Miscellaneous Questions on Islamic Belief & Practices
Adil Salahi, Arab News
Question
A group of people meets every Friday night in the mosque to recite the Quran, offer night worship and stay until the dawn prayer. When they have offered the dawn prayer, they depart. Is their practice recommended?
Answer
No, their practice is certainly not recommended. In fact it runs contrary to the Prophets (peace be upon him) teachings. Abu Hurayrah quotes the Prophet as saying: Do not single out the night of Friday for special night worship. (Related by
Muslim). This is a clear Hadith that shows that the practice of these people is the very thing the Prophet advised against.
We need to remember that Friday counts as a day of Eid, and the Prophet has made it clear that it should not be singled out for voluntary fasting, unless one wishes to fast a day before it or a day after it. In the same way, Friday night may not be singled out for special prayer or tahajjud. Moreover, staying in the mosque for a whole day is recommended in the last ten days of Ramadan, but not on other days, unless it is something done once in a while.
Question
If a person is required to slaughter
seven sheep for mistakes done during the pilgrimage, is it sufficient for him to slaughter a cow or a camel?
Answer
No, it is not permissible to combine atonements in this way, even though it is permissible for seven people to share in the sacrifice of one cow or one camel instead of sacrificing seven sheep. In the latter case, the sacrifice is made to express gratitude to God for enabling us to do the pilgrimage and the Umrah in the same season. In compensatory sacrifice, this is made in atonement for mistakes or omissions. Hence, the better option is preferred, and seven sheep provide more meat to the poor than one camel or one cow. Hence, it cannot be
combined.
Question
I want to accompany my mother during her pilgrimage. Will it be necessary for me to perform the pilgrimage myself, or can I travel with her in my ordinary clothes, as I have already done my pilgrimage?
Answer
You may choose to accompany your mother without offering the pilgrimage yourself. However, it is infinitely better for you to offer the pilgrimage as this would count as a Sunnah pilgrimage. You will be
accompanying your mother throughout, attending at all places, and taking her to do all her rituals. You may just as well fulfill the same duties at the same time, unless your mother requires extra care and you will be better able to look after her if you do not do the pilgrimage. In this case, you are better advised not to do the pilgrimage.
Question
It is said that God descends to the nearest heaven late in the night. This means that He remains there round the clock as midnight occurs at every moment in
one spot or another. Why is it said that God descends, instead of saying that He is always there?
Answer
We do not know how God descends or comes near to the lowest heaven. What we know is that time and place do not apply to God, because He transcends these. All that is related to God belongs to the realm that is beyond the reach of human perception. However, it is expressed in terms that we can understand. We accept these as they are, but we do not actually know how they happen. Therefore, it is wrong to say that God is always close to the earth, because this means that a place or space applies to Him. However, He is always close to us, watching over us, and watching us. He says that He is closer to
every one of us than our jugular veins.
Question
Since it is permissible to give interest given by ones bank to poor people, can one give it to an imam, or to the teacher of an Islamic school if they are very poor?
Answer
If the imam or the teacher are poor as you say, then it is permissible to help them with the interest paid by the bank in addition to helping them with sadaqah and zakah.
Question
What is the difference between a prophet and a messenger?
Answer
A messenger is a prophet who is given a message to deliver to his people, or to mankind, as in the case of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). A prophet may not have a message of his own, but rather he endorses the message of an earlier or contemporary messenger.
Question
You said once that it is permissible to have a life insurance policy, but such a policy pays a person more than he pays into it, which I think is interest. Please clarify.
Answer
Life insurance policies pay on maturity more than the amount paid into them because the premiums paid by the insured are invested by the insurance company. Therefore, it is important to know in what ways the insurance company invests its customers money. If it invests them in usurious transactions, one should not take that policy. If it invests in commercial enterprises, this
is perfectly legitimate.
AB
"For to us will be their return; then it will be for us to call them to account." (Holy Quran 88:25-26)
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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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