Letters to the Editor

Yes, betting is disallowed in Islam. You could inform the friend of yours (to whom you owe two drinks) to drop his claim. If he does not, then, keep your promise, hand him over the bottles, and the blame is on him. (After you have given him the two bottles, and he offers you one of them, you could drink out of it without sinning).

By criticizing us you are not being too harsh on us. We admit of the lapses and are instructing our page-setting staff to observe the rules.

This issue has been handled several times over in this magazine. To repeat: opinion of the scholars is divided over it. Some have declared it forbidden altogether. Others have thought it undesirable, while a few think one may resort to it if he is fearful of falling into sin.

If the practice is quite strongly discouraged, it is also because some of those who are addicted to it continue with the practice after marriage. This results in the dissatisfaction of their spouses. In fact, in some cases, some are addicted to such a degree that they have no interest in fulfilling conjugal rights, or, fail to perform vigorously when the moment arrives.

We have always said: Learn to swim upstream. Lead the life of the earliest generation Muslims, a part of which scheme of life is to get married quick if it becomes unbearable to live alone.

Yet, it is obvious that you will need the help and support of parents and others. If they are opposed, and you depend on them entirely, smoothen it out. But if you can live on your own, go ahead and get married.

Add another factor: intention.

If your intention is to educate, train and develop your wife and yourself into a model Muslim and Muslimah, as you go along with life, then, your path will be turned easier. Although economic and social difficulties can be quite trying and even tiring, and quite a good amount of judiciousness will have to be deployed, especially with reference to when to have the first child, doing something in Allah’s cause, such as living out an Islamic life by a pair fearful of Allah, is something that can be a sweetening element by itself: “They ask you, ‘when will be Allah’s help?’ Lo! Allah’s help is nigh indeed” (2: 214).

Dargah is a tomb. They are unauthorized constructions. Islam does not allow that a tomb be constructed over a grave. Abu Hayyaj al-Asadi said, as recorded by Muslim, “`Ali ibn abi-Tablib told me: ‘Shall I not send you with the same mission as with which the Prophet sent me? (He sent me with the mission) that, ‘You should not find an image but efface it, nor a raised grave but level it (to the ground).'”

Another hadith reports the Prophet’s wife Umm Salamah as saying, “The Prophet prohibited that anything should be built over a grave or that it should be plastered.”

Raising any construction over graves necessarily requires that one of the walls of Islam should be brought down. To put it differently, a tomb is not raised over a grave but a portion of Islam is flattened in its place.

These tombs are an evil gift for those who lie within. They could be questioned about them and two situations could arise: either they will express their total disapproval of what was being done at their graves, saying that they themselves never commanded any such thing, and hence they are completely innocent and unblameworthy; or, they would admit that they had desired that their tombs be visited and homage to be paid. It is in this situation that they will realize that by building a tomb on their grave, their devotees did them great wrong, for, the more the devotees visiting them, the more the punishment for the one who was in the tomb.

Of course, if they had agreed that their tombs be visited and their intercession sought, or their “barakah” obtained, then, once questioned in the Field of Judgment, they will totally disown their devotees and say that they never had hoped anything of them far from ordering them do it. But, that will be a day when no one will be able to conceal what is in his heart.

Thus, building a tomb over a dead man’s grave, after him, is, one way or the other a disservice to him and apart from being a disservice to Islam.

As for a visit to such graves, it is intention which makes it legal or illegal. If the intention is to Pray for the forgiveness of the man under the tomb, then it is allowable. But to offer any donation to the mujaawar, charity to the beggars sitting around, place flowers on the grave, fumigate with incense, or supplicate with raised hands, or listen to the Qawwali going on there, or take part in the `Urs, are all disallowed.

An additional condition for visiting these tombs, is to necessary know who is buried there. Without knowing who is buried, there is no reason why a tomb should be selected and not the general Muslim cemetery for visit and supplications. The latter not only promises advantageous to all those buried there, since all could be included in the intention, as taught us by the Prophet, but also helps in drawing a lesson from the quietly frightening atmosphere settled on the graves: which is the prime benefit of the visit.

I want to ask you a question. Visiting a Dargah: is it allowed?

syed nasrullanas_blr@rediffmail.com

YMD

Dargah is a tomb. They are unauthorized constructions. Islam does not allow that a tomb be constructed over a grave. Abu Hayyaj al-Asadi said, as recorded by Muslim, “`Ali ibn abi-Tablib told me: ‘Shall I not send you with the same mission as with which the Prophet sent me? (He sent me with the mission) that, ‘You should not find an image but efface it, nor a raised grave but level it (to the ground).'”

Another hadith reports the Prophet’s wife Umm Salamah as saying, “The Prophet prohibited that anything should be built over a grave or that it should be plastered.”

Raising any construction over graves necessarily requires that one of the walls of Islam should be brought down. To put it differently, a tomb is not raised over a grave but a portion of Islam is flattened in its place.

These tombs are an evil gift for those who lie within. They could be questioned about them and two situations could arise: either they will express their total disapproval of what was being done at their graves, saying that they themselves never commanded any such thing, and hence they are completely innocent and unblameworthy; or, they would admit that they had desired that their tombs be visited and homage to be paid. It is in this situation that they will realize that by building a tomb on their grave, their devotees did them great wrong, for, the more the devotees visiting them, the more the punishment for the one who was in the tomb.

Of course, if they had agreed that their tombs be visited and their intercession sought, or their “barakah” obtained, then, once questioned in the Field of Judgment, they will totally disown their devotees and say that they never had hoped anything of them far from ordering them do it. But, that will be a day when no one will be able to conceal what is in his heart.

Thus, building a tomb over a dead man’s grave, after him, is, one way or the other a disservice to him and apart from being a disservice to Islam.

As for a visit to such graves, it is intention which makes it legal or illegal. If the intention is to Pray for the forgiveness of the man under the tomb, then it is allowable. But to offer any donation to the mujaawar, charity to the beggars sitting around, place flowers on the grave, fumigate with incense, or supplicate with raised hands, or listen to the Qawwali going on there, or take part in the `Urs, are all disallowed.

An additional condition for visiting these tombs, is to necessary know who is buried there. Without knowing who is buried, there is no reason why a tomb should be selected and not the general Muslim cemetery for visit and supplications. The latter not only promises advantageous to all those buried there, since all could be included in the intention, as taught us by the Prophet, but also helps in drawing a lesson from the quietly frightening atmosphere settled on the graves: which is the prime benefit of the visit.

As Muslims by birth, if we ever look into the Qur’an for answers to such questions, it would be the time for some decisions about us on High.

Far from girl friends, the Islamic religion will not allow the getting together of males and females in a place of seclusion. Further, if the females are not with veils drawn over their faces, then Islam will not allow any social gathering and interactions or intermingling. Sans its fine moral teachings, Islam would be nothing. Its moral system is the very element which attracts people to its fold, from all parts of the world. Any compromise over such core issues, would be damaging its cause.

Love of the bitter is common among males and even some females. The satisfaction for it is provided by tobacco. But mankind is one in prohibiting it. There might be great pleasure for those who drink wine, and hence universally drunk. But it is universally disapproved too. That is to say that merely a longing for a thing does not mean it is good for the humans and hence lawful.