Jesus - Nabi Isa (peace be upon him) in Qur'an

QUESTION:

I attended Muslim prayers several years ago when the speaker was talking
about Jesus and Islam. He said that the Qur'an talks about Jesus' family
and a bit of his history that even the Bible does not include. I have
been unable to follow up on this but would be very interested to know if
this is true. I have a English version of the Qur'an and could look up
any references provided. Thanks in advance.

ANSWER:

Dear brother/ sister

Salamun Alaykum,

I do not know exactly in what context the above statement has been
made but I believe that what he meant must have been that the Holy Quran's
account of Hz. Isa's life is different from the Bible. You must bear in
mind that the Holy Qur'an usually does not give a histographic account of
events and has no intention of doing so. However It sometimes makes some
historical statements in more general contexts of its teachings. This is
also true with the story of Hazrat Isa (AS).

In some parts, the Holy Qur'an endorses the Bible (such as the
belief in the Virgin birth) and in some parts it refutes the Bible ( like
Hazrat Isa being crucified). You may call this different historical
accounts, if you wish. But there is no history of Hazrat Isa (AS) in the
Holy Qur'an the way we understand history as chronological documentation
of historical events and figures.

If you are interested in the subject of Hz. Isa (AS) in the Holy
Quran first you must know that the Holy Qur'an does not recognize the
present Bible as the authentic Bible, and then you may want to consider
the following points which I have selected from Ayt. Jawadi Amoli's
Tafsir with Qur'anic references in parentheses.

1- Hz. Isa (AS) is God's word (3:45). Everything is God's words but the
emphasis of the Holy Quran on Hz. Isa (AS) being God's words means that
he is a Complete Word, meaning that his speech is God's speech.

2- He is Sign (Aya) of God because his speaking as an infant was a
miracle (5: 110).

3- He is son of Maryam (3: 45; 5:110). The holy Qur'an usually does not
refer to prophets as son of their fathers or mothers, the emphasis on Hz.
Isa (AS) being son of Maryam is to refute the Biblical notion of Son of God.

4- His name, Massih Isa was chosen for him by God (19: 7).

5- He was blessed in two ways, one of which was not shared by many other
prophets. He was both chosen as a Prophet and also blessed with the Holy
spirit (2: 87, 253; 5: 110; 21:91; 19:17). Many other prophets were not
blessed by the Holy spirit.

6- He was able to give life to the dead and birds because of being
blessed by the Holy Spirit (3: 49; 5: 110).

7- Maryam and Isa (SA) both were one and the same sign of God (Aya) (23:
50). This observation has many crucial theological implications which I
cannot elaborate on here.

8- Not marrying was because he did not have an earthly father and he was
not born of human bodily desires.

9- His miracles did not elevate him to the status of divinity. He was
honored to be God's servant (4: 172; 5: 117).

10- He was not God, and anyone who believes he was God is Kafer not even
Mushrik (5: 17, 72).

11- He dissociated himself from those who believe in trinity (5: 116).

12- He was not killed nor was he crucified (4: 157).

One can add more points to the above but I hope these could give you some
general idea as to how the Holy Qur'an introduces Hz. Isa (AS) and what
kind of differences exist between the Holy Qur'an and the Bible.

With Regards

Mohammad

Jewellery in Public

QUESTION

May a woman wear jewelry in public even if a man can see it?

ANSWER

Wearing jewelry in public is not haraam, but if it is worn with the niyya
(intention) of display and allurement to Na-Mahram, then it is haraam.

Asgharali M.M. Jaffer

Jihad - Minor & Major Jihad

QUESTION:

I like to find out what is the meaning of jihad, and when is jihad called
for and what are the circumstances that people will be ready. Also the
kinds of jihad, like jihad Akber etc.

ANSWER:

Thank you for posing this very important question. Please accept my
apology for the delay in responding.

The term 'jihad' is derived from the root word 'jahad' which means to
strive, to be diligent. From that comes another specific verb 'jaahad'
which means specifically, to endeavour, to struggle, to strive, to contend
with, to fight against. 'Jihaad' (or as it is more commonly transliterated
as 'jihad') is from the latter verb.

There are two kinds of jihad, the major jihad and the minor jihad.

THE MAJOR JIHAD (JIHAD AL-AKBAR)

This is the struggle against one's inner self (nafs) to subjugate and
control one's passions and carnal desires. The base or carnal self
(nafs-e-ammarah) must be controlled by the conscience (nafs-e-lawwamah),
and only when one succeeds in this struggle does one attain the perfect
self, the self at peace with itself (nafs-e-mutmainnah). In respect of
those who attain this state, Allah says:

"O the soul at peace, return to your Lord, pleased with His good pleasure
AND enter into the company of My true servants. And enter my Garden!"
(LXXXIX:27-30).

THE MINOR JIHAD (JIHAD AL-ASGHAR)

This means to struggle for Islam. Not for extension of boundaries, not for
personal glory, not for the glory of any tribe, community or nation, but
for the defence of Islam and the protection of its values. Such a struggle
can take many forms, through the use of pen, through the use of tongue or
through the use of the sword. This last form is often referred to in the
Qur'aan as qitaal (warfare).

In Shi'ah theology, while self defence is permitted at any time, a general
qitaal can be declared only by an Imam. In any case no qitaal can be
regarded as a jihad if it is for territorial expansion or material gain or
to fulfil any personal, tribal or national ambition.

For the benefit of the members I would like to discuss the above in a
little more detail.

Unfortunately, more by design than through ignorance or by accident, the
orientalists of the past always gave only one meaning to the term 'jihad'
and that is warfare. The Muslims were led to believe, and many still do,
that taking up arms for any cause of muslims was a jihad whether or not
that cause related to Islam. This group is convinced that conquests were
achieved and empires founded through jihad. This suited those who were
inimical to Islam and gave a sense of pride in the past glory, to the
ignorant believers. The views expressed by the Shi'ah 'ulemah were
unheeded if not dismissed as anti-Islam. The majority distanced themselves
from the true meaning of jihad and developed a kind of religious fervour
based on implacable hostility.

Tabarsi as quoted by Allamah Majlisi in Bihaar, gives the following hadith
of our 6th Imam (A.S.):

"If a person takes up arms and calls people to himself (to his help), and
if there is someone among the Muslims who is more knowledgeable than him,
then he (the one declaring jihad by calling people to arms) is certainly
misguided and false."

The Holy Imam made this statement to a group which was supporting Muhammad
al-Nafs as-Zakiyya who was a descendant of our second Imam and who had
declared Jihad on the regime.

Imam Ridha (A.S.) is reported to have said that Jihad is obligatory only
with a just Imam.

Shaykh Tusi (A.R.) as quoted by Dr. Abdulaziz Sachedina in his "The Just
Ruler" (pp. 112-115) wrote as follows:

"The presence of al-imam al-adil is a pre-condition [for waging jihad
against unbelievers]. Without his permission it is not allowed to engage
in fighting ...."

Shaykh Tusi like all the other jurists have, however, declared it
permissible to engage in qitaal for the defence of life, property or
national boundaries.

Maulana Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi restates the above view in his booklet
entitled 'Islam'.

Let me conclude this part with following hadith from Wasa'il al Shiah
cited by Dr. Sachedina.

Abbad al-Basri met our fourth Imam (A.S.) in Mecca and reproached him: "O
'Ali bin Hussain, you have abandoned jihad and its hardships and accepted
the hajj and its comforts" and went on to recite ayah 111 of Surah IX
which describes the activities and merits of those participating in jihad.
[The Ayah reads as follows: "Indeed Allah has bought from the believers
their lives and their wealth because jannah shall be theirs. They shall
fight in the way of Allah and shall slay and be slain. It is a promise
which is binding upon Him (Allah) in the Torah, and the Injeel and the
Qur'an."] The Holy Imam replied "If we had seen those who are thus
described (that is people with the same motives and dedication to Allah
among those who are fighting now), then joining them in jihad would
certainly be superior to hajj."

Allah and His Prophet (SAWA) knew the diabolical trap the ummah was likely
to fall into, if they failed to grasp the meaning of jihad in its
entirety. On return from one of the battles the Holy Prophet addressed
the Muslims as follows:

"You have now returned from jihad al-asghar. The jihad al-akbar continues
to remain a duty with you." The Holy Prophet and all our Holy Imams
reiterated the duty of every muslim to undertake jihad al-akbar time and
again and explained at length how this obligation can be fulfilled. I
shall try to briefly summarise what jihad al-akbar is but for a more
detailed study I would refer the readers to the writings of Ayatullah
Khumaini, Ayatullah Khui, Sayyid Hussain Nasr, Shaykh Fadlillah Haeri any
many other thinkers.

Ayatullah Khumaini describes jihad al-akbar as a migration from one's ego
to eternal Truth where the Creator's wishes become the desires of the
creature. Iqbal in his famous couplet has described the struggle as rising
above the ego to such a height where the Creator becomes anxious to make
the creature's pleasure His pleasure. I would particularly urge my young
readers to study Ayatullah Khumaini's lecture on Suratul Fateha and to
read the book entitled "The Light Within Me." This will be an experience
which is bound to effect the future course of you lives.

In more prosaic terms jihad al-akbar means fulfillment of our obligations
to Allah and to his creatures. To be concerned with the welfare of the
muslim ummah. To wage war (i) against ignorance by acquiring and
disseminating knowledge; (ii) against disease by employing our resources;
(iii) against poverty by ensuring that every member of the community has
the means of basic subsistence; (iv) against dissension by giving up our
pernicious habit of point scoring and by trying to understand the points
of view of others; (v) against anti-islamic forces from within, by amr bil
ma'ruf and nahya anil munkir; (vi) against religion becoming a mere ritual
by making every effort to raise the level of our spirituality and last,
but not the least (vii) against the possible loss of our youth from the
fold of Islam, by ensuring that they are catered for and prepared to
confront the dangers that lie ahead.

Please do not hesitate to ask any supplementary questions through the
usual channel

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

Bashir Rahim

Jihad - Is it prohibited on women?

QUESTION:

Would you kindly advise me if Jihad is prohibited on women in the light of
Quran ? and if so please quote the Quranic reference.

ANSWER:

Jihad has many forms and meanings. Basically, it means struggle -but it is
applied to Jihad of Nafs, Jihad in the way of Allah and so on.

We are discussing Jihad which, in ordinary terms, is known as the
holy war. It is a struggle, in the way of Allah, to defend His Religion,
Islam. This is obligatory upon men of able bodies and sane minds. Women
are exempted, and so are the old and the disabled, because in the process of
war, they are the ones who are to be defended and protected. Besides, women
have to look after the house, tend the children, while men are out to fight.
If this distribution of work is disturbed, the whole social and family set
up would be ruined.

Now, let us turn to the Holy Quran:

In Surah al-Nisa (No. 4), verse 75, Allah says:
"And why should you not fight in the cause of Allah, for the sake of
helpless men and women and children who pray: Our Sustainer! deliver us from
this town whose inhabitants are oppressors and make for us a protector
from you, and a helper".

This Ayah clearly implies that women are to be defended by men, and they are
not supposed to fight.

In Surah 60, al-MUMTAHANAH, verse 12 describes the special allegiance which
was sworn by the Muslim women, at the hand of the Prophet, peace be upon him
and his progeny. When they asked : O Prophet, our menfold have sworn their
loyalty to you on ISLAM and JIHAD, what are the terms of loyalty for us, women!

The Ayah says:

"O Prophet, when believing women (i.e. Muslims) come to you, taking oaths of
allegiance to you, that they will not associate anything with Allah, and
they will not steal, nor commit adultery, and will not kill their children,
nor utter slanders, nor ascribe their children to other than their fathers,
nor disobey you in what is good, accept their allegiance and ask Allah to
forgive them. Allah indeed is All Forgiving, Most Merciful."

In these terms, JIHAD was excluded, and therefore, it is known as
BAY'ATUNNISA - the allegiance of women.

With Salaams,

Asgharali M.M. Jaffer

Jihad in Palestine & Lebanon

QUESTION:

Assalaamu 'Alaykum

How is Jihad to be performed specifically? And I know that The
Prophet (SA'AWAWS) and the Imams (ASWS) never killed any innocent people.
Some people have said that no they didn't, but in these days war is much
more complicated and so it is okay to do things like bomb Israeli towns
(if you give them warnings before). However bombing an Israeli town kills
women,children,and even babies. Are these people who say this right?
What is the right way? Please base answers on The Qur`an, aHadith,etc..

was-salaam

ANSWER:

[] The only type of Jihad permissible in the absence of the Imam (AS) is
the defensive Jihad. Jihad, however, does have rules that regulate it. For
example, innocents are not to be killed, water is not to be poisoned unless
there is no other alternative in gaining success.

In reality, I think we have to make some distinctions between the struggle
in Palestine and the struggle in Lebanon. Certainly, if you want judge
which situation is closer to the proper Islamic standard, then, the
struggle in southern Lebanon is clearly more proper. Particularly, when you
look at Hizbullah. Most of their targets are Israeli and Lebanese military
targets not civilians. Even when there are attacks on civilian targets,
there are many instances of Israeli attacks on the civilian population to
justify the "retaliation" in kind. We hear that Israelis attack guerrilla
positions but these "positions" are in villages and many innocents are also
targeted. There's no outcry when their blood is spilled. When one Israeli
is killed, however, the whole of humanity is urged to cry!

On the other hand, the situation in Palestine is a most desperate situation
in that the world's powers have assisted in the creation and survival of
this zionist state. Even the Muslims have signed over their birth-right,
their dignity and handed over the best of Palestine to the zionist for a
"Bantu stand" in Gaza. Even in Gaza there is only subjugation and
humiliation for a Palestinian.

The Holy Qur`an used very strong language when addressing the crimes of the
Makkans against the Holy Prophet (S) and his companions. There are many
verses condemning the non-believers for the crime of removing the believers
from their homes. This crime is also mentioned regarding other Prophets as
well. (See 22:39-40; 60:8-9; 2:84-85; 2:246)

The well known aim of Zionism is to do exactly that. They originally did
it with the brutal force of terrorism, now they are using the subtle force
of politics and economics. The crime, however, remains unchanged. We
should not lose sight of this crime in which nearly every Israeli citizen
is an active participant. The Palestinian situation is one of desperation
due to the fact that many of them abandoned the cause of Islam and took up
the banner of nationalism. Now, the Muslim world, at large, has abandoned
their cause. Even their leadership has been utterly broken and humiliated.

It appears to me, and this is my own opinion, that there are only two
choices: fight desperately like a man who is looking death in the eyes or
accept death like a sacrificial lamb on the alter of Zionism. It's no easy
choice and there are no easy solutions. Palestinians have no freedom, no
hope and no future unless they can find the faith to fight back. May
Allah give us all the strength to oppose injustice and Kufr.

Was-salaam,

Ali Rasheed

QUESTION:

Is it haram to join the police or armed forces of a non Shia' government -
can someone join the police or military of their respective country?

ANSWER:

It is not haram to join the police. As for the armed forces, it will be
haram especially when it is mobilised against Muslims or an Islamic state.

Wassalaam

Asgherali M M Jaffer

Joshua Ibn Noon

QUESTION:

Assalaamu 'Alaykum,

I know that Prophet Haroun (ASWS) had the same position to Moses (AS) as
Hazrat 'Ali (ASWS) did to Prophet Muhammad (SA'AWAWS),but Hazrat 'Ali
(ASWS) didnt have the Prophethood of course. So what was Joshua (Yusha')
ibn Noon (AS)'s role?

ANSWER:

Hazrat Joshua Ibn Noon (AS) was the prophet who guided the Bani Israel to
their "promised land." Although Hazrat Haroon (AS) was the heir of Prophet
Musa (AS), he died before Hazrat Musa (AS). When Hazrat Musa (AS) was about
to die, it was Joshua Ibn Noon that he appointed to lead the Bani Israel
after him.

Was-salaam,

Ali Rasheed