Dear Brothers/Sisters,

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

Question 1:

If children cannot be held accountable for bad deeds, what about disrespect to parents?

Answer 1:

Every adult person, male or female, or children, is accountable for their actions, good or bad.

Allah says: “Every soul is held in pledge for its deeds.” (Qur’an 74: 38)

Disrespecting one’s parents is one of the grave sins. Allah orders us in the Quran to honor our parents, to serve them, and to speak to them gently. Honoring one’s parents is the second and foremost commandment issued to every Prophet, according to the Quran.

That is why the Prophet considered dishonoring one’s parents as the second of the most grievous sins, second only to associating partners with Allah. The Prophet also said, “Allah’s pleasure lies in the pleasure of one’s parents, and His wrath lies in the wrath of one’s parents.

Several traditions stress the gravity of dishonoring parents. Therefore, no Muslim should risk losing their salvation by dishonoring their parents. I pray to Allah to forgive our shortcomings and bless us to gain the love of Allah by honoring our parents.

Question 2:

Majority of shows/movies have music, does that mean they’re haram?

Answer 2:

It all depends on the nature of the music associated with them. Not all music can be condemned as haram.

For further details, please visit the answer linked below:

Is music permissible? | About Islam

Question 3:

How can I control myself better when alone? Sometimes, I stay strong in my faith and resist temptations, but other times, I do things I shouldn’t. I try to remember Allah and His Messenger during moments of solitude, and I ask for forgiveness when I make mistakes. However, I repeat the same sins within 5-6 days. This has been going on for about 4-5 years. How can I break this cycle and avoid sins when I’m alone?

Answer 3:

I commend you for recognizing the gravity of your sin and expressing your desire to improve yourself.

Feeling remorse over one’s sins, however, is only the first and foremost step toward repentance; it must be followed up by further measures, which are equally essential steps towards repentance.

Without such steps, repentance is mistaken simply for uttering words such as O Allah, forgive me, or I ask forgiveness of Allah. Unless a person sincerely and earnestly tries to change himself for the better and make amends, it is merely wishful thinking.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, “A wise person is he who subdues his passions and strives for the life after death, whereas a foolish person follows his passions and yet vainly hopes for God’s mercy.”

Sincere repentance involves, besides feeling genuine remorse over one’s sins, refraining from the sin and from all associations, activities, or circumstances that led a person to such sins in the first place. It should include shunning bad company or friends, watching movies, pornographic scenes, or literature, mingling and mixing with members of the opposite sex, etc.

The next important step towards repentance is to make a firm resolution never to return to sins again. That is possible only if a person immediately becomes preoccupied with what is good and beneficial. Imam Shafi rightly said, “If a person does not focus his mind on good thoughts and deeds, he will inevitably be preoccupied with bad thoughts and bad deeds.” So, find some beneficial project or work you can occupy yourself with so that your mind does not wander to unlawful diversions.

Once we have repented earnestly and sincerely, Allah will forgive us. Allah says, “O My servants who have wronged their souls, do not despair of Allah’s mercy, for most certainly, Allah forgives all sins.” (Q. 39: 53)

While describing the conditions for receiving God’s mercy, Allah says, “Except those who repent, and cherish true faith, and do good works, for such are the ones whose bad deeds will be transformed into good deeds, and verily, God is all-Forgiving and all-Merciful.” (Q.25: 70).

In other words, repentance is granted to those who follow the requisite conditions of repentance.

Question 4:

Sometimes I do sunnah or maybe even obligatory acts without intention as it falls into my normal practices is this haram? Like for example eating with your right hand or sleeping on your right side and so on.

Answer 4:

Niyyah is an essential requirement for all of the obligatory acts of worship. Accordingly, prayer, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage all require the niyya for their validity. Likewise, niyyah is a requirement for all of the supererogatory acts of worship. However, this does not mean that if a person forgets to formulate the niyyah, that does not count as an act of worship for him; for as Ibn Taymiyyah says, a person doesn’t need to formulate the niyyah of fasting every day of Ramadan; it would enough for him to resolve in his mind at the beginning of Ramadan that he would be fasting the entire month.

By the same logic, one can make an intention while pursuing a job that he is doing to support his family. However, it would be highly desirable that he tries his best to remind himself to embark on any tasks that he seeks the pleasure of Allah.

One sure way to stick to the habit of purifying one’s niyyah is to turn to Allah in supplication when embarking on any activity in life.

In this way, he stands to gain rewards on top of getting the help and blessings of Allah. That is why we learn that the Prophet’s companions used to turn to Allah with duas while performing ordinary chores like repairing shoes.

Question 5:

I do not want to get married. I am asexual and feel no romantic or sexual attraction to anyone nor do I feel any such urges. You may not believe me but it is the truth. I know for certain that I will not fall into zina and know that I will not turn to haram. I understand that is sunnah and that is half our deen, however I would like to complete my deen in other ways such as by educating myself more about Islam and focusing on what is fardh before what is sunnah. I explained this to my parents who I hoped would be understanding, however they said that it is their obligation to have me be married off. They told me that I have a biological clock and that I am suppressing and inhibiting my urges. My dad told me that I should look for righteousness and get married to whoever is righteous. He said that he will not consider me rejecting a man if he himself finds him righteous. I cannot agree with this since, despite his righteousness, we may not click. I am very scared and believe that no one should be forced into marriage. My parents said they felt the same when they were my age and that it is just my thoughts. I do not want to marry someone who deserves to be happier with someone else and who would welcome the idea of being married. I would also not like to withhold intimacy from someone because I cannot give it and do not want to be punished for it. I am making dua to Allah but they don’t seem to understand. What do the Quran and Hadith say on this matter? Please advise me.

Answer 5:

You don’t need to get married if you do not have any sexual desires and you think you will not be able to satisfy the needs of your prospective marriage partner.

For details, let me cite here one of my earlier answers to a similar question: 

“Although marriage is generally considered a highly recommended sunnah yet, from the point of view of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence)-because of diverse circumstances, it can readily fall into one of the four categories listed below: Fard (obligatory) or mustahabb (recommended) or haram (forbidden) or simply halal (permitted).

1. Marriage is considered fard (obligatory) if a person is so tormented by sexual desire that they fear falling into the sin of fornication. Since staying away from fornication is mandatory, and since marriage is the only legitimate outlet for sexual satisfaction, it becomes obligatory to get married. That is based on the principle in jurisprudence, “If an obligatory thing cannot be fulfilled except by fulfilling another, then fulfilling the latter becomes obligatory as well.”

2. If, however, they are not so tormented by sexual desire, and, hence, there is no fear of falling into sin, then it is highly recommended to get married if one can afford to; he is thus fulfilling one of the great Sunnahs of the Prophet (peace be upon him). 

3. If a person knows that they cannot fulfill the duties required in marriage, and there is no fear of falling into sin, then it becomes haram for such a person to get married. Islam forbids us from doing injustice to another person; this would be the case if one neglects their spousal duties.

4. If a person has no means to marry and is, therefore, incapable of fulfilling his spousal duties but has a strong desire, he is permitted to get married, provided that he tries his best to seek an honest source of living. Allah has promised to help such a person. We must also add here a further note that the Muslim community must assist such people until such time that they become self-reliant.

If, however, no such measures are available, and a person finds himself unable to fulfill his spousal duties, he is advised to curb his desires through the discipline of fasting and other acts of sublimation.”

Question 6:

mlm is halal in islam where the product is good?

Answer 6:

I am sorry I do not offer rulings on issues related to modern Islamic finance. You may contact Dr. Monzer Kahf, who is an expert in this area; you may contact him here: https://monzer.kahf.com

Question 7:

Can you kindly clarify whether one can write an adapted child’s father name on paperwork, but the child knows who his real father is? However, the name of the adaptor (father) appears on the birth certificate. Is it permissible in Islam? As of today, every step in the educational process requires the signature of both the father and mother; writing the child’s real name in documents causes mental turmoil. Actually, my parents adopted a kid from my uncle (father’s brother). Can we add my father’s name to his birth certificate to avoid future problems, but my adopted brother would undoubtedly learn about his original father when the time comes? So, in essence, we are not concealing his genuine identity.

Please reply as soon as possible it’s a quite urgent matter

Answer 7:

It is allowed to do so if you do not conceal his true identity and do not mistake his biological father for his adopted ‘father’- to facilitate legal requirements.

In other words, it is permissible to give the adopted child only the family name of his foster family, which guarantees loyalty of the adopted child to his new home without claiming biological ties with the adopted child, which is prohibited in Islamic law.

Adding names of persons of different biological origins to a family or clan, signifying their attachments with them, was a common practice among the Arabs before Islam; Islam did not abolish such customs; the prohibition adoption practice confused such affiliation with biological affiliation; such a practice is forbidden as it affects the rules of inheritance and lineage and mahram relations.

Therefore, when there are genuine safeguards against such consequences, there is no harm for an adopted son to take on the surname of the adoptive ‘father.’

Ibn Kathir, the famous Mufassir of the Qur’an, says, explaining the verse, “Call them by [the names of] their fathers; it is more just in the sight of Allah. But if you do not know their fathers – then they are [still] your brothers in religion and those entrusted to you.” (Qur’an: 33: 5), ‘calling the adopted child “son” out of love and kindness is not prohibited and he used the prophetic tradition (reported by Muslim) in which the Prophet called his servant “Anas” as “son.”

There is no shortage of precedents for giving a family name to someone who is not biologically related for various reasons; thus, a formerly enslaved person takes on the name of the person who freed him; likewise, people from one clan take on the name of another clan they have joined in an alliance.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) referred to Umm Ayman, “She is my mother after my mother,” as she was the one who took care of him after his mother passed away.

Imam Ibn As-Salah, the renowned hadith scholar, says that a person joining his name with that of a tribe he does not biologically relate to was also a common practice.

 In light of these, it is OK for an adopted person to add his adopted father’s name as long as there is no confusion about his biological parentage or identity and as long as there is no tampering with the Islamic rules of inheritance.

Quran 8:

My question is in regards to Islamic will writing and who can act as my witnesses. I have read that your benificieries cannot be your witnesses. Do this mean my siblings can not be my witnesses to my will?

Could my two witnesses be my Father and brother or who else could I ask to be my witnesses for my islamic will?

I have also read that the two witnesses for your islamic will cannot be related, is this true?

Answer 8:

It is best that you find some witnesses outside the circle of your potential heirs to your inheritance; in this way, you are safeguarding yourself against possible breach of trust on the part of the witnesses. It is so common these days for people to go out of their way to violate their trust out of greed.

As the pious caliph Umar bin Abd al-Aziz said, the law should be made stricter as people become more and more corrupt.

Therefore, you should find two reliable witnesses from the community outside the circle of your legal heirs to witness the document. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Leave that which is doubtful in favor of that which is not doubtful.” (Reported by As-Suyuti)

Question 9:

I am very distressed . Every night i keep getting this thought that one of my enemy will share mine and my sister photos online which all my family will see. Basically we are very strict family where girls never share their photos. But due to one of my auntie having some weird issues and problem with us. Without knowing her true color i once sent mine and my sisters wedding and engagemnt photos which she sent to her secret boyfrnd who she found online. She is after me to do things for her which i dont listen so i am really scared her boyfriend will leak our photos which is a very bad embarassment in our family. My whole relatives will spit on us and shame us. Please its really serious u wont understand. But what dua or prayer i can do so that allah helps me and my photo gets deleted from his phone. Thanks

Answer 9:

Your best protection against the devils of jinn and humankind is to read the following:

The Prophet (peace be upon him) advised us to read the following:

1. Ayat al-kursi and three last surahs of the Qur’an; he said they would be sure protection for you from all evils;
2. He also suggested some other duas, such as the following:

Bismillaahi lladhee laa yadhurru ma’ismihi shayun fi al-ardhi walaa fi ssamaa’i wahuwa ssameeul aleem

(In the name of Allah, with His name nothing on earth or heaven can do any harm; He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing)

And,

Allaahumma innee a’oodhu bika min sharri nafsee wa min sharri kulli daabbathin antha aakhidhun bi naasiyathihaa. 

(O Allah, I seek Your protection from the evil of my soul and from the evil of every creature on the face of the earth whose forelock is in Your firm grip.”

Question 10:

I’ve lost my job and now now earning while my wife is still working and earning but as per Islamic rule, as I as the man has to provide am still contributing financially 100% for the family grocery shopping. Can I ask my wife to contribute financially?

Answer 10:

.

Your wife should be encouraged to contribute towards the family expenses if you have lost your job and are facing challenges supporting your family. She should be proud of doing so, and she will be rewarded. She should emulate the exemplary precedent of Khadijah, who helped the Prophet with her wealth, and the Prophet never tired of expressing his gratitude towards her for her sacrifices on his behalf.

Another precedent she can learn from is that of the wife of the eminent companion of the Prophet, Abd Allah b. Mas’ud asked the Prophet whether she would be rewarded for helping her husband with her health as he was poor. The Prophet told her she would receive double rewards for doing so: rewards for charity and for strengthening the family bonds.

Question 11:

Are all statues treated equally? I have read a fatwa here that the prohibition of ‘drawing’ only extends to statues or those with a 3D design. This to me makes the most sense given islam’s strong stance against any form of idols. However, I have a lot of souvenirs/fridge magnets from my travels, e.g., a camel representing Tunisia. Should i get rid of these?

Answer 11:

According to the rulings of eminent scholars, such souvenirs or dolls do not fall in the category of forbidden images. Image-making was forbidden because they were used solely for worship. Making statues without such intention is allowed; that is why we read in the Quran that the Prophet Sulayman used to hire people to make statues for him. Therefore, in many Muslim countries, statues have been set up to commemorate the scientists and scholars or great leaders. Their sole purpose is to cherish their memory without any association of shirk.

Question 12:

Sometimes we suffer from smell in out tap water. This time when I smelled water there was slight smell in it and I think when I checked the water in other taps of my house I did not notice any such smell I don’t what is it. I just wanna ask if I fill my tank witn fresh water the smell most of the times goes away is that water suitable to use for ghusl, wudu, and other thing ss.

Answer 12:

There is no need to be worried about the slight change of odor or smell in the tap water; it could be due to chemicals and not because of filth or impurities. The Prophet warned us against rigidity in the practice of religion. He said, “This religion of ours is easy to follow; so, whoever makes it hard will be defeating himself through such an attitude.” (Reported by al-Bukhari). He also said, “Woe to those who are rigid in the practice of religion repeated it thrice.” (Reported by Muslim)

Question 13:

To what extent do I have over others not being modest? For example, if I advertise for a company or tell someone to go somewhere, people with their awrah exposed work there. Due to the advertising, they could be seen more by people going there, etc. Am I responsible for their immodesty?

Answer 13:

If the product you advertise is lawful and beneficial for the community and you do not have any say in hiring the people who work there, you are not accountable for their actions. If, however, it is your company, then you should take charge of setting up a policy for hiring people. If that is the case and such people who dress immodestly work there, you share the responsibility. According to the rules of jurisprudence, if something is forbidden in Islam, anyone who condones or promotes it is also a partner in sin.

Question 14:

Can we use the AI in Fatwas or any Fiqh or Usool e Fiqh rule ? if we can use what will be limitations and rules of using it.

this is for my Mphill thesis if any details required kindly inform me.

Answer 14:

Religious knowledge is best acquired from authentic sources. Allah says, “Ask those endowed with knowledge if you don’t know.” (Qur’an: 16: 43)

Allah has promised to preserve this religion by ensuring it is passed on from generation to generation by reliable authorities. Our scholars insisted on isnad, which entails documenting the sources. It assures that our knowledge is traced back to the source: the Prophet, peace be upon him. Imam Ibn al-Mubarak said, “Isnad is part of religion; if not for isnad, everyone would have attributed whatever he or she wanted to religion.” Ibn Sirin said, “This knowledge is part of religion, so be forewarned from whom you are receiving knowledge.”

Therefore, we mustn’t rely on sources other than reputable Islamic scholars or acceptable sources of Islamic knowledge to form a credible and authentic view of Islam. If you can verify the integrity of the information provided by artificial intelligence, you can use it. However, it cannot be a substitute for a reliable authority or source of knowledge.

Question 15:

I am 23 years old and I am very conscious of my eyebags to the point where it is taking a toll on me mentally and I sometimes feel uncomfortable going out in public. Is it permissible or not to get a blepharoplasty to reduce/remove my under-eye bags? Jazak’Allah khairan.

Blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery, can improve the appearance of the area around your eyes. It’s a procedure that reduces bagginess from your lower eyelids and removes excess skin from your upper eyelids. As skin ages, it gradually loses its elasticity. A lack of elasticity, combined with the relentless pull of gravity, causes excessive skin to collect in your upper and lower eyelids. Blepharoplasty can be performed on your upper eyelids, lower eyelids or both.

Answer 15:

You are allowed to resort to such a procedure only if it is considered an abnormality. If it is not by a condition of people of some ethnic background, then it is not allowed.

If you do so, that amounts to disfiguring the creation of Allah. For details, let me cite here from one of my earlier answers on a similar question:

“According to the teachings of Islam, our body–including all of our physical faculties– is a trust from God in our hands, which we are required to protect and preserve according to the best of our ability.

Consequently, we are not allowed to alter or tamper with them unnecessarily; we are only permitted to interfere with them to correct a natural deformity or repair or remedy an ailment. Any other form of interference or tampering with our body is akin to altering Allah’s creation, which has been condemned in the Qur’an.

We read in the Qur’an that Satan, the accursed one, has pledged to Allah that he will be tirelessly working to lead humans unto ways of perdition and self-destruction: “And I will surely lead them astray, and arouse desires in them, and command them, and they will cut the cattle’s ears, and I will surely command them, and they will change Allah’s creation.” Whoever chooses the Devil for a friend instead of Allah is assuredly a loser, and his loss is manifest.” (Q.4: 119). While reflecting on the above verse, we must also read the following statements of Allah in the Qur’an: “There is no altering Allah’s creation.” (Q. 30:30); “Do not cast yourselves into destruction by your own hands.” (Q. 2: 195).

 In light of the above, body piercing, tattooing, branding, etc., all fall in the category of unnecessary interference, alteration, and mutilation of Allah’s creation. Therefore, no Muslim who is conscious of his religion should ever contemplate such activities.

 Neither are such procedures harmless physical refinements as they are often imagined to be. Rather, the truth is that these procedures have often been associated with numerous health hazards. Sensitive body parts, such as tongues, lips, eyelids, etc., are more prone to being easily infected and thus becoming carriers of diseases, some of which may even be fatal. There is nothing at all surprising about all of these, for every unnecessary tampering with Allah’s creation is bound to produce adverse repercussions.”

Question 16:

I was sexually molested by my cousin when I was 6. Ever since I have gained consciousness about what happened, I have wished him nothing but death. I have always imagined killing him. I tried forgiving him but I can’t. I am so sorry that I am a bad Muslim. I have always been harrased and I have hated men but I feel I am no different. Because of what he did to me, I went down a dark path, got physical with a cousin. We never did any sexual thing or masturbation but we did some things I feel disgusted about. We were just 10 and played. I am so sorry. I wish I had just been absued so my cousin and we didn’t do these cringy things. I feel like I abused her and if I die and wake up in Jahannum, it would be fine since I deserve it. I swear I didn’t know. We did it consensually. I never forced her. My mother saw us once and I was so embarrassed and humiliated . I am a girl and this cousin was a female and we were like 9/10. I am 24 and studying in my dream medical college. I feel like as much righteous as I try to be, I will never be pure and I feel shame in my self. How could I wish death for my abuser when I did these weird things. I have always wanted to be a good Muslim but my past eats me. I considered suicide. I even prayed that Allah should have just killed me but I have a family and friends and people and country that I want to help. I even wanted to apologise to this cousin but I don’t have the strength. I know it will just not be Easy. I would rather die. I am so sorry. I am so sorry to Allah and everyone. I wish I had just stayed abused and not taken the path to explore this shit. I never sexually molested or exploted her but what we did whether it was a kiss ot lying on eachother fills me with shame and I hope I die. Does Allah hate me at the same level as my abuser. I feel just like him. I don’t want to live. What do I do? I can’t even kill myself. My family loves me and can’t live without me and I have so many dreams for my family, friends ,country and myself . What do I do? Please, tell me a way that I can know whether Allah hates me or not. I am so sorry. I asked Allah for signs and I haven’t gotten any and I am starting to think He really hates me.

Answer 16:

I urge you to get professional counseling as you may be going through extreme depression because of your traumatic experience. You may also contact the editor of this site, who may refer you to a professional, as I see some of them appear here from time to time.

Coming to Islamic advice, I must urge you never to lose hope, no matter how ugly your past sins are. Allah orders us in the Qur’an to turn to Allah in repentance and never despair of His mercy. He is All-Forgiving and All-Merciful. For details on repentance, you may access the answer linked below:

The Door of Repentance Is Wide Open | About Islam

Question 17:

I wanted to ask something about my father. I hate my father. My grandma lived with us from when we were born. She is the one who raised us. Hand-fed me and my sister. She used to do most of the work at home while my mom was at her job. My father used to live in a different district because he had his job there. It was all good and well. Until my father retired.

One thing to mention is my grandma was quite religious and loved us a lot. After my dad’s retirement, it was around the time of Covid-19. My father argued with my grandma because of a simple thing I won’t mention, but she has every right to say. Then my grandma left us and now stays with one of my aunts. My father had bypass surgery last year. But after my grandma left, he was quite abusive towards my mom, who was the main earner and maintainer of the family since the beginning. She does most of the things at home like cleaning, managing our studies etc. My father didn’t help. He always complains about the food when my mom returns from her office after a 6–8-hour shift. She works hard to keep our family going. He constantly complains about the littlest thing possible and says it out loud so that we hear him. He also argues with my mom about anything possible. He badmouths my mom’s mother, meaning my grandma, to others. I’m not saying the correct reason why she left. I like to hate him a lot; he also had an argument with me some weeks ago just because I was annoyed by him asking the same thing on Facebook. When arguing, he mentioned that I don’t have friends, and I can’t cope with my school classmates and other stuff. That was very untrue, and he doesn’t even know how many friends I have offline and online. I want him out of my life because he is the one who makes my mom’s life miserable. One more incident was when we went to Malaysia some years ago. We visited the Twin Towers. My dad went to the mosque to pray, and we waited for our dad at the place he told us to stay. After around 40 mins, we were confused about why he was taking so long, and after he came, he said that he was searching for us when we were standing in the same place, and he turned it into a heated argument in front of all the people; I was embarrassed. I want to know what I should do.

My mom and dad both are very religious. My dad knows more about Islam than we do. Also, wherever we go, if he is present, I feel my respect goes down.

Answer 17:

If what you allege about your father is true, he seems to be acting un-Islamically. If he is a conscientious Muslim, he should know the Prophet’s description of a true Muslim: “The best of you is the one who is the best or the most kind towards his family.” (Reported by Ibn Majah)

He also said, “The best of you is the one to whom people look forward for their goodness and do not have any reason to fear them, and the worst of you are those that the people do not expect anything good from them nor do they feel safe in their company.” (Reported by Ibn Hibban and others). He also said, “The perfect believers are those with the best morals.”

When one of his companions asked him what brings people to heaven, he said, “Piety and good morals.”

Therefore, your father should know that he risks salvation by acting rudely towards your mother, grandmother, and anyone else.

You owe it to him to point out his mistakes. By doing so, you are helping him save himself as he is like a drowning person. You may also try to talk to an imam or wise person in the community to correct his behavior.

You also continue to pray to Allah for his guidance on the straight path.

Question 18:

Is it allowed in islam to work in a bakery (part time) where some of the products are not halal. For example at least one cake contains alcohol as an ingredient, and one burger contains bacon.
The bakery owner told me that I can wear gloves when I serve a burger with bacon. Also, I won’t be making anything, I would be just the salesman.
Most of the bakery products are halal.

It would be great if I can get an answer in the coming days. Jazakallah

Answer 18:

If you find another job free of such doubtful cases, you should go for it.

However, if you find yourself in a situation where you cannot see anything, then you may continue the job if you are not directly involved in handling the haram products.

According to the rules of jurisprudence, hardship eases the difficulty, or, stated differently, exigencies may render what is otherwise impermissible as permissible.

I urge you to continue praying to Allah to bless you in your search for a lawful means of livelihood that is wholly pure and lawful. Here is a Du’a I would recommend to you:

Allaahumma ighninee bihalaalika an haraamika wabi ta’atikha an ma’siyathika wabi fadlika amman siwaaka

(O Allah, make me sufficient with the halal so that I am not forced to resort to the haram; and cause me to be content with Your obedience so that I do disobey You, and make me satisfied with Your favor so that I don’t need to seek favor the mortals).

Question 19:

I have issues with addiction on certain movies (inappropriate ones) I need help I can’t freakin stop my head from thinking about these disgusting stuff. I hate them and I know how bad they are however I can’t stop dammit I need help please!

It’s harming my mental state more and more I can barely look at myself without vomiting I’m so disgusted at myself with these things that I watch help me stop please I don’t wanna go to hell (the Arabic word confuses me).

Answer 19:

Since you have been addicted to a highly pernicious habit that destroys your spiritual soul and thus leads to self-destruction, you must urgently summon your willpower and take all the necessary steps that you can muster to wean yourself of it immediately.

If you do not wean yourself of these pernicious habits, the consequences of persisting in them are unthinkable; they will undoubtedly corrode your spiritual soul and cause your spiritual death.

 Sins, by their very nature, are addictive, for it is in the very nature of carnal soul to seek pleasure in sins.

As Al-Busiri has rightly said, “Carnal soul is like a baby; if you neglect him, he will grow up clinging on to the breast milk forever, 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 horror 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 constantly be 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 cancer from your life; remember it is much more severe 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 would face were you to die while being addicted to this most heinous sin.

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

 5) Schedule your time so that you are never left with any time to think of such matters; Imam Shafi 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 immerse yourself in them.

 7) Always hang around with good Muslims who are busy doing good works; join a halaqah where spiritual training is combined with the 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- Ameen.

Question 20:

Many Bahais claim that the Bab has met the challenge of the Quran (in eloquence). How do Muslim scholars respond to this?

Answer 20:

Everyone can make false claims. It is not a guarantee of truth. The fact that the Quran remains a standing miracle that attests to its divine authority is proven every day as people from all parts of the world continue to embrace Islam by being exposed to it.

Can you provide statistics of those who embrace the false religion of Bahaism after reading his ‘fake scripture’?

I urge you to watch the interviews of the many converts to Islam published on https://thedeenshow.com.

Question 21:

My question is this? My girlfriend and I are in love, found ourselves always talking about sexual topics; we hate ourselves for doing it, and every time we say we are no longer doing it, later on, we find ourselves doing it again; how do we stop ourselves? And when we get married later, what kind of impact would that have on our marriage?

Answer 21:

You are committing a grave sin. I urge you to discontinue your behavior and seek repentance. By persisting in your unlawful relationship with this girl, you are breaking the laws of Allah. You cannot rationalize or justify your relationship with the girl, saying you both plan to marry later.

It is common knowledge that in Islam, fornication and adultery are grave sins, and committing either bears severe consequences in this world and the hereafter.

 However, what is not so well known is that while declaring fornication and adultery as haram (forbidden), Islam does not merely forbid the actual deeds. Still, Islam also declares every circumstance or avenue that may lead to fornication and adultery as forbidden. Allah says, “Do not come near fornication, for it is indeed lewdness and an evil lifestyle.”

 Explaining this, the Prophet said, “The fornication of eyes is staring, fornication of ears is listening, fornication of tongue is talking, fornication of hands is holding, fornication of feet is walking, fornication of heart/mind is craving and lusting, and finally, the private parts confirm or negate it.” He also said, “staring is one of the arrows of Satan.” In another report, he stated, “you are allowed to have the first casual look (which is unintentional), but do not continue to stare.”

 The laws of Islam are from Allah, our Creator, who knows our weaknesses and strengths better than we do. Women, by nature, desire to be looked at, adored, and cherished, while man is inclined to look at women. Allah, therefore, warns us against our nature, which may lead us astray if we do not exercise caution and take the necessary safeguards. Thus, Allah said, “Say to the believing men to lower their gazes and guard their chastity and say to the believing women to lower their gazes and guard their chastity and not to display their charm in public.”

 Keeping friendships with members of the opposite gender may lead to staring, lustful thoughts, flirtations, and seductions. Although it may not always be the case, there is no way to tell when and when it will not happen. That is why it is forbidden to mingle and mix freely with members of the opposite sex and develop friendships with them. It is all part of Zina (fornication), which God and His Prophet, peace be on him, firmly told us to abstain from.

 Allah has given us laws to guard against the evils inherent in our souls.

In conclusion, you should discontinue this relationship immediately. If you don’t, you are incurring the wrath of Allah. Your behavior is not different from that of a person driving a car with a faulty brake system.

It would help if you offered this supplication every day:

Rabbi qinee sharra basaree; rabbi qinee sharra sam’ee, rabbi qinee sharra lisaani, rabbi qinee sharra maniyyee

(My Lord, protect me from the evil of my eyes; My Lord, save me from the evil of my ears; my Lord, save from the evil of my tongue; my Lord, protect me from the evil of my private parts.)

Question 22:

Is it permissible to use sore lip cream with alcohol denat in it?

Answer 22:

If you can find lip creams free of alcohol denat, you should go for it. You should check the ingredients listed on the product; in case of doubt, you should contact the manufacturer directly to ascertain the fact.

If you do not find any such product, then you may use the product according to the rulings of eminent scholars. They justify it because since it is only for external use and not for consumption, there is no need to be rigid.

On this ground, they allow perfumes or cosmetics containing alcohol. Alcohol is used for its high volatility (disappears immediately after application) and its drying, refreshing, and antimicrobial properties. Since one is not ingesting alcohol by applying it on the skin or body, there is no need to take a rigid position on it.

Question 23:

There is a football game called Fifa which is a game that gives you a ready made character and it gives you the option to change the characteristics of this digital character. You can change the skin colour, hair type, height, name, age, eye colour, mouth, etc of this existing ready made character. So here, I did not create a character from nothing but I can just change the appearance of this character.

Does this count as imitating the creation of Allah and so is it haram to change the characteristics and play the football game?

Answer 23:

Since it is simply a medium, which has become one of the most essential methods of communication, and it is wholly free of elements or associations of shirk, there is no need to worry about its permissibility.

You can use it if the purpose is ethical and beneficial for society.