Chapter 12: Related Questions in Islam

It is extremely important to always remember the very basic rule of Islam, namely, that we do in matters of worship and religion what the Prophet has taught us to do. He is our example in every thing which brings us nearer to Allah. If he has stopped short of telling us anything then that thing or action cannot be pat of our religion or worship, no matter how good or desirable it may appear.

This is the implicit meaning of the second half of our main article of faith. When we say "I bear witness that there is no deity save Allah, and I bear witness Mohammad is His messenger". We are actually saying that we derive our understanding of Islam from Prophet Mohammad the messenger Allah sent to us to teach us our religion. It is important to remember here that the Prophet was the most religious of all Muslims. If he has not done a certain act of worship then that act cannot be part of Islam. If we practice it, thinking it is part of the religion of Islam, we are either accusing the Prophet of not knowing a part of the religion he has been sent to convey to us, or we are accusing him of omitting to convey to us something he knew. For be it from us to contemplate for a moment any such accusation. The Prophet has certainly conveyed to us our religion complete. His teaching of what Allah wants us to do.

To add anything to the religion is to harm Islam, Allah tells us in the Qur'an that; "He has perfected our religion". What is perfected by Allah cannot be made "more perfect", by man. Allah also tells us that He has completed "the religion of Islam for us". Something which is complete cannot admit any addition. When you add to it, your addition implies that it is incomplete. Moreover, the Prophet has taught us everything which earns us Allah's reward omitting nothing. If we start adding things to Islam, feeling that they earn us more reward from Allah, our action implies that the Prophet has not taught us everything which brings us nearer to Allah. This is an affront to the Prophet. For be it from us to make any such claim, express or implied.

Question:

Innovation; Celebrating the Prophets Birthday? Why is it an innovation, although it is only an expression of our happiness?

Answer:

Neither the Prophet nor his companions celebrated the Prophets birthday. Hence to think that such a celebration is part of our religion is to introduce into Islam something which is not part of it. No one has the authority to do that. We refer to our Prophet for guidance in anything which relates to us religion. Any practice which gives the impression of being an act of worship and which was not done by the Prophet is an innovation (i.e. BIDA'AH). No such innovation is admissible in the religion of Islam. Indeed, if someone believes that such an innovation makes Islam more complete, he puts himself on an equal footing with Allah. He is in effect saying to Allah that he can improve on what Allah has legislated. By so doing, he takes himself totally outside the religion of Islam.

It is extremely important to guard against any such an innovation. The practice of reciting the "Fatiha" to observe the occasion as practiced by Muslim in India and Pakistan is one such innovation. It certainly has all the appearance of an act of worship recitation of the Qur'an, distribution of food to the poor being practiced on a fixed date for a specific occasion etc. This is not the way to demonstrate our love of the Prophet. Our love of him can be best demonstrated by following his example, not by adding something which he did not do.

Someone may suggest that the Prophet's modesty would not have allowed him to celebrate his own birthday. Such an argument is without basis. The Prophet told us expressly to pray for him. We do so as he has taught us. He had to put his modesty aside when it come to teaching us how to demonstrate our love and respect of him, as we should do so in order to earn Allah's pleasure. Hence, if it was part of our faith to celebrate the Prophet's birthday or to connect that with the practice of "fatiha", he would have certainly told us about it. Sine he has not, we cannot consider it to be part of our religion . As I have already said, it is a BIDA'AH or an innovation. No such innovations are admissible in Islamic worship.

Question:

Innovation? Seerat-An-Nabi.

Answer:

This I understand is a celebration connected to the Prophet (PBUH) where speakers are invited to talk about the character and life of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

There is nothing to be said against arranging a meeting and inviting one or more speakers to talk about any aspect of Islam, including the life and the character of the Prophet (PBUH). We have to remember, however that this can be done at any time, without linking it to any particular occasion, real or imaginary. A Muslim should always follow the example of the Prophet in all affairs. Allah tells us that the Prophet sets us a good example for behaviour if we truly seek the pleasure of Allah and success on the day of judgement. To try to learn more about the Prophet and his life is highly commendable.

When we add a specific time clement to such learning, we any be stepping over stippery grounds. The time element is inevitably related to a particular occasion. In other words, we are celebrating That particular occasion, making the speeches on the character and life of the Prophet as a total for our celebration. This is not what Islam approves of. If we continue to do so over a number of years, that occasion will come to be linked with this sort of celebration and learning about the Prophet (PBUH) may come to be viewed within the narrow context of that particular occasion. The Prophet sets us the good example to follow throughout our lives, in all our affairs. Hence, it must not be linked to any particular occasion or circumstances only. That occasion will son come to be viewed as a religious occasion a feast of some sort. It adds something to Islam which is not part of it.

This is exactly what happened over the years with the celebration of the Prophet's birthday. When we state to people that the Prophet did not celebrate his own birthday, nor did his companions after his death, nor did those in the following generation, questions are hailed at us. What is the harm in celebrating such an occasion or any seemingly religious occasion ? It is only an occasion to remember the Prophet, or an act of worship so we think, so why should it banned ?

The answer to this is that it is an addition to Islam, and Allah tells us in the Qur'an that, He has perfected our religion", and that we cannot make it more perfect.

We certainly need to learn about the Prophet and his life. That will teach us a great deal about how to conduct our lives as good Muslims. Our learning, however, must not be linked to any specific time or occasion. People tend to think that by celebrating such occasions, they fulfill their duty as good Muslims. They come to the mosque or to a get together for this special occasion, although they do not attend regularly to their five daily prayers. In other words, they give more importance to something which is not part of Islam than their obligatory prayers.

Question:

Innovation? Celebration of the Prophet's night Journey i.e. SHAB-E-MAIRAJ and SHAB-E-RAAT the night of 15th of SHABAAN and SHAB-E-QADR or the night of prayer.

Answer:

That the Prophet made his night journey from Makkah to Jerusalem and back on the same night, is certainly beyond any doubt. This is mentioned in the opening verse of Surah 17 in the Qur'an, which takes the title "the night journey". That, all the previous Prophets were gathered on that night in Jerusalem and they all offered a prayer of thanks to Allah, led by Prophet Mohammad, is also certain. This is stated in an authentic Hadith which no one can easily dismiss. The idea of gathering the Prophets for a meeting and prayer, led by Prophet Mohammad, should not be difficult, for a Muslim, to accept. We believe that Allah is able to do anything. Hence, to gather those Prophets for such an occasion is easy for Him.

The occasion represents most clearly the unity of all divine messages. We believe that all Prophets and messengers preached, to their people the fact that Allah is one. No other being or object may be worshipped alongwith him. Moreover, the Prophet's night Journey was divine act of grace by which Allah reassured the Prophet that He was preaching the message of truth and that all opposition he was facing, would come to nothing. The journey took place on the night of 27th of Rajab in the tenth year of the Prophet's message, when it appeared that all his efforts to persuade the Arabs to abandon their idol worship and believe in the oneness of Allah were in vain.

As to the actual process of how those Prophets were gathered, or how Allah's messenger was able to travel from Makkah to Jerusalem and back, and to ascend to the Heaven on the same night, at a time when it needed a month to cover that distance each way, all this is part of the unseen or GHAIB, or what Allah has chosen not to reveal to us.

This night journey of the Prophet took place on the 27th of the month of Rajab, but the date is not to be commemorated by the Muslims as a result of that. The Prophet did not commemorate it in any way, nor did he suggest or recommend to his companions and followers to do so in any form. SHAB E-RAAT: There is also a gross misunderstanding about the significance of the middle night; i.e. 15th of Shaban. People say that Allah decides the fate of all human beings and what will happen to them during the coming year. This is absolutely false and there is no shred of evidence to support it.

If we bear in mind that Allah has perfected our religion of Islam, and that the Prophet has certainly conveyed to us our religion complete and that his teaching is the perfect teaching of what Allah wants us to do, and then look at the practice of the Prophet and his companions, we find that neither he, nor they, made any special effort to commemorate or celebrate either of these two nights. We find no explicit or implicit reference whatsoever in the Prophet's guidance to any commemoration required or being desirable of his night journey. Nor did he ever recommend to any of his companions to make a special celebration of the middle night or the 15th of Shaban. How then can anyone claim that either of these two nights have any particular significance which calls for a religious celebration ? Any thing of this sort is only an addition to Islam which cannot be authenticated or permitted by Allah. It is an innovation which remains inadmissible no matter how many people take part in it. The proper Islamic practice is to follow the Prophet. TheProphet has not celebrated or done anything special on these two nights, so we as Muslims must do nothing either.

SHAB-E-QADR: (LAILAT-UL-QADR) or the night of Power is different. It is the night in which Quranic revelations started. The Qur'an contains a Surah devoted to it - Surah XCVII. It translate as follows:

"We have indeed revealed this (message) in the Night of Power; And what will explain to thee what the Night of Power is ? The Night of Power is better than a thousand Months. Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by God's permission, on every errand; Peace ! This until the rise of Morn"!

As you realize, there is a specific reference in the Surah the need to celebrate that night by worship as angels and the spirits do. Moreover, we are told, by the Prophet that he and his nation have been given that night in worship and sincere devotion to Allah, he is certain to be forgiven his past sins. Most people believe that the night of power is that of the 27th of Ramadan. The most authentic traditions of the Prophet, however, do not specify a single night. The Prophet tells us to seek it on the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan. This means that it may fall on the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th or 29th of Ramadan. Moreover, it may vary among those dates from one year to another.

Question:

Singing in Praise of the Prophet. NA'AT and QAWWALIS; is this practice acceptable?

Answer:

The practice of singing in praise of the Prophet (PBUH) started when Muslims began to lose sight of the true role of the Prophet and what duty Islam imposes on his followers with regard to the Prophet and his teachings. The idea of "loving" the Prophet took hold of their minds and they thought that by expressing their love to the Prophet they endear themselves to him and to Allah and increase their award on the day of Judgement. It is that expression of love which gave birth to the sort of poems which are described as na'ath and qawwali. Tunes were set to them and people with melodious voices started signing them and competing with one another in the same ways as singers do. Some of them become professionals. People began to compete as to which of these singers they hire on such occasions as celebrating the Prophets birthday, which is in itself an innovation. The more famous the singer is, the higher are his rates. Bands of such signers were formed and the art has become a full fledged section of music and singing. The question which we must ask ourselves in order to understand what value can be attached to this sort of singing is what is the proper Islamic concept of the role of the Prophet? What does Islam expect of its followers towards the Prophet? How far does this sort of singing bring them nearer to the fulfillment of their duties toward Allah and the Prophet.

There is no doubt that Islam required us to love the Prophet. An authentic Hadith of the Prophet says; No one of you is a true believer until Allah and his messenger are dearer to him than himself". In other words, we must love the Prophet more than we love ourselves. How do we demonstrate this love ? Islam gives us a very clear answer. It is only through following the Prophet's guidance that we can truly express our love to the man who conveyed to us Allah's message and gave us good counsel with regard to how we save ourselves on the day of Judgement. Allah says in the Qur'an;

"Do whatever the Prophet bids you and refrain from whatever he forbids you". (****)

This is indeed the mark of true love. One does not show his father that he truly loves him if he were to disobey him in whatever he asks of him, no matter how strongly he professes his love for his father. Verbal expression counts for little unless it is backed by action. This is in fact the case with faith in general. The Prophet defines faith as "what is firmly held in a persons mind and to which credence is given by action". With regard to loving the Prophet that love can be expressed only through following his guidance. Abiding by what he has ordered and implementation of his Sunnahs. If anybody fails on that score he does not truly love the Prophet no matter how many hours he spends singing or listening to his praises. The Prophet lived for 23 years giving us a practical example of what Allah wants of us and in the process he had to sacrifice a great deal. Appreciation of that sacrifice cannot be truly expressed unless we do what he wants us to do.

We find nothing in the teachings of the Prophet which speaks in any sense of approval of composing poems, describing his beauty or expressing verbally our love of him. Nor does he give any hint of any reward being given to people who sing such praises. Moreover, signing and listening to such praises gives us nothing but the false impression that we really love the Prophet. We sit there for hours listening to melodious tunes and fine poetry, but what next ? How are we really working for the cause he sacrificed a great deal to outline to us ? With the answer to all these questions being in the negative, then no value can be attached to these poems or their singing. The Prophet did not even suggest to us that we do them, nor any of his companions or any member of the following generations did anything of the sort. They do nothing to further the cause of Islam more than giving us the false impression that we are doing something which pleases Allah, while in fact, Allah is not pleased with us for wasting our time doing nothing for his cause.

Question:

Was the Prophet created of light? Some Muslims in the Indo-Pak Sub-Content say that Allah created the Prophet even before the creation of the angels in heaven?

Answer:

There is a statement which suggests that the Prophet was created from light. This statement, however, is far from authentic. Its attribution to the Prophet cannot be established in any way. Moreover, it is in conflict with what the Qur'an instructs the Prophet to say about himself;

"Say; "I am but a man like yourselves, (but) the inspiration has come to me, that your God is one God". (XVIII : 110).

Also.

"Before thee, also, the apostles we sent were but men, to whom we granted inspiration; If ye realise this not, ask of those who possess the Message. or did we give them bodies that ate no food, nor were they exempt from death". (XXI : 7-8).

We know that the Prophet's birth was normal. Given the Quranic statements of the fact, how can we argue that the Prophet was created differently from us ? There is indeed no truth whatsoever in that argument. Moreover, it serves no purpose. If we try to give the Prophet any super human status our attempt goes against the specific teachings of the Qur'an and the Prophet. We do not give him through that any superior position to that which eh already enjoys. If we want to honor him, remember that Allah has honored him more than we do by choosing him to convey His message to man. What greater honor can we attribute to the Prophet than this.

The suggestion that the Prophet was a star before he become a human being is absolutely absurd. It has no basis whatsoever in the teachings of the Prophet or in the Qur'an. People may say what they like. The truth is that which is revealed by Allah in the Qur'an or expressed in the Hadith of the Prophet. In neither do we find anything to support that claim.

Again, no purpose is served by claiming that the Prophet was the first to be created. Prior to receiving Allah's creations. Mohammad (PBUH) was an ordinary human being (XXI : 7-8). But the fact that he was Allah's messenger gives him a position of love, respect and high esteem by every Muslim, in every generation, in every country. What do we hope to give the Prophet more than this ? If we imagine a greater position, the Prophet himself had never sought it. Besides, what we imagine is false. True love of the Prophet cannot be expressed by giving him position which he has not been given by Allah. True love can be expressed only through a determined effort to follow his example in every respect. When we know that he has ordered his followers to do something and we do it unhesitatingly, then we truly express our great love of the Prophet. If anyone wants to be a true Muslim, he should know that true Islam necessitates following the Prophet in all that he has instructed us to do.

Question:

DAROOD. Is it correct to say the following prayer for the Prophet "My Lord bless Prophet Mohammad and his household as many times as the number of all illnesses and for cures?

Answer:

That form of prayer for the Prophet in its Arabic origin, is not reported with any degree of authenticity to have been used by the Prophet. Since we should always look to the Prophet in order to learn how to worship Allah, and how to practice our religion, including that part of it which expresses our love and respect of the Prophet, it is better to confine ourselves to what he has taught us. This particular prayer for the Prophet is then, better abandoned.

Question:

Visiting graveyards or tombs of Muslim saints; Reading of Surah Al-Fatiha; Miraculous powers of "AULIA" or saints.

Answer:

Visiting graveyards is recommended to Muslims because it reminds one of one's certain death when one can no longer make amends for past sins or misdeeds. That is, however, different from what people understand by visiting the tombs of saints. Indeed, to make a tomb of any sort, other than a simple grave, is not allowed. To make shrine of the tomb of anybody, whereby people think that they are making an act of worship by visiting such a shrine, is strictly forbidden. Moreover, if one visits the grave of anyone in order to seek the help of that deceased person with regard to anything that we may be facing in his own life is a form of polytheism or "shirk" which takes the person concerned totally outside the path of Islam. One must, therefore, be careful about what to say or do when visiting the graves of one near and dear.

The proper attitude is to greet the deceased person by the ordinary greeting of "peace be on you". One mat also pray for the deceased, asking Allah to forgive him, whether he was a "saint" or another. For even people who are thought to be saints need to be forgiven by Allah. One should make use of such a visit in order to remind himself of his certain death and prepare for it by refraining from doing anything sinful, and by doing good deeds. It has not be an reported in any authentic tradition that one should read the opening Surah of the Qur'an, i.e. the Surah "Al-Fatiha" or indeed nay other part of it, for the deceased, when he visits a graveyard. All that has been reported is to pray to Allah for their forgiveness.

Islam does not recognize any powers miraculous or otherwise, to any dead person no matter how good or "holy" he was in his own lifetime. For one thing, we cannot Judge any person fully. It is only Allah who Judges people according to what He knows of their intentions and their actions. No human being can pretend to know the intentions of another. As you realize, it is easy to have wicked intentions behind some action which appear to be good.

Apart from this, the Prophet has stated equivocally that when we die we lose the power to do anything. He says "when a human being dies, all his actions come to an absolute end, except in one of three ways; a continuous act of charity, or a contribution to knowledge which benefits mankind, or a goodly child who prays for him. Reading this statement of the Prophet, one is bound to realize that no dead man can have any power, miraculous or otherwise, with which he could relieve or cure an ill person, or be indeed of any benefit to him, apart from the first two ways of which has been spelled out by the Prophet. Thus visits to tombs or shrines of "holy" men with the aim of obtaining some benefit is not a part of Islam. All this is an innovation which cannot be condoned.

One may question the visit to the Prophet's grave at Medinah. When we go to Medinah, we visit the Prophet's Mosque, this is because praying in the Prophet's mosque earns us for every prayer we offer there the reward of 1,000 prayers offered elsewhere, apart from the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

We also greet the Prophet in his grave, acknowledging that he has conveyed to us Allah's message and given us sound advice. We also pray to Allah that the Prophet may intercede on our behalf on the Day of Judgement. We do not and should not ask or pray to the Prophet to cure our illness, because he cannot. Only Allah can cure such illnesses or answer our prayers. Whatever they are. I strongly recommend you to forget all about "Holy" men and their special powers for they have none.

Question:

On "KUNDAAS" a recitation of the Al-Fatiha for Ja'afar Sadiq a great many times in the month of Rajab.

Answer:

I cannot find anywhere in the Qur'an or in the Hadiths any indication that such celebrations are encouraged recommended or indeed appropriate. As such, they cannot be a part of Islamic worship. Thus celebration of such an occasion is definitely an innovation and cannot be sanctioned as a part of Islam. This is the only verdict that can be given to such a celebration.

Since we know that the message of Islam as conveyed to us by the Prophet of Islam is complete, then it cannot be made "more complete" by any person, be he a scholar or a devout, or indeed a direct descendant of the Prophet for any person to tell us of a certain practice would endear us to Allah, or earn us any reward from Him, although it has not been taught or recommended to us by the Prophet for any person to tell us of a certain practice would endear us to Allah, or earn us any reward from Him, although it has not been taught or recommended to us by the Prophet is to make a false claim that he can never substantiate. He indeed, commits a bigger sin than that. By saying this, he says that he knows something which the Prophet did not know or he actually knew but did not convey to us as part of his message. whichever case he implies, he is guilty of an enormity which takes him out of the pale of Islam.

Question:

The writing of the figure 786 on top of letters, deeds or invitation cards etc.

Answer:

We have to remember a very important fact when we deal with such questions that is we derive all the details of our religion from the Prophet whatever he has taught us we accept. if the Qur'an and the Sunnah, i.e. the teachings of the Prophet by word or deed, are silent on something then we cannot institutionalize it as part of our religion. In a short answer I would say that there is nothing in our religion which tells us to use such a symbol in place of what they stand for. Hence using them is an invention. In matters of worship and faith, no invention is admissible.

People who use such symbols argue that they do not like to write down the names of Allah on a sheet of paper which may be thrown in the dustbin. Thus, the use of such a symbol is made out of respect for Allah, but then it is much more polite to obey Allah and the Prophet and to do their bidding as they want us to do rather than invent certain notions of our own derived from our narrow definition of respect and love. If Allah does not want His name to be written on sheets of paper so that it might not be abused, He would have told us so. Moreover, no sheet of paper acquires any sanctity and should be glorified because a verse of the Qur'an or the name of Allah is written on it. It is true that we should not throw such papers in the dustbin or out in the street, but we should not give them any special status which the Prophet has not told us that they have. Let us consider what would happen if we extend the same notion and implement it in a much wider sense. We will soon find ourselves unable to write a verse from the Qur'an or pronouncements of the Prophet on any sheet of paper for the fear that such paper may be trampled over or thrown in the dustbin. This would deprived us of the benefit of supporting an argument in any subject we are discussing in an essay or description with verse from the Qur'an or pronouncements of the Prophet. No lover of Islam would like such a responsibility. Hence, if we are allowed to write verses from the Qur'an on a sheet of paper or to write down the pronouncements of the Prophet, then why cannot we write the verse the Prophet has taught us to repeat at the start if everything we do namely, in the name of Allah, the merciful, the Beneficent. In short, we can write it on paper and write anything from the Qur'an or the Sunnah on paper, but we should be careful how to dispose of such papers when we no longer need them. The ideal way is to burn them, if we can.

Question:

Wearing of Charms or "TAWEETH" in order to ward of evil etc. and innovation or?

Answer:

Perhaps the best answer I can give to this question of wearing of charms, is to mention a Hadith of the Prophet in which he prays to Allah not to grant the wishes of anyone who wears such a charm. If he wears it in order to be protected against evil, then the Prophet prays that he may not be protected. If he wears it in order that something he strongly desires may be accomplished, then the Prophet prays that it should not be accomplished. There is no doubt that Allah always answers the Prophet's prayers. What this means is that the purpose for which such a charm is worn will undoubtedly be foiled, because the Prophet has prayed that it should be. It is then common sense not to wear such a charm.

It goes without saying that wearing it is forbidden, otherwise the Prophet would not have prayed in this way. The prohibition is indeed of the strictest type because wearing a charm involves a form of polytheism. The person who wears it thinks that it benefits him, when it is only Allah who is able to bring about the desired result. Hence it is Allah's help which should be sought for the accomplishment of what is desired. A person who wears a charm does not actually seek Allah's help. He seeks the help of the person who writes the charm, people do not accept the charm written by any person. They want them written by one who is "intimate" with Allah as if his hand or his hand written is blessed. All this smacks of polytheism and it is absolutely forbidden. Moreover, it brings about the opposite effect.

Question:

On Horoscope and Palmistry and fortune telling; is it forbidden?

Answer:

Allah has chosen to keep for himself the knowledge of what the future brings. The next moment and what it may bring is a divine secret of which no one knows anything whatsoever. Since knowledge of the future has always intrigued man and since people have always yearned to know what will tomorrow bring, human societies have always had some people who claim to be able to see or tell the future. Some have enlisted the help of the starts, and they claim that the position of different stars at the moment of birth of any one person affects his life. Others have tried to "read" the palm of a person in order to discover his future. There are also those who "read" tea or coffee cups, and those who draw lines in a special sand, etc. The list is endless, but all of them with the view to "read" the future of a person.

Islam views all these practices as means of trickery. No one can ever discover what Allah has chosen to keep secret. Hence, anyone who pretends to be able to tell what will happen at any future moment is a liar who cannot substantiate his claim. The Prophet (PBUH) has given a decisive and final ruling on this subject when he said; "Astrologers are liars, even when they tell the truth". This means that even when an astrologers says that something will happen in the future, and it comes to happen as he has described he would be telling a lie. This is because he has no knowledge whatsoever of what was going to happen. It was only by mere coincidence that what he has said has turned out to be true. His claim of having prior knowledge of it was certainly false.

Thus it is certainly forbidden to read what is normally published under the general title "Horoscope" or similar titles which indicate that future events, which affect a certain person may be known with reference to stars and their positions. Taking any part in it, even by reading it, although one may not believe in it is forbidden.

To believe in horoscopes etc is to commit a further and more serious sin. Such a belief means that one accepts that another human being shares Allah's own knowledge. To appreciate the gravity of the such a sin we quote the Prophet's Hadith; "He who goes to a fortune teller disbelieves in what has been revealed to Mohammad". The message of the Hadith is very clear; to believe a fortune teller is to take oneself out of Islam altogether.

Question:

On dreams and omens.

Answer:

Dreams are a function of our subconsciousness. Scientists still know very little about how dreams develop and what purpose they serve. Islam does not say much about them except that we cannot rely on them for certain knowledge The Prophet has recommended to us, however, that when we see a happy dream, we praise Allah for having seen it and we can relate it to other people. If we see a bad dream, the thing to do in the morning is to seek refuge with Allah against the designs of the evil one, and try to forget it without telling anyone about it.

Dreams cannot be equated with future happenings, with the exception of the case of the Prophet. Indeed, the first sign of Prophethood is that dreams of the person who is chosen by Allah to be a prophet would always come true. That helps to reassure the Prophet that when he receives his revelation, he knows that what comes to him from the world beyond is the truth. Another exception is that when any of us sees the Prophet in his dream, that is a true dream, as the Prophet himself has told us. Apart from this, to give any great importance to dreams is ill-advised, especially when one sees bad dreams frequently. We must not allow one's dreams to blacken our days. We must always trust Allah's help and be always optimistic about the future.

Question:

On Birth Control, family planning.

Answer:

In the Islamic point of view, the use of contraceptives in order to prevent pregnancy is permissible if it remains at the level of the individual. When it becomes a national policy it cannot be sanctioned. This is because a national policy of birth control is bound to leave serious harmful effects on the Muslim community as a whole. Thus, when governments encourage birth control on a large scale and try to persuade the whole population to take part in a deliberate policy aiming at reducing the level of population their action cannot be condoned. When, on the other hand, a married couple use contraceptives because their own particular circumstances make it desirable for them to have a small family, their action does not contravene the teachings of Islam. We have authentic statements of the companions of the Prophet to the effect that they used contraceptive methods at the time the Qur'an was revealed, and the Prophet neither encouraged nor forbade their use.

In the Islamic point of view use of contraceptives could not prevent Allah's will. If He wills that a baby should be born in a certain family, the pregnancy will take place despite the use of contraceptives. What is meant is that Allah's will can render ineffective what otherwise would have been effective. Moreover, there is no such thing as a 100 percent "safe" method of contraception. Even sterilization can, sometimes be ineffective. A few years back, a woman in Scotland conceived after having under gone sterilization. Her statement was that she did not blame the doctors. "It was something which had happened because it was God's will". Since then, doctors in Britain warn any woman who requests an operation for sterilization against expecting 100 percent guarantee against conception. I do not mean that the Islamic view is that contraception cannot serve its purpose. What I mean is that Allah's will can render it ineffective. Having said that I must add that the law of cause and effect is acceptable from the Islamic view point, but cause produces their effect by the will of Allah. Hence, if it is the will of Allah, that a woman who has been using contraceptive should conceive. His will provides a cause which overrides the cause provided by the use of contraceptives. As a result pregnancy takes place.

This is not a personal view. It is the standard Islamic view which is based on authentic pronouncements and traditions of the Prophet. The Jews in Madinah objected to the Muslims use of contraceptives at the time of the Prophet. They described that as "another case, albeit smaller, of killing children". The Prophet replied to their objection; "The Jews are saying lies. If Allah wills to create a child, He will certainly create it". To conclude:

i. Deliberate sterilization of either husband or wife, for any reason, is forbidden.

ii. Ordinary methods of contraception are permissible to use on an individual level. It is up to the man and his wife to decide on their circumstances and to use a proper contraception method which does not lead to sterilization.

iii. Any measure of contraception adopted must be safe. Hence a great deal of discussion about the safety of the pill is going on, people must be careful and make sure that the type of the pill used is safe. If it is not, using it is forbidden because of the harmful effects it produces, or is likely to produce.

iv. One must always consider that no measure of contraception can prevent the will of Allah. This means that Allah is able to create and cause any woman to conceive in spite of the fact that they may be using contraceptives.

v. Adopting a national policy of birth control, in order to reduce the population of a certain country, is forbidden and cannot be sanctioned by Islam.

Such a policy may have serious repercussions on the future of the nation which are normally overlooked by governments which adopt such policies. They tend to think of their immediate problems and ignore the long term harmful effects involved in deliberately reducing the level of population.

Question:

How does Islam view abortion?

Answer:

With respect to abortion. To start with, there are no pronouncements of the Prophet on abortion similar to those on contraception. Moreover, abortion is a positive action which terminates pregnancy, while contraception is a preventive action which aims at stopping a pregnancy taking place altogether. Hence, we cannot say that should Allah will for a new baby to be born, no abortion will be successful. When conception takes place, there is in existence a potential life which must be protected from any aggression. Abortion is certainly an act of aggression on such a potential life.

There are certain ways, which include those of nature which ensure that a pregnancy is terminated. Similarly, Allah has willed that if a bullet goes through the head of a human being, he will die. No criminal can use the argument that when he shot his victim, it was Allah's will for that person to die. According to Islam such a criminal should be executed for his crime. When he fired his gun, he took a deliberate action which provided a cause of death. Similarly, abortion is a deliberate action which provides a cause for the pregnancy to terminate. BOTH ACTIONS are FORBIDDEN.

Having said the above, we must not forget that the Prophet has encouraged Muslims not have very small families, or in fact to have large families. He has encouraged the young to get married and to have children in order to increase the size of the Muslim community. He says: "Get married, procreate and increase your numbers. I shall be proud of you against other nations on the Day of Judgement". Abortion is forbidden in Islam, except for one reason, namely when the continuation of the pregnancy presents a danger to the mothers life. In such a case termination is permitted. This must be decided by a learned Doctor. In this case a potential life is being sacrificed in order to preserve an existing one.

Question:

Is abortion permissible for health reasons, and till which month of pregnancy?

Answer:

The well considered view is that abortion is permissible only for health, reasons, whether it takes place in the early days of pregnancy or later on. This is because when conception takes place, there is potential life in the fetus. It is not true to say that there is no life in the fetus in the first four months. Such a statement requires us to give a definitive answer to the question "What constitutes life", if it is growth and development then the fetus has life right from the very moment of conception. If it is the ability to survive independently then no fetus has that ability before six months of pregnancy. What distinguishes, then, the first four months from the other two during which any miscarriage results in the inevitable "death" of the embryo ? We have to remember that Allah has chosen not to give us any detailed knowledge of the spirit which is that constituent element the presence of which makes a body alive, while its absence makes it dead.

Question:

Illegitimate children.

Answer:

According to Islam, the minimum period of pregnancy is six months. A child born in the normal way only five months after marriage suggests that his mother must have conceived before she was actually married. Pregnancy without marriage is a definite indication of fornication. In an Islamic society, the woman can be punished according to Islamic rules.

It is open for the husband to disclaim the child born to his wife if he is certain of that. A pregnancy lasting less than the minimum period constitutes such a certainty.

It may be, however, that the woman become pregnant by the man who later married her. In this case, if the man acknowledges the child, it is his and should be treated normally as his own. In Islam a child does not inherit the sin of his father. A child does not bear any responsibility for the sin committed by his parents.

It is a well known fact that Islam does not like to inflict punishment on people who have committed sins, unless they freely confess their misdeeds, or their guilt is proven by the required number of witnesses. When guilt is proven, either by confession or witnesses, punishment must be inflicted by the Muslim ruler, as he has no authority to pardon a sinner. Those who commit sins, however, are not encouraged to come and confess it. On the contrary, it is better if they keep it a secret, repent for it and pray to Allah for forgiveness. The Prophet says: "He who commits any of the dirt (sins) let him cover himself with secrecy. If he were to come to us and confess, we would have to inflict punishment as ordained by Allah". This and other Hadith show that no ruler, not indeed the Prophet himself has the authority to pardon a sinner when the sin is duly proven either by confession or by the required number of witnesses. This applies only to such sins where the punishment is decreed by Allah, as in the case of theft, adultery or murder.

Question:

Adoption in Islam.

Answer:

Among all the Prophet's companions, the one whom he loved most was Zaid Ibn HARITHAH. Zaid's son USAAMAH was also very dearly loved by the Prophet. He himself declared this when some of his companions spoke against the appointment of USAAMAH as Commander of the Army which was despatched to attack the Southern Frontiers of the Byzantine empire. At that time, Usaamah and his father had the necessary qualities to command a Muslim Army. He also stated that both of them were among the dearest of all people to him.

The Prophet's love of Zaid was to a very long association which started when Khadijah, his wife, gave him Zaid, who was her slave, as a gift. Shortly afterwards, Zaid's father and uncle came to Makkah to try to buy their son's freedom. That was long before the Prophethood. Mohammad had not received any divine revelation yet. When Zaid's father spoke to him, offering to buy his son back from him, Mohammad made a generous counter proposal. He said "I shall call him and offer him in your presence the choice of either to go with you or stay with me. If he chooses you, then you take him free of charges. If he prefers to stay with me, I will not give him up". They were happy with this proposal. When Zaid was offered the choice, he unhesitatingly chose to stay with Mohammad, to the great astonishment of his father and uncle. Upon that, Mohammad stood up near the Ka'aba and declared in the presence of all people that he has adopted Zaid as his son. Henceforth, Zaid was called Zaid Ibn Mohammad. His real father and uncle went back home satisfied with the outcome of their mission.

Much later, when Islam had its state in Madinah and legislation were revealed organizing an Islamic society. Allah made it clear that adoption of other people's children is outlawed in Islam He tells us in the Quran:

"He has not made your adopted sons your sons. Such is (only) your (manner of) speech by your mouths. But God tells (you) the truth and He shows the (right) way. Call them by (the names of) their fathers; that is juster in the sight of God, But if ye know not their father's (names, call them) your brothers in faith". (XXXIII : 4-5).

Immediately afterwards, Zaid was called after his own father, and he has been ever since known as Zaid ibn HARITHAH. He was later made the subject of more legislation which outlaws all the effects of adoption. From these we know that adoption is totally banned in Islam.

That is not to say that any person or family may not bring up the child of another. In fact, this is an act of kindness which is amply rewarded by Allah, especially when the child so brought up has no family of his own, or when his family is so poor. The only condition is that the child should be called after his or her own father, not after the family in which he or she was brought up.

Question:

On circumcision.

Answer:

Male circumcision is a SUNNAH, i.e. a recommended practice. In other words, it is not obligatory. If a male is not circumcised, this does not mean that he is not a Muslim. What brings a person into the fold of Islam is his acceptance that there is no deity but Allah and that Mohammad is Allah's messenger. If a person accepts that as his main article of faith, then he is a Muslim. There are many people who are circumcised but not Muslims. Their circumcision does not bring them nearer to Islam, unless they accept Islam consciously.

The question is also asked on female circumcision and whether it is necessary or obligatory to circumcise girls. We first have to differentiate between two types of female circumcision. The PHARAONIC and the ORDINARY. The Pharaonic type is considered inhuman and a real hazard to the health of the girl, such a circumcision cannot be approved by Islam. It is indeed forbidden. It dates back to the time of the Pharaohs in Egypt and it has spread to other countries in Africa. It has become over the centuries, a local tradition which is handed down from one generation to another.

Ordinary female circumcision is similar to the circumcision of boys which is common in many countries. While it is common knowledge that circumcision for boys is recommended in Islam the same cannot be said with any degree of unanimity with regard to female circumcision. many scholars are of the opinion that is neither recommended nor discouraged. Others express the opinion that is , to some extent, recommended. They rely on one or two Hadith which speak of it as desirable. The degree of authenticity of these Hadith is questionable. If we had only one Hadith of that degree of authenticity, then no one would have advised any action on its basis. That there are more that one makes each of them support the other, thus adding to its importance. Never-the- less, disagreement exists among scholars as to whether female circumcision of the ordinary type is recommended or not. This is evidenced by the fact that this practice is not known in some Muslim countries.

To summarize on the basis of the above. It is up to the parents to circumcise their daughter or not, if the parent does, believing that they are following the Sunnah of the Prophet, they earn reward from Allah for their intentions. If they do not, then no blame is attached on them. Also, that no circumcision male or female is obligatory in Islam. It is recommended for boys, much less for girls.