*Your questions and their answers 51* *✍🏻 Respondent:* Sheikh Maqbool Ahmed Salafi Hafizahullah Jeddah Dawah Center, Saudi Arabia *✍️ English Interpreter:* Hasan Fuzail Question: Since the time for Tahajjud begins after the Isha prayer, if someone performs the four Fardh and two Sunnah of Isha, then prays four Nafl with one Salam, followed by Witr, and later offers two Nafl with the intention of Tahajjud, will it suffice for Tahajjud? I usually offer Isha prayer very late due to my engagement in online Tajweed classes. Answer: To answer this question, two important points need to be understood: • The Prophet ﷺ consistently prayed eleven rak‘ahs of Tahajjud in both Ramadan and non-Ramadan. • Witr is the last prayer of the night. If someone intends to pray Tahajjud, they should delay Witr until after Tahajjud. However, if one does not plan to pray Tahajjud, they should perform Witr immediately after the Fardh and Sunnah of Isha. The best time for Tahajjud is the last third of the night, but it can also be performed right after Isha or in the middle of the night. Ideally, one should aim to establish a routine of eleven rak‘ahs, as this was the consistent practice of the Prophet ﷺ. If someone prays two or four rak‘ahs, or whatever is possible, after Isha, in the middle of the night, or in the last part of the night, it is permissible. However, the most virtuous and preferable practice is to maintain eleven rak‘ahs regularly. Question: Can parents spend children's Eid money or the money given to them by relatives on their clothes and education without informing them? Should the money of small innocent children be saved or spent on them? Answer: The money given to young children belongs to them, but their guardian has the discretion to spend it on the child’s needs and welfare. In fact, it is better for the guardian to keep the child's gift money and give it to them as needed or spend it on their essential requirements. If a child receives too much money, they may spoil or buy unnecessary things without their parents' knowledge, which can sometimes cause harm. Parents also have a right over the gifts given to children. If needed, they may use the money for themselves or household expenses, and there is no harm in doing so. However, if the child is mature and aware, parents should not take their money forcefully or spend it without their consent. Instead, they should spend it with the child’s willingness and satisfaction. Question: A sister’s father passed away. Last year, he could not fast for twelve days due to illness but had given fidya (compensation). Can his daughter fast on his behalf? Answer: If a person falls ill during Ramadan and passes away in that illness without getting the chance to make up for the missed fasts, then there is no obligation to make up for those fasts, nor is fidya required. However, if the person recovered after Ramadan and had the opportunity to make up for the missed fasts but did not do so and later passed away, then in such a case, the missed fasts must be made up on their behalf. That being said, if fidya has already been given for the missed fasts, it suffices, and the daughter does not need to fast on behalf of her father. Question: A woman has three children—two sons and a daughter. She wants to give away her youngest son, who is only four months old, due to financial constraints. I want to adopt the baby, and I already have a three-and-a-half-year-old daughter. However, my husband does not agree. I feel very attached to the child. What should I do? Answer: There is no harm in adopting a child in Islam. Islam allows taking someone else's child for nurturing and upbringing, and there is no sin in it. However, since the financial responsibility of the child falls on the husband, and he will be responsible for the child’s expenses, education, and upbringing, his consent is necessary. Therefore, you should convince your husband first. If he agrees, you may adopt the child. But if he refuses, then you should obey your husband and not adopt the child. Question: I have seven missed fasts from last Ramadan. I had planned to make them up in winter (November and December), but then I became pregnant. After five months, my baby passed away in the womb, and I had to undergo major surgery. Now that I am feeling better, I am still unable to fast, and Ramadan is approaching. What should I do? Can I give fidya, or do I have to make up for the fasts? Answer: Fidya does not fulfill the obligation of making up missed fasts. The only way to compensate for missed fasts is to actually fast. If you are unable to fast before the upcoming Ramadan, then after Ramadan, you should make up for the missed fasts whenever you find it easy. Since you had time to fast but delayed it, you should also repent to Allah for the delay. Question:"A time will come upon people when the wealthy among them will perform Hajj for leisure, the middle-class will perform Hajj for business, the scholars will perform Hajj for show and fame, and the poor will perform Hajj for begging." Is this Hadith authentic? What is its reference? Answer: This narration is found in Tareekh Baghdad and Musnad al-Firdaws, but it is weak (Da’if). Shaykh Albani has classified it as weak in his book Silsilah al-Da'ifah. The exact Hadith text and reference are as follows: يأتي على الناسِ زمانٌ يَحُجُّ أغنياءُ أمتي للنُّزْهةِ، وأوساطُهم للتجارةِ وقُرَّاؤُهم للرياءِ والسمعةِ، وفقراؤُهم للمسألةِ (Silsilah al-Da'ifah: 1093) References: • Tareekh Baghdad (10/296) • Al-‘Ilal al-Mutanahiyah by Ibn al-Jawzi (927) • Al-Firdaws by Al-Daylami (8/689) Question: If someone shares the contact details of a female Quran teacher, and then a new student joins the classes, but we don’t know whether she is using headphones or not, in such a case, if a male hears our recitation, will it be permissible? Are we responsible for informing female students about this, and how should we inform them when we have no way of knowing whether they are wearing headphones or not? Answer: It is permissible for a woman to speak to a man and vice versa from behind a curtain when needed. However, while teaching, a woman explains everything to her students, and if she is reciting the Quran, she will do so with proper pronunciation and beautification. In such a situation, an unrelated man should not hear her voice. Therefore, an online female teacher must ensure that her voice and teachings are only accessible to women. If she cannot fulfill this responsibility, she should refrain from online teaching and instead teach in an offline institution or a women’s seminary. Moreover, we live in an era full of temptations, and a woman herself can be a source of temptation. Her voice and videos can be recorded and spread on social media, which is not permissible in Islam. Hence, it is better to avoid such situations altogether. Question: A woman possesses 200 tolas (approximately 2.3 kg) of gold. The jewelry she regularly wears consists of only a few rings and two bangles, while the rest remains stored and is worn only on occasions like weddings. Is Zakat due only on the gold that is worn regularly, or must she pay Zakat on both the regularly worn and occasionally worn gold? Answer: A woman must pay Zakat on all the gold she owns, whether she wears it regularly or it remains stored. If the total gold reaches the Nisab (minimum threshold for Zakat), she must pay Zakat on it every year. Question: My sister is a teacher at a school, and after school hours, she works in an office. On days when she is assigned dismissal duty at the school, she is unable to pray Dhuhr. By the time she reaches the office, the prayer time has already passed. She performs the missed Dhuhr prayer after returning home at Maghrib time. Can she pray Dhuhr while traveling in a moving vehicle, even though she cannot determine the Qibla direction? Answer: The first point to consider is that if she travels 80 km or more for work, then traveling such a long distance without a Mahram is not permissible. If her travel distance is less than 80 km, it is still recommended to be cautious due to the prevalent temptations of today’s world. Secondly, obligatory prayers should not be performed while traveling in a moving vehicle, primarily because facing the Qibla is a requirement. In the given situation, she should pray at the earliest opportunity upon reaching the office. If she cannot pray there, she should perform the missed prayer at home. However, she should not perform obligatory prayers in a moving vehicle for short journeys. Question: I am from Pakistan and want to know whether I need to pay Zakat on the 50,000 PKR that I have saved from my personal expenses. The amount fluctuates throughout the year. Answer: You need to check the current market value of 595 grams of silver in your city. If your savings reach that value and remain with you for a full year, then Zakat is obligatory. If your savings do not reach this threshold, then you do not need to pay Zakat. Currently, in Pakistan, the value of 595 grams of silver is approximately 150,000 PKR or more. Since your savings are 50,000 PKR, Zakat is not due on this amount. Question: The alcohol used in homeopathic medicines is usually ethanol, which is a type of intoxicating alcohol. However, in homeopathic medicines, the amount of alcohol is extremely low. It is used only to dissolve medicinal ingredients, and then it is highly diluted across various potencies. Since the amount of alcohol is minimal, it does not cause intoxication. That means homeopathic medicines do not produce any intoxicating effects because the concentration of active ingredients is so low that they do not have an immediate impact on the body. In this case, is it permissible to use homeopathy in Islam? Answer: Alcohol, regardless of its source, is considered haram (forbidden) in Islam due to its intoxicating effects. For example, regular wine made from grapes and other fruits is haram because it is intoxicating, even though the fruits themselves are halal. Similarly, Nabidh (a drink made from dates) is permissible, but if it becomes intoxicating, it also becomes haram. You have acknowledged that homeopathic medicines contain alcohol and that this alcohol is intoxicating. Therefore, the ruling is clear: if homeopathic medicines contain intoxicating alcohol, they are haram. You argue that the amount of alcohol in these medicines is very low and does not cause intoxication. However, Islamic law states that if a large amount of a substance causes intoxication, then even a small amount of it is haram. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If a large amount of anything causes intoxication, a small amount of it is prohibited." (Sunan Abi Dawood: 3681, authenticated by Sheikh Albani as Hasan Sahih) Conclusion: If the alcohol used in homeopathic medicines is intoxicating in its pure form, then even its small amount is forbidden. Thus, consuming such medicines that contain even minimal amounts of intoxicating alcohol is not permissible in Islam. Question: A person is engaged in trade. Can he engage in hoarding to earn a profit? For example, if he runs a vegetable business and stores potatoes for three months before selling them at a higher price, is this permissible from a religious perspective? Answer: Islam prohibits several ways of earning a livelihood, and one of them is hoarding. Hoarding essential items to gain excessive profit is considered a forbidden means of income. Therefore, it is not permissible for anyone to stockpile food or other essential daily necessities and withhold them from people until the prices rise. Earning a livelihood in this manner is prohibited, and such a person will be sinful. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "He who hoards is a sinner." (Sahih Muslim: 1605) Thus, it is not permissible for a trader to hoard potatoes and sell them only after the price increases. Question: A woman has embraced Islam, and so has her mother. However, her mother has not yet separated from her husband. If the father invites them to dine together, should they sit with him, even though the mother does not observe proper hijab? If the mother refuses to sit with the father, he will be displeased. What should be done in this situation? Answer: When a woman embraces Islam, she immediately becomes separate from her non-Muslim husband and must observe the waiting period (iddah). If the husband also accepts Islam during this waiting period, the marriage remains intact. However, if he does not embrace Islam, then the marriage is nullified after the waiting period. If the waiting period has passed, the wife’s relationship with her former husband is completely severed. She must observe hijab from him, should neither sleep, sit, nor eat with him. A woman who has accepted Islam for the sake of Allah should not concern herself with the displeasure of a non-Muslim husband. If he truly cared, he would have accepted Islam for the love of his wife. Since he has not done so, why should the wife continue to hold affection for him? Therefore, the woman should not maintain any relationship with her former husband and should remain separate from him. Question: Three years ago, we purchased a piece of commercial land and later built a clinic on it. A few months ago, the clinic was completed and is now operational. Employees' salaries are being paid, but the earnings are not significant yet. If we sell the clinic, we will receive its full price. Should Zakat be paid on the original purchase price of the land, or how should it be calculated? Answer: If the land was not purchased with the intention of resale but was intended for building something or for personal use, then no Zakat is due on it. Now that a clinic has been built on the land, there is no Zakat on the land or the clinic itself. However, if the income generated from the clinic reaches the Zakat threshold (nisab) and remains for a year, then Zakat at the rate of 2.5% must be paid on that income. However, if a firm decision is made to sell the clinic, then it becomes a trade asset (maal tijarat), and if a year passes, Zakat should be paid at 2.5% of the market value at that time. But if the decision to sell remains uncertain, then no Zakat is due on the property. Question: If marriage with a woman from the People of the Book (Ahl al-Kitab) is permissible, why does she not receive an inheritance? Answer: A woman from the People of the Book (Kitabiya) does not inherit because the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) explicitly prohibited it. Once the Prophet (ﷺ) has given a ruling, no one has the right to question or object by asking why a Kitabiya woman is deprived of inheritance. Islam is about submitting to the decisions of Allah and His Messenger without dispute. The reason for this deprivation is clear: she belongs to a disbelieving group and is therefore not entitled to inheritance. However, due to her Kitabiya status, she is granted the concession of marriage to a Muslim man. Question: Should people who have not studied Tajweed (rules of Quranic recitation) and are not learning it, recite the Quran even if they make mistakes? And what about those who are trying to learn Tajweed but still make errors—should they continue reciting? Answer: In some places, people are unnecessarily frightened about Tajweed, and they are wrongly told that reading the Quran without Tajweed is sinful. Such individuals are unaware of the true Islamic ruling on this matter. Reading the Quran with Tajweed is not obligatory (wajib) but recommended (mustahabb). Anyone who can read the Arabic text of the Quran should recite it, while those who cannot read Arabic should first learn it before attempting recitation. While reciting, two things must be observed: • Correct pronunciation of letters – Each letter should be pronounced properly (e.g., Daal should not be read as Zaal). • Correct usage of vowel marks (Harakat) – Zabar, Zer, and Pesh (Fatha, Kasra, Dhamma) should be pronounced accurately. While learning Tajweed is encouraged, it is not a requirement for Quranic recitation. Reciting the Quran without Tajweed is permissible. Question: Is the waiting period (Iddah) to be observed for four months and ten days according to the Islamic lunar calendar, or should one complete 130 days? Answer: The waiting period (Iddah) is to be observed as four months and ten days according to the lunar months. However, if someone finds it difficult to count according to the Arabic months, they may complete 130 days for ease, and there is no harm in that. Question: In a village, a mother and daughter live together, while the married son lives separately with his family. He sometimes provides some financial support to his mother and sister. The mother has become very ill. The daughter has not married due to taking care of her mother. Now, it has become very difficult for them to manage monthly expenses and medical treatment. Can such women be given Zakat? Are they included in the categories of Zakat recipients, as they do not work? Answer: If the son does not fully provide for his mother and due to the lack of employment or any source of income, the woman is unable to fulfill her basic needs, then she can be helped with Zakat. That means Zakat can be given to her for food, shelter, and medical treatment. Question: My grandmother is over eighty years old and has become physically very weak. She even faces difficulty going to the toilet and sometimes needs diapers. Most of the time, a woman must be present to assist her. After waking up from sleep, she remains mentally confused for a while. She has intended to perform Umrah for many years, but there was an issue with her Aadhaar card, which has now been corrected. The passport-making process has also started. Our question is: Is it necessary for her to go for Umrah, considering we fear that she may face difficulties or health issues during the journey? Answer: Being physically fit is necessary for performing Hajj and Umrah. Based on the situation described in the question, it is not appropriate for this elderly woman to go for Umrah, as she is old and weak. A woman who needs support at home should not be taken on a journey. However, someone else can perform Umrah on her behalf (Umrah Badal), but she herself should not be taken for the journey. Question: Can a Hafiz (memorizer of the Quran) who teaches children in a religious school (Madrasa) be given Zakat money? Can a household servant also be given Zakat? Answer: A teacher in a religious school can be given Zakat only if he is poor and needy. If the teacher is not poor or needy, then he will not be eligible for Zakat. Similarly, a household servant can be given Zakat if he falls under the category of poor and needy. If he does not, then he cannot be given Zakat. Question: A person is envious and holds grudges, creates disputes between husband and wife, sows discord among siblings, constantly criticizes others' character, instigates fights among relatives, and maintains hypocrisy with everyone. His misbehavior has troubled people in the mosque, neighbors, and friends. What is the ruling on severing ties with such a person? Answer: If such a person resides in a neighborhood, the first step that all residents should take is to hold a meeting to address the issue. All those who have been affected should bring forth evidence of his actions. If he is proven guilty based on testimonies and evidence, he should be advised to repent and apologize to those he has wronged. If he sincerely repents and seeks forgiveness, then it is acceptable; otherwise, the community should socially boycott him, meaning no one should maintain any relations or connections with him. Question: A religious school (Madrasa) that does not charge fees because it educates underprivileged children in religious knowledge—can Zakat funds be used to install a solar system in this Madrasa? Answer: A Madrasa that provides education to poor and underprivileged children can receive Zakat for the needs of the students and the institution. If a solar system is necessary for the Madrasa, then Zakat can be given to the institution considering that need. The duty of the Zakat donor is to give Zakat, while the institution can use the funds according to its requirements. Question: A woman missed some fasts during the previous Ramadan due to pregnancy, and now she is breastfeeding while the next Ramadan has arrived. Should she make up for the missed fasts after this Ramadan, or is she also required to give Fidya? Since she was pregnant in the previous Ramadan and is now breastfeeding, she has not been able to make up for the missed fasts. Should she only make up for the fasts, or is Fidya also required? Answer: A woman who missed fasts in the previous Ramadan due to pregnancy and was unable to make them up before the next Ramadan can observe the missed fasts after this Ramadan. She does not need to give Fidya; she only needs to make up for the missed fasts. Question: Children aged between ten and fifteen have developed a habit of stealing money from home, despite having all their needs fulfilled. They are advised against it, but when scolded, they leave the house. How can they be guided to the right path? Answer: Every person has their own strategy for stopping a child from stealing. Some may use strict discipline, while others may fulfill the child's desires in a proper manner or encourage them with appropriate rewards. I believe that if two precautions are taken, it may be beneficial: • Improve their environment: If they have bad company or interact with the wrong kind of children, they should be immediately restricted from such associations. • Limit their movement outside the house: If they frequently go out, they may misuse money. Usually, children steal because they want to buy things freely when outside. Parents should provide them with necessary items like books, notebooks, pens, and food, but should not allow them to go out alone. If they need to go out, they should be accompanied by a responsible person. This also means they should not be allowed to visit nearby shops alone. Question: A woman brought a poor girl (whose parents were financially struggling) to her home when she was about six years old. Since then, she has been saving some money in the bank for the girl’s marriage. Now the girl has grown up. Whenever someone gave money for the girl, she would deposit it in the bank. Apart from this, she bore all expenses for her food, schooling, etc., from her own pocket. Now, three lakh rupees have been saved in the bank in the girl’s name. Can this girl be given Zakat? Some people are advising against giving Zakat to her. Since money was being saved for her marriage, does this mean she is no longer eligible for Zakat, or must she manage the marriage within this amount, even though wedding expenses are usually higher? Answer: If the girl is under the guardianship of a woman, meaning the woman has taken responsibility for her care, providing for her needs, then the financial responsibility lies with the woman who has taken her in. If this woman faces financial difficulty in fulfilling the girl's basic needs, then people may give Zakat for the girl. However, if the woman can manage the girl’s expenses on her own, then there is no need for Zakat for the girl. As for her marriage, if she has reached the appropriate age and the wedding is near, then Zakat can be accepted for her wedding expenses, even if there is already three lakh rupees in the bank in her name. This amount is insufficient for marriage expenses at present. Question: We work for a non-Muslim employer who is heavily involved in interest-based transactions and pays wages using interest money. Is working there permissible? Answer: It is not permissible to work for a person who pays wages using interest money because interest-based earnings are haram. Accepting wages from haram money is not permissible, nor is it allowed to eat food bought with haram money or accept gifts from it. Question: If a baby boy urinates and the urine splashes on different parts of the body, is it necessary to change clothes, or is there another way to purify them? Answer: If the boy is under two years old, it is not necessary to wash the affected area; sprinkling water over it is sufficient. Therefore, if the boy urinates on clothes, simply sprinkling water over the affected areas is enough. However, if one wishes to wash the entire clothing or change it for peace of mind and to remove any doubts about impurity, then that is even better.