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Post-Hajj Fatwas (Live Session)

Sheikh Ahmad Kutty
20 September, 2016

Dear Brothers/Sisters,

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

Thursday, Sep. 22, 2016 | 18:00 - 20:00 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.  

Is reading Quran & send its thawab to dead person is valid?



The Sunnah of the Prophet and his companions, as reported in the sources, is to offer supplications and pray for the deceased. The Qur’an reminds us that we should pray for all the believers who have passed on before us. Besides offering supplications, there is no record in the sources that the Prophet, peace be on him, and his Companions were in the habit of reading the Qur’an and sending rewards to their loved ones who had passed away.

However, the Prophet had been asked on a number of occasions by individuals whether they were allowed to perform hajj and give charities on behalf of their deceased parents. His answer to such questions always was in the affirmative. In other words, he did not stop people from making hajj or giving charities on behalf of their deceased parents or relatives.

Scholars who reflected on the above traditions of the Prophet, peace be on him, posed the question: Does this apply only to hajj and charities? Or does it extend beyond these to include all acts of devotion and worship such as reading the Quran and performing nafl prayers, etc.

One group of scholars said it was only limited to hajj and charities, and could not be extended to acts of worship such as prayers and reading of the Quran. This view is held by a number of scholars from various accepted schools of jurisprudence. However, another group of scholars, belonging to all of the major schools, said: There is no reason to exclude reading of the Qur’an and prayers from the above permission granted by the Prophet, peace be on him. Accordingly, they are of the opinion that a person is allowed to read the Qur’an and pray to Allah to send the rewards to their deceased parents and relatives. However, this group explicitly prohibits the practice of hiring people to read the Qur’an, or making a ritual of gathering to read the Qur’an on a set date after death. Such a practice would amount to introducing a bid’ah.

The view that reading the Quran and donating the rewards to one’s deceased parents and relatives is permitted has been authenticated by scholars like Ibn Taymiyyah. However, he reminds us that the Sunnah of the Prophet and his companions was limited to offering du’as for the deceased ones.

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When are the restrictions on ihram lifted in hajj, including sexual relations? JazkaAllah khair



There are two types of release from Hajj; scholars refer to it as the first and the second release.

The first release from ihram occurs when a pilgrim has performed two of the three rituals: pelting, shaving or cutting of hair, and tawaf. In this case, he is allowed to change into ordinary clothes and free of the taboos associated with ihram except for spousal relations.

If on the other hand, he has performed all of the three, the second and final release also occurs, and hence he is free of all restrictions, including spousal relations.

What act should I do that will benefit my dead parent? Is reading Quran & send its thawab to dead person is valid?



We read in a number of traditions that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told the children whose parents had passed away to give charities or perform pilgrimages, etc. on their behalf. Based on such traditions, most of the scholars are of the opinion that children may do all kinds of charitable or good deeds on behalf of their parents; once they are performed with the intention of sending their rewards to them, Allah, out of His sheer mercy, will convey rewards to them.

Many scholars include reading of the Qur’an in this category of permissible good works that one may do on behalf of one’s deceased parents or relatives. They have done so based on their reasoning that there is no reason to exclude such an act from the above general permissions granted by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Thus it has become an almost a widely accepted practice in the Muslim community; the Muslims throughout the centuries have been practicing the same; so one should never object to it. But having said this I must add a word of caution: One must not do this by setting a fixed date such as the seventh day, the fortieth day or the death anniversaries, etc. for by setting aside such dates for specific rituals we incur the sin of making innovations in religion.

I have been suffering from severe depression and anxiety for several years. My family fail to understand what I'm going through which is why I was reluctant to tell them in the first place I feel there is a massive stigma in our culture and society surrounding this. And it has made feel very isolated it has made my condition a lot worse as I have nowhere to turn to for help. As I also suffer from several medical conditions which don't help. I've started praying regularly and ask Allah swt for help in my situation but am having real issues with waswasaa. And have also considered suicide. Due to my stress and anxiety. This is my cry for help as I have nowhere else to turn so please; Please help me!!!



I pray to Allah to grant you relief and comfort and help you overcome your challenges.

In answering your question, I cannot do any better than citing one of my earlier answers:

It is most likely that you are suffering from a serious form of depression; it is important that you seek immediate medical help. Get in touch with your family doctor; he will refer you to a specialist in the field.
Islam teaches us never to despair of Allah’s mercy. So don’t lose hope, but do what you must do in order to take care of your health; this involves consulting doctors, getting treatments and taking medications. Since Allah has ordered us to take care of our health, it is our religious duty to seek medical attention in order to save ourselves from self-destruction: The Prophet said, “Verily your body has rights; your soul has rights and your Lord has rights…so give each one his/her due.”

Depression is a very serious condition; unless treated it could be fatal; so never be slack in getting the proper treatment: While doing so, you should also be consistent in resorting to spiritual healing. Here are a few things you may practice on a consistent basis:

1) Be diligent in performance of your Salah; Salah, when done consciously and with full awareness, will prove to be a true source of spiritual healing and a stress reliever par excellence.

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2) Before retiring to bed every day, read Fatihah and the last three surahs of the Qur’an and blow into your hands and wipe over your whole body preferably three times. You may also repeat the same at other times of the day or night as you wish.

3) Try to read at least ten verses of the Qur’an every day.

4) Listen to the Qur’an as much as possible; try to play a recorded Qur’an always around you.

5) Make yourself busy doing something beneficial, for a mind that is not occupied with good things will most likely be occupied with idle matters; remember if you don’t make yourself busy with good works, Satan will make sure to make you busy with his work.

6) Say the following supplications (du’as) while believing in their efficacy, and expecting cure and relief form Allah

Allaahumma rahmataka arjoo falaa takilnee ilaa nafsee tarfata ayn; wa aslih lee sha’nee kullahu , laa ilaaha illaa anata
(O Allah! I implore Your grace and mercy; so do not abandon me to my own devices even for a single instant!)

Laa ilaaha illa Allah al-azeem al-haleem, laa ilaaha illa Allaah rabbu al-arshi al-azeem, laa ilaaha illa Allaahu rabbu al-ssamaawaati wa al-ardhi wa rabbu al-arshi al-kareem

(There is no god but Allah, the Great, the Clement; there is no god but Allah, Lord of the Mighty Throne; there is no god but Allah, Lord of the heavens and the earth, and Lord of the Noble Throne.)

Allaahumma innee abduka ibnu abdik ibn amatik naasiyatee bi yadika qadin fiyya hukmuka adlun fiyya qadaa’uka as’aluka bi kull ismin huwa laka sammayta bihi nafsaka aw anzaltahu fee kitaabika aw ‘allamtahu ahadan min khalqika aw ista’tharta bihi fee ilmi al-ghaybi indaka an taj’ala al-Qur’aana rabee’a qalbee wa noora basaree wa jilaa’a huznee wa dhahaaba hammee
(O Allah! I am Your servant; son of Your servant, son of Your maid-servant; my forelock is under Your firm grip; Your decree is firmly established in my case; Your rule is just in my case. I ask You invoking every single name You possess, with which You have called Yourself, or You have revealed in Your scripture, or instructed any of Your creation or You have kept hidden in the realm of hidden realities with You, to make the Qur’an the spring of my heart, light of my eyes, and alleviator of my grief and dispeller of my worries!)

May Allah grant you complete healing, for He is indeed the Healer and Curer -aameen.

Should the pilgrim spend the whole night at Muzdalifah?



Ideally, we should spend the night in Muzdalifah on our way from Arafah after sundown. We should pray Maghrib and Isha combined, and then retire until fajr, and spend time in dhikr until the light of dawn spreads.  It is the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him); he is said, “Learn your hajj rites from me.”

However, he allowed those with valid excuses such as women, elderly as well as others with reasonable excuses to leave after midnight to head to Mina for pelting before the crowd arrives.

Based on this, scholars have ruled that it is not essential to spend the entire night in Muzdalifh; rather, it is enough to spend part of the night or any time after midnight. Imam Malik is the most flexible on this as he says: One may spend as much as required to halt for a rest and recuperate; some scholars have calculated this to be something like half an hour if not more.

We are allowed to follow this conception when faced with unavoidable circumstances or hardship. The Prophet showed on more than one occasion that there is much latitude in the performance of Hajj rites where there is a hardship.

I intended to travel 5 locations in two months in US. It is clear to me for other locations as my stay is clearly less than 15 days. But I am confused in the case of NYC. I arrived in NYC at 02h00 on 15/09/16 & will travel to Washington on 29/09/16 at 08h00. It makes 14 days (15 to 28 Sep). If I count nights it is different. Please let me know whether I should be offering qasr or full salah.



On this, I would like to cite here one of my earlier answers:

1) There is general consensus among scholars that if a person who is traveling is determined to return as soon as his work is done and does not know when it will be, then he may continue to pray Qasr as long as he is a traveler.

If, however, a person decides to settle down in a city, the moment he does so, he does not remain a traveler, and, therefore, he must pray full.

If, on the other hand, one is determined to stay only for a few days and he knows precisely how many days it is, then he should pray full, according to a great number of scholars, if his stay exceeds more than four days. The Hanafi School, however, puts the number of allowable days at fifteen, while a third group of scholars put it at eighteen.
The first view seems to be the safest view to follow, as it has been based on the Prophet’s practice, for, according to authentic reports, he stayed in Makkah four days, and during his stay he prayed Qasr; he had already known in advance how many days he would be staying. He is reported to have prayed Qasr for eighteen and twenty days on two separate occasions, when, most likely, he had no idea as regards the number of days he would be staying.
Having said this, I should rush to state that if anyone follows the position of the Hanafi School, he should not be blamed for his action, for theirs is a Fiqh- ruling based on acceptable practices of the Salaf al-ssalih (pious predecessors). Since it is merely a question of differences of interpretation based on valid Ijtihad (creative exercise of reasoning), one should never make a big issue out of such differences of opinion among Imams.
2) The most accurate way to count the number of days for a traveler is to consider oneself a Musaafir only after one has crossed the boundaries of his city of residence. Thus in case of people living in Toronto, if they are in a long distance journey they will be considered travelers only after they have crossed the boundaries of GTA. The days of stay are calculated by excluding the day/days of going and returning.
3) Yes, according to vast majority of scholars and Imams, it is perfectly allowed for a traveler to combine Zhuhr and ‘Asr, and Maghrib and ‘Isha. This ruling is based on the authentic traditions which clearly state that the Prophet (peace be on him) had combined Zhuhr and ‘Asr as well as Magrib and ‘Isha on a number of occasions while traveling.
According to Hanafi School, however, combining prayers is allowed only during Hajj while performing the rite of standing in Arafah. At other times they allow only what is often termed as Jam suwari (a kind of combining): By this they mean to say that you are allowed, for instance, to delay Zhuhr and pray it at the last time of Zhuhr and then pray ‘Asr at the first time of ‘Asr.

The majority view allowing combining of prayers as mentioned earlier has been considered to be the most authentic; it has been adopted later by many scholars belonging to Hanafi School as well.

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4) While combining prayers, you are allowed to make either taqdim (advancing) or ta’khir (delaying): In other words, you are allowed to advance the second prayer to the time of the first prayer. Thus, if you are combining Zhhuhr and ‘Asr, you can first pray Zhuhr at the time of Zhuhr, and then advance ‘Asr by praying immediately, or if you wish you can defer praying Zhuhr until the time of ‘Asr arrives, in which case, you will first pray Zhuhr and then prayer ‘Asr afterwards. The same procedure applies to combining Magrib and ‘Isha as well.

An important word of caution concerning Jam’ is that there is no combining of Fajr with Zhuhr, or ‘Asr with Maghrib, or ‘Isha with Fajr.

It is also worth mentioning that while praying Qasr during travel is highly recommended—some Imams such as Abu Hanifah even consider it as obligatory—during travel, praying Jam’ is only allowed while one is actually traveling or pre-occupied with pressing circumstances. Jam’ is rare, while Qasr is common.

A final remark to be made is that if a person is aimlessly wandering, he is not considered a traveler and is, therefore, not allowed to make use of the allowances of Qasr and Jam’.

Scholars are not agreed over the rule regarding the saliva and hair of dogs. The prevailing opinion is that its saliva is impure based upon evidence that the Prophet ordered washing of recipients which were licked or lapped by a dog. My question is that if I touch a dog owner’s hand and his hand is wet from the saliva of the dog, then should I wash my hands seven times one time with clean dirt? Also, if the dogs owner’s hand is wet from other source of wetness, such as from watering plants, is his hands considered pure or would I still need to wash my hands seven times?



In answering your question, I would like to cite here one of my earlier answers:
“Since in Islam dogs in general are not considered very clean animals as they can be carriers of numerous parasites some of which may be highly harmful to humans, Islam is against adopting dogs as pets and as most of these parasites are passed on to others through their saliva, we are told to wash the spot it has come in contact with seven times, one of which should be preferably with mud/dirt. Having said this, however, I must point out that as some scholars have ruled that washing the spot with anti- bacterial soap will be deemed as sufficient instead of using dirt or mud. While some scholars consider the entire body of a dog as impure, many however are of the view that it is only its saliva that is considered as impure in an absolute sense; so that is what we should stay clear of at all times.

The above ruling about the impurity of dog in general or of its saliva in particular notwithstanding, there are certain allowances allowed for those who are unable to avoid contacts with dogs because of the nature of their job involving dogs or specific circumstances which make it hard for them to avoid direct contact with dogs: In this category,  we can include farmers who keep dogs for guarding and shepherding cattle, etc; people who are visually challenged who need to keep dogs as guides, hunters who use trained dogs, police who employ trained dogs for investigating crimes, those who need to keep guard dogs, etc. As Imam Ibn Taymiyyah has pointed out, because of the particular circumstances such people find themselves which make it impossible for them to stay completely clear of dogs, they are allowed certain relaxations in regards to purity and impurity associated with dogs. This is because of the general principle of taysir (ease and removal of hardship) inherent in the shari’ah which teaches that ‘wherever there is hardship, the rigor of the law is relaxed’. In other words, they will be excused as long as they do their best as determined by their own circumstances, for “Allah (certainly) will not impose on a soul a burden it has no strength to bear.”

In conclusion, if you are certain that you are in contact with the saliva of dog then you should wash the spot clean with soap.

If you touch someone who handles dogs, it is good to wash your hands, for your own good; although there is no compelling religious ground to do so.

 

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Hello! I am a 19 year old person having left Islam three years ago. I have been in a spiritual space for three years. Actually, I believe that Islam is God's real religion but in spite of the fact that I believe that Islam is the only real religion sent by God I do not accept Islam in heart. My mind accepts Islam but my heart does not. How? Let me explain it. According to Islam if one does not accept or like even one verse in the Koran in heart he or she becomes an infidel. However, in the Holy Koran there are some verses sounding unacceptable. For example, in the 29th verse of surah Tawbah Muslims are clearly ordered to fight non-Muslims till they accept Allah's domination or pay jizya tax. And this verse is one of the verses valid in all ages. My heart cannot accept this verse. Why Allah wants me to fight non-Muslims ? War is right for just self-defense to me. And in the Quran men are allowed to sex with their cariyes and it is not accepted as zina. It is allowed in the 6th verse of surah Muminun . I do not find this matter right. In sum, I cannot accept some verses in the Koran .If I cannot accept even one verse I cannot be a Muslim according to Islam . I wish I could accept. What should I do to accept and like those verses? I want but I cannot.



I suspect you had no chance to gain sound Islamic education, in the absence of which our minds become more like a sponge absorbing all of the negative propaganda and images from the media and elsewhere. I pray to Allah to guide us all unto the straight path.

I am not in a position to answer all of your questions in detail in this limited forum. However, I would try to provide brief answers:

  1. The Qur’an presents itself as the divine revelation; and challenges people to prove otherwise. In fact, if we consider the sheer number of eminent people from diverse backgrounds embracing Islam, and ask why they do so, the only viable answer is: they are astounded by the unique and inimitable nature of the Qur’an. You can verify this by studying the stories of those who have embraced Islam; and by reading the introduction to the Qur’an translations by scholars such as Marmaduke Pictktall, Muhammad Asad, and even the Orientalist Arberry and others.
  2. The verse or verses of the Quran you are referring are to be explained by reference to the context, as such, they cannot be taken out of context to be applicable as if they are the universal principles of the Qur’an. I would urge you to read the work The Moral World of the Qur’an by M.A. Draz – a work based on a doctoral dissertation he submitted to Sorbonne University by an eminent scholar from al-Azhar. It shows that the verses such as the ones you cited are exceptions, whereas the verses teaching peace and non-violence are general. In other words, Allah tells Muslims in no uncertain terms that they are not to attack anyone who does not attack them: Here are two verses which clearly state this: “Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you and do not initiate aggression for God loves not the aggressors” (Qur’an: 2: 190)’ and “if they let you be and do not wage war against you and hold off their hands from attacking you, and extend peace towards you, then God does not sanction you to wage war against them.” (Qur’an: 4:90).
  3. Now coming to the issue of sexual relations with those our rights hands possess, it is specific to the context of the condition prevailing before Islam as slavery was rampant all over the world; Islam form the very beginning set out to abolish slavery as can be seen from a careful perusal of the verses of the Qur’an. Unlike previous scriptures, there is not a single verse in the Qur’an going out and taking slaves in war or peace. Rather all of the verses there are about freeing slaves. Therefore, it is clear that the goal of Islam was to abolish slavery altogether.

Before its final abolition, however, Islam instituted practices best treatment of existing slaves, eventually liberating them.  Therefore, we cannot consider it as valid today.

You may do well to compare the Quranic teachings on slavery with verses in the Old Testament if you are interested in finding out the progressive nature of Qur’anic revelation.

In conclusion, I would also urge you to read the Preaching of Islam by Thomas Arnold in which he documents that Islam in so far it spread did so not through the use of sword; rather through peaceful preaching and beautiful examples.

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Assalamu Alakum Warahmatullah, Sheikh please my question is, is it permitted in Islam for a husband to lick his wife's genital? Please permit my language. I really want to know the ruling on it. Sallam



There is nothing in Islam that categorically forbids married couples from gratifying each other through oral stimulation, if it is based on consensual agreement. However, one objection that could be raised is whether the act involves consuming semen or female fluids, since they are considered najas (impure) according to Imam Abu Hanifah. It is to be noted, however, that this view is not shared by other imams such as Imam Shafi’i. The ruling that married couples are permitted to satisfy each other in this way is stated in one of the standard textbooks of the Shafi’i school of jurisprudence entitled Fath al-mu’in, where oral stimulation of clitoris is mentioned as a permissible form of gratification among married couples. It can be further stated that there is no reason to restrict the permission to the case of males performing oral stimulation on females.

Is it better for Ladies to pray all prayers at home or go to Masjid, specially for Jummah, Eid prayers?



In answering your question, I cannot do any better than citing here one of my earlier answers to a similar question:

“It is certainly permissible for women to pray the Friday Prayer; it is therefore totally absurd to say that they are not allowed to do so. Since there is nothing whatsoever either in the Qur’an, or in the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to indicate otherwise, no human being possesses the right to say so.

It is a well-known fact that women used to attend prayers including that of Friday at the Prophet’s Mosque during his time. As a matter of fact, many of those women from among the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did so consistently that they memorized entire surahs of the Qur’an from the Prophet’s mouth as he was in the habit of reciting them during sermons and prayer. The practice of women attending the prayers continues to this day in the Prophet’s Mosque; the same has been the consistent practice in the Sacred Mosque in Makkah. This can be verified by anyone going for Hajj or `Umrah, for it is a common sight of women praying all over the Haram sanctuary in Makkah just as men do.

This being the case, how can anyone dare to say that women are not allowed to attend prayers in the mosque? Are we then implying that it is OK for them to go to the Prophet’s Mosque or the Haram in Makkah but not to other mosques? Are our mosques holier?

Furthermore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also clearly forbade men from banning women from mosques. He said, “Don’t stop the maid servants of Allah (that is, women) from coming to mosques of Allah” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Ahmad, Malik, and others)

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Having said this, I must rush to add that women in Islam are not obligated to pray at the mosque if they are burdened by their duties of nurturing and caring for their little ones. Women are thus absolved of this obligation solely because of the compassion of Islam. But, in such a case, according to the laws of the Shari`ah, they are duly compensated for their absence from mosques because of the nobler task they are engaged in at home.

This exception, however, must never be used by men against women to prevent them from coming to mosques, especially if they are not in the above situation.

Based on these, women are definitely allowed to attend mosques and participate in mosque-related activities. As scholars such as Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi and others have stated that in this day and age when chances for proper spiritual and moral education are becoming ever scarce, it would be highly recommended for women to come to mosques and derive the spiritual and educational benefits just as men do.

May Allah grant us the wisdom to recognize truth as truth and follow it; may He grant us the wisdom to recognize error as error and shun it. Ameen.

Is it allowed to welcome pilgrims before they reach home?



It is also a good practice as long as one does so without excessive fanfare and pomp.  As Imam Nawawi states in Kitab al-Adhkar welcoming the pilgrims with a prayer like “May Allah accept your hajj, forgive your sins, and replenish your provision” is fine.  We read in a report that the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed as follows: “O Allah! Forgive those who perform Hajj as well as those they pray for.”

Furthermore, wishing well and congratulating each other for blessings and favors is a good custom; it is bound to enhance and strengthen the bonds of Islamic brotherhood.

How to marry in Islam in the halal way?



The minimum conditions for the validity of nikah are the following:

1- The consent of the guardian of the woman

2- presence of witnesses

3- offering and acceptance

4- and mahr (dower).

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Once the above conditions have been fulfilled, the marriage will be deemed as valid; but if these conditions are not fulfilled, then it will be considered as being null and void.

As far as the consent of guardian is concerned, it can only be dispensed with if the guardian is simply refusing to give consent for considerations other than Islamic, in which case the judge can authorize the marriage after having followed the due process. If, on the other hand, such is not the case and no attempt was made to ascertain the consent of the guardian, then such a marriage would be considered invalid and, therefore, unacceptable in Islam. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “There is no (valid) marriage without a guardian and two reliable witnesses.”

By stipulating the above-mentioned conditions for the validity of marriage, Islam insists that a marriage should remain distinct from other loose and immoral lifestyles such as fornication and illicit affairs. Hence, the Prophet insisted on making marriages public.

Can pilgrims send hadi Meat outside Mecca?



Hady is to be sacrificed in Makkah or anywhere in the precincts of Haram. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “I sacrificed here (in Mina); all of Mina is a place of sacrifice, and all of the valleys or by-ways of Makkah are paths to and places of sacrifice.” (Reported by Muslim on the authority of Jabir. B. Abd Allah).

The meat of the sacrifice is distributed primarily among the poor of Makkah or Haram. Since there is a huge surplus of sacrificial meat today, the scholars have rightly allowed its distribution to the poor outside the Haram as well.  It is a sound view; it is analogous to the distribution of Zakah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Zakah or compulsory alms ought to be taken from the rich among them and distributed among the poor.” When during the time of the pious Caliph Umar, when they realized that there was a surplus of zakah funds more than sufficient for distribution among the locals, Mu’adh, the governor and judge of Yaman, sent it to Madinah. After hearing about the reason for sending the funds to Madinah, Umar approved of it; since there was no objection from other companions, it can be assumed as a tacit consensus (ijma sukuti) of the Sahabah (Prophet’s companions), upon whom be peace and Allah’s  blessings.

Having said this, I would like to add: The only viable way of sending the meat for distribution elsewhere is the official agency appointed for the same.  This arrangement was done after due consultation with the World Council of Muslim Jurists, and hence we ought to have no reservations about doing so.

Dear Scholar, I want clarification in the matter of foods which are prepared by adding alcoholic drinks in it, such as beer, wine and such. Some give the argument that these are permissible as all the alcohol evaporates from the dish while cooking and only the taste remains. Is there a difference of opinion in this matter among the scholars or a definitive verdict has been concluded, derived from Quran and Sahih Hadith?



I have never come across such a ruling issued from any of the reputable fatwa councils or eminent scholars.  If we are allowed to use such logic, what is preventing us from saying that while we are not to eat the raw flesh of swine, we could eat it once it is cooked! It is no doubt absurd.

Allah and His Prophet forbade the use of wine and alcohol whether we consume it raw or cooked.

Those who use such arguments to permit such use of alcohol are not different from the People of the Book who circumvented the ban on fishing on Saturday by gathering the fish in a pool on Saturday and catching it the next day.

Salaam. Can we make dua for non-mahrams? For example, if I want to do dua for a non mahram that 'Insha'Allah they succeed in their studies, Ameen.' Or 'Insha'Allah they pass their driving test, Ameen.' Jazak Allah.



Allah describes the believers in the Qur’an: {And those who came after them say: “Our Lord! Forgive us, and our brethren who came before us into the Faith, and leave not, in our hearts, rancour (or sense of injury) against those who have believed. Our Lord! Thou art indeed Full of Kindness, Most Merciful} )Qur’an: 59:10).

The Prophet (peace be upon him) further taught us to pray for one another. There is no reason to exclude women from this general imperative. We are not allowed to make an exception without clear evidence warranting it.

Therefore, women are encouraged to pray for other believers even as men are encouraged to do so. We have also precedents for this in the practice of the mothers of faithful such as Aishah and others (Allah be pleased with them all).

After Farewell Tawaf, should pilgrims walk backwards to face the Ka`bah? Can we invite pilgrims to dinner after returning from Hajj?



What you have described above is indeed one of the superstitious practices that we ought to reject.

There is no precedent for it in the practice of the Prophet (peace be upon him), his companions and pious predecessors (Salaf al-Salih).

We may do well to remember one of the basic principles of the shari’a: we are not allowed to institute rituals of worship based on our opinions or whims; rather we ought to wait for the sanction of the Law-Giver. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever innovates any practice without the sanction of ours in this religion, it ought to be rejected.”

It is a good practice to be encouraged as Imam Nawawi has stated in his acclaimed work al-Majmu’. He says it is recommended to gather people on a feast or food to express joy for the return of travelers (including those returning from Hajj or Umrah, etc.). It is one of the best ways of expressing gratitude and thanks to Allah for a safe return; it also strengthens the bonds of brotherhood and mutual love among Muslims and neighbors. We have precedent for this in the practice of the Prophet (peace be upon him). He used to sacrifice a camel, prepare a feast and invite the people to partake of it.

What made the Jews so special to be deemed ALLAH's chosen people? Then why ALLAH sent many more prophets to Isaac descendants only(compare with Ismail descendants)?



Allah is All-Wise and All-Knowing; He alone decides whom to choose for His blessings and favors.

However, some scholars such as Imam Qurtubi have stated, based on their meditations on the relevant verses in the Qur’an, that Allah chose to send more prophets to the people of the book than any other nation on the face of the earth because of their rebellious nature. The Qur’an makes it abundantly clear that they were a hard-necked people given into much rebellion and acts of disobedience. Therefore, it is akin to the case of assigning more physicians to a population with the greater number of sick people. Allah knows best.