Abortion

QUESTION 1.

Abortion is haram in Islam.  What is the Diyyat to be paid if the husband and wife knowingly go ahead with the abortion of the foetus without any valid reason ?

ANSWER 1.

If the foetus is upto 40 days old, it is 70 gms. gold
                      80 days old  -     140 gms.gold
                      120 days old -     210 gms.gold
                      160 days old -     280 gms gold

(For a foetus) Older than that:
- if a male child is aborted  3500 gms. gold
- if a female child is aborted 1750 gms. gold

Plus Istegfar - may Allah forgive us our sins; so that the aborted life may
not seek destitution.

Asgherali M.M. Jaffer

Abortion after rape

QUESTION 3

If an innocent girl is raped against her wish, and becomes pregnant, does Islam allow abortion for her to safeguard the honour and the future of that girl?

ANSWER 3

Abortion of a pregnancy resulting from rape is also forbidden. The question of safeguarding her honour and her future will remain regardless of the abortion. I believe that no damage to her honour or future is done, because she has been innocent and has been raped against her wishes.

Asgherali M M Jaffer

Abortion due to major abnormality  

QUESTION 4

My wife is pregnant.  We just found out last week that our unborn child has major heart deformities.

The child will not survive without three consecutive operations.  The first of which is to be carried out during the first few hours of life.

These operations have a survival rate of about 50% through the first 24 months of life.  They are fairly new, so it is unknown how much longer those childern can live to be.  It is unclear either what the quality of life for such a child would be even if he survived.

I know abortion is Haram in Islam for a healthy pregnancy.  Are there any exception in cases of such lethal deformaties?

ANSWER 4

Abortion in such case is not permissible.  The survival and the quality of life of the child may turn out to be much better than the doctors predict.
The only situation in which abortion has been allowed is when the pregnancy endangers the mother's life.

Asgharali M.M. Jaffer

`A`ysha  

QUESTION 1

While detailed answer may not be possible on this network, but can you please explain the background of Shi'a's sentiments towards Hazrat A'isha and perhaps provide some web site addresses for further study?

ANSWER 1

The actions of Umm al-Mu'minin A'isha against the ahl-al-bayt have been documented in both Shi'a and Sunni sources. Whilst it is not possible to enumerate all of them here, we can mention just some of her acts:

Her plots against the Prophet (SAW),

Her hatred toward Imam Ali (AS)

Her disobedience to the Prophet by engaging in battle against the Imam of
her time (Imam Ali at the battle of the Camel),

Her urging the people to fight against the just Imam;

Her refusal to let Imam al-Hasan (AS) to be buried next to his grandfather
etc.

There are many other incidents recorded.

Please refer to Tijani's "Then I was Guided" and "Ask those who know", these books can be accessed at al-Islam.org. The truth will be clear to those searching for it.


http://www.al-islam.org/guided/index.html

http://www.al-islam.org/ask/index.html

Liyakatali Takim

Recently there is a detailed research work done by `Allamah Sayyid Murtadha `Askari in 3 volumes titled "THE ROLE OF `A'YSHA IN THE HISTORY OF ISLAM" `A'ysha in the time of the Prophet until the end of `Uthman's caliphate'.

`A`ysha's Age at Marriage  

QUESTION 2

What was the age of Aisha when the prophet married her?

ANSWER 2

A'isha was born in 614 A.D., Although the marriage was performed earlier, it was not consummated until 623 or 624 A.D.

With salaams and du'as

Liyakatali Takim

Adhan with background music  

QUESTION 1

My friend who is Iranian is a Muslim but not practicing.  But now, he has changed and started practicing Islam.  He asked me this interesting question.  He told me that he has a tape with the Azaan, but it also contains sounds and "music".  I presume it is drums in the background.  He also told me it is not only one person reciting the Azaan, rather it is a group of people reciting, kind of like a choir. Is this allowed?

ANSWER 1

This sort of recording is haram.  Your friend may be advised to purchase simple Azan cassettes which are available.

Asgharali M.M. Jaffer

QUESTION 1

I like to find out about adoption? Is it possible in Islam that we can adopt either girl or boy or is there any restriction. As you know that in West and especially in USA it is very common and people adopt here on the daily basis.

ANSWER 1

Islam allows adoption of children - the Holy Prophet (S) adopted Zaid bin Thabit.

However, the child will not inherit the parents. And the child is not Mahram to both parents the way the natural child would be.

Asgherali M M Jaffer

Adultery  

QUESTION 1

Is is haram for a man and woman who are in mut'a to commit adultery?  I've been really confused on this issue, so I would appreciate it if you would shed some light about it.

ANSWER 1

It is haram for a man and woman to perform adultery under any circumstances, whether they are in mut'ah or not. The question is - why would they want to perform adultery if they have performed mut'a with each other? In mut'a, intimate relationship is ja'iz unless specified otherwise when solemnizing the mut'ah. (with the agreement of both parties, the conditions regarding sexual relationship can be changed in mut'a) I trust this will answer your question.

Wa ma 'alayna illa'lbalagh

Liyakatali Takim

Ahadith on Imams  

QUESTION 1

Would you tell me hadiths from Rasulullah SAWW that mention the names of the twelve Imams from both Sunni and Shi'i sources.(please include the wordings of the hadiths).

ANSWER 1

Thank you for asking this important question and I do apologize for the delay in responding to it.

There is a large body of ahadeeth in the Sunni books of reference on the number of the Imaams after the Holy Prophet.  Naturally there are not as many ahadeeth in such books on the names of the twelve Imaams. Two important authors from the Sunni school of thought who come to mind immediately are:

(1) Shaikh Sulayman Balkhi (died 1294 AH). In his Yanabi-ul-Mawadda,    Ch.76, reports the following hadith-

A jew name Na'thal came to the Holy Prophet (SAWA) and questioned him about Tawheed and was so impressed with the answers given that he embraced Islam. Then Na'thal asked about his (the Prophet's) vicegerents. The Prophet answered, "My vice-gerent is Ali bin Abi Taalib, after him his son Hassan, then Hassan's brother Hussain who will be followed by his nine successive descendants."  The Holy Prophet named all the Imaams.

The author also reports from the Manaqib of Khawarizmi another hadith on the same lines originating from Jabir bin Abdullah (Ansari).

(2) In Kifayatul Athar there is a tradition from Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari who reports that when Ayah 62 Surah 4, "O you who believe, obey Allah, and obey the Apostle and those among you who are invested with authority" was revealed, Jabir asked who the persons invested with authority were. The Holy Prophet said, "They are my khulafah as well as the Imaams of the Muslims." He went on to name the Imaams. When he got to Imaam Muhammad al-Baqir, he paused and told Jabir, "O Jabir, you  will meet him and when you do so, convey my salaams to him". The  Prophet then went on to name the remaining Imaams and describe the minor and the major occultations of the twelfth Imaam.

There are many ahadeeth from the Shiah sources. Ayatullah Ibrahim Amini in his al-Imaam al-Mahdi reports the following hadith from Jami' ahadeeth al-Shiah, Vol. 1, Introduction: Hazrat Ali (AS) in one of his khutbas mentioned the hadith from the Holy Prophet giving the details of the twelve Imaams and asked the congregation to confirm the hadith which they
unanimously did.

With salaams and du'aas from an humble servant of Ahlul Bayt and their followers,

Bashir Rahim  

Ahadith and its authenticity  

QUESTION 2

Where we see the ahadiths of Imam(s)(AS) or Prophet(SWS) which is contradicting with Qur'an, even if it is in a Shia authentic books. What is ones responsibility about it because many rulings and Shia practices relates the sayings of Imam(AS).

ANSWER 2

Such ahadith which contradict the Quran, are not authentic, regardless of the sources.

Asgharali M.M. Jaffer

Ahlul Kitab - People of the Book  

QUESTION 1

I would like to know the opinion concerning nijasat of ahlul-kitab (i.e.Christians & Jews), especially those in the west?

ANSWER 1

Ahlul Kitab, ie Christians and Jews are Tahir.

Asgherali M M Jaffer  

QUESTION 2

I am an American Shiite muslim living in the gulf.  I have always had Muslim house maids, following the previous rulings of Ayatollah Khui (RA) and Ayatollah Khomeini (RA), who maintained that as an obligatory precaution, christians and jews are najis.    However, I have recently heard that Sayyid Sestani rules that the people of the book are tahir.  What are the current opinions of the ulema?  Is it possible to bring a Christian maid or not?

ANSWER 2

According to Ayatullah Seestani, Ayatullah Makarim Shirazi and Ayatullah Fadhlallah, Christians and Jews are not Najis.  According to Ayatullah Khamenei, ahlul kitab are Tahir and Zorestrians are included in Ahlul Kitab.

Asgharali M.M. Jaffer

Ahmadiyyah - Qadiyani  

QUESTION 1

Please give me explanation about Ahmadiyah movement.

Are they right or wrong or possibly right or possibly wrong? And why?

ANSWER 1

The Ahmadiya sect was founded in Qadian, Punjab in1889 by one Mirza Gulam Ahmad.

He claimed not only that he was a Mahdi but also a re-incarnation of Krishna and that he was the Prophet of Islam in succession to the Holy Prophet. 
Some say that he claimed to be the reappearance (burooz) of the Holy Prophet. On the death of Mirza Gulam in 1908 the Ahmadiya community elected  Moulvi Nuru-Deen to be the khalifah. When Nuru-Deen died in 1914 the majority of the community continued to believe that Mirza Gulam was a prophet in succession to the Holy Prophet. There was a minority splinter group in Lahore which declared that Mirza Gulam was a reformer (mujaddid).

As the Ahmadiyas believe that Mirza Gulam was a prophet they cannot be accepted within the fold of Islam. The Muslims, the sunnis as well as the shiahs, universally believe that Muhammad (SAWA)  was the last of the prophets of Allah (SWT) as attested by the Holy Qur'an, Chapter 33, Verse 40 where Allah says,

"Muhammad............is the messenger of Allah and the last of the prophets".

The expression used literally means the seal of the Prophet "khataman nabiyyin" but there can be absolutely no doubt that even in the context of a seal it has a definite finality.

There are many ahadeeth of the Holy Prophet which leave no doubt that there would be no prophet after him. He is reported as having said : "Bani Israeel had prophets who were leading them. When one died another would succeeded him. But after me there will be no prophet. I am khatiman nabiyyin." 

There can be no doubt that as far as the belief of the Ahmadiyas is concerned it is not only un-Islamic but contrary to the Holy Book.

If you have any supplementary questions please do not hesitate to submit them to the Alim Network.

With salaams and du'aas from a humble servant of Ahlul Bayt and their followers, and with a request to be remembered by you in your prayers,

Bashir Rahim

QUESTION 2

The following question was asked on another e-mail group.  I cannot answer the question from my own knowledge so I post it to abdg-a for help.
The fatwah on Ahmadiyyah was poorly argued and unattested by real evidence, but there's no point in getting in that now.

My question:  Are Lahori Ahmadis kafirs even though they reject the belief that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was a prophet?  If Lahori Ahmadis are not Muslims, please explain how this is so, since they deny neither the Khatm an-Nabiyeen nor Allah's Tawheed.

ANSWER 2

To accept as a leader religious, a person who claimed to be a prophet in succession to the Holy Prophet (SAWA) would place one in the same category as a person who accepts his claim to be true.

The splinter group of the Lahori Ahmadiyyas cannot be distinguished from the juridical point of view from the group which accepts Mirza Gulam Ahmad's claim to prophethood. Had they chosen another leader, and had they openly denounced Mirza Gulam Ahmad as someone who had falsely claimed prophethood, it would have been a different case. In that case they would not have called themselves Ahmadiyyas.

With salaams and du'aas from a humble servant of Ahlul Bayt and their followers, and with a request to be remembered by you in your prayers,

Bashir Rahim

Alcohol  

QUESTION 1

Can a Muslim in the West work in a convience store, for example, that sells alcohol?  Please give ruling of Agha Sestani.

ANSWER 1

According to the ruling of Ayatullah Seestani, it is permissible to work in a store that sells alcohol provided that the same is sold to non-Muslims.

Source: Al-Mustahdathatu min-al-Masa'il-ish-Shari'iyyah, p. 25.

wa bi-l-laahi-t-tawfiq,

Hamid Mavani  

QUESTION 2

I have always had doubt about putting vanilla and other alcohol-containing products in food; Is that considered haram, or not?

ANSWER 2

How is alcohol implemented in vanilla? is it intoxicating alcohol?  one must ask pharmacists these quetions before answering in a proper manner?

Also, one more question concerning alcohol; These new, "Non-alcoholic beverages", are they for real, or is there still a small content of alcohol in them.  Please excuse me for asking such absurd questions, but I'm very curious to know.

Answer: Based on the information I have, non-alcoholic beverages contain some alcohol in them, therefore they are HARAM.
These drinks may be haram from another perspective, that is, why would one pretend to be like kafirs in their practices? or could these actions lead to falling in haram as extensions to habits?

Allah knows best
Do good to others...  

Alcohol as gift

QUESTION 3

I was recently hired by a company and as a gift they gave me a $400 bottle of champagne.  I explained to them that I do not drink and offered to return the bottle, but they refused.  My question is: can I return this bottle of champagne to a store and receive money?? It seems like such a waste to throw away $400 and there will be no harm done if I just return the bottle to a store instead of returning the bottle to the people who gave it to me.

If there are differing opinions on this, I would appreciate all the different responses.

ANSWER 3
 
I can say with a fair degree of certainty that there's only one answer to this question. The reason is this: Islam forbids alcohol as an intoxicant and impurity, meaning it is both Haram and Najis. Islam also forbids a Muslim to gain any benefit from the sale, transportation, manufacture and use of Haram and Najis materials, with a few exceptions.   In the case of alcohol, Islam further demands that a Muslim not even remain at the table where it is consumed.

In short, you got the world's worst gift. The best thing you can do with it is destroy it.

Was-Salaam.

Ali Rasheed

Alcohol at company dinner/lunch  

QUESTION 4

I have a question.  The president of the company I work for is inviting all the team members of the project which I am working on for an evening with him.

I am worried that these americans will drink wine during the dinner.  Although I heard the president of the company is a morman and does not drink. 

The person I talked to informed me that it will be difficult for others to drink wine when the president does not drink.

So I am not sure if wine will be served on the table, although it is more than likely.  I always have avoided going to these dinner invitations.  However this is a good chance to meet with the president and kind of introduce myself to him, but I have no intention of doing it if I make the Supreme Being unhappy.  Please let me know if it is okay to go there or not.  Please give answer according to Agha khoe's fatwa.

ANSWER 4

According to Ayatullah Seestani, eating and drinking at places where alcohol is served is haram. So if you know that alcohol will be served then please avoid attending.

Liyakatali Takim

Alcohol in Dental Products  

QUESTION 5

Is it okay to use dental products which contain alcohol (e.g.. Mouth wash, tooth paste) some of the mouthwashes contain up to 12% alcohol. 

I would like to request to the moderator to forward my question to either Maulana Syed M. Rizvi, or Maulana Syed Z. Baqri.

ANSWER 5

If dental products contain alcohol, then they become najis. If you can use it without swallowing it, then it could be permissible to use for its purpose; but you feel that it is impossible not to swallow some of it, then it is haram for you to use it.

Sayyid M. Rizvi

Amulets with Qur'anic Verses  

QUESTION 1

Some people put necklaces, pins, or other amulets on their babies with ayats from the Quran on them.  They do this as a protection for the children. Someone recently gave such a pin to my newborn son.  The pin is gold and has an ayat on it.  I think the gold is ok for him as he is a baby, but I am not sure about this.  The thing that bothers me is that putting these charms on the babies looks like shirk to me.    It looks like we are relying on these charms to protect our babies and I believe only Allah can protect us.  I mean no disrespect to the Quran, but the Quran was a revelation sent from Allah, it is not our God, nor, in my opinion can it help or harm us.  Am I wrong in these ideas?

ANSWER 1

It is true that only Allah can help. However, He Himself has placed many creations of His that are used as mediums to get to His Pleasure and Mercy.

The Holy Quran, whilst is a revelation from Allah, is itself a very sacred book. Every verse has its own merit in meaning, recitation and even just looking at the printed text of the verse in its original Arabic form. These are no ordinary words. These are the words of Allah.

Thus, having a verse hanging on a child in the form of bracelet of pendant is not shirk. It is merely using something precious to us by virtue of it being Allah's words.

The Holy Quran, in its own merit, also has the power to heal. Allah (SWT) says in the Holy Quran:

"And we reveal of the Quran what is a cure and mercy for the believers....."17:82

With Salaams and Duas

Mustafa Jaffer

Apostacy - ( Irtidad ) in Islam  

QUESTION 1

What are the positions of various mujtahids and Islamic scholars and 'alims on capital punishment for those who convert out of Islam?

Is death penalty the required punishment, or does that depend on certain factors?  If possible could you refer to Sachedina's Human Rights on this subject and critique it as well?

QUESTION 2:

I have been told  recently that any Muslim who converts away from Islam (i.e. was a Muslim, then converts to another religion) must be killed.

However I am finding this extremely hard to believe, that Islam can use such forceful tactics to in a sense, keep Muslims from converting to other religions. 

Can I please request some sort of elaboration on this matter?  Is it true that converts away from Islam must be killed?  If yes, I humbly request a detailed explanation on the logic of this rule, that will help put my mind and the mind of many others to rest.  Please don't only quote me a reference, or hadith, as I wish to understand the logic and reasoning behind such a law and hence would appreciate your explanation.

ANSWER

APOSTACY IN ISLAM (Irtidãd)

In the question forwarded to me by the 'Aalim Network about the punishment given to an apostate, I could sense the plea for understanding the law of Islam and the rationale behind that law. The issue of apostacy in Islam is a very complex and sensitive issue; and, therefore, I intend, with the tawfiq of Allãh, subhãnahu wa ta'ãla, to answer in detail using the notes I have from a talk I gave in Toronto in May 1990.

First we shall explain our view about faith in God and whether or not Islam can be forcefully imposed on others; then comes the Islamic view on the choices a person has after he has willingly joined the Islamic faith; and, finally, we shall discuss the issue of apostacy.

1. Faith in God: A Force or a Choice?

According to Islam, every child is born with the built-in ability to know and believe in his Creator; he has the cognition that has been placed by Allãh in his nature (fitra). Allãh describes the human soul in a very beautiful way. After swearing by the most majestic signs of His creation, Allãh says: "...and by the soul and He who perfected it! Then He inspired to it [the ability to understand] what is good for it and what is evil for it. Successful is he who purifies it, and failure is he who corrupts it." (91:1-10)

Allãh has made our souls such that we are able to distinguish what is good and what is evil. But for a human soul to function on its fitra, there is a condition-it must be kept pure, it must be immunized against spiritual corruption. The soul is like a bulb which can give light, provided it itself is not surrounded with a thick cover or dust; every human being has that light in his soul; however, those who keep it pure can enlighten their path with it, while those who allow the 'spiritual dirt' to accumulate on it cannot see their path towards Allãh. (Incidentally, kufr literally means a cover.) The Prophet of Islam emphasized the same thing when he said, "Every
child is born with the believing nature (al-fitra), it is his parents who make him into a Jew or a Christian."

Besides this fitra, Allãh has also provided us with various means to know Him and believe in Him; He sent prophets and messengers, He sent books, and above all He created thousands of signs in nature which remind us of Him. "Soon We shall show them Our signs on the horizon (ãfãq) and in themselves (anfus), until it becomes clear to them that this is the Truth." (41:53)

2. Can Islam be Imposed Forcefully on Others?

Having accepted that from the Islamic point of view, faith in God is ingrained in human nature, and that it is only the parents and the society that corrupt the soul and divert it from the Right Path, the question comes:
Can Islam be imposed forcefully on non-Muslims? Or we may even ask: Is jihãd a means of imposing the faith of Islam on non-Muslims?

I do not intend to get into the issue of jihãd; but, briefly stated, the majority of Shi'a mujtahideen do not believe in initiating a jihãd without the clear permission of a ma'sûm Imam. Even those who allow the initiation of jihãd, do not believe that jihãd can be used to impose Islam on non-Muslims. At most, they say that jihãd can be initiated to remove tyranny and oppression from a non-Muslim society in order to remove the factors which prevent the Divine message from reaching to the masses. Jihãd cannot be used for imposing Islam on others; it is just for putting an end to the aggression on Muslims or for helping the oppressed non-Muslims. (The history of Muslims bears out this idea; an unbiased historian can clearly separate the spread of the Muslim rule over areas outside Arabia [by military might] and the spread of Islam [without force] in those same regions.)

The Qur'ãn clearly says that, "There is no compulsion in the religion." (2:256) What this verse actually means is that: "There is no compulsion in [accepting] the religion of Islam." Why? The verse continues, "Surely the Right Path is clearly distinct from the crooked path." So Muslims can always show the difference between the right and the wrong paths, but not force the non-Muslims to accept Islam.

3. What After Submission?

What we have said above was about accepting Islam, coming into the fold of Islam. We have made it very clear that no one can be forcefully brought into the fold of Islam; Islam cannot be imposed on any person or society. This was all about a person who is outside the fold of Islam.

Now we move on to the next step. If a person is raised in a society which protects his soul from the impurities of kufr and shirk, or if a person is shown the Right Path and accepts it willingly - can such a person reject the Islamic faith? Is he allowed to apostate (become murtad)? Can he declare that he does not believe in God, Prophet Muhammad and the Day of Judgement?

Once a person enters into the fold of Islam, the rules change. As soon as you become a Muslim by your own choice, you are expected to submit yourself to Allãh totally and completely. "O You who believe! Enter into submission, kãffatan!" (2:208) Kãffatan in the sense of "all" and "completely". Once a person becomes a believer, he surrenders the right of making decisions to Allãh and Messenger: "No believing man and no believing woman has a choice in their own affairs when Allãh and His Messenger have decided on an issue." (33:36)

Now even the question of apostacy, irtidãd or deserting of one's faith, for a Muslim, becomes a shar'í/religious issue-even in this issue he is governed by the laws of Islam. And Islam clearly says: No! You cannot become an apostate. After coming into the fold of Islam, rejection of the fundamentals is not tolerated. If there are doubts in your mind about the fundamental beliefs of Islam, then discuss, question, debate, study and solve them BUT you are not allowed to leave Islam, desert your own fitra! There are quite a
few examples of such discussions by people like Ibn Abi 'l-'Awjã' (during the days of Imam Ja'far as-Sãdiq) and Ishãq al-Kindi (during the days of Imam Hasan al-'Askari) who were attempting to write an answer to the Qur'ãn!

On the issue of openly rejecting Islam, Islam cannot just stand aside and see one of its followers going astray. It would allow discussions to understand and solve the problems, but not allow its followers to lower themselves from the sublime status of "surrendering to the will of Allah-Islam" to the status of those "who have hearts but do not understand,
ears but do not hear, and eyes but do not see."

4. Apostacy is Equal to Treason

Why does Islam not allow apostacy? Apostacy or irtidãd in Islam is equal to treason.

The Western world limits treason to political and military terms. In the USA, treason consists "only in levying war against Americans, and in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort." However, sometimes even the Western world stretches the concept of political treason to include things which are not related to politics or military matters. For example, in England, treason includes violating the King's consort, or raping the monarch's eldest married daughter, as well as the sexual violation of the
wife of the eldest son and heir. Even now, "polluting" the Royal bloodline or obscuring it is included in the definition of treason. (See Professor Ali Mazrui, The Satanic Verse or a Satanic Novel, p. 4-5, who probably is the first Muslim to have used the term treason in comparison with apostacy in the context of the Rushdie affair.)

Why has England included such non-political and non-military matters in treason? Because the Royal family and the purity of its bloodline is one of the most significant part of the British society and culture. In Islam, the concept of treason is not limited to political and military affairs, it also has a spiritual and cultural dimension to it. In the Islamic order of sacredness, Allãh, then the Prophet and then the Qur'ãn occupy the highest positions. Tawhid, nubuwwa, and qiyãma form the constitution of Islam. Just as upholding and protecting the constitution of a country is sign of patriotism, and undermining it is a form of treason-in the same way open rejection of the fundamental beliefs of Islam by a Muslim is an act of treason. Apostacy, i.e., the public declaration of rejecting the fundamentals of Islam, has also negative influence on the Muslim society; it
is indeed a major fitna.

And that is why Islam has prescribed harsh punishment for irtidãd. It must be emphasized that irtidãd which we are discussing here involves open rejection, without any force and with the realization of what one's statements or actions imply. The punishment prescribed by the shari'a for apostacy is death.

Even the terms used by the shari'a for apostates give the idea of treason to this whole phenomenon. "Murtad" means apostate. Murtad can be of two types: fitri and milli. (1) Murtad Fitri means a person born of a Muslim parent and then he rejects Islam. Fitri means nature or natural. The term "murtad fitri" implies that the person has apostated from his nature, the nature of believing in God. (2) "Murtad Milli" means a person who converted to Islam and then later on he rejects Islam. Milli is from millat which means a community. The term "murtad milli" implies that the person has apostated from his community.

In the first case, the apostacy is like treason against God; whereas in the second case, the apostacy is like treason against the Muslim community. Probably, that is why there is also a difference in dealing with these two
kinds of murtads:

A former kãfir who became a Muslim and then apostates (Murtad milli) is given a second chance; if he repents, then he is not to be killed.

But one who is born as a Muslim and then apostates (Murtad Fitri) he is to be killed even if he repents. His repentance might be accepted by Allãh but he still has to go through the punishment prescribed for his treason in this
world.

This punishment is only applicable in case of apostacy by men; in case of women, the punishment is not death but life imprisonment. And if such a woman repents, then her repentance is accepted and the punishment is suspended.

In the writings of some of the mujtahideen, I have sensed that the punishment of a murtad is to be implemented only in dãru 'l-Islãm (i.e., the Muslim world) and not if the murtad flees to dãru 'l-kufr (i.e., the abode of kufr).

What are the sources for these laws? The sources on which these punishments have been outlined in the sharí'a are the authentic and reliable ahãdíth from the Imams of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). Those who know Arabic and have the aptitude to handle the fiqh istidlãli text may refer to the late Ayatullãh al-Khu'i's Takmilatu Minhãju 's-Salihiyn, vol. 1, pp. 324-337 for the ahãdith used by our jurists.

This is not a new issue or a controversial one among the Shi'a jurists. Even the scholars of the past centuries had the same views; for example, Shaykh at-Tusi (d. 460 AH) in an-Nihãya; Ibn Idris (d. 598 A.H.) in as-Sarã'ir; Ibn Hamza at-Tusi in al-Wasila, al-Muhaqqiq al-Hilli (d. 676 A.H.) in Sharãya'u 'l-Islãm, al-'Allãma al-Hilli (d. 726 A.H.) in Qawã'idu 'l-Ahkãm, and the First Martyr (d. 786 A.H.) and the Second Martyr in Sharhu 'l-Lum'ati 'd-Dimishqiyya. Those who might suspect a division on this issue between the "usuli" and the "akhbãri" schools, they should know that even the muhaddithin have chapters in their collections of hadith on "the punishment for murtad" citing the ahãdíth on this subject. See, for example, Shaykh Hurr al-'Ãmili, who has seven pages of ahãdíth under the title "abwãb haddi 'l-murtad - sections on the punishment for murtad" in volume 18 of his Wasã'ilu 'sh-Shí'a.

Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi

A few weeks ago, I read that aqiqah (shaving of the newborn's head) is obligatory and if your parents have not offered it, you should do it.

But what is the rule for a convert ? Is it possible that we need to do something that should have be done at a time when neither our parents nor we where suposed to do it ? The meaning of aqiqa is to celebrate the birth of a muslim or isn'it ? Please clarify.

Please answer for Syed Sistani.

ANSWER 1

The proper ruling of the Aqiqah is that it is recommended. It is not obligatory, although it is one of the highly emphasized acts of the Sunnah. If a person did not have the Aqiqah at the time of birth, it is sometimes done later for the blessing. As a convert, however, you should not feel obligated to do something to make up for whatever you missed before you converted.

Allah knows better.

Was-Salaam

Ali Rasheed

When we write an ariza to the Imam, we have to throw it in the water or dig a small hole and keep the ariza in the ground. Now I think that you should not go and dig the hole and see if the paper is there, but my brother is curious and he wants to see if the paper is still there or if it isn't there.

I would be grateful if I could get an answer to this question. I would like the question to be answered according to the fatwa of Ayatullah Seestani.

ANSWER 1

Ariza is basically a du`a which, instead of saying, you write it down on a piece of paper. There are ahadiths where the Imams have told us that we can write down our prayer (du`a) in a paper and put it in a well or a river. See for example, a similar hadith in the last section of Mafatihu 'l-Jinan under the section "ruq`a-e hajat".

How it reaches how is not our concern. The God who can hear our voice, surely has the power to know the du`a we have put in writing. As for the curiosity of your brother; I would strongly advise against opening up the ariza or ruq`a-e hajat. If he believes in it, then he should not touch it; if he does not believe in it, then he does not have to write an ariza--it is not wajib.

Sayyid M. Rizvi

QUESTION 1

We know that the Ashura-day is sad because Yezid's army killed Imam Hussain (as) (the master of the paradise's youths) on this day. But Sunni brothers consider this day as happy day, and they fast it, and they say on Ashura, Allah has saved Moses (as) and they give many ahadeeth regarding this. Please give more details about Ashura day (itself), and the Prophet (s) a hadith regarding this day.

ANSWER 1

Yes sources do exist about ahadeeth that the 10th of Muharram was regarded in the early days as an auspicious day. Whatever the origin of these ahadeeth, the 10th of Muharram 61 AH turned that day into the day of mourning. Subsequently Banu Umayya as well as the later Sunni regimes did attempt to re-establish the Ashura Day as an auspicious day as a means of diverting attention from the tragedy of Kerbala, but the grief and the tears flowing from the eyes of the lovers of Holy Prophet has firmly established the day as a day of mourning. Our jurists have held that fasting is not permitted on that day.

In this context you will no doubt be aware that our 7th Holy Imam was born in the month of Safar but because we continue to mourn Imam Hussain then, we celebrate the birth of the 7th Imam in the month of Rajab.

With salaams and du'aas from a humble servant of Ahlul Bayt and their followers, and with a request to be remembered by you in your prayers,

Bashir Rahim

QUESTION 1:

I have a question regarding astronomy. I have heard that muslims should not major in the field of astronomy. Is that true? Also since
horoscopes are directly related to astronomy, how should a muslim act towards it? I mean, should we have belief in horoscopes? A feedback will be appreciated on the issue.

QUESTION 2:

As salamu alay kum. I wanted to know what Islam says on horoscopes and the zodiac. The zodiac says that people have elements like water, earth, fire and that Imam Ali (AS) called himself Abu Turab , and that he had this earth element. A very religious friend of mine told me that there is some Islamic significance, I just wanted to know what it is , and if there are any harm things to look out for .

ANSWER 1 & 2

Fuqaha have different opinion with regard to the issue of astronomy and astrology which are usualley referred to as Nujum. Here are
some brief points which may help you to get some ideas with regard to the issue at hand.

1. Celestial bodies like every other entity in the universe (material and non-material) may have some causal relationship with other entities. There is nothing inherently "shirkful" in the ideas that some they, like other things, may have some effects. As to the nature of those effects one must look for convincing evidence before establishing certain relationships.

2. The mere belief in the existence of causal relationship among entities is not Shirk unless one considers them independent in their relationships. In other words, believing things can have effects without God's permission (izn-u- Allah). This was the case with non-Muslim astrologists. They believed everything which happens in the world is a result of certain arrangement in celestial bodies. At the time of Prophet Muhammad (SA) a Munajjem predicted rain for a certain day and it did in fact rained on that day, but Prophet Muhammad (SA) said Munajjemun are liar. His majesty (AS) was not denying the fact that it rained on that day, it was an observable fact but rather he was reminding people that even though the Munajjem was right in his prediction he was wrong in his belief that celestial bodies control the world. The supereme ruler of the world is Allah (SWT). Based on this view some shia scholars believe that Nujum like
   any other science can be viewed as shirk if Allah's Izn is ignored, and Ja'z (halal) if it is conceived within the world view of Tawhid.

3. As to the issue of horoscope, again it depends where you stand with regard to the issue of astrology. Those who see nothing inherently haram in astrology believe the correct practice by qualified people is not haram. But from the time of Greek astrologists down to through Islamic scholars and to the present day Shia scholars it has always been emphasised that there are two aspects in astrology: one related to celestial bodies and one related to the earthly objects. Like any other cause, the effect is received when receiver is Ghabel (qualified, prepared). Therefore the predictions of even a well qualified person may not come true because his knowledge is only about the celestial bodies. He may not know about other factors that may affect a particular outcome.

4. Let me give you an example, suppose he predicts person X will lose some money in a transaction, but on the other hand X helps his\her parents and goes to a great burden to please them and the parents pray for him\her. Here another set of rule comes into play: with God's permission (bi Izn-e-Allah), Angels protect him\her against the loss. I cannot elaborate more on this point here but I like to make it clear that since many different relationships are at work in our universe and all are governed by Allah (SWT), and Allah's blessing (Rahmah) is infinite, one who seeks blessing should make him\herself Ghabel of blessing by being a good servant of his, not by investing on anything as a substitute for being his Abd (servant). May we all be good servants of his and good followers of his holy prophet and his Ahlul Bayt (AS).

5. With regard to the belief that the basic constitutive elements of the material world being four i.e, water, soil, air, and fire, one should note that this was a scientific belief of the Greek inherited and accepted by many Muslim Scholars. This like any other scientific idea is subject to objective and empirical validation. Islam has no position with regard to many specific scientific finding. Imam Ali's (AS) kunyeh, Abu Turab, has nothing to do with this idea which was prevalent in what classical scholars used to call "Ta'abiyat" (Sciences related to Nature), it was given to Imam Ali (AS) by the holy Prophet (SA) in a historical event. As to the validity of this idea from an empirical perspective I believe there are not much scientific support for it.

Wa- Allah-u- 'Alamu bi- Ssawab.

With Regards

Mohammad

QUESTION 1

What are the Shia conditions for proper hadith verification? A Sunni brother was claiming that our conditions were more restrictive and
unaccepting of 'ackowledged' hadith of the Prophet?

Moreover, Why, in particular, do we not accept Bukhari? Aside from the argument based on the fact that he was Sunni... is there any other reason? Was he part of the government, etc???

ANSWER 1

A hadith is mainly verified from the chain of its narrators. Scholars, before deciding to either accept or reject any hadith, will spend time in studying the lives of all the narrators of the hadith. Aspects to be studied include the era in which the narrator lived - does it coincide with the era of the authority he is reporting on? Was the narrator old and learned enough to understand the hadith? Was the narrator a renowned fasiq(one who commits sins openly)? Has the narrator ever been known to fabricate a hadith??

Moreover, a hadith is also deemed accepted or rejected based on its contents. Do the contents of the hadith contradict the Holy Quran?? Is the content of the hadith against logic??

There are many ahadith that have been acknowledged by all Muslims. Others have been accepted by all, but with differences in versions.

Bukhari, in particular, is a Sunni scholar who compiled the ahadith, thus forming what we today know as the Sahih Bukhari. The fact is that we Shias do not reject Bukhari. There are many ahadith in Sahih Bukhari that have been accepted by Shias, but we Shias do not hold that whatever is in Sahih Bukhari is always true. For that reason, we also do not accept everything that is contained in Bihar-ul-Anwar, a book in which Allama Majlisi has compiled all the ahadith!!

In conclusion, a hadith is accepted because of the authenticity of the narrators and the soundness of its content. Any doubts in the character and personality of any one narrator out of a chain of narrators will render the hadith unacceptable by Shia scholars.

Was Salaam,

Mustafa

So many times we are asked to recite Aytul-Kursi, however I am somewhat confused as to what the ACTUAL Aytul-Kursi is. I have been taught to read the first Ayah (2:255) and then continue to recite the following 2 ayahs (2:256-257). However, many of my Sunni friends recite and most of the caligraphy I see only contains ayah 2:255. So, what exactly is Ayatul-Kursi: 2:255 or 2:255-257?

ANSWER 1

Ayatul Kursi starts from "Allahu Laa ilaha illa huwal Hayyul Qayyum..." upto "....khalidun" i.e. 2:255-257.