Rebecca Masterton

Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been teaching for seventeen years through different media, and has also worked in media for ten years, producing and presenting programs for several TV channels.

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Rebecca Masterton, Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been... Answered 5 years ago

Many answers can be found in the book Kitab al-Mu'min by al-Husayn b. Sa'id al-Kufi al-Ahwazi, published Ansariyan. I think you find it also on this website.

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Rebecca Masterton, Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been... Answered 5 years ago

Until around the time of Imam al-Sadiq (as), the term 'Sufi' was not in regular use, and the few that used it as an appellation were of the Mu'tazili and Imami schools, not the Sunni Ash'ari or Maturidi schools, which now dominate the Sufi scene.

Sufism is an amalgamation of Islamic ideas and practices and others that have been integrated into it from spiritual traditions that existed prior to Islam expanding into wider territories.

I have written a paper on this in more detail, if you are interested. Please write to me at r.masterton@onlineshiasudies.com and I can send it to you.

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Rebecca Masterton, Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been... Answered 5 years ago

The story of the monk called Bahira is not considered authentic in the Imami school.

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Rebecca Masterton, Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been... Answer updated 5 years ago

The Sunni schools and Imami schools differ on this with regard to egg donation. Originally, both the Sunni schools and Imami school considered that fertilisation of an egg between non-mahrams is zina and therefore haram. The scholars of the Imami school said that to solve the problem, a man can do temporary marriage with the egg donor, even though there is no physical relationship between them. 

Scholars of the Imami school have now changed, and ruled that egg donation and fertilisation between non-mahrams is not haram because zina involves the physical relationship. Therefore egg donation is permitted.

Sperm donation among both Sunni and Shi'i schools was also considered haram because a woman cannot both be married to her husband and to the sperm donor at the same time; the majority of Imami scholars still rule that sperm donation is prohibited because of the importance of the lineage of father in the child's life and most clinics prohibit any information about the identity of the child's father being given until the child is eighteen. However, Ayatollah Khamenei has now permitted sperm donation, as it is not classed as zina.

While sperm and egg donation may be now technically allowed in the Imami school, there are still ethical considerations to bear in mind, the most important being the well being of the child and the child's sense of identity. Islam recommends that a person check the family of a potential spouse carefully, going back, if possible, seven generations.  Bearing children with unknown donors is risky. Many children born of unknown donors are now starting to speak out about their anguish and pain at not knowing who their real parents are. Therefore, the Qur'anic injunction about calling adopted children by their real paternal names and not concealing their true identity shows the sensitivity and consideration for the child's sense of identity.

If Muslims are to engage in egg donation, it may be best to seek a donor from a mu'min family who will be known to the child. Donors have to go through health checks with a clinic to clear for donation. Likewise for sperm donation. Children born of sperm donation are now tracing their siblings and meeting them. One man fathered eleven children with different couples and these children have now all traced each other. This shows that blood relations are still considered of huge importance even among non-Muslim children, and that an egg or a sperm is not just a 'bunch of cells' as many clinics claim.

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Rebecca Masterton, Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been... Answered 5 years ago

Most scholars say that it is permissible for him to marry a second wife even if the first wife does not approve of it (unless stipulated in the marriage contract); however, as the Qur'an says, taking more than one wife depends upon a husband being equitable between wives.

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It prohibited to sell alcohol or to promote the selling and consumption of alcohol, or anything else that is haram.

Further to that, if one thinks of one's mission in life as including 'amr b'il-ma'ruf wa nahy 'an al-munkar, then one should actively prevent the advertising and promotion of anything that is harmful.

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Rebecca Masterton, Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been... Answered 5 years ago

By the nature of oral literature, when a story is told, it is often altered or embellished, and this is not considered a problem in cultures that transmit their literature and history orally. The oral retelling of historical events still continues in many parts of Africa, almost as a spiritual ritual. The genealogist, or story-teller, will claim to have heard the story from his father, who heard it from his father, and so on. There is meant to be a chain of transmission which should protect against error; nevertheless, while you can find the same basic framework of the narrative in different accounts, there will often be notable differences.

The narratives of the Bible were compiled over time by different groups of scribes. Initially, narratives from the Bible were transmitted orally - even for several generations. Eventually they came to be written down. The accounts that have been written in the Bible may not be the only accounts that exist of certain narratives. There may be several variations.

In fact, often certain points that the Qur'an makes about particular doctrines held among Jews or Christians actually refer to apocryphal beliefs that were not held by the majority. There were often sects and sub-sects in Arabia and Iraq and not much has been written about them.

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Rebecca Masterton, Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been... Answer updated 5 years ago

Back in 2003 when I was coming to the Shi'i path, I investigated the fiqh for going for hajj. According to both the Shafi'i School and the Ithna'ashari school, a mahram can be a group of women, or even one another woman. As Mrs. Donati says, the issue is one of safety.

If you are talking about actual Saudi law, which prohibits unmarried women from going on hajj, some women still do travel with their brothers, as an example.

Therefore, different schools of thought in Sunni Islam have different rulings, and the Shafi'i School is in accord with the Twelver School.

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Rebecca Masterton, Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been... Answered 5 years ago

I can recommend reading about it in Wilferd Madelung's The Succession to Muhammad [s]. This gives a brilliant breakdown of the mechanics of what happened and the motives of various personalities who brought it about.

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Rebecca Masterton, Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been... Answered 5 years ago

The Imams of Ahl al-Bayt (as) teach that Allah (swt) does not have emotions, as emotions are changing states, and Allah (swt) is above and beyond changing states; therefore, He does not 'get angry' in this kind of anthropomorphic sense.

We can think of sacred laws as being an ideal to which to aspire. It could be argued that all Muslims fall short of fulfiling the sacred law as it should be. A sacred law is designed to keep humanity in harmony with cosmic or universal laws. If a law is not fulfilled, or is violated, then this challenges or violates the harmony that is aimed at, or intended by that law. The consequence of that violation is therefore a kind of necessary cause-and-effect result.

Scholars generally argue that, if someone does not fulfil the law, or violates it, but accepts that the law is valid, then there will be fewer resultant consequences than if they do not fulfil it, or violate it, but argue that they are doing so, because the law is not valid.

There are many reasons for not wearing the scarf - e.g. if your life is danger. Scholars have argued that it is permissible to remove the scarf in these circumstances. In Algeria, women who had been used to being totally covered, including their faces, set aside their hijab to wear Western clothes in order to infiltrate the French quarters of Oran and other locations in Algeria as part of their armed resistence against a colonial regime that had to be removed.

The spiritual consequences of not wearing the scarf therefore depend upon the intention of the person and their reasons for not wearing it.

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Rebecca Masterton, Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been... Answered 5 years ago

In our societies over the last few decades, the pursuit of individual freedom has been promoted and encouraged; but this has tended to lean over into narcissism and selfishness and a lack of awareness about the needs of our fellow human beings around us. furthermore, freedom without knowledge is of no use. We don't have much of a wisdom tradition in our societies anymore. Islam is a wisdom tradition that provides the seeker with the knowledge of how to manage life's challenges.

Islam encourages the fulfilling of rights towards others: the rights of parents, of children, of animals, of plants. Its vision is that we are part of a social network and that interacting with other human beings in a way that fulfils their rights and fulfils the needs of justice requires proper study, learning and practice.

Islam teaches a different kind of freedom: freedom from of the vicissitudes of life. It teaches detachment from worldly desires so that one is not a slave to the world, nor to one's desires.

It teaches the importance of dignity, and also the importance of standing up to tyranny. One can be 'anti-establishment' without destroying oneself.

The banning of all intoxicants prevents the potentially vulnerable from killing themselves or slipping into alcoholism.

It establishes a brotherhood based upon ethical behaviour and spiritual bonds. The bond between Muslims is sacred.

It teaches reliance on the Transcendent, which in turn cultivates courage in the face of difficulties. Shi'i Islam in particular teaches about the importance of cultivating the intellect; of being an intelligent believer. Islam is against blind following of beliefs.

It teaches about a 'deeper way of being' where the spiritual aspect of the human being is central to our life in the world. It has many methods for enhancing our spiritual sense.

It is a disciplined way of life that provides stability in world where, outside of one's working routine, one could otherwise be in total chaos - as social life has often been since the 1970s.

It is about facing the reality of life and death and preparing oneself for a journey into the next world.

It teaches men and women to treat each other with respect; lude jesting is prohibited, as is any touching between unrelated men and women. This means that either sex does not have to tolerate verbal abuse which is often dismissed as 'office banter', or physical abuse either.

Our children today live in an adult's world and are exposed to everything that adults indulge in, and that is because adults have put the pursuit of their freedom first, which has led to an unconsciousness and unawareness of the kind world that has been created for children. The care of and attention towards children is of prime importance in Islam.

These are just some introductory points.

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Rebecca Masterton, Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been... Answered 5 years ago

The narrations say that there have been 124,000 prophets sent to mankind, which I take to mean 'an uncountable number'. The Qur'an says 'some of them you know, and some of them you don't know', so there have certainly been more than a selected few in the history of humanity.

With every station (or 'privilege') comes responsibility. How would you have felt having to face the army of Yazid, with the full responsibility of keeping the true Islam alive for humanity and for ever after?

Many people envy other people's positions or stations, but don't realise the intense difficulties and burdens that go with the station.

The Imams have said that it is possible for other human beings to come awliya'. The station of a waliyullah is very close to that of an Imam (see Usul al-Kafi), but again, it requires solid self-discipline and sacrifice.