End of Time

QUESTION:

Many people say that life will end before year 2000 referring to
the hadith which says "Tua'allaf wala tu'allafan" which means that the
year will reach one 1000 but not 2000 (they say the hadith is
referring to the Christian year) ?

If it is true can you give me some references for the hadith

ANSWER:

The Hadith you have quoted has no authenticity. All Hadith forecasting
the time when the earth or the universe will cease to exist are ISRAILYYAT,
therefore, fabricated.

With Salaams,

Asgharali M M Jaffer

Engagement

Question:
I am in a dilemma. A very close sunni brother is getting engaged this summer
and he is very happy. Now, my stance in this matter is different. I believe
that there is no such thing as an "engagement" in Islam. Nikah is the
marriage contract.. and that's what holds strongest for me.
Knowing this, I feel sad at seeing the brother committing a wrong.. and
inviting further sin over the years till official marriage.On the other
hand, I feel a soft happiness for the brother in knowing that Inshallah he
will be getting married to the person who he speaks highly of, in a few
years time if God so Wills.
The question lies in how should I be reacting towards this brother's joy?
Should I congratulate him, knowing that by doing so I am encouraging him to
engage in possible lust (which is haram)? I am not in a situation where I
can avoid greeting him for this stepping stone in his life. Please advise.

Answer:
Salaamun 'Alaykum,

Since this brother is very close to you, maybe after congratulating him you
should tell him of the possible sin which he may be committing if he
performs a haram act. In all sincerity, advise him of the possible choices
he has to avoid the sins (reciting the 'aqd immediately, or mut'a for the
sake of making the relationship halal). If he says that mut'a is not
allowed, you can refer him to a chapter in a recently translated book called
"Questions on Jurisprudence" in which the question of mut'a is discussed
from Sunni sources. Explain to him also that he can have the relationship
with his fiance whilst keeping his conscience clear at the same time.

Iltimase du'a

Liyakatali Nathani

Engagement - Contact

QUESTION

"A shia freind of mine recently got engaged to a shia man, and she is
wondering about the rules regarding hugging and other human emotional
outputs? She wants to know if it is permissible to hug him before they
are married? Can you please tell me the rules according to Sharia, so
I can tell her in full detail."

ANSWER:

NO, this is not permissible until Nikah is recited. Engagement is only a
cultural process prelude to a marriage which is the legal and binding
contract between the spouses. Hugging, or even touching for that matter, is
not allowed until either Nikah or Mutah has been recited.

With Salaams and Duas

Mustafa

Extant Written Works from Imams (a.s.)

QUESTION:

I am curious as to what written works the Imams of the Ahl al-bayt (as)
composed and, of them, which are extant. for example, I have heard that
Imam Sadiq (as) wrote down a tafsir of the qur'an but that it was lost.

ANSWER:

I have not yet seen a list of the written works of all the Imams of Ahlul
Bayt (a.s.). Doing research before answering the question would have
further delayed the answer so I am writing what I can recollect from my
past readings.

The most famous are the following two works of Imam Zaynul 'Abidin (a.s.):
1. Risalatul Huquq.
2. Sahifa Sajjadiya.

As for other Imams, I cannot recall a book as such but there are many
letters or tracts written by Imams, specially 8th, 9th and 10th Imams, in
the various collections of hadith. There are also some books ASCRIBED to
certain Imams (e.g., the Tafsir of Imam Hasan al-'Askari) but the scholars
of hadith have doubts about their authenticity.

As for Imam 'Ali, most of what he wrote during his caliphate in forms of
letters and circulars have been preserved in the Nahjul Balagha. The
longest document written by the Imam in Nahjul Balagha is the letter to
Malik Ashtar in which he outlines the art of ruling and governing a
society. There is also a book written by Imam 'Ali known as Kitab ad-Diyaat
describing various indemnities and penalties one has to pay in violation of
certain laws of Islam. This book was with the later Imams (Imam as-Sadiq
and Imam ar-Riza), and has been preserved in early collection of hadith,
e.g., al-Kafi of Kulayni and at-Tahzib of Tusi.

More insha Allah when I get time in future.

Was-salaam,

Sayyid M. Rizvi

Extracts & Liquers

Question:

In many candies or baked goods, the ingredients may include liquers or
extracts, such as chocolate liquer and vanilla. I do not know enough about
these ingredients to know if they should be considered like alcohol and thus
are haram. Can someone please find out about these ingredients and
determine if they are permissible to eat or not?

Answer:

The ingredients mentioned above are not Najis and therefore are nor haram.

By Mulla Asgher M M Jaffer

Eye Contact with Non-Mahram

QUESTION:

What is the ruling concerning making eye contact with a non-Mahram.
More specifically I would like to know if a man allowed to make eye contact
with a non-Mahram woman.

ANSWER:

It is permissible provided that it is not done with any lustful intent.

Wassalaam,

Hamid Mavani