Letters to the Editor

Q: Syed Iqbal Zaheer Sahib has quoted Muhammad Asad many times in Ishraq al-Ma’ani.Muhammad Asad, the late Jewish ‘convert’ to Islam authored ‘The Road to Mecca’ and translated the Qur’an. His translation is called ‘The Message of the Qur’an.’Grand Mufti, Sheikh binBaaz (Rahimahullah) warned against the Kufriyat contained in Asad’s translation in this Fatwa:

http://alifta.com/Fatawa/FatawaChapters.aspx?languagename=ar&View=Page&PageID=915&PageNo=1&BookID=3

Translation of the Fatwa: “The translation referred to contains fatal errors and flagrant false beliefs. As a result, the Constitutional Council of the Muslim World League in Makkah Al-Mukarramah issued a decree banning the print and publication of this translation.”

Many prominent Muslims, including senior Ulama, have been unknowingly duped by Muhammad Asad.

Please ask Syed sahib to seriously consider removing ALL references to Muhammad Asad from his book.

We do not use references from Qadiani heretics in our books; similarly we should not be quoting Asad. Otherwise readers could be led towards Asad’s mistaken beliefs.

Syed Sahib obviously wants to promote true Islam through his books and magazines. He will not want to accidentally endanger the Iman of readers. I can forward details of Asad’s Kufriat from his translation if you wish.

Please let me know. 

Munir,
On Email

YMD

To compare Asad with Qadiyanis smacks heavily of extremism; and to accuse of‘Kufriyat’ borders with fanaticism.

At all events, you may please forward those statements of Muhammad Asad, found in Ishraq al-Ma`ani, that are of the Kufriat. Please note that we are not asking for quotes from his translation, but rather, confined to those found in Ishraq al-Ma`ani alone.

Q: I wanted to know the Fiqh related to seafood. Can we eat meat of shark, whale, crab etc.?

Arsalan Manzoor,
On Email

YMD

According to the school of Hanafi Fiqh, meat of every kind of fish is allowed to consume; except that which is found floating in water, lying on its side, dead. Also allowed are prawns. The rest of the water animals such as crabs, lobsters, snakes, frogs, are not Haram, but Makruh. In general, they say that those sea-animals whose form and shape resembles those animals that inhabit on land and are prohibited, could be avoided.

Q: I have a question which I hope you will be able to address in your esteemed magazine. If a person is wronged by others, and he alternates in his heart between desiring to seek retribution from them on the Day of Judgment and forgiving them during moments of spiritual highs, then what is the status of his ‘forgiveness’ of them. Would he be regarded as having forgiven them or would the matter depend on his state/attitude towards those who have wronged him, at the moment of his death?

I would greatly appreciate any insight you can provide on this matter.

Abu Yusha,
On Email

YMD

If someone has not definitely and fully, not decided one way or another, whether to forgive or not, and remained undecided until death, then he will be allowed to make that decision on the Day of Judgment: he may forgive then, or seek retaliation.

Q: I am on and off confronted by a very sensitive question pertaining to establishment of Islamic governance. How can a society under subjugation unshackle itself, when Muslims are devoid of everything, should we leave it to Allah (swt) or strive with an extremist approach? 

XYZ,
On Email

YMD

There are many things that are not very accurate in your question.

Extremism has no place in Islam. Islam is not a bundle of counsels, tips and suggestions. It is not a pot puree of pious words, pornography, superstitions, and weird stories all mixed together, in prose and lyrics, offering no guidance of any sort to humanity, and leading human minds to conceptual confusions. Islam offers complete guidance concerning every issue, major or minor, significant or insubstantial, this worldly or Next: guidance that agrees with human nature.

Its followers know, instinctively, the middle path. The nation obtained is the best of communities. It is a non-excessive community, except that in matters of absolute good, virtue, and universally accepted noble qualities, its members excel to the amazement of the onlookers. The Islamic message is so designed as to produce such a community and such individuals by default. If the community or individual display behaviour other than that, then it can be correctly attributed to lack of education.

To attend to your main question, we may point out that establishing an Islamic government is not the prime duty of an individual in Islam. It is the duty of a Muslim community to govern themselves by Islam. Within the community, it is the duty of prominent Muslims to set up an Islamic government. Otherwise known as the Ulu al-`Amr, (or Ahl al-Hall wa al-`Aqd), it is this class of people who are required to first appoint a

Khalifah/King/Ruler/President/Prime Minister, or whatever, who, in turn, will assume the task of setting up the governmental machinery based on Islamic principles.

You ask: “How can a society under subjugation unshackle itself…” This is a preposterous question. It assumes slavery of a whole nation, and is the outcome of a complete ignorance of the situation in which Muslims live in India. You may please see this month’s editorial of this magazine for an answer.

You also write: “When Muslims are devoid of everything…” This betrays ignorance of the worst sort. The Qur’an says about the Jews: “And (recall) when Musa told his people: ‘My people! Remember the favors of Allah upon you, (such as) when He made Prophets from among you, made you kings, and gave you what He gave no one else of the worlds.”  (5: 20)

This verse as well applies to those Muslims who think they have lost everything. How can those who have been given Revelation, amongst whom came a Prophet, and who live like kings, find words other than that of thanks to their Lord? They may not be in political power, or suffer some other paltry worldly losses, but that is a small loss, which anyway they have brought upon themselves. But, what about the great blessings of their Lord? What mundane power or material benefits can equal that, before which the treasures of the heaven and earth are no more than a mosquito’s wing? They may be warned that those who do not value what of Allah’s special blessingshave been bestowed on them, could as well meet with the same fate as those who were ungrateful and so were punished before them: humiliations in this world, and everlasting tortures in the Next. The Qur’an states:

Say, ‘Shall we tell you about those who lost most in respect to their efforts? Those whose efforts were misguided in the life of the world, while they thought they were doing well in performance. They disbelieved in the revelations of their Lord and the encounter with Him.’ So their efforts have failed and We shall not assign any weight to them on the Day of Judgement. That is their reward –Jahannum – for what they denied, and held My Revelations and My Messengers in mockery.’ (18: 103-106)

Q: I really like this Digest and, particularly, the Children’s Column. I’ve a question for which I want this answer as soon as possible. Is Zakah applicable for diamonds?

Faisal Izhar,
On Email

YMD

Zakah is not liable on diamonds, and other high-priced stones, unless they are used as trade commodities, in which case Zakah must be paid as Zakah is paid over commodities of trade.