Know Your Deen

Islamic QA for North America

July 20, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
0 comments

Don’t mix issues

Q. We got married on a Saturday. Monday was a public holiday so our waleemah was on Monday. We did not consummate the marriage and my wife had her menses.  We also could not cancel the waleemah because of lots of guests. Does the waleemah need to be redone?

A. Waleemah is not linked to adult relations or the monthly cycle of a woman. The waleemah is a separate sunnah. Consider the sunnah of the waleemah to be fulfilled.

May Allah continue to bless your nikah and all the good that is linked to it.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.

July 20, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
0 comments

love or hate your land?

Q. no disrespect to you, but you said, we must follow the law of the land we live in. Now if that is true, how can live like kaffirs.  Do you have an ayah or something? I need the ayah in English. I don’t read Arabic. (private box)

A. Living in a country and obeying its laws has noting to do with a person living like another person.

proof on the fact that we must follow laws of our given countries:

  • ow foo bil oqood (ayah) (meaning: fulfill your (halal) pledges)
  • Wa oo lul amri minkum (ayah) (follow elected leaders  from amongst yourselves.)

Sahaba made agreements and suffered greatly, none of the agreements were voluntarily  violated. Classical example: Sayidinah Bilal, Sayidinah Yassir and his family (radiaAllaahu anhum), etc.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.

July 17, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
3 Comments

say cheese… (Part 2)

Assalamualaikum,

I am so amazed by this explanation of picture taken in Islam.My question is what should i do with all the picture that i have taken as memories? should i destroy them..or as long as I dont hang them on walls but hide them in a album would be ok? or the angles will not visit the home in that case too? Pls answer ASAP because i am so confused. (comment Box: Iffat)

Answer:

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  • Current general ruling: if pictures are on digital equipment, although it would be best to not have it, it would be permissible for you to keep it. If it is a hard copy and it is not transferred to digital, then it would be best to destroy. In both conditions, it would highly preferred to not keep it.
  • Picture taking should be done out of necessity.
  • Angels of rahmah (mercy) do not enter a place that has pictures hanging in them (more so, without reason.) To have Americas most wanted on your business wall would be allowed, so would having the missing children wanted adverts! (The idea here is to capture the criminal!)
  • If you cannot do away with pictures, then keep them away from the entire worlds viewing! (all don’t need to see those that are personal to your likes/dislikes)

To eliminate confusion, do away with that which is unwanted. As you are aware, artist always existed. Do you ever see authentic art work of any prophet? Sahaba? Got to be reasoning behind this….

Allah Certainly Knows Best.

July 17, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
8 Comments

‘we are what we eat’

Q. I have a friend that is ahle-quran. He wants proof that we cannot eat meat of nonbelievers. He says that no where it says that we cannot eat what we want to eat.

Answer:

  • A person cannot be only ahle-Quran (person of the Quran) and claim to be Muslim. For the quran states: Obey Allah (SWT) and His Prophet(s). It is not conceivable to believe in one and not the other.  Whoever obeys Allah and Rasulullah would be successful… (ayah)

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Eat from that which the name of Allah has been mentioned, if you are believers in His signs-ayaats

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And do not eat from what the name of Allah has not been taken for verily it is a transgression. And verily the devils do inspire their counterparts-friends to dispute with you all. But  if you obey them, you (too) will be (amongst) idolaters.

If Muslims are having a difficult time taking the name of Allah, what gives us the guarantee that nonmulims would be taking His Name in order to keep it Halaal for Muslims?

Allah certainly knows best.

July 14, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
2 Comments

graduate school and money

Salam Alaykum,

I applied to graduate school and need a certain amount of money. The only way to pay for school is to either take a loan (interest) or not go to school. What do you recommend for a student in my situation to do?

JazakAllah Khayr

Time sent: Thursday July 9, 2009

Answer:

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  • Your first option would be to seek a non-interest loan
  • Second option would be to ask trustable people to assist you, and you would pay them back with agreed upon conditions
  • Gain part-time employment in a field of interest, aiding you to gain greater insight to your field and simultaneously helping you pay for your education. This should be done with keeping every type of modesty in mind
  • Only when alternative methods to seeking a loan have failed and going to school is your only option, then take the loan whilst seeking better alternatives for its payback throughout the process of this education. Never become complacent of your situation
  • Always realize, interest dealing transactions deprive a person of the full barakat of a given deed. In Islam, dealing in interest transactions (more so when you pay it out to someone else or receive it) falls within the category of destructive deeds. If you have no other option, then only you may take this loan. It is essential that you realize your error, continually make istigfaar and ask Allah to make matters easy for you.
  • You are undergoing a test, Insha-Allah, Allah (SWT) would assist you.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.

p.s. if other students can share their insight on how people can avoid interest transaction, it would be appreciated. Also, if alternative to a loan can be shared, it would be appreciated. To help others is also rewarding.

(our Islamic society did offer scholarships (for locals) . Kindly look into it in the future.)

July 14, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
3 Comments

topic of interest is not always interesting

Q. There seems to be an issue that has come up at our Islamic center. And I think the question is this. Can we collect donations for building restrooms, bathrooms and playgrounds ? Can we ask people to give us their interest money to build the restrooms?

Time sent: Thursday June 11, 2009

A. One cannot use interest money to build restrooms, bathrooms and playgrounds in the musjid (or home, business, etc).

Allah Certainly Knows Best.

July 11, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
0 comments

mahram means? (don’t cheat young man!)

Q. The word is mahram; can you define it for me? I got an exam  i’m taking for my Arabic class. (text question)

A. In the books, scholars have made sense of this word in the following manner: (from my in class memory notes i am to share with you without looking at them! *hint*)

  • That which is most protected from public view
  • That which is made haram (forbidden) for outsiders to voluntarily view
  • That which is sacred and treasured, concealed and functions in accordance to the value religion has attributed towards it
  • A woman is forbidden for strangers; she is to be protected like a peril in an oyster, it is haram to be prey upon her. (Not due to her weakness or strength, but due to the religious request her being Haram/mahram.)
  • That which is revered, given respect, given admiration
  • That which Allah has fordidden

(This is a general question, others inclined towards the lughat could add on to this list as well.)

Allah Certainly Knows Best.

(As woman would notice, Islam is giving them a position or sacredness. Any complaints as to this position as implied by the definition? It can now be understood as to why men and woman must not freely interact. Of course if you have lost value for self, then the matter is quite different. As the Hadith than states: do as you wish when modesty has departed.)

July 10, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
2 Comments

Never delete your personal history

Q. assallamu alykum w/rahmattulah w/baraktu
there is a big problem imam hope you could help. there is cousin of mine who watches inappropiate movies and videos sometimes on youtube. She tried to stop herself from doing that but always catches herself doing it again. please can you tell me how can she try to get this off her head, and what is required of repentance from her? and how can i personally help her out? I tried to advice but tht brought no solution. PLEASE HELP HER for wallahi she wants to quit but hard for her.

Time Sent: Tuesday July 7, 2009 at 9:33 am

Answer:
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Steps to eliminate ‘inappropriate viewing of material’ on the net, and its likes:

  • Never delete your history once you are on the computer.  Allow people to view your history as an agreement of having an open monitoring system within your home/work environment. You need not give every person the reason as to why you seeking such a policing condition.
  • Keep your computer in an open place, or an environment that allows others to view what you are viewing. If it is clean stuff, you got nothing to hide! (do you?) More privacy means more mischief.
  • Change your social network. The type of people you talk to, the jokes they make, etc. influences the type of things you are to observe in life. Today it functions as private filth viewing, tomorrow it all can lead to more wrongs.
  • Have a sign on your computer that states: ‘I cannot see Allah, but He is Seeing me.’
  • (Recommendation: People must send their own questions. People seldom change when they have 3rd parties send their requests.)

Allah Certainly knows best.

Written by student (#745) of the Imaam.

Approved by Ml Muhammed Shoayb

July 10, 2009
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
0 comments

Islam’s stance on nationalism and patriotism

Question:

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What is Islam’s stance on nationalism and patriotism?

Time: Wednesday July 1, 2009

Answer:

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Nationalism does not share Islams central core of Islamic values, as much as it attempts to create a bond between persons that share a given language, race, etc. Islam is beyond the physical attributes of skin color, tongues relating to speech, etc. Islam is for a bonding between members of humanity without limitation, so long as they are good moral humans sharing similar good values.

Patriotism is to love a persons religion, country, etc. We must love and stand in support of all that imparts the best of morals and standards without a hint of prejudice. If the country rejects positivity, then to support such a nation would not be patriotic. It would be no different than supporting corruption. This would be against the values of both, secularism and Islam.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.