Topics

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General Discussions / Who were the Sabiun?

« on: October 16, 2016, 05:05:56 AM »

Salam brothers and sisters

Who do you think were the 'sabiun' mentioned in the Quran? Is it possible that they were a sect from among the 'people of the book'/ 'Children of Israel' ?  I could not find any verses in the Quran explaining who they were in detail, so clearly the prophet's contemporaneous people did not need any explanations, but there was a mention of the fact that the ' Children of Israel' did become divided among themselves into several sects. Maybe 'sabiun' was a sect from among the 'Children of Israel'? Please do tell me about your individual beliefs about this particular group of people and what do you think should we belief about them from a Quranic perspective? Looking forward to interesting answers from you all!

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General Discussions / Permissibility of choosing not to live with one's parents after being an adult

« on: October 12, 2016, 07:57:05 AM »

Salam all

In Quran, we are asked to be respectful and kind to our parents. So, I will describe some hypothetical  scenarios, can you guys tell me the best Quran-centric approaches to take so as to not anger Allah.

1) Is it ok to move out of your parents' house? Is it sinful to do this , if u still call them frequently, help them out financially, and in anyway whenever u can?

2) What should you do if your husband/wife does not want to live with your parents but has no objection to being nice to them and caring for your parents, but simply does not want to live with them in the same house? Are we to live with our parents throughout our lives? And if we choose not to do so for whatever reason are we being unkind to them just by moving out of their houses? Will this fall under hurting them and abandoning them or simply not caring for them, even when u choose to behave kindly after moving out?

3) Can we move away from our parents for work or education? Will it be unquranic to do so?

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General Discussions / Satan

« on: February 29, 2016, 02:02:02 AM »

Salam all,                                                                                                                                         Recently a question has been bothering me and I can't seem to come up with a convincing answer myself. Hence I am here to get an answer from the collective wisdom of all you people. Why do you think Allah created satan? If it is satan who misleads us then who misled him? After thinking for a long time I came up to a conclusion that the capacity to disobey was given to all jinns and humans! So Allah knew about that when jinns and humans were given free will! So in that sense we all can disobey but what makes satan evil is his promise to lead others astray , that is what is what makes him abhorrent not his capacity to disobey! At the end of the day adam disobeyed as well when he ate of the tree! But adam was repentant and sought to redeem himself! So all satan does is try to influence but it is upto us to follow him or not! Because there are good beings among jinns as well! It is not that he does not whisper to good jinns to lead them astray? Does satan only lead humans astray? Or any being with the capacity to disobey Allah is fair game? Am I right or do you have another way of looking at this! Any point of view will be greatly appreciated

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Islamic Duties / Animal derived ingredients in processed foods like cheese, instant noodles, etc

« on: February 27, 2015, 01:36:49 AM »

Salam All,

Has anybody ever come across articles on the Internet that say cheese maybe haram depending on the source of the animal derived enzyme? Some say all cheese is halal for consumption, irrespective of the halal status of the animal from which rennet (the enzyme used to make cheese ) has been extracted. What do you people think? If the source of the rennet has to be considered as well, then consuming processed food in the west is going to become very difficult as even a thing as simple as a loaf of bread also contains monoglyceride and di-glyceride which are animal derived. Also chicken, beef flavored instant noodles are haram some of them say. Can anyone please shed some light on these issues and give some advice as to what I should do? Should I avoid all processed food? It is nearly impossible to know what actually goes into making our food now-a-days..

Thank You

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General Discussions / Attending Gay wedding, and Gender Identity Disorder

« on: November 03, 2014, 12:31:52 AM »

Salam Br Joseph,
I have been thinking about the following for some days but can’t really come up with Quranic solutions that seem complete to me. The conclusions that I reach seem incomplete.
1)   Attending a gay wedding
I)   As  a guest
II)   As a service provider ( baker, florist, photographer)
The Quran certainly makes Homosexuality a sin, so we know that we should not practice it. But is it also forbidden to attend such a wedding as a guest? In scenario ‘I’ I somehow concluded after months of soul searching that attending such a wedding as a guest is a sin. My mind justifies my conclusion by remembering Quranic verses where believers are asked to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and not to cooperate with each other in sin.
But, in my mind after some thinking I reached a conclusion that is different in scenario’ ii’. There I came to a conclusion that attending such a wedding as a service provider is not a sin. The justification being a service provider provides for a number of people who might be adulterers, liars, fornicators etc. so why single out the sin of homosexuality? It seemed somewhat inconsistent and discriminatory. We might not agree with their(homosexuals) life choices but should we really deny them service because of it? Maybe there is a reason why there is no verse in the Quran where it is said that we cannot do business with sinners, we all are sinners to some extent.
2)   What is your views (Quranic ones of course) on people who suffer from gender identity disorder or gender dysphoria?
People who have gender identity disorder (GID) feel that they are born in the wrong body, as in male children feel they are essentially female but born into a male body. These feelings can appear very early sometimes as early as two years old and at that time they cant really be aware of sexuality and what is right or wrong, so I don’t really know how to deal Quranicaly with this issue.
Some of these people undergo gender reassignment surgery and feel free for the first time in life. At this point I would like to add that gender reassignment does not make a person born male with male genetic make up into a genetically female individual, i.e such surgeries do not truly change the gender as they can’t reproduce till date after going through this surgery. Their pain really moves me but I don’t know how to react Quranically. Now my questions regarding this issue are:
I)   Can we really term GID as sin like homosexuality?
II)   Is undergoing gender reassignment surgery a sin? If so why?
Some people say it is changing nature and how God makes no mistakes but everyday a lot of people are born with disabilities or are stricken with disabilities later in life and we undergo surgeries to correct them, like a person being born blind. We can restore vision by undergoing a simple eye surgery , and when we do so we are not saying God made a mistake by making the person blind, but God gives us opportunities of growth, and when we can with science solve our problems I believe we should do so, I believe God teaches us how to with science.
How is gender reassignment surgery any different than an eye surgery restoring vision? Should we really see the issue as God not making a mistake?
III)   How should such a person be searching for mates? For example, if a man (formerly) becomes a woman after surgery and then marries a man, is he guilty of homosexuality? ( originally he was a man)
Please shed some light on these issues.
Thank You

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General Discussions / Step relationships and inheritance and marriage..

« on: April 09, 2014, 06:42:38 PM »

Salam All..


1)can step-children inherit property from step-parents without anything being written in the deceased's will? ( who are biologically not your children but biological children of your spouse)
2) some islamic websites say that one can marry one's step sibling as they do not share common parents. Is this allowed in the Quran? (not biologically your brother/sister but your step mother/father's son/ daughter from a previous marriage)

P.s. Please keep in mind I am not about half brothers/sisters, who share one parent.

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General Discussions / Food dedictated to other deities instead of Allah

« on: January 30, 2014, 06:40:52 AM »

Salam All,

I have been pondering about the verses telling us not to eat food dedicated to other than Allah, and I have come up with a few questions that I wish to ask you all.


The verse is as follows:
006.145
“Say: I do not find in what has been revealed to me anything forbidden to an eater to eat of except that it be what has died of itself, or blood poured forth, or flesh of swine - for indeed, that surely is impure - or that which is a transgression, is dedicated to other than God. But whoever is driven to necessity, not desiring nor transgressing the limit, then surely your Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.”

1. Are only animals dedicated to other deities haram for consumption? the context of the verse in question is livestock, so is this statement only about livestock?
2. During their respective religious celebrations, our friends from other religions (Hindu, etc) dedicate different food to their deities, can we consume these food? the food they dedicate is not necessarily an animal, most of my Hindu friends dedicate vegetarian food to their Gods, can I then eat those food when they offer them to me? or all kinds of food irrespective of vegetarian, non vegetarian is forbidden for consumption if dedicated to other than Allah?
3. Some people say that we can consume food dedicated to other than Allah if we say 'Bismillah' before consuming it. But logically I find it unacceptable because then why can't we also consume animals dedicated to no one before slaughtering and just say 'Bismillah' before eating it? If, intention is all that matters, then all haram food( vegetarian and non-vegtarian) can be turned to halal food simply by saying ' Bismillah' before consuming it.
4. Also in India, Hindu farmers offer a prayer to their respective deities before planting seeds and also dedicate the harvest to their Gods and Godesses. Can muslims in India consume these food?

I personally think the verse is talking specifically about animals only and is not applicable to non-vegetarian food.

P.S. I would like to mention one thing that I consider food prepared by Jews and Christians permissible as long as they make it following their specific religious guidelines. I do this because I believe the Quran considers food of the people of the book lawful as technically they worship the same God as muslims. Thus, their food becomes automatically dedicated to Allah. So, food of the Christians and Jews for me is not food dedicated to other than Allah.

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General Discussions / urgently seeking advice regarding neutering/spaying pets

« on: January 20, 2014, 06:36:42 AM »

salam

please can anyone help me take a quran-centric decision regarding spaying/neutering pets? I have a pet cat and my vet is telling me to get her spayed. now, the problem is that I was convinced that spaying her would be the responsible thing to do because of the obvious pet over-population problem and the subsequent euthanization of millions of abandoned cats & dogs.

but the problem began when I started to think about Allah's plan. Now, in nature dogs and cats give birth to several babies at a time but most are hunted or killed. very few and the strongest new pups and kittens survive. but when humans domesticated them the mortality rate of these new- born animals have gone down but people cant really take care of so many of them so they abandon them.  now, if I allow my cat to breed she will give birth to kittens that I won't be able to care for and subsequently they are going to end up dead or abandoned.

but if I decide to spay her, will I not then take away from my cat her God-given right to reproduce? How do we know whether our pets want to have babies or not? isn't this violating our pet's trust? as far as the over-population problem is concerned, aren't we transgressing already when we euthanize innocent animals in millions?  millions of human babies are abandoned but we do not euthanize them, because we think human life is sacred but does Allah make a difference between human and animal life? aren't we not supposed to kill animals without a valid reason? how merciful is euthanisation? as far as millions of puppies and kittens being killed in nature by elders of their species is concerned, isn't it part of the law created for them by Allah? then who are we to judge what is merciful or not? are we claiming to be more merciful than Allah, who has designed it this way? when a male lion takes over a pride, he kills all the cubs that are not his? but, this is nature, who are we to dictate it? all the problems start when humans try to change nature or refuse to accept it. The people who claim that neutering/spaying is the merciful thing to do are the same people who are also euthanising these innocent animals. I don't believe Allah gives us the right to euthanise them. but trying to justify spaying/neutering by mentioning over-population and abandonment as a reason seems very wrong to me.
 

What should I do? Should I spay her? Please help.

Thanks....

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Islamic Duties / clothes, proper coverage and prayer

« on: January 05, 2014, 07:21:15 PM »

Dear brother Joseph,

I have been thinking about this issue for sometime now but have not really formulated an answer. I would like to get your opinion on this. Is it acceptable for a believing  man/woman to pray without covering the hair? from secondary sources we learn that we should cover our hair but does the Quran require that the hair/head has to be covered? Also which body parts do you think can be left uncovered during prayers? would it be ok to offer prayers in a dress that does not cover the legs to the feet and the arms till the hands(some parts of the arm and legs exposed)? any insight from the Quran would be helpful.


Thank You
Nura

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General Discussions / proving the divine origin of the Quran to non- beleivers

« on: October 06, 2013, 07:44:14 PM »

Salam

Can anyone tell me how to best provide a person with proofs that the Quran is the word of Allah? As in proving to someone who does not believe that the Quran is divine? Generally, during discussions I ask hadith believers to provide proof from the Quran for proving the authority of ahaith as a religious  source. I do this because I believe that its not right and not rational to use hadith to justify authority of Ahadith. So, can anyone help me prove the divinity of the Quran without using the Quran? And also prove divinity using the Quran as well? I still cant provide non belivers with convincing proofs of the divinity of the Quran

Thanks

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General Discussions / contraception allowed or not

« on: September 14, 2013, 01:59:48 AM »

salam all

is using contraception allowed in the Quran? some people say that it is not stating the verse where Allah tells us not to kill our children for fear of poverty. but before conception, there is no child to kill, so I think that it is allowed.

also some say that forms of contraception that require surgery is not allowed, stating the verse where satan says that he is going to order humans to alter Allah's creation, so vasectomy or tubal litigation is not allowed? if so, then can we neuter our pets? aren't that altering creation as well? but some say that we can neuter pets.

and also if we approach this verse with such a black or white perception, then aren't donating a kidney while still being alive also prohibited? why will not this fall under altering Allah's creation, if this is Quranically allowed?

Thanks

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General Discussions / seeking advice for better understanding of the Quran and Classical Arabic

« on: August 21, 2013, 01:29:25 AM »

Dear brother Joseph,

I have read your article titled 'Studying the Quran' and have been following your advice of reading and comparing various translations to overcome translator's bias and get a good understanding of the overarching message of the Quran. This advice has been very helpful indeed.

But alike many people born into muslim households, I was taught to read the Quran in its original Classical Arabic, but I do not understand the Classical Arabic language. It deeply saddens me that I can read it but can't understand it, so I decided to learn the language. There are many websites such as http://www.kalamullah.com/learning-arabic.html that contain many book series' and audio programs to choose from, can you please take a look at the resources listed in the webpage (link provided above) and recommend me the books that  can help me the most from that list. the list is very long and I think reading all the books will confuse me more and really not help me to learn the language faster. And also if you have additional books and advice that can help me learn the language easily, please share them.

Also in your above mentioned articles, you asked us to read tafsirs or commentaries that remain true to the Quran's own context and usage of words, can you name some of these tafsirs so that I can start reading them?

Eagerly Looking forward to your advice brother.

Thank you

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Islamic Duties / women and hajj

« on: August 17, 2013, 03:50:34 AM »

Salam All,

I was studying up on hajj, and came across the rule made by Saudi Arabian authority that states that women who have no mahram are exempted from performing hajj, as in hajj is not obligatory for these women no matter if they are capable of performing it financially and health-wise.

Is this Quranic? aren't they sinning, if they are banning women from performing something that Allah made obligatory?
what do you guys think?

Thank you..

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General Discussions / Marriage eligibility

« on: August 16, 2013, 12:22:53 AM »

Salam everyone ..

Hope all of you had a wonderful Eid with friends and family.

I was reading a translation of the Quran the other day and came across a verse that is translated to mean that a non-virgin person cannot marry a virgin person. Such a marriage is haram in Allah's eyes.

But what if a person repents sincerely? Can then a non-virgin( repentant) marry a virgin person? Somehow the translation of the verse seems wrong and also asking someone this question prior to marriage may not yield honest answers as well. I also think this limits the pool of marriageable people significantly.

I don't want to make any transgressing comment so what do you people think?

Thanks ...

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General Discussions / Gelatin

« on: July 31, 2013, 09:02:03 PM »

Ramadan Mubarak dear brother Joseph

I was reading up on the permissibility of gelatin recently and I came across two opinions from islamic scholars:

1. when bones from halal/ haram (pigs or cows/goats not slaughtered according to islamic law) are boiled to make gelatin, the chemical composition changes and so the new substance should have a new ruling. i.e gelatin from pigs is also halal.

the logic they gave is, grapes are halal but wine is not, but again vinegar from wine is halal.
so halal substances can come from haram substances.

2. I read another article refuting the above logic for permissibility of gelatin, saying that no matter what, gelatin derived from non-halal animals is haram.
 
so brother can u help me please. I am very confused and where I live many food products contain gelatin. Do you think I should avoid eating things that contain gelatin?

thank you in advance...