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Ask About Islam: Simplifying Islam

Waleed Najmeddine
17 July, 2017

Asalaamu alaykum, brothers and sisters

 

It is an unfortunate fact that some have chosen to present Islam as if it were a complex list of right and wrong rather than a way of life that focuses on connection to Allah above all else.

 

Islam is a simple, easy way of life and if someone presents it as more complex or more difficult than this, they have missed the point.

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Join us for this Live Q&A session with brother Waleed Najmeddine on July 20th at 8pm Makkah Time ( 11am Mountain Time, 5pm GMT) as we discuss ways to simplify Islam.

 

Send in your questions before or during the live session by emailing [email protected]. And don’t worry! If you cannot make the live session, you can come back later and read the questions and answers here.

 

Thursday, Jul. 20, 2017 | 20:00 - 22:00 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.  

Every time I want to understand a ruling in Islam, I hear about there being “different opinions”. If that is the true and many different opinions are valid, how does someone ever decide what to do? How can I know which opinion is closer to the truth? Surely God didn’t make Islam in such a way that finding out the best course of action should be this complex.



Thank you for your question.

Opinions are like hands and feet, everybody has them. The problem comes when unqualified members of the Muslim community give rulings and state matters as facts whereas they are not qualified to do so.

The basics of Islam are easy to understand and follow. God is One, worship Him alone. The Qur’an is easily accessible and the messages within it are very clear.

We find ourselves in grey areas from time to time, however, where we become unsure as to what is the right course of action. This comes from a sincere desire to please God and to set a good example for others to follow.

If you have a specific problem you feel requires the advice of a scholar of Islam, please contact the imam of your local masjid, or one of the scholars at Ask About Islam.

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In general, there are many important qualifications that a scholar of Islam must possess to be able to offer advice or rulings:

  1. Extensive knowledge of the texts of the Quran and Sunnah.
  2. Extensive knowledge of the issues of consensus (ijmaa‘)
  3. Well-versed in the Arabic language
  4. Extensive knowledge of usool al-fiqh (basic principles of Islamic jurisprudence – how to come to a decision) including analogy (qiyaas).
  5. Extensive knowledge of what cancels and what is cancelled (al-naasikh wa’l-mansookh).

To be able to offer rulings in Islam with any degree of authority requires even more than this, that other scholars of Islam recognize them to be scholars. Only true scholars of Islam know what it takes to be a scholar.

Also, prophet Muhammad advised that the Muslim nation as a community is guided by God in that we, as a people, do not accept or agree upon falsehood. We have been blessed by God enough that we will not allow wrongdoers from among us, to lead us all into ruin.

If you feel you are not well-versed in the Qur’an and Sunnah, and not likely to be able to learn them well, it is best to seek the guidance of an imam or scholar and refer to them for guidance in difficult matters.

If you are very well-read and well-informed of the meanings of the Qur’an and Sunnah, are able to discuss matters in depth and have a deep desire to study Islam and learn more, then I am confident that you will not fall into error in areas regarding major sins.

If a Muslim political leader, religious leader (imam/scholar), or anyone with influence should try to lead us astray, we have enough members in our community to recognize truth as truth, and falsehood as falsehood.

We must do our best to remain united so that we will not all be misguided by those with insufficient leadership skills, insufficient knowledge, or personal agendas that serve very few at the expense of the Muslim community or those outside of it.

Also, it is important to remember that differences among Islamic scholars is a mercy, not a problem. It is not necessarily a contradiction if a ruling is applied in one country and not another.

Nigeria is not Canada, and Mexico is not Saudi Arabia. Islam is flexible according to time and place and so long as the foundations are solid, it is OK for each Muslim community to have its own look and feel.

The basics of halal and haram do not change, however, societies in different parts of the world should not be expected to be carbon copies of each other.

“O mankind! Behold, We have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another. Truly, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him. Behold, God is All-knowing, All-aware.” (Qur’an Chapter 49: verse 13)

I hope this answers your question

Asalaamu alaykum. Arabic is not my native language and when I read the English translations out there, most of them are written in a strange way that are hard to grasp the meaning. Can you recommend a translation of the Quran in English that conveys the right meaning without getting off of the original words too much?



The best advice I can offer regarding translations of the Qur’an is to find one that has a commentary with footnotes included.

The Arabic language is unequaled in its depth and breadth so we should not expect any other language to be able to convey the meaning of the Qur’an in a word for word fashion.

Some words in Arabic require sentences, paragraphs, even books to fully convey their meanings.

A good idea would be to speak to other Muslims who have experience with the Qur’an in English to see what they would recommend. This will save you some time as well.

Part of the problem is that common English that is spoken “on the street”, so to speak, is not as expressive as formal English. This is a problem of people being not as well-read as they used to be. We rely on the media to teach us what we need to know and do not take the time to study matters in depth.

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Another problem is that we are becoming more and more isolated from each other. To truly benefit from the Qur’an we need to engage in discussions based on its teachings with knowledgeable Muslims.

We need to sit in the circles of recognized scholars, and to study the life of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, so that we can understand what it means when his wife Aisha, may God be pleased with her, called him, “a Qur’an walking on the earth”.

I hope this has been of assistance. Please keep in touch.

I have been studying about Islam for about a year now but I feel like I cannot make the leap because it seems like every day I hear about another aspect of my normal life is Haraam. It feels like Islam is not meant to be lived in the West. I am not a drinker, not promiscuous, but it feels like everything about my normal, daily life is haraam. For example: I work in an office with men, but people tell me that being in an office alone with a man is haraam. I have to meet with my boss in his office once a week! How could I embrace Islam?!



Thank you for your question.

I’d like to emphasize from the start that there is a basic precept in Islamic law that is important for all Muslims to remember. That is that at the core of all matters is permissibility.

God created the universe and everything in it is essentially good. There are, however, a very few things in this life that are forbidden, or haram.

These are matters that are to be avoided completely, and we should avoid all roads that lead to them so that we minimize the chance that we fall into haram practices.

When it comes to halal and haram in Islam, the general rule, therefore, is that everything is halal, except what God and His Messenger have explicitly commanded us to avoid. By explicit I mean that the issue is named specifically in the Qur’an, and/or explained to us by Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

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For example, in the Qur’an we find stated that worshipping other gods or associating partners with God is forbidden; eating certain foods and drinks; joining certain people in marriage; dealing in business involving usury; adultery and fornication; lying; bearing false witness; cheating; stealing; murder; and making haram what neither God nor His messenger have made permissible.

With each of these a specific punishment is associated that has been stated by God Himself, or by Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. They cannot be determined randomly by others or by an angry mob.

There are many Muslims who choose to take the opposite perspective; that everything is haram and only a few things in life are permissible.

This is a very difficult foundation to base our lives upon, and it is not something that can be sustained for very long. It has also not been asked of us by God or by Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

Many newcomers to Islam, having not grown up in a Muslim family, feel that they must be “more Muslim than the Muslims”, so to speak, and become very conservative in their practices and perspectives.

Islam is designed to make our lives easier, not harder. Make sure to follow what God and His Messenger have said, not what the average Muslim thinks is halal/haram.

“…God wills that you shall have ease, and does not will you to suffer hardship…” Qur’an Chapter 2: verse 185

Regarding your question about working in an office around men and having to sometimes be alone with your boss, there are ahadith that deal with the matter of a man and woman being alone together who are not blood relatives.

Men should not enter the home of a woman if a male relative is not present. If a man and a woman are alone in a room, the devil is the third among them. Prophet Muhammad did not specify any punishments for these practices, so they should be taken as strong warnings to avoid these practices and falling into greater sins.

A general rule that is mainly a cultural saying may also help you to lead a pious lifestyle as a Muslim: Fear what is hidden from the eyes of people, not what is in plain view.

Practically speaking, if a man and a woman, for example, are having a conversation in public, and within earshot of anyone who may be near, they are not likely to be discussing plans to commit sinful deeds together. If they are in a secluded area or room, away from the eyes and ears of people, then it is natural that people will become suspicious.

If your work involves meeting with your boss or other male staff members from time to time, it is not likely that any discussions or practices involving haram will be taking place.

If, however, a man attempts to take advantage of his business relationship with you by words or deeds behind closed doors, it is very important to immediately warn him against doing so or to report their behaviour to the authorities as soon as possible.

A Muslim woman is not someone easily taken advantage of. She is a strong-willed person who fears only God, and does not allow anyone to take advantage of her or tarnish her reputation.

I hope this has been helpful to you. Please keep in touch.