Letters to the Editor
Blogs
Q: I have read the review of my book Scientific Foundation of Islam published in Young Muslim Digest (Sept 2011 issue). Thanks. I have recently launched 2 blogs; one, QuranScienceBlog (http://quranscienceblog.blogspot.com) and the other AtheismPseudoScienceBlog (http://atheismpseudoscienceblog.blogspot.com). I have posted 15 articles at these blogs so far.
P Abdul Wahid,
pawahid@hotmail.com
YMD
Hopefully, with this announcement you’ll have more visitors to your sites
Ghusl
Q: I am 29 year old, and engaged recently with a Muslim girl. While in conversation with her on mobile phone, sometimes, I suffer discharge in small quantity (few drops). Now, in the light of Quran and Hadith, please tell me whether ghuslbecomes obligatory every time or wudu is sufficient.
Hamid
sofihaamid@xxx
YMD
Without knowing the nature of the discharge, we cannot answer the question.
Undelivered
Q: I, DrShazia Khan, from Amravati, Maharashtra, am an avid reader of your magazine since quite a few years but had subscribed only in December 2011… Though I got the volumes of the magazine by post by the end of January 2012, they are of the months Oct & Nov 2011. Besides this, the envelope on which the address was written was so much torn that the postman said he got much difficulty in reading the address & then bringing it to us. I was lucky enough that though with difficulty, at least, I received the magazine. There were other magazines (YMD) with him and the envelope was so much torn (the paper is very thin, so it gets torn on the folds) that he had no idea where to give. I hope you won’t mind this. I just wanted to bring to your notice this problem (postman was telling every month he faces the same problem with this magazine) so that u can do something about it so that we subscribers are not deprived of a single volume of such a valuable magazine.
shazia khan
drshaziahkhan@gmail.com
YMD
We are sorry about it all, but are in no position to help. It is not the thickness or thinness of envelops that accounts for poor delivery. There are untold reasons.
After all, the process of collection and distribution is so simple and organized that there is no chance of any envelop getting torn.
Every month we receive complaints of many non-deliveries, including from foreign subscribers, although each is posted meticulously. Some subscribers did not receive a single magazine after their subscription, while extra care was taken at the time of post: waAllahu al-musta`an.
Fitan
Q: It has come to the notice of scholars, dawahworkers & also common Muslims with a logical & analytical mind that Fitnahis spreading at a faster pace than ever before.
Biddatees&Munafiqs are occupying public space, spreading mischief & dividing the community on hitherto unknown issues, asking one group to brand another group as Kaffir & the wholesale boycott of vast number of Muslims as “Rejecters of Hadith &Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (saws).”
As every Muslims knows & understands, the label/accusation of “Rejecter of Sunnah&Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (saws)” puts immense pressure on any Muslim & forces him to clear his name of this extremely insulting, derogatory & demeaning label/accusation, equal to kufr& which has the power of social ostracism of any Muslim on whom this label sticks..! Under severe pressure, the Muslims who are labelled thus take every step to clear themselves of this label & in the process, are forced to accept the very same ideology they were fighting against.
When such a powerful weapon, which has the ability to destabilize any Muslim individual & suspend his ability of logical, analytical & intelligent thinking, falls in the hands of Biddatees&Munafiqs, then the Muslim community has much to fear. Biddatees&Munafiqs prey in groups on individual, unsuspecting Muslims & try to sweet talk them under the guise of being devout Muslims into accepting deviant ideologies as truw, what is clearly not so. Any attempt at analyzing the info or checking its authenticity is met with extreme hostility & the accusations follow immediately.
We have credible information that enemies of Islam have established their presence in Vellore dist. of Tamil Nadu and pumping in huge cash to help Biddatees&Munafiqsdestabilize the Muslim community. Scores of Muslims who have come across such attempts but are unwilling to come out in the open fearing retaliation etc. have complained to us, requesting anonymity.
It is therefore extremely necessary for Muslim scholars, organizations & the media to reassure Muslims (particularly Indian Muslims at this critical juncture) that accepting the truth & rejecting falsehood is neither Kufrnor even a sin. It may be made clear to the Muslim community that any Muslim who wishes to check the authenticity of Islamic information presented to him (under the able guidance of reputed Islamic scholars or institutions) is actually following theSunnah of our beloved Prophet (saws).
Such a reassurance will go a long way in checking the spread of false & incorrect information concerning Prophet Muhammad (saws), Al-Khulafā’u r-Rāshidūn, Umm ul-Mumineen& the revered Sahaba.
Looking forward to your co-operation in this regard.
Khalid Hasan
1worldsub@gmail.com
YMD
If the present social and economic system pertaining to Muslims points to a single solution: education; the religious condition too points to a single, but another, solution: return to the Qur’an and Sunnah through Arabic language. Learning Arabic language then should become the clarion call of the time.
But, are the true and the false Da`wah workers listening at all? Will this or that Jama`ah, national or international, realize that their efforts are not paying full dividends, that the fruits of their efforts are colorful, but tasteless, or even bitter? Do they realize that out of ten families that get wayward in every generation, a single individual is won over to a half reform, but out of whose offspring – one of ten families – is to be won over again in the next generation, and the whole exercise is now that of the Ummah chasing carrots?
Will they stop hating the critics, name-calling them behind them, laughing off at the scholars whose tongues speak the Qur’an and Sunnah labelling them as “poor, though nice, guys; but behind times?”
Or, having won a little popularity, they are too satisfied, content that theirs is a successful Da`wahepisode?
Digital Qur’an and Hadith
Q. 1: I am from Manipur, and am a graduate student. I want to know whether installing of Qur’an and Hadith books in androids mobile allowed. If yes, what about the taking such phone to toilets?
YMD
Had this question been asked before it was to happen, the unified answer would have been, “no, avoid it.”
There was a time when some scholars refused to be photographed even for passport purposes, and since the camera was a new Satanic invention of that time, they were allowed to carry passports without photographs.
As recent as our own times, there are scores of scholars in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Britain (wherever Deoband has its influence), and the Gulf countries, who do not think photography is allowed in Islam and so avoid appearing before the camera.
Similarly, the habit of carrying gadgets with Qur’an and Hadith recorded in them, have become ‘allowed’ by the force of the commonness of practice. Today, everybody carries one of those gadgets in his pockets, which have Qur’anic texts, and which he does not know what to do with them when entering washrooms in public places. So, the permissibility has been forced out.
There is another point of consideration. The texts are in digital form. So, the rulings pertaining to the Mushaf in the mobiles should not be applied to them. This is similar to the earlier generations writing the “basmalah” in digital form as 786. This was done to avoid desecrating an ayah of the Qur’an.
In sum, it is allowable to carry a mobile loaded with the Mushaf (the Qur’an) even if one is in the state of uncleanliness and, following this, it is allowable to carry such electronic gadgets into washrooms.
However, since the Qur’anic textual is there in the mobile, even if in digital form, some extra care may be taken of them and some respect accorded.
Q. 2. And what in the case where the phone is bought from unlawful source?
Th. Nadir Shah,
alish99.ik@gmail.com
We do not understand what you mean by phones having been bought from unlawful source.
If you mean buying them from second-hand markets, the answer is, it is not necessary that all the goods in second-hand markets have a history of theft behind them. So, one may buy them without any inquiry.
And, what applies to the gadget, applies to what makes them work: the SIM cards. It is spread of the American establishment’s desire to control every of its citizen and keep them under fear, so that they never think of any violent political change, (since any change through peaceful means only results in the same thieves coming back – as their general population says), that has led to controlling of who speaks what to whom through monitoring what passes via SIM cards – and which has changed the policies of many countries where the ruling classes, whether tyrants or democrats, has the same fears.
Otherwise, Islamically it is the criminal and unethical use of SIM cards that is disallowed, and not owning SIM card – of whatever origin.
On Eternity
Q: One of my relatives wants a daleelsource for a statement in Page 7 of Encyclopedia of Islam Vol 1:
“Similarly, those who ascribed partners unto Him, who would have entered hell-fire right from the start will be ultimately brought out or the punishment removed from them.”
Please spare some time to satisfy his query.
Kizer Omar
kizeromar@hotmail.com
YMD
This is an issue which concerns the scholars who know where to quote and when. You may please check into the Arabic work called `Aqeeda al-Tahawiyyah with commentary of Ibn abi al-`Izz.
The shortened translation of the above book by Syed Iqbal Zaheer may also be referred. For those who know Urdu, a long discussion in one of the volumes of “SeeratunNabiyy” by Syed SulaimanNadwi would also be useful.
Alcoholic Perfumes
Q: Can I know whether using alcoholic perfumes (or perfumes containing Isopropyl alcohol) is allowed for Muslims and is it allowed while offering Salah, since we use deodorants and perfumes though of a very little quantity of isopropyl is contained?
Irfanshariff
irfanshariff88@gmail.com
YMD
In general the scholars have issued fatwas that use of perfumes containing alcohol is allowed. Now, if it is allowed to wear them, then it is allowable in Prayers too. Further, alcohol drink is disallowed, but alcohol itself is not “najis,” i.e. unclean.
Tafseer Translations
Q. 1.I was looking for English version of Tafseer al-Qurtubi and Zamakshari and I could not find one. I tried with all the well-known publishers but was unable to find the English version of both… though I see in your digest the comments that you make is from Qurtubi or Zamakshari as well… so I was curious if you can let me know where/ how can I get the English version of both.
YMD
We do not know of any English translation of Zamkhshari. Qurtubi’s first volume, (out of some 20 volumes) however, has been translated into English. It is a massive 1000-page translation, printed in Britain. We have not come across any mention of further translations.
Young Muslim Digest has a copy for sale. If you are interested in purchasing, pl. write to yahya4you.mansoori@gmail.com or, shareefhusain06@gmail.com
Q.2.Secondly, may I know which Tafseer do you follow which you quote in your monthly digest?
ahmedsyedmohsin
syedmohsinahmed@yahoo.com
YMD
The Tafseer that is being currently published in this magazine is from Ishraq al-Ma`ani (14 volumes), done by Syed Iqbal Zaheer. It reflects the opinions of the Salaf, taken from respectable Arabic sources, as well as the understanding of renowned scholars of Islam, throughout the ages.
Like a Sister
Q: I am very close to a girl who treats me as her brother. I also treat her as my sister. We share all secrets with each other without any hesitation. I want to know how far it is permissible in Islam to go so close to a non-mahram girl.
muneerislam
mislam.esst@gmail.com
YMD
We hope you or she do not truly share your secrets. That is something no one should be doing with anyone. There are things that one does, or say, which must be strictly kept to oneself. And, for a girl to be sharing her secrets with a boy could end in a disaster for her.
All the same, secrets or no secrets, your relationship with her is disapproved.
As for claiming that the relationship is of the sister-brother kind, to be honest, that is a farce. That could only happen if one of the two is emotionally and carnally immobile.
We recommend that you do not place a question mark before her character. Leave her alone or marry her. Do not destroy her future.
Eating Chewing Gums
Q: It is said that eating chewing gum is haram because it’s made with pig’s fat. But there is green dot on the label which suggests that it is vegetarian. Can you please explain?
xyz
xyz@gmail.com
YMD
Yes, we shall explain you in some detail.
It seems chewing gum comes directly as a habit influenced by the Darwinian Theory. The evolutionists think their great-grandparents were animals. They imagine that the present-day animals are their blood sharing kin, and so, they ought to be imitated in everything they do: that they imagine is the best that they can do as human beings. Why should not the grand-children imitate “chewing the cud habit” of their great-grandmother: the cows?
There could be another reason. It is commonly said in the West: “Man. You aren’t as stupid as you look.” That sets the man worried. Do I look stupid? So, he looks hard into the mirror and begins to suspect that perhaps he does look a bit stupid.So he buys a packet of chewing gum. How else to hide that look of stupidity, but to confuse the onlooker with continued jaw and muscle movement?Nonetheless, we find it hard to decide whether he looks more stupid with his jaws firmly clamped, or while chewing a gum.
It is also pointed out that chewing gum is a means of removing foul smell of the mouth. Of course, we admit it as a solution for those whose belt has left no place for another extra hole. They have intestines that work both ways, (if they must not burst). But, as we notice, the bulging tummy of such people helps keep a good distance between them and the person opposite them. So, their foul smell should not reach them. But perhaps an easier solution is to remain at 90 degrees to the man addressed, instead of having to chew gum all the time. We have ourselves had occasion to adjust our geographical location on many occasions, when faced with powerful pungent blasts from the other side.
Coming to your question, we are not sure whether chewing gum has pig’s fat or not, only the manufactures would know (who will never tell you the truth because truth is bitter, and he is the producer of sweet gums).
To deal with your question more specifically regarding your habit of eating the chewing gum, surely eating chewing gums is not a very healthy food habit. After all, after the outer mint coating is gone (along with pig’s fat, if there was any), it is rubber, and, collected together, could get stuck somewhere in the intestine, requiring an operation. We recommend therefore, that, after you have checked whether green dots necessarily indicate green vegetables (the opposite might be the case), you spit them out after having chewed them enough.
And, spit them not in the streets. The rubber that sticks to the footwear is quite embarrassing: one can neither leave it nor remove it. Could that be the reason why you are eating them?
