Your Questions Answered
Queries
Protection of Previous Scriptures
Question: The God Almighty has protected the Qur’an from being tampered with ever since it was revealed. Why did He take the responsibility of protecting the Qur’an only and not the previous Divine Scriptures?
Answer: Various explanations have been offered for this. To my mind, the best among those offered is that the institution of Prophethood existed in the period of all previous scriptures. This meant that divine revelation could still come at the advent of the next Prophet and correct any tampering done by the people in previous divine scriptures. However, once an end was put to the institution of Prophethood, the need arose to eternally protect the message of Allah. So, after the departure of Muhammad (sws), the last of the Prophets, preservation of the Book became essential.
Why is Gambling Prohibited?
Question: Why is gambling prohibited by Islam? Is betting on a horse in a horse race a form of gambling? Why can’t betting or gambling on horse racing be looked upon as an investment? You trade your inside knowledge and ability to predict results into reasonable winnings and if you can’t make it, then you simply quit.
Answer: The basic objective of all Islamic directives is to cleanse the human soul from excesses. Economic activities, it is a common observation, have tremendous effects on a person’s character. Therefore, all such activities which produce negative or evil traits in a person are prohibited by Islam, since they tarnish the mirror of the soul. Let us take a look at some of the typical traits of a gambler:
i. He bases his economic activity on chance rather than his own technical ability which of course leads to cowardice and superstition.
ii. He loses the initiative to work hard, which can create severe financial problems for him and his family.
iii. He becomes selfish and mean since his life inevitably becomes caught in a vicious circle of gaining more and more.
iv He is generally distracted from the higher ideals of life.
Such traits and other similar ones are generally the outcome of gambling. It is not necessary that they are produced in their ultimate form whenever a person indulges in gambling. The temperament of Islam is to bolt all pathways which lead to some evil. The line of prohibition is marked much before the evil starts itself so that a person is discouraged much before.
Yes, betting on a horse in a horse race is a form of gambling. Also, there is a world of difference between betting and investment. Betting or gambling in a horse race cannot be called an investment in any sense of the word since in this case the money involved is not brought in the market as a means of providing service to the society which is necessary. Besides however much you may be able to predict the ‘skill of a horse’ the uncertainty factor is still tremendous.
Was Noah’s Son Saved?
Question: There appears to be a contradiction in the drowning of Noah’s son. The following verse says that Noah’s family was saved:
Noah, when he cried to Us, aforetime: We listened to his prayer and delivered him and his family from great distress. (21:76)
Another verse says that Noah’s son was drowned:
...And the waves came between them, and the son was among those overwhelmed in the flood. (11:42-3)
Answer: We now from the Qur’an that the Prophet Noah (sws) himself inquired from the Almighty about his drowned son even though he was promised that his family would be saved from the flood. In 11:46, he is told that his son is actually not from among his family:
He is no kinsman of yours: he is a totally un-righteous person. (11:46)
This negation is not a literal negation but negation in reality. An arrogant and a rebellious son of the Prophet (sws) in spite of being a son is in reality not a son after all. Consequently, he was not counted as being a member of Noah’s family by the Almighty, and the question of a contradiction, therefore, does not arise.
I Preach what I do not Practice
Question: People often say that I am a good Muslim who is pious and is always helping around. Though in reality I feel proud of such comments, I am not easy at heart. It is because I often do sins from which I stop others. Most of all is expressing anger and shouting at my mother. I ask people to be very respectful to their mothers, but every third day I have a quarrel with my mother. Later I feel very guilty and apologize for my misbehavior. But the cycle goes on. I feel like a hypocrite and feel like stopping preaching because I am no good myself. Please advise.
Answer: Committing a sin does not mean that one should stop preaching. Sins such as you have mentioned are committed out of a sudden rush of blood and which ultimately make a person feel ashamed are human weaknesses. Of course one should try to overcome them but they must not discourage you from spreading virtue even if it is to be by mouth. We should remember that one of the greatest weapons of Satan is that he tries to induce frustration in a person and makes him feel that there is no use preaching what you cannot practice. A person should keep praying to the Almighty to grant him the courage to fight evil but should never be over come with frustration whenever he is overcome by evil. Of course, the more he is able to overcome evil, the more affective would his preaching become.
Women and Praying at Home?
Question: There is a hadith which says that it is better for women to pray at home. However, another one says that the reward for praying in the mosque is 27 times greater. So I’m confused? Is it really better for a woman to pray at home? Please explain.
Answer: Unlike men, women have been put under less burden as far as directives and decrees of Islam are concerned. For example, they have been exempted from Jihad. Similarly, they have been exempted from the Friday congregation. Likewise, they have also been relieved of the responsibility to appear in the mosque for the daily prayers. All this is because of their circumstances, temperament and line of activities.
At the same time, Muslim men have been directed to let their wives go to the mosque in case they want to and never to stop them. So, in other words, they can pray at home without bothering about losing any reward and at the same time if their circumstances are such that they can easily and safely go to the mosque, no one should stop them.
The Case of Maria the Coptic
Question: I have heard that the Prophet (sws) was gifted a slave girl Maria by the monarch of Egypt. If this is correct, why did not the Prophet (sws) free her and then marry her? Why did he keep her as his slave?
Answer: As has been explained several times before in this column, Islam adopted a gradual way to eradicate the evil institution of slavery, which was deeply rooted in the Arabian society. During the interim period people were allowed to keep slave women and sleep with them. This was the very reason that Maria the Coptic slave lady was not necessarily set free, since keeping slave women was totally allowed in the transitional period. Freeing her, of course, would have hurt the Egyptian king and marrying her would have increased the Prophet’s responsibilities; secondly, an example needed to be set as to how Muslims should treat their slave girls – who in those times were treated very badly. Moreover, it is clear from the Qur’an (33:49-52) that the Prophet (sws) could only free and marry slave girls who were made prisoners in war. He was not allowed to marry gifted slave women that had been set free.
Medical Examination of the Private Parts
Question: What is the status of a medical check up of one’s private parts? Under what circumstances is it allowed? Can a lady expose herself to a male doctor?
Answer: Islam has prohibited people from exposing their private parts because sexual promiscuity adversely affects the inner purification of a person – the very objective of Islam. Obviously, a medical check-up by a doctor that involves the examination of the private parts is an exception. In this regard, the only thing that a lady should try for is to go to a female doctor. Again, female doctors and specialists may not be accessible at times for various reasons. In such cases, of course, she may have no other option but to show herself to a male doctor.
Is Dating prohibited in Islam?
Question: Is it wrong for me to go out and date Muslim girls?
Answer: Dating is against the very spirit of the social etiquette of Islam. Islam lays its social structure on the basis of a permanent relationship between a man and a woman in the form of a family. This relationship comes into existence in the form of an everlasting marriage bond. Consequently, to preserve this marital relationship, it forbids all forms of temporary associations between a man and a woman. Such associations not only hamper this social structure from coming into being but also contaminate the soul of the two. When they meet in private, base emotions are bound to be stirred. This can lead to extremely unwanted situations.
The Creation of Adam and Eve
Questions: I have the following questions regarding the creation of Adam and Eve that is mentioned in Surah Baqarah. What does the word ‘names’ occurring in the 2:30 refer to? God asked both the angels and Adam to name those things whereas He hadn’t taught the angels. How could the angels know the ‘names’ since they were kept in darkness? Testing angels implies that, like human beings, they too have freedom of argument, choice, and action. Then what’s the difference between angels and human beings apart from the fact that they are made from different material? Why was Adam first sent to Paradise when he could have been sent directly to earth?
Answer: At the outset, it would be appropriate to understand the nature and context of the whole episode of creation as narrated by the Qur’an in Surah Baqarah.
The surah is addressed to the People of the Book and the purpose of the verses dealing with the creation of Adam and Eve is to depict the attitude the Jews had adopted towards Muhammad (sws). The Jews bitterly opposed the new message because of their arrogance and haughtiness. Some other groups hesitated in the beginning but once their doubts were cleared they accepted faith. The Qur’an says that these two attitudes are analogous to those adopted by Satan and the Angels at the time of creation of man. When Allah decided to create man, He informed the angels of His plan. They were not clear about the matter and expressed their concern. Their reservations were caused by their unawareness to the whole scheme. As soon as they became aware of the scheme, they accepted and praised God’s wisdom and knowledge. On the contrary, Satan opposed the scheme and refused to obey God only because of his pride and conceit. He thought that he was superior to man since he was made of fire, and that why should he bow before Adam who was made of clay. This role of Satan was similar to the one adopted by the Jews with regard to the Prophet (sws).
As far as the ‘names’ referred to in 2:30 are concerned, there are three viewpoints regarding the nature of these names. Some scholars maintain that these were the names of each and everything found in this world; others opine that these were the name of the angels and yet another group says that they were the names of the progeny of Adam.
The first two viewpoints are hardly tenable. The third one seems to be the most plausible on the following grounds:
1. The use of alif lam on the word ‘اسماء’ (asma: names) leads to the conclusion.
2. The pronoun used for these ‘names’ ‘هم’ (hum: they) is mostly used beings who possess the faculty of reasoning like humans and the jinn etc.
3. The context shows that Allah is responding to the argument taken by the angels. The angels had objected to creating such beings as were granted the freedom to exercise their will. They thought that such a creation would create bloodshed and other evils on the earth. In order to satisfy the Angels, the Almighty presented the names of people from among the progeny of Adam who would turn out to be pious and godly.
From the attributes of the angels given in the Holy Qur’an, it can be safely concluded that the angels possess the faculty of reasoning and have the freedom to exercise their will. Had they not had any freedom of choice, they would not have been tested on occasions like prostrating before Adam. The difference between angels and men is that the Angels live in the presence of God and help in implementing His will whenever they are ordered to while human beings are neither exposed to the Almighty in such a manner and neither act as the implementers of His will in the manner the Angels are.
The world Jannah in the referred to verses does not imply Paradise, which is the abode of the righteous in the Hereafter. In fact the portrait the Qur’andraws of Jannah tells us that it is something to be created at some time in the future. The word Jannah is used here in the literal sense and means ‘a garden’. It is obvious from the Qur’anicverse ‘I have ordained to create a person vicegerent on Earth’ that the Almighty had decided to create man and send him on earth regardless of other details.
(Answered by Tariq Hashmi)