Archives: Questions

Question

Can a muslim celebrate a non muslim holiday like Thanksgiving?

Praise be to Allah.Greeting the kuffaar on Christmas and other religious holidays of theirs is haram, by consensus, as Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said in Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah: "Congratulating the kuffaar on the rituals that belong only to them is haram by consensus, as is congratulating them on their festivals and fasts by saying ‘A happy festival to you’ or ‘May you enjoy your festival,’ and so on. If the one who says this has been saved from kufr, it is still forbidden. It is like congratulating someone for prostrating to the cross, or even worse than that. It is as great a sin as congratulating someone for drinking wine, or murdering someone, or having illicit sexual relations, and so on. Many of those who have no respect for their religion fall into this error; they do not realize the offensiveness of their actions. Whoever congratulates a person for his disobedience or bid’ah or kufr exposes himself to the wrath and anger of Allah."
Congratulating the kuffaar on their religious festivals is haram to the extent described by Ibn al-Qayyim because it implies that one accepts or approves of their rituals of kufr, even if one would not accept those things for oneself. But the Muslim should not aceept the rituals of kufr or congratulate anyone else for them, because Allah does not accept any of that at all, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"If you disbelieve, then verily, Allah is not in need of you, He likes not disbelief for His slaves. And if you are grateful (by being believers), He is pleased therewith for you. . ." [al-Zumar 39:7]
". . . This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islaam as your religion . . ." [al-Maa’idah 5:3]
So congratulating them is forbidden, whether they are one’s colleagues at work or otherwise.
If they greet us on the occasion of their festivals, we should not respond, because these are not our festivals, and because they are not festivals which are acceptable to Allah. These festivals are innovations in their religions, and even those which may have been prescribed formerly have been abrogated by the religion of Islaam, with which Allah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to the whole of mankind. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Whoever seeks a religion other than Islaam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers." [Aal ‘Imraan 3:85]
It is haram for a Muslim to accept invitations on such occasions, because this is worse than congratulating them as it implies taking part in their celebrations.
Similarly, Muslims are forbidden to imitate the kuffaar by having parties on such occasions, or exchanging gifts, or giving out sweets or food, or taking time off work, etc., because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever imitates a people is one of them." Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyah said in his book Iqtidaa’ al-siraat al-mustaqeem mukhaalifat ashaab al-jaheem: "Imitating them in some of their festivals implies that one is pleased with their false beliefs and practices, and gives them the hope that they may have the opportunity to humiliate and mislead the weak."
Whoever does anything of this sort is a sinner, whether he does it out of politeness or to be friendly, or because he is too shy to refuse, or for whatever other reason, because this is hypocrisy in Islaam, and because it makes the kuffaar feel proud of their religion.
Allah is the One Whom we ask to make the Muslims feel proud of their religion, to help them adhere steadfastly to it, and to make them victorious over their enemies, for He is the Strong and Omnipotent.
Majmoo’ah Fatawa wa Rasaa’il al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 3/369)

Question

Is repentance from a particular sin acceptable while I am a victim of another?

Praise be to Allah.Yes, repentance from a particular sin is acceptable even if the repentant insists on another sin which is of a different nature and not the same as the one from which he has repented. For example, if a man repents from having accepted interest but not from drinking wine, his repentance over accepting interest is acceptable, and vice versa. But if he repents from simple interest but not compound interest then his repentance is invalid. Or if he repents from taking drugs but insists on drinking wine, or vice versa, then the repentance is invalid too. It will also be incorrect and unacceptable if a man repents from adultery with one woman but commits it with another. In all of these cases they have only shifted from one variety of sin to another within the same kind.
And Allah knows best.

Question

Is wearing Niqab one of the conditions of Islamic dress for women?

Praise be to Allah.What is hijab?
Hijab in Arabic means covering or concealing. Hijab is the name of something that is used to cover. Everything that comes between two things is Hijab. 
Hijab means everything that is used to cover something and prevent anyone from reaching it, such as curtains, door keepers and garments, etc. 
What is khimar?
Khimar comes from the word khamr, the root meaning of which is to cover. For example, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Khammiru aniyatakum (cover your vessels).” Everything that covers something else is called Khimar. 
But in common usage Khimar has come to be used as a name for the garment with which a woman covers her head; in some cases this does not go against the linguistic meaning of Khimar. 
Some of the jurists have defined it as that which covers the head, the temples and the neck. 
Difference between khimar and hijab
The difference between the Hijab and the Khimar is that the Hijab is something which covers all of a woman’s body, whilst the Khimar in general is something with which a woman covers her head. 
What is Niqab?
Niqab is that with which a woman veils her face (tantaqib)… 
Difference between Hijab and Niqab
The difference between Hijab and Niqab is that the Hijab is that which covers all the body, whilst Niqab is that which covers a woman’s face only. 
The woman’s dress as prescribed in shari’ah (“Islamic dress”) is that which covers her head, face and all of her body. 
Is niqab compulsory? 
But the Niqab or burqa’ – which shows the eyes of the woman – has become widespread among women, and some of them do not wear it properly. Some scholars have forbidden wearing it on the grounds that it is not Islamic in origin, and because it is used improperly and people treat it as something insignificant, demonstrating negligent attitudes towards it and using new forms of Niqab which are not prescribed in Islam, widening the opening for the eyes so that the cheeks, nose and part of the forehead are also visible. 
Therefore, if the woman’s Niqab or burqa’ does not show anything but the eyes, and the opening is only as big as the left eye, as was narrated from some of the salaf, then that is permissible, otherwise she should wear something which covers her face entirely. 
What is the prescribed hijab in Islam?
Shaykh Muhammad al-Salih al-‘Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 
“The Hijab prescribed in shari’ah means that a woman should cover everything that it is haram for her to show, i.e., she should cover that which it is obligatory for her to cover, first and foremost of which is the face, because it is the focus of temptation and desire. 
A woman is obliged to cover her face in front of anyone who is not her mahram (blood relative to whom marriage is permanently forbidden). From this we learn that the face is the most essential thing to be covered. 
There is evidence from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the views of the Sahabah and the imams and scholars of Islam, which indicates that women are obliged to cover all of their bodies in front of those who are not their mahrams.” (Fatawa al-Marah al-Muslimah, 1/ 391, 392) 
Should a woman cover her face?
Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan (may Allah preserve him) said: 
“The correct view as indicated by the evidence is that the woman’s face is ‘awrah which must be covered. It is the most tempting part of her body, because what people look at most is the face, so the face is the greatest ‘awrah of a woman. This is in addition to the shar’i evidence which states that it is obligatory to cover the face. 
For example, Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): 
“And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts) and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent (like both eyes for necessity to see the way, or outer palms of hands or one eye or dress like veil, gloves, headcover, apron), and to draw their veils all over Juyoubihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms)…” [al-Nur 24:31] 
Drawing the veil all over the juyub implies covering the face. 
When Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked about the verse (interpretation of the meaning): “O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies.” [al-Ahzab 33:59], he covered his face, leaving only one eye showing. This indicates that what was meant by the verse was covering the face. This was the interpretation of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) of this verse, as narrated from him by ‘Ubaydah al-Salmani when he asked him about it. 
Evidence for niqab from the Sunnah
In the Sunnah, there are many ahadith, such as: the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The woman in ihram is forbidden to veil her face (wear Niqab) or to wear the burqa’.” This indicates that when women were not in ihram, women used to cover their faces. 
This does not mean that if a woman takes off her Niqab or burqa’ in the state of ihram that she should leave her face uncovered in the presence of non-mahram men. Rather she is obliged to cover it with something other than the Niqab or burqa’, on the evidence of the hadith of ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) who said: “We were with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in ihram, and when men passed by us, we would lower the Khimar on our heads over our faces, and when they moved on we would lift it again.” 
Women in ihram and otherwise are obliged to cover their faces in front of non-mahram men, because the face is the center of beauty and it is the place that men look at… and Allah knows best.” (Fatawa al-Marah al-Muslimah, 1/396, 397) 
He also said: 
“It is OK to cover the face with the Niqab or burqa’ which has two openings for the eyes only, because this was known at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and because of necessity. If nothing but the eyes show, this is fine, especially if this is customarily worn by women in her society.” (Fatawa al-Marah al-Muslimah, 1/399) 
And Allah knows best.

Question

If a person is in debt, is it permissible for him to take from his father’s zakaah to pay off his debt or not?

Praise be to Allah. 
          Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah was asked this question, 
          and he replied: 
 
          If the son is in debt and cannot pay it off, then he 
          can take from his father’s zakaah, according to the more correct of 
          the two views narrated in the madhhab of Ahmad and others. But if he 
          is need of maintenance and his father does not have any money to spend 
          on him, in this case there is a difference of opinion (among the scholars), 
          but the more correct view is that it is permissible for him to take 
          from his father’s zakaah. But if he is of independent means and does 
          not need his father to spend on him, then he has no need of his zakaah. And Allaah knows best.

Question

If a person is listening to a tape of Qur’aan and the phone rings, should he speak to the caller when the tape is playing?

Praise be to Allah.
    If a person is listening to the Qur’aan on a tape player or whatever, then he wants to speak or to stop listening, then he should turn it off and stop listening to the Qur’aan so that he will not be inattentive towards it.

Question

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

Praise be to Allah.The answer is in two parts:


In general terms, every believer must believe that every action of Allaah has great wisdom behind it, and there is no need for it to be explained in full to every person. This is a kind of test, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… that He may test you which of you is best in deed…” [al-Mulk 67:2]


To answer this question in more detail: the Qur’aan was revealed in the language of the Arabs, and in Arabic it is as correct to use the plural when speaking of one person as it is to use the singular. But the plural is used for respect and glorification, and no one is more deserving of respect and glorification than Allaah. So the singular is used to affirm the fact that He is One and has no partner or associate, and the plural is used to affirm His glory and majesty, may He be exalted.


Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) wrote in Majmaoo’ al-Fataawaa (5/128) some words which may be of interest to us here:
“With regard to Allaah’s closeness to us, sometimes it is mentioned in the singular, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): ‘And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (answer them) I am indeed near (to them by My knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me…’ [al-Baqarah 2:186] and the hadeeth: ‘The One on Whom you call is closer to any one of you than the neck of his riding-camel’, and sometimes in the plural, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): ‘… And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein’ [Qaaf 50:16]. This is like the aayaat (interpretation of the meanings): ‘We recite to you…’ [al-Qasas 28:3] and ‘We relate unto you…’ [Yoosuf 12:3]. Such usage in Arabic refers to the one who is great and has helpers who obey him; when his helpers do something by his command, he says ‘We did it,’ as a king might say, ‘We conquered this land and we defeated this army,’ and so on.”
Further important details may be found under question # 606 . And Allaah knows best.

Question

First, I would like to thank everyone participating in this really helpfull
program which will take the people to follow the path of Ahlu Alsunna Wa
ljamah, so jazacum Allah khair.
my question is that we are about to start building a new Massjed in Las
Cruces, NM. And to gaurantee that the contractor who will build the
Massjed will complete his job, we should do two things:
1. buy bonds, which will cover any problem with the contractor if he
could not continue his job.
2. buy an insurance, which protects massjed from any damage done be the
contractor after he finish, or by (attentiolly/unattentioally) problems such
as (fire, ..)
My question is, are these kind of protection processes Hallal?
Jazakum Allah Khair

Praise be to Allah.
First of all, thank you for your kind words of encouragement.
Secondly, buying bonds is a haraam riba-based (interest-based) transaction, as entering 
into the common kinds of insurance is a type of gambling which is also haraam. You 
should seek Allaah’s help and put your trust in Him, then choose a contractor who is 
known for his honesty. After careful study and consultation, draw up a contract which 
clearly states conditions. You may find that the system and courts in your country will 
ensure that you are given your rights should something untoward happen. We ask 
Allaah to help you and keep you safe. Remember the words of Allaah (interpretation of 
the meaning): 
"… Verily, the mosque whose foundation was laid from the first day on piety is more 
worthy that you stand therein (to pray). In it are men who love to clean and purify 
themselves. And Allaah loves those who make themselves clean and pure." 
[al-Tawbah 9:108]
May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

Question

We know that the Qur’aan is sacred and none may touch it except those who are purified. What is your opinion concerning touching tapes on which Qur’aan is recorded, by either men or women if they are in a state of janaabah (impurity as a result of sexual activity) or by women if they are menstruating? Is it permissible for them to touch or carry a tape on which Qur’aan is recorded?

Praise be to Allah.
    There is nothing wrong with a person who is in a state of 
    janaabah etc. carrying or touching a tape on which Qur’aan is recorded.

Question

Did Phrophet Muhammed (saw) apply surma (kohl) to his eyes? And are there any ahadeeth that narrate this? In the USA kohl is banned as it causes lead poisoning (as they say) can this be true? because I would like to apply it as well, as i suffer from poor vision.

Praise be to Allah.
    In a number of hadeeths it is narrated that the Prophet  
    (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used kohl and commanded others 
    to do so. For example it is narrated in the Musannaf of Ibn Abi 
    Shaybah, from the hadeeth of Anas, that the Prophet  (peace and 
    blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to apply kohl to his right eye three 
    times, and to his left eye twice. This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by 
    al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah no. 633. And it was proven in
    Sunan al-Nasaa’i (5113) and Sunan Abi Dawood (3837) and 
    elsewhere, from the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) 
    that the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon 
    him) said: “The best of your kohl is ithmid (antimony), for it makes 
    the vision clear and makes the hair  grow.” 
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah 
    have mercy on him) said: Kohl protects the health of the eyes and gives 
    strength and clarity of vision, and cleanses they eye of bad substances. In 
    addition to that some types of kohl also serve as an adornment and if it is 
    applied before going to bed this is even better. And ithmid is more 
    efficacious than other types of kohl. 

    Zaad al-Ma’aad, 4/281. 

    It says in al-Mughni: It is mustahabb to use kohl an 
    odd number of times. (al-Mughni, 1/106). 

    It says in al-Majmoo’: With regard to using kohl an 
    odd number of times, there is a difference of scholarly opinion. It was said 
    that it should be applied an odd number of times to one eye and an even 
    number of times to the other, so that the total number will be odd. The 
    correct view of the scholars who examined this issue is that it should be 
    applied an odd number of times to each eye. Based on this, the Sunnah is to 
    apply it three times to each eye. (al-Majmoo’, 1/334). 
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthyameen 
    (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: Some eye doctors say that kohl is 
    harmful to the eyes and they advise not using it. What do you say to them? 

    He replied: Ithmid (antimony) is known to be very good for 
    the eyes. I do not know anything about other types of kohl. Trustworthy 
    doctors are the ones whom we should consult on this matter. 
And it was said of Zarqa’ 
    al-Yamaamah, who could see as far as three days, that when she was killed, 
    they saw that all the veins of her eyes bore traces of this ithmid. 

    (Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, vol. 17; Chapter on medical 
    treatment and visiting the sick). 

    From the above it is known that kohl is good and is not 
    harmful to the eyes, rather it is beneficial. But there may be some kinds of 
    modern, manufactured kohl that contain some chemical ingredients which may 
    cause physical damage and remove some of the benefits of kohl. Hence people 
    nowadays should look for pure kohl and not regard every kind of kohl 
    available nowadays as beneficial. And Allaah knows best.

Question

In the slaughterhouse there is a mute butcher. We want to know how he can say the name of Allaah over the animal being slaughtered.

Praise be to Allah. 
          Ibn Qudaamah said: 
 
          He (al-Khirqi) said: if he is mute, then he may point 
          to the sky. 
 
          Ibn al-Mundhir said: all of the scholars from whom we 
          gained knowledge were agreed that meat slaughtered by a mute person 
          is halaal. (Those scholars) include al-Layth, al-Shaafa’i, Ishaaq and 
          Abu Thawr. This is also the view of al-Shu’bi, Qutaadah and al-Hasan 
          ibn Saalih. 
 
          Since this is proven, then he should point towards the 
          sky, because this gesture will take the place of speaking. His pointing 
          towards the sky indicates that he intends to mention the One Who is 
          above the heavens. 
 
          Al-Shu’bi said something similar to this. 
 
          This is also indicated by the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah, 
          that “A man brought a non-Arab slave woman to the Messenger of Allaah 
          
          (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, ‘O Messenger of 
          Allaah, I have to free a believing slave; shall I free this woman?’ 
          The Messenger of Allaah 
          
          (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked her: ‘Where is Allaah?’ 
          She pointed to the sky. He said, ‘Who am I?’ She pointed to the Messenger 
          of Allaah 
          
          (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) then to the sky, meaning 
          that he was the Messenger of Allaah. The Messenger of Allaah 
          
          (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Set her free, for 
          she is a believer.’” This was narrated by Imaam Ahmad, and by al-Qaadi 
          al-Barti in their Musnads. 
 
          The Messenger of Allaah 
          
          (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ruled that she was a believer 
          on the basis of her pointing towards the sky, meaning that Allaah is 
          above the heavens. So this should be sufficient as a sign of mentioning 
          the name of Allaah. 
 
          So if he (the mute butcher) makes a gesture that indicates 
          mentioning the name of Allaah, and that is known, then that is sufficient.