Could you please explain Qadr? Do people have free will or is decreed by Allah and we are simply doing what He ordained?
Answer
There are things which have to be very clear. Nothing happens in the world without Allah's knowledge, power and will. Allah (SWT) willed that human beings have a will, power and knowledge. No one other than Allah has absolute freedom in free will. When He wants for a thing to be, He simply says "Be" and it is.
Also, as an example, a person may want to do something, but Allah doesn't want for that thing to happen.
Therefore, people will be held accountable in terms of the truth whether they accept it or not once it has been clarified to them.
Humans have no control over issues such as what color they are, how tall they are, the place where they are born, but they do have the choice of either accepting or rejecting the truth.
This is so because Allah is just. He doesn't hold a person responsible for that which he has no control. He says in the Qur'an, "Let he who wills to believe and let he who wills to disbelieve."
As an example, suppose that someone makes the will to make Hajj, but something happens to that person before they make it. Allah will write that Hajj for the person due to their will to make the Hajj even if they were unable to complete it.
Also, if a person wanted to kill another person, but he was killed first, he would be held accountable for the will that he intended to kill the other person and he will be punished. The Prophet (SAAWS) said, "If two Muslims meet with their swords against each other, then the one who killed and the one who died will both be in Hellfire." The companions understood why the killer would be put in Hellfire, but the one who was killed puzzled them. The Prophet (SAAWS) explained to the companions that it was because the one who dies also was intent on killing his companion. Therefore, his will had a role in his end. Of course, we know that they will not stay in Hellfire for eternity because they are Muslims, but they were punished for their wills and their actions.
Name
Anonymous
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Profession
Question
I have read through some of your answers to the questions regarding homosexuality. It's shows your lack of understanding of the issue or just the typical mentality of not being able to accept people who are different. The opinion stated seems to be of person who has no idea of how complex a human being is. I would advise you to think a hundred times before you judge people and before you decide for them what God thinks about them. I am a muslim. Born and raised in a very conservative muslim country. I had complete faith in my religion and practiced it for 27 years. I am one of these people who you are talking about. I banished practicing my religion because of rheotric like this. I blamed myself for the whole situation for most of my life, untill I realized that I had done nothing to cause it. Whether it is genetic or not I didn't do it to myself. That's when I had to decide whether I had to stay whith rhetoric like yours and blame myself for the rest of my life or just accept it as a fact that I cannot run away from. It is very easy for you to say people like us are sinners or should be put to death. I think the reason why you can say that so easily is because, to you it may seem an outside phenomenon. I think you will only make an effort to truly understand it if one of your own kids or some one close to you is faced with the situation. I will ask you then if you can still utter those words so easily. From my end let me tell you. Unlike the story of Lut I am not chasing after every man to just get my hands into their paints. I am human being have fallen in love only a few times in my life. It happened to be that all of them were of the same sex. I have loved them just like you would love a woman. I have cared for them. Have stayed up all nights to pray to God to be with them. When I think of it from a natural stand point. I dont see anything wrong with it. Just look around your self and look at what God has created and then tell me if God could be so narrow minded and unable to undersand his own creation. It is only when I think of God and religion from your standing point that nothing makes sense. I would suggest you go back and think about the issues again before you decide for people what God thinks about them. Have you ever thought about how much pain and agony your rhetoric causes people like us. Have you ever thought about how many people it must has driven away from Islam. And, have you ever thought about how it may have even caused people to take their own lives. If you really believe in God I am sure you also know that you will be held responsible for every word that you utter.
Answer
You are not expressing personal views. If you were expressing personal views about homosexuality, then you would say the correct answers.
If we are talking about Islam and being Muslims, Allah has given us very clear criterion as to what sources we take our beliefs from. They are the Qur'an, which is the word of Allah in the literal sense and the traditions of Prophet Muhammad (SAAWS), who did not speak out of his own desires.
For example, the story of Lut is in the Qur'an. In it, Allah describes the actions of the people of Lut as committing a Fahisha (an abominable sin). Also, Lut describes the sin that they committed as being a very hateful sin.
Also, the Prophet said about people that committed homosexual acts the way that the people of Lut did that the one who committed the act should be killed as well as the one who they did it to.
This act is not something from the nature in which Allah created human beings. It is a deviation and a disease, which can be cured.
If the man is a constant in this sin, but he recognizes in his heart that it is wrong, makes taubah to Allah and leaves it, then Allah will forgive him.
Even if he commits this sin, doesn't repent, but knows that it is wrong, he will be punished for it, but he is still a Muslim.
However, if this person believes that this sin is not wrong, then he is no longer a Muslim. Even a man who is not homosexual but believes that homosexuality is acceptable and permissible, if a man like this believes this, then he is no longer a Muslim. This was the problem of Lut. They were not only homosexuals, but they believed that homosexuality was lawful.
Also, the excuse of love cannot be used here because even that could cause problems. This includes heterosexual people. They cannot simply go around and have sex with anybody they want to. They are only permitted to do this with their spouse.
Imagine if a man loved his neighbor's wife so much and he then committed adultery with her. Would that be acceptable? Of course not.
In addition, husbands are not allowed to have sexual intercourse with their wives in the manner of anal sex. Therefore, this is not only for homosexual actions, but it is impermissible across the boards.
But I say, that there is still hope for you. Do not believe that this is simply how you are. There is still hope for you to get back to Allah, but you have to consider the natural way.
Name
Jameelah
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Profession
Question
Could you give some examples of how Muslims have adopted secular thought? What do you think this problem stems from? And how to solve this problem of secular though creeping into the minds of Muslims?
Answer
There is no one cure for that. There are many reasons Muslims have been effected by secular thought.
First of all, the West is now at its highest peak in influencing the world. Therefore, everything in the West from news programs to books to music has an influence on the Muslim mind. This is coupled by the fact that many Muslims don't have the ability to have a strong foundation of Islamic knowledge, therefore leaving them succeptable to be effected by sources outside of Islam.
Also, there has been an influence of people's philosophy of science on the sciences. The prevailing philosophy has become athiestic and materialistic.
Much of western philosophy comes to human beings in the guise of social sciences. Therefore, people should be very careful what they take in the universities for which they study.
People must stay very close to the Qur'an. Muslims should read the Qur'an every day, reflecting on the verses and signs that Allah (SWT) is showing us.
Also, reading books, such as Riyadh us-Saliheen, Sahih Al-Bukhari will benefit Muslims.
We should also not simply accept everything that others say. We should be critical of everything and reflect upon things that we confront, are exposed to and learn about. This is what makes a student of Islam dynamic. We should not be like parrots, simply repeating everything that we hear from others or reciting the Qur'an with no reflection involved.
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Muslim
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Profession
Question
Would you say that the term “Islamist” has some secular qualities to it? I have met some different Islamist activists who have come from various philosophical thoughts, such as Communism, and have taken an Islamist label? In what ways might this have to do with secular thinking and the effects that is has on the Muslim soul?
Answer
Unfortunately, the session has ended and the Shiekh had to go. In sha Allah, we will be having another session with Dr. Idris very soon.
*Islam Online
Name
MAHMOOD
- United States
Profession
Question
salamolkum Sh jaafar it is really good to hear from you on Islam-Online.May ALLAH accept our ramadan.
Salamolkum
And how is it that Muslims can stop this from spreading?
Has this phenonemnon occured before in the history of Islam? Somtimes in our community we have found who people consider to be scholars i.e will say buying a house on Riba is ok many other examples. Don't these people know?Islam
Answer
Unfortunately, the session has ended and the Shiekh had to go. In sha Allah, we will be having another session with Dr. Idris very soon.
*Islam Online
Name
Ghassan
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Profession
Student
Question
When The Prophet (saaw) stated that the Muslim Nation would be divided into 73 different groups, would that also include the various militant and/or political factions that are spread throughout the world? The carry different names and have different ideas on how to reestablish Islam, thus would the not be considered a deviant religion?
Answer
Unfortunately, the session has ended and the Shiekh had to go. In sha Allah, we will be having another session with Dr. Idris very soon.
