Ikram Hawramani's Blog, page 33

Is listening to music sinful when fasting?

Assalamualaikum, is it wrong to listen to music during, it seems to be the consensus amongst many Muslims on twitter… Jzk

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

I’m guessing you are asking about listening to music when fasting. I consider music to be morally neutral so listening to music is the same as listening to the singing of birds, and it makes no difference whether one is fasting or not (if the music is wholesome). But since we are encouraged to be extra pious when fasting, it is a good thing to avoid all kinds of music that have any hints of worldliness and impiety, such as love songs and most pop music.

It is a matter between you and God. If you feel the music you are listening to might not be perfectly approved by God, then it is extra important to avoid it when fasting.

Will God answer the prayers of a woman who does not wear the hijab?

Alslam alikum Does not wearing hijab can be reason for not responding for my prayers (Du’aa) that I have been asking Allah for along time I’m so disappointed

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

God can have many reasons for not answering prayers at the time we expect and in the way we expect. We cannot say with certainty that not wearing the hijab is the cause for your prayer not being answered. God is not like a genie in a bottle who makes our wishes come true. He is our guide and mentor and He does not usually give us what we ask for in the way we expect.

And when My servants ask you about Me, I Am near; I answer the call of the caller when he calls on Me. So let them answer Me, and have faith in Me, that they may be rightly guided.

The Quran, verse 2:186.

According to the above verse, God promises to answer our calls (prayers) if we answer His call (His commands and recommendations). And since wearing the hijab is a way of answering God’s call, a person who wears it is more likely to be answered. But not wearing the hijab is just one sin among thousands of possible sins, and a person who wears the hijab may have many greater sins than a person who does not wear it.

The point is to try to develop a close relationship with God and to answer His call, and wearing the hijab would be one step in that direction. But it is not the only step, and it may not be the most important one. There is no way to force God to answer your prayers even if you think you are doing everything right because God, like I said, is not a genie in a bottle. He is your guide and mentor. He wants you to grow, to learn, to improve yourself, and He answers you in the way that is best for you, and sometimes what is best for you is for your prayer to go unanswered for a while. In this way He tests you and determines whether you are loyal to Him even when you are disappointed and your wishes do not come true.

The point of life is not for our wishes to come true. This life is a testing hall where you prove your loyalty toward God. So you shouldn’t think of God as a spirit who is required to make your wishes come true. You cannot use God for your own benefit. You belong to God and it is He who uses you in the ways He wants. If you are an ideal, loyal and submissive servant, He will take care of you, help you mature, and make many of your wishes come true when the time is right. But if you keep expecting Him to make your wishes come true without truly submitting to Him and without fully embracing your role as His servant, then He may continue to disappoint you in order to teach you a lesson.

I recommend that you read the Quran constantly in order to get to know God better. The Quran will teach you the right way to approach God and the right way to please Him and develop a close relationship with Him. Also see: Guides on Getting Closer to God

Why do Muslims have to shower after sexual intercourse?

Asalam Walikum, Ramadan Mubarak! I have a question, why is it mandatory to take a shower right after sexual intercourse in order for the next prayer to be accepted? Especially if it's a sexually active married couple

The logic behind showering after sexual intercourse, and the logic behind the ablutions we perform before each prayer, is not explicitly clarified for us in the Quran or Sunna, so it is something we can only speculate about. Showering and ablution are part of what we call ṭahāra (“purity”) in Islam. Purity requirements exist in Judaism and Islam, and it also existed in the Christianity of Prophet Jesus and his brother James before the Christians abandoned the Torah. Christianity maintains one aspect of ṭahāra, which is the baptism that is required for each Christian to perform once in their lives. As Muslims, we perform baptism (ghusl) every time we lose our state of ritual purity, as in the case of sexual intercourse.

Purity requirements seem to be designed to impress upon the believer the fact that they belong to God. It is a physical act designed to make you feel you are in a new and purer state. In this way we are made to feel that we belong to a special nation of God that is characterized by a state of purity that other nations do not possess.

It is also a way of showing our submission to God. God says that we must do this in order to be pure, and by submitting to this requirement, we show our obedience and submission toward God even if the act in itself does not seem to have a particular logic behind it. The logic of it is the very fact that God demands it. God demands it, we obey. It is an expression of love and submission toward God.

Laylatul qadr for menstruating women

Assalamu alaykum Wa rahmatullah. What does a woman in her Menses do in the last 10 nights in other not to miss a whole year of Laylatul qadr. Would supplication and recitation of the holy Quran (without touching it) suffice?

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

According to a fatwa by the Qatari Fatwa Authority, a menstruating woman has the option of reciting the Quran from memory, performing dhikr and performing supplication. A woman can also read the Quran (without touching it according to most opinions), and they can also read the Quran on a smartphone or computer (as discussed in this previous answer), or they can listen to it.

References:

Fatwa from the Qatari Fatwa Authority (Arabic PDF)

The ruling on using lotions that contain alcohol

Assalamualaikum Is there any objection to using lotions that some of them have alcohol in them. Would that break ones wudu if you used them. thank you

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

As discussed in this previous answer, alcohol is only forbidden when there is a chance of getting drunk from using the alcohol-containing material. Since there is no chance of getting drunk by using alcohol-containing lotions, there is no issue with using such lotions and it has no effect on your wudu.

References

A somewhat related fatwa from the Egyptian Fatwa Authority on the permissibility of using alcohol-containing perfume according to some scholars’ opinions (Arabic PDF)

Why does the Muslim world no longer fight colonization?

Salamu alaikum. Brother, I wanted to know why does the Muslim World in the previous time wanted to fight against Western colonization? In today's modern world, I seldom find any news about the Muslim World trying to fight against Western colonization. Does Western colonialism still exist until now?

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah

Colonization was the fact of Western people occupying and living in Muslim countries. Since that is no longer the case, then there is no longer a focus on fighting colonization. Of course colonization continues in more subtle ways these days, for example the United States considers the Persian gulf countries as its servants and it will likely invade any of these countries that tries to close US military bases in their countries or tries to refuse to sell their oil for US dollars (Iraq, Libya and Iran tried to avoid selling oil for US dollars. The US destroyed Iraq and Libya. And it now wants to destroy Iran).

So colonization these days is more subtle and most people do not understand how being forced to use US dollars for trade is a form of slavery to Washington’s interests. So fighting it is more difficult.

The proper way to position feet when sitting in salah

Selam what is the proper way of positioning feet during sitting/ kneeling aspect of prayer. I see some websites instruct to sit on the L foot and right foot is erect. I like to sit on top of my heel while my feet are next to one another keeling of course. It is easier position for me to maintain because sometimes I have pain if I hyperextend my foot. Is my prayer valid or do I have to follow what those websites instruct? thx

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

The way of sitting you described is how the Prophet PBUH is said to have sat when praying. However, there is no hadith where the Prophet PBUH commands people to sit in this way. It is a way of copying the Prophet’s way of sitting, and we do not know with absolute certainty if it is the only correct way of sitting. So while we can consider it the recommended way of sitting, if you have difficulty sitting in that position then you can sit in whatever way is easiest for you. We know that Ibn Umar [ra] did not sit in the recommended way because it caused him pain due to an injury he had suffered in the past.

What to do if you forgot to perform a sajda in salah?

I think I forgot to perform sajdah when reading specific parts of the verses after reading the Quran. What happens if you don't perform the sajdah? Can a person still perform sajdah at any time to make up for it?

When you are in doubt and think you may have made a mistake, you can make two sajdas at the end of the prayer (before or after saying the final salam). This is known as sajdat al-sahu. This is not obligatory according to some scholars, which is the opinion I prefer, so even if you do not do it your prayer is still valid. If some time has passed since you prayed, you can still perform these sajdas when you remember.

The difference between religion and ideology

As Salaam Alaikum. Brother, I have a question for you. What is religion and what is ideology? Are they the same? I am a former Hizb ut Tahrir recruit and they used to teach us recruit that Islam is an ideology. I was buying to what they said that time, but later on when I came across one of your Q&A here and read your answer to the question that if Islam is an ideology, I think what you're saying makes total sense. Islam is far more superior to ideology, which is man-made. What I want to find out is, what is the fundamental difference of both of them? By the way, thank you for running this blog, brother. It really enlightens my mind about Islam. Thank you very much, may Allah Bless you.

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

An ideology offers explanations and solutions for certain problems. A religion can contain many different ideologies. So technically any explanation and solution that religion offers can be considered an ideology.

The fundamental difference is just that in common usage, ideologies are man-made, recent, and small. They focus only on a small subset of the world’s problems. Religions like Islam are divinely inspired, ancient, and large.

Another difference is that ideologies are focused on the short-term; many of them rely on the belief that if they gain power they can immediately make the world a better place. But religions are focused on the long-term (generations and centuries).

Islamist ideologies like that of Hizb ut Tahrir are inspired by Western ideologies and suffer from the same problems. They think that by seeking power and focusing on the short term they can make the world a better place. The reality is that seeking power is like seeking wealth. It corrupts and it attracts corruptible people.

If Islam believes in religious freedom, why does it call people to become Muslim?

Salaam. Islam says that religion is not to be compelled upon people, but why does in the early days of Islam Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), when Gabriel revealed him God's revelation, he is calling upon the people of Medina to tawheed (to worship only one God)? What are your thoughts on this? Jazakallahu khayr.

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

We believe Islam is God’s true religion. We also believe in religious freedom. So we believe people would be better off in this life and the next if they were Muslims, but we do not wish to force them to become Muslims. This means that we like to tell people about Islam and we recommend it to others, but we do not use force. So the Prophet’s behavior PBUH makes perfect sense in this regard; he calls people to what he knows to be better, but he does not use force.