Ikram Hawramani's Blog, page 35

Being plagued with fear of displeasing God and becoming misguided

Salam brother. Jazak khair Allah for this blog. It has helped me greatly. My question is that sometimes I am plagued with terrible thoughts. I am afraid of kufr and arrogance and Allah being displeased in me. I pray 5X Salah and read the Quran daily. I have increased reading surah Nas and say istaghfirallah. I am afraid my heart will be hardened. Any advice?

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

It is a good thing to doubt your own piety and fear for your fate. This in itself is a sign of being on the right path. Becoming misguided or arrogant is not something that can happen in a day. It is something that comes about out of thousands of choices over months and years. And God always leaves the door open for us to repent and seek guidance again. If you seek God’s guidance in all sincerity then He will guide you. There is no way you could magically become misguided despite sincerely seeking God’s guidance; God will not let that happen.

Also, realize that Islam is meant to give you a stable foundation that you can build upon. Rather than obsessing about your own piety and fears, once you have God’s guidance and do sufficient worship every day, then that is when your work begins. You are a servant of God, a representative of God on earth, so what is your task? Your task is not to be obsessed with yourself but to be an agent for good in the world like the prophets were (peace be upon them). You are on a mission and obsessing too much about yourself will only distract you from that mission. Our mission is to perfect ourselves then go on to make the world a better place in whatever way God has made possible for us.

So I believe ideally one should find a balance between worrying about themselves and worrying about their mission. We cannot ignore either of these. If you are plagued with doubts and fears, then this means you are not giving sufficient attention to your mission. Imagine that the Quran has been sent personally to you; imagine that God has given you a task to perform in the world. What would your attitude be in such a case? You will realize that you have a great number of opportunities for doing God’s work that He has assigned to His servants, whether it is planting a tree, volunteering, learning or doing whatever else that may have a benefit and make the world a better place.

Best wishes.

How to dispose of human hair in Islam

Assalamu alaykum What should a Muslim woman do with the excess hair that falls out during combing; is it to be disposed, buried or kept? Jazakallahu khayran

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

There are no authentic narrations that prescribe any particular way of disposing of human hair, so it is left to personal choice. The Prophet PBUH however recommended that human blood should be disposed of in a way that takes it away from people’s sight, and based on this some scholars believe the same would apply to hair. So human hair should not be thrown away on the street where people can see it. It can be placed in a bag then thrown in the garbage.

Source:

Fatwa from the Qatari Fatwa Authority (Arabic PDF)

What happens to the souls of animals after they die?

Assalamualaikum brother, I wanted to ask you if you know anything about what happens to the souls of animals when they die. I wonder do Angels come to them when their souls depart?do they have a place in the hereafter? I read somewhere that on the day of judgement even the disputes between animals will be settled but then they will become dust… that just doesn't make any sense to me… I really care for animals and the question comes to me alot. Jzk, may Allah bless you

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

I have not seen any authentic and widely-transmitted narrations that can answer those questions. So we have almost no knowledge on this issue and we have to leave the answers to God. As for disputes among animals being settled, I do not recall seeing any hadith that mentions that.

The Islamic ruling on watching movies

Aoa could you tell me the ruling on watching movies? Even innocent ones? Whenever i look up rulings on this people always say things like all movies are filled with nude women and corruption and it confuses me what am i supposed to do in all my free time if most things young people do are grave sins?

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

This is an area where there is great disagreement among the scholars since there are no clear texts that apply to most aspects of films. I have looked at many fatwas and each scholar seems to rely on his own reasoning and cultural beliefs in order to arrive at rulings.

At any rate, my view is that it is up to each Muslim to decide for themselves what films they want to watch (which is already the view that is being practiced by the majority of Muslims), except for films that are centered around eroticism, which I believe should be avoided by all Muslims. As for films containing nudity or sex scenes, a person can just skip those parts. However, teenagers may not be able to resist the temptation to watch such scenes even if they wish to be good Muslims since the ability to control our impulses only completely matures after the age of 25. So parents should not let teenagers watch films unsupervised. (See my essay The Philosophy of Pornography and Masturbation for a discussion of why watching nudity and sex scenes is morally wrong, even without reference to religion. Also see: The ruling on watching uncovered women on television.)

As for other “immoral” aspects of films such as violence or the promotion of criminal acts, I believe films have the same ruling here as stories. Many great Islamic scholars, such al-Tabari and Ibn al-Jawzi, recorded all kinds of violent and immoral stories in their history books since they did not believe that transmitting such stories is prohibited.

However, stories and films can affect us negatively, so it is up to us to work on maintaining our moral integrity. The balanced attitude is to not reject films wholesale, to realize their entertainment and sometimes educational value, and to realize that their harms can be counterbalanced through acts of worship, especially reading the Quran. The more time we spend in worship the easier it becomes to resist the negative influences of things like films. I would find it incredible if someone reads the Quran for an hour every day yet somehow becomes corrupt and misguided due to watching a lot of films. I don’t think such a thing can happen, or at least it is extremely unlikely.

It is also important to mention that parents who completely forbid their children from watching films in order to protect them from negative influences will likely do them more harm than good. The children will feel oppressed and demeaned by this treatment and will likely develop a dislike for Islam–considering it an oppressive religion that is out of place in the modern world. It is much better to have a moderate attitude, to tolerate most films except for the worst ones, and to make sure the children are exposed to enough good influences to counterbalance any bad that comes from modern cultural products like films and novels. Being too controlling is bad and being too lax is also bad, a person should try to find a balance.

Getting tattoos as a Muslim

Dear Mr.Ikram Hawramani Salam brother, i hope you find the question in good health. I have benefited from some of your blog post and i find that you have a poetic way of explaning things so here i am asking for your advice. To put in perspective i am 19 years old and i have just started praying again. I would like to apologise for tge long post, and i am sorry for being rude but can i ask what are your qualifications i.e what institue you graduated from? I know i am in no position to ask this, i have already benefited from your blog but i humbly would like reasurance and i am also curious. My question is: What to do with a tattoo obsession and ways to stop this obsession I have this obsession with tattoo, it was something that i will research/(browse on the internet), on for almost 2-3h everyday it has been going on for 6months or more. Alhamdulillah i now am getting better at not look at tattoos online, controling this obsession and i realise that it will bring me no benefit whatsoever but i still have this deep desire to get tattoo even though i recognise that it will bring me no benefit. What should i do, and what is the consiquence if i do get a tatoo.I have already rationalise why i should not get a tatttoo aside from it being haram in the points bellow: 1. I also understand that getting a tattoo is a open rebellion towards Allah S.W.T as it is a sin. 2. if people see me with tattoo it is similar to dishonoring myself as people may see me as a sinner. 3. I also understand that i may find difficulty in finding a wife in the future and also in the future if i have children it may degrade me in front of my child as he may see me as a sinner and how can i ask my child to be a good muslim if i have commited a permenet sin on my body. 4. Allah S.W.T curse thoose who get tattoos. 5. Permanently changing the creation of Allah S.W.T 6. In the process of getting a tattoo that may take multiple session as i am commiting a sin and this may weaken my iman and make me leave my prayers 7. It is defying the wishies of my parents I personally feel that maybe the desire for tattoo is more of a sympthom for a deeper sickness, maybe some insecurities in myself. As i rationally understand that there are no benefit in it apart from a delusion of it being "cool" and maybe honestly its because the people whom i Previously hung out with have tattoos and my brother have tattoos, having no farther figure in my life i look to my brother as the central male figure in my life and he has tattoo maybe this may also cause me to want tattoos. And what if i do get tattoos, and forgive me for saying this i am trying to be as honest and sincere as possible in asking this question. " I want to get a body suit japanese style tattoo, thus it may take a full year to get tattoo with 2 or 3 session every week ranging from 2-5h per session." This is a extremly long proccess isit delusional for me if i hope god can forgive me, and this surely this tattoo will bring me away from the worship of Allah S.W.T. I want to point out a hadith an a article, first the hadith bellow, i know this hadith does not justify doing sin but what if i do get a tattoo will doing good deeds balance out my sins? On the authority of Abu Dharr Jundub ibn Junadah, and Abu 'Abd-ir-Rahman Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: "Be conscious of Allah wherever you are. Follow the bad deed with a good one to erase it, and engage others with beautiful character." Refering to the articale bellow if i do get a tattoo, because it take up to a year maybe even longer isit delusional to jope for Allah S.W.T forgivness? https://sunnahonline.com/library/puri... I am excited to hear your reply. Hope you have a blessed ramadan

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

Regarding your question about my qualifications: I am self-educated. You can view a list of books I have studied on the about page.

Regarding getting a tattoo, unfortunately there is no way to do this while ensuring God’s forgiveness and mercy. The Quran says:

Repentance is available from God for those who commit evil out of ignorance, and then repent soon after. These—God will relent towards them. God is Knowing and Wise.

But repentance is not available for those who commit evils, until when death approaches one of them, he says, “Now I repent,” nor for those who die as disbelievers. These—We have prepared for them a painful torment.

The Quran, verses 4:17-18.

I recommend that you wait until you are older before you make the decision to get the tattoo. Our ability to control our impulses only completes its maturity after the age of 25. Once you reach this age you will be able to decide things for yourself in a mature way.

For now, I recommend you busy yourself with ways of getting closer to God. Maybe this will help you avoid the temptation. For more please see: Guides on Getting Closer to God

Best wishes.

What to do when you feel distant from God

I’ve been starting to feel disconnected from Allah (SWT), and I don’t know what to do. I keep trying to pray, understand, stay close, but I feel that I’m drifting. My life has been going down an unfortunate path and I feel that God isn’t answering my pleas for help. I don’t know what to do. I want my bond to go back to the way it was and be even stronger, I just keep feeling it fade away.

I have been in similar situations and I have learned that the point is to learn to worship God, submit to Him and rely on Him regardless of how we feel. If your life feels meaningless and lacking in spirituality then the first thing to realize is that God can change your state in an instant if He wants. God could give all of His believers a constant warm fuzzy feeling of spiritual connectedness with Him if He wanted, but that is not the point of religion.

The point is to learn true submission and reliance. God wants us to live and act as if nothing can harm us or benefit us except through God. The path of spirituality in the Quran is not about seeking spiritual highs, it is about becoming God’s ideal servants and representatives. An ideal servant of God is a person whose will is completely submitted to God’s will. This does not require feeling spiritual or connected with God. Whether you are happy or sad, whether your life feels meaningful or empty, you can be an ideal servant and act according to what that means and gain God’s rewards.

Feeling spiritual and close to God is something that comes and goes. Our emotions are unstable and cannot be relied on. A person who is genetically predisposed to depression, for example, is going to feel bad during their depression episodes regardless of how hard they try to erase this bad feeling through spirituality. Religion is not meant to be a happiness drug, it is meant to be a program that is followed regardless of whether we are happy or sad. It can give us happiness and moments of feeling spiritually close to God, and these are great, but they never last.

So I have realized it is a waste of time and effort to worry about how I feel spiritually. I know my duties and I do them. I serve God regardless of how I feel, similar to a loyal servant of a king who serves the king loyally and devotedly regardless of how they feel and regardless of how the king seems to be treating them. We do not prove our loyalty to God by getting upset when we do not feel blessed or close to Him. We prove our loyalty by serving Him during all of life’s moments.

Rather than seeking a particular feeling (i.e. feeling close to God), seek to become the ideal servant and leave it to God to take care of you emotionally. He can solve your problems and bring you great joy. But none of this is meant to last since this world is not meant to be Paradise. There will always be moments of sadness and moments of feeling distant from God. It is during these moments more than any others that we can prove our true loyalty and dedication toward God.

Many believers are unfortunately “fair weather friends” of God, thinking that God only deserves dedicated worship and thankfulness when they feel good inside, and when things are bad they get upset and feel that God is not there for them. That is not how the ideal servant acts. God’s ideal servants are with Him during the good and the bad, during spiritual highs and during the deepest misery and depression.

When you feel distant from God, do your duties, worship Him, patiently wait for His support and relief, and express gratitude. And once this passes and you feel close to God again, do the same while realizing that this too will pass.

I recommend reading or listening to the Quran for an hour every day for a Muslim who wishes to be extraordinary. This is something that I do regardless of how I feel; I do not stop when I feel distant from God. It is a duty, a way of keeping God’s remembrance alive in my heart, and perhaps the times when I need it the most are exactly those times when I am least desirous of doing it. When I listen to the Quran for an hour even though I do not want to, I prove my loyalty to God, I prove that I am willing to stand up for my principles regardless of how life is treating me.

Does throwing up phlegm break the fast?

Salam brother, (trigger warning for gagging/throwing up) I was wondering; I threw up some phlegm today & at one point i forced myself to do it so that I could feel better (I have a bad cough & it’s been in my system for a bit) does this break my fast? I know vomiting intentionally does but does this count as vomiting? JazakAllahu Khairan in advance.

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

That does not count as vomiting and does not break the fast since it does not come from the stomach.

Source:

Fatwa from the Qatari Fatwa Authority (Arabic PDF)

Is reading and acting upon the Quran better than memorizing it?

Salaam, brother. Does reading the Quran and internalize then act upon it is better than just memorize it and wear it as a pride of being a Muslim? Does we have to memorize and act upon the Quran? What if I don't have the intention to memorize all the entire Quran, but only want to internalize it and act upon it in real life? I have seen some people memorize the Quran, but act like they haven't read it. And I have seen some people who seldom read the Quran, but is more civil than those who do. Am I just confused?

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

I believe reading and acting by the Quran is better than memorizing it. The Quran never praises Quran-memorizers, it only praises those who read/recite the Quran frequently.

And [I swear by] the reciters of the Reminder.

The Quran, verse 37:3.

They are not alike. Among the People of the Scripture is a community that is upright; they recite God’s revelations throughout the night, and they prostrate themselves.

The Quran, verse 3:113.

Those who recite the Book of God, and perform the prayer, and spend of what We have provided for them, secretly and publicly, expect a trade that will not fail.

The Quran, verse 35:29.

O you Enwrapped one.

Stay up the night, except a little.

For half of it, or reduce it a little.

Or add to it; and chant the Quran rhythmically.

The Quran, verse 73:1-4.

I am therefore not convinced that there is any special virtue in memorizing the Quran; the virtue of memorization comes from the fact that a person spends a lot of time with the Quran, so if a person spends a lot of time with the Quran without memorizing it, the same virtue applies to them as well. And if a person memorizes the Quran without acting upon it and taking it to heart, then there is little benefit in that and in fact the Quran mocks such religious people who acquire knowledge without acting upon it:

The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah, but then failed to uphold it, is like the donkey carrying works of literature.

From the Quran, verse 62:5.

So since I am convinced that the virtue comes from reading the Quran and taking it to heart rather than from memorizing it, I spend an hour every day with the Quran but do not plan to memorize it.

Wearing hijab with hearing aids

How can I wear a hijab if I wear hearing aids, because I need access to my ears in case the hearing aid battery dies or I need to change its settings? I don't want the hijab to potentially block the microphone on the hearing aids because it might affect my hearing.

You can wear the hijab in a way that does not cover your ears. According to a Saudi fatwa this is permitted for someone who needs hearing aids.

Source:

Saudi fatwa (Arabic PDF)

Why do Westerners think Islam is not progressive?

Salaam. What motivates the Western to be progressive and thinks that Islam is a religion that does not encourage its follower to be progressive?

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

Western progressivism is an ideology that has been getting built since the 16th century. While it believes itself to be the opposite of religious unreason and the promoter of rationality and intelligent reasoning, it is actually the other side of the same coin as religious fundamentalism. Rather than humbly admit the limits of human reasoning and show equal respect to all humans, it arrogantly claims to possess some fundamental truth that others do not posses (therefore just like religious fundamentalists, progressives believe that those who disagree with them are mentally deficient, instead of respecting dissenters as equals).

Progressivism is often simply the reflection of an atheist’s anger against their fairy tale ideas about religion and their arrogant belief that they can somehow do things better and more correctly than the hundreds of generations before them. From such a view Islam is not progressive but backward; the very fact that it calls for belief in God can be considered the very opposite of progressivism; progressivism is often the expression of the atheist’s desire to be a god himself/herself. Since progressivism has no standard beyond its self-satisfied trust in human reason and intelligence, it cannot accept any standard that claims to be derived from a higher power (such as God). So anything in Islam that the progressive does not understand or that the progressive thinks is opposed to their own limited idea of what “progress” means is automatically considered backward and superstitious.

Of course this does not apply to everyone who considers themselves a progressive since there is no single definition for what it means to be a progressive. Many things in Islam can be considered highly “progressive”, such as its zakat system which can create a “universal basic income” system when properly implemented.