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Ask the Scholar about Family-Fiqhi Issues

Sheikh Ahmad Kutty
30 June, 2020

Dear Brothers/Sisters,

Thank you very much for joining us in this Fatwa session. We would like also to thank our guest, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, for answering the questions directed to him. You will find the answers of your questions below.

Tuesday, Jun. 30, 2020 | 14:20 - 16:20 GMT

Session is over.
DISCLAIMER
Views expressed by hosts/guests on this program (live dialogue, Facebook sessions, etc.) are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.  

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Q:

Assalamu ‘alaikum. Recently I read a book related to aqidaah. I found there a title that Allah didn’t give any supernatural power to anyone. But it is clear from Hadith that our Prophet (peace be upon him) had a power to see behind him while performing salah. The angels also do supernatural work. Please explain the matter to me.

A:

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

The matters of Ghayb are indeed the exclusive realm of Allah; and in so far as anyone else has been given access to something of it, it is an exception.

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Allah orders the Prophet to declare that He is a mortal like everyone else and that he does not know the unseen realities. However, the verse does not contradict the fact that sometimes Allah chooses to disclose something of the hidden realities to His chosen messengers from among angels and humans: This is what we learn from the following verses:

“He is the One who knows what is hidden. He does not disclose it except to a messenger of His choosing.” (Qur’an: 73: 26-27)

Therefore, there is no contradiction: while the Ghayb or unseen realities are the exclusive realms of Allah; He may choose to disclose some knowledge of it to some of his chosen messengers.

Therefore, we need not be surprised if we learn that Allah allowed His Messenger to see what was happening behind him in Prayer.

In other words, they are part of this special favors bestowed on him by Allah.

The Quran tells us that the Prophet Ibrahim entered the blazing fire-pit and emerged out of it unscathed and unharmed;  the Prophet Musa parted the red sea and hit the ground with his staff transformed into a serpent; and the Prophet Isa was given the power to revive the dead, heal the leper and restore the eyesight to the blind. Likewise, the Prophet Muhammad was saved miraculously from his enemies’ many attempts to assassinate him.

However, nothing of this fact would contradict the principle we are to hold firmly to that the ultimate source of the knowledge of the unseen realities is Allah and Allah alone.

Almighty Allah Knows best.

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Q:

Can I draw animal mandalas and hang them in my room? Besides, Can I keep shadowed animal shapes in my room (they are just totally black with just shape, no eyes or face are conspicuous)? Even then will angels enter my room ? Last not but least can I pray wearing a cloth which has butterfly print on it ?

A:

The mandalas are used as aids for meditation in Buddhism and Hinduism. They believe them as props for developing mindfulness and help meditation. 

As a Muslim, however, you should avoid using them or placing them in your home or car. By doing so, you are imitating them.

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Instead, you should replace them with genuine Islamic symbols: Islamic calligraphy involving verses of the Qur’an and forms of dhikr and Du’a, including the beautiful names of Allah, should be our preferred choices.

So, I would advise you against such mandalas and replace them with the Islamic alternatives.

Almighty Allah Knows best.

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Q:

I actually liked an artist and follow her on every social media sites. I once attended her concert and missed two of my salat. I feel so bad because I feel like I have committed shirk and I feel so depress because it is a huge sin. Moreover, what makes me feel so bad is that if I read a hadith or any islam saying related to people, i think of her first and I feel really bad because i feel like I’ve been spending so much time on her than my creator. Lastly, I feel like I have done so much sin because pf how I liked that artist. What should I do? 😭😭😭 Please help me.

A:

You need to purge your heart of this obsession and hero worship. Any attachment to a person or thing that is a source of distraction from the remembrance of Allah is a form of shirk.

“Satan has gained control over them and made them forget God. They are on Satan’s side, and Satan’s side will be the losers.” (Qur’an: 58:19)

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And so it behooves every believer to shun everything that distracts him or her from establishing the remembrance of Allah. That is why the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered the removal of a curtain in his house, saying that its designs distracted him from focusing in his Salah.

I would urge you to seek repentance by using these du’as:

Allaahumma anta rabbee laa ilaaha illaa anta khalqtanee wa ana abduka wa ana alaa ahdika wa wa’dika mastata’tu a’oodhu bika min sharri maa sana’tu aboo’u laka bi ni’matika ‘alayya wa aboo’u bi dhanbee fa ighfir lee fa innahu laa yaghfiru al-dhunooba illaa anta

(O Allah, You are my Lord; there is no god but You. You have created me, and I am Your servant. I stand by my covenant with you to the best of my ability. I seek refuge in You from the evils of my actions. I recognize Your favors upon me, and I confess my sins before You, so forgive me, since You alone have the power to forgive sins.)

Allaahumma yaa muqalliba al-quloobi thabbith qalbee ‘alaa deenika

Allaahumma yaa muqalliba al-quloobi thabbith qalbee ‘alaa al-haqq

Allaahumma yaa muqalliba al-quloobi thabbith qalbee ‘laa taa’tika

(O Allah! You are the twister and turner of hearts; so, make my heart firm on your religion!

O Allah! You are the twister and turner of hearts; so, make my heart firm on the truth!

O Allah! You are the twister and turner of hearts; so, make my heart firm on obedience to You!)

Almighty Allah Knows best.

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Q:

I have been carrying this problem with me for months. I actually see images of a person when someone mentions Allah and it is making me feel so bad because it feels like I am associating Him with a human being when I didn’t intend to imagine that person in the first place and now I feel afraid that I would think of that person when Allah’s name is mentioned. These days, i always prepare my brain not to produce image of that mention when I do dhikr. My brain makes me think that I have committed a huge sin(shirk) and I always have to fight it since I don’t know what to do anymore. What should I do?

A:

Islam is based on tawhid or oneness of Allah, the essence of which is to worship Allah alone and refuse to associate any partners in worship with Him. The crucial nature of tawhid can be gauged from the fact that we are ordered to read fathihah, known as the Mother of the Book, in our daily prayers. And it contains the following, solemn declaration, “You do we worship; and from You do we seek help.” The Prophet, peace be upon him, accordingly advised his cousin, “If you ask, ask Allah; if you seek help, seek help from Allah.“

Islamic concept of tawhid is best expressed in Surath Al-Ikhlas and other verses of the Quran. You may do well to read and meditate on them to reinforce your faith in Tawhid.

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There is no doubt shirk is an unforgivable sin; however, a person who has renounced shirk and affirmed the faith in the Oneness of Allah has left it behind and started a clean slate.

Therefore once you have repented and reaffirmed your faith in the Oneness of Allah, you can hope for the mercy of Allah: I would urge you to read the following verses:

“How shall Allah guide a people who disbelieved after their belief and (after) they bore witness that the messenger is true and after clear proofs (of Allah’s sovereignty) had come unto them. And Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk. As for such, their guerdon is that on them rests the curse of Allah and of angels and of men combined. They will abide therein. Their doom will not be lightened, neither will they be reprieved.”

Immediately afterwards, Allah says:

“Save those who afterward repent and do right. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Lo! those who disbelieve after their (profession of) belief, and afterward grow violent in disbelief: their repentance will not be accepted. And such are those who are astray. Lo! those who disbelieve, and die in disbelief, the (whole) earth full of gold would not be accepted from such a one if it were offered as a ransom (for his soul). Theirs will be a painful doom and they will have no helpers.” (Qur’an: 3: 86-89)

On further details on repentance, please refer to the answer posted here:

The Door of Repentance Is Wide Open

Almighty Allah Knows best.

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Q:

I have deceived some people. At first, I told them that I will do the work with them (The knowledge of the work was new to me as I did not know it before but I told them that I would learn it). But as the time passed, I became scared that I will be unable to become skillful and help them. I became neglected and did not gain sufficient knowledge. I made very little to no efforts in the work. The people with which I worked with completed the work themselves. But for my sake, they gave me some credit for the little to no work that I did and included my name in the final contributors.

 This work will be submitted as a formal work and my name will also be present in it. The contributions in the it are different from the ones that I actually did. I did not care at the time that this was the worst form of deception that I was doing. I just thought of my benefit.

 Now, I am really remorseful of my thinking at the time, my way of thinking, disregard of the other people’s hard work and deceiving people. I do not know what to do and how to handle and approach this matter.

 Can you please guide me in this matter of deceiving others? What will happen if I go through with this and do not reveal the truth and vice versa?

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A:

If you deceived people and made money unlawfully, you need to repent and make amends for your sins.

Valid repentance for such a sin entails the following conditions:

First, feeling deep remorse and sorrow for what you have done;

Second, refrain from such activity and severing all ties or leads associated with it;

Third, resolving firmly in your mind/heart that you would never do it again;

Forth, it would help if you purified your income of the unlawful earnings that you made through cheating.

It would be best if you promised yourself that you would never pretend to be eligible to accept a position of responsibility or which you are not qualified.

So, you should look for a job that you are qualified for, and earn your salary by doing the job as honestly and sincerely as you can.

You should continue to seek repentance and ask Allah to help you find a lawful source of living:

Here is a dua you can read

Allaahumma aghninee bi halaalika ‘an haraamika wa bi ta’atika ‘an ma’siyathika wabi fadhlika ‘amman siwaaka

(O Allah, make me sufficient with that which You have made halal for me so that I do not turn to that which is Haram; and make me content with Your obedience so that I do not disobey You; and make me content with Your favor so that I am not forced to turn to the favor of the mortals.)

Almighty Allah Knows best.

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Q:

I have had acne for the past 5 years now and it does not seem to go away, I do pray and always keep faith with Allah and have realized I should pray to Allah in my happy and sad times. But the scars they are leaving are affecting my confidence to the point where I feel like it is not worth me living. Do you have any dua for acne and scarring?

A:

While you should not give up praying to Allah to cure you of your affliction and inspire you with confidence, there is no need for you to be depressed over this challenge you are facing. Everyone in life faces tests and trials; that is part of life. The Prophet taught us that the prophets are the ones who suffered the worst kind of tests and trials, and yet they never protested against the will of Allah.  Instead, they took them as challenges for spiritual growth. Indeed, they tried their best to prevent what they could, while leaving the rest to Allah; our faith teaches us to accept the inevitable as part of the will and find peace in resignation to the divine will.

You should arm yourself with dhikr and duaas: Read Al-Fathihah, and the last three surahs of the Quran and the following Duaas:

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Allaahumma innee a’oodhu bika mimmaaa ajidu wa uhaadhiru

(0 Allah, I seek refuge in You from the pain and affliction I experience and fear)

As’alu Allaaha al-azheem rabba al-‘arshi al-azheem an yashfiyanee

(I ask Allah, the Lord of the Mighty Throne, to cure and heal me from all afflictions).

I would also  advise you to ask your physician to refer you to a specialist who can help you overcome this feeling of lack of confidence; for I am afraid, if you are not able to control it, you may fall into depression.

I pray to Allah to cure you of your affliction and give you confidence to face the challenges you face.

Almighty Allah Knows best.

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Q:

Asalam o alaikum,

There’s a proposal I’m interested in and my mother is interested in it too but my father is against it because of the caste/zaat of the family . He believes our caste is superior and it’s an insult to us to give his daughter in that caste/zaat. What should I do about this?

A:

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

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If the person is compatible (in faith and character) and you want to marry him, then your father cannot object to it based on differences of caste or status; such material considerations are not acceptable in Islam. After all, the choice is ultimately in your hands, once you have chosen based on the sound considerations mentioned above. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “If a person with sound faith and character proposes, marry him; otherwise, you are paving the way to corruption  on earth.”

For further details on this let me cite here from one of my earlier answers:

Compatibility entails a person’s worth in a spiritual and moral sense: the only primary criterion that makes or breaks a marriage. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “If a person of acceptable religion and character presents himself for marriage, marry him, otherwise, there would be widespread sedition and rampant corruption in the land.”

Therefore, if you have made a choice based on the above consideration, then your parents have no right to stop your marriage. Since it is your choice to eat the food you wish to eat, likewise, it is your choice to decide whom you wish to choose as a life-long partner. They cannot stop you from marrying the person you want simply because the person is not sharing your culture or ethnic background.

Parents, however, have the authority to intervene should you choose someone of questionable moral and religious character. Should you proceed in such a case against their wishes, your marriage is deemed null and void according to the rules of Islamic jurisprudence.

If, however, your parents objection to your marriage is based purely on racial, cultural or ethnic grounds, you are allowed to seek other channels of authority to intervene in such a case, as long as the person of your choice is of acceptable religion and character. The concerned authority is supposed to get the parental consent to the marriage, but should they insist on their stand, the authority is sanctioned to authorize your marriage.

This last option should only be exercised after you have exhausted all endeavors to communicate with your parents, both individually and through other channels in the community such as elders or respectable leaders or Imams. It is more likely that parents are concerned about their children for genuine reasons, and that once things are explained to them, they will probably, relent.

Almighty Allah Knows best.

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Q:

Salaam Brother, I have deep question about before we came to the duniya where we given a choice by Allah in the test of life for us to reach the 7th heaven or just to stay where we were.I know we don’t know what alif laam meem but do we really know if where given a choice and made the decision to do the test to get  closer to Allah throne, Allah know best but would like to have your inside to this question. Jazakallah!

A:

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

I am sorry to say that I am not in a position to answer this question as it belongs to the realm of Ghayb or unseen realities; such matters are beyond speculation or human understanding, so we are best advised to leave it to Allah’s judgment.

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The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “One of the signs of excellence of one’s faith is that he or she leaves alone what does not concern them.”

We should be focusing on how to save ourselves from hell and how to get to paradise. We can rest assured of Allah’s promise that Heaven is a place where we can enjoy such bliss the like of which no mind could ever conceive or imagine, no ears have heard of, and no eyes have ever seen.”

So let us motivate ourselves to shun the frivolous preoccupations and instead focus fare more critical issues.

Almighty Allah Knows best.

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Q:

Assalamu alaikum shaikh. In a female’s country,  maximum sellers of sanitary pad, underpants are male and female sellers are rare. If her brother or father or husband or male members of her family bought these for her,  will she be sinner in this case?

A:

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

There is no stigma attached to issues such as Hayd (menses) or Nifas (post-natal bleeding) in Islam. It is a pagan notion that Islam has eradicated, so we ought to reject it altogether.

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The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught us not to be ashamed of menses as it is ‘something that Allah has decreed for the daughters of Adam.” He said this when suddenly Aishah slipped away excused herself from sharing the bed with the Prophet, and on being told that she was menstruating, he said the above words.

That is why the women-companions of the Prophet often come and raise questions on issues relating to menses and other women’s issues in front of other companions. Aishah, the Prophet’s wife, praised them for their boldness in raising such questions without any shyness.

Therefore, I would tell you there is no need for you to be ashamed of your father, husband or brother getting the pads or underpants for you if you are not able to get them for yourself.

Almighty Allah Knows best.

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Q:

Sometimes yellowish type fluid drops (like a blood drop in teaspoon water) leak from my left nostril. Does that breaks wudu, ablution?

A:

The bleeding from the nose does not break the wudu according to the majority of scholars: including the Prophet’s companions and the Maliki, Shafi`i, and the Hanbali schools.

However, the Hanafi School differs; they say that wudu is broken.

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You are free to choose the former view unless the bleeding is profuse, in which case, you should wash your nose and renew the wudu.

Having said this, I would also advise you to choose to wash the nostrils if it is hard for you. The rules are relaxed only because of hardship.

Almighty Allah Knows best.

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Q:

Hi, I am a Muslim and I got pregnant by a non-Muslim and chose to have an abortion. I know there is no way to make this right. I do ask Allah for forgiveness as often as I can. I just want to know what will happen to my aborted baby and if I have to do anything else – like give to charity (diya). I pray as often as I can and have tried to be a better Muslim since I have sinned. Is there anything else I can do?

A:

You have indeed been guilty of the gravest sins; however, there is no reason for you to despair of Allah’s mercy – provided you are determined to seek repentance and take steps to redeem yourself. I would urge you not to give up your efforts in expiating for your sins.

For further details, you may refer to the answer linked below:

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The Door of Repentance Is Wide Open

Almighty Allah Knows best.

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Q:

Assalmualaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,

 I’m 14 years old and I’m wondering if I have to go to the Masjid. Is this mandatory upon me? At what age do children become men in Islam? Salah Al Isha is late at night and the Masjid is 15-20 minutes away from my house. Me parents fear for my well being. Can I pray at home?

A:

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

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If you have reasons to be fearful of your safety when going out to the mosque for Prayer, then you are allowed to pray at home.

That is a valid excuse for you to pray at home.

If, however, the situation improves, and there is no reason to fear, you should start going to the mosque for Prayer.

Almighty Allah Knows best.

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Q:

I easily gets aroused and watches some sex scene which makes me wet and a white discharge… am I required to take gusl bath before praying?

Jazakallahu khair!

A:

If you did ejaculate after thinking or watching an obscene scene or image, you should perform ghusl.

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Having said this, I must also rush to point out: You should be more concerned about this addiction you have developed, which could cause the death of your spiritual soul.

By watching porn or blue movies, you are endangering the health of your spiritual heart.

You may do well to read and ponder the words of the Prophet (peace be  upon him) and motivate yourself to break this bad habit:

“When a person sins for the first time, it falls like a black dot on the mirror of his heart; if he repents, the dot is removed. If however, he persists and continues to sin, the dot expands until it covers the entire heart and then his heart becomes sealed as Allah describes in the Quran:

“Indeed! Their hearts have been sealed by (the sins) what they have committed.” (Quran: 83: 14).

And the Prophet (peace be upon him) warned us that when the hearts are sealed, the person becomes abandoned by Allah.

So, I would urge you to repent and break this addiction to porn. Here are some tips you can follow:

Sins by their very nature are addictive, for it is in the very nature of carnal soul to seek pleasure in sins. As Busiri has rightly said, “Carnal soul is a like a baby; if you neglect him, he will grow up clinging on to the breast-milk for ever, but if you wean him off, he will be weaned off.” I suggest a few tips which you can use to empower yourself:

1) Visualize and meditate on the ugliness of this heinous sin and conjure up images of hell fire as painted in the Qur’an and the Sunnah as many times as possible until such time that whenever you are tempted to visit such sites or view such scenes will be constantly playing in the screen of your mind; thus even as you have associated this addiction with pleasure you will come to associate it with pure pain and suffering.

2) Convince yourself—by taking all measures such as listing all the negative things about such habits, and listing the verses and traditions about the gravity of sins—of the urgency of removing this malignant cancer from your life; remember it is far more serious than cancer attacking your body since your soul survives you even after your physical body has disintegrated in the earth.

3) Imagine how terrible a loss you will be facing were you to die while being addicted to this most heinous sin?

4) Seek strength from Allah by crying to Him for succour; but you can never seek the help of Allah unless you seek to establish connection with Him through regular Prayers; so never be slack in Your Prayers.

5)Schedule your time in such a way that you are never left with any time to think of such matters; Imam Ash-Shafi`i said: “If you don’t occupy your mind with good works, your carnal soul will make you busy in bad deeds!”

6) Surround yourself with spiritual and Islamic influences and virtually immerse yourself in them.

7) Always hang around with good Muslims who are busy doing good works; join a halaqah where spiritual training is imparted together with study of Islam

8) Make your mind and tongue busy with dhikr Allah; say the following words and others frequently:

Subhaana Allaah; al-hamdu li Allah; laa ilaaha illa Allaah, Allaahu akbar;

wa laa hawla walaa quwwata illaa bi Allaah; astaghfir Allaaha al-azeem min kulli dhanbin wa atoobu ilaahi

(Glory be to Allah; praise be to Allah; there is no god but Allah, Allah is Great; there is no power or strength except by the will of Allah; I ask forgiveness of Allah from all my sins and repent to Him.)

9) Once you have been weaned of these pernicious habits, you should seriously consider marriage; marriage is the protection against temptations.

I pray that the Beneficent Lord of Mercy save us all from the evil inclinations of our souls and make us hate disbelief, transgressions and sins; and may He endear to our hearts faith and good works-amen.

Almighty Allah Knows best.

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Q:

Assalamu alaikum shaikh.  Are visible fungi or mold which is grown over surface of some food items considered impure itself and makes the foods impure?    

A:

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

As far as I can learn from the experts, the foods that have molds may have invisible bacteria growing along with it; they may cause allergic reactions. Some of them may produce poisonous substances toxins that may have spread throughout the food make us sick.

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If the above is correct, we should avoid using such foods.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught us to keep the foods covered.

Then I came to read this recommendation on how to prevent mold on foods.

“When serving food, keep it covered to prevent exposure to mold spores in the air. Use plastic wrap to cover foods you want to stay moist (fresh or cut fruits and vegetables, and green and mixed salads). Empty opened cans of perishable foods into clean storage containers and refrigerated them promptly.”

I told myself that we strictly follow the Prophetic instructions on washing our hands, face, and surfaces that come into contact with filth, and take care in preparing, serving, and keeping the foods we consume. It would go a long away in keeping ourselves safe and healthy.

The Prophet was once ready to start the prayer, and yet he told his companions to wait; then, he went home and returned, saying: I forgot to place the lid on the cooking pot!”

In conclusion, if the mold is unhealthy and may pose a threat to our health; hence we should consider it impure and refrain from using it.

Almighty Allah Knows best.

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Q:

I’ve got 2 questions.

1.  I have incontinence problem which is actually I can’t always control the leak of my urine. So, sometimes I urine unintentionally and I can’t specifically identify which parts of my body has been conducted to impurity.  So, when I go to sleep and I want to make wudu as it’s a sunnah to make wudu before sleeping, and I don’t know specifically which parts to clean with water. So, will my wudu be validated even if some of my body parts i.e thighs, legs remain impure  because of urine? As I’m not doing it intentionally.

2. The second question is: what if I cheat a non-muslim? Suppose if I cheat, steal, wrong another muslim, then I have to give my good deeds or take his sins on the day of judgement. So, what will happen on the day of judgement if anyone cheat, steal or wrong another non-muslim as non-muslims have nothing to do on the day of judgment except going to hell.

A:

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You have raised two questions; let me answer them in their order:

As for the issue of bladder control issue, let me cite here one of my earlier answers:

The answer to your question may vary according to one of the two scenarios described below:

“If you are suffering from incontinence or bladder control problems, then you should do the following:

You should make sure to wash yourself and perform your ablution close to the time of the Salah you intend to perform. After having done so, if, during the course of your Salah, you were to experience any wetness, drops, etc., you need not worry about it; it shall be shall be considered as “excused” in your case. Allah clearly tells us

“He has not appointed any hardship for you in your religion.” (Q. 22:78) But we must, once again, stress that in this case, one must only perform the necessary purification and Wudhu as close to the Salah as possible.

Regarding the second scenario:

If you do not suffer from incontinence or bladder problems, then you must ask yourself whether you are certain that you have started your Salah after having clearly established the necessary purification and Wudhu or not. If you are definitely certain that you have done so, then you don’t need to pay attention to such intrusive thoughts or doubts that assail your mind unless you see some tangible signs indicating otherwise. Such tangible signs include wetness, foul smell or sound of passing winds or fart, etc. If you were to experience any of these tangible signs, you must break your Salah and resume it only after having performed the requisite procedure of purification and Wudu.

If, on the other hand, you did not experience any such tangible signs indicated above, then you don’t need to pay any attention to such doubts. This is in accordance with the principle of Fiqh that “Certainty cannot be undermined by mere doubt or hesitation”. Therefore, you should continue your Salah until such time that you see clear signs to the contrary.

In this case indicated above, it is important for us to know that such nagging doubts are due to the whisperings of Satan as the Prophet (peace be upon him) told us that Satan will approach us in our prayer, trying to distract us from it. In doing so, he will definitely play different cards with different people. If, in your case, he is to trying to cast doubts in your mind regarding your purification, in the case of another, it may be by suggesting some other thoughts, and, hence, the remedy for it is simply turning to Allah for protection and invoking His help against the accursed one.

2- Now let me come to the second question.

Regarding this question,  all that I can tell you is since Allah is the best of judges, and He has assured of in the Quran that He does not harm anyone. Therefore, He will somehow compensate for those who were victims, even if they were non-Muslims, and deliver justice to them; and those who oppressed them will have to pay for their sins. We cannot, however, allow ourselves to speak on how He will do that. After all, full knowledge of such things rests with Allah alone. Faith demands from us to have the humility to say: I don’t know on issues that belong to the real of Ghayb or unseen realities; such realities lie beyond the human cognition and rational understanding.

Therefore, we should be concerned only with matters that are far more important for our salvation, and leave the rest to Allah:

Allah knows best.

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Q:

I am a law student from Bangladesh. I recently got to know that as a Muslim, one should follow the Shareeah law. But some of the laws of our country have dissimilarities with Shareeah law. Such as the punishment of rape is imprisonment, adultery with consent is legal, punishment of theft is compensation or jail-time, interest based contracts, works are legal. As it’s not a Muslim country, these dissimilarities are common. My question is that, will it be permissible for me to work as a judge in such court? will it be haram? There are no Shareeah court in our country, so the Muslims have to come to these courts, and i have the intention to deliver justice to these people. Is this somehow permissible?  What is the view of Islam in this matter?

May ALLAH bless you. 

A:

The legal profession is a valuable area for a person with a noble intention to pursue. Since ordinary citizens cannot be expected to protect their fundamental rights when they are violated except through recourse to trained legal professionals, to pursue this field of studies falls under the category of Fard Kifayah (collective duty). This implies that if no one pursues this field of study and because of that the interests of the community are not protected, then the entire community is deemed to be at fault in the sight of Allah.

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As Imam Ghazzali has rightly stated in his Ihya, all fields of studies that are considered beneficial and essential for the survival of the community fall under the category of Fard Kifayah, and Muslims should, therefore, take such studies seriously as a call of religious duty.

As there is definitely a genuine shortage of Muslim lawyers who are truly conscious of their responsibilities to Islam and the Muslim community, it is undoubtedly a highly recommended field to consider for a career for a young person like you.

Moreover, it is worth mentioning that if you are pursuing this study with the sincere intention of being able to serve Allah by standing for truth and justice, then it is indeed the noblest act, meriting great rewards from Allah both in this world and the next. Upholding the cause of truth and justice is one of the highest objectives of Islam, which as a community, we are mandated to do.

Almighty Allah Knows best.

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Q:

If you said  to Allah you will try not to do a sin and does it. What you have to do ? Will it be promise if you said you will try not to do it. If it is a promise, is it Okey if you just fast for three days because you do not want do other things.

A:

You ought to offer expiation (kaffarah) for breaking the oath you have made:

Allah says in the Quran:

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“Allah will not take you to task for oaths which you may have uttered without thought, but He will take you to task for oaths which you have sworn in earnest. Thus, the breaking of an oath must be atoned for by feeding ten needy persons with more or less the same food as you are wont to give to your own families,  or by clothing them, or by freeing a human being from bondage; and he who has not the means ( to do so) shall fast for three days [instead]. This shall be the atonement for your oaths whenever you have sworn [and broken them]. But be mindful of your oaths!’ Thus Allah makes clear unto you His messages, so that you might have cause to be grateful.” (Qur’an: 5:89)

Based on this verse, the expiation for breaking an oath entails one of the following:

1-  One should feed ten poor people offering them same food or equivalent in cash or providing them clothes.

2-  The second option of freeing a human being from bondage is not available now as slavery is has been abolished, and we are not allowed to re-introduce it;

3-  Therefore, if a person is unable to feed ten poor persons, because of lack of material means, then he ought to fast three days by way of expiation.

Therefore, if you are not able to offer fidyah of feeding the poor people then you can opt for fasting three days.

Almighty Allah Knows best.

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Q:

Assalamwalaikum, (sorry for my English)  I’M Female from india my question is i’ve westren toliet seat at home so with cleaning (taharah) water spasles all over the seat and also najees water from bowl also splashes on walls of clean toliet seat so should i cosider toliet seat as dirty i keep on pouring water on toilet seat it takes me hours just for urine and bowel moment purpose do you think after usage my toilet seat should be technically consider as clean ?.what if my other family member also use the same toilet what should i do to this issue i have thoughts tht may since som1 has  itz unclean….if you think that i’m suffering from ocd  alredy m taking medicine but nothing is  working…if i go to my realtvs house i don’t use there Bathroom coz i this is naajes even bed,sofas

 when i do ghusal …dirty water splashes (from body/if there is najasat on my body) on  wall and floor of  bathroom do I need to pour water on bathroom walls sink, bucket. etc.to remove filty water from body that has splashed all over  bathroom while washing or just leave it? Coz i do it everytime After doing ghusal and than pour water on my self and on floor and walls…AND  anyone frm my family take bath in my bathroom i pour water on walls and every single of bathroom I have thoughts tht now my entire bathroom is dirty  it takes me 6-7 hours in bathrom  taking toll on me….MY RESQUEST TO YOU IS PLZZ GIVE SOME ADVICE PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO REFER TO ANOTHER QUESTION.  PLZ EXPLAIN ME HOW TO USE TOILET SEAT ANDDO GHUSAL TIME AND WATER…JAZAKALLAH KHAIR

A:

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

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It is enough for you to wipe the toilet seat clean before using it. After you have relieved yourself, cover it again, and flush the toilet, and wash yourself clean yourself with water. That is all you need to do.

You don’t need to worry about impure water splashing all over on the walls. If you flush the toilet after covering it, the water will not splash anywhere.

It would be best if you did this as best as you can. And you ought to convince yourself that Islam is easy to follow. Allah tells us

“He has chosen you and placed no hardship in your religion.” (Quran: 22: 78)and “Allah wants ease for you, not a hardship.” (Qur’an: 2: 185)

And the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “This religion (of Islam) is simple and easy to follow; whoever makes it hard will only be defeating himself by such an attitude.”

Therefore, I would advise you not to give in to such whispering thoughts, clean the toilet before using it, then flush it after placing the cover, then wash.

Once you have done these, leave the doubts that creep into your mind. Consider it as the work of Satan, who is bent on undermining your faith. Defeat him by saying: A`udhu billaahi mina al-shaytaani al’ rrajeem

( I seek refuge and protection with Allah from Shaytan, the cursed one).

Almighty Allah Knows best.

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Q:

I need to know that after marriage a woman get gold from husband and her own family, within a year due to financial crisis husband requests her to give him that and as things got better he will return all of it, while after selling it all he refuses that it was hers he claims it was all her property and he doesn’t owe her anything. what are the rulings of islam on it, is it a debt on him and does he need to clear it or not?

A:

Your question is not clear to me: Do you mean to ask that your husband took your jewelry and other gifts (given to you at the time of marriage) on condition that he will return them to you? If this is correct, he is obligated to return them to you. If he refuses to do so, he is committing a grave sin. He will have to answer before Allah.  Allah says:

“If you desire to take one wife in place of another, even if you have given to one of them a great sum, take back nothing from it. Would you take it by way of calumny and manifest sin?” (Qur’an: 4: 20).

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Let him ponder on the following words of the Prophet (peace be upon him):

“The bankrupt person of my community is the one who appears before Allah on the Day of Judgement with prayers, charities, and fasts, and yet he has been guilty of mocking, slandering, robbing people. So, the rewards of his good deeds will be distributed among his victims, and if still their dues are not paid in full, their sins will be imposed on him, and then he will be dumped into the fire-pit!” (Reported by Muslim and others).

I am sure that no Muslim would like to end up in such a miserable situation.

Almighty Allah Knows best.

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Q:

Assalamualaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh

 This is going to be a long post but the answer is important to me.

 I am someone who suffers from waswas/potential OCD. This happens a lot in salat. I am not born speaking Arabic so the verses that I recite during Salat I have learned to understand.

 Recently, because my waswas/potential ocd thoughts have been getting bad, and it is difficult to concentrate during Salat, I have been able to concentrate by imagining the Prophet SAW raising his finger in Tawheed. And I often imagine this gesture during salat. I sometimes imagine a gathering with the Prophet where he talks to us about Allah/ Islam.

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 This is to help me concentrate on Allah SWT as it is hard for me otherwise due to the negative thoughts.

 I know I should be focussing on the words but this can be hard with waswas/potential OCD thoughts.

 I am someone who is extremely scared of falling out of Islam, and I am now fearful that what I am doing constitutes this. Please could you clarify this?

 This is important to me.

 Jazak Allahu Khayran.

A:

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

I think your question is not related to fiqh. You should ask your physician to refer you to a specialist who can help you overcome this kind of thoughts and nagging doubts.

If you still insist on a Fiqhi answer on the issue, then I would like to state that Islam does not allow us to visualize the Prophet’s image during the prayer; that would be contrary to the spirit of Tawhid or belief in the Oneness of Allah. So, you ought to repent and seek forgiveness of Allah.

The best way for you to develop Khushu or presence of mind in prayer is to visualize that you are standing before Allah, and you are speaking to Him through Prayer.

For details on some tips to enhance concentration or mindfulness in Salah, let me cite one of my earlier answers:

“In order to gain proper concentration in prayer, it is important to keep one’s mind free of all pre-occupations with worldly affairs. Since our minds tend to dwell on the things which we are currently absorbed with, it is important to break the hold of this world upon our minds by conditioning ourselves to think consistently of Allah and the Last Day. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “A true believer is one who has made all of his thoughts subservient to the bigger thought: Allah.”

Another important point to remember is that often because of our indulgence in major sins, we may be deprived of true joy in prayer – as a penalty for these sins. Such sins include displeasing one’s parents, fornication or adultery or indiscriminate mingling and mixing with members of the opposite sex, or unethical conduct and behavior in financial dealings, etc.

Therefore, as a prerequisite step towards improving our concentration in salah, we must examine our life and purge it of all the major sins according to the best of our ability. After having done so, we can follow these tips which have been gleaned from the discussions of the salaf al-salih (pious predecessors):

1. Before standing up for prayer, try to deal with all the minor urgent matters which demand your attention. If you are oppressed by hunger, eat first; if you are pressed to attend to the call of nature, relieve yourself; if you are the parent of an infant, feed him or her, or keep him or her busy.

2. Perform your ablutions well, paying due care and attention.

3. Approach the prayer with zest and passion as if it is the most important task in your life. Actually the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught us that we could do nothing in this world that could ever surpass salah in merit and excellence.

4. Visualize that in your prayer you are going to have a special audience with Allah, Lord of the worlds, and that you are enjoying a direct communion with Him – which, in fact, is true.

5. Think of the prayer you are performing as if it were the last prayer of your life. In fact, it could very well be the last one, since no one is given a guarantee that he would live to perform another prayer.

6. Picture the scene of the Last Day when people will be lined up into two groups, one destined for heaven, and another for hell, and ask yourself where you would be placed.

7. Focus your mind on what you are reading in your prayer.

8. If, in spite of your best efforts, your mind is still wandering, seek refuge in Allah and bring your mind back to prayer.

9. Pray to Allah and beg Him to grant you true the joy of concentrating in your prayer and protection against the wanderings of your mind.

 Almighty Allah Knows best.

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Q:            

Assalam o alaikum!!! I am very worried sir..last year in August i got married…it was love marriage. We love each other very much but this year in the month of february i teased my husband for fun to give me divorce he did not want to do this but i forced him and then he gave me divorce two times and one time after some days…but we don’t want to be separated i love him very much and he also loves me but someone told me that u both cannot live together now…i want to know that we love each other and want to live happily together noe is it halal or jaiz for us…?

A:

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

I am at a loss to understand that you teased your husband and forced him to give you divorce, and he complied, and now that you want to think you are still his wife as you did not mean it and you were teasing him.

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You should know as adult Muslims we bear responsibility for our actions. No one forced you to ask him for a divorce. And no one can say he was forced to give you the divorce.

However, if he, deep in his mind/conscience, thinks that he did so under pressure from you, let him decide for himself. In that case, he can still consider you are his wife. But I do not wish to take upon me that kind of responsibility. After all, he alone can decide for himself in what state of mind he uttered the divorce.

If the divorce took place one after the other, then it is considered one divorce; if it happened three times, then the divorce is final.

We ought to remind ourselves that we are not allowed to take the laws of Allah lightly. It amounts to blasphemy. I pray to Allah to inspire us all to reverence the symbols of Allah and help us to remain steadfast on the right path.

Almighty Allah Knows best.

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Q:

Assalam o alaikum!!! I am very worried sir..last year in August i got married…it was love marriage. We love each other very much but this year in the month of february i teased my husband for fun to give me divorce he did not want to do this but i forced him and then he gave me divorce two times and one time after some days…but we don’t want to be separated i love him very much and he also loves me but someone told me that u both cannot live together now…i want to know that we love each other and want to live happily together noe is it halal or jaiz for us…?

A:

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

If your friend did commit shirk while he was not aware of it and yet continued to perform prayer and other religious duties, he did not leave Islam.

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If he carefully read the Duaas and recitations that are prescribed for prayer, he has already expiated and redeemed himself. He has been asking Allah forgiveness, despite the sin he committed, which he was not aware of at the time.

Committing shirk does not automatically take out a person from the fold of Islam. A person goes out of the fold of Islam by denouncing it or denying the basic tenets of Islam. Since, as I can understand from your question, he did not do any of these, the marriage he contracted is still valid.

Our scholars made a distinction between committing an act of shirk, which is a grave sin, and setting up partners for Allah. The former does not take out the person from Islam; however, the latter does.  They say there is a difference between one form of shirk and another.

In conclusion, your friend’s marriage is valid; he continues to be a Muslim.

However, having said this, let me reiterate that he needs to turn to Allah in repentance in the manner that the Prophet (peace be upon him) has taught us:

Rabbi ighfir lee dhanbee kullahu diqqahu wa jillahu, awwalahu wa aakhirahu, sirrrahu wa alaaniyyathahu, wa maa alimthu minu wamaa lam a’lam

(My Lord, forgive me all of my sins: the major and the minor, the first and the last, the secret and the public; and that which I am aware of, and that which I am not aware of).

It behooves all of us to read this duaa every day.

Almighty Allah Knows best.