Monday, November 17, 2008

Is wudoo’ invalidated if a man sees the ‘awrah of his wife?

Q) Does vadu get invalid if one person sees the aurah of His wife?

A) Praise be to Allaah.

Wudoo’ is not invalidated by that. We have already listed, in the answer to question no. 14321, the things that invalidate wudoo’. A man’s seeing his own ‘awrah or that of someone else is not one of them.

The Standing Committee was asked (5/270): is wudoo’ invalidated simply by looking at naked men and women, and is wudoo’ invalidated if a man looks at his own ‘awrah? They replied:

Wudoo’ is not invalidated simply by looking at naked men and women, or by looking at one’s own ‘awrah, because there is no evidence to that effect.

They were also asked (5/283): can a Muslim touch the Mus-haf or pray if he has looked at his own ‘awrah when he was doing wudoo’? They replied: Yes, looking at the ‘awrah is not one of the things that invalidate wudoo’.


Islam Q&A

Raising the hands during some of the adhkaar for morning and evening

Q) Some of the morning and evening adhkaar (supplications) are phrased; like: “oh Allah we start our day by You…”, “oh Allah I ask You to keep me healthy..”, “oh Allah I seek refuge with you from helplessness and laziness”. Should we raise our hands while reading these prayers?

A) Praise be to Allaah.

Raising the hands when saying du’aa’ in general is the practice of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and many ahaadeeth were narrated concerning that. Al-Suyooti said in Tadreeb al-Raawi (2/180):

Approximately one hundred ahaadeeth were narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in which he raised his hands when saying du’aa’, and I have compiled them in a book, but they are in different cases, none of which is mentioned in mutawaatir reports. The thing that they all have in common – which is raising the hands when saying du’aa’ – is regarded as mutawaatir when they are all taken into account. End quote.

With regard to whether it is proven to raise the hands therein, du’aa’s may be divided into three types:

1. Du’aa’s in which it is proven in the saheeh Sunnah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) raised his hands, such as istisqa’ (prayer for rain), at the time of an eclipse, when standing in ‘Arafah, and so on. It is mustahabb to raise the hands in these cases, according to scholarly consensus.

2. Du’aa’s in which it is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not raise his hands, such as the du’aa’ of the khateeb on Friday. In this case neither the imam nor the members of the congregation should raise their hands.

3. Du’aas in which there are no reports stating whether the hands should be raised or not. These are subject to further discussion:

- If they are cases in which the actions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) are proven in many ahaadeeth, but there is no mention of raising the hands in any of them, then this indicates that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not raise his hands in these cases, such as du’aa’ during salaah (prayer), whilst prostrating, and after the final tashahhud.

- But in cases where there are not many ahaadeeth which describe the actions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then we cannot be certain of what the Prophets (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did in those cases, but we say that it is mustahabb to raise the hands in these cases, based on the general meaning of the ahaadeeth which say that it is mustahabb to raise the hands, and by analogy with the hundreds of ahaadeeth which say that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) raised his hands in many cases, such as raising the hands when saying the du’aa’s for morning and evening, and so on.

- If a person has proof that these adhkaar were among the adhkaar of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he also has proof or thinks it most likely that he did not raise his hands whilst reciting them, and he does not raise his hands, then there is nothing wrong with him not doing so, in sha Allaah, but proving either is somewhat difficult.

To sum up, there is nothing wrong with raising the hands when reciting the du’aa’s of morning and evening. The matter is broad in scope, in sha Allaah.

See also the answer to question no. 11543 and 21341.

And Allaah knows best.


Islam Q&A

Can gifts be given to a kaafir to soften his heart towards Islam?

Q) What is the ruling on giving unbelievers money or gifts to soften their hearts towards Islam?

A) Praise be to Allaah.

There is nothing wrong with that – i.e., there is nothing wrong with giving gifts or money or accommodation to soften his heart towards Islam, but it should be noted that such actions should only be done when appropriate, i.e., the person should be one who it is hoped will become Muslim. But if he is one of the leaders of kufr for whom there is no hope that he may become Muslim, then they should not be given anything, unless it is given in order to ward off their harm. End quote.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him)


Al-Ijaabaat ‘ala As’ilat al-Jaaliyaat (1/25, 26).

He wants to allocate part of his wealth as a waqf for all the Muslims

Q) Is it possible for me to allocate part of my wealth as a waqf for the sake of Allaah on behalf of every Muslim and believer since the time Allaah created the universe until the Day of Resurrection?

A) Praise be to Allaah.

There is nothing wrong with giving charity on behalf of all the Muslims, in sha Allaah.

In the answer to question no. 20996, it says that charity may benefit Muslims both living and dead, and we quoted a fatwa of Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) concerning that.

Shaykh Ibn Jibreen was asked in Sharh ‘Umdat al-Ahkaam (lesson 38, p. 2): When some people give charity, they say: “It is a blessing and a gift to reach the soul of the Prophet Muhammad and the souls of all our dead.” What is the ruling on that?

The answer was:

There is no need to say this; the intention alone is sufficient, and it is better if he makes it for himself, or gives it on behalf of his own deceased loved ones, or on behalf of the deceased Muslims.

As for his saying “to the soul of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)”, I do not think this is right, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will have a reward equal to that of the good deeds of his ummah, even if they do not dedicate similar deeds to him, and the salaf did not dedicate any good deeds to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because the one who guided the ummah and showed them the way will have a reward equal to that of their good deeds, because he said: “The one who calls to right guidance will have a reward equal to that of those who follow him.”

There is nothing wrong with giving charity on behalf of the Muslims or praying for them, whether they are relatives or not. There is nothing wrong with that, but saying these words is not proper. But if you say – for example – “O Allaah, give its reward to me and to my deceased loved ones, or to the Muslims”, there is nothing wrong with that. End quote.

Secondly:

Although that is permissible, the basic principle is that when it comes to virtuous deeds and drawing close to Allaah, the Muslim should focus on himself and not prefer others to himself with regard to the rewards. He is in the greatest need of Allaah’s forgiveness and mercy, and he does not know, perhaps a single hasanah (reward for good deed) will tip his balance on the Day of Resurrection and thus admit him to Paradise. Allaah has commanded us to protect ourselves from the Fire first, and then one’s family, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Ward off yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones”

[al-Tahreem 66:6].

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymyah was asked in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (24/321) about a person who reads the Holy Qur’aan or part of it: is it better for him to dedicate the reward to his parents and the deceased Muslims? Or to keep the reward just for himself?

He replied:

The best acts of worship are those which are in accordance with the teachings of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the practice of the Sahaabah, as it is narrated in a saheeh report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say in his khutbahs: “The best of speech is the Word of Allaah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad; the worst of matters are those which are newly invented, and every innovation is misguidance.”

Ibn Mas’ood said: Whoever among you wants to follow a path, let him follow the path of one who has died, for the one who is alive is not safe from fitnah. Those are the companions of Muhammad.

Once this principle is understood, then the prevalent custom among the Muslims in the best generations was to worship Allaah by all kinds of prescribed acts of worship, both obligatory and supererogatory, prayer, fasting, reading Qur’aan and so on. They would pray for the believing men and women as enjoined by Allaah, and for the living and for the dead in the funeral prayers, and when visiting the graves and so on…

However, it was not the habit of the salaf when offering voluntary prayer, fasting, doing Hajj or reading Qur’aan to dedicate the reward for that to the deceased Muslims, or to their loved ones. Rather their habit was as described above. People should not turn away from the path of the salaf, for it is the best and most perfect. And Allaah knows best. End quote.

Based on this, you should strive hard to obey Allaah and worship Him, and say a lot of du’aa’s for the Muslims in general.

We ask Allaah to help you to do that which He loves and which pleases Him.

And Allaah knows best.


Islam Q&A

If a woman makes a mistake about when she becomes pure following menstruation, is she sinning?

Q) If a woman does not get a white discharge, and instead she waits for the bleeding to stop, the number of days (of the period) may vary from one month to the next. Is she sinning if she makes a mistake about when she becomes pure, such as if she thinks that she became pure, then after doing ghusl and praying she finds traces of it or, conversely, if she waits and misses some prayers because she thinks that she has not yet become pure, because it is difficult for her to know when she becomes pure without that white discharge? May Allaah reward you with good.

A) Praise be to Allaah.

Menstruation differs from one woman to another, and the signs that one woman’s period has ended may vary from time to time.

For most women the sign that the period has ended is the emission of the white discharge. For some women the sign is that the bleeding stops.

No matter what the sign is for a woman, it is not permissible for her to hasten until the sign appears, because it is not permissible for her to pray or fast when she is menstruating, until she becomes pure.

The women used to send containers to ‘Aa’ishah in which were the cotton pads with traces of yellow on them. She would say: “Do not hasten until you see the white discharge.”

This was narrated by al-Bukhaari in a mu’allaq report in Kitaab al-Hayd, Baab iqbaal al-maheed wa idbaarihi (Book of Menses, Chapter on the start and end of the menstrual flow); and by Maalik, 130

If a woman makes a mistake about the time of the end of her period, based on her own reasoning, then she is not sinning, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And there is no sin on you concerning that in which you made a mistake, except in regard to what your hearts deliberately intend”

[al-Ahzaab 33:5]

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has forgiven my ummah for mistakes, what they forget and what they are forced to do. “ Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 2053; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah.

But if she thinks that she has become pure and she prays and fasts, then she realizes that she is still menstruating, then she has to stop praying and fasting until she becomes pure, and she should make up the obligatory fasts that she observed during that time, because it is now apparent that they were not valid, because the fast of a menstruating women is not valid.

If she stops praying because she thinks that she has not yet become pure, then she finds out that she was pure, then she has to make up those prayers.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked (11/280) about a woman who saw a brownish discharge before her usual period, so she stopped praying, then the blood came at the usual time. What is the ruling on that?

He replied: Umm ‘Atiyyah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “We used to not regard the yellowish and brownish discharge after the tuhr (white discharge indicating that the period is over) as being of any significance.” Based on this, this brownish discharge that comes before the period does not seem to me to be part of the period, especially since it came before the usual time of menstruation and there were no other signs of menstruation such as cramps, backache, etc. So it is better for her to make up the prayers that she missed during this time.

He was also asked (11/275) about a woman who bled for nine days, so she did not pray, thinking that this was her period. Then a few days later her real period came – what should she do: should she make up the prayers of the days she missed or what?

He replied: it is better for her to make up the prayers that she missed during the first days, but if she does not do that there is no sin on her, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not command the woman who was suffering from severe istihaadah (non-menstrual vaginal bleeding) and had stopped praying because of that, to do so. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told her to regard six or seven days as her period and to pray during the rest of the month; he did not tell her to repeat the prayers she had missed, even though making up the prayers she had missed would have been good, because she may have been negligent in not asking before, but even though she did not repeat them there was no sin on her.

And Allaah knows best.


Islam Q&A

What is the reward for spouses treating one another kindly?

Q) What is the reward of a righteous wife for her religious commitment before Allaah, if she tries to her husband happy, loves him, helps him remain chaste, takes care of him and treats him as if he is her child with all compassion, and she does everything to make him happy, and obeys him in all things, and he is very happy with her, and always prays that Allaah will be pleased with her? What is the reward of the man too, if he treats his wife in a similar manner?

A) Praise be to Allaah.

I ask Allaah to preserve the love and happiness between you, and to fill the houses of all Muslims with that which has filled your house of good companionship and kind treatment. I give you many glad tidings of which our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) spoke when explaining the reward of the wife who is as you described:

It was narrated from ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“If a woman does her five (daily prayers), fasts her month (Ramadaan), guards her chastity and obeys her husband, it will be said to her: Enter whichever of the gates of Paradise you want.”

Narrated by Ahmad (1/191). The editors of al-Musnad said: It is hasan li ghayrihi (hasan because of corroborating evidence). It was classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb (1932).

It was narrated from Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“Shall I not tell you about your men in Paradise?” We said: Yes, O Messenger of Allaah. He said: “The Prophet will be in Paradise, the Siddeeq will be in Paradise, the man who visits his brother who lives far away and visits him only for the sake of Allaah will be in Paradise. Shall I not tell you about your women in Paradise?” We said: Yes, O Messenger of Allaah. He said: “The loving and fertile one who, if she gets angry or is mistreated or her husband gets angry says, ‘Here is my hand in your hand, I shall not sleep until you are pleased.’”

Narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Mu’jam al-Awsat (2/206). It was also narrated from a number of other Sahaabah, hence it was classed as hasan by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (3380) and in Saheeh al-Targheeb (1942).

And it was narrated from Husayn ibn Muhsin (may Allaah be pleased with him) that his paternal aunt went to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) concerning some need and he met her need, then he said: “Do you have a husband?” She said: Yes. He said: “How are you with him?” She said: I do what he tells me, except what is beyond me. He said: “Look at how you are with him, for he is your Paradise and your Hell.”

Narrated by Ahmad (4/341). The editors of al-Musnad said: Its isnaad may be understood to be hasan. al-Mundhiri said: A jayyid (good) isnaad. It was classed as saheeh by al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak (6/383) and al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb (1933).

Al-Manaawi said in Fayd al-Qadeer (3/60):

i.e., he is the cause of your entering Paradise if he is pleased with you, and the cause of your entering Hell if he is displeased with you. So treat him well and do not disobey his commands with regard to that which is not a sin. End quote.

As for the glad tidings which came to the husband who treats his wife kindly, it is when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) testified that he had perfect faith which dictated that he should enter Paradise, and that he is superior to all people.

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“The most perfect of the believers in faith is the one who is best in attitude, and the best of you is the one who is best in attitude towards his womenfolk.”

Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1162); he said it is a hasan saheeh hadeeth. It was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. See also the answer to question no. 43123.

And Allaah knows best.


Islam Q&A

What is the ruling on giving the adhaan at the graveside?

Q) Here in Bangladesh we call Adhaan at the grave after burying the dead. People are divided over this matter; some say it is permissible to do so while some say it is not. What is the right opinion regarding this matter?

A) Praise be to Allaah.

It is not permissible to give the adhaan or iqaamah at the graveside after burying the deceased, or in the grave before burying him, because this is an innovation (bid’ah). It is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not part of it will have it rejected.” Agreed upon, from the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her).

And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions. End quote.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Qa’ood


Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (9/72)

She died and left behind a mother, two sisters and a husband

Q) A woman died and left behind a mother, two sisters and a husband. How should the estate be divided?

A) Praise be to Allaah.

The mother gets one-sixth, because of the presence of the two sisters. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“if the deceased left brothers or (sisters), the mother has a sixth”

[al-Nisa’ 4:11].

The two sisters get two-thirds, because of the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning):

“If there are two sisters, they shall have two-thirds of the inheritance”

[al-Nisa’ 4:176].

You, the husband, get half, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“In that which your wives leave, your share is a half if they have no child”

[al-Nisa’ 4:12].

The sum of all these shares is greater than the estate, and the scholars call such cases al-‘awl, i.e., the sum of allotted shares is greater than the estate. So the share of each of the heirs is reduced in line with this excess, which in this case is one-quarter.

In that case the estate should be divided as follows: it should be divided into eight equal parts. The mother gets one part, the sisters get four parts and the husband gets three.

Each heir is given his or her share as follows:

The mother’s share = the estate x 1 / 8

Each sister’s share = the estate x 2 / 8

The husband’s share = the estate x 3 / 8

And Allaah knows best.


Islam Q&A