Question 292: Salam to you all. My question is , What is the Difference between Spirituality and Religion / Soul and Nafs? May Allah bless u all.
Answer 292: It has been said that the word Dīn appears in as many as 95 verses in the holy Quran. This term has been used for more than 20 meanings that all of them refer to the three following meanings:
Question 188: Can someone please clearify about who are yajuj and majooj according to the verses 95-96 of Surah Anbiya? Who are Gog and Magog in Quran and what are the Actions taken by Dhul-Qarnayn against them?
Answer 188: The main sources from which information is derived about Gog and Magog is the Quran, and there are also some references made about these people in the Old Testament. The exegetes of the Holy Quran and also historians using these sources and studying historical evidence have made some conjectures and guesses about these people. Read More
Question 131: Can someone elaborate on verse 102 of al-Baqarah about The Story of Harut and Marut in Quran? And they followed [instead] what the devils had recited during the reign of Solomon. It was not Solomon who disbelieved, but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic and that which was revealed to the two angels at Babylon, Harut and Marut. But the two angels do not teach anyone unless they say, “We are a trial, so do not disbelieve [by practicing magic].” And [yet] they learn from them that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife. But they do not harm anyone through it except by permission of Allah. And the people learn what harms them and does not benefit them. But the Children of Israel certainly knew that whoever purchased the magic would not have in the Hereafter any share. And wretched is that for which they sold themselves, if they only knew.
Answer 131: The creatures that you referred to in your question are named jinns in the Quran. Satan was also a jinn.[1] Literally, the word “jinn” refers to anything that is hidden and cannot be seen.[2] In regard to the nature and creation of jinns, the Quran says: “and We created the jinn earlier out of a piercing fire.”[3] Therefore, jinns do exist and they have prophets like man does.[4] They are obligated to worship God[5] and have Muslims and disbelievers depending on their beliefs and actions.[6] Satan, who did not prostrate to Adam, is also among the jinns.[7] Read More
Question 646: What are the rules concerning a menstruating woman, according to Islamic Fiqh?
Answer 646: The follwoings are some rules concerning a menstruating woman.
Firstly: It is not permissible for a menstruating woman to offer prayers, keep fast, perform circumambulation of Ka’bah (Tawaf) or sit in an uninterrupted seclusion (I‘tikãf). Read More
Question 645: What are those acts are haram for Junub (a person who is ritually impure)?
Answer 645: There are certain things which are forbidden for a person polluted (by discharge of semen) as follows: Read More
Question 643: Salam un alaikum wa rahmatullahi wabarkatuh. I am 19 year old girl suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder. I keep getting weird blasphemous thoughts about my faith and beliefs.i fear excessively of losing my faith ,dying as a kafir or going against the holy prophet Muhammad saw and the holy imams as .I want to know what is the cure for this disease islamically and also I tend to keep getting back to the sins i had once left…I feel extremely uneasy at heart and feel like my heart has hardened..I feel away from Allah SWT and feeling the love of ahlulbayt decreasing in my heart…I try to pray daily …but it’s just become an excercise without any khushu. However, such is not the case always…I keep oscillating between spirituality and feeling distanced from my Deen… please help me out,it seems like I’m not making any progress in life and am getting farther away from my Deen…I don’t want to loose my Deen and wilayat of ahlulbayt ever… please guide me as to how to keep a balance between wordly and spiritual life and also help me with my OCD ,will Allah punish me for such thoughts…or is it a punishment or a test ?So, please tell me how to get rid of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?
Answer 643: We must know that one who is serious about his relation to God and is submissive in his heart to the will of Allah, he will not be affected by any doubts concerning religious issues even if those doubts are very serious. In fact, as the Holy Prophet (S) says, the emergence of such a condition can be a sign of his sincerity and religiosity.[1] That is because only a pious and practicing individual gets concerned about his spiritual situation. Read More
Question 637: What are the common and specific A’amaal we the Muslim can perform during the three Nights of Power (Laylatul Qadr)?
Answer 637: The Night of Power (Laylatul Qard) is the night, which is the most blessed and excellent of all nights. A prayer during this night is superior to the prayer of a thousand months.[1] The destiny for the year is decided (decreed) on this night.[2] That is why the Du`as for this night ask for special favours in the decree for the year. Believers are encouraged to stay awake the entire night, and pray for blessings and forgiveness. It is the holiest night of the year, and it would be unwise to be heedless of the tremendous benefits of this night. The Angels and Roohul Ameen (a highly dignified Angel) descend on this earth, with the permission of Allah (swt) & call on the Imam of the time, and what is ordained (by Allah) for everybody is presented before the Imam.[3] Read More
Question 128: I know that one must perform Wudhu before you touch the Qur’an. What is the proper etiquette for handling the Qur’an and does it apply to the translations as well or just Qur’an in Arabic?
Answer 128: It is haraam to touch the script of the holy Qur’an with any part of one’s body, without performing Wudhu. There is no harm in touching the translation of the holy Qur’an, in any language, without Wudhu.
It is haraam, as an obligatory precaution, to touch the Names of Allah (SWT), without Wudhu, in whichever language it may have been translated. It is also haraam to touch, without Wudhu, the blessed names of the Holy Prophets of Islam, the Holy Imams and Hazrat Fatima Zahra (peace be upon them).[1] Read More
Question 358: Assalam o alaikum, I am a Pakistani and lived my whole life in a different society than the Arabs. So naturally few things I am seeing in this culture are quite different from mine. Today I picked out one such thing for my Question to improve my knowledge.
In subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh) females usually cover their heads when they hear the sound of Azan or sound of recitation of Holy Quran.
But, here in my school the Arab teachers teaching Holy Quran never covers their head. They say it’s not necessary to cover the head for recitation of Holy Quran or Azan.
We only need to cover head in front of non-Mahram or for prayer.
Kindly explain is it necessary to cover head or not while recitation of Holy Quran and Listening Azan. Regards
Answer 358: According to Islam, it is not obligatory on you to have Hijab while you are reciting the holy Quran, unless there is a non-Mahram can see you. So, it would be considered as wajib upon you to observe Hijab just because of the presence of non-Mahram. Read More
Question 126: Is it allowed to make money off of teaching Qur’an?
Answer 126: There would be no problem to receive a wage for providing training of the Holy Qur’an, except those Surahs that we recite in our prayers like Surah al-Fatiha and Ikhlas, according to Ayatollah Bahjat and Fazel Lankarani[1].
Some scholars have issued a fatwa that it is abnormal (makrooh)[2].
The following is ahadith that blames us if we want to receive wages for training the Holy Qur’an: Imam Ali (a.s) has said, “Those who want to receive wages for training of the Holy Qur’an they will be given on the Day of Judgment as whatever they have received in this world[3].”
According to the above mentioned hadith, receiving wage for training the Holy Qur’an is abnormal[4].
Imam Ali (a.s) didn’t say you are not allowed to receive a wage in this regards, he said, “You will reward on the Day of Judgment as whatever you are given in this world. This means, you will never be rewarded on that Day! As a result, it is suited with abnormal! We can figure out from other traditions in which there would be no problem to receive a wage for providing training of the Holy Qur’an as the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said, “The lawful wage you can ever be given is the wage for training the Holy Qur’an[5].”
For further information in this regards, please refer to the following answer:
Index: Taking wage for reciting holy Quran or eulogy, answer 451.
[1] . Bahjat, Muhammad Taqi, Isteftaat, Vol. 1, Pg. 411, Question 1447; Fazel Lankarani, Muhammad, book of Jemeul Masail, Vol. 1, Pg. 591, Question 2211.
[2] . Makarem Shirazi, Nase, new Isteftaat, Vol. 1, Pg. 521, second edition.
[3] . Sheikh Sadouq, Man lā yahduruhu al-Faqīh, Vol. 3, Pg. 178, second edition, 1413 AH.
[4] . Hilli, Hasan bin Yousef, Tadkiratul Foqaha, vol. 12, Pg. 136, first edition; Ardabili, Ahmad bin Muhammad, Majmaul Faidah walburhan fi, Sharhe Ershadel Adhan, Vol. 8, Pg. 18, first edition, 1403 AH; Majlesi, Muhammad Taqi, Rawzatul Muttaqin Fi Sharh e Man lā yahduruhu al-Faqīh, reasercher Moosavi Kermani, Sayyid Hussain & Estehardi, Ali Panah and Tabatabaee, Sayyid Fadhlulllah, Vol. 6, Pgs. 511 and 512.
[5] . Ibn Abi Jomhoor Ihsaee, Muhammad bin Ali, Awalial Layali al-Azizah Fi al-Ahadith al-Diniyah, Vol. 1, Pg. 176, Dar e Sayyid al-Shohada LialNashr, Qom, first edition, 1405 AH. «إِنَّ أَحَقَ مَا أَخَذْتُمْ عَلَیهِ أَجْراً كِتَابُ اللَّه»