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Ramadan-related Fiqhi Issues (Fatwa Session)

Dr. Muhammad Salama
02 May, 2019

Dear Brothers/Sisters,

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

Thursday, May. 02, 2019 | 16:00 - 18:00 GMT

Session is over.

My father has sahur with us and does not eat or drink during the daytime. Once I saw him smoking and was shy to advise him. What should I do?



Wa alaykum assalam warahmatullah wabarakatuh

 

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving.

 

All praise is due to Allah. Peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad.

 

You need to approach your father gently and remind him of Quranic verses and Hadiths that warn against disobeying Allah and breaking fasting in Ramadan. If you cannot approach him directly, you may let him hear some recordings or send him a message via any means concerning this point as well as concerning the harms and damages of smoking. You may also leave before him some fatwas, booklets or books that talk about these issues.

 

Also, keep making supplication for him that Allah guides his heart to follow the truth.

Most importantly, never let this derive you to be harsh, rude or ungrateful to him so as not to fall in a grave sin.

 

Allah Almighty knows best.

Assalamoe alaykoem, During the ramadan, in need to go on a 3 journey congres for work. During the days of travel by plane, it is permissible to eat during the ramadan. However i have a question regarding the days during the congress itself. Is it permissible to eat/drink while being abroad for these 2 other days? The past editions learned me these are very long and tiring days, with a lot of meetings and talking making it difficult to concentrate during the whole day. Appreciate to know what the islamic sharia tells about this point, so i know how to prepare myself with my intention in shaa allah. Thank you in advance



Wa alaykum assalam warahmatullah wabarakatuh

 

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving.

 

All praise is due to Allah. Peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad.

 

As you are intending to stay for two days only in your destination, there is no disagreement among Muslim jurists that one may breakfast in a case like yours.

 

Still if you are going to a Muslim country, you should not eat in public in order to avoid ill-thoughts about you, on the one side, and as a kind of showing respect to others’ feelings, on the other side.

 

Allah Almighty knows best.

 

Hello, I am an asexual. I have known about myself that I will never participate in intimate activities since I was a teen. Now that I am in mid-20's and everyone's getting married, I know for the fact that if I do get married, it will break off eventually. No matter, I will not allow a man to touch me. I don't want to be touched neither do I want to touch a man. Since this is my mentality, if I remain as a virgin and unmarried, will the God punish me in hereafter?



Wa alaykum assalam warahmatullah wabarakatuh

 

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving

 

All praise is due to Allah. Peace and blessings be upon His Messenger Muhammad.

 

Asexuality seems to be a very problematic term, because it is more related to feelings. There is no litmus test to determine if someone is asexual. Even scientific researchers have differed whether it could be a sexual orientation.

 

Asexuality is generally defined as the lack of sexual attraction or the lack of sexual interest. But it does not mean inability to have sex. Some asexual persons may engage in sexual activities, despite lacking sexual attraction or a desire for sex, due to a variety of reasons, such as a desire to please romantic partners or a desire to have children.

 

Some asexual persons may engage in purely romantic relationships. This means that even if an asexual person wants to have a relationship without having sex, he may have sex to please the other partner.

 

Anyway, on the one hand, I would advise you to visit a psychotherapist to seek advice. Perhaps you need some therapy to such sexual aversion.

 

On the other hand, Islam encourages its followers to lead a life of total submission and obedience to Allah.  This is the life that leads to salvation and Paradise. Being married or unmarried makes no difference.

 

Marriage, of course, is exhorted to by Islam in order to achieve sublime goals for the benefit of both the individuals and the community. But if one has problems or medical reasons that prevent him/her from marriage or that will likely damage their marital relationship, still he/she can lead such a righteous life.

 

The Quran has set Marry, the Virgin, as an example of chastity and devoutness for believers “Moreover, there is Mary, daughter of Imran, who [estimably] safeguarded her chastity.  Then We breathed into her [womb] of Our [life-giving] spirit. For she confirmed the [revealed] words of her Lord and His [Heavenly] Books. Indeed, she was ever of those who are devoutly obedient.” [66:12]

 

So, sister, you may take Lady Mary as your role model and follow her example to meet her in the Paradise.

 

May Allah help and protect you.

 

Almighty Allah knows best.

Assalmualikum , I am 49 years old female having a disease called endometriosis .I had a surgery a few years back .Although I have passed menopause last year but I still get bleeding any time that remains for a few days. It cant be periods but normal bleeding due to the disease. What will be the ruling for my prayer?Can I just make wadho and start praying even when I am having bleeding or I should stop until bleeding stops? In which category does this bleeding fall? I am having artificial womb made up of endometriosis that bleeds like period. The condition is not treatable and the Dr doesn't want me to have another surgery.



Wa alaykum assalamu warahmatullah

 

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving

 

All praise is due to Allah, peace and blessings be upon His Messenger Muhammad.

 

May Allah grant you quick recovery and help you overcome your illness.

The Islamic Shari`ah is intrinsically easy and never lays burdens on people. Thus, in cases of hardship and suffering always arises Shari`ah concessions and licenses.

 

As you are sure that this bleeding has nothing to do with menstruation and is due to the disease you have, then you have to continue performing salah (Prayer) and observe obligatory sawm (fasting).

 

According to a good number of scholars, you should wait until the time of every salah begins and then remove the blood from your body and clothes. You should also use something like a diaper or a pad in order to contain the bleeding.

 

Any blood discharged thereafter will be pardonable. Then you start to make ablution and perform the salah. If it is hard to do these steps five times for each salah, you may delay Zhuhr Prayer to perform it just before the call to `Asr Prayer and then perform `Asr Prayer at the beginning of it time.

 

The same may be done with Maghrib and `Isha Prayers. You may also, according to Hanbalites, combine Zhuhr and `Asr together at the time of any of them and Maghrib and `Isha together at the time of any of them. The last two scenarios will reduce the number to 3 times only.

 

Almighty Allah knows best.

Assalamu 'alaikum shaikh, is women's being strong mentality,strong willed, brave,courageous , not giving up, becoming wise in various types situations considered praiseworthy or blameworthy?



Wa alaykum assalamu warahmatullah.

 

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving

 

All praise is due to Allah, peace and blessings be upon His Messenger Muhammad.

 

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed those women who behave in a mannish way. [Al-Bukhari]

 

Thus, it is prohibited for women to imitate men in their clothes, way of talking and walking, social behavior, etc.

 

Women are also prohibited to refuse man’s guardianship over them as claimed and adopted by feminist movements. In fact, feminism contradicts Islamic principles.

 

Thus, the manners you mentioned are principally praiseworthy as long as they help a woman to obey Allah and abide by shari`ah laws and rulings and as long as they do not drive a woman to behave in a mannish way.

 

Almighty Allah knows best.

Assalamu alaikum shaikh, If parents like sons more than daughters. And they feel more happiness in birth of son than daughter. And they celebrate more for birth of son than daughter what is the ruling about them? Is it considered normal human nature or sin Islamically?



Wa alaykum assalamu warahmatullah.

 

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving

 

All praise is due to Allah, peace and blessings be upon His Messenger Muhammad.

 

Islam commands the execution of justice and prohibits all kinds of injustice. Even parents are required to treat their children equally and to show no preference to one of them over the others, be they males or females.

 

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Be afraid of Allah and treat your children equitably.” [Al-Bukhari]

 

Still, as human beings, some parents may prefer to have a child of a specific gender, which is not a sin since such feelings have various reasons and are sometimes overwhelming. What matters is to feel no discontent with Allah’s Will, if it happens to be against one’s desire, and to show no favor to one child over another.

 

Almighty Allah knows best.

I feel uncomfortable when my husband buys makeup items to his married sisters because I regard makeup as a sexual signaling and even his sisters do so and they don’t wear makeup when they are wearing hijab. Makeup items includes high-brand perfumes, blushes, lipsticks, mascaras and body care items such as scrubs, all of which are used to make women sexually attractive. I think that it is permissible for a brother to be a mahram to a sister only when it doesn’t include any sexual implications so I find it uncomfortable that he buys “sexual items” to his married sisters from our household income. I really think their husbands should provide them with makeup items (things to beautify their wives) or they should earn themselves, and if they cannot afford the more expensive ones that they usually ask my husband to buy, they should live with things that are affordable for their own household income. I don't understand why our household income has to be spent on his sisters' sexual items. Is it wrong to feel uncomfortable every time I see my husband buying makeup items for his married sisters? Is it wrong to stop him from buying them makeup items?



In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving.

 

All praise is due to Allah. Peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad.

 

As long as your husband’s sisters use these makeups in a permissible way and do not wear them in front of other marriageable men, he may buy these items for them. I cannot see anything wrong in doing so.

 

In normal cases, a male mahram does not look at his female mahram with desire. Therefore, a Muslim woman is not obligated to wear full hijab in front of her male mahram and she may reveal of her body such parts that usually appear in her housework, such as her head, forearms, shin, and neck.

 

Ornaments worn on these parts, including makeups, may be revealed as well.

 

But in abnormal cases, when a woman knows that her male mahram may describe her to others or that his looks to her are unusual, she has to take on her full hijab and be more reserved with him.

 

With regard to the costs of these makeups, it is your husband’s responsibility to spend on your family. If he fulfills his duties in this regard, you should not interfere in his relation with his sisters. Such interference will likely cause troubles with your husband and may be interpreted in a wrong way.

 

Almighty Allah knows best.

Assalamu Alaykum Shaykh, I have been reading a lot about astrology and zodiac signs and I have in the past when I was younger read it about the future prediction but after learning it was haram and a major sin completely stopped reading about the future predictions of my sign and left it at that. I continued to read about the zodiac personalities to better understand myself and for it to help me to be more confident so I looked at the different signs I fell under to know how I present myself to others. And I have recently also found out the Hadith that even a part of astrology is a form of shirk which really is making me afraid, I did not know that even reading personality was also a shirk, what is the consequences of my sin, is it forgivable, does Allah forgive shirk and how big of a sin did I do? After knowing that shirk means disbelief does that mean I disbelieved even if I really did not know or understand it clearly? I’m really afraid and I don’t want to disbelief please help me.



Wa alaykum assalam warahmatullah wabarakatuh

 

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving.

 

All praise is due to Allah. Peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad.

 

As you have already come to know that these practices are tantamount to shirk, all you have to do is to ask Allah for forgiveness and repent sincerely to Him. Allah, the All-Merciful, has opened the gate of repentance wide for all those who repent sincerely and earnestly to Him no matter how grave their sins are.

In the Quran we read, “Say, [O Prophet]: O My servants! Those [of you] who have committed [sins in great] excess against their own souls, never despond of the mercy of Allah! For, indeed, Allah forgives sins, one and all. Indeed, it is He [alone] who is the All-Forgiving, the Mercy-Giving.” [39:53]

 

Sincere repentance renders one as sinless as he was when first born.

 

Almighty Allah knows best.

I uttered with my tongue saying the word i am god but did not belief in it but suspect my nafs might have believed in it and i also said with my tongue to Allah that i uttered words of kufr which made disbelieve how do i put this behind me and move on and what i should i do when i came across a reminder in the quran of a crime that i did



Wa alaykum assalam warahmatullah wabarakatuh

 

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving.

 

All praise is due to Allah. Peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad.

 

A Muslim has to be watchful over his tongue. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “A man may utter a word that pleases Allah considering it of no much significance, for which Allah elevates his ranks [in the Paradise]). Still a man may speak a word that displeases Allah considering it of no much significance, for which he will sink down into Hell.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Uttering words of disbelief has no excuse except being under unavoidable coercion. In the Quran we read what means “[Doomed is] one who [openly] disbelieves in Allah, after [professing] his faith- except for one who has been compelled [to renounce his belief], while his heart remains at peace with faith. But whoever willingly opens his heart to unbelief- upon [such as these]  there shall be great wrath from Allah. Thus for them, there is a great torment [awaiting in the Hereafter].” [16:106]

 

Playing and making mockery are not excuses for uttering words of disbelief as we read in the Quran, “Yet if you ask them [about their slander of the Prophet and the believers], they will, most surely, say: We were only indulging [in idle-talk] and playing. Say [to them]: Then, is it Allah and His [revealed] signs and His Messenger of which you were making mockery?” [9:65]

 

Still out of His grace, Allah, the All-Merciful, has opened the gate of repentance wide for all those who repent sincerely and earnestly to Him no matter how grave their sins are. In the Quran we read, “Say, [O Prophet]: O My servants! Those [of you] who have committed [sins in great] excess against their own souls, never despond of the mercy of Allah! For, indeed, Allah forgives sins, one and all. Indeed, it is He [alone] who is the All-Forgiving, the Mercy-Giving.” [39:53]

The Quran also promises acceptance of sincere repentance even from apostates, “How shall Allah guide a people who have disbelieved after [they have professed] their faith and borne witness that the Messenger is true, and [after] the clear proofs [of Allah] have come to them? For Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people [who are godless in heart]. As for [the likes of] these, their recompense is that upon them is the curse of Allah, and [of] the angels and [of] humanity all together……. except for those [of them] who repent after this [breach of faith], and set things aright. For, indeed, Allah is all-forgiving, mercy-giving.” [3:86-89]

 

Therefore, brother, you need to turn in sincere repentance of Allah and to ask Him to forgive your sin. Sincere repentance renders one as sinless as he was when first born.

 

Almighty Allah knows best.

I have been Muslim for 17 years and have lost my way several times, while lost I married a man who is not Muslim. I am currently back to practicing my deen but I am concerned about the Validity of my marriage because he is not Muslim and I am.



In the Name of Allah, the All Merciful, the Mercy-Giving

 

All praise is due to Allah. Peace and blessings be upon His Messenger Muhammad.

 

May Allah keep you steadfast on His path and protect you against the whispers of Satan.

 

The very essence of Islam is to feel and express full submission to Allah and His injunctions. Almighty Allah says in the Quran what means “Thus it is not ever [befitting] for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter, to have for themselves a [contrary] choice in their affairs. For whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has truly strayed into clear misguidance.” [33:36]

A clear Quranic injunction declares, “O you who believe! When believing women come to you as Émigrés, test their [sincerity]- and it is Allah [alone] who knows best about their faith.  Thus if you find them to be believing women, then do not return them to the disbelievers. They are not lawful [wives] for them. Nor are [the disbelievers] lawful [husbands] for them.“ [60:10]

 

Muslim jurists, thus, are in agreement that a Muslim woman may not remain in actual wedlock with a non-Muslim. This means that this man is no longer a lawful husband for you, unless he converts to Islam.

 

In fact, you should have started to observe `iddah (waiting period) of three menstrual periods after which you may get married to another Muslim husband, if he still does not accept Islam. You may also wait until your husband accepts Islam, if you hope that he will one day.

 

My advice to you is to work hard to strengthen and increase your faith to be able to comply with Islamic teachings with love and content. You have to believe firmly that it is Allah who manages the affairs of our life and that whatever He has decreed and chosen for us is based on His all-encompassing Knowledge and comprehensive wisdom.

 

You should pray to Allah earnestly to guide the heart of your husband to Islam. You should talk to your husband and try to show to him the magnificence of Islam and how it is the only way of salvation.

 

Almighty Allah knows best.

As Salaam Alaikum my question is if a Muslim believes in Separation of Religion and State are they still Muslims ? I was reading today about a Famous Iraqi born American Muslim M.T. Mehdi he used to debate Rabbi Meir Kahane about Zionism Rabbi Meir Kahane wanted Israel to be be a Jewish Theocracy Mehdi was Clean Shaven no Beard believed Israel should be replaced by one Secular Democratic State in Palestine for all the Jews Arabs Christians Muslims not Two States based on the Pre 1967 Borders he said he did not believe in Muslim States in Christian States or in Jewish States he died, in New York City in 1998. He was a Friend of Malcolm X I read a Speech and heard Malcolm X say he believed in a Separation of Religion and Politics. I talked to a Muslim Friend he told me he never said if a Muslim believes in the Separation of Religion and State that makes them a Kafir he said a Muslim can be Secular and still believe in Islam and in Sharia I know a Imam that said it would be wrong to make Takfir on all the Rulers in the Muslim World just because they are Secular any opinions or views thank you for your time I found these links below ?



Wa alaykum assalam warahmatullah wabarakatuh

 

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving.

 

All praise is due to Allah. Peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad.

 

A Muslim submits himself totally to the dictates of Allah, the only Creator and Lawgiver. This is the very essence of Islam. Islamic teachings, rules and laws organize not only the relation between man and his Lord but also the relation between individuals of the society as well as their internal and external affairs.

 

The Quran, which is the first source of Islamic laws, contains divine injunctions that regulate different aspects of human life and the Sunnah- the second source- completes the whole picture.

 

Therefore, the philosophy that separates religion from the state and excludes Islamic laws from worldly affairs stands in radical contradiction with Islam. Those who adopt this philosophy believe in parts of the religion and disbelieve in others.

 

The Quran rebuked the Jews for such an attitude and threatened them of its consequences both in this world and in the Hereafter “Then is it that you believe in part of the Scripture and disbelieve in part [of it]? What, then, shall be the recompense for those among you who do that- except disgrace in the life of this world? Then on the Day of Resurrection such [wrongdoers] shall be driven into the most severe torment. For never is Allah at all heedless of what you do.” [2:85]

 

Unfortunately, this philosophy has crept into the Muslim world and been adopted by many Muslims due to a variety of reasons that range from extreme hatred of Islamic laws to mimic adoption of western philosophies combined with ignorance of the value and significance of these laws for the welfare of mankind.

 

Muslim scholars, thus, have the responsibility of exhibiting the perfection and magnificence of the Shari`ah and the integrity of Islamic beliefs and teachings to leave no excuse for the protagonists of this philosophy.

 

Thus, Muslims who are ignorant of the integrity of the shari`ah will likely change their opinions and reject this secular perspective. However, those who insist on their secular attitude actually insist on leaving the fold of Islam, even if they claim to be Muslims.

 

Almighty Allah knows best.

Salaam Wrb respected scholars, my question is regard the hadith below: It was narrated that Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded us to strike with this, meaning the sword, whoever turns away from this, meaning the Qur’aan. Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 28/263 I know there are apostasy laws, but what about Non-apostate disbelievers? Are they going to be compelled? Please answer quickly as possible, and my codes are not working for ask the scholar(look into this).



Wa alaykum assalam warahmatullah wabarakatuh

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving.

All praise is due to Allah. Peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad.

Regarding the narration you quoted, there are scholarly discussions as to who really said these words. Most likely these were not Jabir ibn Abdullah’s words.

 

Generally speaking, the sword (as a symbol of power) was never used to force people to convert to Islam. The following are facts to dispel any doubt concerning this issue:

 

  • Clear injunctions in the Quran declare that “There shall be no compulsion in religion!” [2:256] and that “Had your Lord so willed, all who are on the earth would have believed [in your message] all of them together. Will you, then, compel people to become believers?” [10:99]

 

  • History tells us that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) remained thirteen years in Mecca, where he and his followers encountered different sorts of torture and oppression, and nevertheless he never raised a sword against such oppressors.

 

  • There are millions of Muslims in America, north Europe, and southeastern Asia- places where no Muslim army ever arrived. Islam now is the fastest growing religion. Hundreds of persons embrace Islam every day in spite of the fierce war launched against Islam and Muslims at a time when Muslims cannot even defend themselves.

 

  • History records no single case where a person was forced to embrace Islam. Had this claim been true, there would have been no Christians in Egypt, for example, just as the Inquisitions did with Muslims in Andalusia.

 

  • Swords can conquer lands but they can never conquer hearts. People in the lands conquered by Muslims embraced Islam gradually when they became convinced by the principles practiced by incoming Muslims, not because they were forced to convert.

Almighty Allah knows best.