Islam - the religion of All Prophets

(Bismillah hir Rehman nir Raheem - In the name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful)

In the Name of Allah the Most Gracious and Merciful

Answers by Dr. Ahsan Zafrullah

Question 5: assalamu alaikum, I am a muslim woman who believes she has met the man she wants to marry. It is said that a woman should marry a man that has a good soul (or, at least makes good decisions and is a good man.) But I also know that it is said that there should be no physical contact between the sexes unless within marriage. I understand that marriage is encouraged in Islam, and should happen as soon as possible.
However, we are both in our first year of college and go to college at opposite ends of the state. We had planned on getting married after finishing our basic education (BS), which would be about 4-5 years insha'allah. Also, because of our young age, it wouldn't be very accepted for us to get married any sooner. Both of our parents emhpasize education first (before things like love and marriage), and we adhere to the same thinking.
I understand that the reason there should be no physical interaction between man and woman is because it can lead to forbidden things. But what if the man and woman show definite signs of control? I know that saying we young adults can control ourselves is hard to believe, especially according to statistics and nature, but we both are very aware of the consequences of too much physical interaction, and also, we apply much importance to the sanctity of sex (and anything sexual).
If we won't be getting a marriage contract for at least 5 years, is it still forbidden for us to kiss (and only kiss)? Even if there is no doubt in our minds that insha'allah we'll get married? I understand that we're young and it could be dismissed as lust, but we don't do anything lustful and the commitment is based on our deen. Is it still wrong to hold hands and kiss (for five years)? Thank you for listening.
salam,

Answer 5: It took me so long to recover from the shock after reading your letter. Perhaps the first time I hoped that if I simply postpone it for a few more days the letter will disappear from my computer & I wouldn't have to reply. It didn't.Today I have sat down to write my reply with a heavy heart. Before I say anything , the answer to query is a plain simple straight forward No . Let me make it clear to you in a few plain sentences what you were asking & what my reply is. You are asking that although you knew that something is sin & may lead to a greater major sin, but could you do it.You have so much self control that you will deliberately commit a sin ( which is very minor to you, or perhaps not a sin even) & would not even think even of doing anything further down the line.Your request is to allow you this thing & give it in writing that this is totally innocent. Number one, I do not have that kind of authority. No one else has that authority either. Even the prophets are not given that authority to change the sin into a permissible deed. If I would dare to do that , then not only I will be misleading you, but I will also have to carry the burden of the sin that you will commit , & you will have to carry your burden any way. Allah subhanahu wa taala has said in Quran, "They will bear their own burdens in full on the day of Resurrection, & also of the burdens of those whom they mislead without knowledge. Evil indeed is that which shall they bear".(S :16,A:25) So my dear Fatima! I don't want to carry any burden on your behalf , nor I would like you to take a path which will lead to hell.
Let me introduce myself. I am in my mid fifties, & have a son & a daughter ( apart from 4 other children) who are in the first year of the University, similar age as yours. I have been living in the west for the last quarter century. If I needed to solve the problem that you are facing, my reaction would be to allow the marriage ASAP. Because there is a hadeeth to the effect that if a child comes to the age & the parents don't let him marry Or arrange his/her marriage & if she/he commits adultery the parents will be responsible for the sin. ( I can get the exact wording & source if you are interested.) Unfortunately in today's world , we get our priorities mixed up. Hereafter is not given any importance in front of this world.
If you allow me an access to your parents , I can write to them & explain to them. I read your letter many times. I came to the conclusion that you understand Islam properly, you also understand the consequences of your 'innocent' first step. You do not have any lust either. So what do I need to explain to you? I will restrict my self to only one Hadeeth , which you might have heard before & a little story. The Hadeeth is from Bukhari & Muslim (so the authenticity is perfect). Narrated Abu Hurairah Razi Allahu Anhu : Allah's Messenger sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, " Allah has written the very portion of zina (adultery) which a man will indulge in. There will be no escape from it. The zina of the eye is the (lustful) look, the zina of the ears is the listening (to voluptuous songs or talk), the zina of the tongue is (the licentious) speech, the zina of the feet is the walking (to the place where he intends to commit zina), the heart yearns and desires and the private parts approve all that or disapprove it".
So what about your holding hand & kissing?
Now the story: You can find this story in Tafseer Ibn Kathir the explanation of S:59 A:16; the translation is mine but you will get the message from this story. This story has been told in different ways. One of them is like this.In Bani Israel there was a pious person who had spent 60 years in worshipping Allah. Satan tried to mislead him but couldn't do anything. There was a woman who had four brothers. These brothers were going on a trip. They insisted to this pious person that the sister stay with him. Although the priest initially refused but succumbed to the pressure, and allowed the sister to stay in one small room in the dormitory. He used to go and leave the food for her outside the door. The Satan put the thought that she is a human being and the way the food is given is as if to an animal, so he should enter the room, give the food and come out. so he started doing that. But he wouldn't talk to her, then Satan said what is wrong in saying salaam and asking her how she was doing. That was the next step. Once that started the talk went on longer each time. so the hermit spent some time with her, and the talk became close and intimate. Next during this talks he held her hand. The kiss came a few days later. Later on it lead to adultery. The woman became pregnant, then the hermit was very perplexed. Eventually he decided to kill her, and bury her in the same room. When the brothers came and asked about their sister, he lied to them. Satan came into the dream of all the brothers and told them what had happened and where she was buried. So the brothers went to the king and the place was dug up and the body was found. when the police came to arrest the priest the Satan appeared to him and told him that all that was done by him, and he could still save him. If he does sajdah to him. the 'priest' did that, but the Satan did not save him and he was killed for the crime. You can see how human beings are deceived by Satan.
May Allah help you in pursuit of chastity and purity.

Question 6: Asalamou 'alaikoum, Bismi allah irahman irahim, I'm a french student, and I'm looking for an answer as the holy month will begin in few days. I would like to know if, in any hadith or sourate in the Holy Quran, something is said about women making up during remadan. Is it forbiden or not?

Answer 6: Walaikumussalam wa rahmatullah, If I got it right, you are asking about putting on make up during fasting ( in Ramadan) .I basically don't see any problem,except for the lipstick (which can be licked & practically eaten). There is no mention in Quran about this problem. There are ahadeeth about use of hair oil, eyeliner (kohl), henna,& body oil etc., during fasting, & are allowed.
Let me mention something which you did not bother to ask. I take it for granted that you know it. But still I would like to mention it to complete the answer. A woman is allowed to put on the make up for her husband. Since sex is not allowed during fasting, so one would be better off without looking extra attractive. If someone wants to go out ( say for shopping), & puts on make up so that she looks attractive to the rest of the world is not allowed whether she is fasting or not. This is what is mentioned as Tabarrojul Jahiliyyah in Quran Surah 33 Ayah 33. This Tabarrojul Jahiliyyah is not allowed at any time and is worse still during fasting.
Otherwise it is allowed at all times.Allah subhanahu wa taala has said in Quran, "Say,"Who has forbidden the adoration given by Allah, which he has produced for his slaves, and At tayyibat [ all kinds of halal things] of food?" Say: "They are, in the life of this world, for those who believe, and on the Day of Resurrection it will be only for the believers. (Surah 7, Ayah 32). This is what I understand from the scholars of jurisprudence of Islam and Allah knows best.

Question 7: My first question is: What are the rulings on following an unjust imam? Can he be removed from office? is there also a hadith to this affect? what if he misappropriates funds?
My second question is: I read somewhere where it stated the the Prophet ADAM(AS) saw the name of MUHAMMAD(SAWS) written and wanted the inscription-LA ILLAHA ILALLAH,MUHAMMAD UR RASULLAH inscribed on his fingernails. Can you relate this story to me and give me the book name?

Answer 7: The answer to your question is not found in the books of Fiqh. The reason is simple. During the time of Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, there were no whole time fully paid imams (as we have them now). The aqra (the one who knew the Quran most) would lead the prayer. During the period of Khulafai Rashedoon, the khaleefa himself, governors & the apointed Ummal (officials) will lead the prayers. The selection & dismissal criteria were basically Taqwqa & their skil to perform the duties.
Now let's come to today's world, where the little mosques are practically governed by the mosque managemewnt committees. The Islamic state is non existant,& so the imam has no duties in the society outside the mosque.He is hardly paid enough to meet his ends. Different groups keep pulling & pushing him to follow their whims. Not all of them have enough knowledge & education. Now you ask me to give you a guideline on the basis of quran & sunnah for his disposition. I feel lost for words.
Very humbly I can suggest that the Mosque Committee should lay down the rules for the appointment & disposition of the Imam. The written rules should be given to the appointed person & when ever there is any problem, committee should look into it. The mosque funds should be properly accounted , audited, & publisised regularly .(Perhaps hanging the monthly account on the wall of the mosque is a good idea.)
Coming to your question about the Hadeeth. It is very difficult for me to comment on any Hadeeth, unless either the Arabic wordings are qouted, the book & chapter are given, or the full meaning of the hadeeth is given. Otherwise the enormity of Ahadeeth is such that I feel very humble to cover all of them. By the way, I have not come across this hadeeth so far.

Question 8: Would u have any information about "Taraweeh rak'ahs". Some people told me there are 20 rak'ahs but other said there are 8 rak'ahs. I read hadith wich says our Prophet (PBUH) did just 11 or 13 rak'ahs at night prayer. But I didnt get clear dalilh about Taraweeh rak'ahs. I know my question seems little confuse but ill appreciate if u can find me the answer to it.

Answer 8: Regarding the number of rakahs for taraweeh. It is a conterversial issue, I would simply suggest that you follow your imam. For a lay person that is the best way.
Taraweeh, tahajjud, or qiyamul layl are basically the same thing. Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam only prayed taraweeh with sahaba for two nights. The prayer in Jamaah of Taraweeh started at the time of Omar Radee Allahu anhu. Since then in Masjide Nabawee in Maddenah Munawwarah 20 rakaah are prayed. There is IJMAA of sahaba on 20 rakaah This the mazhab of Imam Abu Haneefah & Imam Malik.There is a Hadeeth in Bukhari , where Ummul Momeneen Sayyeda Aisha Radee Allahu Anha reports that Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam used to pray only 8 rakahh of Tahajjud , be in Ramadan or out of Ramadan. So Imam Hambal & Imam Taymiyyah ( Ahle Haddeth/ Salafee) accepted that mazhab. There is another haddeth of ten rakahs as well (so 8+3 or 10+3 ). The people of Mekkah started doing Tawaf after every 2 rakaah, & so the non mekkans started praying 38 rakaah ( good for you!!!). Ther is a lot of arguments over this issue in different Mazahib. If you are interested, give me the languages you know and i will suggest some books for you to read. Practically speaking follow your imam.

Question 9: I would like to know when ramadan was ordained upon muslims? Also what are the deens levels? Provide definitions please. And which surat in the Quran has the surat in which Allah ordained Muslims to fast in Ramadan?

Answer 9: The fastings in Ramadhan was ordained in surah Al Baqarah 2:183-187. These ayats were revealed in the second year of hijrah.
The level of iman mentioned in quran are as follows:
#1: Muslim: a person who has accepted and declared his Islam.
#1a: muznib (Zalimun le nafsih; Quran; 35:33): does occasional sins and then seeks repentence.
#1b: muqthasid (Quran; 35:33): middle of the road person, some good deeds and some bad deeds.
#1c: fasiq and fajir: person who commits acts of disobedience and/or omits orders of obedience; and does not seek repentance.
#2: Momin: a person who obeys the orders of Allah and his prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, so has faith in his heart. refer to Quran 49:14.
#2a: mutthaqi: a person who fears Allah subhanahu wa taalah and refrains from all acts of disobedience.
#3: Muhsin: a person who obeys Allah and his prophets sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in a state as if he is either watching Allah subhanhau wa taala himself or He is watching over him.
#4: shaheed: a person who dies and lives his life for the cause of Islam.(may not neccesarily be killed in jihad).
#5: Siddeeque: This is the highest level a peson can achieve being a non prophet, he is true in his intentions, deeds and beliefs, and lives according to that and dies for that.
#6: Nabi and Rasool: nobody can acheive this level by any means, only Allah gives this position to the one whom He chooses.There won't be anymore of them after the last prophet.
Just incase your next question is about the level of kufr I will mention them in short.
#1 Jahil: The one who is totally ignorant about Islam.
#2 kafir: The one who has learnt about Islam and rejected it.
#3 Aneed: The one who is an enemy of Allah and His believers.
#4 Thagooth: The one who wants to be obeyed and worshipped instead of Allah.

Question 10: I am approaching you again to clear my doubts regarding the topic of divorce in Islam.
1. What is the procedure of divorce sanctioned in Islam?
2. Does a person seeking divorce has to utter a word 'TALAQ' three times at one instant? OR He is to utter 'TALAQ' once and wait for certain period and at the end of that period he is to say 'TALAQ two times simultaneously to make divorce effective or Is he to say 'TALAQ once again for thr second time intead of saying twice, after the first waiting period, and provide second waiting period? OR After completion of second waiting period Has he to utter TALAQ third time to make the TALAQ effective? And what is the waiting period in each case?
It is said TALAQ is of two types raja & bain. Kindly explain the two terms with examples.

Answer 10: It was nice to hear from you again. The question you have asked is generally not discussed in the Muslim society and the majority of the Muslim are ignorant about it as well. Because of that when the person wants to divorce his wife he does it the wrong way and gets in to difficulty. I am very much surprised that you bothered to ask this question. Anyway I will tell the proper way of divorce.
A person needs to say that he is divorcing his wife. Any particular word is not necessary. He can use 'talaq', or any other word from any language which implies the same meaning. It is recommended that the person should say it while the wife is having a clean period. and he did not have marital relation with her during that clean period. There does not have to be any witness. The state of mind (in rage, sadness, drunk, etc) is not taken account i.e. whatever be the state of mind the talaq will still be implemented. Although it is always recommended to take this great decision of life after a lot of thinking, consultation, and isthakara (seeking help and decision from Allah).Divorce is still implimented if the person does not follow the recommended way.
One needs to divorce only once. That's it. When the woman goes through the first menstrual period it is one quroo'. Then she goes the second and as the third menstrual period starts the divorce is complete.
During this period the man and wife remain in the same house. The man can take back his divorce by declaring so or by having marital relationship. If he does so the whole matter is finished. During this waiting period all expenses of his wife will be still on him as if she is his wife. She will have a right to abode with him unless she has committed adultery or similar crime.
If the divorce in such case is implemented after the three quroo' then they can always remarry as long as the woman agrees to the marriage. She may ask for a new dowry or this remarriage can be without any dowry. If the woman marries someone else the previous husband would not have any right over her. It is recommended that whenever this couple wants to remarry this previous husband be given preference. This is what is talaq e rajaee. A person can give a maximum of two talaq, the 2nd of the 2 should be in the next clean period. (Quran; 2:229) All the things that has been mentioned earlier remain the same. The problem comes when a person says the word a third time. There is a difference of opinion here. The companions of the prophet agreed that if a person utters it three times or more even in 1 sitting it will be taken as 3, and the talaq will be irreversible (Mughalliza). The 2 will not be able to remarry unless the woman marries another man and that man either dies or divorces her. The 4 major fuqaha of Islam :Hanafi, Shafaee, Maliki, and Humbali; agree on that. Imam Ibn Taymiyyah disagreed. He believes that if a person says talaq in one sitting it will be taken as one talaq only, the number of times he utters the word will not be taken in consideration. It will remain 1. and so it will be rajaee as described earlier. He is a loner in his opinion.
I think it answers your question. Don't hesitate to ask any more if you need to.

Question 11: We would like to have your advise based on Islamic Shariah regarding Share business, particularly on buying and selling shares on a daily basis over the internet(online stock trading).
We haven't done any share business yet as we think it is a kind of gambling.
Please help us decide whether to do such a business or not.

Answer 11: Buying & selling shares itself is not gambling, rather it is profit & loss sharing. It does not matter whether you do it on line or off line , whether you hold on to the shares for your entire life or sell it after a few moments. In it self it remains allowed halal.
The trouble is hidden somewhere else. First you have to look into the nature of business i.e. what it deals in , whether it is allowed or not. Sometimes the front business may look alright, but part of the business may not be allowed.For example a car manufacturer may have a financing part which leases or sells the car on intrest.The second thing is to look how the business is run, how much borrowing ( on intrest ) is there or the profit is earning intrest in a bank. Hardly any share will be free of that. I would suggest that you read halal & haram by Yousuf Al Qardhawi which gives aclear ruling on different aspects of the subject.

Question 12: What is the punishment for rape in Islam?
Is it stated in Quran or Sunna that to file a charge of rape a woman should have witnesses?

Answer 12: In case of rape/ adultry/ fornication the first thing to look at is whether the accused admits to the crime or not. If the person does not admit then there have to be 4 witnesses. If in a case where one can get 4 acceptable witnesses,or the accused admits to the crime the punishment will depend whether the accused is married or not. If the guilty person is married ( & has consummated the marriage) then he/she will be stoned to death. If the person is not married then in that case he/she will get 100 lashes. Where there is no admission to the crime, or not enough witnesses ( less than 4) then the case will be decided on the basis of circumstantial evidences & the punishment will be on the discretion of the judge. The judge may chose to lash, imprison, or send him away from his locality for a period. it may may be one or combination or all of the above.
Witnesses are essential for all kind of cases be it in a Islamic court or in a non-islamic court.Would you accept a law where if any woman accuses any man of raping gets punished without any question. Circumstantial scientific evidences are comparatively recent things. They were not present at the time of Rsoolullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. On circumstantial evidence a judge can decide the case but the punishment will be lighter . If you want to read on this subject I wou suggest you to read The meanung of the Quran vol. 3 by S. Abul A'la Maududi p Pp 41-112. It gives a great discription of the subject in great detail. You can also look into other tafaseer of begining of surah Alnoor.

Question 13: I am a turkish muslim living in Germany.There are many muslim communities here. Now my question to you: There is one turkish muslim community called the "Nurcular" (from the arabic word "nur") whose leader is an imam named Muhammad Fethullah Gulen who has been persecuted by the secular, anti-islam regime in Turkey. This man is now living in New York, since he escaped from Turkey.However, the turkish regime has forbidden our muslim sisters wearing the hijab to enter public facilities, especially schools and universitys (NO JOKE!!!).
Now this imam, M.F. Gulen claims that those muslim girls who want to study are allowed to TAKE OFF THEIR HIJAB in order to be able to study in universitys.
In my opinion this is utter nonsense since Allah (s.w.t) explicitly says (in our holy book) that Hijab is duty to all muslim women!!!
However those of my friends who follow the teachings of the mentioned imam, do not want to accept my opinion,though I showed them several ayats from Qu`'ran!!!
What do you think???

Answer 13: I want to make one thing clear. This service that we provide is for those who want to know any order of Islam or want to clearify any thing about Islam. We do not give Fatwa nor we are in a position to contradict the fatwa of the others.
When I read your letter I simply agreed with you. But I do not put my self in a position to contradict the fatwa of a scholar.I contacted a scholar in India. He was out of his station, so it took this long. I did put your question to him & to my great surprise he agreed that Muslim women in the circumstances that are prevelant in Turkey may attend their classes in schools, colleges, & universities without hijab (without covering their head). He mentioned to me that it is not fatwa yet. It will take him sometime before he is able to give a proper fatwa.
So ,there you are! Although I still personally tend to agree with you, but I am not position to contradict MUFTIS.

Question 14: To the Imam, Please would you clarify the following:
Is it permitted for husband and wife to cohabit if they are not trying for a child?
In particular, when it is known that the woman cannot fall pregnant because of medical reasons or she is already pregnant, would it be permissable to cohabit?
Your prompt reply would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 14: Thank you for your letter. I must admit that I could not understand your question. The word "cohabit " according to Websters dictionary means, "1. To live together , usually illegally as husband & wife, 2. To inhabit together the same place or country."
If the the husband & wife can not live together, who else is supposed to? Once they become husband & wife, their cohabitattion is perfectly allowed in all societies, religions & states.
If, perhaps ,you mean to ask about having sexual relationship with his wife where the couple is not seeking a child or does no expect a child or where the wife is already pregnant . If this is your question, the answer is a definite YES.
If you are asking something else, please elaborate again.

Question 15: I write to you concerning a very delicate matter and I dare only write to you who are far away and not familiar with me or my family. I must first excuse any errors in my english, since I am a swedish national. I became muslim 5 years ago, alhamdulillah, and it's the best thing that ever happened to me. I'm now 24 years old. Now to my question(s). You see, I have some problems with my husband (aged 36), but not the "usual" ones, like that he would complain in my cooking or cleaning or whatever, no... I have a very good marriage, my husband is like a best friend and a brother and I am very much in love with him. We can talk about anything and he help me a lot of "my" work, such as taking care of house and children. He is mashaAllah a very good muslim with a kind and gentle heart, pray all his prayers, attend islamic lessons twice a week, go to every jumu'a, he memorized so much from Qur'an, takes good care of our soon one year old son, all my (christian) relatives love him and so do I. Well, nobody's perfect. We have now been married for soon 2 years and just some time after we got married I found out (that is; I catch him!) that his weakness is girls. When I sleep he go up and sit alone in the living room and watch pornographical films, I even catch him visiting such porno-sites in the Internet. He would never go so far as to make zina, he is too much afraid from the punishment, but shaitan convinced him that "only watching" is OK. The first time I found out was when he used my VISAcard to enter porno-sites on the Internet. Bills with specifications came home to us, but I never guessed that it was my muslim husband who ordered it, so I called the bank and made a police report for missuse of my VISAcard. In that time my husband pretended to be innocent, untill I catch him and realized what was going on. I confronted him but it was like he didn't take it so seriously. He promised me he would never do it again... but he did. Every time I found out even though he tried to hide it from me, but I was smarter than him and every time I confronted him and... the same story. Then one night when I was asleep and by sudden woke up without my husband saw that I woke up, I find out that he was watching porno-movies on the TV in the same room as me, the bedroom!! I was chocked and couldn't speak. A few more times I catched him while watching such things in the TV (you realized by now that we don't live in a muslim country!!). I confronted him again with hard words but I have also now confronted him in another more kind way. I told him that I don't blame him, and said to him that I want him to tell me anytime he feel weak and watch these things, to come to me and talk to me and I will support him. I told him that I love him always no matter what, because I know that he is a good man, and I want to help him with his weakness. I tried telling him hadith about this matter, and they alhamdulillah have been very affective. But yesterday I catched him again! I was sleeping and woke up by sudden and our bedroom is situated so I can by just looking out the door see the TV screen by a reflection in a painting, with out my husband see me. He was "clicking" through the channels one by one and only stopped when ever there was naked girls or porno. I again confronted him with the same speach, but now I'm getting pretty shure it will happen again, inshaAllah not. Sometimes I blame myself for not being a good enough wife. Maybe I don't make myself attractive for him so often? Maybe I don't make love with him often enough? Maybe he became bored from me? Please, please, please HELP ME!!!! I realized the most affective is hadith and Qur'anic proof of this being haram, and proof of the punishment, and similar stories from prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) time. Please support me. As you might understand I can speak with noone about this matter. I feel ashamed to tell even my closest friends or family, and my husband's family doesn't live here and even if I was to call them they speak only arabic. I don't want to ask imams here, they might know my husband and blame him.

Answer 15: We do not deal with this kind of problem,but I can only discuss few things with you, & do not have a simple solution for you.
There are two ways to look at your problem. In a medical perspective this may be psychological problem. A psychologist should be able to handle this thing. You may consult one who is nearby available. The problem you might face that in the country that you are living, it may be taken as "normal". But it is still worth consulting a psychologist if your husband agrees to it. It is possible that he might suggest some life style adjustment. Rarely drugs help as well. Very rarely one has to live with it.
The second perspective is religious. I feel that you are very well versed in its theoretical aspect & so is your husband.It is only getting rid of this disease that he can not manage. I will suggest a few things. Discuss them with your husband as aspects of therapy if he wishes to get rid of this problem.
1. If it is possible for you, move to place where pornography is not available e.g.. take job in Saudi Arabia, throw the TV out, disconnect internet. Do something so that when he wants to watch it, it is not available. Initially he will have a 'withdrawal syndrome'. It will be maddening for him , but time will take care of him.
2. Get the right company. I feel that there must be someone whose influence is making your husband to do this sort of mischief-- some one at work or an old friend or any one with whom he spends his time. This bad influence needs to be counteracted by some good influence. He has to spend some time in good company regularly.He may engage himself in some DAWAH work. Alternatively you have to find sometime in the routine of the house that he reads some Hadeeth or Quran for the family.Some regular Islamic activity may change the heart.
3.ISTIGHFAR : Seeking the forgiveness of Allah subhanahu wa taala may result in the grant of tawfeeq for repentance. So if you ask him to keep on saying 'Astaghfirullahe rabbi min kulle zanbin wa atubo ilaihe' all the time, especially while he sits down to watch the thing. IT works. At least he should say it 100 times in the morning & 100 times in the evening. He should also repent every time he keeps on doing it.
4. SALAH: In Quran 29:45" Prayers restrain from shameful &evil deeds". You have written that your husband is regular in his prayers. This regularity only is not sufficient enough for restraining him from shameful deeds. It needs khushoo' (23:2). Ask him to increase his supplications in sujood especially saying " La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kunto minazzalimin"(21:87).
5. ZIKR: In the 4 schools of Soofi thoughts they suggest a formula of zikr to clean the heart. It takes a few years before it actually works. In my knowledge it is not proved from sunnah, but can be used as a remedy.It is called 'Dewazdeh tasbeehat'. Dewazdeh in Persian means 12, although it is 13. Every morning & evening one says 200 times " La ilaha illallah", then 400 times "illallah", then 600 times "Allahu Allah" & finally 100 times "Allah". It takes about 20 minutes, (if he can spare it). In less than 3 years ( with the grace of Allah ) you will have the difference.
6.DUA: Not only he should keep on asking Allah subhanahu wa taala, but you should seek help for him as well. I am sure you are doing that. I am praying as well. There is nothing more important than that. Keep it on especially in tahajjud.
7.Your role as wife:This needs to be looked at by a professional.If you do not consult a proper marriage guide person you may be cursing yourself for nothing & the desired improvement will not take place. So go for it.
These are a few things I can suggest. He needs your help & sympathy & effort & dua. May Allah help both of you.

Question 16: May Allah give you great reward inshaAllah for your very good answer to my complicated problem, it has helped me a lot. I will try to always remember you in my du'a for that, inshaAllah ta'ala. You have no idea how much I needed such an answer and Allah is surely all-Wise for guiding you.
Now I hope to turn to you for any question without taking up too much of your valuable time, inshaAllah.
I would like to have help with understanding a dream I had a few nights ago. Unfortunately I don't remember the dream in full, but I was in some sort of get-together with many muslim sisters and I was being honest with them, telling them that sometimes I am feeling weak (which is true, astaghfirullah). In that time I saw on my right side a creature that looked like shaitan. When I say that he looked like shaitan I mean the image one has of him from american movies, especially one called "Golden child" where shaitan take the shape of a rutten skeleton with black color, a big head with big black eyes and two horns on his head.
When I saw him in the dream I said "Aodho billahi minash shaitani rajim" and when I said that he went back, like somebody blew a very strong wind on him. Then he immidiately came back and I said it again, he went back and that procedure repated itself for a few times.
Then I don't remember anything more from the dream, except that I never felt really scared. I was shocked to see him and feeling uncomfortable, but I managed to keep calm and never got as scared as I imagine I would be if I met him in real life.
What can you understand from this dream ?

Answer 16: Explaining a dream is not my cup of tea. The few things I would like to say are:
#1. That it is possible that you are getting enraged more often than usual. It has been suggested by Rasoolullahi sallahu alaihi wa sallam to say "aoozo billahi minash shaitanir rajeem" so that your rage becomes less & you can control yourself.
#2. There is another hadeeth, in which Rasoolullah sallahu alaihi wa sallam said that "who so ever seeks the protection of Allah ten times a day, Allah appoints an angel who protects him from shaitan/ keeps the shaitan away from him. Say the words "auzo billahis sameeil aleem minush shaitanir rajeem" ten times,anytime.
#3. read the tafseer of the ayah 7/200; 41/36; 16/98.
If you allow us, we can send your dream to a freind who is good in dream interpretation. It will take more than a fortnight. May Allah help you.

Question 17: I am looking for islamic baby names. I know that "Hafyy" is one of the name of Allah. How is it possible to name my expecting son/daughter according to this name? I would like it as "Hafya..." for the case of a female name. Is it meaningful ?

Answer 17: The word 'Hafyy' is perplexing for me. This means enclosure, margin, encompassing, overall covering , etc. It is not one of the names of Allah, to the best of my knowledge. You can find this word in Quran in 7-187, & check the meaning there.
The nearest word that comes to my mind is HAI / HAYY, which means alive, immortal, the life giver etc, one of the names of Allah mentioned in Quran 5 times as name of Allah. A boy can be called Abdul Hai/ Abdul Hayy & girl may be named as Amatul Hai...Meaning slave of the life giver.
Hayya.. the feminine for Hai / hayy, in Arabic also means snake. I dont think any child should be given such a name. Arabic name Hayat (life) is good for a girl.

Question 18: Can one work in a restuarant where non-halal food is served and alcohol is served and also can one work in Pizza delivery of haram pizzas.

Answer 18: A muslim is not allowed to sell alcohol or take part in any way in it's manufacturing, storing, transporting, selling, serving or even keeping the accounts of the money acquired from it's trade. So in short you are not allowed to work in a restaurant where alcohol is sold and served, but some fuqaha of India have allowed to work in a place where BYOW is permitted. Others disagree. As far as other haram food are concerned it can be sold to non-muslims and so you can work in a place where such food is consumed or delivered. This is what I understand and the true knowledge is with Allah subhanahu wa taala. Seek His pleasure and bounties and I would suggest that you say "hasbunallahu wa ne'mal wakeel" 40 times after every salah, and do the dua "Allahumma akfeni bi halalika an haramika waghnini befazlika amman siwaka". May Allah help you.

Newborn baby

Question 19: Writing to you again regarding the subject of welcoming a newborn baby to Islam, there is some questionmarks in that subject and I'm translating a report about it and just held a little lecture to my friends today about it, so I would like to check some of it with you. I read that the closest thing to the sunnah is to read only adhan in the ear of the newborn, the hadith that say that one should read both adhan and iqamah is mawdoo, fabricated. Is that correct in your knowledge?

When knowing that some friend for you delivered a baby, is there any proof of that we should visit them. The text speak about congratulating them,
but not mentioning wether or not that should be by visiting them. Some women are very tired after their delivery and like to be left private, but others say it is in our tradition to visit, so...?

When you name the child some people, especially the turks, say that you should read in the left ear of the child 3 times, but I haven't found any
hadith that explains HOW to name the child, have you?

We also disagreed about the shaving of the head, one girl said that it was OK to not shave the hair because it is very cold here during winter time,
and besides she said it didn't suit the babygirl. Well, I know it is not 0 FARD, but as the hadith says "to remove the harmfull" that means that it is
harm in NOT shaving, wouldn't you agree? Then she said that they used to do that in the age of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) because of the flee (did I spell it correct? I mean the little animal that live and eat the dirt in your hair). In my opinion this is a strong sunnah and that should be
wisdom enough, besides the harm could be in something unexplainable for us humans, perhaps there is bigger wisdom in it than we could ever know?

On the same subject, the hair should then be weighted and give charity in silver in the same amount as the weight. Some people say gold, what do you think? Then there is two hadith, one say that Fatima (RA) gave for her sons only and another one that she gave for both her sons and daughters?

1.Is the Hadeeth of Iqamah mawddo? Can't tell you. The Hadeeth of adhan is in Tirmizi & Abo Daood & hadeeth of Iqama is in Musned Abi Yawla, which I do not have. Tirmizi & & Abu Daood are class two books ( mostly sahih but possibilities of Dhaeef), where as Musned Abi Yawla is a class 4 book ( lots of dhaeef & possibilities of mawdoo). So if some one had said that it is mawdoo, I am not surprised, although i do not know & could not find out. On the other hand Ulema of India (specially Hanafis) have practiced Adhan & Iqama & have supported the Hadeeth. If I find out anymore I will let you know.

2.Visit to the new mother! The make up of the society has changed so much that even if I would have found found a Hadeeth it may not have much relevance. Basically she should be treated as a sick person. Those who can be of help should go & help as much possible, & those who may be a burden should postpone their visit until the lady is fit enough to welcome them. Greetings can be given nowadays without going to her house.

3.Naming the child: There is an argument in the books of Ahadeeth , whether the child be named on the first day or the seventh day, but this bit of Turkish tradition I could not find in the books. You can read all about it in Fathul Bari of Ibne Hajr.

4.Shaving the head: There are couple of Fuqeha ( Hasan & Qetadha rehemehumullah) who think that the girl's head should not be shaved but the rest of the lot say that there is no difference between male & female in this respect. This is the practice in all the 4 fiqhi sects (Hanafi Maliki Shafei & Hanbali)

5.Silver or Gold? This is mustahab ( one will be rewarded if one does & will be not punished if did not do it). There is a bit of controversy here. In case of Hasan & Hussain Radhi Allahu anhuma Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam sacrificed the lambs ( the parents should have done it, but they did not have the means. Just to console them they were advised to give in charity some silver equal to the weight of hair, & they did it). Now the Fuqeha had the difference of opinion. Some say that both sacrifice & charity should be done. Others say charity should only be done if the sacrifice can not be afforded. Still others say that if the sacrifice can not be done on the seventh day the head be shaved & charity be given. There are some other opinion as well. Later on rich people gave gold as charity as well. I suppose one can give diamond or any other costlier thing as you wish. More the better, as long as there is no show off.

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Subject: Djinns

Question 20: This time I'm writing to you regarding a very scary subject; djiins.

A very dear friend of mine, a new muslima since many years, is having her appartment visited by djinns (most likely) and she is really very scared
and for her sake I would like to ask your help.

This is surely not something in her imagination, her husband saw and heard them, two of her children, her sister and even I, when I once visited her
and she just told me about it, heard a door slam, while she had no windows or doors open...

To give you some examples of what can happen; one night she heard some heavy breathing, looked at her husband and from his body movement realized it's not him, look at her little babygirl, couldn't be her either....

Once while sitting in the kitchen with her son (6 years old) while looking away her son suddenly asked her; "Mummy, who just passed be the
kitchendoor?? Who's here??" The same thing also happened with her sister, the sister thought that it was Sonya (my friend) who was standing beside her and who passed by her, but when she didn't get any answer when speaking to her, she called her name and it turns out Sonya was all the way in the bedroom....

My friend heared water running from the tap, the refrigirator door open, doors slam and so on. Once she woke up in the middle of the night from
hearing a bottle fall on the floor. In the morning she find that bottle of medicine, which her husband put in the bookshelf, on the floor on the
other side of the room....

She feels this strongest in the kitchen and in the children's room. This started when they lived in this appartment. Like I said she is really
scared and don't know what to do. Of course she keeps reading Qur'an and saying "Audho billah...", but it's gotten to the point when she is almost too scared to go sleep at night.

Please advice her and please explain about the nature of the djinn. Again I thank you for sharing your knowledge, may Allah be with you and your
family.

1. CHANGE THE HOUSE: Some scholars believe that jinn may be muslim or kafir. Generally muslim jinn do not harm muslim humans. ( So far you only told me of their presence, but not of causing any harm... so far so good). Of those who do not harm others are two types. One may be called a dog type who follow the people where ever they go, & the other is cat type who stay put in the same house. It is possible that your freind may be lucky & just changing the house may solve the problem.

Just to fill you, a jinn used to live with us as well, the same sort of story as you have told us. After many years we moved to another country, & he found us after few months. Within a year we moved to another country, this time it did not take him that long. We moved again, he so far has visited us very occasionally. I miss him!

2.Dua: The other thing I can advice you is that there are certain dua that has been suggested by Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. I will put them in three different categories . #1 is for reciting in the morning & evening. #2 is for reciting when one lies down on the bed in the night before sleeping. #3 is for reciting when one feels the presence of these freinds!

#1. These are the verses of Quran suggested byRasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam in Ibne majah & Musned Ahmed. You will be able to find them all in a book called "menzil". Although the Hadeeth orders it to be recited in front of the affected person only once, but the scholars have suggested that they be recited by everyone, every morning (before sunrise, preferably) and in the evening (after asr prayer and before maghrib). The verses are as follows (first number is surah the second is/are the verses)

#4. Say " Aoozo bi wajhillahil kareemin Naafe'e wa bi kalimaatillahit taammaatil lati la yujawezohunna birrun wala fajirun min sharre ma khalaqa wa zara'a wa bara'a wa min sherre ma yenzilo minas samaae wa min sharre ma ya'rojo feeha wa min sharre ma zara'a fil arze wa min sharre ma yakhrojo minha wa min share fitanal laile wan nahare wa min sharre kulle taariqin illa tariqan yatroqo bi khairin ya rahmanu ( musned Ahmed )

Question 21: What is the Islamic position on family planning using contraception? For example, if a family wishes to wait for a few (2-4) years between getting married and having children, is it permissible to use contraceptives for this purpose?

I have read some sayings of the Sahaba that they used to practise a form of contraception during the time of the Holy Prophet (SAW), and he came to know of this practice but did not forbid it. But I have also read of some scholars who say that it is HARAM to use contraceptives for purposes that are not related to the health of mother/child or to extremely straitened family circumstances. To my confused little mind, this seems
contradictory.. Can you throw any light on this please.

Question 21 A : Thanks very much for your reply. It was very helpful. If you could just go into a little more specific detail for me, I would very much appreciate it. Specifically, is it permissible for a husband and wife to delay the birth of the first child for one or two (or more) years?

Most of the people who ask the question , it is my feeling, that they seek a simple yes/no answer. That is how your question was treated. But since you want some details, it will take some time to explain it.So, sit down & relax yourself. If you are still not satisfied you are welcome to write back. I do this as a hobby & I love doing it.

If a person ( man/ woman), because of some constraints can not afford to have a child for a period of time, should they not marry & try to maintain their chastity (in this zamana) or should they get married & practice some form of contraception allowed by ( modern day scholars), or they are not allowed to either of the above?

Mufti Shfi rahemahullah who was the first mufti of Pakistan has dealt another aspect in his tafseer Maariful Quran under this verse. He went to pose the question who must marry, who can marry, & who should not. In nutshell ( I do not want to go in translating the whole page, if you have access to the book & can read Urdu , go ahead & read it. It will be worthwhile), what he has said is that

Which way a person ( man /women/couple) can maintain his/her/their chastity, by getting married or without getting married? Is there any doubt about the answer? At least our scholars never had any doubt on that subject. A maried person in Quran is called muhsin/ muhsina meaning aperson living in a fort, well protected, fortified!

So the answer to is simple. If a couple can afford to marry, they should marry. If they can't afford to have the child in the immediate period after the marriage because of what so ever reason ( education , job situation, money, housing......), they are allowed to postpone it.The end.

Last year I went on a tour & spent a night in a farm hotel. In the morning, I met the owner of the hotel & had long chat. I found out that we had same date of birth. He got married in his late teen, had his children in early twenties. His children had their education, got married, had their children & they were all settled down. I on the other hand got married after thirty , had my children when I was in forties, & my youngest one is only six year old & I am not far away from retirement. The moral of the story is...... ( Sorry! You did not ask that question)

Question 22: My name is Janice Tufte and I am learning about Islam. I have recently heard that all humans are born Muslim, of the Islamic faith. My question I am hoping you will be able to answer is..could you tell me where it is written that all persons are born Muslimah? Do you know the Surah this information this is contained in? Thankyou for your time, and help.

Answer 22: This is an hadeeth ( saying of the prophet ) " Kullu molidin yuladu alal fitrah, fa abawahu yuhawwidanihi aw yunassiranihi aw yumajjisanihi"; which means that all the children are born on the nature , then the parents make them jews or christians or majusis. The word used is 'Fitrah' which literally means 'Nature, has also been used for the creation or the way the things have been created by Allah . The word 'Al fatir' (the Creator) has been used as one of the attribute of Allah in Quran in many places (e.g: 6:14, 12:101, 14:10, 35:1, 39:46, 42:11). In a verse 30:30 He has said:

Question 23: Thank you for your time to respond to my inquiry regarding written information about the issue of all humans born Muslim. I appreciate your quick response and will keep your site handy for other questions I may have. I am now in process of studying Islam and learning the Qu'ran , on-line internethas given this oppurtunity to myself as I live a very quiet somewhat sheltered life, (arae not close to other people) I have found much insight and inspiration in Islam. I will be converting/reverting soon. ( I am not sure which is the correct manner of
> stating; reverting as we are all born Muslims as is believed by scholars, converting from the Christian faith I suppose) The best to you and your family and friends and thankyou again for your answer and response. Allah be withyou always. InshaaAllah I will have much guidance in my life into Islam.....Wa'a El Salam Janice E Tufte PS. I have heard about Fitrah , as in pure which of course is natural. (Nature) Understand that it is our goal to achieve a state of Fitrah, the closest we are able to come in Human form. Thankyou again.

Answer 23: May Allah help you in your persuit & show you the right path & make it easy for you to accept the truth. I pray for you to Him. It is a promise from him that who so ever turns towards Him for guidence, He will guide him/her. Seek His help & pray to Him that He should show you the right path.

I am not really intrested in the vocabulary. Wether you revert or convert, it does not make differance. The important thing is that you do a genuine effort to find the truth where ever it is. If you find it, be bold enough to accept it. Then try to totally submit yourself to it. It is a great struggle of this life. In this struggle everybody is alone. One can help with knowledge, answering the questions, clearing the doubts etc., but the realisation that this is the truth comes from the depth of the heart. He may help you, but ordinary mortals can't.So, carry on ! My prayers are with you.

Coming back to the word 'Fitrah' (Nature). In the last couple of centuries, as the west (or the Christian) world moved away from the religion towards secularism, certain words were given new meanings. Nature is one of them. First the concept of god was made to look dogmatic (irrational), then different phenomenon were explained as 'natural', meaning thereby that it happens on its own. When you read a sentence like, it is in its nature...the nature is such...etc., can you see a god behind it? Darwin & others tried to prove that you do not need a god to create humans or for that matter any other animal or plant. Physicists tried to prove that the universe came into existance, just by an accident of big bang. So it all happend by chance, accidently, by the circumstances, by trial & error , by survival of the fittest. It is a total chaos, no planning , no planner, no scheme, no reason, no perpose, no justice, no accountability, no life after death , no guidance required, nothing is perfectly right & nothing absoloutly wrong. This brought the concept of permissivism... do what ever you like. This has lead us to modern democracy, in which the laws are made according to whims & wishes of the people. No boundries , no restrictions, no limitations are recognised. The concept of god, & god as our guide is gone to the dustbin. This all has come from the misconception of the word nature.

Compared to that, Islam has the concept of ALLAH, who has created this universe with apurpose & design. Every thing in this universe is given a task, & everything is performing its task. It has been given certain properties so that it can do what it has been made to do.That is what the nature is. The nature of the things are given by the Creator, & He has full authoriy over them & He can change them when ever He wishes.

May Allah help you, & hold your hand & lead you to the right path. May Allah correct your heart & give you the wisdom to differentiate between right & wrong. What ever is wrong may He show you as wrong & help you to avoid it. What ever is right may He give you the courage to accept it as right & may He help you to live according to it. Say " O Allah! Forgive me & be Kind to me, & show me the right path, & provide me with all what I need" Aaamin

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Question 24:   Ahalan and greetings to you and your family and friends, I have written before regarding the issue of Fitrah and appreciated
your response. Today I am asking about information regarding woman attending the Masjid for prayers. I have found many different views abound. I have heard woman should never attend on Fridays, I have heard they should attend whenever and it is good to pray in Masjid anytime also that it is preferred that woman pray at home. I understand that there are different views from many scholars, I am curious if their is a Hadith on this and what the prevailing customs are.    I have called the local Imam and not heard from him, also written to a local Islamic school, hoping for information regarding local Masjids and Centers. I have not had response and I nshaaAllah I will soon. As I have
little offers of transportation and am unable to even just drive to make appointment at Masjid Iam the mercy of the generosity of others.
Hopefully soon I will hear from Masjid and Imam and will be able to start instruction.     I appreciate your answers about Prayers and the Masjid and InshaaAlalh the best of health and happiness is with you...

4. The Prophet sallallhu alaihi wa sallam has been reported to have said that the best place for a woman to pray is the deepest corner of her house, on the other hand the prophet sallallhu alaihi wa sallam has also orderd that dont stop the women slaves of Allah from coming to the mosques.

6. Ummul mominin (the mother of all muslims, wife of the prophet sallallhu alaihi wa sallam) Ayesha razi allahu anha has been reported to have said that the time has become so bad that if prophet sallallhu alaihi wa sallam would have been alive today he would have stopped the women from going to the mosques.

7. The rest of the SAHABA ( companions of prophet sallallhu alaihi wa sallam) rizwanullahi taala ajmaeen did not agree to that opinion & kept on practicing what they had practiced at the time of the prophet sallallhu alaihi wa sallam i.e. allowing the women to come to the mosques.

So there you are.It all depends what is the practice in your locality. If they allow the women you better go there when ever you can. Let me tell you one restriction which is important for you to know. A woman is not allowed to enter the mosque when she is having her period, neither she is supposed to pray.

O YOU WHO BELIVE!AL-QISAS(THE LAW OF EUALITY IN PUNISHMENT) IS PRESCRIBED FOR YOU IN CASE OF MURDER:THE FREE FOR THE FREE, THE SLAVE FOR SLAVE, AND THE FEMALE FOR FEMALE. BUT IF THE RELATIVES(FOR ONE OF THEM) OF THE KILLED(PERSON) FORGIVE THEIR BROTHER(THE KILLER) SOMETRHING(I.E. NOT TO KILL THE KILLER BY ACCEPTING BLOOD MONEY IN INTENTIONAL MURDERS), THEN THE RELATIVES( OF THE KILLED PERSON) SHOULD DEMAND BLOOD MONEY IN A REASONABLE MANNER, AND THE KILLER MUST PAY WITH HANDSOME, GRATITUDE......................................

Question 26: Can you Please ensure the written information below is the truth? Is the Point cleared? Is it based on the truth?

Sunni Feedback on the Issues of Infallibility and Ahlul-Bayt. In this article, we reply on the comments of the Sunni brothers who studied the previous articles regarding
to who Ahlul-Bayt are, and why they are infallible. More discussions on the issue of infallibility will be presented later in the next chapter.

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A Sunni brother mentioned that the verse 33:33 expresses the decision of Allah to purify Ahlul-Bayt and make them spotless. How could this imply that they are flawless/sinless? This is adding an incorrect implication to the Arabic language! To answer this question, we would like to ask: Isn't sin a kind of impurity? A person who commits sin is not a pure person.

If you think this is adding an incorrect meaning to the Arabic language, then I would ask you to quote one example where a scholar of Quran, Arabic grammar, and literature claims that committing sin is a sign of purity!!!

Also, based on your translation, you used the word "spotless". Then what will be the difference between "spotless" and "flawless"? Any spot is a flaw and is sin; and vice versa.

Moreover, which scholar of Arabic language can we find better than the Messenger of Allah? We quoted from the authentic Sunni collections that The Messenger of Allah recited "Verily Allah intends to keep off from you every kind of uncleanness O'
People of the House (Ahlul- Bayt), and purify you a perfect purification". (Quran, the last sentence of Verse 33:33) and then the Messenger of Allah said: "Thus Me and my Ahlul-Bayt are clear from sins." The word "thus" in the highlighted part means that the Prophet himself is CONCLUDING that the verse means Ahlul-Bayt are sinless. Is the Prophet violating the Arabic language?

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Another Sunni brother commented that the Verse 33:33 does not make Ahlul-Bayt infallible any more than verse 5:6 makes anyone who performs ablution infallible! Allah sates: O you who believe! when you prepare for prayer wash your faces and your hands to the elbows; rub your heads and your feet to the ankles. If you are in a state of ceremonial impurity bathe your whole body. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you had call of nature or you have touched women and you find no water then take for yourselves clean sand or earth and rub therewith your faces and hands. Allah does not wish to place you in a difficulty but to make you clean and to complete His favor to you that you may be grateful. (Quran 5:6)

To answer this brother, we would like to point out that purification/ cleansing has degrees and is of different types. If ones hand and face become dirty, and then if he washes them with soap and warm water they will become cleansed. The above verse (5:6) also tells us by ablution one can become cleansed. Now if somebody argues that the degree of cleansing with ablution is not any more than cleansing the hands and face with soap, then what will be your answer to him?

You will tell him that ablution make different type of cleansing than of washing the body by soap.

The same goes for the difference between cleansing of EVERY KIND OF IMPURITY and the cleansing of ablution. Surely if a murderer makes ablution, he will not
cleans his crime by that, because the IMPURITY caused by murder can not go away by ablution even though Allah sent down the verse 5:6. Quran never said that by ablution you will get a Perfect purification. There are different degrees of Purification. The ONLY place that Allah said I intend to do a PERFECT purification is in verse 33:33 where He is addressing the Ahlul-Bayt. The word "PERFECT" comes from the emphasis of Allah by "Tat'hiran" which has been used ONLY in verse 33:33. This emphatical word occur in any other place in Quran. Do you see the difference brother?

If yes, then a PERFECT purification will not leave any small sin for the Ahlul-Bayt. If Allah intends to KEEP OFF EVERY KIND OF UNCLEANNESS from Ahlul-Bayt, no impurity, no matter how small, will reach them, because Allah is omnipotent. (The phrase "EVERY KIND OF" is due to article of "al-" at the beginning of the world "al-Rijs").

Answer 26: I believe this verse has been mis -understood. First of all the meaning in English of verse.

O wives of the prophet! you are not like any other women.If you keep your duty(to Allah),then be not soft in speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease( of hypocrisy,or evil desire for adultery,e.t.c) should be moved with desire,but speak in an honorable manner.

verse 33.33

AND stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of IGNORANCE, and perform As Salaat( Iqamat-as-salaat), and give Zakaat and OBEY Allah and HIS MESSENGER. Allah wishes only to remove Ar-Rjs(evil deeds and sins...e.t.c) from you, O members of the family( of the Prophet S.A.W) AND TO PURIFY YOU WITH A THOROUGH PURIFICATION.

Allah Ta'la is in no way is saying that Alul Bayt is infallible. But he is saying that if they fellow the commandments of Allah and the message of Nabi s.a.w, Allah want's to remove Ar-rijs so they will be purified. At the same time they must do Salaat and pay Zakaat...e.t.c

In arabic Allah want's to remove (ureed),In this verse almighty Allah has explained the condition to be purified. They must obey Allah. Abu Talib and abu Jahal did not obey the commandments of Allah. They both will be punished. Abu Talib with the lest punishment because he was compassionate to Nabi S.A.W

Question 27: I've heard many different things about hijab and the women dress code. I finally found out that its not written in the Holy Quran that women must wear hijab. However, it could be mentioned in the Hadith. Could you please clarify this for me.

Often when I go out to school or other places, I miss the prayers and later pray Qaza. However, I'd like to say the prayers on time. Can I pray just the Farz part of the prayer on the prayer time or do I have to pray the whole namaz. That is, should I pray the Farz part on time, or pray the whole namaz as Qaza.

Answer 27: First of all lets take the question on Salaat.

All salaat should be prayed on time.If it means that you can only pray fard salaat on time,please do it.Do not make Qadha of Fard salaat. Then you can make your sunnat later, as long as it is not between Asar and magrib.

As for Hijab in Surah an nur the order came for Hijab for Men and Women verse 30 " Tell the believing men to lower their gaze(from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts(from illegal sexual acts,et.c) That is purer for them.Verily Allah is All-Aware of what they do"

As for women. Verse 31 An Nur
"And tell the believing women to lower their gaze(from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts ( from illegal sexual acts,e.t.c) and NOT TO SHOW OF THEIR ADORNMENT except only that which is apparent(like palms of hands or one eye or both eyes for necessity to see the way, or outer dress like veil, gloves, head-cover, apr on e.t.c) and draw their veil all over juyubihinna i.e their bodies,faces,necks and bosoms,e.t.c ....................."

Question 28: Thank you very much for your reply. One thing is not very clear to me yet.

That is: its better to say prayers on time, specially if it means only praying the Farz part. Is it ok to say the Sunnat part later, as Qaza? I thought only the Farz part is said as Qaza and not the Sunnat part. Is this true? Should the Qaza be said on the same day at any Waqt except the time between Asr and Magrib, or can I say the Qaza one day later also?

Answer 28: Answer according to Hanfi: Witr Salaat is an ibligatory Salaat,hence, if it is missed it's Qadha MUST be performed.If one missed the Ishaa salaat,Qadha of bothe Fard and witr will have to be performed before engaging in fajr salaat.

Only Qadha of Fardh and Witr Salaat is made, BESIDES THE TWO RAKAAT SUNNAT Fajr,Qadha of sunnat and Nafl Salaat is not necessary. IF QADHA OF FAJR is being performed before Zawwal(Mid-Day) then qadha of fard as well as the Sunnat should be performed.However if the Qadha of fajr salaat is made after zuhar it is not necessary to make Sunnat of fajar.

This is Hanifi Muzhab ruling, other mazhabs may differ on the (sunat) and witar.

Most importent is to remember the Importance of salaat on TIME.

Question 29: If I may, let me give you a brief background about myself before I ask you my question. I am 26 year old muslimah born in a syrian family. I've lived in America almost all my life, therefore, I do not read arabic very well, and I can only speak arabic in a syrian dialect. 2 months ago I married an American man that converted to Islam over a year ago. Although I was born muslim and have been muslim all my life, I began to really study islam and try to strenghten my religon about 2 years ago. Before that, I didn't pray, or read quran. But Al hamdulilah, I'm trying to change my bad habits. The nearest mosque to me is more than 20 miles away so it 's hard to go to the mosque regularly. My husband and I both work regularly. We are both electrical engineers.

My problem is this: Often when I pray, I can't concentrate on my prayers. When I pray, as I recite verses from the quran, thoughts of the day, problems at work, people that have talked to me, the things I need to do after I pray enter my mind. these thoughts distract me, and I feel guilty because I can't concentrate on Allah (SWT). I know this isn't right, and i need to worship allah and forget about it....but the harder I try to block out outside thoughts, the more thoughts enter my mind. Sometimes this keeps me from falling asleep to. I find it hard to relax. What can I do to help me concentrate on my prayers? What can I do to improve my prayers?

A second question i have is : I know it's important to perform salah in arabic....but is it ok to say dua in english? Will allah accept dua in english?

I hope this question is not to long. I hope you can answer my question

Answer 29: The Companions of Phrophet SWA also complained to Nabi SWA of the same problem,It is Natural that this would happen at times.First of all you must stop trying to hard.The reason been is that until our Imaan(faith) gets stronger ,the inner and outer salaat will not be perfected.

First of allwork within your strength and capabilities.Allah Subhanut'ala says in Sura Al Baqarah verse 286 " Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope.He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned and he is punished for that(evil) which he has earned.First of all increase in your knowledge,as you learn sacred knowledge your Imaan increase.Increase in rememberance of Allah within your scope.(i.e Don't over do it).

The Phrophet SWA has said that Imaan deceases and increases.Allah from his slaves has choosen some to be very very pious,and some to be his phrophets and e.t.c

Inshallah your Salaat will be stonger as the Imaan increases.Concentration alone will not make perfect Salaat,but increase Imaan and Knowledge will strenghthen Salaat. Study tafseer of Quraan will bring tears to the eyes,read the struggle of Phrohet SWA and his Companions willIncrease our Imaan.Read hadith of Nabi SWA will increase Imaan.Inshallah your Salaat will strenthen as your Imaan grows.

Answer to your second question.

It is ok toread Du'ah in english or any language.It is better that you understand what you are asking for than not understand.But just memorize the basics in Arabic like Durood on the Phrophet SWA,and Allahuma untus salaam. As you increase in your knowledge you can start reading in Arabic.

Question 30 :First I'll start by thanking you for all your great answers on the web . Though it is my first time writing to you, but I've been helped by those a lot.

Now, here's something that is bothering me and my husband for quite a few times now. Both me and my husband came to the states for our bachelors degree before we were married. But we used to know each other from our childhood(as our parents are family friends). Then we fall in love for each other. But, as we were always aware of the consequences of zina, we never had any kind of physical realationship. But,it was getting hard for us in a four year time period.....so we decided to get married. Our Niyat behind that was not to do anything against the Shariyah and ALLAH subhanahu wa taala. But we've kept it a secret from our parents and family. Inside it's eating us up in the guilt of not being honest to our parents.[Both our parents are very proud of our achievements(ALHAMDULILLAH)and asks our younger brothers and sisters to be like us.] But we only got married in a situation, when we knew inside that zina might happen. Our parents never wanted to come to any sort of conclusion until now(it's been 6 yrs). And we are in great agony. Is there any way that we could get married again by an Imam? Is it legal by the Shariyah? I have known from your previous answers that you are a father of children of I guess about my age or maybe younger. How much do u think it will hurt my father to know this? Can I not tell him. Will it be counted as severe sin in the eyes of Islam? We seek help from ALLAH THE ALMIGHTY through our prayers and ask HIS forgiveness for doing something beyond our parents knowledge. Please provide us with you advices and help us find the proper way out of this matter. Thanks for listening to our agony.

Answer 30: If the Secret Marriage was done according to Islamic Law,than there is no reason to re-marry at all.That is with two muslim witnesses.If they have not informed thier parents this is not a sin,but an ettiquette (Adaab) only.It would me nice if they can tell thier parents.There is no reason to re-marry if it was halal in the first place.Shariyah does not per-mit remarrying the same women if one is 0married to her already.If the Marriage was not according to Islamic Law (first Marriage) than they must re-marry,and it is not permitted to stay together until 0they do.