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Queries
Change of Plans in Mosque Construction
Question: A plot was fixed for a mosque but is in use as a cycle stand since long. Can this plot be substituted by another one for the mosque?
Answer: Yes, the plot reserved for the mosque can be substituted by another one. And, if the circumstances are such that the mosque can no longer be built, the plan can be annulled even without providing an alternative space. It all depends on circumstances and changing plans in this regard is absolutely permissible.
Rights of an Engaged Couple
Question: A couple recently had an engagement and the wedding is planned for the summer of 2001. At the ceremony, parents of both gave their blessings and the intention of actual marriage was made clear. My question is: What rights does this engaged couple have now compared to before the engagement? They now freely hold hands and hug when others are present. They claim that since the intention is marriage now, it is okay. Is it? Also, can they converse with one another?
Answer: Engagement is just a manner of expressing formal consent between the two sides. It entails no legal rights whatsoever. In other words, breaking it would not make either side liable.
It is improper for the two to hold hands or hug unless they get married. They are not allowed to be intimate unless the two are legally united in a marriage bond. They can talk to each other on the phone or personally in the presence of some elder. However, this should be in limits and as much to the point as possible.
Confessing Extramarital Relations
Question: If a man and woman have extra-marital relations and later they get married, how should they repent. Should they confess their crime? Should this matter be reported matter to the authorities?
Answer: If we deliberate on the various forms of Islamic punishments, in particular on the punishment of Qadf*(wrongly accusing someone of fornication) mentioned in the Qur’an, it becomes evident that in sins that do not relate to the violation of rights of a party, the Almighty does not like that a criminal confess to his crime himself or that those who are aware of his crime report this matter to the authorities.
The Prophet (sws) is reported to have said:
He among you who gets involved in such filth should hide behind the veil stretched out for him by Allah, but if he unfolds the veil, we shall implement the law of Allah upon him. (Mu’atta, Kitabu’l-Hudud)
Similarly, he once told a person:
If you had hidden the crime of this [person], it would have been better for you. (Mu’atta, Kitabu’l-Hudud)
If a man and a woman have committed such a sin, they should sincerely repent before God and keep asking His forgiveness. To cleanse themselves internally from the effects of this sin, they can adopt two measures:
a. Keep some fasts.
b. Spend some amount in the way of Allah.
This is not an atonement prescribed by the Almighty; however it is a kind of self-imposed penalty that helps both in purifying the inner self and in lessening the burden of guilt.
Authority of the Majority
Question: It is said that in Islam, collective affairs are to be decided through the principle of consultation and the majority opinion is to be imposed and accepted. My question is: What guarantee do we have that the majority has taken the correct decision?
Answer: When it is said that all differences of opinion in an Islamic state shall be settled by a majority vote, it does not mean at all that the opinion which is ultimately accepted shall necessarily be correct. It only means that just to run the affairs an opinion has been enforced until the time a stronger opinion emerges to take its place. This is only a way of settling differences of opinions and is no criterion for the correctness of a viewpoint. Only reasons and arguments decide what is right or wrong, and a majority or a minority opinion has no say in this regard.
When Should I Convert?
Question: I am 29 years old, married and have children. I have been reading about Islam for about 6 - 7 months. Presently I am a Christian, but on the fence. How will I know when it is right for me to convert. I want to make the right decision, as I take my faith in God seriously. Please help.
Answer: Wait until your own heart and conscience impel you to convert. In the meantime, keep praying to God to help you in your quest for the truth. Also you must be convinced intellectually that you are taking the right step, and must also keep in mind the implications of such a step. Matters that entail lifelong commitment require deep thought and deliberation. This does not mean that I am discouraging you from accepting Islam. I only want you to think several times before you take this step. The role of emotions and enthusiasm, I think, should come into play when you have taken the step. That is the time when you will need all the commitment and zeal you can muster to practice what you have adopted.
Establishment of an Islamic State
Question: My questions concerns the establishment of an Islamic state in this modern era? What is the basic methodology? Please give a detailed answer.
Answer: Islam does not give any guidance on the strategy of establishing an Islamic state. It has left this matter to common sense and experience. The reason for this is that Muslims have a natural urge in them to live as a collectivity and adopt the collective directives of Islam. So, Islam has left this matter to this urge.
Also, circumstances are different in different communities. So no pattern has been set.
You have asked for a detailed answer, but I am afraid that there are no details. However, I would like to clarify one thing: Some religious scholars present the example of the Prophet Muhammad (sws); they say that he had adopted a particular method of setting up an Islamic state, and we Muslims should follow this example. I am afraid that neither did the Prophet (sws) ever undertake the task of establishing an Islamic state nor was he ever directed by the Almighty to do so.
The scholars who uphold this idea say that it is the religious obligation of every Muslim to strive for the supremacy of Islam in his country by all the means he can. They term it as an ‘Islamic Revolution’ and present the following verse in support of this view:
It is He Who has sent his Apostle with Guidance and the Religion of Truth, that he may proclaim it over all religions, even though the Idolaters may detest [this]. (61:9)
On the basis of the phrase ‘all religions’, it is understood that the followers of Islam must struggle for its dominance in their respective countries and territories.
An analysis of the context of this verse shows that it belongs to the class of directives that relate to the established practice of the Almighty regarding His Rusul according to which a Rasul always triumphs over his nation.
Those who show hostility to Allah and His Rasul are bound to be humiliated. The Almighty has ordained: ‘ I and my Rusul shall be dominant’. (58:20)
Muhammad (sws) was also informed that he would triumph over his nation. He and his companions were told that they would have to fight the idolaters of Arabia until the supremacy of Islam was achieved there and that these idolaters should be informed that if they did not desist from their evil ways they too would meet a fate no different from those of the other nations of Rusul:
Say to the disbelievers that if now they desist [from Unbelief], their past would be forgiven them; but if they persist, the punishment of those before them is already [a warning for them]. And fight them on until there is no more persecution and there prevails the religion of God everywhere. (8:38-40)
Consequently, it is to be noted that al-Mushrikin (the idolaters) is used in 61:9 quoted above. The Qur’an uses this word specifically for the idolaters of Arabia of the Prophet’s times. As a result, ‘all the religions’ in the conjugate clause can only mean all the religions of Arabia at that time. Therefore, the verse has no bearing on Muslims after the times of the Prophet (sws).
Therefore, striving to achieve the political supremacy of Islam is no religious obligation upon a Muslim. The verses from which this obligation has been construed specifically relate to the Rusul of the Almighty. This inference does not mean that Muslims should not strive for this cause. It only indicates that this is not their religious responsibility.
Marriage and Culture
Question: I’m a Muslim woman from UAE and my life was as people would say open because I lived in so many different places and I’ve known different people (girls and guys). A black American man wants to marry me and he is converting to Islam (not for me) because he believes that it is the right religion. I don’t mind marrying him for he is a very good friend and a respectful man. The problem is the culture and the family that will not agree to this marriage. I would like to ask you if it is prohibited for me to marry him. Would it be okay to go against what my family says?
Answer: There are two aspects to your question that need separate attention. As far as the Shari‘ah is concerned, the consent of the parents regarding marriage is not necessary though it is highly desirable. If a couple thinks that the parents are being unreasonable, they can go ahead by taking the state into confidence, though they should try their utmost to convince them. So marrying the person you are talking about is certainly not prohibited. The second aspect is cultural. Here one must rely on one’s common sense, experience and advice of the elders because there is no fixed answer. It varies from case to case. The golden rule here is that there are no golden rules. Obviously, to marry within the same cultural section seems most appropriate since there may be adjustment problems otherwise, but then this is not always the case.
Is Kosher Allowed?
Question: Is it allowed for Muslims to use Kosher meat? Second query is about the fast food service of McDonald Burgers and Burger King series of restaurants who are American based restaurants but they are also selling their food products in Pakistan and other Islamic countries. Do you know what type of meat they are providing? I am in Germany, and we Muslims do not take any meat item from such places.
Answer: Kosher meat is Halal as it fulfils the requirements of Islam which are basically two:
1. Allah’s name should be taken on the slaughtered animal
2. It should be slaughtered through the jugular vein so that all the blood is poured out.
Eating meat from fast food restaurants should only be done in case it is known that these restaurants sell Halal food, otherwise they should be avoided. In Pakistan, they serve Halal meat. I am not certain for Germany. You can find out about the meat used there yourself.
Cursing Non-Muslims
Question: Are we allowed to curse non-Muslims by praying that they be doomed in this world and in the Hereafter. Our imam at the local mosque often recites the Qunut-i-Nazilah in the Fajr prayers which is really harsh on the Kuffar. They are condemned in this prayer and really taken to task.
Answer: Before I answer your question, I would like to point out a fundamental premise in understanding various directives of Islam: With the termination of the institution of Risalah, there are certain directives which cannot be applied in a period which is devoid of Rusul. The basic reason is that in the period of Rusul:
a. The fact that the truth has been revealed in its ultimate form can be ascertained.
b. People who have knowingly denied the truth revealed by a Rasul can be pinpointed.
Today, no Muslim preacher is in a position to reveal the truth in a manner a Rasul is able to nor can he pinpoint who among his addressees is guilty of knowingly denying the truth. Consequently, all such directives as relate to people who knowingly deny the basic truths about which it was certain that they had been delivered in their ultimate form are not related to this second period of history, which is without such personalities as Rasul.
Cursing non-Muslims or expressing ill-intention towards them is one such directive. It is only allowed if the two above mentioned conditions are fulfilled. Today, since a Muslim preacher can neither ascertain that he has revealed the ultimate truth nor can he pinpoint people who have denied the truth, he must continue his efforts of propagation all his life, and remain a well-wisher of all the non-Muslims of the world. Therefore, as far as the Qunut-i-Nazilah is concerned, it was only the Prophet (sws) and his companions who had the prerogative to read it. We later Muslims do not have this right.
Talking to Atheists
Question: Can there be a genuine case where a person denies the existence of God? If not, why do we bother having dialogues with Atheists? Is it our duty to have dialogues with the atheist on existence of God.
Answer: According to the Qur’anthe existence of God is a reality found in the intuition of every person. There is no doubt about the fact that the perception of Creator is found in the intuition of every person. The Qur’an says that before mankind was created, the Almighty took a covenant from the spirits of all individuals about His being their Creator. At that time, all of them acknowledged this fact, which was subsequently made a part of their intuition by the Almighty. A person who still denies this fact is bound to be doomed in the Hereafter. The Qur’an says:
When your Lord drew forth from the children of Adam from their loins their descendants and made them testify upon themselves [saying]: Am I not your Lord. They said: Yes indeed we do testify. [This was done] lest you should say on the Day of Judgement: Of this we were unaware or [you put forward the excuse] that our forefathers were idolaters and we were their descendents after them. Will you then destroy us in retribution of the misdeeds of the evil doers. (7:172-73)
A person’s concept about God may be incorrect but as far as the question of whether there is a God is concerned, human intuition needs no external agency to point this out. Consequently divine Books only correct our conception of God by explaining His attributes and His practices. One therefore cannot have any genuine ground if one persists in denying His existence -- one can however have an incorrect perception about Him.
Atheists are people who are not new to this world. One can only have a dialogue with atheists if they are willing to exchange views on the basic questions of life. It is not our responsibility to convince people who are not ready to exchange views.However, if one does find an atheist who is willing to talk, then instead of talking to him on the basis of Divine Books, he should be tackled through his intuition and through the fact that without a God, the cognizance of morals found within every person cannot be explained.