Your Questions Answered
Queries
Reading Wazifahs
Question: Ourfamily is facing a bit of crisis. Can you recommend some sort of wazifahto recite. My family wants to do read it on a Friday. Also suggest the most appropriate time for reading it?
Answer: Readingthe so called ‘wazifahs’ in times of crisis was not the way of the Prophet (sws) and his Companions (rta).What they did was that they made du‘ato the Almighty as much as they consciously could. Invoking the help of the Almighty in times of crisis through whatever words one can gather is actually what is required. Certain supplications of the Prophet (sws) might give a person the most apt wordings for du‘a.
It is known from the Qur’anand certain A%hadith that among the most appropriate times for du‘aare the prayers we offer and specially the Tahajjud prayer offered late at night.
Halal Food
Question: I am living in Montreal, Canada. I buy chicken products from a certified Halal chicken farm, which is reputed to slaughter chicken mechanically. Some Islamic sites point out the verdicts of scholars that mechanically slaughtered chicken is not Halal save the first as the Takbir is said only for the first chicken slaughtered. What is your opinion in this regard? Some people also say that mechanically slaughtered animals are not slaughtered properly. The Halal chicken that I buy from a Halal store has lately had a lot of blood coming out even when I wash it for quite sometime. This continues in cooking as well for some while. The store owners, whom I know to be very good Muslims, claim that the slaughtering is done by an Egyptian Muslim himself, not by any machine. But that information obviously doesn’t make the blood go away. So what do I do?
Answer: Mechanical slaughter of animals, it should be noted, is a matter that pertains to ijtihad and there is bound to be difference of opinion in this. Personally, I do not see any harm in this. Taking the takbir once at the start suffices for the whole lot since the same machine is going to actually slaughter all the chickens. Defective machines obviously must not be used and it should be made sure that they are properly slaughtering the animal.
We must also remember that the Qur’an prohibits ‘poured forth blood’(damun masfuh). Blood which is left or held back in veins and arteries after the slaughter is not prohibited.The blood that slowly oozes out while cooking is the one which isleft in the arteries. So this cannot be objected to.
The Directive of Slave Emancipation
Question: Which verse in the Qur’an asks Muslim to set free their slaves at all costs. I know that there are many verses which appeal to Muslims to liberate them. But appeals do not make something obligatory?
Answer: Islam inherited the institution of slavery. The pre-Islamic Arab society was replete with slaves. In fact, they played a major role in building the social and economic fabric of the society. Since slavery was deeply rooted in the society, Islam adopted a gradual methodology to root out this inhuman institution. Initially, besides a host of other measures1, slave emancipation was regarded as a pious deed and Muslims were urged and exhorted to free slaves. This of course was enough to make Muslims realize the abhorrence Islam had for slavery. It gradually trained their temperaments and tendencies against what they had been so very used to.
Later, sometime in Madinah, when this interim period ended, the Qur’an gave an explicit directive to Muslims to release their slaves if the slaves requested them to do so. The directive is stated in Surah Nur and is called the law of Mukatabat:
وَالَّذِينَ يَبْتَغُونَ الْكِتَابَ مِمَّا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ فَكَاتِبُوهُمْ إِنْ عَلِمْتُمْ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًا وَآتُوهُمْ مِنْ مَالِ اللَّهِ الَّذِي آتَاكُمْ (24:33)
As for those of your slaves who wish to buy their freedom, free them if you find in them any promise and bestow on them a part of your riches which God has given you. (24:33)
According to this law, every slave who was capable of supporting himself was allowed by law to free himself, provided that he either gave a certain monetary amount to his master or carried out certain errands for him. This was to ensure that he would not become an economic burden on the society and would spend his life as its healthy member. Once he was able to provide this surety, it was imperative on his master to set him free.
A special head in the treasury was fixed for this purpose; also, wealthy people were urged to help the slaves in this regard. The net result of this law was that only handicapped and old slaves were left to be provided for by their masters, which not only went in their own favour but also prevented them from becoming an economic burden on the society. An outright order to free slaves at all costs would have been disastrous since many of the older salves never wanted to be free because they had spent their lives in a household becoming part of the family and had no place to go.
Can the Second Marriage be kept a Secret?
Question: I am a convert for over a year now, Alhamdulillah. I am married for nearly 11 months to a married Muslim man with two children from a different country, whose first wife is also from his native country. He has a business in my country where we are sharing a partnership together. My questions are as follow: (1) We were married by an Imam and two Muslim witnesses without any celebration/publicity; Is this marriage considered a valid? (2) Since this marriage is not in the knowledge of his first wife, is it permissible? (3) If his first wife is upset about his second marriage, are both of us considered sinful in the eyes of Allah? I have not told anyone about this as my family members are all non-Muslim, and they may find it difficult to accept the concept of polygamy and will be deeply hurt about this. I wish that you could help me out.
Answer: In Islam, all marriages must be declared publicly in the society. The society should know that a man and a woman have decided to live as a husband and wife other wise the couple’s private life may become scandalized. Undeclared or partially declared marriages are totally forbidden in Islam. You must declare your marriage in your family also. True, it might be a means of discomfort for them, but then your social repute and honour are more important. For this very reason, secret liaisons which caste huge shadows of doubts on the type of relationship between a man and a woman are strictly prohibited.
However, for second marriage permission of the first wife is not necessary. Prudence demands that she know this development to avoid future altercations but the disclosure can be deferred to an appropriate time. If she is upset, you and your husband will not be considered sinful since, after all, you are not doing something forbidden.
Is Reading Novels Prohibited?
Question: Does reading novels come under ‘lahw al-hadith’ – which is condemned by the Qur’an? Does it become the cause of any benefit in this world or in the Day of Judgement? If it does not, then it should be considered as absurd?
Answer: Islam does not pose any restriction on the pursual of fine arts. Reading novels, drawing pictures, making models/sculptures are all subtle forms of expression that nourish creativity in a person, and are also a means of providing constructive entertainment. This of course is greatly beneficial for a person and therefore such activities cannot be considered absurd in any way.
Islam imposes only two restrictions on such activities:
1. Over-indulgence should be avoided. This means that one should be careful in devoting one’s time to such activities. Involvement which diverts a person’s attention from God and from the responsibilities that God has imposed upon a person should be avoided.
2. Immorality should be abstained from wherever found in these activities since this adversely affects the inner purity of a person. Inner purity, we know, is the objective of Islam.
The expression you have referred to with regard to occurs in the following a Qur’anic verse:
وَمِنْ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَشْتَرِي لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ لِيُضِلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَيَتَّخِذَهَا هُزُوًا أُولَئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُهِينٌ (13:6-8)
There are some who indulge in frivolous talk (lahw al-hadith) so that they may without knowledge lead men away from the path of God and hold it up to ridicule. For these there shall be a shameful punishment. (31:6-8)
It is evident from the context, that the expression ‘lahw al-hadith’ means all those things said by the disbelievers to lead people away from the Qur’an because the expression is used in contrast to the verses of the Qur’an.
Reading novels, therefore, does not come under ‘lahw al-hadith’.
To Buy or not to Buy
Question: I would like to ask you that I have found out that many food companies and clothes shops support the Jews eg. Marks and Spencer, Nestle, Nescafe. Should I stop buying from these shops and stop eating companies that support the Jews?
Answer: Boycotting Jewish products is not something which is imperative for the Muslims. It is purely a matter of strategy. If Muslims think that for some reason they have to boycott Jewish product they can take such a decision.
Also, this stance can only be affective as well as morally justified if Muslims stand on strong moral grounds and are themselves not guilty of misconduct and excesses against the Jews. If they stand on strong moral grounds, they will find the backing of the world community with them. They must do some serious soul searching if they want to go this far.
Moreover, this decision will only carry weight if it is taken at the level of the whole Ummah or at least a major portion of it.Individual decisions in this regard may be very inconsequential.
If I keep Sinning again and again
Question: I need some advice because I feel lost. By the grace of God, I am a religious person. I have been blessed by the Almighty in many ways. The problem is that Satan keeps getting the better of me and often I am lead into doing sinful acts. I am overcome by desires. When I realize what I have done, I ask Allah to forgive me, and I cry, and I feel better afterwards, but when tomorrow comes, I do the same wrong deed again. I really feel bad about these phases I go through. Please advise.
Answer: Every one of us goes through such phases throughout our lives. We have to fight evil and keep fighting it. Sometimes we are overcome by it and sometimes we overcome it. We cannot be successful all the time and we must try not to be sinful most of the time. We cannot lead sinless lives: We cannot live like Angels; we must also not live like devils – we should live like human beings. A human being cannot be free from faults, but he always repents even if he commits the same sin again and again and keeps asking the Lord’s help to overcome evil the next time he encounters it. We have to try, try and try again and never lose hope for despair is our worst enemy.
Moreover, a sincere desire to overcome a problem is the first step towards solving it. Your sincerity also holds great reward for you. So do not be over awed or feel dejected. Remember that you cannot be successful against evil all the time. You have to fight it out like a brave warrior.
Can a Jinn possess a Human Being?
Question:One of my friends starts barking like a dog (I am not joking) when he hears another dog barking. People think that he has a Jinn in his body As a Muslim we all do believe that Jinn exist. My question is: Can they enter and possess a human being?
Answer: Yes, as Muslims we do believe that the Jinnexist even though we are not able to see them. The reason is that the Qur’an has told us that the Almighty has created them. In fact, the Qur’an says that the Almighty created the Jinnfrom fire (55:15). It also says that the Satan who enticed Adam was among the Jinn(18:50). We are further told by the Qur’an (7:270) that the Jinnare able to see human beings while the reverse is not true. Likewise, the Qur’an (6:130) informs us that the Almighty has sent Prophets among the Jinnjust as He has done so among human beings, which clearly points to the fact that, like human beings, the Jinnwill also be held accountable for their deeds before the Almighty. Similarly, there are certain other details which the Qur’an mentions about the Jinn. However, nowhere does it give us any information on the issue you have inquired about. Authentic A%hadith are also silent on this matter.
Therefore, we must rely on our own observation and data in order to form an opinion on this issue. If one is able to scientifically establish that a Jinn can do such an act, only then should a definite verdict be given in this regard.
However, in most cases which are reported in this regard, the patient generally suffers from hysteria and certain other psychological diseases – which can be cured if proper treatment is given and instead of hunting for witch doctors, one is wise enough to look for good psychiatrists.
A Question on a Qur’anic Usage
Question: The Qur’an has used the word ‘Rasul’ (Messenger) for ‘a person who is sent’ and at several places it used as a word to connote a person commissioned by the Almighty to serve Him for some divine tasks. I gather that the former is the literal meaning of this word, while in the latter meaning it is used as a term. My question is that why does the Qur’an use a word in its literal meaning and also as a term because it becomes difficult to understand which is implied where?
Answer: This usage of the Qur’an is a common feature of all languages. We can find examples of several words in every language which are both used in the literal sense and as a term. It is not at all difficult to understand which is implied where. Even a casual deliberation leads us to the correct meaning. Let me give you some examples from the English Language.
The word ‘blessing’ literally means ‘a favour’ (specially from the Almighty) and as a term denotes a short prayer. The word ‘resistance’ literally means ‘hindrance’, ‘obstruction’ but as a term of Physics connotes ‘the opposition offered by a conductor to an electric current’. The word ‘pentagon’ means ‘a five sided geometrical figure’ but as a term connotes the defence headquarters of the US. The list is almost endless.
You would agree that there is no difficulty in recognizing what sense a word conveys where.