Ikram Hawramani's Blog, page 6

Is it permitted to listen to Christmas songs?

Assalamualaikum. I grew up watching a lot of cartoons and I still really like them because to me, animation is like a fusion of storytelling and illustrating (2 of my favourite things). So, I remembered watching Barbie in A Christmas Carol and took a liking in Christmas songs; like Jingle Bells and We Wish You A Merry Christmas. I didn't know the songs' meaning that time, so I thought it was okay. [p1]

[p2]But, I found that I still like their melodies and listen to them occasionally although I already knew the meaning. So, is it forbidden to listen to Christmas songs? I’m not exactly sure what’s my intention, but I always see it as a childhood memory. But if it’s forbidden, I’ll try to stop. Thank you

Meaning of taqwa

Salam. Please explain about تقوى

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

It just means to be “cautious” about God, meaning that you keep His presence in mind so that you act respectfully toward this presence, for example by not committing sins.

Is it permitted to recite Quran on graves?

What are the etiquettes of visiting graves? on two separate Islamic websites one says it is permissible to recite Quran and on another it says this is not permissible.

The etiquette is to treat the grave with respect, as if you are dealing with a living and hearing person, such as by saying salam when you approach the grave. Reciting Quran on graves is permitted according to the mainstream scholarly opinion (which I prefer).

References:

Fatwa from Egyptian Fatwa Authority (Arabic PDF)

Should parents scold a child who doesn’t pray?

Salamu alaikum. I have a friend whom confided in me and wants to ask two questions to you: 1) Is it appropriate of a mother to scold her children for not praying on time, while she never taught her children about religion properly since their parents were gone to work and left their children with a babysitter at home; 2) How far can a parent force a religion to their children, if all the children's life are shown how their parents aren't giving constant good example of establishing it?

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

I discuss that issue in detail in my essay Why Your Teenager Hates You. We can only lead our children by example. We cannot force them to practice it. And whether they practice Islam or not, we are required to continue to love them and take care of them.

I don’t think scolding or shaming them will do much good. We should give them the freedom to discover and appreciate Islam on their own. Once we reassure them every day that we will love them whether they end up religious or not, they will be much more likely to want to follow our example.

How to know which Islamic banks to trust

Salam brother. There has been a mushroon growth of islamic banks in the muslim world both arab and non arab countries. We as laymen, dont know if their mechanism are "really" islamic. We dont know behind the scence it is just riba by another name although they get fatwas from islamic scholars of the country who endorse those banks too. Is it ok to trust them and do banking on these banks??? Jazak Allah

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

You just have to research the specific bank to find out how good they are. If they have the support of many respected scholars then you can trust them. But if they only have one random scholar’s fatwa then I wouldn’t trust that. So Al Rayan Bank in the UK seems pretty legitimate due to all the scholarly support they have.

The story of how I met my wife

Tell us the romantic tale of how you met your wife

Children who remember past lives

Salam! Could you please watch the YT video called '10 Mysterious Kids Who Remember Their Past Lives' and explain how this phenomenon is explained from an Islamic point of view? Do you think there are jinn involved?

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

I have read about that, and there was this very interesting Reddit discussion where people mentioned their children remembering past lives. One child remembered someone’s plane crash who lived in a different state and had no relationship with their family.

Islam as far as I know has nothing explicit to tell us about this phenomenon. We believe our souls exist outside the universe. This is the only way to have free will, if we were parts of the universe we would have always responded to our instincts. But by having souls that are outside the universe, the souls can make brand new decisions that have nothing to do with their circumstances. So even if everything around us makes us want to commit a crime, we always maintain a bit of independence that enables us to overcome these forces and avoid the crime. So maybe these souls that exist outside the universe have a way of communicating together that we don’t know about.

When will end times be according to Islam?

Everybody keeps saying were living in the end times so when is going to be?

Personally I believe it could be tomorrow, or in 100,000 years. There is no way to know. We are “close to end times” if you compare humanity’s history to the age of the universe. Even 100,000 years is the blink of an eye compared to the billions of years the universe has existed.

Is it easier to be a faithful Muslim in the Middle East?

I'm a revert who grew up in a disbelieving family and no offence to anyone, but I'm always around disbelievers and their lifestyle. It's depressing me and im always slipping into bad and old habits. All I want, is to be around other muslims, in an Islamic society doin what I'm supposed to be doing g with good influence around me. Mecca or Medina would be a great start!

I have lived in multiple parts of the Middle East, and to me being around other Muslims has never had an important influence. In fact it’s a common phenomenon for people of my culture to become more religious when they migrate to Europe. I have many relatives who found faith that way, alhmadulillah. Being in the West somehow gives a person the freedom to re-invent themselves to be exactly the kind of Muslim they want to be. 

Being around other Muslims in the Middle East often creates a sense of inertia where you are happy to be like other Muslims who spend all day watching TV shows or the news, who rarely read Quran and who do not pray tahajjud. It’s quite rare to meet fellow Muslims who are really dedicated to their faith. I have a very large extended family and most of the people around me were good Muslims, but they never practiced Islam the way I practice it. My relatives actually include multiple Islamic scholars and even they are nowhere as dedicated to Islam as I am.

So personally I don’t feel any loss at living in the West nowadays. If I read the Quran for an hour every day and pray tahajjud then I feel as good and pious as if I lived in Mecca.

But I’m aware that family can be a strong negative influence, and I hope you will be in a better situation some time inshaAllah. Consider it part of your daily schedule to read the Quran for an hour, and make it a goal to do this for the rest of your life, and you should be perfectly fine inshaAllah.

Can you go to the mosque for prayer without calling first?

Assalamu alaykum, I am the Anglo-American convert that messaged a few days ago about my heartbreak. Thank you for your advice. I have been reading the Qur’an daily again (something I lapsed in doing). I want to get involved with my local community center, but am fearful to be shunned due to the color of my skin, as was the case with my partners family rejecting me. May I just go for Friday prayer, or should I call first and ask the Sheikh? (I’m still learning how to pray properly also)

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

I am really sorry that you had such a bad experience. Think of going to the mosque as similar to going to the library. No one cares who you are and what you look like. I have pale skin and blond hair and people sometimes mistake me for a European. I’ve never had any issues with other Muslims here in the US. They’ve all been extremely kind and accepting. You can go to Friday prayer (and you should, it’s obligatory on men), and like I said, it’s like going to the library. 

Best wishes.