Letters to the Editor
Q: My question is whether masturbation is allowed in Islam or not. If not, then what type Gunaah(sin) it is?
YMD
You have said later in your letter that it is a ‘dangerous practice.’ It saps the strength of the youth.
Islamically, there have been differences in opinion of the scholars because there isn’t any reference to it in ahadith that cannot be questioned for their authenticity. Yet, not to ignore that there are several of them, in several words that declare it unlawful. In addition, there are non-hadithic reports (aathaar) that have looked at the act as disgraceful and disapproved. They are not easily ignorable.
Some scholars have taken the position that it is haram, basing their opinion on the fifth verse of Surah al-Mu’minun which says, “And those who guard their private parts …”
The Ahnaf have stated that ordinarily it is haram if it is to seek pleasure. But if it happens because of overwhelming coital demand, then, as they put it, “forgiveness could be hoped.” On the other hand, if someone resorts to it in fear that he will fall in Zina, (and the threat is immediate) then, in that dangerous situation, it might even be obligatory to attempt it, since Zina is a major sin.
Physically, mentally, and psychologically too there are several ill consequences: those accustomed to it find it hard to give up even after marriage; some find it more pleasurable and an easy outlet rather than the plain and natural mechanism. Other consequences are: weak performance; premature uncontrolled emission; deformation of the organ, etc. These have been medically proven.
Q:And how can the youth get rid of this dangerous practice?
J. Khan,
On Email
YMD
Similar to all self-created problems, we do not believe the youth is interested in a solution. They are disappointed to learn that no Surah-recitation will help; there is no ayah that could be repeated a few hundred times; there is no Du`ah; no Wazifah, no Wird; in short, Islam has no solution.
Being weak in masculinity, they would be disappointed to learn that sex is a powerful and sweet gift of God. You don’t have to buy a TV set, or a Computer, and watch it played out. But rather, save out the money on TV, Computer, electrical and repair Bills, add some more money and get married. That’s the solution. And that is a sweet solution.
But the youth doesn’t want to hear this. Why? Because, he does not possess the true power of sex. He is merely in an excited state (thanks to his time spent on watching pornography). Otherwise, the urge is not powerful enough, for him to get married. Since he is in no hurry to get married, he sees no reason why he should work hard on college text books. Deep in his mind, he believes he has to merely earn for himself. So, why should he study? Since he does not work hard for a degree, his earning is poor. Since his earning is poor, he cannot rent a house. The present house is over-cramped. So, the practice in question is a good reason for not getting married. The fact of the matter is that there is no strong urge to marry. And, since the urge is weak, it can be easily satisfied with this practice. The solution is in his own hands. So, he is at it; and will remain at it until he is thirty. Thereafter, the urge will be weaker and he will remain single.
What happens when he gets married is that, as he is not masculine enough, his wife does not interest him anymore after a couple of months or a year, so he must fight, find imaginary faults, and get rid of her through divorce or Khul`. He feels it is good for him because, he does not need to work hard to meet with her expenses. He will give you any number of reasons for separation but will never say that physically he doesn’t need a wife at all. This is so common that psychologists and consultants often prescribe sex-pills, of course without informing him, in order to create in him the sexual urge and weaken him in his resolve to separate out.
So, that’s the story. We do not believe the youth is looking for a solution to the habit you have asked about. By the way, you might be interested to know that a world-body has announced its study which concludes that sexual activity has gone down in the West.
Q. I hope you will print this comment as it portrays the feelings of multitudes of Muslims living in Pakistan – the state that was freed in the name of Islam!’Pakis’ as we are termed is synonymous with terrorists and hooligans and yet it is the talent of this very nation that is sought after by Americans, Britain and the Middle East. The moment a student gets straight A’s in their A levels an offer letter arrives from several top-notch institutes. Every time an incredible software is made by a novice living in a small city in this country, American companies are the buyers for it. Then why is Pakistan being portrayed as an evil presence in the world? Why are we plagued by suicide attacks and threats from America and constant ‘Do More!’ orders!! Our government which is sold out as everyone knows isn’t capable of standing up for the betterment of its people.
Unless there is unity within the Muslim world, nothing is going to change. A new government can’t do much if the West will bully us. A true Khilafah that was demonstrated by the Prophet’s (PBUH) companions and later abolished to break the strength of the Muslims is the need of the hour. We need to work for the Khilafah, we have tried democracy and dictatorships, now let’s try a system that has been proven to be the glory of Muslims!
Aminah Malik,
On Email
YMD
It has been truly said that a people are given the kind of political leadership that they deserve, or, in other words, a people are given a kind and quality of leaders that they themselves are.
The problems that you point are, at the moment, universal. To cite an example: there are two major players for democracy: USA and Britain. The most popular Prime Minister of his time has proven himself the most lethal liar of all times. And he goes scot free having earned 60 million through his lie-filled lectures around the world. The USA has now the choice of either, as their own political thinkers say, a serial liar whose hands are bloodied even before she becomes a President. It is she, or a man who is, again in the words of their own analysts, an unscrupulous rogue who has the proud ability to make his audience shudder. So, it is a case of lose-lose situation.
So, your complaint about your own political leadership, is not as shocking as it would be in ordinary times. But we are passing through abnormal times.
As for Khilafah, it would prove as good or as bad as the Ummah happens to be. Placing a lot of hope in it speaks of political imbecility.
Q: I am writing to you to get your attention about the worst condition of Ummah ever. As far as we have seen democracy and dictatorship again and again, they are completely failed and couldn’t solve our problems, In fact, these two systems are basic tools and techniques of politicians to loot and sell the wealth and dignity of the Ummah.
But from the day we abandoned the Khilafa hand adopted these colonial systems we have seen worst situation of humiliation hunger and chaos.
So for progress, two things should be matching: your ideology and your way to progress. In the West, their ideology and the way both are matching so they are progressing but in our case our ideology is Islam, but our way is Democracy; both are conflicting, and so we cannot progress.
We have to go back to our ideology of Islam – the Khilafah. The Khilafah is not a new system; it has been the ruling system of Muslims for more than 1400 years. They progressed in every field like economy, technology, education etc. and it’s not a fairytale or story of thousands year ago. Just 90 years back, when the western world was in darkness, we were leading in every field with no competitor to match us, but from the day we abandoned Khilafah, we didn’t see even a short while of happiness..
Now it is our duty specially the young and the media to make the people aware about what is our problem and what is solution.. So much of burden is on us and you..Now it’s time to prove that how much we are sincere with Ummah and Allah.. So obeying Allah, we will not only progress in this world but also get Ajar in the world ahead. Insha Allah
Arshad Mehmood,
On Email
YMD
It is not systems that play the major role. It is the people running the systems. The system is there in the West, well developed and polished by now, but the people who could run the system efficiently and in its true spirit) aren’t there in good numbers. In China, the system is non-democratic, but quality people running it, are aplenty. It works quite well.
Yet, not to forget, Muslims have been shown a different path, and are required for a different job. They have been told not to seek dominance in the world, but be leaders in piety. The special service they have been asked to render to mankind is not scientific creativity, or architectural innovation, but to do what take the peoples of the world closer to God. And, this accomplishment does not require anything more than that they should live out their lives as prescribed by their Lord. That done, the job and the service is done. They have not been ordered to set up TV centers, or open Da`wah centers, or print the Qur’an in hundreds of millions for free distribution, or make powerful Power-point presentations, or attempt comparative religious talks, or create social groups, or present programs on Youtube, watched more for fun than lesson. They have been ordered to be ‘leaders in piety.’ The rest is secondary. But, they indulge whole-heartedly in the secondary, fail in the primary, and have been failing, and the new generation doesn’t know the difference.
Q: Would it be the right understanding to say:Farz is that, in completely leaving which there is no Eeman, and Wajib is that, in completely leaving which a person is punishable.
Faiz,
On Email
YMD
No, your definitions are not correct.
To explain, nothing will entail a man’s exit from Eeman except repudiating what brought him into Islam. We know how a man becomes a Muslim. If he repudiates the very thing by virtue of which he became a Muslim, he will become a non-Muslim.
There are a few other things committing which a man might exit into Kufr but this is not the occasion to elaborate on.
Fard is that without which the deed to which it belongs becomes null and void, e.g., Wudu is Fard. A Prayer without Wudu is null and void. Qiyam in Prayers is Fard, without it Salah is null and void. It must be repeated.
On the other hand, and according to Hanafiyy Fiqh, Wajib is slightly below Fard in importance and different in rulings. Reciting Surahal-Fatiha is Wajib. Not reciting it intentionally makes Salah null and void. Not reciting because of forgetfulness, demands Sajdah al-Sahw.That done, Salah is complete.
Q: I am a regular reader of Young Muslim Digest and request your assistance in solving my problem.I own five floors of Commercial Office Space and rented out three floors(ground, first, and second) to non-Muslims and the other two floors (third and fourth) were vacant. A known person (youngster) approached me to start an Islamic institute on a rented basis.Third floor suited him to start an institute, and being an institute,Zuhr, Asrand Magrib were performed by the employees. Later, he requested for Taraweeh prayers. Then he approached me to conduct Friday prayers. I had an apprehension that it will be an inconvenience to other tenants but he convinced me that it will not be a problem.The Jumuah Sermon will be in English and all educated class, few men and women will be there.MashaAllah, after few months the place was full and Friday prayers had to be conducted in two Jama’aths.
Now the problem I am facing is that the pathway and stairs are blocked by slippers,shoes and shoeracks. Also, second Jamath people stand and wait on the pathway thus crowding it while the entrance is common for both men and women. The fourth floor is vacant since one year.Prospective tenants come to see the place and like to rent it out. But after seeing the Friday crowd blocking and obstructing the common areas they refuse to rent my place.
The existing tenants also feel they are being disturbed and troubled. This property is my main source of income.I have repeatedly requested the person who is running the center to organize and take care so that my existing tenants do not get any problem and disturbance from our people who are coming for prayers. However, being a small place, no action is taken to organize and the tenants are getting disturbed.
But, its being an Islamic institute with Islamic activities carried out there, I am very much afraid of Allah (swt) to take any action by asking him to vacate the premises.
I request your kind advice and suggestion which I can suggest him so that I should not hurt him as well as the institute should function without any hindrance to others in future.
Your kind advice as soon as possible is requested.
A.M.A.K.
YMD
It appears to us, from the statements you have made to us, is that your goodness is being exploited. Maybe you have also been excited by the original idea, and could have been cooperative throughout for the establishment of the center and musalla. However, the other party seems to get credit for firing from your shoulders. They do not appear to be interested in your concerns.
If that is the case, then the other party is sinning by not shifting the center and the musalla to another place. They are questionable on the Judgement-Day. The other party must get out of sin by either shifting to another place, or pay up rents for the center, and for areas of the building that cannot be rented out because of the center and musalla. If the rest of the present-day tenants also leave out, then the other party should pay rents of the entire building at the current rate.
Until then, the reward for the center, musalla, and the losses you bear on account of vacant portions caused by the center, is, Allah willing, entirely yours.
Now, we have called the place ‘musalla,’ because unless you have declared it a place of worship, given away by you willingly, in trust (waqf), to the people, it does not become a ‘Masjid’ no matter whether the other party, or the common people treat it as ‘Masjid’ or not. The property is not theirs after all.
For a spot to become a Masjid proper, the owner has to unambiguously announce before a few people that he is donating the place for good, as a Masjid, on unconditional terms. If he makes it conditional, e.g. that it is for a few months or years, it is not a Masjid but a Musalla until he(or his inheritor) removes the condition, and foregoes any right of ownership. A Masjid is Allah’s House, and Allah will not share its ownership with any. And, once a Masjid it will remain a Masjid until end of the world. The Waqf cannot be annulled by any earthly authority. How can anyone dispose off Allah’s property?
On the other hand, a piece of property, away from any Masjid, cannot be taken away from its owner, forcibly, by any authority, including a Khalifah, and the Masjid extended. Any Masjid or its extension is not legal on any property not given to it. If built, such a Masjid is illegal, and it can be demolished on demand, by the owner of the property.
Further, if a property is treated, in practice, by the common people, who start to offer their Salah, and conduct Jumu`ah therein, it does not become a Masjid, no matter for how long they treat it that way. The place is, technically, ‘Maghsoob’ (appropriated) and Allah’s House will not be built on appropriated land.
To be sure, a man saying, ‘I might designate this place of mine for a Masjid,’ the place is still not a Masjid, even if built. He must say, ‘I have designated this place of mine for a Masjid,’ – converting his ‘might’ to ‘have.’
Those who want the Masjid to be there, might say that since the Masjid is there as a fact, it should not be closed down. Well, that is Jewish reasoning, not Islamic. When negotiations take place between Israelis and Palestinians, they claim that any agreement can only take place on certain conditions of theirs, one of which is that their hundreds of settlements will remain in Israel because of the ground reality that they are there in fact, it is the second generation living in it, and that they cannot be removed now. And the Americans monkeying in between accept their argument smiling from ear to ear. In some ways the Western laws, for what they are, have been brought out from the forests, when they left them. Islam does not recognize such a law.
If Muslims around your place claim that after all they have been praying in the Masjid for such and such a length of time, they must be told that not for one day they have prayed in a Masjid, because it has been a Musalla, not a Masjid.
Although the case is not similar to the Israeli thuggish claims that sweeten mouths of the Westerners, all the same, and for interest, it might be noticed that according to the Hanafiyy and other Fuqaha’, if a Sultan orders that a Masjid be constructed in a province which was originally under non-Muslim jurisdiction, then, there are two situations. The land was conquered. In that case it is “ghaneemah.” The authorities can build the mosque on it. But, if the land came into Muslim jurisdiction through a peace-treaty, then the mosque cannot be built, because, to start with, the property is not theirs. The Sultan may not be obeyed.
By and by, we might also mention that if the place is being used for a few Prayers, out of the five, Friday Prayers cannot be held in it.
