Our Dialogue

Q. I have been having a discussion by correspondence with a friend of mine about Hadith, but he sent me a link to a website which denies the position of Hadith altogether. I feel that such sites are created by hypocrites or deviants. How to refute the falsehoods they publish?


A. There are many websites that are intent on undermining Islam. Some are openly hostile, while others adopt an apparently objective stance making their criticism sound more plausible. Other websites have a more subtle approach, citing some Hadiths when they make an argument, but relying always on using half truths. There are some, which try to show themselves as truth seekers, but they twist arguments and rely on false reports presenting them as solid truth. Those who run and manage these websites belong to different trends and have different agendas.


To what extent should we take up the challenge and how? If we were to answer every point on every website, we will find ourselves immersed in a long-winded argument that will benefit no one. To start with, our answer will not be placed side by side with the criticism, to allow a reader to weigh up both arguments. Therefore, the person who reads the criticism will most probably remain unaware of the answer. Secondly, our argument will never be as powerful as that of the Quran. These people twist Quranic and Hadith texts to serve their purpose. What will they do with our arguments? Thirdly, there are too many websites that criticize Islam, and trying to answer them all requires an army of scholars who devote all their time to this ultimately impossible task.


The other day a reader sent me a link to one of these websites. The link speaks about what the writer calls “contradictions in the Quran.” Apparently he listed these after someone wrote to him that there are 101 contradictions in the Bible. He retorted with listing close to 200 points of so-called contradictions in the Quran. My reader asked me to reply to these. I looked at them and found out that they all rely on a mixture of inaccuracy, deliberate twisting of facts, and sheer ignorance. To write an answer to each one of them would require me to devote a few months to the task during which I do nothing else. What would I come up with in the end? Nothing other than refuting a small section on a single website. Would the users of that website be aware of our refutation? Most likely not. Then what is the gain?


What is the proper policy to adopt, then? The first point is to listen to what God tells us in the Quran: “Do not argue with the people of earlier revelations in other than the most kindly manner, except for those of them who are intent on wrongdoing; and say: ‘We believe in that which has been revealed to us, as well as that which has been revealed to you, for our God and your God is one. It is to Him that we submit ourselves.’” (29: 46) This is indeed the proper attitude: an argument in a kindly manner that points out that we basically believe in God who is the Lord of all the worlds.


In addition, we should have our own websites which present Islam in its rightful image, so that people who seek to know the truth about Islam can find it. A number of scholars have their own websites, and this trend is on the increase. We should also remain confident that the truth of Islam is overpowering. No argument can stand to the truth that emanates from God Almighty. Therefore, we need not be scared by such hostile adversaries. Over the centuries, there were many like them who used the best means available to them in their own times, but they could not mar the image of Islam. Their present and future successors will, God willing, end up with the same failure.


Many are those who tried over the years to undermine the position of Hadith in Islam. They dress their argument with a seemingly appropriate clothing, saying that the Qur’an is God’s word and we do not need anything other than His word. They simply overlook two basic principles: the first is that to be a Muslim one declares his belief in God’s oneness and at the same time declares his belief that Muhammad (pbhu) was God’s messenger. Unless he believes in both, he is not a Muslim. The other is the Quranic commandment: “Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids you, refrain from it.” (59: 7) The Prophet gave us both the Quran and the Hadith. If we abandon the Hadith, how can we account for disobeying God’s order?

Q. Is it appropriate to use the interest received from a bank to finance the marriage of a poor woman or to support the education of some poor students?


A. Sure. What is not appropriate is to leave the interest to the bank to use it in the way they decide. This is often the worst option for anyone who does not wish to take the interest, considering it as a form of usury. If the bank is a foreign one, it normally pays out such unclaimed interest to charities of its choice. These could be missionary charities, which means that money left to the bank by Muslims are sued to undermine Islam and Muslim communities.


Many scholars subscribe to the fatwa that interest could be used to relieve poverty or in purposes that serve the Muslim community. Therefore, if you use the interest on your account to help a poor student with his or her education, or to help a poor single person to get married, this is a highly commendable usage. However, it should in no way make you less charitable. You should continue to pay your Zakah and Sadaqah normally.

Q. Is it appropriate from the Islamic point of view to call one’s friend by his nickname?

A. If the person you are calling agrees to be called by this nickname, then it is acceptable. The Prophet says: “Call your brother by the name he loves best.” If the nickname is a derogatory one, or causes pain to the person concerned, then it is forbidden to use. God says in the Quran: “Do not insult one another by (opprobrious) epithets. Ill-seeming is a name connoting wickedness (to be used of one) after he has believed. Those who do not repent are indeed wrongdoers.” (49: 12)

Q. Could you please explain which actions constitute a rejection of God’s oneness, or shirk? Some people accuse others of committing shirk for some minor actions. Could you please explain whether there is something called hidden shirk?


A. Certain attributes of God are well known to be His own, and that no one else has a share in them. For example, God is the one who provides everything that we need to live. We may work and earn a salary, but it is God who has given us the means to do our work and earn whatever we earn. If at any time we do something which suggests that we attribute to anyone, human or not, any measure of God’s attribute of being the provider for all His servants then that action constitutes a rejection of God’s oneness.


To elaborate I will give you the following example. Take the case of one who is employed in a government office or in a large company. One of his colleagues is subjected to ill treatment by his superior and lodges a complaint. The inspector investigating the case asks for witnesses, but this employee whose statement will make all the difference refuses to give evidence. When pressed to say why he will not give evidence, he says that since the evidence is against his superior, or the company owner, he would be kicked out of his job. He says: “They will stop my livelihood.” This statement is tantamount to rejecting God’s oneness as it means associating partners with Him in the area of providing for His servants.


If a person refuses to give evidence in such case, allowing injustice to be done, knowing that his evidence would have helped in establishing justice and thinking that it could lead to disrupting his livelihood, his feelings constitute hidden shirk. The same applies in many other situations.


It is true that some people are quick to accuse others of committing such a terrible sin, when they actually do not. This is absolutely wrong. They cannot tell what is in the mind of the person whom they so accuse. Moreover, God has not placed them in a position which requires them to make judgment on other people and their actions. If they do, then they are committing an offence against God and against other people.

Q. During a heated argument a man said to his wife, “As from today, there is no relationship between you and me.” He did not utter the normal word of divorce, always used in his community. The following day, the couple made up and resumed their marital relation as if nothing had happened. Is this to be considered a case of divorce? If so, does it count as one divorce or three?


A. Marriage is a clear contractual relation that comes about as a result of clear statements intended to take a well-defined effect.


It is terminated in a similar way, with a deliberate action using clear words that have definitive meaning to the parties concerned and in society. This is the proper way to establish or terminate a relationship.


From another point of view, the Prophet (peace be upon him) makes it clear that actions are determined by the intention behind them. He says: “Actions are but by intentions. Each person will have only what he has intended.” Thus a person who offers prayers in the mosque only to pretend that he is attending to his worship duties will have no reward for his prayer. He may be liable for punishment if his intention is to cheat.


In this case, the man’s intention does not clearly appear in his statement, which is unquestionably ambiguous. It may be interpreted in several ways. Therefore, he has to state what his intention was at the time. Most probably he will say that he had no intention to divorce his wife, but he was simply threatening her that the argument could have serious consequences on their relations. This is clearly apparent in the fact that the following day the two of them settled their argument and resumed their normal relation.


The reader asks if the case is one of divorce, would it count as three divorces? How could it be? Even if divorce is uttered three or a thousand times on the same occasion, it counts only as a single divorce. In this case, no divorce has taken place.

Q. One of my friends married in court without the permission of his parents. Prior to that, he and his wife went through a marriage ceremony according to the Islamic way. Two Hindus were witnesses. Is their marriage valid? Now the parents are going to arrange a wedding ceremony. Since it is well known that the bride and the bridegroom are married, is this necessary?


Q. A friend of mine got married without the consent of his and his wife’s parents. They are still hiding the fact of their marriage. How far is this acceptable?


A. A marriage contract done by the civil authorities in the country is valid if it meets the minimum requirement of Islamic marriage. For example, Islamic marriage requires that the father or guardian of the bride be present and he should act for her. If she has no male relative who may be considered as her guardian, the local judge may act on her behalf, according to her instructions. If civil marriage, or marriage in court, dispenses with this requirement, then the marriage is not valid from the Islamic point of view. The Prophet states emphatically that a woman’s guardian must be present. Hence, she cannot do without him.


Some scholars approve that non-Muslims may act as witnesses in contracts between Muslims. On this basis, the fact that two non-Muslims were the witnesses of the marriage contract in the first case does not detract from its validity. Nor is it necessary that the parents should arrange for a wedding ceremony now. On he other hand, the ceremony does not detract from the validity of the marriage. It simply satisfies the parents desire and there is nothing wrong in going through it.


In the second case, it is obvious that the couple do not wish their marriage to be known. This is strange, since the basic element which is required in marriage is publicity. It should be known in the district that the man and the woman have got married. Your friend, however, does not wish this to be known. That runs against Islamic teachings. The Prophet says: “Publicize marriage and solemnize it in mosques and play the tambourine.” Playing the tambourine. “Playing the tambouring adds to publicity. It also shows that the community is celebrating a happy event.


Considering all this, there must be something wrong with your friend’s marriage so that he does not like it to be known. I am afraid since the girl’s relatives are not aware of their marriage, it cannot be valid.


As for your other questions, what I can say with regard to the first is that the was in a position of necessity. Therefore, he should pray that Allah forgives him having gone through it. As for what his friend does to that young girl, it is certainly a grave sin. He should inform her family so that they can protect her.

Q. I was born in a Shi’ite family and I have been working in Saudi Arabia for a long time. Since then, I have been offering my prayers with the Sunni congregation in the mosque nearby. I should be greatful if you let me know whether my prayers is valid.


A. Of course it is. There is no reason for you not to join the Sunni congregation in any mosque. You earn the reward of congregational prayer and no one will question you as to your school of thought. Even when people know that you are a Shi’te they will welcome you among them.


Having said that, I wish to draw your attention to the fact that such matters are not enforced on us by our birth. It is wrong for Muslims to say that he belongs to this or that school of thought simply because he was born in a family which follows the same school. Islam encourages us to read and acquire knowledge. What I would strongly recommend you to do is to start learning more about Islam, consulting scholars and in your home country and, perhaps, reading books on Islam. The more you know about your religion, the better for you. You will be able to understand its teachings better and you will conduct your life in a way which conforms to Islamic teachings. That ensures for you greater reward on the day of judgement.

Q. When I was young, I did certain things, which are not permissible in Islam. Since then I performed the Umrah and also declared my repentance many times. Still I feel ashamed of my past deeds and fear that God might not have accepted my repentance or that He will make my shameful deeds known to other people. I dread this last possibility and feel that it might be devastating for me. Please advise.


A. You seem to be too hard on yourself. The Prophet (peace be upon him) says: “A person who sincerely repents having done a sin is just like one who has not sinned.” You have genuinely repented and did the Umrah. This should be enough for you not to think of that sin again, provided that it was something that concerns you and God, having nothing to do with any person’s rights. You have repeatedly expressed your repentance. God says that He is the One who accepts repentance. This means that He will accept your repentance and not question you about the sin you committed, if He so pleases. You should not think of it again. The only thing you have to do is to maintain your determination not to repeat it again. Still, even if you do repeat it, then repent of it again, you have nothing to worry about.

Q. I have an ordinary prayer mat with the picture of the Kaa’ba on it. I usually do not mind which direction I put the mat as long as I myself face the Qiblah. My friends object to my “careless” attitude. Please comment.


A. Your attitude is correct. People have prayer mats in order to keep them clean. Otherwise, we may pray on any cloth or carpet, or indeed without either. This means that we may pray on the hard floor or on the bare ground or on grass or sand or any where. The place where we pray, however, must be free from any impurity. As for Kaa’ba, they are all right and it does not matter how we place them. Sometimes, we need to put a prayer mat in a vertical line with the direction of the Kaa’ba to allow two or more people to place their foreheads on it when they pray. That is perfectly acceptable. It is the person who is praying that should face the Kaa’ba.