Letters to the Editor

We do not have a clear history of the practice of celebrations in the night of Isra wa al-Mi`raj. But certainly it is of late origin. Until recent times good scholars (for instance, those of Deoband), were not available for speeches during the early night celebration and the late night devotions. They left their places heading for unknown destinations in order to avoid being invited and pestered by the common people for speeches. Some do even now.

There is nothing to add to your statements in this paragraph. You are perfectly right.

To condemn the practice in the extreme manner you have done, does not go well with the tolerant character of Islam. Since when have celebrations become innovations? How many scholars are not there whose own country celebrates a National Day, Independence Day, May Day, etc., but do not deliver condemnations of the same order as yours? This is because nobody believes that those celebrations are a part of the religion of Islam. Similarly, the people who celebrate this particular Night, do not believe that it is part of their religion. If they thought it was part of their religion, they would not miss it in the same manner as they do not miss participation in Friday Prayers. Although the attendance to the mosque increases on this Night, many miss and do not feel sinful. Why? Because, they know that Islam has not prescribed participation. It is merely a ‘celebration.’ If you participated, good, if you did not, you missed the halwa-puri. But did you earn a sin? They will say no.

An innovation in Islam is that virtuous act that is performed with the belief that it is a part of the Shari`ah of Islam, doing which will earn rewards and not doing which will entail sin.

We definitely disapprove of the celebration, and also disapprove of the lightening and decoration. This is extravaganza (israf) which is prohibited. We also disapprove of people’s participation in the celebrations, while they fail to attend to five daily Prayers, which have been declared an indispensible obligation.

This is incorrect. A woman should begin to offer Prayers immediately after she comes out of the state of impurity. If for example, blood cessation occurs at `Asr time, she is required to take a bath and offer her `Asr Prayer if time is still left for it. If by the time she finishes her shower, it is Maghrib time, then she may not offer the `Asr Prayer neither Adaa’ nor Qada.’ She may start her Prayers with Maghrib.

But, if she delays her bath after the cessation of blood, attempting the bath, for example, after sun-set, although there was ample time, then she has to do the Qada’ of `Asr and then offer her Maghrib.

No, that is not correct. Usage of henna’ is not a Sunnah that was regularly practiced by the Prophet. In fact, there is only a single hadith which reports that signs of henna’ were found at the root of some of his hair, in patches. All the same, there is no restriction on when it can be applied; except for someone in the `iddah period. Periods have no relationship to make-up of any sort.

We have deleted the list of files.

Kindly send us your address, we shall send you a new DVD.

However, our experience, (especially of the sort where some files are readable, while others not), is that the error comes from the DVD drive. Certain models do not read all the files. You could therefore, try the disk on another computer. Also, the software also plays its role.

Now that vol. 13 is out (and which completes the work), kindly send us your address. We shall send you the three volumes 11-13 along with a new DVD disk.

You have already answered your question in the positive, that is, application of alcoholic perfumes will have no negative effects on the Prayers.

By itself, alcohol is not najis (unclean).

Both have no basis in tradition or science. There is nothing in the physical body that can foretell the future. Since the fortune-tellers stare into the palms, of course, without seeing anything, before they pronounce what the future holds for a man, the palms have become symbolically attached to false beliefs. The same holds good for moles. Many people believe that their presence or absence on certain parts of the body bodes good or ill luck.

A man’s future is in his hands. If he has the right objectives, right intention, and puts in the right kind of efforts deserving of the objectives, he fulfills his dreams. When he does not wish to put in the efforts, within a stipulated time, then he hopes that some sort of miracle will help him fulfill his desires and that this or that mark on his body foretells that. He lives hoping, and hoping, and hoping, until the appearance of grey hair announces that the time for efforts is over, the best days are behind, and every new step into the future will announce more and more chunks of the dream castle brought down by the winds and rains. Ultimately, mentally he lands into depression, physically into a slum, bodily into ill-health and spiritually dead.

This is the story of tens of thousands of Muslims we see around us.

Reportedly, the Prophet looked into the palms of a man, and finding them rougher than usual inquired the cause. The man explained that he worked with his hands. He kissed his hand. That was the hand that promised that the dream and desires of the owner were possible of fulfillment.

If such are the outstanding qualities of the man, it should be obvious that marrying him is not advisable. His love for you is contradicted by his friendship with other girls. Next, you are homely while it appears he is a society man and a flirt.

The answer will depend on the kind of words you used and the intention you had. If you have simply said, e.g., ‘If you did such and such a thing, then it will lead to divorce,’ then, for the wife to do that thing does not entail divorce. Look back at the words, ‘it will lead to divorce.’ You did not say, ‘you are divorced.’

Unless you make a completely unambiguous statement, they take no effect. For example, when you say ‘if you did such and such a thing,’ then, you have to be specific about it to explain what that ‘such and such a thing’ exactly means. Supposing you said, ‘If you went out of the house,’ then the sentence has the meaning you intended and she understood. If one of you was vague about it, the words hold no executive value. What did you mean by saying, ‘if you went out of the house?’ Did you mean, ‘if you went out of the house to the market?’ Or, ‘if you went out of the house to your parents’ home?’ Or, ‘if you went out of the house to the cafeteria?’ What exactly you meant, has to be specified. Or, was the condition absolute and literal? If so, then if you said, ‘if you went out of the house, you are divorced,’ then, if she stepped both feed out of the door, she is divorced, even if she went out carrying the waste basket, or fetch vegetable from the vendor at the door. In short, whatever you say has to give an unambiguous meaning to you, your wife and any other third party to realize its effects. If the meaning is not clear, to either of the two, the application of divorce is questionable.

Primarily, it must be understood that when Allah spoke to us through the Qur’an, He used a language of the humans, idioms of the humans, style of the humans, and diction of the humans. This was in order that the humans should not have difficulty in establishing the right meaning. If they couldn’t understand a part, or a word, they had to look into its usage in their own language.

Therefore, Allah swore by such things as the Arabs were familiar with: Time, olive, fig, etc.

On the other hand, if by asking this question, you meant to say why Allah chose these words and not others, then the objection is superfluous. The same objection can be raised in the face of anything else chosen for oath. It is like asking, ‘Why did Allah create the cats in this shape? Obviously, any other shape would evoke the same question. After all, there are two entities, Allah and His creation. By necessity He chose to swear by His creations.

Having said that, there could be wisdom in choosing what Allah chose to swear by, choosing them against so many choices available. For example, to swear by the fig has deep symbolical significance. It is a fruit which an evolutionist discusses more than any other fruit; in turn so because, the theory of evolution is ridiculed by this fruit of unique characteristics. Several modern evolutionists (e.g., Richard Dawkins), have taken pains to discuss the fruit at length, but un-fruitfully. Despite all the misty scientific jargon, philosophical undertones, and assignment of unlimited power to the genome, the fruit and its partner the Drosophila remain mysterious in their co-operation, giving rise to the idea of co-evolution. As if evolution itself is not mysterious enough that now you have co-evolution to deal with. For such occasions a Persian proverb says, “Ek na shudd, do shudd,” meaning, “As if one difficulty was not enough, now you have two.”

Similarly, all those things by which Allah swore, could have significant qualities, leading to the unraveling of Allah’s creative Power.

It is hard to believe that the intention in your relationship is to make her live happy. A woman in distress always draws such sympathetic feelings from the males as which are not evoked when it is another male, or a child begging in the street. The immediate advantage is known by instinct. You have already drawn that advantage.

Your sin is an unforgivable crime. Either you go the straight-forward way, or severe all contacts. The husband’s refusal to divorce his wife, is a sign of attachment (maybe even love) and not a sign of expediency. To leave the two alone to sort out their issue is the best way of showing sympathy. If the husband is psychotic, or simply abusive, then, there is a point up to which it is bearable for the wife. After she has crossed that point, she may seek help of the Law. Khul` is an option available to her.

It is only after she has separated out from her, that you may shower on her your sympathy and marry her.

You have not given us details of how the Langar (free dinner) is conducted. In former times Langars (primarily conducted by the Sufis) offered free food to anyone and everyone, almost on daily basis. The poor benefited from them most. Of the beneficiaries, most were non-Muslims. This gave them the certainty of at least a meal every day and brought them closer to Islam and Muslims.

But, offering the food on a single day does not serve the objectives very well. Further, there is no need to connect it to the night of  Mi`raj.