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Session Details
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| Guest Name |
Sheikh Ahmad Kutty
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| Profession |
A Senior Lecturer and an Islamic Scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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| Subject |
Fatwas on 'Ud-hiyah and `Eid
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| Date |
Sunday,Feb 9 ,2003
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Time |
Makkah
From...
16:00...To...
17:30
GMT
From... 13:00...To...14:30
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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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Shihab UK, urgent for Eid
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| Question |
As-salamu `alaykum. I have a question regarding moon sighting. Muslim brothers and I in different parts of the world try and see the new moon to determine the start and end of the Islamic lunar months. We have a fairly established system that works well and is verified and checked via the information provided on www.moonsighting.com. Al-hamdulillah, all of our sightings as expected on either the 29th or the 30th day of the lunar month. This has really helped us to determine the beginning and end of Ramadan, other Islamic months as well as other important days of the Islamic Calendar.
We base our findings on actual sightings and not on calculations. The problem is that the results are often in conflict with other Mosques, and members of the family which I believe go according to calculations and not actual sightings.
Unfortunately, this has sometimes resulted in people in the same household celebrating the `Eid on differing days. As a result problems between the husbands and wives, relatives, parents occur. Please could you advise what should be the best course of action to take in this regard. Should we abandon actual sightings and adopt the calculations and opinions of family, local communities in order to keep everyone happy?
Also, what is the position of the husband and wife if one of them differs from the other on this issue? Should they both celebrate the `Eid on different days?
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| Answer |
Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
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 have raised a very important question. May Allah bless you for your desire to practice Islam as best as you can. Having said this, I must state the following:
In Islam, all of the Islamic acts of worship such as salah, zakah, siyam and hajj have a number of objectives, one of them is to enhance and strengthen a spirit of community and discipline. In other words, we are not to act as individuals deciding issues individually for ourselves, rather, we must abide by the collective decision made by the leadership.
While you are required to offer your advice and constructive criticism to the leaders, they are not bound in all circumstances to act on every advice that is given to them. Even if your opinion is correct, and they made a wrong decision based on their own interpretation, you are obligated to follow them. For example, you are under obligation to pray under the imam even if he makes a mistake. It is another matter that you are allowed to remove the leader, should he prove himself as misfit.
Based on this, although moon sighting is the criterion for beginning and ending of Ramadan; it is even more important that the decision be made collectively by the leadership. Individuals are not supposed to take the matter in their own hands and decide when they should fast, or end, or celebrate the `Eid.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said, "You are supposed to fast with people, and celebrate the `Eid with them, and perform sacrifice with the people." In other words, even if you have sighted the moon, and the imam or the leader did not take into account your testimony, and decided on other evidences that he deemed fit, you must go by his decisions, even though he may be mistaken.
This is the reason that all of the imams of the four schools have unanimously stated that we must follow the Arafa day declared by the leader of the hajj even if the basis of his decision were to be proven wrong. And our hajj would be valid only if we were to abide by the decision instead of acting individually.
Therefore, the ideal solution is to follow the collective decision of the community that you are part of, rather than acting individually on your own. You are, however, advised to give feedback to the leadership based on your expert knowledge in this matter. It is up to them to accept it or reject it.
This is the proper Islamic procedure in this matter.
In conclusion, it is important for us to understand that the unity and solidarity of the Ummah to be demonstrated through these rituals of Islam, such as `Eid celebration, Ramdan, and Hajj, etc. are far more important than avoiding mistakes in such a matter."
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Adil
- Denmark
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| Profession |
Student
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Is the ‘Ud-hiyah compulsory or only for those who can afford it?
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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.
"Ud-hiyah is strongly recommended according to the vast majority of scholars. Only a minority of scholars consider it as obligatory or wajib. However, this does not mean that we should neglect; it is a great Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and it has been handed down as a tradition by Prophet Ibrahim.
Most of the rituals of hajj and `Eid-ul-Adha revolve around the faith and sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim and Isma'il; therefore, every leader of the family who can afford to sacrifice should do so."
You can also read:
Udhiyah: Rules and Significance
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Muslimah
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I wear Hijab. I have long hair that I would like to cut shorter. I know of a program in the US which people can donate their long hair to help make wigs for children who have gone bald from cancer. I know that we can not sell our hair. However, is donating our hair for the benefit of sick children haram or not?
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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.
"Since the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has cursed people who make false hair, we should not be part of any such programs. Therefore, you should avoid donating your hair for this purpose. The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said: "Allah curses both those who attach false hair or those who receive it.""
Allah Almighty knows best.
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| Name |
Mohammad
- Australia
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| Profession |
Engineer
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| Question |
As-salamu `alaykum. Do you advise Muslims living in the West to move back to their original Muslim countries? What is our responsibility towards the converts of that country?
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| Answer |
Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
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.
"No, I would not advise Muslims in the West to move to their original Muslim countries. The whole world belongs to Allah, and Allah tells us in the Qur'an to move freely in the land.
However, if a Muslim were to fear that he or she will lose his/her faith by living in the West, then he or she must go back and settle down where he or she can protect his or her religion.
As for others, while living in the West, they should have a sense of mission to share the message of mercy inherent in Islam with the people around them. By doing so, we are fulfilling the prophecy of our beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) who said, "This mission of Islam is going to reach every nook and corner of the world."
May Allah Almighty make us the instruments of guidance."
You can also read:
Duties of Muslims Living in the West
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Abdullahi Abdalla
- Malaysia
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As-salamu `alaykum. What does Islam say about the du`aa with the Imam after the prayer?
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Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
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.
“Making collective du`aa with the Imam after the prayer is not one of the prescribed rituals of prayer. The format of the prayer has been passed on by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said, "pray as you have seen me praying".
It is not mentioned anywhere in the sources that the Prophet, his companions, or righteous successors were in the habit of offering collective du`aa with the Imam after the prayer. Therefore, such a practice should be avoided.
However, if an Imam were to make collective supplications occasionally in order to teach people or for a specific reason, instead of making it a consistent habit, there is nothing wrong with that.”
Allah Almighty knows best.
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shahnizan bin ishak
- Malaysia
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student
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As-salamu `alaykum. I am sorry because the question that I am going to ask is not related to the subject. However, I hope you can answer my question. My question is since September 11th, 2001 Islam has been labeled as a terrorist religion...So how to deny this assumption?
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| Answer |
Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
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.
"It is important for us, Muslims, that we never lose hope and thus become pessimistic about the future of Islam and Muslims. The Qur'an narrates to us the stories of Prophets, who in the darkest hours of their lives and struggles they cherished true faith and patience. Finally, Allah graced them with victory.
In the predicament Muslims are facing today, we must ask ourselves where we have gone wrong and how we can correct our situation. Allah says: "Verily Allah does not change the conditions of people until they change their inner conditions. (Ar-Ra`d: 11)
In order for the Muslim to assume their leadership role, they must reform themselves in the following areas:
1-We must renew our relationship with Allah Almighty.
2- We must engage in spiritual purification.
3- We must excel in our work as individuals and as a community.
4- We must achieve moral excellence.
Without fulfilling the above Qur'anic imperatives, we cannot expect Allah Almighty to help us. Let us, therefore, depend on Allah and ourselves and take responsibility for our situation instead of blaming everyone else for our miserable state. Remember, Islam is a religion of empowerment and not a religion of pessimism and helplessness. "Allah speaks the truth and He guides us to the straight way." (Al-Ahzab: 4)"
You can also read:
What Does Islam Say about Terrorism?
Allah Almighty knows best.
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| Name |
Moneeb
- Malaysia
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Student
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As-salamu `alaykum. I want to ask about fating on the day of `Arafa, which will be tomorrow (in Saudi Arabia) but Malaysia is one day behind according to the Islamic calendar. Can I fast with Saudi Arabia or should I fast with Malaysia?
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Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
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.
"Fasting on the day of `Arafa is a highly recommend Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and there is only one Arafa day, that is the day declared by the leader of the Hajj.
Therefore, we should fast on Monday, no matter where we are situated in the world. This is based on the idea that the Arafa day is the day when pilgrims perform the rite of standing on the plain of Arafat, and therefore there cannot be two Arafa days, but only one."
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Muhammad
- United States
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The heads of different groups in USA and Canada have done it again. Some say the `Eid is on Tuesday and others say that it is on Wednesday.
Depending on which group you follow, you may be committing a major sin.
Please let us not make this trivial, because it bothers some people very much. Matters of haram and halal are not trivial to be overlooked and brushed aside.
Is this disagreement anything more than turf battle for control of public, and power and money that goes with it?
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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.
"I agree with you in expressing my disgust for the division prevailing in the community concerning the day of Arafa and `Eid-ul-Adha. If there is one piece of wisdom that we could learn from the great Imams it is this:
In spite of their individual differences concerning the grounds for deciding the observance of fasting and `Eid celebration, they were always going by the decision of the judge or the qadi in such matters, no matter which school of jurisprudence he came from, because such decisions are not left to individuals but to the collective leadership.
The confusion that we experience here is due to the failure to understand the unity and the community spirit that we must nurture through the rituals of Islam.
Therefore, let us pray and strive to achieve unity by educating ourselves in the higher objectives and purposes of the Shari'ah, rather than becoming obsessed with the minor details. In other words, what is most important is to achieve unity in our observances, rather than avoiding simple mistakes in such minor details."
Allah Almighty knows best.
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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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