Family

100539

If a family of a girl, after her strong and firm opposition to being married against her will, makes her accept the marriage under their influence, will that marriage be considered valid?

Zaid Alsalami, Shaykh Dr Zaid Alsalami is an Iraqi born scholar, raised in Australia. He obtained a BA from Al-Mustafa University, Qom, and an MA from the Islamic College in London. He also obtained a PhD from... Answered 1 day ago

Bismihi ta'ala

It is indeed very sad and also scary that in this day and age we still have such things happening.

Her family cannot in anyway for her to accept to get married with someone she does not want to marry. In my opinion this abusive, cruel and evil.

From a shar'i perspective, the marriage is batil and has no validity.

And Allah knows best.

100549

Family . Conversion to Islam . Salah (Prayers)

I am a revert and I do not want my family members to know that I am praying. Will my prayers still be valid if I recite everything in Salat quietly including the Bismilla?

Bismihi ta'ala

Numerous reverts I have interacted with did face similar issues, where they feared backlash, and had to conceal their Islam. They would pray in secret, and so on.

In answering your question, in your circumstances, your prayer will indeed be valid.

What I would like to recommend is that you correspond with other fellow reverts from your same background, and find feasable ways in how you are able to overcome some of the struggles and difficulties you might be facing.

May the Almighty give you strength, and bless you for your accomplishments.

97812

Wife . Family . Dog . Home

Is it allowed to let my wife's family visit us with their dog as they cannot leave it behind alone in their home?

Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 1 month ago

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. The impurity that transfers from a dog needs to be purified from your clothes and place of prayer before you pray. The presence of a dog in itself is not a problem from a jurisprudential perspective. Perhaps you can confine it in an area in your house which you can purify afterwards if there are any places that you are sure impurities have transferred.

May you always be successful

96168

Love . Parents . Family . Meaning . God (Allah) . Friendship

What does it mean to be in love with Allah? Can the love of Allah be understood in the same way as being in love with our parents or friends or family? And how can one fall in love with Allah?

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. To love Allah is to prefer Him to all else in your life and to be attached to him more than your attachment to other things. Love is a connection that matters to you and as such the love of God can be compared to other types of love. Indeed, Allah compares His love to other types of love in the Qur'an (see 9:24 for example). We are naturally in love with God, but that is sometimes confused by our attachments to other types of love. To develop the love of God, some sacrifice is required. The ordinances of our religion help develop that love and among those ordinances is reflecting on the bounties that Allah has bestowed on us, both continually and at various points in our life. It is natural to love those who are good to us, then what about He who is the source of every good in our lives?

May you always be successful

94625

Wife . Family . Responsibility . Salah (Prayers) . God (Allah)

My wife hasn't prayed for the last 5 years. When I ask her, she and her family tell me that this is not my responsibility and it is between her and Allah. How should I deal with this situation?

Mateen Charbonneau, Sheikh Mateen Joshua Charbonneau achieved a certificate from Harvard University in Islamic Studies. He undertook Howza classes under esteemed scholars since 2013 and has been teaching at Imam Mahdi... Answered 3 months ago

You should not abandon hope for her. Continue to encourage her, while not being forceful or pushy. Pray where she sees you and perhaps she will feel remorse that she is not praying.

A scholar in Najaf told me about being persistent, "I remember there was one of the youth who followed my father in taqlid and at some point he became a communist and left Islam. My father would pass by this youths shop on his way to salat everyday. My father would always say salam to the youth, but the young man would ignore him and never reply. My father kept saying salam to him everyday for one year then the youth finally replied to his salam and ended up repenting and coming back to Islam."

91115

Family . Wedding . Sunni-Shi'a

I am a Shia convert in my family and they are celebrating a wedding on 28th Safar, the death anniversary of RasoolAllah (S). What should I do in this situation?

Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answer updated 4 months ago

You have the choice to go to the wedding or to not go to the wedding. It is not required to observe days of mourning for days of wafat or shahadat (death/martyrdom), it is only recommended. Weddings are also optional.

In my view, if you have a good relationship with your family, or if you will regret missing the wedding, then you should go. Allah knows that your intention in your heart is not to disrespect the Prophet (S) and to maintain family ties, and maintaining family ties is also good. The Prophet (S) was compassionate and merciful and would be unlikely to criticise you for this!

However, you also have the choice not to go, and it isn't necessary to go.

This is as long as it doesn't involve disrespect to the religion. Most Muslims don't know that the 28th Safar is the death anniversary of the Prophet (S), and don't commemorate this, so they aren't intentionally being disrespectful when they schedule a wedding. However, for instance, if someone schedules a wedding on Ashura, and they know some Muslims commemorate Ashura, then maybe attending the wedding would convey disrespect to Ashura or give them the idea that you don't take your faith seriously.

The biggest emphasis in our tradition is on avoiding celebrations on Ashura. It is also good to avoid celebrations on other sad days, but the biggest emphasis is on Ashura.

There are a lot of shahadat/wafat days that are commemorated, so, sometimes, in an environment where not everyone shares the same religious traditions, it can be difficult to observe all of them!

89873

Mahram . Family . Women . Man

Do you have to cover your arms and legs in front of Mahram family? Can you specifically explain the rules of what is allowed to remain uncovered for men and women when they are with their Mahram family members?

Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 4 months ago

It depends on the age and situation of you and the Mahram member of your family. It is not obligatory to cover your arms and legs in from of an old Mahram being sure that uncovering arms and legs will never cause nor initiate unwanted feeling. In general, it is not obligatory to cover in front of Mahram, that parts of your body which are usually uncovered at home with your family, provided that it should not cause bad feeling of desire or shame.

Wassalam.

84629

Parents . Fajr . Family

If our parents wake up a little late for Fajr but I am determined to pray on time, would it be permissible to pray at a different time than my family, or is it not recommended?

Abbas Di Palma, Shaykh Abbas Di Palma holds a BA and an MA degree in Islamic Studies, and certifications from the Language Institute of Damascus University. He has also studied traditional Islamic sciences in... Answer updated 5 months ago

as salam alaikum

if by "little late" is meant that your parents miss the best time for prayer (waqt al-fadilah), meaning just as enters the adhan time, there is no problem in praying at different times as long as everybody prays before sunset. However it would be appropriate to pray Jama'ah and even better to pray Jama'ah at the mosque if there is the possibility.

With prayers of your success.

82486

Hijab . Family

I want to do Hijab but my family does not let me do so. What should I do?

Seyed Ali Shobayri, Seyed Ali Shobayri is of mixed Iranian and Scottish descent who found the path of the Ahlul Bayt (a) by his own research. He holds a BA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University through the... Answered 6 months ago

Bismillah,

Asalamu Alaykom,

You must try your best to wear hijab or make yourself in a situation which allows you to wear it. The family must not be obeyed when they ask you to do something against Islamic laws.

May Allah grant you success

83857

Girl . Brother . Family . Spinster . Dream . Marriage . Salah (Prayers)

I am an unmarried girl and am repeatedly seeing my best friend's brother in my dreams. I see myself happy in her family with her brother. I have never thought about being married to him but she has prayed for this a lot. How could I be seeing such dreams?

Well, people dream all sorts of things, some of them have meaning and some of them don't. If she is praying for this and you know she is praying for this, it makes sense that you might dream about it. Possibly your subconscious is thinking about it even if your conscious mind isn't.

If her brother has expressed an interest in marrying you, and it is a reasonable possibility for you to marry him, you could consider it. It is a blessing to have an opportunity to marry someone compatible whom you might have some trust in. It could be nice to marry a friend's brother (although keep in mind it can also change the nature of your friendship, especially if there are marriage problems). Of course there is no guarantee that the marriage would be happy but it is worth considering if you think he might be a compatible spouse. However you should make your decision based on the real life circumstances around you, not just the dreams.

If he hasn't expressed an interest in getting married then there is no reason to give it thought - he may or may not be ready to get married right now.

Anyway, you are lucky to have a friend who likes you so much that she wants you to be family. :)

81200

Family . Woman . Hijab . Marriage

My family isn't that religious. It seems that they might be against me marrying a woman who wears Hijab on the basis that a non-Hijabi can still be religious. But shouldn't I be seeking the most religious woman who is compatible with me?

Bismillah,

Asalamu Alaykom,

You should marry the spouse who is most religiously compatible with you.

Not wearing hijab openly is an act of fisq and is a sin. One must remember that such a woman will raise their future kids if Allah blesses them. If a young girl was to see her mother not wearing hijab or dressed in ways which are not proper, she may imitate this.

The same applies for a woman in choosing a man. Does she want a man who doesn't pray and who may do sins in front of her kids?

May Allah grant you success

81268

Hijab . Family . Cousin . Art

I recently started wearing the Hijab at the age of 19. Do I have to tell all my family members including male cousins to remove pictures of me without Hijab?

Yes. No non Mahram man should be allowed to see your photo with out Hijab.

You should do whatever you can to prevent non Mahram men to see your photos with out Hijab.

Wassalam.