Know Your Deen

Islamic QA for North America

September 26, 2007
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
0 comments

Fasting and diabetes

Q. My friend is suffering from diabetes. According to doctors he should not fast. My friend was recommended not to fast. So my friend thought it best to feed a poor Muslim person everyday the very same food he has had cooked for himself when not fasting. Is this the correct thing to do? please recommend is what is taking place is correct or not.

A. According to Shariah, if one is unable to fast due to poor health, then the individual will be excused from fasting. Your friend will offer the Fidyah to those that are needy. Fidyah is defined as feeding one poor person one meal for every fast missed. Fidyah could also be given in cash according to the Sadqadul Fitr amount of your country for each missed fast.
Should your friend recover, which insha-Allah shall take place, then they can (if they wish) make up for the missed fast even though fidyah had been given.

Surely Allah Knows Best

September 26, 2007
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
0 comments

Taking ghusal while fasting

Q. How does a fasting person take a fard (necessary) bath? Naturally gargling would be a problem, due to the possibility of little water entering the throat and thereafter to the stomach. Does not the Quraan state that wash your face, hands to elbows, quarter of forhead and feet up to the ankles?

A. Your are confusing two aspects, a fard bath versus that of making wudhu while being in the state of non-janabat (state wherein ghusal is not fard.) In a fard bath, it is necessary to rinse the mouth when performing the bath. However, in such a situation, caution must be exercised as to prevent water from going down the throat. If the water does go down the throat while fasting, the fast will be invalid and a make-up of it would have to undertaken.

Surely Allah Knows Best.

September 26, 2007
by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
0 comments

Taraweeh Salaah

Q.  What is the status of taraweeh salaah in Islam. Is Taraweeh just nafl, is it a sunnah salaah ? Is it fard? We are a little confused. Some perform it, some seem to not care about it.  What does Ibn Taymiah say about it? What does Imaam Hanifa say about it? Who do we follow

A. Taraweeh is a salaah that falls into the category of Sunnah Muakadah, not ‘just a nafl salah.’ As with regard to the number of rakaahs, the rakaahs are fixed, just as they are fixed for other Sunnah Muakadah salaat. For example, the two rakaahs before Fajar are fixed, and they would remain that way, so would the number of rakats for the sunah action of taraweeh.

On ibn Taymiyyah, we are aware that he is of the opinion that there is no fixed number of rakats for taraweeh. There is consensus within the Ulamaah that taraweeh salah is not less then twenty rakaats. If the choice was to be made between Sayidinah Umar and Ibn Taymiyyah — despite his great knowledge, Majority of the Ummah would choose Sayidinah Umar (RA). Until about two hundred years ago, twenty rakats was common in all masjids. Likewise, it is common in the Haramain of Makkah and Madinah up until today, and no question about was raised during the overwhelming majority of the 1400 years that Islam is present.  It is only for the past two hundred years that this issue of not wanting to perform twenty rakats is taking place. It is baffling why some people prefer individuals to not be in the mode of prayer for as long as possible during this holiest of Islamic months.

Allah Surely knows Best.


by Ml. Muhammed Shoayb
0 comments

boar (pig) bristles and synthetic bristles? yes or no?

Q: Asalam alaikum,

Is it haraam to use a hair brush that contains a mixture of boar bristles and synthetic bristles?

I am not sure how the boar bristles have been processed and cleaned.

Thank you for your time.

Time: Monday June 21, 2010 at 11:51 pm

A: ?????? ?????? ????? ???? ???????

Boar is that animal that is part of the pig family. As muslims, we should refrain from anything that creates interaction between us and pigs.

The things we deal with has a nature. Without valid reason, to use things from ‘piggies’ would affect our faith based interactions.

Using boar (pig) bristles becomes problematic when its bristles touchers the moisture (oils) of the hair and this moisture spreads to multiple parts of the head and hands through its handling.
Allah Certainly Knows Best.