فَسۡـَٔلُوٓاْ أَهۡلَ ٱلذِّڪۡرِ إِن كُنتُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ
“…if ye know this not, ask of those who possess the Message.” (21:7)
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Blessings and peace be upon our leader Muhammad, his family, his companions, and those who follow his guidance until the Day of Judgment. Whomsoever has been guided by Allah, none can misguide, and whomsoever has been misguided by Allah, none can guide him.
TAHAARAH (PURITY)
Q: In Islamic law, what does tahaarah (Purity) mean?
A: Lexically, the word tahaarah means cleanliness and purity. As a technical term, it means the removal of the attribute of one’s body that prevents one from being allowed to pray and so forth.
In Islamic law, tahaarah has both a spiritual and a physical sense to it. The physical sense is related to the human body. The spiritual sense is the purifying of the heart from the filth of sins. The physical sense is the one related to the science of fiqh that is requires for the prayer, that is, it is related to the external aspects.
The external acts of purification are of two varieties;
- Purification after the acts that nullify one’s state of purity.
- Purification from impure substances.
Purification from the acts that nullify one’s state of purity is further subdivided in to three categories;
- The major act, which is a complete washing of one’s body of ghusl
- The minor act, which is ablution or wudhu and
- The substitute for either 1 or 2 when they cannot be performed, which is known as tayammum.
Purification from impure substances involves three types of acts; (1) washing (2) wiping and (3) moistening or sprinkling.
THE RECIPIENTS OF ZAKAAT
Q: Who are the recipients of Zakaat?
A: The groups of people to whom one is allowed to give zakaat are eight. They are the ones mentioned in Allah’s statement,
“Alms are for the poor and the needy, and those employed to administer the (funds); for those whose hearts are to be reconciled (to the truth); for those in bondage and in debt; in the cause of Allah; and for the wayfarer: (thus is it) ordained by Allah, and Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom” (al-Taubah 60).
Hence, they are as follows:
- The poor: those who cannot meet some of their basic needs.
- The needy: those who meet most or half of their basic needs.
- Those employed to administer the funds: those who collect and watch over the funds, but this is only if they do not receive a wage.
- Those whose hearts are to be reconciled to the truth: those leaders of their people who one hopes will embrace Islam or those who are to be given to repel their harm or by giving to them one hopes to strengthen their faith or have someone similar embrace Islam.
- Those in bondage: those slaves who have made agreements with their masters to pay for their freedom.
- Those in debt: this group falls into two categories (a) those who have incurred a debt to reconcile opposing parties and (b) a person himself who has fallen into debt and does not have the means to repay it.
- In the cause of Allah: to those volunteer fighters striving for the sake of Allah and those calling to the way of Allah and whatever helps and supports their activities.
- Wayfarers: those travelers who are cut off from their homeland and do not have wealth with them that will allow them to reach their homes.
ANAL SEX WITH WIVES (Is anal sex with one’s wife is lawful?)
Q: Is a husband permitted to have anal sex with his wife?
A: Having anal sex with one’s wife is strictly prohibited by the Holy Qur’an and the prophetic Sunnah. This is the opinion of both the earlier and later scholars. It is termed as “Al-Lutiyyah Al-Sughra” [the lesser sodomy]. It is narrated after the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he said: “Allah does not shy of truth! Do not have anal sex with your wives!” In the Qur’an Allah says what it means
“Your wives are your tilth for you, so go to your tilth, when or how you will, and send (good deeds, or ask Allah to bestow upon you pious offspring) for your own selves beforehand.” (2:223)
According to Islam, man is permitted to have sex with his wife from any direction; so long as it is in her vagina. Should he have sex with her in the anus, and she accepts it, both of them should given a discretionary punishment. If they then insist on this, they should be separated from one another.
PILGRIMAGE OF WOMEN ON BEHALF OF ANOTHER
Q: Can a woman go on a pilgrimage on behalf of another?
A: Scholars unanimously agreed that a woman can perform a pilgrimage on behalf of another woman, be she her daughter or any other woman. Similarly, according to the four Imams and the majority of scholars, a woman can perform the pilgrimage on behalf of a man. The prophet, peace be upon him, ordered a woman from Kath’am to perform the pilgrimage on behalf of her father, when she said, “O Allah’s prophet, Allah has obligated pilgrimage on his servants when my father was an elderly man. So the prophet, peace be upon him, ordered her to perform the pilgrimage on her father’s behalf.” However it should be more whole for a man to do it. But the woman has to fulfill all the requirements of pilgrimage including mah’ram (an unmarriageable kin).
FASTING
Q: If a pregnant woman was spotting on regular basis and midwives advised her not to fast for the safety of the baby, yet she was in no pain, would she be allowed to fast?
A: If a pregnant woman fears for her baby, she is allowed not to fast provided that she fast an equal number of days later. Also she should distribute meal (food) among poor people equal in number to the days she did not fast in Ramadan. Here she needs to pay attention that the fasting to make up her days is not only fasting the days that she didn’t fast. In addition to that she should provide food for poor people which is equal number of the days that she didn’t fast since she broke her fasting because of her baby.
THE DEEN OF ISLAM
Q. What does Islam mean?
A. Islam is the deen (religion), which Allah has sent Mohammed (p.b.u.h) with. Allah made it the last of religions and perfected it for his creation; He made it a completion of his favors upon them, and chose it to be their deen. No other religion is accepted from anyone except the deen of Islam. Allah (s.w) says:
“Mohammed is not the father of any man among you, but he is the messenger of Allah, and the last (end) of the prophets” (Qur’an 33:40)
He also says:
“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, and completed my favor upon you, and have chosen for you Al-Islam as your deen.” (Qur’an 5:3)
“Say (O Mohammed) ‘O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as the messenger of Allah to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. La ilaaha illa huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but he): It is he who gives life and causes death. So believe in Allah and his messenger (Mohammed p.b.u.h), the prophet who can neither read nor write, who believes in Allah and his words, and follow him so that you may be guided” (Qur’an 7:158)
The deen of Islam is Aqeedah (creed) and Sharee’ah (legislation), and it is perfect in both. Islam commands:
1. The Tawheed and forbids Shirk (setting associates with Allah)
2. Truthfulness, and forbids lying.
3. Justice, and forbids oppression.
4. Trustworthiness, and forbids treachery.
5. Faithfulness, and forbids betrayal.
6. To be good and dutiful to one’s parents, and forbids being disrespectful to them.
7. Keep ties with relatives of kinship, and forbids severing the ties with them.
8. To have good relations with one’s neighborhood, and forbids all forms of ill treatment to the neighbors.
Generally speaking, Islam commands all noble morals, and forbids all ill and despicable manners; it also commands righteousness and forbids wrong. Allah says:
“Verily, Allah enjoins Al-’Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping none but Allah) and Al-Ihsaan, and giving help on kith and kin, and forbids Al-Fahshaa’, Al-Munkar, and Al-Baghy.” (Qur’an 16:90)
ALTERED WATER BECAUSE OF ITS BEING IN A PLACE FOR A LONG TIME
Q. What is the judgment of water if its color or taste is altered because of being in a place for a long period except its adore?
A. As to water being altered because of its being in a place for a long period, it is considered pure according to the majority view of scholars. As to the running Nile, if altered because of impurity mixed with it, it is impure. But if mixed with pure and impure elements and there is a doubt as to whether it is pure or not, doubt is not sufficient basis to regard it as impure. In general seas don’t change because of these elements, but if there is a certainty that it is changed by impure elements, it is impure. But if changed by pure elements, then the two traditional views are quoted here.
WIPING OVER THE HEAD COVER (OVER HIJAB)
Q. What about wiping the head cover when we make ablution (oudu)?
A. Praise be to Allah, if there is any fear cold, she could wipe over the veil. It was reported that Um Salamah was used to wipe over her veil. She should wipe some of her hair along with the veil. But if there is no need to wipe over the veil, the scholars differ in such case.
READING THE QUR'AN DURING PUERPERIUM (NIFAS)
Q. What about a woman in puerperium (during after giving birth): is she allowed reading the Qur’an while in confinement? Is she allowed to engage in sexual intercourse before the forty days are over? If the forty days are over but the woman has not performed the purificatory bath, is she allowed to engage in sexual intercourse?
A. The four scholars unanimously agreed that it is unlawful for a woman to engage in sexual intercourse before the bleeding stops. If the bleeding stops before the forty days are over, she is to perform the purificatory bath and pray. However, her husband is not allowed to copulate with her before the forty days are over. As for reading the Qur’an, if she does not fear forgetting the verses she memorized, she is not allowed to read the Qur’an.
However, if she does fear forgetting them, she is allowed to read the Qur’an, according to some of the scholars. It is unanimously agreed that when the bleeding stops and the woman performs the purificatory bath, she can read the Qur’an and pray. If she cannot perform the purificatory bath due to the absence of water or on account of some disease, she is to perform the dry ablution (teyemum) instead, which is equivalent to the purificatory bath.
Allah knows best.
We pray to Allah, the exalted, to keep us on the right path to which he has guided us, and to bestow on us a blessing from him, he is indeed the most merciful.
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