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Session Details
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| Guest Name |
Dr. Sano Koutoub Moustapha
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| Profession |
Professor of Jurisprudence & Its Principles at the International Islamic University, Malaysia.
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| Subject |
Summer Activities & Volunteerism
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| Date |
Sunday,Jun 15 ,2003
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Time |
Makkah
From...
16:00...To...
17:30
GMT
From... 13:00...To...14:30
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| Name |
Host
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| Question |
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| Answer |
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.
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.
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| Name |
Mahmud
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| Question |
I am a young Muslim. I really wonder how could a young Muslim like me benefit from the summer vacation, especially when one is eager to do voluntary acts? Is there a basis for such a thing in Islam?
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| Answer |
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.
"Surely, there are so many activities you can benefit from during your summer vacation such as taking a positive role in community services, helping the needy people, visiting sick fellow Muslims in hospitals, lending a helping hand to helpless brothers and sisters especially in the Muslim world.
In addition, you should utilize the summer vacation to strengthen your level of memorizing the Glorious Qur'an, learning more about your religion.
Moreover, you may take the summer vacation as an opportunity to visit Muslim countries in different parts of the world as Islam recommends traveling around the world for those who are able to do so in order for them to witness and see the greatness and Oneness of Allah as stated in the verse:2:137, and 29:20.
I shall stress here that there are endless opportunities from which a Muslim can gain endless benefits as far as the issue in point is concerned. Moreover, one should have a proper plan for that. One should never forget to apply in his vacation the teachings of Islam.
You should be a good ambassador of Islam and you should present Islam to others as a peaceful religion. Try your best to make use of every single minute in your summer vacation.
May Allah bless you and guide you and all beloved brothers and sisters."
Allah Almighty knows best.
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| Name |
Ali
- Egypt
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| Question |
Dear scholar, As-Salamu Alaykum. Would you please tell me what is meant by volunteerism and is it ok for me as a Muslim living in the West to participate in voluntary action or activities with non-Muslims?
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| Answer |
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.
“Volunteerism” does refer to doing an activity voluntarily and without being paid for it or without expecting any material reward from it.
As for Muslims, they are strongly recommended to do many volunteerism and they should do so for the sake of Allah and with hope of getting His rewards in Hereafter.
In fact, there is no harm for Muslims living in the West to undertake voluntary activities with non-Muslims. Furthermore, they are strongly recommended to do so in order for them to introduce Islam to non-Muslims during these activities in a very kind and peaceful manner. Muslims have to mix with non-Muslims as much as they can in order for them to call them to Islam and introduce to them the beauty and greatness of the wonderful religion, Islam.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), said, “The believer who mixes with the people and have patience and tolerance with them is better than the believer who doesn't mix with the people.”
Da`wah (calling others to Islam) should not be limited and focused on Muslims only, it has to move around and look for opportunities and seize the chances.
All in all, Islam recommends your kind participation in voluntary activities with Muslims as well as with non-Muslims. May Allah bless you!
Allah Almighty knows best.
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| Name |
Khadijah
- United States
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| Profession |
student
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| Question |
I live quite far from any Mosque, and there are no Muslim activities or organizations near me. Can I spend my summer- and maybe some of my free time during the school year- volunteering in a non-Muslim organization that does public service? Or maybe I could volunteer in a hospital or something? Is it okay if it's not with a Muslim organization?
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| Answer |
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.
"Yes, there is no harm to volunteer in a hospital or to do other voluntary acts with non-Muslim organizations. You should try to the best of your ability to have useful interactions with non-Muslims in your community. Surely, this is a golden opportunity to introduce the true face of Islam and its wonderful and peaceful teachings to non-Muslims. You should do your best to rectify the distorted image of Islam and Muslims."
Allah Almighty knows best.
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| Name |
Ahmad W.
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| Question |
As-Salamu `alaykum.
Dear Dr. Sano, could you please give me a guidance on how a Muslim can make use of the summer holiday, so as to refresh himself and at the same time serve his community?
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| Answer |
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.
As stated earlier, one should try to have a comprehensive plan for how and what and where he or she wishes to spend summer holiday. It stands to reason that holidays should be a moment of relaxing, refreshing your mind if you are student.
Furthermore, it should be a time for planning for your future and communicating with others. Serving your community which might be in dire need of your help should not be neglected. Yet, one should try to do his or her best and benefit from every single day of the summer holiday.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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| Name |
Funsho
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Dear Sheikh, nice to see you on IslamOnline. Concerning summer activities, can you please explain to us some da`wah activities that we Muslim youth in the West should focus on? And what are the things that we need to do to preserve our iman during this period of year that youth are more prone to be irresponsible? Thanks.
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| Answer |
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.
"Thanks brother Funsho. As for da`wah activities I shall recommend you as well as other Muslim youth in the West to make use of the following:
1-Be good ambassadors of Islam wherever you go. As an ambassador, you are expected to introduce the right and wonderful teachings of your religion to others. As an ambassador, you are expected to correct the wrong and false image and feelings of hatred towards Islam.
2-Fear your Lord "Allah" wherever you are. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said: “Fear Allah wherever you are, follow a bad deed with a good one and behave in a good manner.”
Indeed, fearing Allah means to observe Islamic teachings by doing all the obligatory acts, and avoiding all the prohibited ones. Vacation times are supposed to add more and more benefit to the life of the Muslim. In holiday times, religious awareness should be increased.
3-Be keen to recite the Qur'an from time to time and enhance your good relationship with it. Try to memorize few extra verses and get to know new Prophetic Hadiths. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray to Allah to make the Qur'an as a spring for his heart, solutions to his problems and difficulties. Try to do the same thing and specify some of your time for reading and learning its meaning
4-Try to accompany those who are righteous and honest all the time. Being alone will give the Satan a chance to push you to commit evil activities.
Therefore, you should try your best to be with righteous people who always remind you and protect you from the Satan and his partisans.
Finally, I shall insist that the image of Islam in the West needs to be corrected peacefully and quickly. You should take part in this noble and urgent mission by disassociating our beloved religion with all evils and violations.
Different communities could be your target of correcting the wrong image. May Allah bless your efforts.”
Allah Almighty knows best.
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| Name |
Muhammad
- Egypt
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| Question |
I admire your answer to the questions of Mahmud and Ali on volunteerism. Could you please give further details and evidence for this concept in Islam as stated in Qur’an, Sunnah and the practice of Muslims?
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| Answer |
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.
Indeed, there are many verses in the Qur'an which call upon Muslims to interact with non-Muslims, such as verses: 60:8, 9:6, in addition to verses which were revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) urging him to call the People of the Book to Islam and its teachings.
Furthermore, the biography of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is full of occasions which he benefited from and used for the interest of Da`wah. It was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) visited a young Jewish who fell sick. At the end of his visit, the Prophet called him to Islam and the father of the young Jewish advised him to obey the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The boy converted to Islam.
Nevertheless, there are many practical examples which urge the Muslim to seize various opportunities to serve the cause of Islam. May Allah guide all of us on the right path!
Allah Almighty knows best.
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| Name |
Badr
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| Question |
As a student of international relations, don't you think that the word "volunteerism" may be somehow linked to the word "Jihad" in a sense that both aim at gaining Allah's reward by striving in His Cause regardless of what one does. I mean, it can be called "Jihad for Society or Community Betterment"; what do you think?
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| Answer |
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 problem of expanding the scope of “Jihad” to cover the volunteerism. But, I do stand for calling it “humanitarian activities” rather than “Jihad”. Surely, the meaning of “Jihad” is included in this work.
Nevertheless, the terms do not matter, but the contents are what matter. I do not have any objection to calling it “Jihad” or “volunteerism”.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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| Name |
drame. mohamed
- Angola
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| Profession |
musilm
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| Question |
Does Islam call for killing the other?
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| Answer |
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.
"Surely, Islam does not call for killing and taking the life of any innocent human being. Killing an innocent person is regarded as a big sin. Accordingly, Islam should not be associated with any killing on its name. The life of the human being is sacred in Islam and no body has a right to take or destroy it.
Therefore, I shall appeal to you and all others to correct this wrong image about Islam, which is about peace, love, compassion and peaceful co-existence with others.
It is enough to know that the greeting in Islam does stand for peace and safety of all peoples regardless their religions. Islam calls for constructive dialogue, intellectual discourse and mutual respect among the members of different faiths and religions. It does also reject all forms of violence, killing, murdering, and injustice.
Let us know more about the true and real face of this great and wonderful religion. Believe me, Islam came for the interest and prosperity of mankind on this earth. May Allah guide all of us to the right path."
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You can also read:
Does Islam Call for Killing Innocents?
Do Muslims Kill Their Opponents?
Islam and Constructive Dialogue
Allah Almighty knows best.
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| Name |
Heba
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| Question |
As-Salamu `alaykum. Is it halal or lawful for a girl to go for swimming in a public pool where there will males and females spending a vacation on the beach?
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| Answer |
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.
"Islam blocks all means leading to evils. Swimming in a public pool where males and females are mixed is not allowed. At such places, the `awrah of both males and females is definitely exposed and that will surely lead to evil.
Therefore, a female Muslim should avoid swimming in a public pool where both members of the opposite sex mix. Of course, there is no harm of swimming with the same gender while the `awarh is covered."
You can also read:
Enjoying Summer at Beaches
Can a Muslim Woman Go to Public Swimming Pools?
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Editor
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| Question |
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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.
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.
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| All Fatwas published on this website (Islamonline.net) represent the juristic views and opinions of eminent scholars and Muftis. They do not necessarily form a juristic approach upheld by this website. Click here to read Full Disclaimer. |
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