Search »

Advanced Search »

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Brothers and sisters, the session has already started. You can submit your questions. Please, make your questions short and clear so as to help us answer all your questions.

Yours,

Islam Online Fatwa Editing Desk.

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

You can definitely take your mother and sister for `Umrah, if you can afford to do so; in this case, it would be considered an extremely meritorious act; but you are not allowed to consider such expenses as part of your zakah. Since `Umrah is not fard (obligatory), spending on it cannot be reckoned as essential. Zakah ought to be directed to far more greater priorities.

The case of hajj, however, is different, according to some scholars -if a person never did hajj before. For scholars like Ibn Taymiyah consider it permissible to give zakah to those who have never done hajj.

Allah Almighty knows best.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

The Qur'an and Hadith are inseparably linked to each other in the sense that while the former is the revelation, the latter is its commentary and explanation. The Qur'an itself reiterates the need to look to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as the interpreter of the Qur'an: For instance, we read, "We have revealed the Reminder unto you (O Muhammad,) in order that you may expound to them that which has been revealed." Where does one find the Prophet's explanation of the Qur'an except in the traditions that are well attested? Also, Prophet in so far as he lived he lived to exemplify the ideals of the Qur'an; this is why `A'ishah, the mother of the faithful, described the Prophet's character saying, "His character was the Qur'an!"

Furthermore, the Qur'an also makes it imperative on the faithful to obey the Messenger and look to him as an exemplar in all matters of religion and morals; all of these make it imperative that we must accept the hadith.

Numerous verses such as the ones we have mentioned and scores of others were taken by the companions, the successors and the ideal generations as indicating the absolute necessity of referring to the Hadtih to understand and explain the Qur'an; for us this alone should be a compelling evidence to estimate the crucial nature of hadith. It goes without saying that these were the people who were first addressed by the Qur'an; Qur'an, therefore, orders us to follow their examples, as they are the ones who have been cited by Allah as those with whom Allah is well pleased.

We can therefore safely conclude that those who allege that we can dispense with the Hadith are indeed making up their own religion; it is not the religion that was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) practiced by his companions and the Ummah throughout the ages.

However, this is not to say that we are bound to accept everything that has been reported as hadith. It is rather important to state that the Hadith needs to be critically studied by using proper methodology established by authentic scholars. It also needs to be studied in context. We are in need of looking at the spirit and higher objectives and purposes of Shari`ah; in this way, both the Qur'an and Hadith constitute as perennial sources of a dynamic faith that can unravel deeper wisdom and insight applicable to all times and places. May Allah illuminate our hearts and minds with the infinite wisdom enshrined in the Book and the Sunnah and may He make us worthy bearers of it- ameen.

You can also read:

Authenticity of the Prophet’s Sunnah

The Authority of the Sunnah

The Authenticity of Sahih Al-Bukhari

Allah Almighty knows best.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

1. In your case, there is nothing wrong for you to use a diaper or towel to prevent urine from dropping, for yours falls under the category of those who are excused because of medical reasons. You can simply wash yourself as close to the tawaf you are performing and use a towel or diaper and then you need not worry what happens after. Mind you, according to some scholars, wudu' is not considered an absolute condition for the validity of tawaf. Furthermore, wudu' is not broken in your special case because of medical condition.

2. If your wife has her own independent income then it is better that she spends on her hajj from it; if that is not the case, and rather both of you have a joint income, then you can spend on her hajj as you would spend on yourself. In case she is not contributing financially, as she is taking care of kids or minding home, etc, in that case, you may spend on her hajj as a compassionate act meriting great rewards.

Allah Almighty knows best.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

If you start menstruating before or while traveling for hajj, you are required to assume ihram from the miqat like everyone else, after having washed and cleaned yourself, regardless of whether you are still menstruating or not. This is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised his own wives and the women who were traveling for hajj. He told them to do all of the rites of hajj except tawaf. As for tawaf, you should do it after you are free from menses, and after you have performed ghusl.

So you should assume ihram from the miqat like everyone else; you should also make talbiyah, and engage in dhikr and supplications; you may also read from your memory, select verses and du'as of the Qur'an, although you may not recite the Qur'an from the Mushaf unless there is a need to do so.

Allah Almighty knows best.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

There is no need for you to be confused about such issues. In Islam, we are taught that Allah is All-Merciful and that He has not revealed laws that are hard on us. "He has not appointed hardship for you in your religion."

Coming to the issue of taking birth control pills to stop menses, although some scholars permit it, I personally do not believe it is a good idea to interfere with the natural order of things; menses is what Allah has decreed for women; all of His decrees conform to His infinite Wisdom; so to interfere with it may be harmful for us in the long run. So there is no need to do that.

However, if you did take the pills and you experienced spotting and it resembles menses in color and texture, then it shall still be considered as menses; if it is not, then it shall not be considered as such.

You do not need to be worried about your hajj while menstruating; for while menstruating, you are able to do all the rites of hajj except tawaf. In case of tawaf also there are certain dispensations or concessions allowed, in case of extreme necessity.

A menstruating woman is exempt from tawaf Al-wida if she cannot postpone her journey.

In case of tawaf Al-Ifaadah, which is a pillar, she can do tawaf in a state of menstruation, after cleaning herself and wearing tampons, if she cannot wait in Makkah until such time that her menses stops and she is able to purify herself; this may be the case if she has no choice but to leave with the group she traveled with.

In this exceptional case, because of necessity, she is allowed to perform tawaf, while menstruating; for the condition of purity for the validity of tawaf can be waived in this case. The rule of Shari'ah is: a condition on which the validity of an act of worship is dependent can be waived if it is impossible to fulfill because of circumstances beyond one's control. An example for this: Covering `awrah or facing the Qiblah are conditions for the validity of salah; but they can be waived in cases where a person is prevented from fulfilling them because of conditions he has no control over.

This is the view authenticated by some of the great imams and jurists such as Abu Hanifah, Ibn Taymiyah, etc.

So you may do yourself a great favor by seeking to understand the infinite mercy in the Shari`ah, which takes into account all circumstances.

Allah Almighty knows best.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

1. While it is true that there are no restrictions on woman in terms of dress while in ihram, that does not mean that she is allowed to wear high heal shoes or provocative dresses, etc. Since spirit of hajj is shunning indulgences and comforts, she should wear only simple and ordinary shoes and not those that are inviting attention to her.

2. It is allowed for women and those who are unable to endure the crowd because of being physically challenged, to leave Muzdalifah, as long as they have spent some time in Muzdalifh after sunset, after leaving `Arafah;

3. It is allowed for those who are sick to delegate the rite of throwing pebbles to others; but one is not allowed to do so while enjoying good health. Since you had delegated your husband due to illness, there is no sacrifice necessary for you;

4. It is perfectly permissible for your husband to hold your hands while performing tawaf. It does not invalidate your tawaf.

Allah Almighty knows best.

Brothers and sisters, we are so sorry for not answering all your questions because the time is over. We apologize for any inconvenience. Do keep in touch. Join us in coming sessions.

Yours,
Islam Online Fatwa Editing Desk.

News | Shari`ah | Health & Science | Politics in Depth | Reading Islam | Family | Culture | Youth | Euro-Muslims | IOL Radio