Assalaamu 'alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh, With all due respect brother, What do you mean by 'muftis such as this have doubtful credentials and are a nemesis'? Who made islam-qa the all authority on giving fatawah (for all we know - Islam -qa generally follows the Hanbali position on issues - and since not every Muslim follows the Hanabilah madhhab - many fatawa would not apply to the bulk of Muslims) - where did the shuyukh from islam-qa receieve their credentials from and do they have an unbroken chain that goes back to the Salaf us Salih and to the Beloved of Allah sallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam (no disrespect intended to the TRUE inheritors of the prophets)? We know that mufti's can err, and personally, we all know that we should not be a mujahir - or one who reveals sins which Allah subhaanahu wa ta'ala has covered up (with repentance or not). That said, I would personally take the opinion of not revealing one's past sins, but however i would respect the opinion which the sheikh has given (perhaps for a certain 'urf or culture or people etc) - remember that his training is from South Africa - not the US or Middle East or Turkey or Australia. In Turkey, there was a custom where the mother of the groom would have to be shown the 'blood' after the marriage consumation - right or wrong - this was cultural - so which cultures are respected (as long as they do not conflict with Islam - who knows?). There are many times where muftis give verdicts (even Saudi scholars) which seem to go against the majority, and yet we do not go bagging the sheikh. Who made us the authority in the area of fatawa giving to disagree? If you have the requisite knowledge, then Alhamdulillah, but if you do not, then be quiet! Better yet, it would be better to stop posting 'fatawa' which may apply to one certain case or individual, instead, people seem to post fatwas all over the net, and this causes unnecessary problems at times. Since certain fatawah may only apply to a certain locality - not to the globe as a whole! This is a difficult issue, and in regards to deceit, what would be the condition of say a female who were 'bald', and kept that a secret until she was married? Or a male who knew that he had HIV and kept that also a secret until after the marriage and potentially harmed the other side? What about getting tests done to see that the person does not have any STD's? In some countries the couple to be must take these tests beforehand (a good thing in my opinion), since it will prevent in most cases the offspring from inheriting deadly diseases due to the sins of one or both parents. So although at face value what the mufti has said may seem to be going against the Sunnah - I would hardly believe that the sheikh has overlooked the Prophetic advice on this issue (he would certinly know the issue of the mujahir and of not revealing one's sins to others). Perhaps the issue of deceit is greater than not revealing ones sins? Allahu 'alam - better ask him to clarify if you have any problems rather than to do gheeybah. Remember that if he or she (scholar) delivers a right opinion gets 2 ajr, and if they make a mistake they still receieve one hasanaat. But us the layman? We should use hiqmah and wisdom and take from those whom we trust - and this sheikh is a trustworthy source - but there may be differing opinions in this regard by other 'ulama. One fatwa can never be the outcome of people labeling the learned as people of nemesis etc And Allah Alone Knows Best - and we seek His Guidance and Help at all times. Fi Amanillah Wassalaamu 'alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh Your brother in Islam Orhan Abu Khadijah Sheriff
[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Assalaam Alaikum w r w b Muftis such as these have doubtful credentials and are a nemesis. They will destroy lives and should not be approached. Br. and Sis please look for answers in islam-qa.com or islamhelpline.com Brother Ansar Raza is perfectly right. The prophet has clearly ordered not to volunteer to make sins such as these known to others. He said do not to disclose what Allah has hidden. For people in such a dilemma, keep shut but first and foremost correct yourselves. Keep asking for firgiveness and continue to pray to Allah swt not to disclose their sins at any point in their lives and even after death till eternity. For this sister in particluar, be extra good to the husband once married. Build a bond of sharing, caring and love that inshaAllah will never be broken and only get stronger by time. abumaryam "Ansar Raza"@yahoo.com wrote: Mufti Sahib's verdict is totally wrong. We commit many sins, but at the time or after our marriages we do not open the whole catalogues of our wrong doings to our spouses. Allah is SATTAR and He does not like wrongdoings to be made public unless it becomes a ZULM to somebody else. (4:148) If she has committed such a sin of adultery, that is up to her and she should not narrate it to her husband. There is no guarantee that her future husband is also virgin and has not committed any wrongdoing. Marrying a chaste man is also an honour and pride. So does Mufti Sahib encourage men to narrate all their wrong doings to their wives after marriage? No! It never happened. Then why a remorseful repenting woman is bound to tell her husband about her past and become embarrassed for the rest of her life? What if her husband tease her for the rest of her life over such sins? Ansar Raza -----Original Message----- From: islamcity@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Saba Khan Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2007 5:41 PM To: eGroup For Muslims Around The World Subject: Boycott Israel [IslamCity] SHOULD I TELL MY FUTURE HUSBAND OF MY PAST WRONG DOINGS? My problem is that i am not a virgin and I am afraid to tell my future husband that who ever it maybe. Question I am a 24 year old muslim girl who is wanting to get married soon. I have done a lot of wrong things in the past that I feel bad about. My problem is that i am not a virgin and I am afraid to tell my future husband that who ever it maybe. I'm really afraid that i won't be wanted and I am ashamed of my wrongdoings. I just want to start my marriage of clean with no worries. Allah(swt) is the one who forgives sins, so do I have to tell the person that I marry that I am not a virgin? I am really scared and worried. Shouldn't we ask Allah(swt) for forgiveness and leave it at that? PLease give me some advice. Answer In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatoh There are three aspects to this query:- At the outset, you must understand that we are human and are bound to err. We commit errors and fall prey to Shaytaan. Rasulullah ( sallallahu alayhi wasallam ) said "every human being commits sins but the best of sinners are those who repent". You have committed an error and seek forgiveness for your error by Allah. You should be sincere and remorseful over your sin and make a firm determination never to repeat such a sin in the future. Certainly, Allah will forgive you for Allah says "Do not become despondent of Allah, surely He will forgive all your sins". If you have a marriage proposal it will be necessary to inform the boy of your condition. Marrying a chaste woman is an honour and pride for a man. Hiding your condition from a potencial husband the time of the proposal is tantamount to deceit and deception which is Haraam (prohibited). Rasulullah ( sallallahu alayhi wasallam ) said "whoever deceives is not from my Ummah". You should therefore be upright and clarify your condition. You should state that you have repented since and you are remorseful over your error. This attitude will protect you from many misunderstandings that could come up in the future and would cause a great amount of distress and trauma to you. You should not become depressed if your proposal is refused. Keep your attention towards Allah, Inshallah a suitable partner will propose. And Allah knows best Wassalam Mufti Mohammad Zakariyyah Desai, Checked and Approved by: Mufti Ebrahim Desai Darul Iftaa, Madrassah In'aamiyyah __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com <http://mail.yahoo.com> --------------------------------- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check out new cars at Yahoo! Autos. Send instant messages to your online friends http://au.messenger.yahoo.com