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Salam brother,


What are you views about Istakhara? Is there a specific way of praying and asking from God. Do answers come in dreams if we follow a certain routine of prayer?  I need to make a decision about staying in my resident country or to go back to my home country. There are pros and cons to both situations.

I just want to know your views on this and what is your advice.

Regards

Dear Joseph,

In a Friday sermon it was said that a Muslim man can divorce or marry another woman for a child without taking consent of the first wife.

Please can you enlighten with your views on this.

Best Regards.

Dear brother Joseph,

Salam.

I was reading a question someone asked on the internet which I wanted your view on. The argument was that in verse 21:33, it is said that "It is He who has created the night and the day and the sun and the moon. Each one travels in its own orbit".

This verse says that the night and day are objects and as well as the sun and moon all move in the orbits. We know that the day and night are not objects and can't move so is this not a contraction or scientific error in the Quran?

How would you respond to a suggestion such as this? Thanks

Salaam alaikum Brother Joseph,

Please could you tell me what cloaks mean in the following ayah. Do we have to wear Burqa/Abaya/Long cloaks?

33:59 O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognised and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.

Thank you.

Sister

Salam Joseph,

In verse 4:43, Momineen are warned not to go for Salaat when their minds are beclouded. Does it mean only becloud or does this mean under the influence of intoxicants (such as wine)? Secondly if intoxicating is Haram why is Allah asking the Momineen not to perform prayers because Momin do not drink (as it is haram). Is this command earlier to declaring intoxicants Haram?

Dear Joseph.

The Quran only says that believers cannot marry idolaters and vice versa. It says nothing about atheists.

Is it then possible to marry atheists if the Quran does not prohibit it explicitly?

Thanks.

Salam Brother Joseph.

I have noted that in some verses such as 66:10 events are narrated in the past tense. In the verse quoted this would indicate that the punishment of both the wife of Noah and Lot were given in the past (before Day of Judgment). We know the Day of Judgment has not arrived so are verses such as these in the past tense or future tense?

Salam,

Does the Quran expect women to cover their arms and their legs or do we learn this from the sunnah only?

[Appendix 32]

Dear brother Joseph Islam,

I have a question about 46:15 and the crucial age of 40yrs in the Quran. The issue is in this article http://www.masjidtucson.org/quran/appendices/appendix32.html . if you could kindly read and comment please, it would be greatly helpful InshaAllah.

My main question is what if people die before the crucial age of 40?

Regards.


Appendix 32

(from: Quran The Final Testament, by Rashad Khalifa, PhD.)

The Crucial Age of 40

What is the age of responsibility? If a child dies at the age of 12, without even hearing about God, does this child go to Heaven or Hell? What if the child is 15 years old, or 21, or 25? At what age will the human being be held responsible for his or her beliefs? This question has puzzled researchers of all religions for a long time.

The Quran sets the age of responsibility at 40; anyone who dies before this age goes to Heaven (46:15). If the person believed in God and benefitted from belief by nourishing and developing the soul (see Appendix 15), he or she goes to the High Heaven. Otherwise, the person goes to the Lower Heaven.

Your first reaction to this piece of information is objection: "What if the person was really bad, evil, and an atheist, will he go to Heaven if he died before the age of 40?" This is because you are mean, while God is the Most Merciful. Our tendency is to "put them all in Hell."

People who objected strongly to this Divine mercy cannot come up with a cut-off age of responsibility. They ask questions like, "What if the person was really wicked?" The answer is, "Does God know that this person was wicked?" "Yes." "Does God know that this person does not deserve to go to Heaven?" "Yes." "Therefore, this person will not die before the age of 40." As simple as that. God is the only one who terminates our lives on this earth. He knows exactly who deserves to go Heaven and who deserves to go to Hell.

Early in 1989 a man by the name of Theodore Robert Bundy was executed for killing a number of women. The whole nation agreed that he was one of the most vicious criminals in history. So much so that his execution was one of the rare occasions where the opponents of capital punishment did not protest. On the contrary, many people actually celebrated his execution. Numerous journalists, editorials, and politicians lamented the fact that justice took eleven years to execute Ted Bundy. They stated that Bundy should have been executed within a maximum of six years after his conviction. According to the Quran, this would have been the greatest favor anyone could have done to Bundy. He was 42 years old when executed. Had he been executed five years earlier, at the age of 37, he would have gone straight to Heaven, and he did not deserve that.

As it turns out, Bundy was one of the signs God has given us to confirm that anyone who dies before 40 goes to Heaven. Bundy's name, Theodore Robert Bundy, consists of 19 letters, and he confessed to killing 19 women just one day before his execution. There were many other signs from God.

Delivering this important piece of information is one of the responsibilities given to me as God's Messenger of the Covenant. It is not my personal opinion.

It is noteworthy that both Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were assassinated just a couple of months before their 40th birthdays.

Dear Brother Joseph,

Salaam alaikum,

"Knowing the Most Beautiful Names of Allah is the basis of all objects of knowledge, because all knowledge stems from these Names"- Ibn Al-Qayyim

Do your best to understand, memorize and ask Allah through his Beautiful names.

Really? Where do the 99 names of God come from? Are they collected from the Quran?

[ONLY]

Salaam alaikum brother Joseph,

I found the following from someone and frankly this is what a tonne of Islamic scholars are saying around and some muslims:

" Signs of Qiyamat:
1) Appearance of Imam Mahdi
2) Appearance of Dajjal
3) Descendance of Hazrat Isa (A.S)
... 4) Appearance of Yajooj n Majooj
5) The rising of the sun from the west - the doors of forgiveness will be closed
6) The Dab'bat al-Ard wil emerge from the ground and will mark all the true Muslims.
7) There will be 40 days of fog which will kill all the true believers so that they do not have to experience the signs to come
8] A huge fire that will cause destruction of the Kaaba
9) The writing in the Quran will vanish.
10) A trumpet will be blown and all the animals & kafirs that are left will die and all the mountains & buildings will crumble
11) The trumpet will be blown a second time and all of Allah's creation will resurrect and meet on the plains of Arafat for their judgment
12) The sun will lower itself with the earth.

Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) said, ''Who ever delivers this news to someone else, I will on the day of judgement make for him a place in Jannat.''
Ameen..... "

who is Imaam Mahdi? who/what is Dajjal? Yajooj and Majooj?

How does one tackle this?

I found verses from the Quran saying the knowledge of the Hour is ONLY with Allah and no one else. Then what does the above mean? And why do you think scholars are spreading this around if the Truth is only with Allah.

In verses 81:15-16, the Quran says

15. But nay! I swear by the stars,
16. That run their course (and) hide themselves,

As this verse is speaking from the perspective of observable phenomena of the Arabs in the desert, is the Quran not clearly saying that the stars orbit the earth?

Please can you clarify.

Salaam dear brother Joseph.

I hope this finds you keeping well. I would like to know what the Quran has to say about the day of Ashura. I think the Jews were asked to commemorate that day in memory of the Red Sea parting and they being saved from Pharaoh. Kindly shed some light. My husband is fasting. I know that there is no need to fast on these days but would it be wrong if a person decides to do so?

[A sister in faith]

Salams.

يُوۡفُوۡنَ بِالنَّذۡرِ وَيَخَافُوۡنَ يَوۡمًا كَانَ شَرُّهٗ مُسۡتَطِيۡرًا

'يُوۡفُوۡنَ بِالنَّذۡرِ' is 'historically' read as 'they fulfil their vows'. Why can't it be read as: 'they heeded to/took the warnings';considered Rabb's threats/warnings seriously?

Ok, I know this is 'unorthodox'; understand the seriousness of 'traditional/historical' readings/meanings and the consequence of immature, individual speculations. I do not know Arabic grammar, nor am I even qualified to 'disclose' my wild speculations; not to mention reading my شَّهَوَاتِ into the text/Rabb's Speech.

I also don't know if this is of your 'interest'/domain.

But still, ...  'from a structural/gramatical point of view', could, 'يُوۡفُوۡنَ بِالنَّذۡرِ' be read as 'they heeded/took the warnings'; And in this context, they took Rabb's threat seriously and feared that day of inevitable--لَأَمْلَأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنكَ--judgement?

جزاك اللهُ

Salam,

I know that Allah doesn't like pagan traditions and so I am thinking can we even wish someone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays or Season's greetings if they greet us with this? Is this 'bidah' (innovation)?

What happens when someone invites us to attend a Christmas party? I haven't come across this yet but i feel that I should decline because I feel that this may cause my Lord to be upset because in a way, it is going against Him.

Brother Joseph

I never used to celebrate birthdays before at least during the time I had been following the Hadith and sunnah but now, recently, i only wish my friends and family a happy birthday. Am I wrong in doing this?

I don't celebrate by doing parties or anything much like that, but I do wish them well because I feel it will help me to communicate/bond with them better.

I used to even send out articles or videos saying it was haraam. i don't do that anymore. I also don't make a big deal about birthdays anymore because I honestly don't feel it in my heart to be. But I do, at least wish my friends/family just for their mental peace and that they will feel appreciated or loved.

Is this forbidden?

[A sister in faith]

Salam,

Christians say "My Father in reference to God. If this exists in the Bible, have scribes added or tampered with the main scripture and added it later?

Brother, salaam alaykum,

Can you please tell me how your pray? just for an example. i'm just curious since my prayer seems quite different from the "regular" ritualistic one.

What I do is I say my prayer in Arabic but I do select the verses according to their meanings 1st so i know what i'm saying. When I'm praying I don't remember the whole meaning but I do remember the gist of it.

Is that ok? or should I be saying everything in the language i understand?

Because i feel that Allah's Message, the Quran, was sent in Arabic and to remain true to the message & praises for Allah and my prayers/du'as i should say it in Arabic because after all we are human and prone to errors and also there are so many perceptions of the translations.

But at the end i do say the translations as per whatever i said in my du'as.

[A sister in faith]

May I ask some questions please?

I was reading surah Ar'af today ayah 145 - And We ordained laws for him in the Tablets in all matters, both commanding and explaining all things, (and said): "Take and hold these with firmness, and enjoin thy people to hold fast by the best in the precepts: soon shall I show you the homes of the wicked― (how they lie desolate)." (145)

Tablets here means that the Allah sent the scriptures to prophet Musa written? That means Musa (pbuh) didn't have to write anything or produce it, it was already given to him by Allah? if this is correct, do you think that the Quran was given to prophet Muhammad like this too? or no? And do these Tablets exist now?

Is the following indicating the ramadhan fasts and hajj fasts?

"We appointed for Moses thirty nights, and completed (the period) with ten (more): thus was completed the term (of communion) with his Lord, forty nights...." Surah Ar'af 142

Thank you.

Salam Brother,

What is the difference between Hadith & Sunnah ? Hadith may general narrations of Prophets period while Sunna is actions of Prophet which is part of Hadith.Hazrat Ayesha has told that Prophet was moving Quran means every action of Prophet was as per Quran then what is written in Quran is his Sunnah .Right ? Please tell me if I am right.