All praise and gratitude are due to Allah SWT. May the blessings and peace of Allah SWT be upon His Messenger PBUH.
Dear brother/sister, As HECS debt is a type of debt that may be deferred and paid periodically, it is permissible to give priority to marriage over paying it off, and this is especially in the case where you fear falling into fitnah (temptation) due to remaining unmarried.
Even in cases where the payment of the debt was due immediately, you feared falling into fitnah, and you weren’t able to pay it off, nor were you able to afford the costs of marriage, scholars recommend negotiating with the creditor to extend the time available to you to pay off the debt, in order to enable you to get married. However, if the debt was immediately due and you didn’t fear falling into fitnah, this is generally where paying off the debt would take precedence, due to the words of the Prophet PBUH narrated in Al-Bukhari and Muslim: “ مطل الغني ظلم”, which translates to “Delay in payment by one with wealth) is a transgression.”
All praise and gratitude are due to Allah SWT. May the blessings and peace of Allah SWT be upon His Messenger PBUH.
Dear brother/sister, This is a very important question that is relevant to nearly all Muslims; either directly, or indirectly through family or social circles. Most people follow fatawa which specifically address this matter and hold onto them as clearly “Islamic” when they are, in actuality, against the opinion of the majority of the traditional schools of thought, such as the four Mathahib.
Many people believe that any drawing of the face is forbidden, while others believe that the only issue is drawing of the eyes. Therefore, those who believe the latter draw complete pictures of people with their eyes closed. As such, I would like to make this issue a little clearer.
The reason entire bodies of living beings are not supposed to be “imaged” (I believe this is the closest translation of the Arabic word, “Tasweer”) is that the Prophet PBUH mentioned that Allah SWT revealed that “imaging” is only for the Creator SWT, and He has forbidden others to even try mimicking His creation.
Despite the scholars of Islam having differences amongst them when understanding these Ahadith, the opinion of the majority is as follows: if the part of the creature that is drawn cannot live on its own—for example, a head without the rest of the body or vice versa—it is permissible to do so. Still, some scholars do not prefer this. Note that all schools of thought believe that it is fine to draw anything that is not an alive being.
There is also another opinion. Imam Malik outlines that drawing itself is not haram as long as one does not create a body that has its own shade.
Finally, some scholars believe that one should not draw parts of an alive animal. All of these opinions are authentic and are mentioned in our Islamic tradition, with the majority of scholars espousing the first opinion, Alhamdulillah.
All praise and gratitude are due to Allah SWT. May the blessings and peace of Allah SWT be upon His Messenger PBUH.
Dear brother/sister,
Two quick and effective strategies in dealing with intentions and sincerity in good deeds are as follows: 1. Practice doing voluntary goods deeds in secret and promise yourself never to tell anyone about them. For example: Go online and donate a few dollars and stay anonymous, pray some voluntary prayers in private, help someone etc. But before you do them, prepare yourself by promising yourself that these are special acts which you will only keep between you and Allah SWT. The more you do this, the more you will feel it easy to not show off your good deeds in other areas.
2. After you do a good deed, and you slip by mentioning it with intention of showing off, privately say to Allah SWT the following words: “O Allah, please do not hold me accountable for the praise I have received from this. Forgive the secret sins I have committed which they do not know about, that had they known about I would be humiliated. And make me better than the compliments they assume of me.”
Both the above have proven very effective in the long run, and will save your good deeds, by Allah’s Will and Mercy.
“What is the true interpretation in regard to the rule of killing apostates? Some things aren’t meant to be taken to a literal context and I believe this is one of them. Logically, it wouldn’t make sense to kill apostates because this would take away any chance of self-redemption and in doing so condemn them to hell.”
Assalamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh
All praise and gratitude are due to Allah SWT. May the blessings and peace of Allah SWT be upon His Messenger PBUH.
Dear brother/sister, Thank you for your question regarding apostacy in Islam. Regarding the interpretation and literal context of the rule, let us answer this by first putting things into perspective.
Apostacy is defined in the modern English dictionaries as “an act of refusing to continue to follow, obey, or recognise a religious faith” (Merriam-Webster), among similar others.However, these definitions are given based on a secular framework and make absolute sense in a secular liberal world, which most countries operate by nowadays.
When thinking in a secular liberal context, apostacy becomes nothing more than a personal and private choice of changing one’s belief. There is no crime of breaking any binding contract with the state or a pledge of allegiance to them. The term used for this in liberalism is breaking the “social contract” (John Locke, Letter Concerning Toleration, 1689). Nor would there be a reason for it to mean a threat or treason against a state/country or its people. In a secular liberal framework, it makes sense to say that punishment of an apostate opposes human rights. In shari’ah law, it would also be considered against human rights because the conditions are absent. Just two of those absent conditions are: a ‘social contract’ with a legitimate Caliphate state and an appointed caliph, governor or judge in a court of law who is the only one whom can issue a sentence. In this case, Islam does not refuse a person if they decide to repent and return to Islam after leaving Islam, allowing self-redemption, because it would just be a matter of belief and not allied to that state in a particular way. No terms, no ramifications.
Yet even under the rules of liberalism, human rights are based on the social contract. So long as something is justified through a social contract it does not go against human rights, apostacy in that case is considered no less than high treason and punishment by the death penalty is conceivable (can be understood). These are the words of John Locke, known as the ‘Father of liberalism’, in his letter concerning ‘social contract and apostacy law’ when referring to an example of a Jewish state (Joh Locke, Letter Concerning Toleration, 1689).
Apostacy in Islam, however, has to do with publicly breaking the ‘pledge of allegiance (Bay’ah بيعة)’, which a Muslim made with the Caliphate state and its people, like the ones that existed in the known Islamic history. A Caliphate state is a political-religious state comprising the Muslim community like a body attached to it, its lands and peoples under its dominion. Anything that threatens the state, directly threatens the community, unlike any other state. By accepting Islam, it meant that a citizen had entered a ‘social contract’ with the state and its people along with its terms and conditions, knowing the legal consequence of consciously and deliberately turning away from Islam and returning to disbelief. They would automatically become ‘brothers and sisters in faith’ to all other Muslims, which is the closest bond of trust and reliance one can have with someone else, making many Muslims vulnerable from within. Converting to Islam and entering this pledge is a complete freedom of choice, with no compulsion or coercion upon the person. So, it has nothing to do with just ‘belief’.
Publicly entering Islam and then publicly apostatising, means an open rebellion against the state and its people. When a person apostatises, they become a serious threat to the state and the community, often returning to the ranks of the enemy and assisting them with inside information not afforded to other non-Muslim citizens living under the Caliphate state. The closest legal terminology to it is ‘treason’, or ‘highest treason’. Apostatising meant they became a military combatant. If such an act was left without serious penalty, the number of people entering and exiting Islam under an Islamic state would be catastrophic. Huge numbers from enemy ranks would cease such an opportunity, enter the Muslim community knowing their vulnerability due to the brotherhood/sisterhood system, then exist to aid the enemy more and more. Therefore, the shari’ah places a serious punishment upon apostates in order to ensure the safety and protection of both its Muslim community and the Islamic state.
The Ahadith regarding the death penalty for the apostate are numerous and authentic in both Bukhari, Muslim and others. It is also a unanimous consensus among all classical scholars and schools of thought. The only differences of opinion are on the application, such as how much time an apostate can be given to repent once charged.
Having said all of the above, regarding the second half of your question that “killing the apostate would take away any chance of self-redemption and in doing so condemn them to hell”: While repentance and self-redemption are among the core teachings of Islam around which our religion is built, in rare cases, like apostacy under a Caliphate state (as explained above), the harm of the community outweighs the harm of the individual. The community and the state are given priority over the individual’s possible and unknown future redemption/repentance. Most of those who apostatised in the Prophet’s PBUH time never returned and became active participants in the ranks of enemy lines against the Muslim community. Only a small handful of them repented and the Prophet PBUH accepted their repentance without killing them. That was because they ran away and the Prophet PBUH could not capture them, but when they returned, they sought refuge with members of the Muslims, to which the Prophet PBUH gave them refuge under Islamic law and they had repented and renewed their pledge with the Prophet PBUH. Their escaping and returning was a blessing from Allah SWT upon them, and it was Allah SWT who gave them the chance. Otherwise, the interests of the community’s safety and protection of the state is prioritised.
Now, there is leeway for apostates under an Islamic state court of law. According to the majority of scholars of jurisprudence (i.e., schools of thought such as Maliki, Shafi’i, Hanbali, etc.), it is a must for the judge to give the apostate time to rethink and repent. If he/she repents, they are pardoned. If they publicly choose not to, they are executed. The Hanafi school of thought says it is not a must to give them time, but it is recommended. The reason for this is if the apostate had doubts about the religion or did not have someone to teach them properly from the beginning, among other possibilities. If he/she is lying and fakes their repentance, they are also pardoned because the shari’ah does not allow judging a person based on their inner hidden intentions until it is manifested and exposed.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning that the death penalty does not apply on the child, mentally insane person, a person forced to apostatise, a person whose life was threatened into entering Islam in the first place, and in the opinion of schools of thought (like the Hanafi school), a female apostate is not killed but imprisoned instead. Why? Because in their view she is not likely to become a military combatant, whereas it is likely for a man.
What is the ruling on shaking hands with the opposite gender, especially in cases with people who are ignorant and might be offended? What about hugging/kissing on the cheek with cousins?
Assalamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh
This issue has thankfully become a lot easier to navigate in the current Covid era; however, if you still find people wanting to shake your hand, then there are two ways around it.
In the case of someone like a non-mahram cousin, simply be upfront about it and inform them prior to any expected interaction taking place that, as much as you care for them, you just want to let them know that in Islam we are not allowed to touch or shake hands with the opposite gender if they are not a close blood relative like a father, brother, uncle or son. This is made clear in the authentic hadith of the Prophet PBUH: “If one of you were to be stabbed in the head with an iron needle, it would be better for him than touching a woman whom he is not permitted to touch.” [al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 486]
As for those you meet in everyday life, I have found the best way is to politely place my hand on my chest and nod my head respectfully. If you happen to be female and wear the hijab, then I have found this helps the majority of people understand that you simply have religious boundaries you would like them to respect.
All praise and gratitude are due to Allah SWT. May the blessings and peace of Allah SWT be upon His Messenger PBUH. Donations or general Sadaqah does not count as Zakat, as mentioned in many traditional books of Fiqh. One of the main reasons behind this is that a very important condition of Zakat is An-Niyyah, or the intention.
Imam An Nawawi says in his book Al Minhaj, “If someone was to give five dirhams and intended that they are for both the compulsory Zakat, and also a general Sadaqah, it does not count as Zakat and it is just general charity because the intention in Zakat must be only for Zakat”. This is regardless of whether it is charity given on one’s own behalf, or on behalf of another person (e.g. someone who has passed away).As for calculating Zakat al-Maal, there are multiple way people use. One of the easiest ways to calculate Zakat, is to divide the money that Zakat needs to be paid on by 40 and the result (which would amount to 2.5%) is the amount of Zakat or a little bit more.
For example, if Muhammad has had 6000 dollars for an entire Hijri Year and Zakat is due on these $6000, he does the following: 6000 ÷ 40 = 150, So he pays 150 dollars in Zakat. As for which nisaab to use, this is a matter that the scholars differ upon, and it is generally advised to adopt whichever is lower of either silver or gold nisaab. This is in the interests of caution.
If you do not remember when you reached the nisaab threshold, i.e. when your Zakat then becomes payable, then it is best to backdate your Zakat for a year, as if you had reached the nisaab one year ago, even if for part of the year you might not have. This is fine as long as you have reached the nisaab value at present.One is also permitted to pay Zakat in advance if it is not yet due. The opinion of Al-Shafi’i is that once the nisaab is reached, Zakat can be paid before the end of the year, but it cannot be paid before the nisaab has been reached, nor can it be paid more than one year in advance.
The opinion of Imam Ahmad is that Zakat can be paid two years in advance, the opinion of Imam Abu Hanifa is that Zakat can be paid even more than two years in advance, and finally, Imam Malik holds the opinion that Zakat cannot be paid in advance unless it is a very short period in advance.
All praise and gratitude are due to Allah SWT. May the blessings and peace of Allah SWT be upon His Messenger PBUH. It is unanimously agreed among classical scholars that one is not obligated to expose their past sin to anyone, and is encouraged to keep it between them and Allah SWT. This is based on the Ahadith in Sahih Al- Bukhari no.6069 and Sahih Muslim no.2990, which jointly recommend that a person not expose their sins to others. However, if there is a need to expose it such as for a fatwa, or in preventing harm that may come from it if not exposed, then the ruling depends on the situation at hand. This is based on two principles of Shari’ah which say, “Necessities are judged by their specific circumstances” and “Benefits are to be weighed with harm”. So, when it comes to exposing past sins to a genuine prospective spouse, neither party is obligated to say anything about it. This is in unanimous agreement of classical scholars. However, it is only an option and choice of the individual if they choose to or not to. They need to weigh out the benefits verse the harm. One needs to ask themselves: “What is the likelihood of my past sins becoming exposed during my marriage if I go ahead with it but without saying anything? If it does come up in my marriage, how detrimental will it be to my marriage and relationship with my prospective husband/wife? If the answer is “likely” for both, it is in my humble opinion that it would be wiser and healthier to discuss it with that prospective spouse before deciding to go ahead with the marriage. This is based on personal experience in listening to many marital issues among couples in our years. Discussing that sin does not need to be in detail, especially if it is something major, which could incriminate one’s self, depending on which country they live in, or destroy their reputation, or cause some other irreversible harm upon themselves. One can hint to it in a way the other understands what the meaning of it is. Such as saying, “You know that condition of marriage/concern you mentioned? It is true, and I do not want to go into details about it.” Or saying, “I’ve had a sinful past, in minor or major relationships, and repented since then.” One can ask a trusted family member, friend or Imam to speak to them on their behalf, if they are uncomfortable talking about it themselves. In the end, it is completely up to the individual what they want to say and how much information they feel comfortable to expose. Whether one chooses to expose their past sin to the prospective spouse or not, it is the prospective spouse’s equal right to choose to go ahead with the marriage or not. But if information is exposed in confidence, it is a major sin, possibly a crime in Shari’ah in certain cases, on any person who hears it to pass it on to anyone else without their permission and consent. We are ordered to fear Allah in guarding the secrets others expose about themselves to us in confidence. What if there was an agreement beforehand to disclose any acts? In this case, each party must stick to this agreement, and tell a prospective spouse about any relevant past, because the Prophet Muhammed PBUH said, “Muslims must stick to their agreements.” [Abu Dawud, 3594, authenticated by Al-Albani] If either party did not honour that agreement, then the marriage went ahead whilst one was hiding the information they both agreed to expose beforehand, the other party has the right to nullify the marriage without losing any of their rights out of the marriage, such as the mahar. But forgiveness and mercy are better for a believer in this case, especially if they have children together and the other spouse has repented, being a thing of the past. Additionally, in the event this happens, we advise couples to not be hasty in decisions about their marriage, and to seek religious advice from local qualified religious bodies and marriage counselling from qualified bodies.
All praise and gratitude are due to Allah SWT. May the blessings and peace of Allah SWT be upon His Messenger PBUH. It is not permissible to enter the bathroom while wearing jewellery that has Allah SWT’s name or Qur’anic verses on it, as it is not befitting for Allah’s name or words to be found in any unclean place. In one hadith recorded in Sunnan Abu-Dawood, it is reported that the Prophet PBUH would remove his ring bearing Allah’s name when he entered the bathroom. There are exceptions to this ruling. For example, if you are in a public place and you fear such jewellery will be lost, it should be removed and placed in a pocket or under clothes. However, it should not be exposed.
Assalamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh All praise and gratitude are due to Allah SWT. May the blessings and peace of Allah SWT be upon His Messenger PBUH. There are two types of people who learn Islam: 1. Someone who is learning for himself, in order to know how to worship Allah SWT in the correct manner, and not for the purpose of teaching others.2. Someone who is learning to be an accredited student, or one who is also learning in order to also teach others. For the first, the best way to learn is to stick to a reputable and reliable Imam or teacher (such as in a halaqa group) and to learn from them. The person seeking knowledge can also refer to Islamic books on topics such as prayer, with the condition that they refer to a person of knowledge where they have doubts or cannot understand the information they read. Allah SWT specifically says in the Qur’an: “Ask the followers of the Remembrance if ye know not!” [Qur’an 16:43]. In any event, this person is not considered a student of knowledge. As for the second type of learner, the most reliable route to be considered a student of knowledge is to be enrolled in a professional Islamic Studies or Shari’ah course at any reliable Islamic university or institution, such as Al-Azhar University or the Islamic University of Madinah. This could even be an online course considering current COVID-19 travel restrictions, as this would still provide the student with a certificate or ijaza, allowing them to teach Islam. These universities specialise in the Islamic sciences, such as tafsir, Qur’an, hadith, usool-ul-fiqh, aqeedah, da’wah, and so on. Whoever learns Islam this way would be able to understand the different views of the scholars (especially if they have studied usool-ul-fiqh) and how they use Islamic evidence, giving the student the ability to determine which view is preferable. And Allah knows best.
Assalamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh All praise and gratitude are due to Allah SWT. May the blessings and peace of Allah SWT be upon His Messenger PBUH. Asthma inhalers (such as Ventolin) work by releasing an aerosol into the mouth and throat, which is then inhaled to the lungs. The medication, in gas form, works by releasing the muscles situated around the airways in order to increase flow of air to the lungs. As such, the medication does not resemble food or drink, or other medications which travel to and are consumed by the stomach. There is a difference of opinion among the scholars as to whether asthma inhalers break the fast. According to the Hanafi school of thought, asthma inhalers break the fast because it does not matter whether the inhaled substance travels to the lungs or the stomach—so long as a substance intentionally enters the body through an orifice and reaches a cavity, it invalidates the fast. However, the other schools of thought (which form the majority) apply specific exemptions to the general rule. For example, they cite that inhalers are not food nor drink, nor do they travel to the stomach. If any of the medication does travel to the stomach, it is negligible and comparable to any residue water in one’s mouth and throat which makes it to the stomach after rinsing. This is the opinion I follow. However, one must note that this ruling refers only to inhalers, and not vaporisers or other medicines which do not transmit medicine in purely gaseous form. Vaporisers do break the fast as they contain small amounts of liquid which reach the stomach. If it is the case that someone must use a vaporiser or similar medical equipment, they should use it (which would break the fast) and either make qadaa’ for that day if they can make it up, or if they must constantly have access to the medication, they must pay the fidya as one would if they were sick and cannot fast at all. Finally, it is important in this matter to consult professional medical advice (from a Muslim doctor) as to both the type of asthma medication used, in order to know whether it breaks the fast or not, and to know whether there are any health risks from abstaining from using asthma medication. It is from the mercy of our religion that it has made discharging the obligations of fasting easy upon the sick or who chronic conditions such as asthma. And Allah knows best.
