress when her husband marries another wife is to be expected, and Allah has set out rules and regulations to reduce these feelings or remove them altogether, by enjoining justice, patience in the face of adversity, and so on. Whatever the case, the fact that these feelings of distress and the dislike of polygamy exist does not justify condemnation of polygamy. Islam came to serve and increase people’s best interests, and to reduce harmful things and render them ineffective. There is no doubt that polygamy, when practised properly in accordance with Islam, achieves many things that are in people’s best interests (such as maintaining the chastity of the man who is not satisfied with one wife, taking care of and maintaining the chastity of the woman who has no husband, increasing the offspring of the Muslims, solving the problem of widows and spinsters, and of the reduced numbers of men after times of war, and so on). As regards the bad things that happen in cases of polygamy, either they are very small when compared to its benefits, or they stem from bad application of this practice. One of the rights which Islam gives to women is that a wife should have her own house, so the two wives do not have to live together under one roof. And Allah knows best.

I would much appreciate your reply with regards: the permissibility of reading the SAYYIDUL ISTIGHFAAR during our sujood followed be some verses from the Holy Qur'an.

Praise be to Allah.Reciting Quraan in sujood is not allowed because of the hadeeth narrated by Ibn Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Indeed I have been told not to recite Quraan in rukoo and sujood. (Reported by Muslim, 738). But if some words from the Quraan are recited as duaa, such as (interpretation of the meaning): Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! [al-Baqarah 2:201], then there is nothing wrong with this. As for reciting Sayyid al-istighfaar (the best form of seeking forgiveness) in sujood, there is nothing wrong with this, because this is counted as duaa. And Allaah knows best.

Allah tells us in the Qur'an not to cut off our blood relations. What is the interpretation of the Ayah that commands us not to severe ties of kinship ? Who does it refer to ? Just parents and siblings ? What if one maintains contact with one's parents only through telephone or letters although he is capable of visiting them. Yet, he feels that maintaining a certain distance is healthier to the relationship ?

Praise be to Allah.and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. It is a duty on man to be kind to his parents, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): be good and dutiful to your parents [al-Anaam 6:151]; to show gratitude to them in all kinds of ways, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): give thanks to Me and to your parents [Luqmaan 31:14]; and to show them all kinds of good treatment, because of the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to treat them kindly. The ways in which one can show them kindness and respect are many, e.g., visiting them, speaking kindly to them, lowering to them the wing of humility, giving them gifts, and so on. When you go to visit them with the hope of earning reward from Allah, this is a great form of worship. A son should not neglect this type of worship, and he should appreciate the joy that his parents feel when they see their son and spend time with him. He should not let his work keep him away from seeing his parents, because it is very important and precious for them to see their son. If a person is aware of some negative things when he visits them, he can reduce these negative aspects, or cut the visit short and make up for it in other ways, such as sending letters, making telephone calls or others ways of keeping in touch and maintaining ties, like giving gifts, and so on. We ask Allah to help us to honour our parents. May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

I would like to know if there is any verdict concerning sleeping after Fajr prayer.

Praise be to Allah.Is sleeping after Fajr haram? As far as a person’s sleeping after praying Fajr is concerned, no text (of Quran or hadith) has been reported to indicate that this is prohibited, so the general principle applies (i.e., everything is permitted except that which has been expressly forbidden). But the practice of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his Companions after praying Fajr was to remain sitting in the place where they had prayed until the sun rose, as is reported in  Sahih Muslim (1/463) in the hadith of Sammak ibn Harb, who said: “I asked Jabir ibn Samurah, ‘Did you used to sit with the Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘Yes, frequently. He would not get up from the place where he had prayed Subh until the sun rose. When the sun rose, he would get up. They used to talk about things that had happened during the Jahiliyyah, and they would laugh and smile.’” Also, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked his Lord to bless his ummah in the mornings, as is reported in the hadith of Sakhr al-Ghamidi, who said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “O Allah, bless my ummah in the mornings.’ Whenever he sent out troops or an army, he would send them at the beginning of the day.’” Sakhr was a trader, and he used to send out his caravans at the beginning of the day, and he did well as a result and made money.” (Reported by Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, with an isnad in which there is some jahalah (i.e., one narrator is unknown); corroborating evidence is to be found in a hadith narrated by ‘Ali, Ibn ‘Umar, Ibn 'Abbas, Ibn Mas’ud and others, may Allah be pleased with them all.) For this reason some of the salaf disliked the idea of sleeping after Fajr. Ibn Abi Shaybah reported in his Musannaf (5/222, no. 25442) with a sahih isnad from ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr that he said: “Al-Zubayr used to forbid his children to sleep in the morning.” ‘Urwah said: “I do not hear of any man who sleeps in the morning, but I lose interest in that person.” In summary then, people should make the most of this time which can bring many benefits in this world and in the Hereafter, but if a person sleeps at this time to gain strength to do his work, there is nothing wrong with this, especially if it is not easy for him to sleep at any other time of the day. Ibn Abi Shaybah reported in his Musannaf (5/223, no. 25454) from the hadith of Abu Yazid al-Madini who said: “Umar came to Suhayb one morning and found him sleeping, so he sat down until he woke up. Suhayb said: ‘The Amir al-Muminin is sitting in his place and Suhayb is sleeping!’ ‘Umar said to him: ‘I did not like to disturb your sleep that could be beneficial for you.’” Is sleeping after ‘Asr makruh? As for sleeping after ‘Asr , this is also permitted; there is no sahih hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to indicate that sleeping at this time is prohibited. As for the words, “Whoever sleeps after ‘Asr and loses his mind as a result has no-one to blame but himself,” which are attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), this is a false hadith and there is no proof that these words were uttered by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). (See: Silsilat al-Da’ifah, no. 39) For more about issues related to sleeping, please see the answers to questions 99471 , 36889 , and 14033 , and 145543 And Allah knows best.

My health is not very well and I get tired very easily. Sometimes I become clear from menses early in the morning at fajr time. Due to my health, making ghusl at that time would be a hardship for me. What should I do?

Praise be to Allah.Lord of the Worlds. First of all, we pray to Allaah to grant you healing and good health. With regard to your question, if you become pure (i.e., your period ends) at the time of fajr (the pre-dawn prayer), then it becomes obligatory to perform ghusl (complete ablution) in order to perform the prayer. If you are not able to do ghusl because of your illness and inability to do it, then you should do tayammum (“dry ablution”). This means that you should strike bare earth once with the palms of your hands, then wipe your face, and the back of each hand with the palm of the other, then you should pray. And Allaah knows best. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

What is the Arabic, English transliteration and the English meaning of khutbah al-Haajah. It is what the Imam says when the jumah starts.   I heard many speakers begin their talks with this and I would like to learn it. Insha'allah

Praise be to Allah.A number of hadeeth scholars, such as Imaam al-Nisaa'i (may Allaah have mercy on him), have reported Khutbah al-Haajah. Al-Nisaai reported that Abd-Allaah ibn Masood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught us Khutbat al-Haajah: Al-hamdu Lillaahi nastaeenahu wa nastaghfiruhu, wa naoodhu billaahi min shuroori anfusinaa wa sayiaati amaalinaa. Man yahdih Illaahu falaa mudilla lahu wa man yudlil falaa haadiya lahu. Wa ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasooluhu (Praise be to Allaah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no (true) god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger). Then he recited the following three aayaat (interpretation of the meaning): Yaa ayyuhalladheena aamanu-ttaquLlaaha haqqa tuqaatihi wa laa tamootunna illaa wa antum muslimoon (O you who believe! Fear Allaah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam (as Muslims) with complete submission to Allaah.) [Aal Imraan 3:102], Yaa ayyuhan-naas uttaqu rabbakum alladhi khalaqakum min nafsin waahidatin wa khalaqa minhaa zawjahaa wa baththa minhumaa rijaalan katheeran wa nisaaan wattaqu-Llaah alladhi tasaaaloona bihi wal-arhaama inna Allaaha kaana alaykum raqeeban (O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person, and from him He created his wife, and from them both He created many men and women, and fear Allaah through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship) Surely, Allaah is Ever an All-Watcher over you). [al-Nisaa 4:1], Yaa ayyahulladheena aamanu-ttaquLlaaha wa qooloo qawlan sadeedan (O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth). [al-Ahzaab 33:70]. (Sunan al-Nisaai: Kitaab al-Jumuah, Baab kayfiyyah al-khutbah). The hadeeth scholar Shaykh Muhammad Naasir al-Deen al-Albaani devoted a chapter to it in which he compiled all its isnaads and commented on it. And Allaah knows best.

DEAR SIR, I am a muslim, ALHAMDOLILLAH. I want to help one non-muslim girl become MUSLIM. Kindly tell me what is QURANIC to marry (NIKAH) with her after she becomes Muslim. I want ARABIC (QURANIC) VERSES which the IMAM uses for NIKAH.  SIR now I stay in CHINA so I have no place to get this material. please send me complete information. I am sure you can help a non-muslim become muslim. may ALLAH bless you for this good deed. I am waiting for your reply. Please don't disappoint me

Praise be to Allah.To the one who is asking this question, we say that this woman should be taught to say the Shahaadatayn (the two declarations of faith) and then how to practise Islamic rituals such as salaat (prayer), etc. After that, a Muslim qaadi (judge) could do the marriage contract (nikaah) for him. If there is no qaadi there, then the director of the Islamic centre could do it, in the presence of two male witnesses. As regards what should be said by the one who does the marriage contract, he should say khutbah al-haajah, which you will find under the question that comes before this one (# 2066); I will send it to you with this reply, in sha Allaah. May Allaah reward you.

Can a normal Muslim read Qur’anic verses (khutbah) for someone’s nikah (marriage)? Is nikah valid in this case? Because I stay in non-Muslim country.

Praise be to Allah.There is nothing wrong with any Muslim person reciting Khutbah al-Nikaah before the ‘aqd (contract) is made, but it is a condition that the guardian of the bride be present. He should say to the groom, “I marry my daughter So-and-so to you,” and the groom should say, “I accept.” This should be witnessed by two Muslims, and the bride should give her consent, in order for the contract to be valid. Khutbah al-Nikaah is the same as Khutbah al-Haajah, which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught his Companions, and it should be said at the beginning of the ‘aqd. This is sunnah, not waajib (obligatory). The text of Khutbah al-Haajah may be found under Question 2066. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

What is the ruling on a person who washes his arm from the wrist to the elbow, without washing his hand, thinking that washing it at the beginning of wudu is sufficient? Does he have to repeat his wudu?

Praise be to Allah.It is not sufficient in wudu to limit oneself to washing the forearm only, without washing the palm. When you have finished washing the face, you start by washing the two hands, then wash each arm from the fingertips to the elbows. If you washed them before you washed your face, the first washing is Sunnah, but washing them after washing the face is fard (obligatory). Whoever only washes the arms between the wrists and elbows has not completed the obligatory action that is required of him, so he has to repeat his wudu after he finishes it, or he has to wash the parts he has omitted, if he did wudu recently, so he has to wash his two hands and what comes after that.

How was witchcraft used against the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was the one whom no one could match in worship?

Praise be to Allah.The correct view is that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was not harmed by that withcraft physically, mentally or spiritually, or with regard to the Message which he had been enjoined to convey. None of the people noticed or mentioned any change in his life or in his dealing with them, his salaah and adhkaar, or his teachings. The effect of that witchcraft had to do with his initmate relationship with his wives, or with some of his wives, and it was reported only by ‘Aa’ishah, who mentioned that he would imagine that he had had intercourse with his wives when in fact he had not. This effect did not have any impact upon the Message; it happened by the will and decree of Allaah, for a reason. Allaah tested some of the righteous people, such as the Prophets, more severely than other people, and the test is in accordance with the degree of righteousness of a person. And Allaah knows best.

When can a young man make ijtihaad and issue fatwas? Some of the young people, when they become religious, indulge in examining and discussing the evidence (daleel) and speak about the rulings on events and issues that happen, in terms of what is halaal and what is haraam. They give their opinions on the rulings of fiqh on some new matters that have arisen in modern times.

Praise be to Allah.There are conditions attached to making ijtihaad. Not every individual has the right to issue fatwas and make pronouncements on matters, unless he has knowledge and is qualified. He has to be able to know the daleel; the wording and apparent meaning of the texts; what is saheeh (sound) and what is da’eef (weak); al-naasikh wa’l-mansookh (what abrogates what); wording and interpretation of texts; what is specific in application and what is general; what is stated in brief and what is mentioned in detail. This needs lengthy experience and practice, knowledge of the various branches of fiqh and where to look for information; knowledge of the opinions of the ‘ulamaa’ and fuqahaa’, and memorization or knowledge of the texts. Undoubtedly issuing fatwas without being qualified to do so is a grave sin, and means that one is speaking without knowledge. Allaah has warned us against that, when He said (interpretation of the meaning): “And say not concerning that which your tongues put forth falsely: “This is lawful and this is forbidden,” so as to invent lies against Allaah. Verily, those who invent lies against Allaah will never prosper.” [al-Nahl 16:116]. In a hadeeth: “Whoever was given a fatwaa with no proof, his sin will go back on the one who gave him the fatwaa.” (Saheeh; narrated by Imaam Ahmad, 2/321). The seeker of knowledge should not hasten to issue fatwas or to speak on an issue until he has found the source and daleel for what he is saying, and who has spoken about it previously. If he is not qualified to deal with the matter, he should pass it on to someone who is better able to deal with it, and he should limit himself to that which he knows, and continue learning and studying until he is qualified to make ijtihaad. And Allaah is the Guide to the Straight Path.

It is said that when the living mention the dead, such as a son remembering his dead father all the time and in every place, and grieving and weeping for him, the deceased is affected and harmed by this. So they say that we should not mention the dead with sorrow and weeping, and that it is sufficient to make du’aa’ for them and pray for forgiveness and mercy for them, and no more. How true or otherwise is this? May Allaah reward you with good. And what should we do with regard to the dead? May Allaah reward you with good.

Praise be to Allah.It was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The deceased is punished by the weeping of his family for him.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1286). This was explained as meaning, when a person had told his family to do that, as was done during the Jaahiliyyah. And it was said that it meant, if their custom was to weep and wail and he did not warn them. And it was said that it meant, he would feel hurt and saddened because they were doing something that would not help them at all; it does not refer to the punishment of the Fire. But simply mentioning the person, feeling grief and saying “Innaa Lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raaji’oon (to Allaah we belong and unto Him is our return)” – these actions are not included in this prohibition, because these feelings are something that overwhelm a person, and he cannot help thinking of the deceased, mentioning him, grieving for him and feeling sorrow because of his loss. If he mentions him, says “Innaa Lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raaji’oon,” and prays to his Lord for patience and consolation and to be compensated with something better, then Allaah will reward him for bearing this loss.

Ghusul I had intercourse with my husband and had my hair done just before that (I have Hijab). Do I have to rinse my hair entirely or can I just wipe it with water from the outside. May God reward you with goodness.

Praise be to Allah.When performing ghusl because of janaabah (impurity, e.g. after intercourse), both men and women must wash their heads and ensure that the water reaches the roots of the hair; it is not sufficient merely to wipe the head. A woman who wears her hair in braids is excused from having to undo her braids when doing ghusl because of janaabah, due to the difficulty involved in doing them up again. The evidence (daleel) for this is the hadeeth of Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with her), who said: “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, I am a woman who wears her hair in braids. Do I have to undo my braids when I make ghusl because of janaabah?’ He said, ‘No, it is enough if you pour water on your head three times, and then over the rest of your body. That will make you clean.’” (Reported by Muslim, no. 497). But in the case of a woman who has ended her period or nifaas (post-natal bleeding), she has to undo her braids when she does ghusl. And Allaah knows best.

A person prayed and after the prayer he noticed madhiy (prostatic fluid) on his private parts. This happened to him repeatedly. Does he need to repeat his prayers? How does it affect his tahaarah (purity) and his salaah (prayer)? What is the ruling on his praying in jamaa’ah? The madhiy flows continually, without his feeling any desire. This also happens to him after he urinates. What should he do about his clothing?

Praise be to Allah.This is considered to be a continual breaking of wudoo’, like incontinence of urine, so he has to do wudoo’ before every prayer, because this is something which breaks wudoo’ as it is something which comes out of the front or back passage. If something comes out whilst he is praying, he does not need to repeat his prayer, or stop praying, because it happened involuntarily, and it does not make his clothes impure (naajis) whilst he is praying. However, after the prayer he has to do wudoo’ for the next prayer if something comes out after the first prayer, and he has to clean his clothes for the next prayer. He should try to wear a pad to absorb what comes out, so that it does not contaminate his clothes. (He can pray in jamaa’ah as a member of the congregation, but he should not lead the prayers when he is in this state, because his tahaarah or purity is incomplete). He should also try to get treatment for this. And Allaah knows best.

As Salaamu Alaikum: A situation arose last week between myself, my wife and her daughter. Her daughter is now 20 years old with her own child but still resides in the home with us. I said something to my wife that made her upset with me so she became very foul mouthed and ignorant with her behavior even though there were none Muslims in the home. She approached me in an ill manner and i just lightly mushed her in the face and started laughing. The next thing i know she is punching me and kicking me. I grabbed her so she would not hit me in my face anymore, that's when her daughter got into it and started hitting me in the head. I Kept my head and did not become upset. Then her daughter called the police and they came and questioned everyone and took down a report. My wife has not shown any remorse about the behavior of her daughter and acts as thou it was ok for her child to act in that manner. At the present time I am not in the same house with them. And i really don't want to go back there. But i truly care a lot for my wife and tries to strive with her in the way it is prescribed for us in the Quran and Sunnah. She only listens to Quran and Sunnah when there is no anger in her heart. This is a situation that has left my heart weak. Living true Islam is all that I am striving for. Please assist me in this matter. As Salaamu Alaikum

Praise be to Allah.It should be noted that one of the main reasons that cause problems between spouses, and that could cause these problems to escalate to a very bad level is a lack of knowledge of the rights which each partner has over the other. Islam states these rights clearly, and urges and obliges each partner to fulfil them, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): And they (women) have rights (over their husbands) similar (to those of their husbands) over them, but men have a degree (of responsibility) over them [al-Baqarah 2:228]. This aayah indicates that for every right that one partner has, there is a corresponding duty which the other partner must fulfil; thus balance will be achieved in all aspects of the relationship, which will strengthen the stability of family life. Ibn Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said concerning this aayah: It is their (womens) right to good companionship and proper treatment on the part of their husbands, and their duty to obey and do what their husbands tell them to do. Ibn Zayd said: Fear Allaah with regard to them (wives) just as they should fear Allaah with regard to you. Al-Qurtubi said: This aayah covers all the rights and duties within marriage. One of those rights is that trivial mistakes should be overlooked, especially words and deeds by which no harm was intended. Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Every son of Adam makes mistakes, and the best of those who make mistakes are those who repent. (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 2501; Saheeh al-Jaami, 4/171). Both husband and wife have to be patient and put up with one another, because everyone makes mistakes, and the one with whom you have to be most patient is the one with whom you live and interacts with most. Neither party should resort to tit-for-tat reactions. If one spouse sees that the other is very angry, he or she should restrain his or her own anger, and not respond immediately. For this reason Abul-Darda said to his wife: If you see me angry, calm me down, and if I see you angry, I will calm you down, otherwise it will be too difficult to live together. The imaam of Ahl al-Sunnah, Imaam Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him) married Abbaasah bint al-Mufaddal, the mother of his son Saalih, and he used to say of her: Umm Saalih lived with me for twenty years, and we never argued over the slightest thing. One of the most important rights/duties is that each spouse should advise and remind the other to obey Allaah. It is reported in a saheeh hadeeth that a group of the Sahaabah asked the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): Teach us which kind of wealth is best, so that we may try to acquire it? He said: The best is a remembering tongue (one that remembers Allaah), a grateful heart and a believing wife who helps ones faith. (Reported by Ahmad, 5/278; al-Tirmidhi, 3039; Saheeh al-Jaami, 5231). A man should not make his wife angry if he sees in her something that he dislikes, because if he dislikes one of her characteristics, he will like another, so he should balance the two. The Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: No believing man should hate a believing woman: if he dislikes one of her characteristics, he will like another. (Reported by Muslim, 36). Samurah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Woman was created from a rib, and if you try to straighten a rib you will break it, so deal with her gently. (Reported by Ahmad, 5/8; Ibn Hibbaan, 1308; Saheeh al-Jaami, 2/163). One of the best ways to ensure a good atmosphere between husband and wife is a good attitude, hence Islam placed an important emphasis on this matter. The Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the ultimate in good treatment of others and good attitude. Abul-Darda reported that the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: There is no good deed that will be put in the balance that will weight heavier than a good attitude. The one who has a good attitude will reach, because of it, the level of those who fast and pray. (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 2003; Abu Dawood, 4799). Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: The most perfect of the believers in faith are the best in attitude, and the best of you are those who are best to their womenfolk. (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 1/217; Ahmad, 2/250; Al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 284). Some of the ways in which one can treat ones wife well are to turn a blind eye and not to pick on things, great or small, and not to rebuke or scold for every single incident, except in the case of duties towards Allaah. This is how Allaah guides us in the Quraan, when He says (interpretation of the meaning): and live with them (women) honourably. If you dislike them, it may be that you dislike a thing and Allaah brings through it a great deal of good. [al-Nisa 4:19]. If a woman disobeys her husband and refuses to obey him, he has the right to discipline her as prescribed by shareeah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allaah has made one of them to excel the other, and because they (spend) to support them) from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient (to Allaah and their husbands) and guard in the husbands absence what Allaah orders them to guard (e.g., their chastity, their husbands property, etc.). 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]. This aayah indicates that the husband has the right to discipline his wife when she disobeys his orders or rebels against him, and that this discipline takes a step-by-step approach which may reach the level of hitting, within certain conditions. Al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Know that Allaah does not command hitting in His Book in clear terms except in this passage and with regard to the prescribed punishments (hudood), so disobedience to husbands is equated with major sins, and Allaah has given the task (of disciplining) to husbands, instead of leaders, and without the need for judges, witnesses or evidence, because Allaah has entrusted wives to their husbands. Ill-conduct (nushooz) here refers to disobedience, i.e., those on whose part you fear disobedience and rejection of Allaahs command to obey their husbands. Allaah has made this discipline in stages, as follows: Admonition without forsaking them (refusing to share their beds) or hitting them. So the woman is reminded of her duty to be a good companion and treat her husband properly. If gentle admonition and kindly reminders do not work, then the discipline is taken to the second stage: Forsaking, by turning his back on her in bed or sleeping in a separate bed. But he should not go to extremes in this by keeping away for more than four months, which is the period set by Allaah for the one that swears not to approach his wife. This forsaking should only be for the purposes of disciplining and correcting, not for taking revenge or punishing. Hitting in a manner that is not painful, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): beat them (lightly, if it is useful),. Ibn Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Forsake her in her bed, and if she mends her ways (this is good), but if not, then Allaah has given permission for you to hit her in a way that is not painful. The husband must be careful to ensure that his hitting is for the purpose of discipline and warning, and not for any other purpose, so he must make sure that he hits as lightly as possible, by prodding with the fist and so on. Ata said: I said to Ibn Abbaas: What is the hitting that is not painful? He said, The siwaak (tooth-stick) and so on. (i.e., hitting with the siwaak). The Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, advising his ummah: Fear Allaah with regard to women, for you have taken them as a trust from Allaah and they are lawful to you by the word of Allaah. Your rights over them are that they should not allow anyone to sit on your beds whom you dislike, so if they do that then hit them in a way that is not painful. (Saheeh hadeeth). The husband should avoid hitting parts of the body that are sensitive, such as the head and stomach, and the face, because the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade hitting the face in general. Muaawiyah ibn Haydah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I said, O Messenger of Allaah, what are the rights of the wife of any one of us over us? He said, That you feed her as you feed yourself and clothe her as you clothe yourself, and that you do not say May Allaah make your face ugly or hit her i.e., in the face. (Reported by Abu Dawood, 2/244; Ibn Maajah, 1850; Ahmad, 4/446). If she desists, and stops rebelling, then he is not allowed to keep punishing her or to accuse her of saying or doing anything, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): but if they return to obedience, seek not against them means (of annoyance). With regard to your particular situation, we do not know all the details or the reason why you hit your wife or why she and her daughter attacked you. But we do understand that you are the one who started it, you started by hitting her then you made her angry by laughing at her, which is when the mistake on her part and that of her daughter occurred. What we advise you to do is to let your wife come back to you and go back to living together in one home. You should advise your wife to admit that she has made a mistake, and explain to her the seriousness what she has done by disobeying you, hitting you back and encouraging her daughter to misbehave towards you as you mentioned. This girl must understand that she is a guest in the home of her mothers husband and she has to respect the one who has given her refuge in his home. If her presence is making things more complicated and causing more problems, then you must come to some agreement with them for the girl to move to her own home. Seek the help of Allaah, have patience and treat your wife well. We ask Allaah to help you all and create love between your hearts. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

Dear Sheikh, I am a Muslim female.  Two years ago I went through a love experience with a young Muslim man,who was divorced. I liked him,and in fact I loved him. Then he asked me for making love, so I told him that I don't do that as I am religious and that this is zinah. So he told me i have to make love to you then i will marry you. Anyway, for two years, he is pushing me and twisting my arm to make love with him and that then he will marry me and i keep on refusing sex before marriage. In spite of all of that I am a strong Muslim and I can stand torture for not to commit any sin with him. My question is that how can I forget the torture and the very unfair behaviour he caused me and what is the status of this man in Islam?

Praise be to Allah.Who has saved you from this man. However, you should not have entered into any kind of relationship at all with him, not even meeting or speaking with him. He is a stranger to you, who is not related to you in any way, and Islam does not allow any kind of love relationship with anyone except ones legitimate husband. Repent to Allaah from what has happened, and keep away from this man completely, especially since it it quite obvious to you how bad he is and how eager he is to commit haraam deeds and pursue fallen women. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and grant us good health.

I posed a question #1599 a few months ago concerning disinheriting ones offspring particularly if the person disobeys his/her parents in matrimonial matters. For example, if the man marries a non-Muslimah.  It is a commonly held idea that a Muslim man can marry a jewish or christian. These days such a person is hard to find in the west. Religion is as distant from theses people as sun from our planet. Are today's Catholic protestants etc. truly "People of the Book"? It is surley Haraam for a Muslimah to marry a non-Muslim man?  Yet we see this is becoming a trend among many Muslim girls.  May Allah protect us all. Jazakumallah.

Praise be to Allah.A Muslim is permitted to marry a woman of the People of the Book, Jewish or Christian, so long as she is chaste and modest, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): (Lawful for you in marriage) are chaste women from those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) before your time [al-Maaidah 5:5]. But this is not recommended, especially for a Muslim who is living in a kaafir country under their laws and legislation. It is not permissible for a Muslim woman under any circumstances to marry a non-believer (kaafir), whether he is of the People of the Book or otherwise, chaste or not, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): they [believing women] are not lawful (wives) for the disbelievers nor are the disbelievers lawful (husbands) for them [al-Mumtahinah 60:10] Todays Christians, so long as they claim to belong to, revere and follow Jesus (Eesaa), are among the People of the Book, and the rulings concerning the People of the Book that are recorded in the Quraan and Sunnah apply to them, but at the same time we regard them as kaafirs who have gone astray. Even if a Muslim son marries a non-Muslim woman, his parents are still not permitted to disinherit him so long as he is still a Muslim and has not committed any offence which would put him beyond the pale of Islam. Anyone who does something that causes a Muslim to be deprived of his inheritance has transgressed the limits of Allaah, wronged himself and committed a grave major sin (kabeerah). Allaah rules as He wills and does as He wills.

Why does Allah(SWT) at times speak in the plural form in the Quran? Jazak Allah Khair.

Praise be to Allah.The answer is in two parts: In general terms, every believer must believe that every action of Allaah has great wisdom behind it, and there is no need for it to be explained in full to every person. This is a kind of test, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… that He may test you which of you is best in deed…” [al-Mulk 67:2] To answer this question in more detail: the Qur’aan was revealed in the language of the Arabs, and in Arabic it is as correct to use the plural when speaking of one person as it is to use the singular. But the plural is used for respect and glorification, and no one is more deserving of respect and glorification than Allaah. So the singular is used to affirm the fact that He is One and has no partner or associate, and the plural is used to affirm His glory and majesty, may He be exalted. Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) wrote in Majmaoo’ al-Fataawaa (5/128) some words which may be of interest to us here: “With regard to Allaah’s closeness to us, sometimes it is mentioned in the singular, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): ‘And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (answer them) I am indeed near (to them by My knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me…’ [al-Baqarah 2:186] and the hadeeth: ‘The One on Whom you call is closer to any one of you than the neck of his riding-camel’, and sometimes in the plural, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): ‘… And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein’ [Qaaf 50:16]. This is like the aayaat (interpretation of the meanings): ‘We recite to you…’ [al-Qasas 28:3] and ‘We relate unto you…’ [Yoosuf 12:3]. Such usage in Arabic refers to the one who is great and has helpers who obey him; when his helpers do something by his command, he says ‘We did it,’ as a king might say, ‘We conquered this land and we defeated this army,’ and so on.” Further important details may be found under question # 606 . And Allaah knows best.

Assalamu alaikum, Can you please tell me whether the souvenirs (like T-shirts,pens,etc) of the company where we/our friends work, which we get free, is halal? Jazakallah.

Praise be to Allah.If the company where you work gives you these things to keep, then there is nothing wrong with taking them and using them, so long as they are permissible according to Islamic rulings. But if the company gives them to you to distribute to people outside the company for advertising and promotional purposes, then you have no right to take them unless you have been given permission to do so. And Allaah knows best.

Salaamu-Alaikum. My wife's grandfather (from her mother's side) left a large amount in his estate, after his death (may Allah SWT bless him). As he didn't leave a will, the estate is being distributed amongst his children. However, my wife's mother died before the grandfather (may Allah SWT bless them both) and left three children. Now my wife has been told by one of her aunts that according to Islamic Law, as her mother died before the grandfather she and her two brothers are not entitled to any part of the estate. Could you please state whether this is true and if not what is the right way of distributing the estate. Jazakallahulkhairun.

Praise be to Allah.Yes, what your wife has heard from one of her aunts is correct. Your wife has no right to her mothers share of her grandfathers estate, because your mother-in-law died before her father. She thus had no share in her fathers estate because one of the conditions of inheritance is that the heir should be alive after the death of the person from whom he or she is to inherit. This condition is not met in this case, therefore your wife has nothing except her share of her own mothers estate. The grandfathers estate should be divided among his own heirs, so his children, for example (your wifes maternal uncles and aunts), will be given their shares according to Islamic law, which is two shares for males and one share for females. If the grandfather left a wife behind when he died, she should be given one-eighth of the estate, and so on. And Allaah knows best.

Salaamu-Alaikum. I hope you don't mind me asking this question, but my cousin committed suicide two weeks ago because he could not handle the exams pressure, according to the note he left. The family all know what he has done is terribly wrong and un-Islamic and the consequences are stated in the hadiths of our beloved prophet. What I would like to know is that is there anything that we can do to help him in the hereafter? Is there anything we should be doing to his grave? basically, what should his family do to help themselves get over the terrible situation and help him? Please help! Jazakallahulkhair .

Praise be to Allah.We ask Allaah to compensate you for this tragedy and reward you for your patience. We have already discussed the issue of suicide in brief under question 373, section 5. As regards what you can do for your deceased loved one: if he was a Muslim who died without having done something that would put him beyond the pale of Islam (such as denying any part of the religion, making fun of some part of it, or totally neglecting Islam to the extent that he did not learn or do anything, etc.), then you can do many kinds of good deeds that may reach him (see question 763 for more details). May Allaah take care of us and you by His Mercy.

  I would be very grateful to Allah and to our cheikh (jazaahullahu kairan) if he could answer a question that is very important to me. I would like to know whether Allah could answer my prayer if I asked him to change one or more aspects about my personality, which he created in me (jabalani alaihaa), so that it becomes as part of my natural characteristics.

Praise be to Allah.Allah is Able to do all things, and if you pray to Him sincerely, he will answer your du`a. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):   "And when My slaves ask you concerning Me, then I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicants when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright." [al-Baqarah 2:186]   Among the evidence that du`a may have the benefit of eliminating problematic characteristics is the hadeeth of Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: "Abu Salamah came to me one day after being with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: 'I heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) something that made me very happy. He said, "There is no calamity that befalls one of the Muslims and he responds by saying 'Innaa Lillaahi wa innaa ilahi raaji'oon (Truly, to Allah we belong, and truly, to Him we shall return),' then he says, 'Allahumma ujurni fi museebati w'ukhluf li khayran minha (O Allah, reward me in this calamity and compensate me with something better than it),' but Allah will do that for him."'" Umm Salamah said: "I learnt this from him, and when Abu Salamah died, I said, 'Innaa Lillaahi wa innaa ilahi raaji'oon,' then , 'Allahumma ujurni fi museebati w'ukhluf li khayran minha,' Then I thought to myself, Where could I find anyone better than Abu Salamah? When my 'iddah (waiting-period) was over, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked permission to see me, whilst I was busy dyeing a hide. I washed the qaraz (a kind of dye derived from a certain plant) from my hands and granted him permission, putting out for him a leather cushion stuffed with palm fibres. He sat down on it, and asked for my hand in marriage. When he had finished what he had to say, I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, I do not want you to lose interest in me, but I am a very jealous woman, and I am afraid that you may see in me something that could earn me the punishment of Allah. I am also a woman who is ageing, and I have children.' He said, 'As for the jealousy you mentioned, Allah will take this away from you (according to another report: as for you saying that you are a jealous woman, I will pray to Allah to take away your jealousy). As for what you say about age, the same applies to me as to you. As for your children, your children are my children.' So I accepted his offer and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married me. Allah gave me someone even better than Abu Salamah, namely the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)."   These two reports are in the Musnad of Imaam Ahmad. The hadeeth was also reported by Muslim from Umm Salamah, who said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'There is no Muslim who suffers a calamity and says what Allah has commanded: "Innaa Lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raji'oon, Allahumma ujurni fi museebati w'ukhluf li khayran minha," but Allah will compensate him with something better.' When Abu Salamah died, I said, 'Who among the Muslims could be better than Abu Salamah, the first household to migrate to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)?' Then I said [this du`a] and Allah compensated me with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He sent Haatib ibn Abi Balta'ah on his behalf to ask for my hand in marriage, but I said, 'I have a daughter, and I am a jealous woman.' He said, 'As for your daughter, we will pray to Allah to make her independent, and I will pray to Allah to take away your jealousy.'" (Reported by Muslim, 1525).   I want to tell you, my brother, that the sincere person whose du`as are answered has to be completely honest with Allah in the way he strives to rid himself of bad characteristics and to acquire good characteristics. If you want proof of this, it is to be found in the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "Whoever seeks to be patient, Allah will give him patience." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 1376). He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said: "Knowledge comes by learning and patience comes by making oneself be patient." (Reported by al-Daraqutni and others; classed as hasan in Saheeh al-Jaami', 2328).   Allah has created the means of getting results, so you must pay attention to the laws of Allah that govern His creation. Use the means of acquiring good characteristics and avoiding bad characteristics so that you may get the results you want. You must strive hard and call on Allah. Allah will not betray the hopes of His slaves or cause their hard work and efforts to be lost or wasted.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAD A CHILD BY AN "ARAB" THEN A DEW YEARS LATER YOU BECOME MUSLIM AND WANT TO GET MARRIED WHAT DO YOU DO? WHAT DO YOU TELL THE CHILD ABOUT HER REAL FATHER? WHAT DO YOU TELL THE PEOPLE? OR DOES IT MATTER

Praise be to Allah.and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allaah. Zinaa (fornication or adultery) is a crime that is forbidden by divine laws and rejected by all wise and sane people, even if they are not Muslim. Allaah has condemned those who do this in many aayaat of the Qur’aan and in numerous ahaadeeth of His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He has threatened those who do this with severe punishment and disgrace in this world and the next – except those who repent, have faith and do righteous deeds, for Allaah will accept their repentance. The gate of repentance is open, but it is a condition of repentance that one should regret the deed and give it up. Islam wipes out whatever came before. With regard to the child, he belongs to his mother, and should not be named after his father. This is the ruling concerning the illegitimate child: he should not be named after his father because he was conceived in fornication, not in wedlock. It is obligatory to take care of this child and bring him up with Islamic manners and morals. Because this immoral act has occurred, you must repent from it, but you should cover it up and not disclose it; you do not have to tell the people the truth. If the child wants to know the truth, you can tell him in an appropriate manner, and let him know that what happened was in the days of kufr (before you became Muslim), and that when a person repents and becomes Muslim, this wipes out whatever happened before. The child does not bear any responsibility for what happened, and as long as his mother has become Muslim, there is no grounds for rebuking or punishing her. It is obligatory to accept the will and decree of Allaah, and if this child does righteous deeds he will enter Paradise. No soul is made to bear the burdens of another. We ask Allaah to keep you safe and sound and to forgive you. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

How are you? I am currently researching issues related to Homosexual persecution In Asia, especially Malaysia. I hope that you could kindly help answer a few of my questions. 1) How are homosexuals (Muslim & non-muslim) being treated in Malaysia? 2) How severe will the punishment be? 3) How does society perceive homosexuals? 4) Is homosexuality legal? Thank you very much for your kind help.

Praise be to Allah.Homosexuality in Malaysia We do not have any information about homosexuality in Malaysia, but we assume that the Muslims there feel total abhorrence towards this shameful act, because their religion, Islam, emphatically forbids this deed and prescribes a severe punishment for it, in this world and the next.  How could it be otherwise, when the Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever you find committing the sin of the people of Lut (Lot), kill them, both the one who does it and the one to whom it is done" - i.e. if it is done with consent. (This hadith was narrated by al-Tirmidhi in his Sunan, 1376) Punishment for homosexuality  The scholars of Islam, such as Malik, al-Shafi'i, Ahmad and Ishaq said that (the person guilty of this crime ) should be stoned, whether he is married or unmarried. Is homosexuality a sin? There is no doubt that homosexuality , which goes against the pure human nature created by Allah, by making men content with men and women with women, destroying families, adversely affecting the birth rate, causing the spread of killer diseases, harming the innocent when children are raped, and generally spreading corruption on earth, should be uprooted and stamped out. Perhaps your research will lead you to find out much more about this religion with its great laws and accurate rules and the wisdom of the One Who revealed it. We ask Allah to grant you help and success, for Allah is the One Who guides to the Straight Path. And Allah knows best.

As salamu alaykum I asked a sister for her hand in marriage on-line and we talk to each other casually on the internet; is it allowed to speak to her even though I am not able to get married until I graduate (in 3 years). was salamu alaykum

Praise be to Allah. If a proper nikaah (marriage contract) has been done, then you can talk to her however you want, whenever you want, because she is legally your wife, even if you have not yet consummated the marriage. But if the Islamic contract has not yet been done, then she is still a "stranger" (non-mahram) to you, so avoid speaking directly to her. As for corresponding with her via e-mail or the Internet, there is nothing wrong with doing so, as long as the content of your letters is restricted to permissible matters such as advising, teaching and so on. But be very careful not to get dragged into romantic talk or anything else that could inflame desires or result in something bad. May Allaah help us and you to obey Him and to avoid everything that may earn His wrath. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

Regarding prostration in prayer, I have read two different versions. One (on this website) says that it is better that your knees touch the floor before your hands. In the book The Prophet's Prayer, it says one should place one's hands on the ground before the knees - and quotes hadith supporting this (claiming knees before hand is as the camel and not advisable. Is there a correct way?

Praise be to Allah.The scholars have differed as to how one should go down in sujood, whether one should go hands first or knees first. According to the Hanafis, Shaafais and one opinion narrated from Ahmad, the person who is praying should go down on his knees first, then on his hands. Al-Tirmidhi thought that this was the opinion of the majority of scholars, and said in his Sunan (2/57): This is how it is done according to the majority of scholars: they think that a man should go down on his knees before he puts his hands down, and when he gets up he should raise his hands before his knees. Those who express this opinion take as evidence the hadeeth of Waail ibn Hajar, who said: I saw the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), when he did sujood, putting his knees down before his hands, and when he got up he raised his hands before his knees. (Reported by Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nisaai, Ibn Maajah and al-Daaraqutni (1/345). He said: The only one who narrated it was Yazeed ibn Haaroon from Shurayk. Nobody reported from Aasim ibn Kulayb except Shurayk, and Shurayk is not qawiy (strong). Al-Bayhaqi said in al-Sunan (2/101): its isnaad is daeef (weak). Al-Albaani classed it as daeef in al-Mishkaat (898) and al-Irwa (2/75). Other scholars classed it as saheeh, such as Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) in Zaad al-Maaad). Among those who thought that one should go down into sujood knees first were Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah and his student Ibn al-Qayyim; contemporary scholars who favour this view include Shaykh Abd al-Azeez ibn Baaz and Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-Uthaymeen. Maalik, al-Awzaai and the scholars of hadeeth thought that one should go into sujood hands first, based on the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, When any one of you prostrates, let him not go down as the camel does; let him put his hands down before his knees. (Reported by Ahmad (2/381), Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi, and al-Nisaai. Al-Nawawi said in al-Majmoo (3/421): it was reported by Abu Dawood and al-Nisaai with a jayyid isnaad. It was classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in al-Irwa (2/78), who said: This is a saheeh isnaad, all of whose men are thiqaat, the men of Muslim, apart from Muhammad ibn Abd-Allaah ibn al-Hasan, also known as al-Nafs al-Zakiyyah al-Alawi, who is thiqah) Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah made a valuable comment on this matter in al-Fataawa (22/449): Praying in both ways is permissible, according to the consensus of the scholars. If a person wants to go down knees first or hands first, his prayer is valid in either case, according to the consensus of the scholars, but they disputed as to which is preferable. The scholar should act upon whichever opinion he believes is more likely to be correct, and the ordinary Muslim should follow the opinion of a scholar whom he trusts. And Allaah knows best.

I am taking a course on Religions of the World and I am having trouble locating the following answer: What is the nature of the authority of the Quran according to Orthodox Islamic tradition?

Praise be to Allah.The Quran was revealed by Allah, may He be glorified, as a law and a reference as to what is permissible and prohibited, what is commanded and forbidden, for people to follow, so that they obey its commands and abide by its prohibitions, take what it allows as permissible and take what it prohibits as forbidden. The Quran tells us about what happened before and what is yet to come, and it is a reference for judging between us. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… We have neglected nothing in the Book…” [6:38]. After the Revelation was completed, Allah said (interpretation of the meaning): “… This day, I have perfected your religion for you…” [5:3]. The Sunnah [words and deeds of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)] came to explain and complement the Quran. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “I have been given the Quran and something like it with it.” The phrase “something like it with it” refers to the Sunnah. (saheeh/authentic hadeeth). Allah commanded us to refer to these two constitutional references, when He said (interpretation of the meaning): “…if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger…” [4:59]. Referring to Allah means referring to the Quran, and referring to His Messenger means referring to the sunnah. The Quran is the primary source of legislation, then comes the sunnah. And Allah knows best.

There is a converted christian who does not believe in Quran. We had many arguments over this issue, still he does not believe in Muhammed being a prophet of God, . I somehow feel that I should help him in knowing the actual truth. Can you help me regarding this matter. He Believes in Bible completely and follows it and has memorised it . But is unable to understand the importance of Quran.

Praise be to Allah.First of all, it is essential to understand that guidance to the true religion of Islam and belief in the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the message he brought comes about only by the help of Allah, and that we are required to explain this and produce evidence of it. There is a great deal of clear evidence for the one who seeks to find out the truth about the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), including the following: Allah chose him even though he had grown up as an orphan and was illiterate, knowing neither how to read or write. All good qualities and virtues were perfected in him, to the point of ultimate perfection. All these good qualities were combined and firmly established in him, something which no one else can attain except the Prophets whom Allah protected and guided. This combination of perfect qualities is one of the greatest proofs of the truth of his Prophethood (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The revelation of Allah was bestowed upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Angel of Revelation, Jibreel (Gabriel), who is recognized by all the People of the Book [Jews and Christians], came to him, and when he received revelation, there were unusual effects on him that indicated the intensity of the effort involved in receiving the Message of Allah from Jibreel, upon whom be peace. His Companions witnessed this when he received Revelation, and they believed that the revelation was something that came from an outside source and was beyond his control; it came to him from (Allah), the Wise and Praiseworthy. Allah supported the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) with physical miracles, with which he challenged his people. Among the most important of these were the splitting of the moon and the Night Journey to Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). They were unable to match these miracles, and so they were a decisive, divine testimony to the truth of his Prophethood (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Allah supported him with miracles and evidence for people of reason and understanding, the greatest of which was the Quran. This was the greatest sign, which contains in its pages miracles of both style and content, which all of mankind cannot match or imitate, even if they gather together for that purpose. This is clear from the statements of the most eloquent of the Arabs, who were completely unable to match it. The Quran was – and centuries later still is, praise be to Allah – an eternal miracle as is evident in its brilliant style, its information about the Unseen, its fulfilment of the promises of Allah, the superiority of its laws, and the fact that its rulings are appropriate for every time and place – in addition to the fact that it has such a moving impact on people’s hearts. The Quran refers to the signs and proofs surrounding the person of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), which testify to his truthfulness. For example, he was free of sin and trivial spitefulness; he grew up illiterate in the Arabian Peninsula, and did not receive any religious knowledge from beyond its borders, nor did he spend time acquiring any religious knowledge. When he reached the age of forty, he brought divine knowledge that none of the earlier or later generations could produce. He also received special protection and care from Allah, which kept him safe at times of crisis; if it were not for this protection he would most certainly have been doomed to destruction. None of this could have happened except to one who was truly sent from Allah. His coming was foretold in the Tawraat (Torah) and Injeel (Gospel), and some of the People of the Book saw that these prophecies applied in totality to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), which led them to embrace Islam. There are still passages in the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments, in the versions that are accepted by the People of the Book, that clearly refer to the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) – for example in the Gospel of Barnabas, which is considered by Christians to be the most authentic Gospel. The Message of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was not unique to him, but was in nature and content similar to the message brought by other Messengers before him. Allah had sent Prophets and Messengers, such as Moosa (Moses), ‘Eesa (Jesus) and others, to the Children of Israel, and great numbers had believed in them and borne witness to the truth of their Books, which were similar in general terms to the message brought by the Quran. This was eloquent testimony to the truth of the Message with which he was sent, especially as it belonged to the same type of Message to whose truth they had testified. When Allah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) with the same Message as the Prophets who had come before him, the Quran came to confirm their Books and their Prophethood, and to call people to believe in them. So when the People of the Book disbelieved in him and his Book, it meant that they were disbelieving in their own Books and Messengers. As the Quran contained the same principles as their books, and confirmed them, this meant that it was the least likely to be fabricated or to have come from a source other than Allah, because all of them came from Allah, may He be exalted. In summary, then, the proof of truthfulness is quite clear in this case. The evidence is there both in (historical) reports and on the grounds of common sense. This will cure the ill (i.e., the one who has doubts) and quench the thirst (of the one who longs for knowledge), as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… Indeed, there has come to you from Allah a Light (prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)) and a plain Book (the Quran), wherewith Allah guides all those who seek His Good Pleasure to ways of peace, and He brings them out of darkness by His Will unto light, and guides them to a Straight Way” [al-Maa’idah 5:15-16]. In order to provide the Christian mentioned in the question with proof and evidence, it should be sufficient to give him a translation of the meanings of the Quran. If he believes, then praise be to Allah, and if he turns away, then destroy not yourself in sorrow for him (cf. Faatir 35:8). Allah leaves astray whom He will and guides whom He will, and He is the Most Knowing of Guides.

Are you allowed to donate or receive organs, since I have seen no direct prohibition on organ transpants in the Quran.

Praise be to Allah.This subject is one of the topics which is being researched by the Islamic Fiqh Council (Majma’ al-Fiqh al-Islami), which has issued the following fatwaa: It is permitted to transplant or graft an organ from one part of a person’s body to another, so long as one is careful to ascertain that the benefits of this operation outweigh any harm that may result from it, and on the condition that this is done to replace something that has been lost, or to restore its appearance or regular function, or to correct some fault or disfigurement which is causing physical or psychological distress. It is permitted to transplant an organ from one person’s body to another, if it is an organ that can regenerate itself, like skin or blood, on the condition that the donor is mature and understands what he is doing, and that all other pertinent shar’i conditions are met. It is permitted to use part of an organ that has been removed because of illness to benefit another person, such as using the cornea of an eye removed because of illness. It is haraam to take an organ on which life depends, such as taking a heart from a living person to transplant into another person. It is haraam to take an organ from a living person when doing so could impair an essential vital function, even though his life itself may not be under threat, such as removing the corneas of both eyes. However, removing organs which will lead to only partial impairment is a matter which is still under scholarly discussion. It is permitted to transplant an organ from a dead person to a living person whose life depends on receiving that organ, or whose vital functions are otherwise impaired, on the condition that permission is given either by the person before his death or by his heirs, or by the leader of the Muslims in cases where the dead person’s identity is unknown or he has no heirs. Care should be taken to ensure that there is proper agreement to the transplant of organs in the cases described above, on the condition that no buying or selling of organs is involved. It is not permitted to trade in human organs under any circumstances. But the question of whether the beneficiary may spend money to obtain an organ he needs, or to show his appreciation, is a matter which is still under scholarly debate. Anything other than the scenarios described above is still subject to scholarly debate, and requires further detailed research in the light of medical research and shar’i rulings. See also questions # 2141, 2159, 424. And Allaah knows best.

If I give sexual pleasure to my husband while I have my menses, do I need to take a ritual bath to purify myself even if I don't pray (because of my menses)?

Praise be to Allah.A menstruating woman does not need to do ghusl after having sexual contact, because her impurity lasts as long as the blood is flowing, and it does not stop until her bleeding stops and she does ghusl. While she is menstruating, her husband is not permitted to have intercourse in the vagina, because of the aayah (interpretation if the meaning): They ask you concerning menstruation. Say: That is an adha (a harmful thing for a husband to have sexual intercourse with his wife while she is having her menses), therefore keep away from women during menses and go not unto them until they have purified (from menses and taken a bath) [al-Baqarah 2:222]. The husband may enjoy (sexual activity) other than intercourse, because of the hadeeth of Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said that among the Jews, when a woman had her menses they would not eat with her or stay in the same house with her. The Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked him about this, and Allaah revealed the aayah, They ask you concerning menstruation. Say: That is an adha (a harmful thing for a husband to have sexual intercourse with his wife while she is having her menses), therefore keep away from women during menses [al-Baqarah 2:222]. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, Do everything except have intercourse. News of this reached the Jews, and they said, What does this man want? He doesnt leave anything of ours alone without saying something different! (Reported by Muslim, 455). And Allaah knows best.

I am a "New" Muslim (or recently converted) and I thank Allah for guiding me to this truly happiest move I've made in my life. Among all the other ways to worship the Allah, I appreciate very much the issue of fasting. I have truly enjoyed my first Ramadan this year and went through all 30 days with pride and great faith. I'm also very interested in voluntary fasting and besides fasting Thursdays, I've been also fasting during the White Days (13,14,15 every month). However, I've realized that I've been fasting 13,14,15 according to Georgian, normal calendar, and not according to an Islamic one! Is what I have done really wrong? Does it annul my fasting? What shall I do in the future? Thank you very much in advance!

Praise be to Allah.First of all, congratulations on the blessing of Allah which you have received, as He has guided you to this religion and caused you to enjoy the sweetness of obedience and worship through fasting, which is one of the greatest forms of worship. Here we will explain in brief the virtues of fasting. Virtues of fasting The virtues of fasting are immense, and a number of sound hadiths state this, such as the following: Fasting is something which is just for Allah, and Allah will give multiple rewards without measure for it. The hadith says: [Allah says:] Fasting is Mine and it is I Who give reward for it. (Al-Bukhari, Fath, no. 1904) There is nothing equivalent to fasting. (Al-Nasai, 4/165; see also Sahih al-Targhib, 1/413) The supplication (du’a) of the fasting person will not be refused. (Reported by al-Bayhaqi, 3/345; see also al-Silsilah al-Sahihah, 1797) The one who fasts has two joys: the joy of breaking his fast and, when he meets his Lord, the joy of having fasted. (Reported by Muslim, 2/807) Fasting will be an intercession for the slave on the Day of Resurrection, when it will say: O Lord, I stopped him from eating and drinking during the day, so let me intercede for him. (Reported by Ahmad, 2/174; al-Bayhaqi classed its isnad as hasan in al-Mujtama, 3/181; see also Sahih al-Targhib, 1/411) The smell (coming from the mouth of) the fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the scent of musk. (Muslim, 2/808). Fasting is a protection and a strong fortress against the Fire. (Reported by Ahmad, 2/402; see also Sahih al-Targhib, 1/411 and Sahih al-Jami’, 3880) Whoever fasts one day for the sake of Allah, Allah will keep his face seventy years distance away from the Fire because of it. (Reported by Muslim, 2/808) Whoever fasts a day seeking the pleasure of Allah and then dies [i.e. that is the last thing he does] will enter Paradise. (Reported by Ahmad, 5/391; see also Sahih al-Targhib, 1/412) In Paradise, there is a gate called al-Rayyan, through which those who fast will enter, and no-one else will enter through it. After they have entered, it will be locked and no-one else will enter it. (Al-Bukhari, Fath, no. 1797). Voluntary fasts will make up for any shortfall in obligatory fasts. Examples of voluntary fasts include ‘Ashura , the Day of ‘Arafah , al-Ayam al-Bid (the White Days), Mondays and Thursdays , six days of Shawwal , and increased fasting during the months of al-Muharram and Sha’ban. What are the White Days? What is meant by al-Ayyam al-Bid is the 13th, 14th, and 15th of each lunar month, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “They ask you about the new moons. Say: These are signs to mark fixed periods of time for mankind and for the pilgrimage.” [al-Baqarah 2:189]  So the timing of certain acts of worship and the ‘iddah (waiting period for women who have been divorced or widowed, etc.) are worked out according to the lunar months of the Hijri or Islamic calendar, not the solar months of the Gregorian or Western calendar.  The fasts which you have observed according to the solar calendar most likely do not correspond with the lunar calendar, but in any case you will be rewarded, in sha Allah, for the days that you have fasted, because you have fasted them voluntarily for the sake of Allah. But if you wish to earn the reward that is specifically for fasting Ayyam al-Bid, which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) urged us to do, you should find out the timings according to the lunar calendar and fast according to it. We ask Allah to increase His blessings upon you, to help you adhere to His religion, to give you the strength to do that which will please Him and to increase your reward, for He is the All-Hearing Who answers prayers. Do not forget us in your prayers whilst you are fasting. May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

I am looking at a lengthy engagement period before my fiance and I am able to financially marry and live together. We would both like to have a nikkah during our engagement so that we are not sinning when we are intimate with each other. However, both of our parents are against this and want us to wait until our marriage reception which is in a year or so. Is it allowed for us to get a nikkah in secret? My second question is, is it ok for us to repeat the nikkah ceremony again during our reception (since our parents won't know of our first nikkah)? Is a double nikkah permissible to the same person? Your help is much appreciated.

Praise be to Allah.You will find a detailed answer to your first question under Question #2127. Know also that you can never have a proper marriage contract without your fathers knowledge and consent. Indeed, he or a person designated by him must marry you to the man who has asked for your hand. Once the marriage contract has been made according to Islamic law, meeting all the required conditions, then there is nothing wrong with having more than one waleemah (wedding reception) in more than one place. And Allaah is the source of help.

What exactly constitutes a guardian, as is needed in the marriage ceremony. I am a female Muslim, and I want to know if my older brother is acceptable for this role.

Praise be to Allah.Pillars of marriage in Islam There are three pillars or conditions for the marriage contract in Islam: Both parties should be free of any obstacles that might prevent the marriage from being valid, such as their being mahrams of one another (i.e., close relatives who are permanently forbidden to marry), whether this relationship is through blood ties or through breastfeeding etc., or where the man is a non-Muslim and the woman is a Muslim, and so on. There should be an offer or proposal (ijab) from the wali or the person who is acting in his place, who should say to the groom “I marry so-and-so to you” or similar words. There should be an expression of acceptance (qabul) on the part of the groom or whoever is acting in his place, who should say, “I accept,” or similar words. Conditions of marriage in Islam The conditions of a proper marriage contract are as follows: Both the bride and groom should be clearly identified, whether by stating their names or describing them, etc.  Both the bride and groom should be pleased with one another, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “No previously-married woman (widow or divorcee) may be married until she has been asked about her wishes (i.e., she should state clearly her wishes), and no virgin should be married until her permission has been asked (i.e., until she has agreed either in words or by remaining silent).” They asked, “O Messenger of Allah, how is her permission given (because she will feel very shy)?” He said: “By her silence.” (Reported by al-Bukhari, 4741) The one who does the contract on the woman’s behalf should be her wali, as Allah addressed the walis with regard to marriage (interpretation of the meaning): “And marry those among you who are single…” [al-Nur 24:32] and because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Any woman who marries without the permission of her wali, her marriage is invalid, her marriage is invalid, her marriage is invalid.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 1021 and others; it is a sound hadith) The marriage contract must be witnessed , as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There is no marriage contract except with a wali and two witnesses.” (Reported by al-Tabarani; see also Sahih al-Jami’, 7558)  Conditions of the wali The conditions of the wali are as follows: He should be of sound mind He should be an adult He should be free (not a slave) He should be of the same religion as the bride. A non-Muslim cannot be the wali of a Muslim , male or female, and a Muslim cannot be the wali of a kafir, male or female, but a non-Muslim can be the wali of a non-Muslim woman for marriage purposes, even if they are of different religions. An apostate (one who has left Islam) cannot be a wali for anybody. He should be of good character (‘adalah – includes piety, attitude, conduct, etc.), as opposed to being corrupt. This is a condition laid down by some scholars, although some of them regard the outward appearance of good character as being sufficient, and some say that it is enough if he is judged as being able to pay proper attention to the interests of the woman for whom he is acting as wali in the matter of her marriage. He should be male, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “No woman may conduct the marriage contract of another woman, and no woman can conduct the marriage contract on behalf of her own self, because the zaniyah (fornicatress, adulteress) is the one who arranges things on her own behalf.” (Reported by Ibn Majah, 1782; see also Sahih al-Jami’, 7298) He should be wise and mature, which means being able to understand matters of compatibility and the interests of marriage. Order of who can take the role of the wali The jurists put possible walis in a certain order, and a wali who is more closely-related should not be ignored unless there is no such person or the relatives do not meet the specified conditions.  A woman’s wali is her father,  then whoever her father may have appointed before his death,  then her paternal grandfather or great-grandfather, then her son, then his sons or grandsons,  then her brother through both parents (full brother),  then her brother through her father,  then the sons of her brother through both parents,  then the sons of her brother through her father,  then her uncle (her father’s brother through both parents), then her father’s brother through the father, then the sons of her father’s brother though both parents,  then the sons of her father’s brother through the father,  then whoever is more closely related, and so on – as is the case with inheritance.  The Muslim leader (or his deputy, such as a judge) is the wali for any woman who does not have a wali of her own. And Allah knows best.

Is it permissible to obtain a fixed rate mortgage from a british bank in order to purchase a house.

Praise be to Allah.If the bank owns the house, then it is permissible for it to sell it to you for a fixed price, whether payment is deferred or made in installments, even if this will cost more than paying the full price for it immediately. This is according to the more sound opinion among the scholars. But if the bank is involved in this transaction as the supplier or lender of funds, which you then have to repay with some extra, then this is clearly an interest-based transaction, which is undoubtedly haraam. It may be almost impossible to avoid interest-based transactions when dealing with real estate in many countries, and one may hardly be able to find any halaal alternative, but the Muslim must bear this with patience and seek out halaal means. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (of every difficulty). And He will provide for him from (sources) he could never imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allah has set a measure for all things. [al-Talaaq 65:2-3] May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

Out of our four Maslaks which is the most accurate Maslak which follows the Quran & Authentic Traditions of Prophet Mohammed (SAW), and also let me know about the prominent books of that Maslak. I'll be highly obliged if you'll guide me to follow the right path of Islam.Thanking you, yours brother in Islam.

Praise be to Allah.So long as a Muslim is following the correct evidence (daleel) and has the desire to follow the Sunnah properly, there is no harm in following any of the Imams when it comes to rules of fiqh. In the case of the ordinary Muslim (who is not educated in fiqh), his madhhab (school of thought) is that of the mufti whose knowledge he trusts. But problems of the worst type occur when people become fanatically devoted to one particular imam or madhhab, to the extent that they reject the truth or ignore other sound evidence because of this. Allaah warns against rejecting the word of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning): And let those who oppose the Messengers commandment (i.e., his Sunnah) (among the sects) beware, lest some fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, etc.) befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them. [al-Noor 24:63] And Allaah is the source of strength.

Assalamu Alaikum: Upon chatting with a Muslim sister who recently moved to our community, I came upon something disturbing. She has been married for about 7 years (she was Catholic at the time and al hamdullilah she has reverted to the right path). Her husband was a brand new Muslim at that time. They were married in a church by a priest. He did not know any Muslims at the time and thought that marrying the people of the book could be done in a church. It was only last week that they both found out that the ceremony should have been conducted by a Muslim. They already have 4 kids. What are they supposed to do now? Is their marriage contract valid? Do they have to redo the ceremony? What about all the years they have been together not knowing that Muslims do not get married by priests? Please advise, so that we could correct the situation if it needs correction. Jazakum Allah Khairan.

Praise be to Allah.Who has guided them to Islam. We ask Allaah to help us and them to be steadfast in adhering to His religion. In response to your question, if the marriage was contracted through an offer or proposal (eejaab) from the walee (guardian) of the bride and acceptance (qabool) on the part of the groom, with the consent of the bride, in front of two Muslim witnesses of good character (as regards piety, attitude, conduct, etc.), then the marriage contract is valid. Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “A marriage is not properly contracted unless there are two Muslim witnesses, regardless of whether the bride and groom are both Muslims or only the groom is. This is what Ahmad stated, and it is also the opinion of al-Shaafi’i.” (Al-Mughni, 9/349; al-Mufaddal fi Ahkaam al-Mar’ah, 6/120). If the marriage was conducted as described above, then it is valid, otherwise it must be repeated. It is permissible for a non-Muslim woman to be married by her non-Muslim guardian, but if she becomes Muslim, this role can only be played by a Muslim. If she has no Muslim walee, then this role can be delegated to the director of the Islamic Centre or whoever is acting in his stead. As regards the children who were born during this time, they are the children of the man and should be given his name, as is the ruling in cases where there is uncertainty of this nature. And Allaah knows best.

In the name of Allah, Most Kind Most MercifulAll praise is for Allah, peace and blessings be upon Muhammed (saalahu alayhi wa sallam)to proceed :My question is this :We hold jummah (Friday) prayer at university. A group of brothers came late and they missed the prayer. They decided to pray Dhur as the jummah prayer has been done. The question was do they dhur together in Jammah (congregation) or do they pray Dhur individually. Please advise me with proofs.Jazakallah KhairWasalam

Praise be to Allah.You should urge the brothers around you to attend Salaat al-Jumu’ah (Friday prayers) at the right time, because Jumu’ah is of great importance. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Let people stop neglecting to attend Jumu’ah, or else Allaah will seal their hearts, then they will be among the heedless.” (Reported by Muslim, 1432) He (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also said: “Whoever neglects Salaat al-Jumu’ah three times with no good reason, Allaah will put a seal on his heart.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 460; he said: this is a hasan hadeeth). As for the people who missed Jumu’ah, they should pray Zuhr, and there is nothing wrong with praying it in jamaa’ah (congregation). And Allaah knows best.

I have heard that it is parents obligation to arrange for marraige of adult children and if they fail to do so, punishment for any sin committed by children is given to the parents. Secondly, if anyone indulges in sex (not intercourse) with honest intentions to marry that person later, then is the sin committed by them forgiven? How bad is it for a muslim to do so?

Praise be to Allah.In answer to your second question, to say that it is permissible for a man to engage in a premarital physical relationship (even if it does not include intercourse) with a woman who is not permissible for him, claiming that he intends to marry her in the future, is total and utter nonsense. This can never be allowed by sharee’ah, and there can be no legitimate relationship until after the completion of a legal marriage contract according to Islamic law (i.e., nikaah). I sent your first question to Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Jibreen, and he wrote back to me with the following answer: Yes, it is a duty on the father to keep his children chaste by arranging their marriages, and spending on them and clothing them, if he is able to do so. If he is not able to, but the mother, grandfather or grandmother is able, it becomes that person’s duty to arrange the marriage. If the son cannot afford it but he has the ability to earn a living, it is his obligation to do so, in order to keep himself chaste. And Allaah knows best.

Our religious studies teacher told us that it is makrooh (disliked) to do Wudu after breaking wind, and that if a person passes wind from his back passage after making Wudu, it is makrooh for him to do Wudu again. Is this correct?

Praise be to Allah.Doing istinjaa’ after breaking wind is disliked because it is extreme, but if a person passes wind after making Wudu, this invalidates his Wudu, according to the consensus of the Muslim scholars. Washing the private parts is not called Wudu; it is called istinjaa’ if water is used and istijmaar if stones or similar materials are used.

In Britain we use tissue paper to clean ourselves in the bathroom. Do we have to use water after using tissues or not?

Praise be to Allah.It is permissible to use tissue paper and the like for istijmaar (cleaning the private parts after passing urine or stools by using stones, paper, etc.), and that is good enough as long as they clean the area properly. It is preferable if what is used for this purpose is an odd number, such as three sheets of tissue paper, or three stones, and so on, and one should not wipe less than three times. After that it is not essential to use water, but it is sunnah to do so.

If a man or woman becomes Muslim after the age of thirty or thereabouts, do they have to be circumcised? Is a man who is not circumcised permitted to lead the prayer?

Praise be to Allah.Circumcision is a part of sunan al-fitrah (actions befitting the natural state of man) for men and women, but if it is not done after a person is fully-grown, there is nothing to worry about. As for a non-circumcised man leading the prayers, this is valid.

What is the ruling transplanting testicles taken from a person who has recently died, especially when this could be the solution for a person who is suffering from sterility?

Praise be to Allah.The Islamic Fiqh Council answered this question as follows: Transplanting reproductive glands. Because the testicles and ovaries continue to carry and produce the genetic characteristics (DNA) of the original donor even after being transplanted into a new body, the transplanting of reproductive glands is not permitted according to Islamic sharee’ah. Transplanting other parts of the reproductive organs. Transplanting parts of the reproductive system which do not transmit DNA (with the exception of the private parts themselves) is permissible in cases of legitimate necessity as long as the relevant rulings and regulations of sharee’ah are adhered to. And Allaah knows best.

What is the ruling on dealing in bonds that produce fixed returns?

Praise be to Allah.A bond is a certificate which, according to its terms, obliges the issuer to pay the bearer the face value plus the agreed amount of interest when it reaches maturity, or to pay other benefits, such as prizes awarded by drawing lots, or payment of a fixed amount, or any discount. The Islamic Fiqh Council has researched the matter of dealing in bonds and issued the following statement: Bonds which represent a commitment to pay the face value plus interest, or conditional benefits, are haraam according to sharee’ah, whether one is buying, selling or handling them, because they are considered to be interest-based loans. This applies whether they are issued by private companies or by public bodies run by the state. The fact that they are forbidden is not affected by giving them other names such as “certificates”, “investment documents” or “savings”, or calling the interest “profit”, “commission” or “returns”. Also forbidden are bonds that offer prizes, because these are loans made on the condition that the benefits or increase will go to the group loaning the money, or to one of them, who is not specified at the time of investment, in addition to the fact that this is based on the idea of gambling. AFrom the alternatives to forbidden bonds, to sell, buy or handle, is bonds or documents based on bidding for a specific project or activity from which the owners will not benefit in any definite way, but will only receive a share of the profits according to the number of bonds or documents that they own, and they will only receive this profit if the project is actually carried out. And Allaah knows best.

What is ‘Aqd al-istisnaa’? What are the rulings and conditions governing it?

Praise be to Allah.‘Aqd al-istisnaa’ – which is a contract that applies both to the labour and the product itself – is binding on both parties when it is drawn up in accordance with certain conditions. The following conditions apply to ‘Aqd al-istisnaa’: Clear statement of the type, amount and required features of the work to be done or product to be made. Specification of the time frame involved. In ‘Aqd al-istisnaa’ it is permissible to delay paying the full price, or it may be paid in installments at specific times over a limited period. It is permissible for ‘Aqd al-Istisnaa’ to include a penalty clause stating what the two parties have agreed on, so long as there are no circumstances beyond their control. And Allâh knows best.

What is Bay’ al-Wafaa’ and what are the rulings concerning it?

Praise be to Allah.Bay’ al-Wafaa’ means selling something on the condition that when the vendor pays back the money he accepted, the purchaser will return the item to him. The scholars have decided the following: This transaction is in reality a loan which leads to benefits for the lender, and is an attempt to get around the prohibition on ribaa. The majority of scholars said that this is not a valid transaction. This contract is not permissible according to sharee’ah.

What is the ruling on giving medication in Islam, especially in cases of diseases where there is no hope of a cure? Is it necessary to obtain the patient’s permission before giving treatment, particularly in emergency situations?

Praise be to Allah.Is it permissible to seek medication? The governing principle is that it is allowed to seek medication because of what has been narrated to this effect in the Quran and Sunnah, i.e., the words and deeds of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and because it involves saving lives, which is one of the overall aims of Shari`ah. The rulings governing the issue of seeking medication differ according to the circumstances and people involved: Seeking medication is obligatory in cases where not giving medication could cause death, disability or the loss of a limb, or where the sickness is bound to spread if not treated, as in contagious diseases. It is encouraged in cases where not giving medication may weaken a person physically, and it is not as bad as the cases mentioned above. It is allowed in cases which are not covered in the two preceding categories. It is discouraged in cases where the treatment could lead to complications that are worse than the original complaint. Treatment of cases where recovery is hopeless  The Muslim believes that disease and cure are matters that are under the control of Allah, may He be glorified. Treatment and medication are ways of utilizing the laws of cause and effect that Allah has incorporated into the running of the universe.  It is not permitted to despair of the mercy of Allah – there should always be the hope of healing by the permission of Allah.  The doctors and families should try to raise the morale of those who are sick and continue their efforts to relieve the mental and physical suffering of the patient regardless of whether a cure is expected or not. Deeming a situation to be hopeless is based only on doctors’ opinions, the state of medical science in any given time or place, and the circumstances of the patient himself. Should we seek the patient’s permission to give him medication? Seeking the patient’s permission depends on whether he is qualified to give it (i.e., he should be of sound mind, mature, and responsible). If this is not the case, then the permission of his guardian should be sought, within the limits set by Shari`ah which requires the guardian to take care of a person’s interests and protect him from harm. No attention should be paid to the guardian’s refusal to give permission if this is obviously going to harm the person. In this case, guardianship has to be transferred to another guardian, or to the Muslim leader. The Muslim leader has the right to force medication in certain situations, such as a case of contagious disease, or the giving of vaccines or when taking preventive measures to control the spread of diseases. In an emergency where lives are at stake, treatment can be administered without waiting for permission or consent. When carrying out medical research, there must be total agreement on the part of suitably qualified subjects, with no element of compulsion (such as using prisoners for research) or financial compulsion (such as using the poor), and no harm must result from this research.  It is not permitted to carry out medical research on people who are unable to give their consent, even if their guardians agree to it.

Some vendors stipulate that people who want to buy or rent a product must first pay a deposit; if the purchaser or renter later changes his mind, the vendor keeps the deposit. What is the ruling on this matter?

Praise be to Allah.The matter being discussed here is that of down-payments, which means that the purchaser pays an amount of money to the vendor in advance, and this is taken as part of the price paid for the product. If the purchaser doesn’t buy the product, the vendor keeps the deposit. It is classified under the heading of “sales and rentals”, because it is the sale of the benefits of the product. There is a hadeeth which forbids sales involving down-payments, but it is da’eef (weak). There are certain cases in which making a down-payment is not permitted, such as forward buying (bay’ al-salam) [???], and the sale of money for money, and of gold and silver, because in all these cases the whole amount must be handed over at the time of drawing up the contract. Sales on the basis of a down-payment are not permitted in these cases. Sales involving down-payments are permitted if a specific waiting-period is stipulated, and both parties agree that the down-payment will be counted as part of the price if the sale is completed, and that the vendor will keep the down-payment if the purchaser changes his mind. And Allah knows best.

What is the ruling on going to auctions where one has to pay a fee or deposit before entering? What is the ruling on the kind of auctions known nowadays where a product is sold for the highest price reached?

Praise be to Allah.Sales and purchases made at auctions are valid transactions, so long as the conditions stipulated by sharee’ah are adhered to. This is the opinion of the majority of scholars, and one of the texts which they quote as evidence is the hadeeth of Anas ibn Maalik, who said that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sold a rug (for spreading on the ground or putting on the back of a riding-beast) and a cup. He said, “Who will buy this rug and cup?” A man said, “I’ll take them for a dirham,” and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Who will offer more than a dirham? Who will offer more than a dirham?” Another man gave him two dirhams, and bought the goods. (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, may Allaah have mercy on, in al-Sunan, 1139; he said, “This is a hasan hadeeth which we know only from the hadeeth of al-Akhdar ibn ‘Ajlaan…) The practical conclusion drawn from this by the scholars is that they see nothing wrong with selling war-booty or inherited goods to the highest bidder. This hadeeth was narrated by al-Mu’tamir ibn Sulaymaan and by more than one of the prominent people from al-Akhdar ibn ‘Ajlaan. There follows a definition of this kind of sale, and some of the regulations that apply to it: The contract: an auction is a commutative contract or exchange, based on a call issued vocally or in writing to invite interested parties to take part in the auction. The contract is concluded when the seller is satisfied. The actual contract may vary according to whether it is the matter of selling or leasing, etc, and according to the nature of the auction – it may be voluntary, like the regular kind of auction held among individuals, or required by law, such as auctions ordered by a judge. Auctions required by law may be held by public and private institutions, and government bodies, as well as individuals. Any procedures involved in the auction – such as paperwork, regulations and administrative and legal conditions – should not contradict the rules of Islamic sharee’ah. Requiring a deposit from everyone who wants to come in is permissible according to sharee’ah, but it should be returned to anyone who does not buy anything, and should be counted as part of the purchase price for those who do buy. According to sharee’ah, there is nothing wrong with charging an entry fee to cover the costs of producing booklets listing regulations, etc., so long as it is not more than the actual cost. Artificially inflating prices is haraam. This may take the following forms: a person who has no intention of buying may inflate the price to tempt the buyer to offer more a person who has no intention of buying may pretend to like the product and to know a lot about it, and may praise it highly, to tempt the buyer to offer more the vendor, his agent or the auctioneer may make false claims about how much was paid for the product, in order to mislead the one who is thinking of buying modern forms of this forbidden inflation of prices include the use of audio-visual and written means to list fine qualities that do not exist in reality, or to raise the price so as to tempt the buyer and impel him to complete the transaction And Allaah knows best.

What is a secret? And what are the rulings governing secrets in a specific profession dealing with secret or confidential issues, such as medicine?

Praise be to Allah.A secret is something which one person discloses to another and asks him not to tell anyone else. This includes situations where it is obvious that the matter should not be disclosed, such as when a man looks around to make sure that there is nobody listening to what he is saying, and so on, as well as private and embarrassing matters that no-one would like everyone to know about. A secret is a trust for which the person who has been asked to keep it is responsible. This is in accordance with both the teachings of Islam and the requirements of chivalry and good manners. In general, secrets should not be disclosed and spreading secrets without a good reason is considered to be subject to the disapproval of sharee’ah. The duty to keep secrets applies even more to people working in professions where disclosure of secrets could reflect badly on the profession itself, as is the case in the medical profession, where people come to practitioners to seek advice and ask for help, and so they have to tell them everything that may help them to do their job properly, including matters which they may not disclose to anyone else, even their closest family members. The obligation to keep secrets does not apply in cases where concealing something may lead to a greater harm that outweighs any harm feared as a result of revealing it. Such situations are of two types: Cases where a secret has to be revealed on the grounds of choosing the lesser of two evils in order to avoid greater harm, and allowing harm to befall an individual for the sake of the general good. Such cases are of two types: Where the good of an entire society is at stake Where the good of an individual is at stake Cases where it is permissible to reveal a secret because This is in the interests of society as a whole This will protect society from harm In all these situations, strict attention must be paid to the aims and priorities of sharee’ah, which are to protect Islam, lives, minds, lineages and wealth.

What is the ruling on a male doctor treating a Muslim woman?

Praise be to Allah.The basic principle is that if a female specialist doctor is available, she should examine the patient. If no such doctor is available, then a trustworthy non-Muslim female doctor can do it. If this is not possible, then a male Muslim doctor, and if a male Muslim doctor is not available, then a non-Muslim male doctor, on the condition that he looks only at as much of the woman’s body as is necessary for him to diagnose and treat the problem, and he should lower his gaze as much as possible, and not look any more than is necessary. The doctor should administer this medical treatment to the woman in the presence of her mahram or husband or another woman, so as to avoid khulwah (being alone with him). And Allaah knows best.

In some fields of medicine there is a trend towards using aborted foetuses for organ transplants. What is the ruling on this?

Praise be to Allah.Nowadays there is something known as the trade in foetuses, in which some doctors deliberately abort foetuses so that they can profit from selling the foetal organs or cells, from which some kinds of injections may be prepared for the benefit of elderly rich people and others. This is a major crime, because it entails the deliberate murder of innocent souls for financial gain. This is a serious form of wrongdoing and the rulings concerning it are well known and obvious. The question of whether the aborted foetus may be used as a source of transplant organs has been researched by the Islamic Fiqh Council, which issued the following fatwaa: It is not permitted to exploit foetuses as a source of organs needed for transplant into another person except in certain limited circumstances under stringent conditions. It is not permitted to deliberately induce abortion for the purpose of exploiting the foetus for organ transplants to another person. Only foetuses expelled through natural or spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) or aborted for a legitimate reason may be used in this way. Surgery should not be performed to remove the foetus except in cases where the mother’s life is at risk. If the aborted foetus is viable and capable of living, then medical attention should be aimed at preserving its life, not at exploiting it for organ transplant. If it is not viable and will not live, its organs cannot be used until after it has died naturally, according to the conditions of sharee’ah. It is not permissible to exploit any part of the procedures required to obtain and transplant organs for commercial gain. The procedures surrounding organ transplants must be supervised and regulated by a specialized and trustworthy organization. And Allaah knows best.

What is the ruling on operations that prevent pregnancy?

Praise be to Allah.It is not permitted to carry out operations on men or women that will lead to complete sterility, such as cutting the vas deferens (vasectomy) in men, or removing the ovaries or womb (hysterectomy) in women. This is because cutting off all possibility of future offspring with no valid reason is haraam, as it goes against what the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wanted for his ummah, and is a source of shame and humiliation for the Muslims. The more the Muslims increase in number, the more this is a source of pride and status for them. Allaah has guaranteed to provide for His slaves, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): “And no living, moving creature is there on earth but its provision is due from Allaah. And He knows its dweeling place and its deposit (in the uterus, grave, etc.). All is in a Clear Book.” [Hood 11:6]. So cutting off all possibility of future offspring for no good reason goes against this teaching. However, if it is necessary to carry out an operation of the kind mentioned – such as a case where the mother’s life will be in danger if she becomes pregnant, or she is suffering from a disease in her womb which it is feared could spread and kill her (such as cancer), so she has no choice but to have her womb removed – then there is nothing wrong with carrying out these operations in such cases of necessity. And Allaah knows best. Fataawaa al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah (2/974); Fataawaa li’l-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (2/975); Fataawaa al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem.

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah What is the authenticity of Salat ul Hajja ( the Salat of Need)Please answer if possible.Jazak Allah Khairun

Praise be to Allah.Salaat al-Haajah is not prescribed in sharee’ah (Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, Fataawaa Noor ‘ala’l-Darb, 1/169). Imaam al-Tirmidhi (may Allaah have mercy on him) narrated a hadeeth about Salaat al-Haajah in his Sunan, but he pointed out that it is da’eef (weak). He said in the chapter on what was reported concerning Salaat al-Haajah: “’Ali ibn ‘Eesaa ibn Yazeed al-Baghdaadi told us, ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Bakr al-Sahmi told us, and ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Muneer told us, from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Bakr from Faa’id ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Awfaa who said: ‘The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever has any need of something from Allaah or from any of the sons of Aadam, let him do wudoo’ and do it well, and pray two rak’ahs, then let him praise Allaah and send blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then let him say: ‘La ilaaha ill-Allaah il-Haleem il-Kareem. Subhaan-Allaahi Rabb il-‘arsh il-‘azeem. Al-hamdu Lillaahi Rabb il-‘Aalameen. As’aluka moojibaat rahmatika wa ‘azaa’im maghfiratika, wa’l-ghaneemata min kulli birrin wa’l-salaamata min kulli ithmin. Laa tada’ li dhanban illaa ghafartahu wa la hamman illaa farrajtahu wa la haajatan hiya laka ridan illa qadaytahaa, yaa arham al-raahimeen (There is no god but Allaah, the Patient, the Most Generous. Glory be to Allaah, the Lord of the Mighty Throne. Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds, I ask You for Your mercy and forgiveness, for help to do all good deeds and for protection from all sins. Do not leave for me any sin but You forgive it, any worry but You relieve it, or any need with which You are pleased but You meet it, O Most Merciful of those who show mercy).’”’” Abu ‘Eesaa (i.e., al-Tirmidhi) said: “This is a ghareeb hadeeth. The fact that Faa’id ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan is among the narrators makes the hadeeth very weak. Faa’id is Abu’l-Warqaa’.” Al-Albaani said: “It is very weak indeed.” Al-Haakim said: “Fabricated ahaadeeth were narrated from Ibn Abi Awfaa.” (Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 1/417). This hadeeth was also narrated by Ibn Maajah, may Allaah have mercy on him, in his Sunan, 1/144, also via Faa’id ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan. Al-Albaani said, in Da’eef Sunan Ibn Maajah, no. 293: “(It is) very weak.” On the basis of the above, this prayer is not prescribed in Islam, but if the Muslim is faced with distress, he should pray and make du’aa’ in general (with no restrictions as to a certain number of rak’ahs or a specific du’aa’ that is not proven in sound ahaadeeth, etc.), because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And seek help in patience and prayer…” [al-Baqarah 2:45], and because of the hadeeth of Hudhayfah in which he said: “When anything distressed the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), he would pray.” (Reported by Abu Dawood in his Sunan, 1124, and classed as hasan in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 4703).And Allaah knows best.

Some women go to beauticians who style their eyebrows by shaving or trimming their edges. What is the ruling on this?

Praise be to Allah.Shaping the eyebrows by trimming, shaving or plucking their edges in order to appear beautiful, as is done by some women nowadays, is haraam because it involves changing the creation of Allah and following the Shaytaan in his tempting of mankind to change the creation of Allah. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily! Allah forgives not (the sin of) setting up partners in worship with Him, but He forgives whom He pleases sins other than that, and whoever sets up partners in worship with Allah, has indeed strayed far away. They (all those who worship others than Allah) invoke nothing but female deities besides Him, and they invoke nothing but Shaytaan, a persistent rebel! Allah cursed him. And he [Shaytaan] said: ‘I will take an appointed portion of Your slaves; Verily, I will mislead them, and surely, I will arouse in them false desires; and certainly, I will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and indeed I will order them to change the nature created by Allah.’ And whoever takes Shaytaan as a wali (protector or helper) instead of Allah, has surely suffered a manifest loss.” [Al-Nisa’ 4:116-119] In al-Saheeh, it was reported that Ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Allah has cursed the women who do tattoos and those who have this done, the women who pluck eyebrows and those who have this done, and the women who file their teeth and change the creation of Allah.” Then he said: “Should I not curse those whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) cursed, when it says in the Qur’aan (interpretation of the meaning): ‘… And whatsoever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids you, abstain (from it)…’ [Al-Hashr 59:7]”

A man has a lot of wind, or probably gas, in his stomach, and he can only complete his wudoo with difficulty. For example, he may get as far as washing his face, then he feels something slight and fears that he may have broken his wudoo, so he starts again. This may happen when he prays too, he feels something but does not smell anything. What is the solution to this?

Praise be to Allah.This is waswaas (insinuating thoughts) from the Shaytaan, by means of which he wants to spoil the Muslims worship. It has to be ignored. The Muslim should not stop his salaah or repeat his wudoo unless he hears a sound or detects a smell, because of the hadeeth narrated by Imaam Muslim from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: If any one of you feels something in his stomach, and is not sure whether something came out of him or not, he should not leave the mosque unless he hears a sound or detects a smell. What is meant is that one should be certain that one has broken one's wudoo; if there is even the slightest shadow of a doubt, he remains taahir (in a state of purity).

After I urinate (pass water), some drops or urine remain in the penis and I sit in the bathroom for a quarter of an hour to clean myself properly. Of course, this is very tiring and exhausting for me. After that, I do wudu for prayer. I have been to a number of doctors, had tests and taken different kinds of medicine in an effort to solve this problem, all to no avail. After I clean these drops of urine, I do wudu and go and pray, but during the prayer I feel as though there are still drops of urine in the penis that need to come out. Of course, this is giving me trouble and causing me embarrassment, especially when I pray in jamaa’ah (congregation) and then discover drops of urine which did not come out when I was sitting in the bathroom, so I have to repeat my prayer, or I doubt that my prayer was valid. Please help me with a clear fatwa.

Praise be to Allah.If you have done udu, then the basic principle is that you are taahir (pure), so do not pay attention to these doubts and insinuating thoughts (waswas), because they come from the Shaytaan. Yes, if you are certain that something has come out after you have done udu, this breaks your udu and you have to repeat it. As regards your feeling during prayer that there is some urine left in the penis, you have to keep your mind off this thought. On the basis of the principle that you are taahir after making udu, there is no need to check yourself afterwards, because this will only perpetuate the waswas. May Allah keep you safe from that.

What is mustahabb (recommended) to be done during Wudu? What should one say afterwards?

Praise be to Allah.The correct procedure for Wudu is: a person should pour water from the vessel onto his hands three times, then put his right hand into the vessel and rinse his mouth and nose three times, then wash his face three times, then wash his arm up to the elbow three times, then wipe his head and ears once, then wash his feet up to the ankles three times. If he washes everything twice, or once, this is sufficient. Then after doing Wudu he should say: “Ashhadu an laa ilaaha illa-Allah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasooluh. Allahumma-j’alni min al-tawwaabeen waj’alni min al-mutatahhireen (I bear witness that there is no god but Allah Alone, with no partner or associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. O Allah, make me one of those who repent and make me one of those who are purify themselves).”(Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 5/231). Before doing Wudu, one should say Bismillah, because of the hadeeth: “There is no Wudu for the one who does not mention the name of Allah when he starts.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 56)

When we eat we get food particles between our teeth. If we do wudu or ghusl and we cannot remove these food particles, is our wudu or ghusl valid?

Praise be to Allah.Your wudu or ghusl is valid even if there are some food particles left between your teeth, but it is better to remove them.

The man’s ‘awrah is from the navel to the knees, so what is the ruling on doing wudu naked or wearing shorts that do not cover the knees?

Praise be to Allah.If you do wudu naked , your wudu is valid, because uncovering the `awrah or wearing shorts does not invalidate one’s wudu, but it is haram for you to uncover your `awrah in front of anyone except your wife or concubine (a slave woman who belongs to a man and with whom he is permitted to have intercourse). For more, please see this category: Nullifiers of Wudu And Allah knows best.

Is it a prescribed part of wudoo’ to wipe the neck or is it not mentioned in the Book of Allaah or the Sunnah of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?

Praise be to Allah.There is no proof in either the Book of Allaah or the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that wiping the neck is part of wudoo’, so it is not a prescribed part of wudoo’.

What should a person do if he urinates and cleans his penis (by squeezing it), then when he has finished urinating, some drops of urine come out? These drops might come out a minute or more after he has finished, and sometimes it happens after he has finished doing wudoo’, and it is involuntary on his part. If he washes it several times, what should he do after that?

Praise be to Allah.There is no need to clean one’s penis in this manner after urinating. If it happens that some drops of urine come out after doing wudoo’, he has to repeat his wudoo’, and wash the place where the impurity (najaasah) is.

For a while I was wiping my socks although I had not been in a state of tahaarah when I put them on, because I did not know about the ruling on this matter. What is the ruling concerning the prayers I offered during that time?

Praise be to Allah.You must repeat and make up those prayers which you did when you were wiping your socks although you had not been in a state of tahaarah when you put them on.

What is the ruling concerning a man who washes his right foot and puts his right sock on before he washes his left foot? Is it permissible for him to wipe over his socks?

Praise be to Allah.You cannot wipe over your socks in this case, because you put the first sock on before completing the act of purification (wudoo’ or ghusl).

I have something like abscesses on my feet, and the treatment requires that I put an adhesive dressing over them, so that I do not get any water on them when doing wudoo’. What is the ruling in this case?

Praise be to Allah.Your wudoo’ is valid whether you wipe over the dressing or let water pass over it.

If a person is doing wudoo’ and hears his stomach rumble, but does not pass wind from his back passage, what is the ruling? Does he still have wudoo’ or does this break his wudoo’?

Praise be to Allah.If a person has wudoo’ and hears the sound of wind or gas inside his stomach, this does not break his wudoo’ if he does not pass anything, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If any one of you notices something in his stomach and is not sure whether anything came out of him, he should not leave the mosque unless he hears a sound or smells a smell.” (Reported by Muslim, 1/190)

If a woman passes wind from her front passage (vagina), does this break her wudoo’?

Praise be to Allah.Passing wind from the front passage does not break wudoo’. And Allaah knows best.

I would like to know whether bleeding invalidates one’s wudu or not.

Praise be to Allah.We know of no evidence to indicate that bleeding from any part of the body other than the vagina invalidates one’s wudu .  The basic principle is that bleeding does not break wudu . Acts of worship should be based on sound reports, so no one is permitted to say that any act of worship is prescribed by Islam unless he has evidence.  Some scholars suggested that wudu is broken if the amount of blood lost from any place other than the vagina is considered to be excessive. If a person in this condition does wudu in order to be on the safe side, then this is good. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Leave that which makes you doubt for that which does not make you doubt.” (Reported by al-Nasai, 8/328; al-Tirmidhi, 7/221 Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi; al-Hakim, 2/13, 4/99)  And Allah knows best.

Does the gastric reflux (heartburn) – where a little bit of food or drink comes back up but does not fill the mouth or only reaches the back of the throat – break one’s wudoo’?

Praise be to Allah.This does not break wudoo’ at all.

A man can hardly go through his day without giving and taking things from his wife. If he has wudoo’ and touches his wife, does this break his wudoo’?

Praise be to Allah.The scholars differ as to whether touching one’s wife directly breaks a man’s wudoo’. The most correct opinion is that it does not break his wudoo’, regardless of whether he touched her with desire or not, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Alaah be upon him) kissed some of his wives and did not do wudoo’ after that, and because it would impose a lot of hardship if wudoo’ was required in this case. If it broke a person’s wudoo’, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would have said so. With regard to the words of Allaah in the Qur’aan (interpretation of the meaning): “… or you have been in contact with women…” [al-Nisa’ 4:43; al-Maa’idah 5:6], this refers to sexual intercourse according to the sounder scholarly opinion.

Will there be any difference in the length of the reckoning of the Muslim and of the kaafir on the Day of Resurrection?

Praise be to Allah.Without a doubt, because Allaah says about the Day of Resurrection (interpretation of the meaning): “The sovereignty on that Day will be the true (sovereignty), belonging to the Most Beneficent (Allaah), and it will be a hard Day for the disbelievers.” [al-Furqaan 25:26]. The fact that the kaafirs will be singled out for hardship on the Day of Resurrection indicates that it will be easy for the believers. The words (interpretation of the meaning), “Truly, that Day will be a hard Day, far from easy for the disbelievers.” [al-Muddaththir 74:9-10] also indicate that it will be easy, not difficult, for the believers. This is also indicated by the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): “Hastening towards the caller, the disbelievers will say, ‘This is a hard Day.’” [al-Qamar 54:8]. This means that the Day of Resurrection will be long for the kuffaar and short for the Muslims. Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, has mentioned in His Book the length of time the reckoning will take on the Day of Resurrection. He said (interpretation of the meaning): “Those who have earned the Garden [Paradise] on that day will be better in their home and happier in their place of noonday rest” [al-Furqaan 25:24 – Pickthall’s translation]. This aayah indicates that the reckoning will be completed in half a day, because al-maqeel (translated as “noonday rest”) refers to a siesta or rest from the heat of mid-day. Among those who said that the reckoning will be completed in half a day are Ibn ‘Abbaas, Ibn Mas’ood, ‘Ikrimah and Ibn Jubayr, because this is what is indicated by this aayah, as was reported by Ibn Katheer and others. (Daf’ Ayhaam al-Idtiraab by al-Shanqeeti, p. 172). Another clear indication that the reckoning of the believer on the Day of Resurrection will be easy is the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah who reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “For the believers, the (length of) the Day of Resurrection will be like the time between Zuhr and ‘Asr.” (Reported by al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 8193). And Allaah knows best.

Is there anything wrong with doing wudoo’, drinking or urinating whilst standing?

Praise be to Allah.A Muslim may do wudoo’ in whatever way is easy and practical for him, whether sitting or standing. He may also drink standing or sitting, although it is better to drink sitting down. He may also urinate standing up if necessary, as long as no one can see his ‘awrah (private parts which should remain covered) and there is no danger of the urine coming back on him. It is better to urinate sitting down, because this is how the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did it in most cases.

The saheeh ahaadeeth state clearly that the one who neglects prayer is a kaafir. If we take the hadeeth at face value, it appears that we are obliged to deprive the person who neglects prayer deliberately of all his rights of inheritance, a separate cemetery should be allocated for such people, and we cannot pray for them or greet them with salaam, because there is no greeting of peace for a kaafir. Let us not forget that if we were to calculate the number of men, believers and non-believers alike, who pray, we will find it is only 6%, and among women the number is even less. What does Islam have to say about this? What is the ruling about giving or returning the greeting of salaam to one who neglects prayer?

Praise be to Allah.The scholars have differed concerning the Muslim who deliberately neglects salaah without denying that it is obligatory. Some of them say that he is definitely a kaafir who has gone beyond the pale of Islam. He is considered to be a murtadd (apostate) who is to be given three days to repent – if he does not, he is to be executed for his apostasy. The funeral prayer will not be recited over him, and he will not be buried in the Muslim graveyard. The greeting of salaam is not to be given to him, in life or in death, and his greeting is not to be returned; prayers for forgiveness and mercy for him cannot be offered; he cannot inherit, neither can his wealth be inherited, instead it is to be given to the Muslim treasury (bayt al-maal). This ruling applies whether the number of people who are neglecting their prayers are many or a few. This opinion is the soundest and most correct, because of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “The difference between us and them is salaah. Whoever neglects it is a kaafir.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad and the authors of Sunan with a saheeh isnaad); and: “(Nothing stands) between a man and kufr and shirk, except prayer: (whoever neglects it becomes a kaafir and a mushrik).” (Reported by Imaam Muslim in his Saheeh, with other similar ahaadeeth). The majority of scholars said that if a person denies that prayer is obligatory, he is a kaafir and an apostate from the religion of Islam. The ruling concerning such a person is as described above. If he does not deny that it is obligatory, but he neglects it because of laziness, for example, then he is guilty of a major sin (kabeerah), but he is not considered to be beyond the pale of Islam. He should be given three days in which to repent. If he does, then al-hamdu lillah (praise be to Allaah); if he does not, then he should be executed, but this is a punishment, not because he became a kaafir. In this case, he should be washed (ghusl, after death) and wrapped in a shroud (kafn). The funeral prayer should be offered for him, prayers can be offered for forgiveness and mercy for him, and he should be buried in the Muslim graveyard. He can inherit and be inherited from. In general, all the rules concerning Muslims who are sinners apply to him, in life and in death.

The time for ‘Asr coincides with the time of a lecture at college. The professor is a Christian and does not allow us time to pray, so we pray when we come out of the lecture, when there is only one hour left until Maghrib.

Praise be to Allah.Praying it at the beginning of its time is preferable, but praying it at the time you mention is OK and is still within the right time. It is not permissible to delay it until the sun becomes yellow, because of the saheeh hadeeth narrated by ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When you pray Fajr, its time is until the first horn of the sun appears (i.e., until it begins to appear over the horizon). When you pray Zuhr, its time is until ‘Asr comes. When you pray ‘Asr, its time is until the sun becomes yellow. When you pray Maghrib, its time is until the reddish glow disappears. When you pray ‘Isha’, its time is until midnight.” (Saheeh Muslim, 5/109; Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 6/121) Al-‘Ala’ ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan said: we entered upon Anas ibn Maalik after Zuhr and he got up and prayed ‘Asr. When he had finished his prayer, we mentioned praying too fast, or he mentioned it. He said, “I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, ‘That is the prayer of the hypocrites, that is the prayer of the hypocrites, that is the prayer of the hypocrites. One of them will sit until the sun turns yellow, and is between the horns of the Shaytaan, or on the horns of the Shaytaan, then he will get up and peck out four (rak’ahs), in which he does not remember Allaah except a little.’” (Reported by Abu Dawood, 350). And Allaah knows best.

In some mosques in the Philippines and elsewhere, they use drums to call the people to prayer, then they call the Adhaan after that. Is this permissible according to Islam?

Praise be to Allah.Drums and the like are musical instruments, and it is not permissible to use them to tell the people that the time for prayer has come, or that the time is approaching. This is a forbidden innovation (bid’ah), and what is obligatory is to let the Adhaan as prescribed in sharee’ah suffice. It was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours [Islam] that is not part of it will have it rejected.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim). Al-‘Arbaad ibn Saariyah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) preached to us in a beautiful and moving manner, which made us weep. We said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, it is as if this is a farewell, so give us some advice.’ He said, ‘I advise you to fear Allaah and to hear and obey, even if an Ethiopian slave is appointed over you. Those of you who live will see a lot of differences arise, so I urge you to adhere to my Sunnah and the sunnah of the rightly guided Khulafa’ (al-Khulafa’ al-Raashideen), and to seize it firmly. Beware of newly-innovated things, for every innovation is a going-astray.” (Reported by Abu Dawood and al-Tirmidhi, who said, it is a saheeh hasan hadeeth. ) And we should remember the hadeeth of Abu ‘Umayr ibn Anas from his uncles among the Ansaar. He said: the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was concerned about how to call the people together to pray. Someone suggested raising a flag when the time for prayer came, so that when they saw it they could call one another, but he did not like this idea. Someone mentioned a ram’s horn, like the shofar, but he did not like this idea, and said, “That belongs to the Jews.” A bell was suggested, but he said, “That belongs to the Christians.” ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Zayd ibn ‘Abd Rabbihi went away, thinking about this matter that was of concern to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Then he saw the Adhaan in a dream, and he came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) the next day and told him about it. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “O Bilaal, go and see what ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Zayd wants you to do, then do it.” So Bilaal called the Adhaan. Reported by Abu Dawood, 420; this is a saheeh hadeeth. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) rejected the ram’s horn and the bell, so how can the Muslims accept the drum? Allaah has given them the Adhaan and they have no need of anything else. And Allaah knows best.

Sometimes the time for prayer comes and I am in the house of one of the Christians, so I take my prayer mat and pray in front of them. Is my prayer valid even though I am in one of their houses?

Praise be to Allah.Yes, your prayer is valid. May Allaah make you even more keen to obey Him, especially with regard to performing the five daily prayers on time. It is the Muslim’s duty to try to pray them in congregation, and to pray them in the mosque whenever possible.

In many parts of the USA, the Muslims cannot find any suitable place to perform salaat al-jumu’ah (Friday prayers) except in some churches where they are able to rent space cheaply or for free. But some students have stirred up a controversy as to whether it is correct to offer salaah in churches, because of the report from Ibn ‘Umar about preventing people from praying in churches, synagogues, graveyards and places where sacrifices are made to other than Allaah. On this basis, some of the Muslims have stopped coming to Jumu’ah prayers. Could you please tell us the correct ruling on this matter, so that we may resolve the differences between the Muslims in this community? Jazaakum Allaahu khayran (may Allaah reward you with good).

Praise be to Allah.If it is possible to find an alternative place in which to pray, then it is not permitted to pray in churches and similar places, because these are the places of worship of the kuffaar, where they worship other than Allaah, and because of the statues and pictures that they contain. (But if it is not possible to find anywhere else, it is permissible to pray in them, out of necessity). ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “We do not enter your churches because of the statues and pictures that are in them.” Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them both) used to pray in churches except for those in which there were statues and pictures. (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 1/112)

We are Muslims living ina kaafir state, and the government has now started to build some mosques in the places where Muslims live. Is it permissible for us to recognize these mosques even though we have no built them ourselves at the time when we are able to do that, and even though their roofs are made of leaves from trees, knowing that the government is currently keen to please the Muslims so that the Muslims will stop opposing the government? We should also note that we do not know where this help is coming from, is it really from the government or from our Muslim brothers overseas? We hope that you can give us a reply.

Praise be to Allah.It is well known that governments and the peoples under their rule share different kinds of rights and duties, financial, physical and moral. If the situation is as you mention, that the government under whose care you are in Christian, and that it has started to build mosques in the Muslim areas and that it is fulfilling its duties towards those who are under its care, and meeting their needs and providing them with worldly and religious public facilities in return for the Muslims’ doing their duties towards it and the benefits it earns from them, then in this case there are no reservations about you accepting the mosques that it is providing in fulfilment of its duties towards you. But this should not involve any reminder to you of its favours, or expectation of something in return . indeed, you should accept these mosques and ask for more and for the establishment of Islamic schools. You should not be deterred from asking for all your rights, religious and secular, just because you have been given some of them. You should also cooperate amongst yourselves to establish other facilities such as mosques, Islamic schools and anything else that you need, whilst also taking care that the stewardship and supervision of mosques and schools etc., built for you by the government should be given to Muslims, not to others, so that nothing happens in them that goes against sharee’ah. This is in accordance with the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): “Help you one another in Al-Birr and Al-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety)” [al-Maa’idah 5:2] As regards the money that was spent by the government, you do not need to know where it came from, because there is no daleel to suggest that this is necessary.

Is it permissible to build a masjid, or convert a building to a masjid, in a place or town where it is expected that the Muslims will leave after some time? Considering that in America, Muslim students may establish a masjid in a particular place, then graduate and return to their home countries, resulting in the masjid being left abandoned or almost abandoned.

Praise be to Allah.All praises are due to Allaah. A masjid should be built or a building should be converted into a masjid due to the general benefit and good to the Muslims that are present, and considering that it manifests and makes prominent the rituals and rites of Islam. In addition, it raises and inspires hope that it will play a role in attracting many Muslims, and result in some of the people who live in the area accepting Islam.

What is the ruling on non-Muslims entering the mosque?

Praise be to Allah.It is forbidden for Muslims to allow any kaafir to enter al-Masjid al-Haraam [in Makkah] and the sacred areas [al-Haram] around it, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):“O you who believe! Verily, the Mushrikûn (polytheists) are Najasun (impure). So let them not come near Al-Masjid Al-Harâm (at Makkah) after this year” [al-Tawbah 9:28]. With regard to other mosques, some fuqaha’ said that it is permissible because there is nothing to indicate that it is not allowed; others said that it is not permissible, by analogy with al-Masjid al-Haraam. The correct view is that it is permissible if it serves the interests of sharee’ah or meet a valid need, such as a person hearing something that may invite him to enter Islam, or because he needs to drink water in the mosque, or the like. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) tied up (his prisoner) Thamaamah ibn Athaal al-Hanafi in the mosque before he became Muslim, and the delegations of Thaqeef and the Christians of Najraan stayed in the mosque before they became Muslim. There were many benefits offered by doing this: they could hear the speeches and sermons of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), see people praying and reciting Qur’aan, and other benefits that are gained by those who visit the mosque. (From Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 6/276). If some kuffaar ask to enter the mosque so that they can see how Muslims pray, so long as they have nothing with them that could make the mosque dirty, and there are no women among them who are dressed in a provocative fashion, or any other reason not to let them in, then there is nothing wrong with allowing them to enter and sit behind the Muslims so they can see how they pray. If we fear that there is someone who may rebuke them (for not praying etc.) without realizing that they are not Muslim, we should point this out to them. And Allaah knows best.

Is it permissible to buy places where wine was drunk or there was dancing and to use them as mosques and places of worship?

Praise be to Allah.Yes, it is permissible to buy them and make them into mosques, because by doing so you are using them for a better purpose than they were used for previously. The evil is not part of the nature of the place itself, it is just something that happened there because of the purpose for which the place was used. Once it is put to a good use, the evil disappears and it becomes a good place.

There is a group of Muslims in a city in the state of Georgia, USA, who want to establish a mosque for holding the five daily prayers and Jumu’ah prayers, and there was a church up for sale. Is it permissible for them to buy this church and turn it into a mosque after they remove the crosses and images that are hanging or are engraved in it?

Praise be to Allah.  Yes, it is permissible to buy it and make it into a mosque, but they have to remove all the crosses and images that are hanging or engraved in it, and everything that indicates that it is a church. We know no reason why this should not be allowed. From Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 6/267. Among the evidence that it is permissible to turn the places of worship of shirk and kufr into mosques is the following hadeeth: From Talq ibn ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): “We went out as a delegation to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). We gave bay’ah (oath of allegiance) to him and prayed with him. We told him that in our land we had a place of worship [the word used indicates a Jewish or Christian place of worship], and we asked him to give us some of the water left over from his wudoo’, so he called for water and did wudoo’ and rinsed out his mouth, then he poured that water into a vessel and told us, ‘Go, and when you reach your land, knock down that place of worship and sprinkle this water over the place, then use that place as a mosque.’ We said, ‘Our land is far away and the heat is intense, the water will dry up.’ He said, ‘Add more water to it, it will only increase it in goodness.’ So we set out and when we reached our land, we knocked down our place of worship, sprinkled water on the place and used it as a mosque. We called the adhaan there, and when the monk, a man from Tayyi’, heard it, he said, ‘The call of truth!’ then he climbed one of our hills and we never saw him again.” (Reported by al-Nasaa’i, 694). And Allah knows best. The building itself does not need to be destroyed so long as its roof, walls etc. can be put to use and architectural alterations can be made, after removing all the symbols of Shirk and other forbidden things, so that the structure of the building will match the rows of prayer, facing the direction of the Ka’bah. Allah is the source of strength and He knows best.

A man accepts Islam and he is 40 years old. Does he need to make up what he has missed from his prayers?

Praise be to Allah.One who accepts Islam is not to make what he or she has missed from prayers, fasting, alms (zakaat) during his or her days of disbelief (kufr), as indicated by the verse in which Allaah says (what can be interpreted as): Say to those who have disbelieved that if they cease, what has previously occurred will be forgiven for them… (Al-Anfaal:38) And what was related that the Prophet (may the peace and blessings and mercy of Allaah be upon him) said, “Islam annuls what came before it.” (narrated by Muslim in his Sahih, no. 121). Also, the Prophet (may the peace and blessings and mercy of Allaah be upon him) did not command anyone among those who accepted Islam to make up for anything that he previously missed from the rites and rituals of Islam during his days of disbelief, and the scholars of Islam are in consensus about this.

I wish to ask you about the problem of praying ‘Isha and Fajr in the region of Newcastle in Britain. The Muslims here in Newcastle have a big problem with defining the right time for Fajr and ‘Isha’ prayers, and the time for starting the fast, because the light reaches the surface of the earth before the sun rises, and stays there after it has set, for a long time, and sometimes this light remains there for the entire night. The astronomers here have divided this period when the light appears until the sun rises, and when remains after sunset until it disappears, into three:when the intensity of the light is such that a person is able to do some work when the light is such that a person cannot do any work that needs light total darkness. The question here is: how do we define the beginning of the time for Fajr and ‘Isha’ and for starting to fast in the light of the times given by these astronomers’ calculations?

Praise be to Allah.In defining the times of prayer, the astronomers’ calculations do not matter. For determining the time of Fajr, what counts is the appearance of a horizontal line of light on the eastern horizon. The time for Fajr starts when this line becomes clear and distinct, and it ends when the sun rises. The time for Maghrib starts when the disk of the sun has set, and it doesn’t matter if there is still light after the disk of the sun has disappeared. The time for ‘Isha’ begins when the red afterglow of sunset disappears. The time for fasting begins when the time for Fajr begins, as we have explained above, and the fast ends when the disk of the sun itself has set, even if some of its light remains afterwards.

We know that the most correct opinion among the scholars is that women should cover their faces, but there are many situations where women cannot cover their faces. Could you shed more light on this topic?

Praise be to Allah.The most correct opinion, which is supported by evidence, is that it is obligatory to cover the face, therefore young women are forbidden to uncover their faces in front of non-mahram men in order to avoid any mischief, and they should certainly do so when there is fear of fitnah (temptation). On this basis, the fuqaha’ stated that in certain situations, women are permitted to uncover their faces in front of non-mahram men when it is necessary to do so, and it is permitted for those men to look at them, provided that this do not go beyond the bounds of what is necessary, because what is permitted on the grounds of necessity should not be exaggerated. These special situations may be summed up as follows: I – Proposal of marriage It is permitted for a woman to uncover her face and hands in front of a man who wants to propose to her, so that he may see them, without being alone with her and without touching her, because the face gives an indication of ugliness or beauty, and the hands give an indication of whether the body is slender or plump (which in turn gives an impression about fertility). Abu’l-Faraj al-Maqdisi said: “The scholars do not differ as to the permissibility of looking at the face… the focal point of beauty, the place one looks at…” Many ahaadeeth indicate that it is permissible for a man to look at the woman to whom he is proposing marriage. Among them are the following: Sahl ibn Sa’d (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “A woman came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, I came to give myself to you in marriage.’ So the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) looked at her, he raised his gaze and stared at her, then he lowered his head. When the woman saw that he had not made any decision, she sat down. Then a man from among his Companions stood up and said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, if you don’t want to marry her, then marry her to me.’ …” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 7/19; Muslim, 4/143; al-Nisaa’i bi Sharh al-Suyooti, 6/113; al-Bayhaqi, 7/84). Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I was with the Prophet , and a man came to him and told him that he had married a woman of the Ansaar. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Have you looked at her?’ He said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Go and look at her, for there is something in the eyes of the Ansaar.’” (Reported by Ahmad, 2/286, 299; Muslim, 4/142; al-Nisaa’i, 2/73). Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When any one of you proposes marriage to a woman, if he can look at that which will encourage him to go ahead and marry her, let him do so.” (Reported by Abu Dawood and al-Haakim. Its isnaad is hasan, and there is corroborating evidence in the hadeeth of Muhammad ibn Muslimah. It was classed as saheeh by Ibn Hibbaan and al-Haakim. It was also reported by Ahmad and Ibn Maajah, and by Ahmad and al-Bazzaar from the hadeeth of Abu Humayd. Fath al-Baari, 9/181). Al-Zayla’i said: “It is not permissible for him to touch her face or hands – even if he feels that no desire will be aroused by doing so – because it is haraam and there is no need to do so.” In Durar al-Bihaar it says: “It is not permissible for the qaadi, the witnesses or the groom to touch her, even if they feel that no desire will be aroused by doing so, because there is no need for that.” (Radd al-Muhtaar ‘ala’l-Durr al-Mukhtaar, 5/237). Ibn Qudaamah said: “It is not permitted for him to be alone with her because she is still forbidden for him, and only a look is permitted, therefore being alone with her remains haraam, because there is no guarantee that he will not do something haraam if he is alone with her. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No man is alone with a [non-mahram] woman but the Shaytaan is the third one present with them.” He should not look at her in a lustful or suspicious manner. Ahmad said, according to a report narrated by Saalih: “He should look at the face, and he should not look in a lustful manner.” The man may look at her repeatedly, checking her features, because the desired aim cannot be achieved in any other way.” II – Business dealings It is permitted for a woman to uncover her face and hands when buying or selling, and it is permitted for the vendor to see her face when he hands over the goods and asks for the money, provided that this will not lead to fitnah – otherwise it is forbidden. Ibn Qudaamah said: “If a person deals with a woman when selling or renting, he may look at her face so he knows who she is, and may go back to her when the money is due (a guarantee of the price when the deal is finalized). It was reported that Ahmad said this was makrooh in the case of a young woman, but not in the case of an old woman, and in the case where there is fear of fitnah, or where there is no need for this business deal. But in cases where it is necessary, and there is no wrongful desire, then there is no harm in it.” (al-Mughni, 7/459; al-Sharh al-Kabeer ‘ala Matan al-Muqni’, 7/348 bi Haamish al-Mughni; al-Hidaayah ma’a Takmilat Fath al-Qadeer, 10/24). Al-Dasooqi said: “ When testimony is given concerning a woman who wears niqaab (face-veil), she has to remove her niqaab. This applies in the case of marriage and other matters, such as selling, giving gifts, debts, power of attorney, and so on. This is the opinion favoured by our shaykh.” (Haashiyat al-Dasooqi ‘ala’l-Sharh al-Kabeer, 4/194). III – Medical treatment A woman is permitted to uncover the site of her illness whether it is on her face or elsewhere on her body, for a male doctor to treat her, on the condition that her husband or mahram is present, and if she cannot find a female doctor. It is less serious for her to be seen by a doctor of the same sex, and she should not be seen by a non-Muslim doctor if a Muslim doctor is available. Also, she should not uncover more than the site of the problem. It is not permissible for the doctor to look at or touch more than is necessary, because the issue is one of necessity and should not be exaggerated. Ibn Qudaamah said: “it is permissible for the doctor to look at whatever is necessary of her body, of her private parts and elsewhere, because there is a need for it to be uncovered. It was reported that a boy who had stolen something was brought to ‘Uthmaan. He said, ‘Look at his groin (to see if he had pubic hair, which would indicate whether he had reached the age of puberty [and would therefore be considered to be a responsible adult] or not).’ They did not find any pubic hair, so they did not cut off his hand.” (Al-Mughni, 7/459; Ghidha’ al-Albaab, 1/97). Ibn ‘Aabideen said: “He said in al-Jawharah: if the illness is in any part of her body apart from her private part, it is permitted (for the doctor) to look at it in order to treat it, because it is the matter of necessity. If the sickness is in her private part, he (the doctor) should teach a woman how to treat it. If there is nobody who can do that, and they fear that she may die or suffer unbearably, then they should cover all of her body except the site of the sickness, then a man may treat her, but he should avoid looking at her as much as he can, and look only at the site of the sickness that he is treating.” (Radd al-Muhtaar, 5/237. See also, al-Hidaayah al-‘Alaa’iyah, p. 245). A similar ruling applies to one who is taking care of a sick person, even if it is someone of the opposite sex, when helping the patient with wudoo’ or istinja’ (washing the private parts after using the toilet). (See Ghidha’ al-Albaab, 1/97). Muhammad Fu’aad said: “What indicates that it is permissible for a man to treat a woman – within the restrictions mentioned above – is the report narrated by Imaam al-Bukhaari with his isnaad from al-Rabee’ bint Mu’awwadh, who said: “We used to go out on military campaigns with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). We would bring water to the people and serve them, and bring the dead and wounded back to Madeenah.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 6/80, 10/136. Fath al-Baari. A similar report was narrated from Anas by Muslim, 5/196; Abu Dawood, 7/205 ma’a ‘Awn al-Ma’bood; and al-Tirmidhi, 5/301-302, who said this is hasan saheeh) Al-Bukhaari included this hadeeth under the chapter heading Baab hal yudaawi’l-rajul ul-mar’ah wa’l-mar’at ul-rajul? (Chapter: can a man treat a woman or a woman a man?). (Fath al-Baari, 10/136). Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said: “The ruling that a man may treat a woman was derived from this by analogy; he (al-Bukhaari) did not confirm that, because it is possible that this referred to the time before hijaab was made obligatory, or that women used to take care of their husbands or mahrams on military campaigns. The ruling is that it is permissible for women to treat non-mahram men in cases of necessity, with as little looking and touching as possible.” (Fath al-Baari, 10/136) IV – Testimony It is permissible for a woman to uncover her face when she is giving testimony in court, whether she is a witness in a case or is there to witness a deal, and it is permissible for the qaadi (judge) to look at her in order to know who she is and to protect the rights of all concerned. Shaykh al-Dardeer said: “It is not permitted to give testimony against a woman in niqaab until she uncovers her face so that it may be known who she is and what she looks like.” (Al-Sharh al-Kabeer li’l- Shaykh al-Dardeer, 4/194) Ibn Qudaamah said: “The witness may look at the face of the woman against whom he is testifying so that his testimony will speak about her in specific terms. Ahmad said: ‘He cannot testify against a woman unless he knows who she is.’” (Al-Mughni, 7/459; al-Sharh al-Kabeer ‘ala Matan al-Muqni’, 7/348, bi haamish al-Mughni; al-Hidaayah ma’a Takmilat Fath al-Qadeer, 10/26). V – In court cases It is permissible for a woman to uncover her face in front of a qaadi (judge) who is to rule either in her favour or against her, and in this situation he may look at her face in order to know who she is and for the sake of protecting people’s rights. The same rules that apply to giving testimony or bearing witness also apply in court cases, because they serve the same purpose. (See Al-Durar al-Mukhtaar, 5/237; Al-Hadiyah al-‘Alaa’iyah, p. 244; Al-Hadiyah ma’a Takmilat Fath al-Qadeer, 10/26). VI – In front of mature boys who feel no physical desire It is permissible – according to one of the two reports – for a woman to show in front of a mature boy who feels no physical desire what she shows in front of her mahrams, because he has no interest in women, and it is permissible for him to see all that. Shaykh Abu’l-Faraj al-Maqdisi said: “The mature boy who feels no physical desire may see parts of a woman’s body above the navel and below the knee, according to one of the two reports, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings): ‘… there is no sin on you or on them to move about, - attending (helping) you each other…’ [al-Noor 24:58] and ‘And when the children among you come to puberty, then let them (also) ask for permission, as those senior to them (in age)…’ [al-Noor 24:59]. This indicates that there is a differentiation between those who have reached puberty and those who have not.” Abu ‘Abd-Allaah said: “Abu Tayyibah did cupping for the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was a boy.” It was also reported that he said: “He is like the ajnabi (stranger, i.e., non-mahram), because he is like one who has reached puberty in the matter of physical desires, and this means that hijaab is required and it is forbidden to look. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘… small children who have no sense of the shame of sex…’ [al-Noor 24:31]. As for small boys who are not mature, it is not necessary to cover in front of them at all.” (Al-Sharh al-Kabeer ‘ala Matan al-Muqni’, 7/349. See also Al-Mughni, 7/458 and Ghada’ al-Albaab, 1/97). VII – The man who has no desire It is permissible for a woman to show in front of a man who has no desire what she can show in front of her mahrams, because he has no interest in women, and he is allowed to see all of that. Ibn Qudaamah said: “Whoever no longer feels any desire, because of old age, impotence or incurable illness, or because he is a eunuch, … or a mukhannath (the effeminate man or a man who has female hormones) who feels no desire, the ruling that applies to such a man is the same as the ruling that applies to mahrams regarding looking at women, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘… or old male servants who lack vigour…’ [al-Noor 24:31], i.e., those who feel no desire for women.” Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “This is the one of whom women do not feel shy.” He also said: “This is the mukhannath who is impotent (i.e., cannot have an erection).” It was reported that Mujaahid and Qutaadah said: “This is the one who has no interest in women, but if he is a mukhannath who feels desire and knows about women, then the rules that apply to others apply also to him, because ‘Aa’ishah said: ‘A mukhannath entered upon the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and they used to think that he was a man who felt no physical desires, but the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered upon us when this man was describing a woman and saying ‘When she comes in, she comes on four, and when she goes out, she goes on eight.’ The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Do I not see that this man knows who is here? This one should never enter upon you.’ And he was kept away after that.” (Reported by Abu Dawood and others). Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said: “The mukhannath is not only the one who is known to be promiscuous. The mukhannath is the one who looks so much like a woman physically that he resembles women in his softness, speech, appearance, accent and thinking. If he is like this, he would have no desire for women and he would not notice anything about them. This is one of those who have no interest in women who were permitted to enter upon women. Do you not see that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not prevent that mukhannath from entering upon his wives at first, but when he heard him describing the daughter of Ghaylaan and realized that he knew about women, he commanded that he should be kept away.” (Al-Mughni, 7/463; al-Sharh al-Kabeer ‘ala Matan al-Muqni’, 7/347-348). IX – Old women who are past marriageable age Old women who are past marriageable age may uncover their faces and what usually appears in front of non-mahram men, but it is still better for them to remain covered. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And as for women past child-bearing who do not expect wedlock, it is no sin on them if they discard their (outer) clothing in such a way as not to show their adornment. But to refrain (i.e., not to discard their outer clothing) is better for them…” [al-Noor 24:60]. Ibn Qudaamah said: “In the case of old women who are past marriageable age, there is nothing wrong if they show what ordinarily appears, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning), ‘And as for women past child-bearing who do not expect wedlock…’ [al-Noor 24:60].” Ibn ‘Abbaas said concerning the aayahs (interpretation of the meanings), “Tell the believing men to lower their gaze…” [al-Noor 24:30] and “Tell the believing women to lower their gaze…” [al-Noor 24:31]: “Old women who no longer expect to get married were exempted from this. The same exemption also applied to women who are deformed and are not desirable.” (Al-Mughni, 7/463; al-Sharh al-Kabeer ‘ala Matan al-Muqni’, 7/347-348). X – Uncovering the face in front of kaafir women The scholars have differed concerning how a Muslim woman should appear in front of kaafir women. Ibn Qudaamah said: “The ruling concerning women dealing with women is the same as that concerning men dealing with men. There is no difference between Muslims, and no difference between a Muslim woman and a dhimmi (non-Muslim living under Muslim rule) woman, just as there is no difference between two Muslim men or between a Muslim man and a dhimmi man when it comes to seeing. Ahmad said: ‘Some people think that she should not take off her head covering in front of a Jewish or Christian woman. However, I think that she (a Jewish or Christian woman) should not see the private part (of a Muslim woman), or attend her when she gives birth (i.e., she should not be her midwife, because she will look at the most private part of her body when she gives birth – except in cases of necessity, as discussed above).’” Another opinion was reported from Ahmad, according to which a Muslim woman should not remove her niqaab in front of a dhimmi woman, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… or their women …” [al-Noor 24:31]. But the first opinion is more correct, because kaafir women, Jewish and others, used to enter upon the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and they did not wear hijaab in front of them nor were they commanded to do so. ‘Aa’ishah said that a Jewish woman used to come and talk to her, saying “May Allaah save you from the punishment of the grave,” and she [‘Aa’ishah] asked the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)… Asma’ said, “My mother came to me, and she had no desire to become Muslim. I asked the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), ‘Should I uphold the ties of kinship with her?’ and he said, ‘Yes.’” Moreover, hijaab between men and women serves a purpose that is not an issue in the case of a Muslim woman and a dhimmi woman, just as it is not an issue in the case of a Muslim man and a dhimmi man. Hijaab is obligatory when there is a text stating that it is so or the obligation may be understood by analogy; in the case of a Muslim woman and a non-Muslim woman, there is neither text nor analogy. The aayah “… or their women …” [al-Noor 24:31] could refer to all women. (Al-Mughni, 7/464; al-Sharh al-Kabeer ‘ala Matan al-Muqni’, 7/351 bi haamish al-Mughni). Ibn al-‘Arabi al-Maaliki said: “The correct view, in my opinion, is that this permissible in the case of all women, and that it appears with the pronoun ( -hinna = their) to match the rest of the aayah. This is the aayah of pronouns, where the pronoun -hinna appears twenty-five times; there is nothing else like it in the Qur’aan. So this word matches the others.” (Ahkaam al-Qur’aan, 3/326). Al-Aloosi said: “Al-Fakhr al-Raazi suggested that the dhimmi woman is like the Muslim woman, and he said: “The correct opinion is that she (the dhimmi woman) is like the Muslim woman, and ‘their women’ means all women. The opinion of the salaf (early generations of Islam) should be understood on the basis that (covering in front of non-Muslim women) is preferable, but it is not obligatory.” Then he said: “This view is easier for people today, for Muslim woman can hardly observe hijaab in front of dhimmi women.” (Tafseer al-Aloosi, 19/143). Muhammad Fu’aad said: “If this opinion was easier in their time, then no doubt it is more appropriate and easier in our own time, especially for those women who, because of circumstances beyond their control, find that they have to live in non-Muslim countries, where they mix with non-Muslim women and their lives are interwoven with theirs, to the extent that observing hijaab in front of them is fraught with difficulties. Truly, to Allaah we belong, and truly, to Him we shall return.” XI – Hajj and ‘Umrah Women must uncover their faces and hands when they enter ihraam for Hajj or ‘Umrah. At this time, they are forbidden to wear niqaab and gloves, because the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The woman who is in ihraam must not wear niqaab or gloves.” If a woman needs to cover her face because men are passing close by her, or she is beautiful and is sure that men are looking at her, she should drop a part of head covering over her face, because of the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah in which she said, “Riders were passing by us, and we were in ihraam with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so when they came near, each of us would lower her jilbaab over her face, and when they went away we would uncover our faces again.” Al-Juzayri said, reporting from them: “A woman may cover her face for a necessary reason, such as non-mahram men passing close by her, and the fact that (the cloth) will touch her face does not matter. This is to make it easy and alleviate hardship.” (Al-Fiqh ‘ala’l-Madhaahib al-Arba’ah, 1/645). These are situations in which it is acceptable for a woman to uncover her face and hands, explained in detail by the fuqaha’ and scholars. But there is one other situation which deserves our attention, and that is when a Muslim woman is forced to uncover her face – what is the ruling in this case? XII – Compulsion Some oppressive regimes have instituted harsh laws which go against the religion of Islam and rebel against Allaah and His Messenger. These laws prevent Muslim women from wearing proper hijaab, and some of them even remove their niqaab by force and subject them to the worst type of oppression and persecution. Women who wear niqaab have been subjected to harassment in certain European countries, where they have been subjected to harm, and Islam and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) have been slandered. Therefore, when a woman is certain that she is likely to be subjected to unbearable harassment, she is permitted to uncover her face. It is better to follow a scholarly opinion which is less correct than to expose herself to trouble at the hands of evil men. If a woman is permitted to uncover her face and hands in the situations described above, which do not involve force or harassment, then surely it is more likely that she is permitted to uncover them when she is faced with a threat to herself and her religion, especially when her niqaab may expose her to tormentors who may pull the hijaab from her head or subject her to worse abuse. In cases of necessity, things that are ordinarily forbidden are permitted, within the limits of what is strictly necessary, as the scholars have stated, but this should not lead one to take the matter of covering the face lightly. Each woman must evaluate the situation in which she is living and learn from her own experience and that of others, so that she will be sure of what is a case of real necessity, as opposed to her own whims and weaknesses. Although women are permitted to uncover their faces and hands in the exceptional situations described above, they are not permitted to wear make-up and visible jewellery if they do so. It is forbidden for them to display these things in front of non-mahram men, according to all the fuqaha’, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… and not to show off their adornment…” [al-Noor 24:31], and because there is no need to do so. (Hijaab al-Muslimah bayna Intihaal wa Ta’weel al-Jaahileen, p. 239). We ask Allaah to reform the Muslims. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

What is the ruling on making up missed prayers in the case of one who was negligent? Among us non-Arabs there are many who may pray one time, then not pray another time, until they reach the age of thirty or thereabouts, then after the age of thirty or forty, they start to pray regularly. Do those who have been negligent about their prayers have to make them up, and does the same apply to Ramadaan fasts?

Praise be to Allah.The person who is in this situation is a kaafir guilty of kufr akbar (i.e., he is beyond the pale of Islam), according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions, so long as he does not deny that the prayer is obligatory. If he does deny this, then he is a kaafir according to the consensus of all scholars. If he repents and starts to pray the obligatory prayers and to fast in Ramadaan, and he continues to do so, then he is considered to be a Muslim, and the prayers and fasts that he deliberately failed to do in the past do not have to be made up, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Islam wipes out what came before and repentance wipes out what came before”, and because the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them), when they fought the apostates at the time of [Abu Bakr] al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him), they did not tell those who came back to Islam to make up the fasts or prayers, and they [the Sahaabah] are the most knowledgeable of the sharee’ah of Allaah after the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allaah be upon them.

I want to get married to a girl but her father is in another country, and at present I cannot travel there for us to be all together, because of financial and other circumstances. I am also in a foreign country. Is it permissible for me to phone her father so that he can say, “I offer you my daughter So and so in marriage,” and I can say, “I accept,” with the consent of the girl and in the presence of two Muslim witnesses who are listening to what he and I say by means of speakers attached to the phone? Would this be considered as a valid marriage contract according to sharee’ah?

Praise be to Allah.I put this question to our Shaykh al-Mufti al-‘Allaamah ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abd-Allah ibn Baz, who replied that if what is described is genuine (and there is no cheating involved), then it achieves the purpose of meeting the shar'i conditions of nikaah and the marriage contract is valid. And Allah knows best.