Your Questions Answered - Volume 1

Allamah Sayyid Sa'eed Akhtar Rizvi - XKP

Published: 2013
Tag(s): "qna about islam" "shia qna" "question answers shia" "shia islam" "akhtar rizvi" "your questions" "what is islam" "ishna asheri" "shia religion" "ahel tashi" islam faith morals ghul wadhu fiqh xkp

Chapter 1 PREFACE TO THE 2ND EDITION

The first edition of this book, although poorly-printed, proved very popular and all copies weresold out in record time. Ayatullah Seyyid Mohammad Mahdi AI-Husaini Shirazi, Mujtahid(Kuwait), and other scholars highly appreciated the book. Some parts were reprinted in theMuslim Review, Madrasatul-Waezeen, Lucknow (India).

Encouraged by this the Mission is reprinting it by offset process on good-quality paper; thetype-face is sure to please the discerning taste.

The first edition contained replies to 142 questions; but some replies only referred thequestioner to some books or articles without conveying any detail. Such questions have beenomitted from this edition, which now contains 131 replies.

Also, the first edition contained names of the correspondents which have been deleted fromthis edition, except where the name was thought necessary.

Our readers will be glad to learn that the second volume of this book is already in press; andthe third volume has been compiled, and is expected to be published in 1976, Insha-Allah.

The mission is grateful to Mr Murtaza A. Bandali for his assistance in checking the proof.

Seyyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi.

DAR-ES-SALAAM3

1st August, 1975.

Chapter 2 What is Islam?

Joseph Mwambwa, Mombasa, Kenya.

A. Islam is to believe and accept that there is none to be worshipped but Allah andMuhammad is His Messenger. It means that one MUST believe in and accept all that hasbeen brought by Muhammad (s.a.w.w.). For details, see "Islam" obtainable from this Mission.

Chapter 3 Why are you a Muslim?

A. I am a Muslim because I realise that: First of all, religion is the most essential thing todevelop a man into a perfect human being. And secondly, I have come to the conclusion, aftera thorough study of the world religions, that only Islam is the perfect, sensible andwellbalanced religion in the world

Chapter 4 What is the Best Religion in this World?

A. Islam is the only perfect religion in this world. See for details the booklet "Need of Religion"published by this Mission.

Chapter 5 Who Started the Religion of Islam?

A. Islam is a religion which was originally brought in this world by Hazrat Adam (A.S.). All theprophets have been following the same religion (e.g. One God, Day of Resurrection, etc.) butthe actual laws of religion differed from time to time depending upon the time of respectiveprophets. The last Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.) brought the same religion, which iscommonly known as 'ISLAM' today. There will be no Prophet after him. Therefore, Islam is thefirst and last religion, having been started by Hazrat Adam (A.S.) and perfected by our HolyProphet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.).

Chapter 6 What is the Basis of Faith and What role does it Play in our Lives?

A. About basis of faith: In our theology, Reason is the basis of faith. Here we differ completelyfrom the Christianity whose motto is "First believe, then you will understand". But we say "Firstunderstand, then believe". The role which our faith plays in our lives is very comprehensiveand prevalent. A Muslim's faith governs all his religious, ethical, social, and financial and familyactivities. It is not like Christianity in which the hold of religion on a Christian's life is limited toa few minutes of Sunday mornings when he attends the church.

Chapter 7 Where can I go to register myself as a Muslim and am I allowed to be a Muslim since I like the Religion Very Much.

Miss Mary Oyoo, Mombasa, Kenya.

A. If you have studied the tenets of Islam and are convinced of its truth, there is no need to getyour name registered anywhere. Islam is the only religion which establishes a directrelationship between a human being and God. There is no organised clergy or priest-hood asin Christianity; there is no forgiving of sins by priests; no dispensation and nothing to showthat you depend on some human being for the salvation of your soul. If you are convincedabout the truth of Islam and if you recite the following sentences with conviction, you are aMuslim without any need of any witness or priest or registration.

"I BEAR WITNESS THAT THERE IS NO GOD (OR NONE TO BE WORSHIPPED) EXCEPTALLAH, AND I BEAR WITNESS THAT MUHAMMAD IS THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH".

Chapter 8 What should we do if we want to be the most God-Fearing Person?

A. The most God-fearing person these days is the one who obeys all the commands of Godand abstains from all forbidden things

Chapter 9 What should we do if we want to be the Richest of People?

A. The richest person is he who is the most perfect in faith.

Chapter 10 What Should we do if we want to be the Faithful?

A. The faithful (i.e. ): Faith( ) has been defined as "Firm belief, declaration by tongueand Actions according to the commands of Allah.

Chapter 11 Here I seek some question on Islam. I think of a man, who sincerely believes in all the fundamentals and professes them in words but he neither observes prayer nor performs pilgrimage. Would it be right to call him a true Muslim?

A. Your question concerns the relationship between 'Iman' and 'Good Deeds'. Iman is likenedto a flame of a lamp, and worship of Allah and good deeds are like its light. The stronger theflame of the lamp, the brighter its light. Likewise, the stronger the Iman the better and moresincere the worship of Allah and more virtuous good deeds.If a person is slow in worship and good deeds, it means that his Iman is weak.If he does not worship Allah and performs no good deeds at all his claim of Iman is like a claimthat lamp is burning while the whole room (walls, floor, roof, furniture) is absolutely dark.

Chapter 12 How many Muslims are in the World and where is the Headquarter?

A. There is no authentic figure available. But it is estimated that there are between 650 and750 million Muslims in the world.There is no headquarter if you mean something on the lines of the Vatican. But the holyplaces of Islam are in Mecca and Medina (Saudi Arabia), Najaf, Kerbala, Kadhimain andSamarra (Iraq), Damascus (Syria) and Masjid-ul-Aqsa (Jerusalem).

Chapter 13 The other day my cousin asked me what proof have we got that Islam is the true religion. I told him that the Qur'an proves it. But he said that even Christians have Bible for their own proof. How Should I Reply Him?

A. Your approach to that question was wrong and it gave your cousin the chance to object inthe way he objected.

According to Shia Ithna-Asheri faith, the matters of belief (known commonly as Usul-e-Deen)must be understood through reason and intellect. When a person has accepted by logicalreasoning that there is a Creator who is Omnipotent, Omni-scient, Omni-present; that He isJust and Loves His creatures; that because of that Justice and Love, He cannot leavemankind without a Guide; and that the Last of those guides was our Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.)who brought Islam and Qur'an, then, and only then, may we argue with him on the strength of Qur'an and Hadith.

Otherwise, if he does not believe in God (or the Holy Prophet), you cannot expect him to  accept the verdict of Qur'an and Hadiths.

You have been sent 5 units of the Islamic Correspondence course. You may show them toyour cousin and he may find the answer to his problems in them.

If after carefully reading those books, he wants more clarification, he or you may write to me,

Chapter 14 All religions believe in God. So do I. But where did God come from?

A. God did not come from anywhere. He is "Self-existent"; therefore, His existence cannot belimited by "from" and "to". He is forever.

Other things sometime exist, sometime do not exist. We may ask about these things "when"or "how" or "where from" did they come into being.

Chapter 15 Does our Ithna-Asheri faith accept the theory of evolution, i.e., we were not created at an instant, but were evolved?

A. First let it be clear that our faith is based on the "belief in the Creator”. If evolution meansthat Allah created different things in stages, there is not much conflict with religion. If, on theother hand, evolution means that there is no creator and that the things came into being justby progress of matter, then it is naked "Kufr" (atheism) and our faith cannot tolerate it even foran instant.

Chapter 16 Does this verse support human evolution? “And surely He has made you Fashion after Fashion”. (71:14).

A. The translation of ayat given by you is wrong. It is translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali as :“Seeing that it is He that has created you in diverse stages

”Mir Ahmad Ali translates it :- “While indeed He created you through regular stages.”

And the meaning of "in diverse stages" or "through regular stages" is explained by Aimma(a.s.) as a reference to the various stages a foetus passes through, which has been shortlydescribed in Qur'an (22 : 5) :-

"O’ people! if you be in doubt about (your) rising again (resurrection), then (reflect ye that)verily We created you from dust, then from sperm, then from a clot, then from a lump of flesh,formed and (sometimes) partly unformed, that we may manifest (our power) unto you, and Wecause to stay in the womb what We will until an appointed term, then bring ye forth as babes,then (foster you) that ye reach your maturity; and of you is he who is caused to die, and of youis he who is brought back to the feeblest (stage of) old age that he knoweth not aught afterknowing (much)".

In another Ayat, it is described thus :-"

And indeed We created man, from an extract of clay. Then we made him sperm, in a firmresting place. Then made We the sperm a clot, then made We in the lump of flesh bones,then clothed We the bones with flesh; then We did grow it into another creation; so Blessedbe God, the Best of the creators (23:13-15).

If you are interested to know the Islamic view of the hypothesis of evolution, you will find itexplained in "Need of Religion" and "God of Islam", both published by this Mission.

Chapter 17 About how many years ago, Nabii Adam was created?

A. We have not been informed of it in the Traditions of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) or Imams(A.S.).

Chapter 18 How can I be convinced that Allah was the God which Muhammad preached?

A. Well, open any page of the Qur'an and you will find the name "Allah" mentioned in it severaltimes. Once a Hindu friend of mine happened to look at an English translation of the Qur'anand said, "It is safe to say that the key word of this book is "Allah"

The Kalema which the Holy Prophet preached contains the name "Allah" twice in the twoshort sentences. What more proof can anyone demand?

Chapter 19 Why does God Exist?

A. Your question is misplaced. God is "Self-existent" therefore His existence cannot bequestioned. Other things sometimes exist, sometimes do not exist; a few years ago you werenot there, now you do exist; after some years your existence will come to an end. We may askabout such things why do they exist. There "being" needs a creator; without a force to causethem "to be" they cannot come into existence.

Therefore, it is quite right to ask the cause of the existence of other things; but God isExistence Himself and we cannot ask "why" does He exist.

Chapter 20 Why have we been Created?

A. Allah says in the Qur'an :-

"And I did not create Jin and Human Beings but so that they worship me". The Maarifat(knowledge) of Allah and then obeying His Will and Command is included in the word"Worship"

Chapter 21 How far away from the Earth is the Moon?

A. The average distance of moon from the earth Is estimated to be 238,860 miles.

Chapter 22 I believe God is nature; that means that nature is God. Is it right?

A. The answer is "NO" — Nature is a created thing and God is its Creaor. The two cannot bethe same.

Chapter 23 I have been told that Nabii Elias went to the Heavens and is still awaited by the Jews. Is this also what we believe?

A. According to our Ahadith, Hazarat Elias is alive in this world, not in Heaven.

Chapter 24 Is Hazrat Isa (A.S.) still alive or dead? If the former is the answer where is he?

A. Hazrat Isa (A.S.) is still alive and is in the heaven. He will return to earth before the day of Resurrection to help Imam Mahdi (A.S.).

Chapter 25 Who was Muhammad? (S.A.W.W.)

A. He was son of Abdullah and Amina, from the clan of Hashim, tribe of Quraish, in Mecca. Hewas the Last of the Prophets sent by Allah to lead mankind onto the right path.

Chapter 26 Where was Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.) Born, and Where and When did he Expire?

A. Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.) was born in Mecca in A.D. 570 and died in Medina in A.D.632.

Chapter 27 How old was Muhammad (S.A.W.W.) when he first Began to Preach?

A. He was 40 years old when he announced his Prophethood.

Chapter 28 Our Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W.W.) got his spiritual power from God after reaching the age of 40, to preach Islam. Why not before, when there were other people who were worshipping idols during that time and also needed preaching of Islam.

A. It is wrong to say that "Our Holy Prophet got spiritual power from God after reaching theage of 40". He was Nabi even before the creation of Hazrat Adam (A.S.) you should say "Hewas allowed to preach when he reached the age of 40".

Why was he ordered to wait for such a long time? It was because Allah wanted the people ofArabia to see his character, truth, honesty, so that when he claimed that he was sent fromAllah nobody could say (God forbid) was an untrustworthy person or an imposter.

In fact, the people of Mecca accused him of being a poet, a sorcerer or a bewitched man; butnever could they accuse him of being untrustworthy. Even as they were planning to kill him,they used to keep their valuables with him in trust.

This trust and faith could not have been manifested had the Holy Prophet announced his Prophethood in his earlier life.

Chapter 29 When we mention the apostle's name, Muhammad, we say (S.A.W.W.) Why? What does it mean?

A. (S.A.W.W.) after the name of the Holy Prophet is the abbreviation of "Sallallahu Alayhi waAalihi wa Sallam". It means, "May Allah Bestow His Mercy, Grace and Peace upon him(Muhammad) and his progeny" The Muslims say it in compliance with the command of Allah:-"Verily, Allah Bestows His Grace upon the Prophet and His angels pray for him; O ye whobelieve send ye blessings on him and salute him as is the proper way" (Qur'an; Sura 33, Ayat56).

And the addition of "wa Aalihi" (and upon his progeny) is in accordance with the command ofthe Holy Prophet who said:"

Do not send on me an incomplete salawaat". The companions asked: “What is theincomplete salawaat, O Messenger of Allah!” The Holy Prophet said "It is incomplete to say "OAllah Bless Muhammad" and then to stop. Nay, you should say: "O Allah Bless Muhammad  and his Progeny". (Jawahirul-Iqdain; As-Sawaiqul-Muhriqua)

Chapter 30 Had the Prophet Muhammad any other names as we read in Christians' Bible that Jesus had other names as Christ, etc.?

A. Yes, He was referred to as "Ahmad" in his lifetime. And according to an authentic Hadith,he said: "I have five names, I am Muhammad, I am Ahmad, I am Hashir, I am Mahi, and I amAaquib." Also, he is referred to as "Mustafa" (the chosen one).

Chapter 31 How many wives Prophet Muhammad had besides Khadija? What are their names, if any?

A. The Holy Prophet did not marry any other woman in the life time of Khadija. After her death,he married 12 wives, nine of whom were alive at the time of his death. Their names were (1)Sauda (2) Aaisha (3) Umme Salma (4) Zainab binti Jahash (5) Safiyya (6) Hafsa (7) Maimuna(8) Zainab Ummul Masakin and (9) Umme Habiba.

Chapter 32 New Chapter

A. He died at Medina and was buried there. Medina is in Hejaz, which nowadays is a part ofthe kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Chapter 33 How old was Muhammad the Prophet when he died in 632 A.D, and when he started Islam?

A. The Holy Prophet died at the age of 63. He was 40 years old when he started preachingIslam.

Chapter 34 Who buried him?

A. He was buried by Ali bin Abi Talib (cousin and son-in-law of the Holy Prophet) assisted by 3family-members and two companions (Usama and Shaquran).

Chapter 35 Did Muhammad the Prophet arise as Christ from the dead?

A. The Holy Prophet of Islam did not arise from the dead in the sense which you have in mind,nor did, for that matter, arise Christ. It is a long argument, and a short letter is not a place forthis discussion.

Chapter 36 Who wrote the Qur’an and in which year?

A. The Qur'an is not the work of any human being; it is the Revelation from Allah revealed tothe Holy Prophet of Islam (S.A.W.W.) So, you may say that Allah is the author of the Qur'an.

As soon as a revelation was received, the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) used to dictate it to one ofthe official Scribes. The Qur'an was revealed during 23 years between 610 and 632 A. D.

Chapter 37 I would like to know the languages into which the Qur'an has been translated?

A. The Qur'an has been translated in more than 100 languages. It is difficult to give a list ofthem. The Qur'an has been translated into almost all the languages of Asia and Europe.

Chapter 38 Is it a sin reading the Bible?

A. Well, the Bible is a collection of Old Testament and New Testament. First five books of oldTestament are said to have been written by Hadrat Musa (A.S.), but in fact, the books werecompiled 1000 years after Hadhrat Musa (A.S.). The New Testament is named "The Gospelof our Lord Jesus Christ", but not a single book is claimed to have been written by him. Andthe authorship of even 4 gospels is shrouded into obscurity and nobody is sure who was, forexample, the author of the 4th Gospel. Therefore, if you read Bible with a belief that thesebooks are authentic, true and written by the prophets to whom they are attributed, it will bewrong.

Also, if your knowledge of the alterations, misinterpretations,, forgeries and additions of theBible is not complete, you should not read them as they may create confusion in your mind.

On the other hand, if you have adequate knowledge of Islam, and a fair idea of thebackground of the Bible as I have mentioned above, you may read it. I advise you to read ourbook "Qur'an and Hadith" which will give you some idea about the compilation of the Bible.

Chapter 39 What is Sura Yaasin' generally held to signify?

A. "Sura Yasin" is said to be 'the heart of the Qur'an'. It exhorts the faithful in many ways toabstain from Satanic schemes and to wholeheartedly follow the right Path shown by Allahthrough His last Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa (S.A.W.W.).

Chapter 40 Who succeeded as Caliph after Muhammad?

A. The Muslims became divided into two groups : The bigger group following Abu Bakr, theother following Ali bin Abi Talib (A.S.).

For details see "Imamat" which is available from this Mission.

Chapter 41 A certain community believes to such an extent that Hazrat Ali (A.S.) is greater than the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) and probably as great as God. I shall be extremely obliged if you will please supply me with necessary text and satisfactory explanation so that this absurd notion could be checked.

A. It will help a great deal if I make one thing clear at the start. According to their belief, HazratAli (A.S.) was god; and this "hereditary god-ship" has now come to the present Aga Khan IV.And their constitution says that whenever and wherever the words "Hazrat Ali", "Maula Ali","Imam Hussain", etc., are used the real meaning is "the present Aga Khan".

Their Kalema says: "Ameerul-Momeneen Ali Allah", i.e. "Ameerul-Mome-neen Ali is Allah".(The English and Gujarati translations have been twisted to hide their actual belief fromothers. The translation (quite wrongly) is given as "Ali is From Allah".)

What all the declarations mentioned in your letter boil down to is that H. H. Aga Khan IV is thegod; he is superior to the Holy Prophet of Islam; he can change the sheriat."

Hazrat Ali' is not Ali bin Abi Talib" but H. H. Aga Khan IV; their 'Imam' is not a successor to the  Holy Prophet but a god; their 'book' is not the Qur'an, but the ginan; and their Ibadat is not thatof the general Muslims, but some secret rites of their own.

Therefore, even when they use thewords 'Imam' or 'sheriat' they mean the things which are quite different from the Imam orsheriat as known to us. Consequently, when the words, used by the arguing parties, are usedfor different meanings, the argument can never come to an end.Therefore, you should not worry too much about such "absurd notions".

So, if, according to them, Hazrat Ali was god, he naturally would be superior to the HolyProphet; La Haula wala Quwwata Ilia Billah.

In fact, the claim that "Hazrat Ali was greater than the Holy Prophet" is just rubbish. Hazrat Alispent every moment of his life obeying the commands given to him by the Holy Prophet; hisfondest claim was that he was the first to follow the footsteps of the Holy Prophet.

His lecturesand letters in 'Nahjul-Balaghah' are full of such references for the whole world to see.

So, according to his own claims, Hazrat Ali was a follower, helper, and successor of the HolyProphet. He himself never claimed more than that. Any body claiming any thing else has theresponsibility to prove it from the books known to the Muslims.

Imam Raza (A.S.) has explained the cause of their misunderstanding in a lengthy Hadith, agist of which will not be out of place here. Imam (A.S.) said that "these astray unbelievers" didnot get this idea into their brain but because they overestimated the value of their own selves.This led them to believe whatever got into their brains without seeking guidance from therepresentatives of Allah. This continued and in the end "they belittled the honour of Allah andthought nothing of His dignity and degraded His great prestige, as they did not know that Allahis the Omnipotent Himself, "Ghani" (Above every need) Himself, that His Power is notborrowed (from someone else) nor is His Wealth to be exhausted""Then they looked to a servant of Allah whom He had given some special powers to show hisnearness with Him…

Then the Imam (A.S.) gives the example of some people who sought an audience with acertain King and were told that the King would pass in a procession with all his knights andnobles through that avenue. They were also told that when they saw the King, they were tobow down and show their allegience to him; and also that they were not to include anybodyelse in that courtesy."

They promised to do accordingly. Then, lo, there came a knight of the King resplendent in thecourt robes and armour. These people thought that must be the King. They saluted him likethe King, and even when he said that he was just a servant of the King they refused to listen— because they did not know the splendour of the King. They were dazed with the entourageof the Knight and said that nobody could be above him."

They, inspite of the warnings given them by the said Knight and other persons, persisted intheir folly. Then the King reached there, saw their infidelity and ordered them to be imprisonedand punished.

"Likewise, when these "Ghulat" saw Hazrat Ali — a servant of Allah who was raised in dignityby Allah — they thought Allah too small to have a servant like Ali, and considered Ali too big tohave any Lord and God. They called him by a name which was not his (i.e. they called him"Allah"). Hazrat Ali and his followers forbade them (from this belief) and said : "O people, Aliand his children are the honourable servants of Allah but they are created and they have nopower except that which has been given them by Allah, the Lord of the Universe; and theypossess nothing except that which has been bestowed upon them by Allah; and they do nothave any power about death, life or resurrection, nor on any closing or opening, nor on anymovement or stillness except that which has been given to them by Allah, and that their Lordand Creator is above all the attributes of the creatures, and that anybody who thinks about  them (or about any of them) that they are gods, then he is unbeliever (kafir) and has goneastray from the right path"."

But these people refused to listen and revolted against Allah and blindly continued in theirrebellion. In the end their hopes (with Allah) were shattered and their aim remained unfulfilledand they got their punishment from Allah"

In fact, such ideas, were propagated by a certain Abul-Khattab during the days of Imam JafferSadique (A.S.) Imam (A.S.) cursed him and ordered the Shias not even to talk to him as hehad become "Mushrik" (poly-theist).

Mr. Hollister says that Mohammed s/o Ismail s/o Imam Jafer Sadique (A. S.) used to befriendhim despite the above mentioned "Lanat" and became influenced by his ideas.

Such people are called "Ghali" (pi. "Ghulat"), i.e. the people who claim such virtues for Nabi orImam which are not theirs, like godship, creation, etc.

Other group was called "Mufawwidha" (Delegators). They believed that Allah createdMuhammad (S.A.W.W.) and Ali (A.S.) and delegated all His powers to them. So, it is they whocreated and sustained (Rizk) the world.

When somebody told Imam Jafer Sadique (A.S.) about this belief, Imam told him to go to himand recite this Ayat of the Qur'an : "Or do they assign to Allah partners who have createdanything as He has created, so that the creation seemed to them similar?Say, Allah is theCreator of all things, He is the One, the Supreme and Irresistible". (Qur'an, 13:16)When the said man went to him and recited this Ayat, he could not reply and remained asthough his mouth was filled with stones".

And, if inspite of all these things, somebody still claims that Hazrat Ali (A.S.) was god, heshould be reminded of Sura Tauhid :

“Say Allah is one Allah, having no need (or imperfection); He did not beget (anyone) and wasnot begotten (by anyone); and there was none equal to Him".

Hadhrat Ali (A.S.) was begotten by Abu Talib and Fatima binti Asad; he himself begot 35children. He needed food and drink; he needed rest and sleep; he married; he was born andwas martyred.

Allah says in the Qur'an, refuting the belief of godship of Hazrat Isa (A.S.), that he used to eatfood. Eating and drinking show the 'need' to sustain the body by replacing its spent cells whichin its turn shows the constant change' (Need and change both being impossible for Allah). So,taking food shows that Hazrat Isa (A.S.) was not God, Does not this very argument show thatHazrat Ali (A.S.) also was not God?

It will not be out of place to mention that H. H. Agakhan III had written a book, "Khoja Qaumna Mazhab na Ketlak Mul Tatwo tatha kirya sam-bandhi nano Pustak", in which he describedthe faith and sheriat which was to be followed by the Khojas. There he gives his owndesignation as "Khoja no Peer". In that booklet, he says that, God is not surrounded byanything; He is not made of anything neither he has begotten anyone; nor was He begottenby anyone".

Was it not strange that after describing such attributes for God in 1894, he claimed godship forhimself in 1908 as can be seen from the judgement of Haji Bibi case. Surely, he wassurrounded by so many things including his living place, his clothes and what not; he wasmade of flesh, bone, etc.; he was the son of his parents and father of many children. And stillhe is thought to be a god !

Here I should quote another Hadith of Imam Raza (A.S.) which very thoroughly shows thefallacy of such ideas :-Our 8th Imam once described the attributes of Allah. A man said that he knew a certain personwho claimed to be a Shia and believed that all these attributes belonged to Hazrat Ali (A.S.)and that he was the God, the Lord of the Universe.

When Imam (A.S.) heard it he trembled (with the fear of God) and said : "Allah is above allthings which people believe to be a Sharik (partner) of him; Allah is high above all such talksof the "Kafirs". Was not Ali eating as others ate, and drinking (water) as others drank andmarrying as others married, and was not he subject to all needs of body as others were? And,moreover, he was praying humbly, showing humility before God, and was turning with hisbody and soul towards God. Can a person with such attributes thought to be God? And, if hewas God, then there is none among you who is not god, because all of you share with Hazrat Ali these attributes (which are in fact ample proofs that the person concerned is a creature nota creator)".

Here I should mention an episode of about 1000 years ago.

A man during the Ghaibat-e-Sughra claimed that the 12 Imams were gods, and that he wastheir prophet. Husain bin Rauh (A.R.) declared that that man was claiming the Imams to begod, so that he could pave the way for his own godship, by claiming at a later day that theImam's soul had been incarnated in his own body.

And it happened as predicted. So, you see, such people who have been led to believe ingodship of any of the Imams are like toys in the hands of those who use them for their ownpurpose.

And the purpose can be seen in the Translation of their old Dua (now out of print) which isgiven by Justice Russel in the famous Haji Bibi case, and which runs as follows :-"

True declaration — God is Holy, Thanks to God. Praise to God. There is no God but God.God is great. There is no might or power except that of God, the High, the Great, the Merciful,the Magnanimous, the God, the Great Holy Providence (who is) in the district of Chaldea, inPersia, in human form, descended from the seventy-seven Patras (ancestors) and Who is theforty-eighth Imam (Spiritual Chief), the tenth Naklanki Avtar, our Master, Aga Sultan MahomedShah, the Giver. Then you are to prostrate. Then say 'Hak Shah' (i.e. O Shah, Thou art true)."

Chapter 42 They also argue that the Imam can change the "Furu" and not the "Usul" of Islam.

A. So far as the Ismailis are concerned, their "Imam" means "god" And god can do whateverhe likes ! The Sheriat of the Holy Prophet was perfected by Allah during the days of the HolyProphet. See Sura Maida where it says :"

Today I made perfect your religion for you, and completed my Blessing upon you…

"This Sheriat is upto Qiyamat and is not to be changed or cancelled. The Holy Prophet hassaid : The 'Halal" of Muhammad is "Halal" upto Qiyamat and "Haram" of Muhammad is"Haram" upto Qiyamat.

The Imams elaborated it and made it clear, but they were not to change it.The Ismailis believethat the Sheriat was cancelled by one of the ancesors of H.H. Aga Khan, Hasan AlaDhikrihissalam (the great-grandson of Hassan bin Sabbah) who ruled in the Castle of Almutfrom 1162 A.D. to 1166 A.D. During this short reign in a month of Ramadhan (on 17th) he wenton 'Mimber' and declared that from then on the Sheriat was cancelled; ordered his followers tobreak their fast which they promptly did by eating, drinking and merry-making. One of theirpoets praises it in the following lines:

“Hasan Ala Dhikrihissalam removed the fetters of the Sheriat from the neck of the people bythe grace of God’’.

So that is their real tenet and belief for the last 8 centuries. Whenever they pose themselvesas abiding to the rules of Sheriat as in Pakistan or India. (or very recently in East Africa), it isjust for the sake of politics so that they may not be despised by the Muslim Community.

Chapter 43 The same community also argued that Imam Hasan (A. S.) was not given Imamat because Hazrat Ali (A.S.) knew that Imam Hasan's descendants were not to survive, and, therefore, the Imamat was given direct to Imam Husain (A.S.).

A. This trash is worse than the talk of the pagans of Mecca who claimed that our Holy Prophetwas "Abtar" (without any descendant). The pagans according to their own way of life, thoughtthat claim to be justified, because they did not give any importance to a daughter, and, theHoly Prophet's sons did not survive.

But the Ismailis' talk is worse than that because Imam Hasan (A.S.) had at least 8 sons and 7daughters. Out of those 8 sons, the descendants of two (Zaid and Hasan Muthanna) are stillfound in thousands and thousands. (Vide the books of Ansab-e-Aal-e-Abi Talib).

Our last Mujtahid, Marhum Aqua Sayyid Mohsin Al Hakeem Tabatabai, was one of them. Andtheir genealogy is not in dispute like that of Hasan Ala Dhikrihissalam who happens to beamong the ancestors of H. H. Aga Khan, and who was a descendant of Hasan bin Sabbah(admittedly a Persian of non-Arab origin). Justice Arnold in his famous judgement of Khojacase (1866 A.D.) (of which H. H. Aga Khan II was very proud and wrote that the saidjudgement "established" the position of Aga Khan 1) had also established the lineal descent ofHasan Ala Dhikrihissalam from Hassan bin Sabbah.

And while we are on this subject, we might better mention that at least upto 1866 A.D, ImamHasan (A.S.) was believed by the Ismailis to be the 2nd Imam.

Mr. Justice Arnold, in the said judgement gives the list of the first seven Imams, according tothe belief of the Ismailis and mentions Imam Hasan (A.S.) as the second Imam.

But Justice Russel in Haji Bibi Case (1908) says about Imam Hasan (A.S.) that he was a peer,not an Imam.

The question is when was the name of Imam Hasan (A.S.) dropped from this list and whoomitted it and why?

Chapter 44 I have been told that after we die, we still feel pain if someone touches us. But as the soul has left the body (after our death) how can we feel pain? Because we feel pain because we are alive, (that is because have soul).

A. The body does not feel anything; but the soul feels the pain if the body is mishandled justas the parents are pained to see their child mishandled though they themselves are nottouched. As the soul remained in that body, it developed a kind of attachment with it whichcauses this feeling of pain even after being removed from it.

Chapter 45 If a man knows nothing about Qur'an nor about praying and he is a Muslim and if he fasts, does he get any "God's Reward" or not and why?

A. If a Muslim knows nothing about the Qur'an nor about prayers but keeps the fast during themonth of Ramadhan properly, he will get "Reward" of fasting but will be punished for his neglect of prayers.

Chapter 46 We believe that our 12th Imam is alive but he is "Ghayab". We also believe that when our Prophet died, he left two things to guide us, namely Qur'an and Ahlul-bait. Till 11th Imam, two things were going along together. Now, we have Qur'an but why not our Imam in person?

A.1. You say that this question was asked by the Ismailis. What right these people have toquote this Hadith of the Holy Prophet when their 48th Imam expressly told them toforget about Qur'an because it was 1300 years old and was in Arabic; they wereordered to follow, instead, the Ginan which was in an Indian language and only 500years old?

2. There is a difference between the Qur'an (which can be found in every house) and theImam (who naturally would be in a certain place).Thus even in normal conditions theImam would not be available to everyone everywhere.

3. At least since the days of 6th Imam, the work of Tabligh was done through theauthorised "Wakils" (agents). The system was perfected during the Imamat of ImamMusa Kazim (A.S.) and is still working.

4. Since the inception of that system, it was made clear to all the Shias that they were toapproach those "Wakils". Our present Imam (A.S.) has clearly ordained in numerousletters to all the Shias before the start of the "Ghaibat" that, thenceforth, his Shias wereto approach the scholars of religion, because "they are my representatives for you, andI am the Representative of Allah for them; anyone who rejects their words rejects mywords, and whoever rejects my words rejects the words of Allah and whoever rejectsthe words of Allah would go into the Fire (of Jahannam)".

5. Of course, "Ghaibat" has made a difference. Previously, the representatives of Imamhad a liberty to ask his guidance even on minor things, even If those things werealready fully explained by previous Imams or the same Imam. Now that liberty is lost.Our present lmam (A.S.) still guides the scholars, BUT ONLY WHEN THE MATTEROR THE QUESTION IS SUCH WHICH WAS NOT CLEARED PREVIOUSLY. If anyprevious Imam or Alim has already thrown light on that question, the present Imamremains silent and lets the scholars find the answer by their own research. But if thequestion is a new one and the Alim is unable to solve it by himself Imam (A.S.)invariably always guides the Ulama in that respect. I could have given you manyexamples of which I am personally aware, but I am not at liberty to narrate them.

So, you may rest assured that our 12th Imam (A.S.) personally guides the Shias throughthose who have achieved spiritual perfection and whom he guides whenever It is necessary.

Chapter 47 Can we have a direct contact with our Imam?

A. Yes. If any Ithna-Asheri is really anxious to meet him (A.S.) personally, he should spend 40Tuesday nights at Masjid-e-Sahla (near Kufa), or 40 Thursday nights (Shab-e-Juma) at thegrave of Imam Husain (A.S.) in prayers and remembrance of Allah. At the end of that period  he will surely see and meet the Imam (A.S.).

Chapter 48 Can you, please; direct us with reference to Qur'an when, why and where our Imam was "Ghayab"?

A.

1. When and Where? Well, what is the use of seclusion if people are made aware of his"whereabouts"? So, the question "Where" cannot be answered if you mean "where ishe?". But if you mean "where was he living at the time of Ghaibat?", then I may tell youthat he became Ghayab from "Samarra" in the year 329 Hijrah.

2. Why? Here is a Hadith from Imam Jafer Sadique (A.S.) explaining about Ghaibat some200 years before that event :-Abdullah bin Fadhl heard Imam Jafer Sadique (A.S.) talking about the "seclusion" andits long period in which every man of wrong belief would start doubting (even theexistence of Sahib-ul-Amr). Abdullah asked the reason of ghaibat, to which Imamreplied :"The reason of his "Ghaibat" is the same as of the ghaibat of other representatives ofAllah before him.Verily its reason will not be clear until after his re-appearance; as thereason of the actions of Khidhr (i.e. damaging the boat, killing the child and repairingthe wall) was not explained to Musa (A.S.) until the time came for them to separate. O Son of Fadhl, this is an Amr from Amr of Allah, a secret from the secrets of Allah, andhidden thing from the hidden things of Allah; and when we know that Allah is Hakeem(Creator of wisdom) we confirm that all of his actions are based upon wisdom thoughits reason at the time might be unclear to us.(Ihtijaj, Volume II, p. 140).

So, you see that the actual reasons cannot be known till our Imam (A.S.) ends hisseclusion. Then, we will know the facts.

Still, the following reasons which have been mentioned in the Hadith of Imams right fromAmeerul-Momeneen upto our present Imam (A.S.) will throw some light on this question of'Ghaibat' :-

1. He is in seclusion so that when he stands to put the world on right path, he is notbound by an oath of allegiance to anybody.

2. Safety of his life.

3. Testing the strength of the Iman of believers, as was done in the case of Hadhrat Nuh(A.S.) when the coming of the flood was repeatedly postponed and eachpostponement saw many so-called 'faithfuls' deserting Hadhrat Nuh (A.S.) andbecoming kafir.

You have not put "How" in your question; but I think I should reply this question also, to makethe picture clearer. Ghaibat does not mean that our Imam has got an invisible body. Themeaning of Ghaibat is that people, even when he is among them, do not recognise him. Hereis a Hadith from Imam Jaffer Sadique (A.S.) on this subject :-"And why do these people think itstrange? Verily, the brothers of Yusuf were Asbat — the children of the prophets — they madebusiness transaction with Yusuf, and bought things from him and talked with him and theywere his brothers and he was their brother — and they did not recognize him until Yusuf toldthem, "I am Yusuf". So why does this cursed Ummat reject the idea that at a certain time Allahmay want to hide his Representative.

Surely, Yusuf was the ruler of Egypt (and, thus, a famous man) and there was between himand his father a distance of only 18 days journey and had Allah wanted to reveal to Yakub  where Yusuf was, He had power to do so (By God, when they got the good news of Yusuf,Yakub and his children covered that distance in 9 days only).So, why does this Ummat think itobjectionable if Allah wanted to do with His Representative what He did in case of Yusuf, i.e.the 12th Imam may be visiting their markets, walking on their floors and yet they would notrecognize him till Allah allows him to disclose his personality, as He did to Yusuf when he said,"And did you know what you did with Yusuf and his brother when you were ignorants?". Theysaid, "Say, Art thou Yusuf?" He said, "I am Yusuf and this is my brother"(Biharul-Anwar Vol.13

)So far as the question of long life on this earth is concerned the following Ayat about HazratYunus is to the point: "And, verily, Yunus is from among the Apostles; when he fled to theboat. And had he not been from those who say the Tasbih, he would have stayed in itsstomach till the day when they would be resurrected"

This ayat clearly shows that but for his Tasbih, Yunus would have stayed in the stomach of thefish till Qiyamat. Then what is strange if a man stays on the earth till Qiyamat?

Then there is the long life of Hadhrat Nuh. According to Qur'an, he preached to his people,before cursing them, for 950 years. Then came the Flood and he lived long after the Flood. In all he lived 2500 years. Compare it with the age of our present Imam which at this time is 1132years only and you will not see any cause for objection.

Chapter 49 What is the main difference between Islam and Christianity?

George Chiteri, Mombasa, Kenya.A.

In this connection, first let me explain that, according to Islamic belief, Jesus Christ was aprophet sent by God to guide the children of Israel unto the right path. His Prophethoodcontinued till the arrival of Muhammad, (S.A.W.W.) the Last Prophet sent by God.

Thus Islam and Christianity both have come from the same source; but the difference is thatChristianity was for a specific tribe and for a specific period, while Islam has come for allmankind for upto the last day of the world.

By the passage of time many such things had crept into Christianity which had made itnecessary to send anotner Prophet to remove those wrong ideas and beliefs. For Example :-

1. The Muslims believe that there is only one God. The Christians, while claiming to havethe same belief, actually believe in 3 gods : God, Christ and Holy Ghost. They want toreconcile both their claims by saying that these 3 are 'one' and at the same time '3'.How this strange arithmetic is believed is beyond comprehension. They say that firstyou believe it then you can understand it.

2. The Muslims believe as they have been taught in Qur'an :-"

Say, He is God, The One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He be-getteth not, noris He begotten; And there is none like unto Him".

The Christians believe that God begot a son who was Jesus Christ. Thus God becamea father. And as Christ also is a god and he is called "the son of god", so god became ason also.

How God became father of Jesus is not explained. The only argument is that Jesuswas born without father, so Allah was his father.To this claim, the Qur'an replies :-"

The example” of Jesus before God is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, thensaid to him, "Be" and he was"

If Jesus can be claimed to be "son of God" because he had no father, Adam has farstronger claim to be the son of God because he had neither father nor mother.

3. The Muslims believe that every man is responsible for his own actions. No man will bepunished for other's sin. Qur'an says, "that no bearer of burdens can bear the burdenof another"The Christians on the other hand believe that as Nabi Adam ate from the tree inJannat, he committed a sin; and that sin has been inherited by every human-being;thus every person is born with that sin and will be punished for it.It is also diametrically opposed to the Muslims belief that all children are born free fromevery sin and disbelief.

4. Resulting from No. 3, the Christians believe that it was to remove that sin from mankindthat Jesus Christ died on the cross. Now anyone, believing that Jesus Christ died onthe cross for atonement of the sins of mankind, will automatically become free fromevery sin and thus will be saved from punishment.Muslims emphatically refute this belief, because it is based on the wrong and illogicalassumption of the "original sin" of Nabi Adam.

5. Christians believe that one of their gods (i.e. Jesus Christ) died and again becamealive after 3 days.

The Muslims' God is the Creator of death and life. Death cannot reach him.

Resulting from these differences, many, other differences have arisen. But I think this much isenough for this letter.

Chapter 50 Is Islam related in anyway with the Chritianity?

A. You have asked about the relationship between Islam and Christianity. Being a Muslim, youmust be aware that Allah sent 124,000 prophets beginning with Hadhrat Adam (A.S.) andending with our Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.). All these prophets came from Allah andbrought His message. As they all came from one Allah, their basic faith (e.g. Unity of God, HisMercy and Justice, the Day of Judgement, etc.,) was always the same. But the rules ofprayers, of family system, etc., etc., changed according to the needs of the time.Consequently, five new sheriats were sent one after another through Hadhrat Nuh, Ebrahim,Musa, Isa and Muhammad Mustafa (peace of Allah be on them). Every later sheriat abrogatedand cancelled the previous one. Thus, the sheriat of Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa (S.A.W.W.)cancelled the sheriat of Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) and all the previous sheriats.

In this background you may easily understand the relationship between these two religions;Islam and Christianity both came from the same source, but Islam was sent to cancel all theprevious religions including Christianity.

Chapter 51 What is the message of Islam to the non-Muslims?

A. The message of Islam to the non-Muslims is found in the following ayat of the Holy Qur'an:-"

Say, O People of the Book, come on the word agreed between us and you; that we shallworship none but Allah and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him and that none of usshall take others for lords besides Allah". (Ale-lmran : 64).

Chapter 52 Why is Islam and Ahmadiyyas not same in their beliefs?

A. Here also there are many differences; but the basic differences are as follows :-

1. Muslims (without exception) believe that Hadhrat Muhammad (S.A.W.W.) is the LastProphet. No prophet is ever to come after him.The Ahmadiyyas (commonly known as Qadianis) believe that Mirza Ghu-lam Ahmad ofQadian (died in 1908 A. D.) was prophet.

2. The Muslims believe that Imam Mahdi will re-appear before Qiyamat and that HadhratIsa (A.S.) will come as one of his followers to help him.The Qadianis believe that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani was Imam Mahdi and NabiIsa — all in one, like the "3-in-1" god of the Christians.

3. The Qadiani's belief about angels and Satan appears to be quite different from thebelief of the Muslims.

There are other differences which it is not possible to explain in a short letter.

Chapter 53 I am really confused about my attitude towards the Ahmadiyya Sect. What should my standpoint be? Is it merely a dissident group which differs in its opinions as to the interpretation of certain Islamic beliefs or do its contentions differ fundamentally with the basic Islamic tenets? And if so how should we (Muslims) regard them?

A. Ahmadias (commonly known as Qadianis) differ with the Muslims in many of the basictenets, the most important one being the finality of Prophethood.

Also they do not believe in 'Malaika,' and resurrection of the dead. There are many items inreligion which are called "Dharuriyaat-e-Deen", i.e., such Basic Tenets which are knownto every Muslim as part of religion. Take for example, the 5 times prayers, Fast of Ramadhan,Hajj of Kaaba, etc.

If any person rejects even one of Dharuriyaat-e-Deen, he according to the unanimous belief ofthe Muslims, becomes Kafir, though he may be reciting "La llaha Illallah MuhammadunRasulullah".

The belief that our Holy Prophet was the last Prophet and no other prophet is to come afterhim, is one of the Dharuriyaat-e-Deen. Anybody or any sect rejecting this belief is Kafir.

(For details, see "Muhammad Is The Last Prophet" published by this Mission.)

Chapter 54 ("Note: This letter was sent to Mr. Jamifur Rahman Rafiq, Chief Missionary of Ahmadiya Mission of Kenya, Nairobi. No reply was ever received).

"During the Agricultural Society Show of Mombasa you told some Shia youths that AbdulHamid bin Abil-Hadid (who wrote one of the commentaries of Nahjul-Balagha) was Shia.

When I asked you whether you had seen that commentary, you told me that you had not seenit but that you depended upon a book prepared by your headquarters in which he ismentioned as Shia.

I gave you an old issue of the "Light" (March-June, 1967) in which your claim that Ibn AbilHadid was Shia had been shown to be completely against his own declarations.

For your information, we have in our Mission's Library the Mash-hadi edition of NahjulBalagha; and I have in my personal library all 20 volumes of the Sharh of Nahjul-Balagha by  Ibn Abil-Hadid; and our Mombasa library has the Egyptian edition of Nahjul-Balagha (with footnotes by Mufti Mohammad Abduh).

You are welcome to see all or any of the above editions at any time.Then you showed me an Arabic writing in the same book of yours purporting to be a letter ofAmeerul-Mumineen Ali bin Abi Talib, some of whose sentences praised the First and SecondCaliphs as 'Siddique' and 'Farooque'.

The writer of your book has given the reference of Nahjul-Balagha. When you showed me thatwriting I knew that it was not in Nahjul-Balagha. Still I wanted to check your reference oncemore and I copied the said "quotation".

Now, I have checked the whole book and no such or similar paragraph is in Nahjul-Balagha.

Now you have two tangible items to check the reliability of your writers :

(a)They wrote that Abdul-Hameed Ibn Abil-Hadid was Shia — while he himself writes in thesame book that he was a Mutazilite and propounds the beliefs of Baghdadi Mutazilites fromthe beginning of his book to the end.

(b)They claim a "quotation" to be from "Nahjul-Balagha" while there is no such wording inNahjul-Balagha.

If your writers can mislead you so blatantly in matters which can easily be checked what trustcan you put in them in other matters?

Chapter 55 I write this letter in reply to your advertisement in the Uganda Argus of 13th November, 1969. I am a student of Islam at Makerere University College and at present I am faced with many unanswered questions, theological, historical and others about Islam. For example, "Western critics claim that Sufism was borrowed from Christianity or other religi

A. So far as Sufism is concerned, it is almost certain that it was borrowed from the sourcesoutside of Islam. Muhaddith Dehlavi was of the opinion that first Sufis were from Kharijites.Others trace its origin to Hasan Basri who, undoubtedly, was against Ali bin Abi Talib, a factwhich must be remembered in view of the later generations' assertion that he got his trainingfrom Ali.

I think the point of contention is not that whether Sufism sprung from within Islam or it wasimported from outside. The only point of argument is whether it was borrowed fromChristianity or Hinduism.

I think that both groups are partially right, because Sufism has taken something from both.

Your idea of "Islam and NOT Muhammadanism" is quite right. Islam is the religion which was  brought by all the prophets beginning from Hadhrat Adam (A.S.) and ending with HadhratMuhammad Mustafa (S.A.W.W.). All the prophets and apostles brought the same faith (e.g.,Unity of God, His Mercy and Justice, Day of Judgement, etc. Etc.). Of course, their Sheriatsconcerning mode of prayer, family system, penal code, etc., etc., were changing in responseto the maturity of humanity; but the basic faith was never changed.

Therefore, to give Islam the name of "Muhammadanism" is very misleading and absolutelywrong. Islam was and is the Religion of Allah, not of Muhammad (S.A.W.W.).

I hope this will be sufficient to your needs.

Chapter 56 Can a Sunni Muslim pray with Ismailis or Bohras in the same Mosque?

Bukere Suleman, Entebbe (Uganda)

A. I am not aware whether the Ismailis or Bohras will allow you to enter Jamat Khanas ormosques during prayer time.Moreover, Ismailis do not pray like other Muslim Sects. They have an entirely different way of

"Bandagi" which has no resemblance with Muslims' prayers.

Chapter 57 Explain why Ismailism is a complete way of life?

Miss Minaz S. Hassan, Kampala, (Uganda).

A. It would have been better if you had put this question to the Ismaili hierarchy. This questionpresupposes that Ismailism is a complete way of life and you just want to know how is that so.Now, as it happens, we cannot, in good conscience, concur with you in that supposition. Weknow that Islam established the dignity of mankind by rejecting all the ideas of humanworship, nature worship or idol worship. (You better read 'Islam' pp. 3-5). So if any group,calling itself a sect of Islam, cultivates the idea that God was incarnated in a certain person,and thus demands the prerogatives of God for that human being, that group brings the humandignity down to the stage of sub-humanity. Such a faith cannot be termed as a complete wayof life.

I am afraid I may have offended your feelings. In fact, the main cause of delay in replying toyour question was that I did not like to give you a shock, but on the other hand, I felt obliged togive the reply as you have sought our help in this matter of religion.

I would not go into the details of my reply at this stage, but if you want some details andquotations, please write to me again and I will supply the required information.

Chapter 58 What is the difference between Shia and Sunni sects of Islam?

A. You may refer to a cyclostyled article 'Sects of Islam' published by this Mission which willgive you a fairly comprehensive idea of all the differences. If there is anything more which youwant to be explained fully, please write to me without hesitation. (now that article is publishedas an Appendix of 'Your Questions Answered', Vol. 2, available from this Mission).

Chapter 59 : What is the difference between Shia and Ithna-Asheri?

A. The word 'Shia' is from Arabic word. 'At —Tashayyo which means to follow. This word hasbeen used for the followers of the Prophets of Allah in the Holy Qur'an."And verily among his (Noah's) Shias (followers) is Ibrahim" (Qur'an 37 : 83).

We are called Shia because we follow the Holy Prophet according to the way shown by  Hazrat Ali (A.S.) and other sinless members of the family of the Holy Prophet.

In fact, it was the Holy Prophet himself who named followers of Hazrat Ali (A.S.) as Shia. Thefamous Sunni Scholars, Allamah Ibn Hajar (in his book "As-Sawaiqul-Muhriqua") and AllamahIbn Athir (in his book 'Nihaya') recorded that the Prophet said : "O Ali, verily thou wilt come inthe presence of Allah,thou and thy Shias happily and Allah will be pleased with you".

'Ithna-Asher' is the Arabic for 'twelve'. As we believe in 12 Imams after the Holy Prophet,hence this name.

Chapter 60 The following letter was written in reply to some questions sent by Sheikh Omar Schubert Al-Muhtadi, Vice-President of Islamic Community in Hamburg, (West) Germany.

RULES OF SHIA SHERIAT CONCERNING PERSONAL HYGIENE

(a) AFTER URINATING :

1. It is wajib to wash the organ TWO times, with pure and Tahir Water.The organ cannot be Tahir except by water.

2. ISTIBRA: It is a device to make sure that no drops of urine have remained in the maleorgan. It is not wajib; but still is very much necessary. The standard method is to :

(a) Press a finger near the beginning of the urine-passage at the bottom and rub itupward three times upto the testicles.

(b)Likewise, put finger at the root of penis and rub the urine-passage from the root uptothe tip three times;

(c)Then, shake the penis three times to make sure that all urine has gone out,

(d)Also at the time of shaking it, put pressure on it by coughing gently.After the Istibra, the penis should be washed as mentioned in No. 1. Womenhave no need of Istibra.

3. The benefit of Istibra is that if after Istibra and washing, you suspect that some wetmaterial has come out of penis and you are in doubt whether it is urine or not, youhave no need of washing again. You will say to yourself that I have done Istibra andtaken out all urine, so it is not urine. But, if you are sure that it is urine, or if you havenot done Istibra and you are doubting whether it is urine or not, in both theseconditions, you will have to wash again.

(b) AFTER THE ACTION OF BOWELS (LAVATORY)

4. If the stool (excreta) is somewhat dry so that it has not dirtied more than the normal exitof the stool, it can be cleaned by :

(a) stone;

(b) or clay;

(c) or cloth;

(d) or paper:

(e) or other such thingswhich may rub out the stool (excrata). All such things must be Tahir before starting therubbing. Also, it is necessary that the rubbing should be done at least 3 times. If you  feel that there is still some stool, you should go on rubbing (even after 3 times) untilthe paper (or other material which is used for cleaning) comes clean.The third necessity is that for every rubbing a fresh paper (or cloth etc.) should beused. One paper cannot be used twice. It is necessary to mention here that use of thewater for cleaning is preferable in every case.

5. If the stool is not dry and has dirtied more than normal portion of the body, it can becleaned by Water only. Nothing else can clean it.5

(a) In cleaning by water, you must clean so much that you are sure that the stool hasbeen washed completely.

6. It is necessary to wash hand, after cleaning stool or urine, two times.

(C) OTHER RULES REGARDING URINATING OR BOWELING :

7. It is Wajib to sit in a place where nobody can see your genital parts.This rule does not apply in case of husband and wife. It is not necessary to hide fromeither of them.

8. It is Haram (Unlawful) to sit facing Quibla, or with back towards Quibla.

9. It is haram to rub the stool (as mentioned in No. 4) with sacred things like a paper ofQur'an or clay of the graves of Imams (A.S.). Also it is Haram to rub it with any bone orany other stool of animal like cow-dung, etc.

(D)OTHER THINGS:

10. It is highly stressed that the superfluous hair on the genital parts should be removedregularly. Women are encouraged to remove it at least twice a month, while menshould remove it once a month at least. Muslims, generally, do not wait so long. Manypeople shave it twice weekly. Hair removing lotion or soap may be used by women.Indeed, it is preferred in the Shariat. They are not encouraged to use razor. But I haveseen in many books that man should not use these lotions etc., because they harm hismasculinity. He should shave it with razor. The superfluous hair in the arm-pits alsoshould be removed.

11. Nails should be cut at least once a week. If there is more than normal dirt in the nails,Wuzu or Ghusl may become difficult. Therefore attention is drawn to it.

12. Nail polish is a nuisance, because Wuzu cannot be done with nail polish on. It isnecessary that water should reach the nails without any cover.

(E)CONCESSIONS FOR A NURSING MOTHER:

13.A woman (not man) who is rearing a boy infant (not girl), who has got no other cloth towear, and her only cloth becomes Najis by the urine of the boy (not by any otherNajasat) is permitted to pray in the same cloth. There is only one condition. She mustwash and clean that cloth once in 24 hours. After that she may pray without anyanxiety though the child may urinate on her. This rule is for the cloth only, not for parts of body.

Chapter 61 Can a woman recite Qur'an or Dua during her monthly period?

A. Qur'an :

1. It is Haram to recite from those 4 Suras which have ayats of Wajib Sajda. These areAlif Lam Meem Sajda; Ha Meem Sajda; Najm and Iqra. Even reciting BismillahirRahmanir-Rahim with intention of any of these Suras is Haram.

2. It is Haram to touch writing of the Qur'an in that condition.

3. It is allowed (but strongly disliked) to carry Qur'an or touch it (even without touching thewriting) in that condition.

4. It is allowed to recite Qur'an (other than the 4 above mentioned Suras) by memory butit is strongly disliked to recite more than 7 ayats.

Dua:

1. It is not allowed to touch the writing of those parts of Dua (in any script) which containthe ayats of Qur'an or names of Allah, Prophets, Imams or Masumeen. As almost allDuas contain these things, one MUST avoid touching any part of the writings of Dua.

2. Reciting Dua by looking into it (without touching the writing) or by memory is allowedduring the monthly period.

Chapter 62 What are the rules concerning white secretion from woman if it is not connected with sexual act or thought?

A. If it has not come out as a result of sexual act or thought then it is not Najis. But she shouldsee her Doctor to make sure that her health is all right.

Chapter 63 The sweat produced on human body after masturbation but before "Ghusl" is najis. Is the sweat produced after night ejaculations during dream (wetbed) najis also?

A. If it has not come out as a result of sexual act or thought then it is not Najis. But she shouldsee her Doctor to make sure that her health is all right.

Chapter 64 The sweat produced on human body after masturbation but before "Ghusl" is najis. Is the sweat produced after night ejaculations during dream (wetbed) najis also?

A. No — And, according to the Fatwa of Agha-e-Khoui, even the sweat produced during orafter unlawful Janabat is not Najis. But if that sweat is on the body or cloth, Namaz will not bevalid.

Chapter 65 Why do Muslims pray five times a day?

A. The Holy Prophet once asked his companions that if a man had his house on a river-bankand bathed properly in that river 5 times a day, would there remain any dirt on his body? Thecompanions replied : "No, O Prophet of Allah, he would remain absolutely clean. There wouldbe no dirt on his body". The Holy Prophet said : "The daily prayers of 5 times are like that riverand if a Muslim properly prays 5 times a day there would remain no dirt of sin or immorality onhim".

The same thing has been accepted by many Christian writers like Rev. James Muller and Mr.C. M. King. The latter writes that by nature, when a man is engaged in worldly affairs orentertainments, he pays no attention to his moral development; and some entertainments bytheir nature make the man forget God. When I think how Islam has made its followers obligedto pray 5 times in a day and night and has ordered them to discharge this duty in allconditions, I have to admit that the Muslim's prayer certainly is the best way of guidance, as itremoves unhealthy thoughts from minds after short intervals. When the time comes to pray  and the Muslims gather Into the Mosque to pray, they become bound by sincerity, love andunity, and prayer creates in them the humility and modesty. When rich and poor standtogether to pray, it demonstrates the equality of Islam.

Chapter 66 : I always pray with sincere intention and wish but I cannot concentrate while praying. So, are my prayers accepted and valid? Will I ever be able to concentrate? I try very hard but in vain?

A. Your prayer is alright. Try to think about the meanings of the words you recite. I think in thisway you may be able to concentrate more and more on the prayers.

Chapter 67 I find it impossible to repay my KAZA fasts and prayers due to lack of time and some personal reasons. Any other ways to repay them back?

A. No personal reason can ever justify neglecting the Qaza of prayers; and no so-called "lackof time" can save you from the Qaza of fasts. If you have time to sleep and eat you haveenough time to pray your Namaz; and if you have time to rest even one or two days in amonth you have enough time to fast the Qaza.

Such lame excuses will serve no purpose on the Day of Judgement.

Chapter 68 What happens when you combine all the prayers of the week and you pray them all on one day?

A. It is the greatest sin not to pray in time. According to the Hadith of the Holy Prophet theprayer is the boundry line between Islam and Kufr. If someone leaves one of his prayers, hecommits one of the greatest sins. Then what will be his position if he leaves the prayers of onecomplete day? And I do not find words to express the horror of leaving the prayers of whole week.

Of course, if someone has committed this sin, then he MUST pray those prayers in Qadha, assoon as possible.

Chapter 69 Maghrib prayer time ends at midnight. How can we know the exact midnight?

A. The time of Maghrib begins after sunset when the reddish colour at East vanishes; andends when only four Rik'ats' time remains to exact midnight, because the four Rik'ats' time justbefore exact mid-night is Isha's reserved time, and if someone has not prayed Maghrib bythen, it becomes Qaza; he should pray Isha in that 4 Rik'ats' time.

If any person did not pray Maghrib and Isha in time, owing to some justifiable reason, heshould pray both prayers before Subh-e-Sadique without niyyat of 'Ada' or 'Qaza'.

Now coming to your question about mid-night. Mid-night is the exact half between sunset andsunrise, according to the Fatwa of Agha-e-Khoui.

Chapter 70 Ghusl of Mass-e-Mayyit becomes wajib after touching a dead body. Now if some-one is a doctor or nurse, and he/she has to touch dead-bodies every now and then, should he/she do Ghusl after every contact?

Roshanali M. M. Dewji, Essex (U.K.)

A. Ghusl of Mass-e-Mayyit becomes wajib, if one touches the dead body of a human being  after it has become cold (and, in case of a Muslim's dead body, after being cold and beforecompletion of Ghusl-e-Meyyit).

If a Doctor or Nurse touches a dead body (as mentioned above), he/she may do one Ghusl-eMasse-Mayyit, in the afternoon to enable him to pray Zuhr and Asr, and shortly afterwards,Maghrib and Isha.

If he/she touches it in night, Ghusl-e-Masse-Mayyit should be done before morning prayer. Ifbecause of unbearable cold, one is unable to do this Ghusl, Tayammum should be done in itsplace.

Chapter 71 Can Friday and Idd prayers be prayed individually?

A. Idd prayer, yes, Friday prayer, No. Moreover, Friday prayer is not even necessary in the"Ghaibat of Imam (A.S.)".

Chapter 72 What are the qualifications of a peshnamaz?

A. He must be

(a) Ithna-Asheri,

(b) Sane,

(c) Legitimately born,

(d) He must be 'Adil'. It means that he does not commit big sins even unintentionally; and ifhe commits any small sin (not intentionally) he repents at once and does not repeat it.

(e) He must have correct pronunciation of Arabic words.

(f) He must be a man (if he is leading in a prayer attended by men), and

(g) He must not be praying sitting (if the people behind him are praying standing); also(h) he must know the necessary 'Masail' of Taharat and prayers

Chapter 73 Can an Ithna-Asheri pray in a Sunni mosque (a) individually (b) with Jamaat led by a Sunni?

A. (a) Yes.

(b)The Sunni shariat is not strict about the qualifications of a 'Peshnamaz'. Therefore, theyoften pray behind a Peshnamaz who is not 'Adil'. Therefore, you should avoid praying withthem.

If, however, you have to join their Jamaat prayer, join but pray your whole Namaz with 'Furada'Niyyet. Thus you will sit and stand with the Jamaat, but pray your own Namaz.

Chapter 74 If there is no Ithna-Asheri mosque in a town can the Friday prayer be prayed in a Jamaat led by a Sunni?

A. Already explained in the Answer of Question 71.

Chapter 75 In July, my cousin and I went to the gathering of 'Federation of Students' Islamic Society of England and Ireland (FOSIS). We prayed Jamaat namaaz. Now, the Imam was a Sunni (as majority were sunn is); We prayed behind him. My cousin and I had already prayed (Namaz) in our rooms and then we went and prayed the Jamat Namaz. Was it alright what we di

A. Of course, if you had to pray in the Jamaat to avoid social Embarrassment it was all right;but that Namaaz of yours behind a non-lthna-Asheri Peshnamaz was not a Namaaz at all. Itwas good that you had already prayed in your room.

Chapter 76 If, in a prayer, we don't keep 'mohr' (although we have it, without any fear), is our prayer void? If I don't have 'mohr' on what can I prostrate?

A. The thing upon which you can do Sajdah is either earth or anything growing from earth,provided it is from those things which are not eaten or worn.

Therefore, Sajdah is not allowed on cloth or fruits or edible vegetables, or on such a thingwhich does not come under the term 'Earth' viz, diamond or gold etc; or does not come underthe term Vegetation viz., ash or coal.

Also, Sajdah is not correct on hide or skin, because it does not grow from the earth; nor is itallowed on carpets made of wool, cotton, jute or silk, because wool and silk do not grow fromearth and cotton and jute are used in clothes.

Sometimes it is seen that people do Sajdah upon their hands or nails, even while praying inthe Masjid. Their Namaz is Batil, without any doubt. Remember that the mats are made from afibre which is neither eaten nor worn and it is quite in order to do Sajdah on them, especially ifyour forehead rests upon an uncoloured portion. Likewise, you may do Sajdah on real (but noton artificial) marble. Cement and lime are made from burnt stones; therefore a cemented flooror floor covered with lime cannot be used for Sajdah. Likewise, Sajdah is not allowed onearthenware, after it has been treated by fire.

Chapter 77 During our Prayers when we have said "ADDUA U BAINAS SAJDATAIN" we prostrate as before for the second time. There is book which I have read and reads 'After that say Atlah-O-Akbar and stand up again for second rakaat and do as you did before. After the Sura-tul-Fatiha and another Sura or a portion of the Holy Qur'an. When you have done two prostrat

A. The question about 2nd Rik'at: Every prayer is divided in Rik'ats. A Rik'at ends after the 2ndSajdah and when you stand up, the next Rik'at begins.

Your quotation just says that at the end of the first Rik'at i.e., after the 2nd Sajdah of firstRik'at, you should sit down, say Allah-o-Akbar and then stand up for the second Rik'at, whichis to be performed exactly like the first Rik'at. But when you have finished the second Sajdahof 2nd Rik'at you have to sit down and recite Tashahhud (which is called 'At-Tahayyat' in Sunniterminology).

You can refer to "Elements of Islamic Studies" which will tell you all the necessary thingsabout cleanliness, prayers and fasting.

Chapter 78 Can you translate 'Tahiyatu' in English for me?

Mohamed N. Muakasa, Entebbe, (Uganda).

A. The following is the translation of 'Attahiyyatu' in English.“

Salutations, prayers and goodness are meant for Allah. Peace upon you O Prophet! Andmercy, blessing of Allah may be upon you.

Peace be upon the righteous servants of Allah and I witness that Muhammad (S.A.W.W.) isHis servant and His messenger.

O Allah ! Send thy blessings upon Muhammad and his progeny. Peace be upon you and theMercy and Blessings of Allah upon you.”

Chapter 79 IHTIYAT PRAYERS — How and which time is it prayed?

A. IHTIYAT PRAYERS : When some doubt occurs about the number of the Rik'ats of Prayer(the rules of which are described in the books of Fiqah), one has to pray one and/or twoRik'ats Prayer of Ihtiyat. Here I am explaining how to pray that prayer. Soon after finishing thePrayer (in which the doubt had occured and which requires Prayer of Ihtiyat for its completionand validation) without looking away from Quibla or doing anything which makes a PrayerBatil, you are to stand up and make the Niyyat. (If the prayer of Ihtiyat is to be performedsitting, then remain sitting after the first Prayer and make Niyyat) : "I pray the prayer of Ihtiyatone (or two) Rik'at(s) Wajib Qurbatan llallah." Then say Takbeerat-ul-lhram, recite Sura AlHamd in whisper. Go to Rukuu then do Sajda; recite Tashahhud and Salaam. Your Prayer ofIhtiyat is finished.

If you have to recite two Rik'ats of Prayer of Ihtiyat, then you should stand up for the secondRik'at just after the second Sajda of the first Rik'at in the usual way. Recite the second Rik'atalso with just Sura Al-Hamd, without even Qunut; and then finish the Prayer in usual way."

Chapter 80 Will you please explain the necessary rules and method of 'SwalatulMeyyit'.

A. SWALATUL MEYYIT (PRAYER OF MEYYIT).

Prayer of Meyyit is Wajib-e-Kifai, i.e. it is obligatory on every Muslim but as soon as it isperformed correctly by one of them, it remains no more obligatory on others; but if no oneoffers the prayer everyone is sinner.If the deceased was six-year old, Prayer-of Meyyit is wajib.

In offering this prayer, Taharat ofthe body or dress is not necessary; also in Shia Fiqah, Ghusl, Wudhu or Tayammum is notwajib. But the intention of Prayer (Niyyat) and facing Quibla is essential. The dead-bodyshould be placed in such a way that the head of the meyyit remains on the right of those whooffer the prayer. In the case of the dead-body of a male, the Imam should stand near its waist;and in the case of a female, near the chest.

Prayer of Meyyit according to Shia Fiqah, has 5 Takbirs (including Takbi-ratul-lhram) : Afterfirst Takbir, (i.e. Takbiratul-lhram) Kalema-e-Shahada-tain is recited; After 2nd Takbir, Salawatis recited. After 3rd Takbir, prayer is offered for all the Believers and Muslims; After 4th Takbir,prayer is offered especially for the deceased one; The 5th Takbir is said and the prayer comesto an end.

The shortest method of offering this prayer is as follows : Niyyat: I pray Namaz-e-Meyyit of thiscorpse Wajib, Kurbatan-ilallah. Allah-o-Akbar;Ashhado Al-La liana Illallaho Wahdahuu La Sharika Lah; Wa Ashhado Anna Muhammadan Abduhuu wa Rasuluh;

Allah-o-Akbar;

Allahumma Salle Ala Muhammadin wa Aale Muhammad;Allah-o-Akbar;

Allahummaghfir Ml Mumeneena wal Mumenaat;

Allah-o-Akbar;

Allahummaghfir Le Haazal Meyyit (In case the deceased is a female, say Allahummaghfir LeHaazehil Meyyit);

Allah-o-Akbar;After the completion of the prayer recite "Rabbana Aatena Fid-Dunya Hasanatanw wa FilAakherate Hasanatanw Waquina Azaban-Naar."

It is necessary to mention that even if this prayer is offered by Jamaat, everyone has to recitethe whole prayer.

It is not correct just to say 'Allah-o-Akbar' and remain silent between theTakbirs. Such a prayer is Batil.

Chapter 81 What are the differences between the methods of prayer of different Muslim sects?

A. The difference in the prayers of different sects of Islam are not very many; though it is sadto admit the existence of even a few differences, because the Holy Prophet did lead theMuslims in prayers for 23 years, and they must have become quite familiar with his way ofprayers.

There are historical reasons behind these differences and this short letter is not the place toexpound on that subject.

Chapter 82 Is it correct to pray Dhuhuri at 1.30 after Juma?

Mohammed N. Muakasa, Entebbe (Uganda).

A. There is a difference of opinion about the prayer of "Dhuhuri" on Fridays. Such differencesare to be found in hundreds of rules. But it is sad to see that in Uganda and some places ofTanzania these differences have been blown out of proportion and have caused split amongthe followers of the same madh-hab.

The Ibadhis believe that 'Juma' prayer can be conducted only by the rightful Imam. As a resultthey do not pray Juma in East Africa.

The Shia Ithna-Asheris, in these days of seclusion of their 12th Imam, follow in the matter ofreligion a living Mujtahid (who must be the most learned religious scholar of the time).

A group of the Shia Mujtahids holds that an Ithna-Asheri in these days of seclusion of theImam has a choice to pray either Juma or Dhuhuri; though it is better to pray Dhuhuri also(without Jamaat and without niyyat of Wajib) after Juma. Other group holds that Juma prayeris not Wajib nowadays though it may be prayed, just to get 'thawab'.

So, inspite of this difference in theory, both groups are united in practice.

Because both pray Juma first, and then pray Dhuhri. And there is no trouble.

Among Sunnis of Uganda, there are 3 groups : Some pray Juma; others Dhuhuri; and a thirdgroup prays Juma and Dhuhuri both.

Here I should point out an important doctrine of the Shia Ithna-Asheri sect, which if followedby others would eliminate all troubles and bickerings. The Ithna-Asheris say that everyone, ifhe is not a Mujtahid himself, must follow the ruling of the most learned living Mujtahid. But noMujtahid or his follower can condemn the ruling of another Mujtahid, and if there are twoMujtahids praying side by side each should follow his own ruling.

This rule takes out the element of personal grudge or hatred from the rules of Sheriat andeveryone follows the dictates of his Mujtahid quite freely without any attack from any side.

If the Sunnis of Uganda and the coast of Tanzania adopt this attitude, there will be no room forthose who want to exploit the mass hysteria for their own purpose.

Chapter 83 Give me full particulars if someone finds that they have prayed Eight Rakats in Taraweeh. How he should recover them?

A. The Muslims are divided about "Taraweeh". All of them agree that Sunnat or Nafl prayarcannot be prayed with Jamaat (except Salatul-Istisqua). But the Sunnis pray Taraweeh withJamaat. This system began in the 14th year of Hijra during the reign of the 2nd CaliphHadhrat Umar bin Khattab. The incident is narrated in hundreds of books, but I am quotingfrom 'Sahih' of Imam Bukhari (Kitabu-ut-Taraweeh) :-

Abdur Rehman bin Abdul Qari said : I went with Umar to the Mosque in a Ramadhan nightand (saw that) the people were praying separately … So Umar said, "I think it would be nice ifI make them pray with Jamaat behind one Imam." So he decided and gathered them underUbai bin Kaab. (Abdur-Rehman said) Then I went there with him another night and the peoplewere praying with Jamaat; Umar said, "Good Bid-at is this… "

Allama Qastalani says in his "Irshadus-Sari" (the Commentary of Sahih-Bukhari) : "Umarnamed it 'Bid-at' because the Holy Prophet did not introduce the system of Jamaat prayer forTaraweeh, nor was it done in the time of (1st Caliph, Abu Bakr) Siddique (r.a.) nor was thereany fixed time for it nor any fixed number of Rik'ats." All these innovations were done by the2nd Caliph and so he himself named it a 'Bid-at'.

The Shias, on the other hand, say that the Sheriat was made complete during the life-time ofthe Holy Prophet as Allah said in the Qur'an : "Today have I perfected your religion for youand completed my Blessings upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion." (Sura5, Ayat 4); and after the Holy Prophet nobody has any right to add or substract from tha rulesof Sheriat. So, 2nd Caliph had no power to exempt Taraweeh from the rule mentioned above.

Anyhow, for those who pray Taraweeh by Jamaat, if they make any mistake, there is no qadhaand no "recovering". You should be careful next night, that is all.

Chapter 84 Christians allow anybody or any religion to worship in their Churches. Now do Muslims allow non-Muslims to enter their Mosque in worshipping terms?

A. The 'Mosque' in Islam is a very sacred place where even Muslims cannot enter withoutritually cleansing themselves. As non-Muslims do not observe these rules, they are notallowed inside.

Chapter 85 Why the Muslim women are not allowed to get in Mosque and yet when the time comes for fasting they are fasting like men.

A. It is not correct that Muslim women are not allowed to get in the mosque. As a matter of factMuslim women may pray in the congregation. But you will see in the article "Woman in Islam"

that Islam is not in favour of mingling of men and women.

Therefore, in the congregational prayers, there should be either a curtain or wall between themen and women or women should stand after the last line of the men if there is no cover.

On the other hand, it is ordained that if a woman prays in her house, she gets the same graceof Allah which men get from praying in the mosque. We may sum it up in the followingsentence :

A woman is allowed to pray in the mosque if she observes the rules laid down; she isencouraged to pray in her house because Islam does not like the two sexes to mingletogether.

Chapter 86 Is Ramadhan a special word to express the Ramazan in English like Minaret for Minar?

A. The Arabic letter "ض" js the most difficult one in the Arabic alphabets to pronounce. InIndia and Pakistan people generally pronounce it as English "Z", and that is why they write"Ramzan". But the Western Scholars write it as "Ramadhan". Though "dh" is not its correctpronunciation, it is still better than Z. The inadequacy of this attempt can be seen from the factthat ض and ظ and ذ have completely separate pronunciations in Arabic, but in Europeanlanguages all are represented by "dh".

Chapter 87 What are the actual sources that make we Moslems all over the world fast during the month of Ramadhan, why, who introduced and when?

A. The fast during the month of Ramadhan has been ordained by Allah in the Holy Qur'an.The translation of the Ayat is as follows :-"

O ye who believe — Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you,that ye may guard yourself (against evil); for a fixed number of days; The month ofRamadhan, that in which was sent down the Qur'an So whosever of you witnesses the monthhe shall therein… … . " (Qur'an; Sura 2, Ayats 183 — 185).

This ayat was revealed in the month of Shabaan in the 2nd year of Hijra and the fast wasobserved in the month of Ramadhan that very year.

It was introduced by Allah through His last Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (S.A.W.W.)

As to "why" please read the article "Spirit of Fasting" published in The Light Vol. Ill No. 5.(Now, read 'Fast' published by this Mission.)

Chapter 88 When are we expected to fast according to your calculations?

A. Fast of Ramadhan begins with the month of Ramadhan and ends with the end of thatmonth. There is no calculation like English months. Islamic months may be ascertained by anyof these methods :-

1. If the previous month has completed its 30th day.

2. If 2 religiously trustworthy men attest that they have seen the new moon.

3. If a great number of people attest that they have seen the new moon.

Chapter 89 If a Muslim resides in a place where days and nights are of more than 24 hours duration, like in Arctic Zone, how will he pray and fast?

A. There is a difference of opinion about the duty of a Muslim residing in Arctic Zone. SomeUlema have written that he should follow the time of any town of his choice between Arcticand Antarctic circles. Others say that he should follow the time of the nearest town outside Arctic circle. Still others say that he should follow the timing of Mecca.

Agha-e-Khoui gives no clear Fatwa on this matter, though he is inclined to say that a Muslimshould not go to such a place

Chapter 90 Being the Headmaster of a Secondary School attended by a few Pakistani pupils observing the Moslem Religion I should be glad to receive your opinion on the following points:

● Most of these pupils wear beards at certain times of the year which allthe other pupils are not allowed to do. Being a minority I should likethem to submit to the common rule of the School

● I have noticed that at the same times of the year (Ramadhan and thefeast of Martyr Hussein… ) they all were quite exhausted by their fastand other practices of their religion. Considering these pupils' interest,the damage they suffer in their studies, the fact that religion isessentially a disposition of one's mind and soul and that the part playedby the body though necessary is not essential, I should like them to bemore moderate as regards the corporal part they take in their religiousrites.

Le Proviseur due Lycee deMorandava,Malagasy Republic.

A. Thank you for your letter which by oversight is undated and which reached me on the firstof February, 1966. I regret the delay in replying which was due to the unusual pressure ofwork in the last month.

I am very grateful to you for referring the matters raised in your letter to me, instead of makingan arbitrary decision on them. This reflects very favourably upon your goodself. You willappreciate that the questions you have posed are of considerable importance and I hope youwill forgive me for dealing with them at some length.

I should make it clear from the start that it is not competent for any Moslem to alter or vary thecode of Islam. The Law of God is beyond the jurisdiction of any human-being.

Islam does not confine itself to an attitude of mind only. Man consists of body, mind and spirit;and Islam puts equal emphasis on all three parts of human life, developing an individual as awhole, not in parts.

As you may be aware, Ramadhan is a period when a Moslem is subjected to a supreme test.After one month training, he becomes habituated to obey the commands of God with thesame unwavering loyalty during the whole year. Surely, the training is not expected to be easyor comforting. The essence of this training lies in its hardship, so that those who fast should become fortified to face and bear any kind of difficulty in obedience to the commands of God,in their life.

Commemoration of the tragedy of Karbala is not only the commemoration of a historicalepisode. It affords an opportunity of appreciating the true values of human moral life. You are  no doubt aware of the history of martyrdom of Imam Husain and can judge for yourself of thevalues it can inspire. Here I would like to point to only one of the good effects of the tragedy ofKarbala. Not long ago, His Excellency Habib Bourguiba, President of Tunisia, declared thatfactory labourers are exempted from fasting. He might have succeeded in incorporating hisdecree in religion had it not been for Husain. It was Husain who saved Islam from the whimsof political powers-to-be. We see a vast difference of attitude before Karbala and after it.Before Karbala, the Muslim King was considered the final authority on religion. After Karbala,he is reduced to the position of a king without any right to interfere in religion. BeforeKarbala, people used to interpret or modify the teachings of Qur'an to accommodate theactions of the rulers. After Karbala, Qur'an and the traditions of the Prophet became the realstandard of religion in practice also as they had been in theory from the beginning. Now theactions and decrees of the rulers are put to the test of Qur'an and traditions, and then accepted or rejected accordingly. No wonder that the President of Tunisia failed in hisendeavours.There are millions of Ithna-Asheris in the world who most fastidiously practise the precepts oftheir religion including fasting and the observance of the Moharram ceremonies, without anyadverse effect on their health or academic career. In fact, I am proud to say that our smallCommunity has among its fold more distinguished scholars than its number and size may suggest.

Moslems have been fasting generation after generation for about 14 centuries; andthey have not suffered any setback in their health nor have they acquired any special healthproblem of their own. Therefore, you may rest assured that no damage to body or study willbefall them owing to fasting or Moharram ceremonies.Every Moslem is enjoined to grow a beard. Unfortunately this command is not strictly adheredto owing to the influence of Western culture. From the religious point of view, therefore, I amnot in a position (nor for that matter is anybody else) to advise the Moslem students of yourSchool to shave their beards, when in compliance with the rules of their religion they elect togrow them.

In your country my co-religionists are privileged to be members of a society which grantsevery individual freedom of religion. I can well appreciate that strict adherence to the Islamiccode may well occasionally conflict with the rules laid down by an institution, as it does in yourcase with the beard. But, I feel that institutions, like democratic governments,should keep anopen mind about an individual's freedom to follow the precepts of his faith.

I trust, Sir, that the explanations I have given will satisfy you to the extent of allowing theMoslem students in your School to freely practice the tenets of their religion.

I, once again, thank you for communicating with me on these matters. Your concern for yourpupils is indeed most commendable; and as you must also wish them to grow up to be goodcitizens, you will, no doubt, encourage them in their adherence to the code of Islam which bythe very strictness of its tenets infuses in every Moslem piety, will-power, tolerance, justiceand charity.

And, so far as their academic career is concerned, I may add here that in this country ithappens very often that the months of fasting coincide with the examinations and yet I amproud of the very high percentage of the successful candidates from our community

Chapter 91 Can a woman fast when pregnant? And is it a MUST in Ramadhan?

A. If the pregnant woman is afraid that the fast would harm her own health, she is exemptedfrom fasting at that time; but she should fast its QAZA afterwards.

If, she is afraid not about her own health, but about the health of the unborn child, she again isexempted from fasting at that time, but she will have to pay Kaffara @ 3/4 kilogram wheat, rice

or any such staple food per day to a poor Mumin. And she should fast its QAZA afterwards.

Chapter 92 What sort of sacrifice should a person perform after having sexual intercourse during the month of Ramadhan before breaking the fast? Well, he did not intend to make love with his wife since it is forbidden during the day time. It was sort of strong temptation of the wife. She just went to her husband's bedroom while he was resting and she stripped

A. If the wife forced the husband to have sexual intercourse during daytime in the month ofRamadhan, she would have to fast 60 days as retribution. (At least 31 days should becontinuous; after that she may fast with gaps.), or feed sixty poor Muslims (feeding oneperson sixty days is not enough); and, in addition to that fast or feeding, she would bepunished for that behaviour (if she is in a country where Islamic Sheriat is followed in theCourts).

Chapter 93 Reference your latest issue of "THE LIGHT" Magazine, page 10, on the subject "ABOUT ZAKAT", one person has commented as under: "To me the question was beautifully put up and the answer poor. There are no orders in the Holy Qur'an to murder and massacre anybody although the Muslims are ordered to wage a war against those who first begin hostilities

A Your correspondent seems to try to confuse the issue. He has left all the main reasonsgiven about Zakaat not being payable in currency notes and has written about 'Jihad' whichwas not the subject issue of the article referred to.

Even there he seems not to comprehend my point. I had written :

"If an order is repeatedly given in the Qur'an, it does not follow that it is meant for one and all  without any regard to its necessary conditions".

And then I gave examples of Hajj and Jihad. It was the reply to that part of the question whichhad said, "Qur'an repeatedly says, 'and establish the prayer and give Zakat”, but we ignorethe order.

Your correspondent mentions the conditions of Jihad and tries of justify "not raising sword in Jihad" by saying that the conditions of fighting in Jihad are not fulfilled nowadays. He forgetsconveniently that by the same reasoning Zakat in currency notes is not given becauseconditions of Zakaat are not fulfilled there.

He should once again read the said article and ponder upon the following points explainedtherein :-

(a) Wealth is not confined in the 9 items listed for Zakaat; still the Holy Prophet did notprescribe Zakaat in other things.

(b) Not even all gold and silver was taxable.

(c) Currency note is not real money. There are great differences between coins and notes.

(d) Before extending the Zakaat to currency notes, one would have to extend it to house,land, garden, jewelleries etc.

(e) Quiyas is not in our Madh-hab.

Here it should be remembered that there is no mention in the Qur'an on which items Zakat iswajib.

It was explained by the Holy Prophet. There were and are other properties, includingland, jewels, etc. But the Holy Prophet did not include them in Zakat. And it is explained by theImams in clear words that "the Holy Prophet exempted all other things"

Now the Shia sheriat cannot add to that list in defiance to the Holy Prophet.

To say that "the Zakat should be payable on currency notes because it can buy the items inwhich Zakat was prescribed", shows the immaturity of mind. Law (whether secular orreligious) does not concern itself with what "can be"; it is concerned with what "is". If Qadhi orthe Police were to follow the argument to its logical end, how would he like to be punished forhoarding wine and keeping a stolen car in his possession because the money in hispossession can buy these items as well.

It is fortunate for him that the sheriat does not think so. It does not allow a person to givemoney in place of food, etc., in any kind of Kaffarah; it does not allow a pilgrim to pay the poorthe money of Qurbani; it exempts a person from paying the kaffarah if the prescribed thing orthings are not available. If a man has to give all three kaffarahs of fast, i.e., emancipating aslave, fasting 60 days and feeding 60 poor momineen, he cannot emancipate any slave inthese days. So, he will be exempted from that particular kaffarah and is never required to giveits price in money or other property.

In Fitrah it has been prescribed that it has an alternative, i.e., the price, and that the price ispreferred to the original thing. So we do accordingly. But it must be remembered that it is anexception (which proves the rule) and that here we act on the explicit command of sheriat(which has given us the choice) and not on our own whim.

I will not comment here on other irrelevant points in that letter because I do not want to beside-tracked from the main subject.

Chapter 94 I shall be highly obliged if you will kindly enlighten me regarding Khums. As for the word "Ghanimtum" of the verse (8:41) of the Holy Qur'an, many critics have misinterpreted as 'Spoils of War' instead of Year's Savings asmentioned in your book, ELEMENTS OF ISLAMIC STUDIES. Hence, I now look forward to receiving a convincing explanation of Khums a

A. I know there are some misguided people who misinterpret the word 'Ghanimat' as you havereported. These people know neither the Arabic language nor the history of Khums; they donot know the common Muslim (not only Shia) sheriat about khums; and they are ignorant ofTafseer and Hadith.

(1) Arabic Language: The famous Arabic dictionary "Al-Munjid" (by Father Louis Maaluf ofBeirut) say:"Al ghanim and Al-ghanimat''(a) What is taken from the fighting enemies by force.(b) All earnings generally… … .. And the saying

"Al-ghunm for Al-ghurm" means that the"profit" stands against expenses, i.e., as the owner is the sole proprietor of "the profit""and nobody shares it with him, so he only bears all the expenses and risk".

So as you see, in Arabic language has two meanings, one the spoils of war and theother "profit". The above quoted proverb also proves that the "profit" is not uncommonmeaning.

When a word in the Qur'an can be interpreted in more than one way, it is incumbent upon theMuslims to seek guidance from Ahlul-bait. Otherwise, they would be guilty of"

Tafseer Bir-Rai" (Interpreting the "Qur'an" according to one's own wishes and views); and thisis a sin which automatically pushes the sinner into Jahannam.

(2) History of Khums: Khums is one of those things which were introduced by Hadhrat AbdulMuttalib, (the grand father of our Holy Prophet) and continued in Islam.

When Hadhrat Abdul-Muttalib, acting upon a command of God given him in dream,rediscovered the well of Zamzam, he found in it many valuable things which were buried in itin very remote past by Ismailites when they had feared that their enemies would usurp them.(It is a very long story and I do not think that its details are necessary for the subject of thisletter).

When Hadhrat Abdul-Muttalib found that buried treasure, he took out its one-fifth in the way ofGod, and kept 4/5 to himself.

Then it became a custom in his family,- and after the 'Hijrat' of our Holy Prophet, this samesystem was incorporated in Islam.

Thus, the first khums given was not from the "spoils of war", but from buried treasure (which isone of the seven items in which Khums is wajib).

(3) Muslim's Sheriat: Not a single sect of Islam confines the meaning of "Ghanimat" to the"Spoils of War". In addition to the "Spoil of War" the following items are subject to Khums :-

(a) Minerals: Khums is wajib in Hanafi and Shia sects.

(b) Buried Treasure: Khums is wajib in ALL Muslim sects, i.e., Shia, Hanafi, Maliki,Hambali and Shafii.

In addition to above, in Shia Ithna-Asheri sect, khums is wajib in the things which are taken  out from sea by diving (like pearl and coral, etc); in a land purchased by a Dhimmi from aMuslim; in the year's earning and in a lawful property mixed with unlawful property.

There are detailed rules and conditions in all the above things, but here I am not writing abook of Fiqah. I just wanted to show you that not a single sect of Islam thinks that "ghanimat"means spoil of war only. Therefore, anybody who wants to interpret that ayat in his own way,should start a new sect in Islam, because his views cannot be reconciled with any of theexisting groups !

(4) Tafseer and Hadith of Ahlul-bait: As I have mentioned in the beginning, interpretation of theQur'an must be based on the teachings of Ahlul-bait. The word ghanimat" in the Ayat 8: 41has clearly been interpreted as (the earned profit) by our Holy Imams, whoexplained it has I have mentioned earlier. Therefore, an Ithna-Asheri has no choice but tofollow that interpretation.

So, it is crystal clear that the word "ghanimat" was never treated as being confined to "thespoils of war" by any sect of Islam, SINCE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, and so far as ourImams are concerned, it meant many things other than the spoil of war right from the days ofHadhrat Ali (A.S.), as authentic traditions show.

Chapter 95 I am working and earning only £15; have I got to give Zakat to the poor during the month of Ramadhan since I got my parent to support — my father died twelve years ago. And if so how much should I give the poor people? Should I also pay the same amount for my mother, sisters and brothers?

A. Zakat is not wajib on you.

But if you are 'rich' in the term of the sheriat (i.e. if you can meet your own expenses and theexpenses of all your dependants without any undue difficulty), then you will have to pay"Zakat-ul-Fitra" on the eve of Idul-Fitr for yourself and for all your dependants at the rate of3Kgs. of any staple food per person.

Chapter 96 Is it a Must that every Muslim must go to Mecca, if so what of those who don't go there?

A. Not every Muslim. Only those whose health and wealth allows it and who fulfill all othernecessary conditions.

Chapter 97 Is there any limitation to age of going to Mecca? If so, what is the minimum? I am aged 23 years and I would like to go next year.

A. If a Muslim is adult and sane, has means to go to Mecca in the month of Hajj and his/herhealth is good enough to make the journey, he/she is obliged to go for Hajj.

A boy is deemed to be adult when :

(a) he is 15 years old, or

(b) rough hair grows below his navel, or

(c) if he discharges semen.

A girl is deemed to be adult when :

(a) a)she is 9 years old, or

(b) rough hair grows below her navel.

In your case, you are adult and sane and if other conditions of Hajj (concerning health andwealth) are fulfilled, Hajj is wajib (obligatory) upon you. When you go to Hajj, pleaseremember me in your prayers.

May Allah reward your Hajj with acceptance! Amen.

Chapter 98 What is the most liked house to God?

A. "Kaaba in Mecca is the most liked house of God in this world, but even more liked than thatis the heart of the Mumin (faithful) which is said to be the 'choicest house of Allah"

Chapter 99 What is Jihad-e-Akbar and what steps would you take to fight JihadeAkbar?

A. Jihad-e-Akbar: Fighting the enemies of Islam on command of Prophet or Imam is calledJihad-e-Asghar (small battle). Subduing your own desires and ambitions putting your wholeself under the command of Allah is called Jihad-e-Akbar (Great Battle). It means that youshould willingly sacrifice all that you have if obedience to Allah depends upon it. Neither familyties, society's relations, nor financial holdings should keep you away from right path if youhappen to find it. If you succeed in this test, you have won in the Jihad-e-Akbar.

Chapter 100 I understand that Jihad is a holy war. Is it true that if someone dies in the battle, he goes straight to Paradise? If so why is that?

A. Jihad: Please refer to the booklet "Islam" (P.24-26) for this subject. Remember that a martyrfighting in the cause of Allah (in its true sense) sacrifices his whole being for the Divine cause,and that Allah, in His infinite Grace and Mercy, has promised to give reward of a virtue at theratio of at least 10 to 1. Therefore Allah rewards a martyr (who sacrificed his mortal life) withan immortal and ever-lasting life under His Mercy. That is why the martyrs are assured ofParadise.

By the way, if a martyr has some obligations towards other men which he had not fulfilled,Allah will arrange to repay those persons on the Day of judgement.

Chapter 101 What is the purpose of marriage?

A. Purpose of Marriage : The institution of marriage has 3 aims, which taken together constitute the purpose of marriage :

(a) Satisfying the natural urge of physical love and sex.

(b) Procreation which ensures the continuity of mankind.

(c) Establishment of a family unit which ensures that the children born as a result of

  (a)and (b) above receive the love, protection and care which is essential to make themuseful and normal human beings.

Sexual desire can be satisfied without marriage, but it lacks the other two (and especially the3rd) benefits.

It should be observed in passing that those religions which try to curb this natural urge aretrying to say (by deeds, not by words) that the Creator made a mistake in creating this naturaldesire. They fail to realize that if all human beings responded to their call of celibacy humanitywill be extinct within a short period. Such teaching cannot take humanity forward because ofthe simple reason that they tend to be against the continuity of humanity.

Chapter 102 The Islamic religion allows polygamy and not polyandry. Explain briefly why a man is allowed polygamy and a woman forbidden polyandry instead of both of them forbidden.

A. 'Light1 Vol. Ill, No. 6 will show the wisdom of permission of polygamy. As for polyandry, hereis an episode which answers your question fully :-

Once some women came to Hadhrat Ali (A.S.) with the same question. Hadhrat Ali (A.S.) told them to bring water in cups. When they came back with the cups full of water, he orderedthem to put the water in a basin.

Then he told them to take out their water, but each one should take out the same water which she had put in. They protested that it was impossible as the water had been mixed.

Hadhrat Ali (A.S.) said that it was for the same reason that a woman was not allowed to marrymore than one husband at a time, because there would be no way to know who her childbelonged to, and who was to be responsible for that child's upbringing.

Chapter 103 Can a Muslim man be a husband of many wives — and if so how many at least?

A. This question is on the subject of "Polygamy". A Muslim is allowed, with certain conditions,to marry upto 4 wives at a time. What those conditions are, you will find them in an articlepublished in our magazine "LIGHT". (Now see "Why Polygamy Is Allowed In Islam" availablefrom this Mission) Before Islam there was no limit to the number of wives a man could marry.In every country from India to Rome and from Russia to Africa a man could marry as manywives as he pleased. (Perhaps you may have heard of some living Chiefs in Kenya havingmore than 50 wives).

Islam restricted the number to four. It is the maximum; and it has been fixed keeping in viewthe average ability of a man to satisfy all necessary conditions conducive to a happyhousehold; physical, emotional, financial, etc., all taken together.

The 'essentiality' of polygamy in certain circumstances cannot be denied; and once you allowpolygamy, you have to stop somewhere to prevent its misuse. Thus, a number had to be fixedand Islam, after keeping in view the above-mentioned requirements, has fixed it at four.

Chapter 104 Can a wife divorce her husband if he marries another woman and does not care about her?

A. She cannot divorce him at all. She may demand divorce if the husband neglects tomaintain her. And marrying a second, third or fourth wife is no ground for demanding adivorce.

Chapter 105 Can a Muslim woman be married to a man who is not a Muslim or viceversa?

A. No — Nor will it be allowed by Christianity

Chapter 106 Is civil marriage unlawful in our religion? Why?

A. Civil marriage is performed when the parties belong to two different religions. A muslim girlcannot marry a non-Muslim boy; and a Muslim boy cannot marry a non-Muslim girl (exceptmarrying a Christian or a Jewish girl in temporary marriage).

Thus you will see that majority of the civil marriages is unlawful because it is against this basicrule.The remaining cases for civil marriages become generally unlawful because they do notobserve many of the conditions laid down by Islam.

Chapter 107 Does Islam religion agree with family planning?

A. Yes. But with certain conditions. Abortion is not allowed on any pretext

Chapter 108 The thing is that I have been brought up in a very bad environment. Mummy and Daddy are always quaretling, not sparing any thought for children's feelings, and they never pray. I started praying because my aunty explained its importance to me. This has been going on since my childhood. I love my aunty more than anybody else. She also loves me. Now

A. It is indeed very regrettable that your parents behave in the way described by you. Theyare ruining their own happiness in this life, are contriving to be deprived of the Grace of Allahin the life hereafter; and, what is even more tragic, they are ruining the lives of their childrenby putting such emotional strains upon them. Children brought up in such an atmospherehave to be extra alert to protect themselves from psychological effects of this negativeinfluence. It is for this reason that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) said : "May Allah curse theparents who (by their misconduct) instigate their children to disobey them.

"This much about your parents. Now about your duty towards them. It is incumbent upon youto behave respectfully towards them, inspite of all their shortcomings. Islam has emphasizedthe cardinal virtue of the obedience towards parents even if the parents are 'Kafir'.

It is ordained in the Quran :"And

We enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: Show gratitude to Me and to thyparents. To Me is your return. And if they strive to make you join in worship with Me things ofwhich you have no knowledge,obey them not; yet bear them company in this life with fairnessand consideration." (31 : 14-15).

Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said :

"There are three things about which one has no option, (one has tofulfil them without any condition attached) :

To return to the owner the thing entrusted to one's care, whether the owner be pious ordebauchee; and to fulfil the promise whether it was (made) to a pious or a debauchee; and todo good to the parents whether they be pious or sinners".

So far as loving your aunt more than your parents is concerned, I think in the circumstancesmentioned by you, it is understandable; and personally I see no harm in it, provided yourdealing with your parents is based on respect and good manner

Chapter 109 Is homosexuality of any kind Haram?

A. Yes. So far as Islam is concerned, it is not only a capital sin but crime also. Its punishment,according to Islamic Sheriat, is to kill him by sword, or to stone him to death, or to burn him, orto throw him from a high place, or to demolish a wall upon him.

The people to whom Prophet Loot (A.S.) was sent, were indulging in this crime. And lastlythey were destroyed because of it.

If two women indulge in this heinous crime, they would be punished by 100 strokes of whip. Ifthey persist in it the punishment will remain the same upto the third conviction. Fourth timethey would be killed.

The people of Rass were destroyed by Allah because this crime was prevalent among them.

Chapter 110 Is masturbation allowed?

A. No — It is strictly prohibited and absolutely unlawful and Haram.

Chapter 111 Adultery is forbidden, would you mind to write me a verse from the Quran forbidding adultery?

A. "Adultery" and "fornication" are differently used in the English Language; but the Arabicword for both is the same,i.e. (Zina). Two of the Ayats of the Qur'an on this subject are :-

1. "Nor come near the unlawful sexual relation (Zina) for it is a shameful deed and evil,opening the road (to other evils)." (Qur'an, Sura 17,aya 32).

2. "The woman and man guilty of adultery or fornication, flog each of them with hundredstrips; let no compassion move you in their case, in a matter prescribed by Allah, if youbelieve in Allah and the Last Day :and let a party of the Believers witness theirpunishment." (24:2).

Chapter 112 Is it unlawful to read a novel on sexual treatise such as the Famous PERFUMED GARDEN written by Sheikh Nafzaoun translated by Sir Richard Burton?

A. Such books are extremely harmful to a man's physical, psychological and moral health.Remember, your life is moulded according to your thoughts. If you indulge in such so called"books" you will go on thinking like that long after you have finished with that book. Thus, youroutlook on life will be governed only by sexual desires; you will look at every passing girl withlustful eyes; and in the words of Nabi Issa (A. S.) "Whosoever looks on a woman with lust hascommitted adultery with her already in his heart." In this way, the foundation of your moralitywill be destroyed.

And such thinking creates great tension in your nerves and leads to many infirmities. In short,if you go on thinking like that, your power of manhood will suffer because of the tension; and,as a result, you will find yourself at a loss at the time of marriage.

Chapter 113 I have been employed a shop where I have to accept orders of delivering wines, write invoices, collect amount due for payment and do correspondence for wines in addition to other commodities for which the Company associates. I would therefore beg for gratuitous information whether to continue the service with a firm dealing with alcoholic commoditi

A. About your employment: There is no harm in serving a non-Muslim firm. But it is anothermatter when that service includes transaction of Liquor. Our Holy Prophet has said, "Allah hascursed (Laanat) liquor, and the man who sows the seeds of grapes or grain for that purpose,and the man who stands guard to that farm; and the man who makes liquor, and the man whodrinks it, and the man who serves it to others, and the man who sells it, and the man whobuys it, and the man who transports it and the man to whom it is transported, and the manwho eats from its price". I hope this Hadith answers your questions.

Chapter 114 There are only a few of us Ithna-asheris in Mozambique. All of us are engaged in trade and commerce. Some of us have ration shops. But the difficulty here is that the population drinks liquor very much; and beer and wine is considered a part of grocery. As we, the Ithna-asheris, are not allowed by our religion to sell or keep liquor, we do not get

A. Your letter dated 19th July, 1971 addressed to the President of the Federation refers. It appears that you have some grave misunderstandings about the role of our Holy Mujtahids.Therefore, I would like to remove those misunderstandings before replying to your mainquestions.

First of all, the Sheriat of Islam is the most comprehensive sheriat of the world, and it hasrules for every conceivable condition, whether we like it or not.

Secondly, in Islamic Sheriat, protecting a Muslim's life is wajib; and, if, for any reason, his lifeis in danger because of some of the religious practices, the sheriat says that he MUST protecthis life and SHOULD forget that religious practice so long as that danger remains. It is called"Taquaiyya" (Protection).

Thirdly, this Taquaiyya is allowed only to protect from danger, not to obtain something orincrease the income.

Take for example, the sacrifice of cows in India which you have referred to. First of all, thesacrifice itself is not wajib, it is Sunnat-e-Muwakkada. Secondly, it is not necessary to sacrificethe cow. A goat or sheep can easily be sacrificed instead of cow.Thirdly, the Hindus revereand worship the cow and they are the rulers of the country.

It is generally known that, because of the sacrifice of the cow, Muslims' lives are always indanger in India. According to the rule of sheriat (not by new ruling or opinion of the Mujtahid)that sacrifice would have become Haram (even if it had been Wajib originally).

So, you see, Agha Mohsin Al-Hakeem did not turn a Halal into Haram. He simply explainedwhat was already the rule of the sheriat.

Now, we come to your second example. Taking or giving interest from or to a Muslim isHaram. Here, I will not go into technical detail of what is "Riba" in Shia sheriat. But I should mention here only one thing. Banking is not just taking or giving the interest. There are many  aspects of banking which are perfectly lawful. For example, if you obtain a Letter of Creditfrom your Bank to purchase a merchandise in Japan, your Bank will pay on your behalf themoney in Japan and will get your consignment to Mozambique. Now suppose that the goodswere of Shs. 10,000/- and the Bank charged you Shs. 10,500/-. That extra charge of Shs.500/- is perfectly lawful according to the sheriat, because the Bank conveyed the money onyour behalf to Japan and if they charge extra for this service it is alright. They may term it as'interest' but in sheriat it will not be an interest; it will be a charge in lieu of service.

Another thing to remember is that if a Muslim has two types of income, one lawful and another unlawful, nobody is required to ask whether the money which he has used in purchasing ashirt was from lawful income or the Haram one. It will be supposed to be from Halal incomeunless it is known to be from 'Haram' income.

A third thing : It is not the duty or function of a Mujtahid or Alim to go and see how a man isbehaving or how he is earning his money. His function is to tell that taking 'interest' from Muslims is Haram. It is not his duty to investigate who is taking interest and who is not.

I think now you will understand why the money spent by Habib family on religious matters isnot denounced by the Mujtahids. It is because

1. Banking business is not 100% Haram,

2. The particular money spent on a religious purpose is not 'known ' to come from Haramincome; and

3. last but not the least, it is not the duty or function of a Mujtahid to speak aboutindividuals.

I think now you will understand why your question can never be replied in your favour.Drinking liquor, or selling it or purchasing it or transporting it or keeping its account, everythingis absolutely haram.

Whatever you have said is not like the sacrifice of the cow in India. Taquiayya means seekingprotection from a danger. It is not for the purpose of increasing the benefit.

I hope this will remove all your doubts.

Chapter 115 Is it possible, in any way, for a Muslim to open a Super market (which will have wines, spirits, etc.)?

A. No.

Chapter 116 Is goat's meat slaughtered by a Jew 'Halal'? I heard that they recite some words before slaughtering it.

A. It is one of the conditions of the validity for Zabiha that it MUST be done by a Muslim.Therefore, the answer to your question is 'NO'

Chapter 117 Is food prepared by (a) Sunni (b) Ismaili (c) Bohora allowed to be eaten?

A. Yes. (In case of Ismaili, if he believes that Agha Khan is god, then you should not eat thefood prepared by him).

Chapter 118 I heard from one of my friends that we are allowed to take food prepared by Christian; is this true? and if this is true, I shall try to make you remember the answer you gave in LIGHT Magazine (Vol. III. No. 1) of Q. 1., that we are permitted to take food prepared by any sect of Islam, conditionally that it is not prepared by someone who associates

A. So far as the Ahlul-Kitab are concerned, there is a difference of opinion about their Taharator Najasat. Among our Ulamas, since the beginning, many think that they are Najis likeMushrikeen; others say that originally they are Tahir. Both sides have their proof from theQur'an and Hadith.

Agha Seyyid Mohsin Hakeem since last 3 or 4 years holds the later view.

The details of his Fatwa with my comments are given here for your guidance :-

Following is the translation of the Fatwa of Agha Mohsin Hakim and explanatory notes :-

1. "Tenth (Najasat) : Kafir. And Kafir means a person who either believes in a religionother than Islam or professes to believe in Islam but rejects any of the things which areknown to be a part of the religion of Islam."And there is no difference (for this rule of Najasat) between an apostate and born kafir,or between a Harbi and Dhimmi, or between a Kharijite or Ghali or Nasibi.

"The above rules are for the kafirs other than "Ahlul-kitab". So far as a "Kitabi" isconcerned, he is Tahir (clean) in his person, originally; and he becomes Najis becauseof the "Najasats" which he contacts. Therefore, if he makes his body "tahir" (cleanses itaccording to the rules of Islamic Sheriat) then the things touched by him are Tahir, andalso (in that case) it is allowed to eat from the food prepared by him".(Minhaj-us-Saleheen, Part 1, ed. 1388 A. H.).

2. In a reply to another 'Mas-ala' Agha Saheb wrote that: "But the animalslaughtered by them is not Tahir, and thus cannot be eaten."

3. In a reply to a third Mas-ala he wrote that :-"Kitabi" or "Ahlul-Kitab" in this ruling includes the present day's Jews and Christians."

NOTES:

1. According to the above-mentioned Fatwa, if a Jew or Christian makes himself Tahir,according to Islamic Sheriat, a Shia Ithna-Asheri can eat the things touched by himafter that Taharat. Also, the clothes washed by him (in that condition) will become pakif he has been taught the rules of Taharat of clothes.

2. According to a basic rule of Islamic Sheriat, "the action of a Muslim is presumed to becorrect and conforming to Sheriat, "unless proved otherwise".Owing to this rule, we are not supposed to ask a Muslim trader whether the Ghee orOil sold by him is Tahir? We presume it to be Tahir unless it is known to be Najis.But this rule does not apply to a non-Muslim. As the operating phrase in the abovementioned Fatwa is "if he (the Christian or the Jew) makes his body Tahir", we MUST make sure that he really had made himself Tahir, before touching the food, etc.

3. Coming to the practical side, we can compel a domestic Christian servant to make hisbody and clothes Tahir before starting the work of the day, and then he may wash ourclothes and help in domestic works without any difficulty.But, we cannot tell a Christian waiter or a cook in a restaurant to cleanse himselfaccording to our sheriat and also utensils and pots before preparing or serving thefood. Therefore, this Fatwa should not be misused by patronizing the Christian orJewish restaurants and hotels.

4. According to Islamic Sheriat, meat, fat and hide and skin are presumed to be Najis andtaken from a dead animal unless known to be taken from an animal slaughtered by aMuslim according to the sheriat.

Agha Saheb has clearly written that the Zabiha of Christian or Jew is Najis and notallowed; a Shia Ithna-Asheri cannot use any of the food prepared by the Christians orJews if that food contains meat or animal rat.

Also, everything made by them from leather (like belts, shoes, straps, purses, hat linings, etc.,etc.) are Najis and will be treated as made from the hide of a dead animal.

Chapter 119 Do the Muslims modify such rules like eating meat that a non-moslem has slaughtered?

A. There is no question of modifying the rule concerning the meat of the animal slaughteredby a non-Muslim.

For your information, Muslim Sheriat contains 5 kinds of rules:

1. WAJIB: The religious duties performance of which is rewarded and neglect of which ispunishable are classified as WAJIB.

2. HARAM : Deeds, doing of which is sinful and punishable and abstinence from themrewardable, are termed as HARAM.

3. MUSTAHAB OR SUNNAT: Such of the rites performance of which is rewardable buttheir ommission is not punishable are termed as SUNNAT.

4. MAKROOH; Those deeds, abstinence from which is rewarded, but committing themis not sinful are termed as MAKROOH.

5. MUBAH : Those deeds which are allowed by the Sheriat, but there is neither rewardnor punishment for doing or neglecting them, are called MUBAH.

A Muslim is at liberty to ignore the rule (3) and (4) even without any excuse. But he cannottamper with a Wajib or Haram. The rule forbidding the meat of an animal slaughtered by anon-Muslim is within this latter category. Therefore, there is no choice for any Muslim in thisrespect.

Chapter 120 Why don't you like to touch dogs; And eat the meat of pigs and some other animals?

A.

(a) About the meat of pigs, please see the article "Dangers of eating Pork" in the issue ofLIGHT which is being sent to you (Now see the book "Pork" available from the Missionfree of charge).

(b) After that, we will publish another article about dogs which please wait.

(c) About the other animals: All the animals which are forbidden in Islam are of suchnature that they inflict harm to the eater; that harm may be either physical or spiritual orboth. For example, we are not allowed to eat meat of beasts of prey (like eagle, kite,etc.) because they create brutality in the nature of the eater (spiritual harm) or thecarcass of even lawful animals if they are not slaughtered according to the Islamic Law,because the blood which invariably congeals in the dead-body of such animals isharmful to the health (physical harm).

Chapter 121 Can a Muslim eat a hen or poultry?

A. Yes, A Muslim is allowed to eat hen or poultry. It must be killed according to the rules

Chapter 122 Can indoor games, e.g. ludo, cards, chess, etc. be played (with the intention of time-passing) without introducing money?

A. Such games which are usually played for gambling (example of which are contained inyour question) cannot be played even without introducing the element of money. Othergames, which are not played for gambling, and outdoor games (without any condition that theloser would pay some thing to the winner) are allowed. But it has been highly emphasized thatonly such games should be played which help in maintaining the health of the body. Thus, it isadvisable that you should refrain from all indoor games.There is no harm if a third party gives reward or prize to the winner in outdoor games.

Chapter 123 For a man to keep Beard is wajib according to our sheriet. What benefit one derives by keeping Beard and when it grows after a certain length, it is not advisable, why?

A. Beard: Beard has been made wajib for a Muslim because :-

(a) It is a grace and beauty for males. If you look even at the animals you will find cockshaving some beautiful feathers on neck and head which are missing in the hens. Lookat the peacocks, pigeons, lions and other animals and you will find that males are morebeautiful than females, thanks to the extra feather or mane resembling the beard inmankind.If a man shaves his beard he in fact deprives himself of the real and natural beauty.

(b) There is a close connection between cheeks, teeth and eyes. Any strain on the cheeksaffects the optic nerves. Thus, shaving the beard puts strain on eye nerves, and theeyes gradually lose their power.The increasing number of teenagers who are obliged to wear spectacles is enough toshow the relation.

Length of Beard: Jews used to keep long beards like Sikhs. Parsees used to shave theirbeards. Therefore, the Holy Prophet ordained that the Muslims should not shave their beards,otherwise they would be mistaken for Parsees, nor should they leave it to grow untrimmedthus resembling the Jews. Moreover trimming the beard keeps the appearance clean and niceto look upon.

It is for reason of cleanliness that the Muslims have been ordered to trim their moustache,otherwise, the hair would touch the water and food and would be quite unhygienic andsometimes revolting to look at.

Hair growing in other places like armpits and below navel has been ordained to be shavedquite regularly for the same purpose. It is strange to see that the Christians and manyWesternised people shave their beard and grow the hair of armpit and below navel. Is it notunhygienic, disgusting and revolting?

Chapter 124 I refer to your reply in latest "LIGHT" why Beard? It could be assumed by your reply that all those who shave may have weak eyes and those who do not shave may have bright eyes — then why Dear Mr. Rizvi you having never shaved in your life have to wear spectacles?

A. Well, first of all, am I a "teenager"? Secondly, have I said that shaving is the only cause ofweak eyesight? Read the answer again before jumping to the conclusions.

And just for your information, the observation that "any strain on the cheeks affects the opticnerves" is not a rhetoric. It is based on medical findings.

Chapter 125 What does 786/110 mean?

A. '786' is the total of the numerical values of the alphabets ofand ‘110’ is the total value of the alphabets of

Below is the list of the alphabets with their numerical values:

ن م ل ك ي ط ح ز و ه د ج ب ا1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40

50غ ظ ض ذ خ ث ت ش ر ق ص ف ع س60 70 80 90 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

Now see for example:

م ي ح ر ل ا ن م ح ر ل ا ه ل ل ا م س ب2 60 40 1 30 30 5 1 30 200 8 40 50 1 30 200 8 10 40 =

786د م ح م40 8 40 4 =92ي ل ع70 30 10 =110

Chapter 126 Can anyone believing in God be affected by witch-craft? Do we have to recite Al-Falaq and An-Nas to be clear from witch-craft?

A: - Only the people with weak psychology are affected by such things. As the belief in Allahassures a man that nothing can harm him without the will of Allah, he is not affected bywitchcraft. If anyone is perturbed that someone may try to harm him through magic orwitchcraft, the two suras mentioned by should be recited for protection. These suras remindMumin that Allah is the protector and Guardian against ill-wishers and witches, and thusstrengthening his belief in Allah and make him immune from ill-effects of witch-crafts etc.

Chapter 127 Is Smoking bad in Islam? Why is it Makruh?

A: - Smoking is neither Haram nor Makruh. But in our society it is considered a sign ofdisrespect to smoke in the presence of elders; and on the whole is discouraged because of itsharming effects on the health.

Chapter 128 Is it allowed for a muslim to smoke in the lavatory of the Mosque?

A: - Smoking is neither Haram nor Makruh and there is no objection in to smoking in thelavatory of the Mosque. But remember that smoking in itself is harmful to health.

Chapter 129 In checking the Holy Qur’anic verses purporting to taking of Liquor to be haram (unauthorized, sinful) is said that ‘it (taking of liquor) has more vices than virtue? If yes then why smoking of tobacco, which has all the vices is allowed among the shias?

A: - There is a difference between ‘being allowed’ and ‘not being disallowed’ The first is apositive aspect while the second is a negative one. As in Sheriat Wajib and Haram cannot betampered with, we can not add to this list of Haram things

Chapter 130 Do we believe in the Astrologer and the palmistry?

A: - Islam does not allow such practices; and anybody relying on such forecasts is termed as‘non-believer’

Chapter 131 Is there any written proof that animals were created to be eaten? Aren’t men animals? They are animals which man is given to them as a name’’.

A: - Here is an Ayat of the Qur’an: -‘

Lawful unto you for food are all four-footed animals, with the exception named: but nothing ofanimals are allowed to you while you are in the sacred boundry and of the pilgrim garb…

……………but when you are clear of the sacred boundry and of the pilgrim garb, then you mayhunt.

About fish: ‘Lawful to you is the pursuit of water animals and use for food’’. (Quran, Sura 5,aya99)There are many ayats on this subject in the Quran. And such commands may easily be foundin the scriptures of Jews, Christians and Hindus.

Chapter 132 How do Muslims count their years? E.g. When Muhammad did migrate to Medina it was 622 A.D.

A: - The Muslim calendar is a lunar one, the months beginning at the sight of the new moon orif not sighted, at the expiry of 30 days of the previous month. Thus the moon are of 29 or 30days. A year generally consists of about 355 days. It means that the Muslim year is shorterthan the present Gregorian calendar (which is erroneously called Christian Era) by about 10days. The difference amounts to about one year in 34 or 35 years.

The Hijra (Flight to Medina) was in 622 A.D. And that is the beginning point of the Muslim Era.According to the Gregorian calendar 1348 years have passed out but, owing to the differencementioned above, it is 1389 of Muslim Era.

Chapter 133 Why is it said that a Muslim cannot enslave his brother Muslim in some books; but also in some books we find the Muslims having slaving whom also they pray in Mosque together?

A. Here I should explain to you that Islam launched a three-pronged attack on slavery: -

Prior to Islam, slavery was practiced with abandunce. Debtors were made slaves. Warcaptives were either killed or made slaves. In weaker nations, people were hunted likeanimals, killed or captured and reduced to slavery.

Islam, not in ambiguous terms, forbade its followers to enslave people on any pretext. Theonly exception was an unbeliever enemy captured in a war which was fought in self-defenseor with the permission of the Prophet or Imam. This exception was, in words of Justice AmeerAli, ‘in order to serve as a guarantee for the preservation of the lives of the captives’.

Not only that. An alternative was also introduced and enforced: ‘To let them go free, either withor without any ransom’.

In the battles forced upon Muslims, the prophet had ordered very humane treatment of the prisoners who fell into the hands of Muslims. And, as mentioned above, they could obtain theirfreedom on payment of small sums of money, and many of them were let off without anypayment. It all depended upon the discretion of the prophet or Imam, keeping in view thesafety of the Muslims and the extent of danger from the enemy. The captives of the very first Islamic battle, Badr, were freed on ransom, while those of the tribe of Tai were freed withoutany ransom.

The Prophet and the 1st Imam Ali (a.s) prescribed severest penalties for anyone who took a free man into slavery. This was a crime whose penalty was cutting off the hand of the culprit.Justice Ameer Ali writes in Mohammadan Law, (Vol.2, p.31-32 : -)

“The possession of a slave by the Qur’anic Laws was conditional on a bonafide war, waged inself-defense, against idolatrous enemies; and it was permitted in order to serve as a guranteefor the preservation of the lives of the captives………Muhammad found the custom existingamong the pagan Arabs; he minimized the evil, at the same time laid down such strict rulesthat but for the perversity of his followers, slavery as a social institution would have ceased toexist with the discontinuance of the wars in which the Moslem nation were at first involved”.

As the enslavement was restricted and only captives in a bonafide war against idolatrousenemies could be made slaves, it is quite right to say that Muslims could not enslave Muslims.

The second front of the attack against ‘SLAVERY’ was the active campaign to get freedom forthe slaves.

The third front of the attack was the restoration of the dignity of slaves and enhancing theirsocial status. Islam made no distinction between a slave and a freeman and all were treatedwith equality.

If, a non-muslim slave accepted Islam, the master was strongly exhorted to give him freedombut it was not compulsory. However, many Muslims used to emancipate such slaves at once;but even if that slave was not emancipated at once, he enjoyed full rights in the household ofhis master.

A book on slavery has been printed just now; and is available from this mission.

From the same author on IslamicMobility

Your Questions Answered - Volume 1 (2013)

2ND EDITION - The first edition of this book, proved very popular and all copies were
sold out in record time. Ayatullah Seyyid Mohammad Mahdi AI-Husaini Shirazi, Mujtahid, and other scholars highly appreciated the book. Some parts were reprinted in the
Muslim Review, Madrasatul-Waezeen, Lucknow (India).
The first edition contained replies to 142 questions; but some replies only referred the
questioner to some books or articles without conveying any detail. Such questions have been
omitted from this edition, which now contains 131 replies.
Also, the first edition contained names of the correspondents which have been deleted from
this edition, except where the name was thought necessary.
The mission is grateful to Mr Murtaza A. Bandali for his assistance in checking the proof.
Seyyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi.
31st August, 1975.
Published by: Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania
Dar es Salaam – Tanzania
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Your Questions Answered - Volume 2 (2013)

Mr. Dhikiri Kiondo was born in 1946, at Kwemiinu village (District Lushoto, Tanga Region,
Tanzania). His grandfather was the traditional Chief of the Wakilindi clan of the Wasambaa
tribe. His father was a farmer and a staunch Muslim of Sunni faith. It was from Butimba that he wrote his first letter to us, asking 24 questions which showed that he was an intelligent youth eager to learn the truth about Islam; and also that he was
completely in darkness about Shi'ism.
The Mission hopes that this booklet will be received as enthusiastically as the first volume was. The reader will be interested to note the gradual development of Mr. Dhikiri's
questions demonstrating how he came nearer to us and found the true happiness and peace of mind that he began searching for when he first wrote to us.
S.S.Akhtar Rizvi
Chief Missionary

Published by: Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania
Dar es Salaam – Tanzania
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Your Questions Answered Volume 5 (2013)

This is the 5th Volume of this series and contains the important questions asked between 1986 and September 1990.

The questions came from Tanzania, Kenya, U.K. Germany and Poland, as well as from Canada, U.S.A., Guyana, Tobago and Trinidad; also there were questions from India, Pakistan, Dubai, Thailand and Singapore. Overwhelming majority of the correspondents was Shi'a; but there were also Sunnis and Hindus. I personally am very grateful to all of them for the trust and confidence shown in me. May Allah bless them all. Amen.

I pray to Allah to reward this humble effort with His acceptance, and to make this book useful for the seekers of guidance and truth.

Dar es Salaam S.SAEED AKHTAR RIZVI
11th October, 1990 Chief Missionary
ISLAMICMOBILITY.COM

Your Questions Answered Volume 3 (2013)

This is the 3rd volume in this series contains answers to questions asked from January, 1972 to March, 1975. These questions cover a wide range of burning topics of modern times. The popularity of the 1st two volumes has convinced us of the usefulness of this venture; and the Mission hopes that this volume will be even more widely read.
These questions were received from correspondents residing in East Africa, UK, Europe, Canada, USA, Pakistan and India. We have omitted the names for obvious reason.
This series is published for the benefit of our Shia Ithna-aseri youths.
The Mission is grateful to Mr.Murtaza Bandali, Dar-es-Salaam, for his help in checking the proof and making useful suggestions.
S. SAEED AKHTAR RIZVI Dar-es-Salaam
ISLAMICMOBILITY.COM

Your Questions Answered Volume 4 (2013)

The fourth volume in this series contains answers to 105 questions, most of which were asked during the period April 1975 to June, 1978.

When the third volume was compiled, it was noticed that it had become somewhat bulkier than the previous volumes. It was therefore, decided to omit subjects dealing with taharah, Prayer and Fast. More important questions relating to these themes having now been incorporated in the present volume. This series is published for the benefit of our Shi'a Ithna 'ashari youths.

The Mission is extremely grateful to Haji Muhammad Husseii Karmalli, Dar es Salaam, for his help in checking the rnanuscrip and making useful suggestions

S. SAEED AKHTAR RIZVI
ISLAMICMOBILITY.COM

Prophethood (2013)

The book explains beautifully the difference between nabi & rasul, its meaning, qualifications, importance, responsibility, previous prophets, the meaning of Ismat, the sin of Adam what was the reason and many more interesting fact with the prove from Holy Book!
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"Wisdom is the lost property of the Believer, let him claim it wherever he finds it" - Imam Ali (as)