Islam

Islam is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion teaching that there is only one God (Allah) and that Muhammad is the messenger of God. It is the world's second-largest religion with over 1.8 billion followers or 24.1% of the global population, known as Muslims. Muslims make up a majority of the population in 50 countries.

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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 2 anni fa

If your adult daughters find it difficult to wear full Hijab at home in front of the Non Mahram man, you must protect them from falling in sin of being seem by him with out full Hijab. You must arrange for him another place to live, away from your adult daughters.

Wassalam.

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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 2 anni fa

The question of what luck is, and whether or not it exists, is a challenging metaphysical question. 

Scholars who take a strict reading of Islamic theology will generally reject the idea of "luck", if one defines "luck" as something amoral (that is, acting outside a moral compass) which exists independent of the divine involvement in the universe. This is especially if it seems to go against a sense of divine justice. "Luck" is sometimes seen as belonging to pre-Islamic and/or non-Abrahamic belief systems. 

That is to say, things that are seen as "lucky" tend to be seen as Allah's will or something occurring on the level of metaphysical cause and effect (for instance, I help an orphan today, and am saved from a car crash tomorrow). This is apart from hard work and smart work; for instance, some people are "lucky" in their exams simply because they study smart.

Instead, they will focus on concepts like baraka (things, people, places, etc, being blessed by Allah), divine destiny, divine mercy, divine punishment, and so forth. So, for instance, one might increase "luck" by doing good deeds or giving charity. (That is, it is not mere luck but rather cause and effect.) 

Certain things which might be considered "luck" in some cultures are also ascribed to divine decree; for instance, Allah decrees sustenance for a human being. So, receiving sustenance is ultimately through the decree of Allah and the acts of angels in obedience to Allah in delivering it, even if we also have to put forth efforts. Or, someone may receive a scholarship to Harvard and be considered "lucky", but someone else may not receive that scholarship because it is not their destiny and they are meant to do something else in life, so it is not really about "luck". 

On the other hand, it is not impossible to find Muslims who do hold that luck exists as a metaphysical thing, and that some people seem to have more of it. After all, Muslims have held a great many views over the past 1000+ years. 

In any case, most people are not ruminating over these philosophical questions when wishing someone good luck on something, and it's fine to say.  

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 2 anni fa

It is permissible to wish someone and pray for him for success in an exam or any other matter. Success is granted by Allah on us after fulfilling our duties including sincerely seeking His help and support.

Wassalam.

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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 2 anni fa

Atheists who don't believe in The Creator, Allah, despite seeing the creatures and the Most sophisticating universe which guides to the Biggest Fact of The One Creator, have insisted on denying The Truth. Allah, Knows how to deal with them. May Allah protect us and our families from denying the truth.

 Wassalam.

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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 2 anni fa

Rights of a wife on her husband are like the rights of her husband on her as far as respect and nice treatment are concerned. Allah (SWT) says in Quran (And they (women) have rights over their husband like the rights of their husbands over them, with kindness. (Sura Al-Baqarah, Verse 228).

Wife has the right of her full livelihood expenses from her husband, even if she was rich or more wealthy than her husband. 
Wife has the right of respect and nice treatment from her husband,b just like his right on her in respecting him and treating him nicely.

Wassalam.

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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 2 anni fa

Islam is the message from Allah; The Creator of the universe to all human beings which tells them the main facts of the existence:

1. Faith in The Only Creator; Allah. (Tawheed).

2. Faith that Allah is The Absolute Just.(Adl)

3. Faith in all His Prophets from Adam to Muhammad (SAWA).(Nobowwah).

4. Faith in the Divine leadership after the Prophet who lead people to the real teachings of Islam.(Imamah).

5, Faith in The Day of Judgement. (Qiyamah).

Practical foundations in Islam are based on Justice and fairness and doing good to every one and avoiding harmful acts e.g, injustice, lying, alcohol, gambling, immorally etc.

Islam teaches remembering Allah before and with every act, and by that avoiding sinful acts.
Daily Prayers are compulsory at dawn (Fajr),  Dhohr (Noon), Assr (after noon), Maghrib (evening) and Isha (night). Compulsory Daily Prayers keep the believer remembering and talking to The Creator and purify the believer from evil acts and bad thoughts.

There are also practical obligatory acts beside Daily Prayers e.g. Fasting the whole month of Ramadan on those who are not ill and not traveling, Giving Khums and Zakat on those who have more than their lawful expenses, performing Hajj for those who are able, Jihad against evil, Joining and supporting good and preventing and opposing bad, and following the divine servants of Allah and disassociating from the enemies of Allah. 
Islam teaches healthy relationship between man and himself, and between man and his family and people, and between man and His Creator Allah.

Wassalam.

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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 2 anni fa

I think it is good to be honest about apostasy in Islamic law and thought. There are roughly three views that are espoused about this:

(a) The ruling that an apostate should be killed (except in certain cases) is correct and in line with the Prophet's teachings.
(b) In the past, in and around the Islamic regions, religious identity was like today's national identity. So, in times of war, apostasy was equal to defecting to the enemy's side and was equivalent to treason. This is why there was a strict penalty for apostasy, just like, in today's world, a person who commits treason to their nation-state is often considered worthy of death. However, today, identity is primarily based on nationality not religion, so this no longer applies to the world.
(c) The ruling that an apostate should be killed is incorrect and based on inauthentic material, and this idea goes against the Qur'an which says there should be no compulsion in religion.

One can also add factor (d): That, due to the challenges the Muslim-majority world has faced due to the legacy of colonialism and a sense of being under threat (politically, economically, culturally, etc), there is an increased sensitivity against people who might be seen as threatening the faith. 

So, those are some of the possibilities, and I think it's worthwhile just to discuss them as they are.

In practice, apostasy law tends not to be practiced. Also, most Muslims tend to be uncomfortable with the idea of punishing apostates. Of course, this is not to diminish anyone's experience who has dealt with this. 

Some opponents to Islam argue that it is only due to this law that Muslims remain great in number, but that is obviously not true since the vast majority of Muslims do not base their faith or religious practice on this law. Rather, they choose to practice voluntarily. It is very difficult to force someone to be genuinely dedicated to a religion.

Furthermore, if it were only due to fear that Muslims were remaining Muslim, then why would Islam have inspired such a vast outpouring of religious culture such as Islamic literature, mystical poetry, theological writings, Islamic art and architecture, and so forth? Physical manifestations of a person's faith suggest that their faith is genuine. 

It is also quite rare to find a Muslim who wants to leave Islam but who says they are staying in Islam because of this precept of Islamic law. Possibly there are some, but it is certainly not the norm.

While conversion away from Islam is not extremely frequent, the vast majority of people who are believing Muslims tend to stay Muslims for their own reasons, not out of fear of this ruling in Islamic law.

Perhaps these non-Muslims can simply talk to Muslims, ask them about their faith and why they hold it, and this will give them more insight into what actually happens among Muslims.

Might I suggest as tactfully as possible that Islam does not have a history of an Inquisition or forced conversion (for instance, during the slave trade in the Americas), or Crusades, the same way that Christianity does. Historically, Muslims have tended to acknowledge and respect religious diversity reasonably well.

I don't wish to reduce this to a debate about whether Islam or Christianity is better or paint Christianity only with that brush. I am just saying that it is important to recognize that Islam and Christianity have different histories and sometimes there may be an erroneous tendency to project what happened in the history of one religion onto the other. Also, if some of these non-Muslims are coming from a Christian background, they might benefit from being more self-reflective about their own history rather than pointing fingers at Islam. 

In fact, it can be argued that negativity against organized religion in some of the West is due to forms of suppression due to the Church in the past few centuries. Some people who have had a bad experience with the Church then also project that negativity onto other religions, assuming that all organized religions are exactly the same, but this is a myopic viewpoint. So, if this is a factor in the discussion, I would again suggest that they actually talk to real, living Muslims (not sensationalist websites or ex-Muslims seeking attention in the media) to get a sense of what actually tends to happen in the Muslim religious experience.

However, I have noticed a curious phenomenon about apostasy and Islam: one never seems to wholly leave Islam. That is, anyone who leaves Islam and formally converts to another religion perpetually seems to identify themself, and be identified as, an "ex-Muslim". In contrast, a Buddhist who becomes a Christian is usually referred to as a "Christian", not an "ex-Buddhist". I suppose this says something about the world we live in, or perhaps Islam just has a strong staying power when it comes to identity. 

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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 2 anni fa

A woman is not required to marry a man just because he wants to marry her. She is also not required to give a reason for refusing. Marriage is optional. 

The opposite is also true - that is, a man is not required to marry a woman just because she wants to marry him, and he is also not required to give a reason for refusing. 

The idea a woman must give her life over to a man simply because he asks - unless she had a reasonable excuse - would indeed be an astonishing form of male privilege. 

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 2 anni fa

Main criteria for marriage in Islam is religious practice and good morals. Financial status is not among the main conditions. In fact the Prophet (SAWA) proposed a marriage between very poor person ( Jowaibir) and a very rich woman (Al-Dhalfaa').

The man should be able to earn livelihood for him and his wife and live with his wife with dignity.

Wassalam.

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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... Answer updated 2 anni fa

1. When you know that Allah does not allow any marriage between a Muslim female and a non Muslim man and you write that  "you feel that you went against Allah", you must repent and seek forgiveness and come back to Allah and never insist on doing wrong.

2. If you can convince the man and explain to him how to become a Muslim, then you need to recite a marriage agreement (Nikah) between you and him after becoming a Muslim in his heart.

3. If he refuses to become a Muslim, then there is no way that you can remain with him.

4. You must save yourself and your future from sinful acts.

Wassalam.

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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 2 anni fa

Islam has some matters that are fixed and other matters that are flexible. If Islam did not have any flexibility, and only prescribed one rigid standard for every matter of life, it would not have been able to spread to different cultures, time periods, and ways of living. 

So, with respect to marriage, Islam prescribes certain things, such as performing a marriage contract, forbidding incestuous marriages, and abstaining from adultery.

However, it does not prescribe whether or not a marriage should be a "love marriage".

This allows for accommodation between different individuals, cultures, situations, and lifestyles. 

However, some Muslims are very sensitive on this point due to a sense of cultural clash, or cultural warfare, and feel it is necessary to preserve one approach to marriage or another as "the Islamic view". 

As for what sort of marriage succeeds best, perhaps this has more to do with certain compatibility factors, a mutual spirit of commitment, and the support that the society offers for marriage and family life - some countries are more family-friendly than others.

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 2 anni fa

Islam is the word of Allah to guide mankind to peaceful and happy life. Marriage is a human need which aims not only to continue the human generations but also to provide peace and tranquility. Islam guides to be careful in selecting in marriage and keeps two main criteria which are: Religious practice and morals, as the Hadeeth says: إذا جاءكم من ترضون دينه وخُلُقَهُ فزَوِّجوه 

We also have Hadeeth to guide men in selecting a wife stating to select a religious women, you will then gain a great treasure. فاظفَر بِذاتِ الدين تَرِبَت يداك 

Love marriage depends on the reasons of the love and whether the love is caused by desires only or logical reasons as well. Desires will never remain forever but rational reasons remain. If the reasons behind love are supported by rational evidence that the marriage will remain and form a good and peaceful family, then such love marriage is good. But if the love is blind as it is said, and does not have insight for the future, then we have to be careful. Millions of love marriages ended in divorce or in miserable situations. Though it is not the case in every love marriage but in many.

Love only as an emotion can never justify marriage nor guarantee a successful future, unless there are reasonable or satisfactory factors to support the future harmony in understanding the aims of life and the way to achieve it according to the orders of Allah (SWT).

Love between husband and his wife is a great bounty from Allah and it is from the great signs of Allah as we read in Quran: (And among His signs that He created for you mates from you (humans) so that you get in them tranquility, and He put between you affection and mercy)Sura 30, verse 21.

Love which remains is essential for marriage even if it grows after marriage but love which does not remain is a misguiding desire. We need our youth to build their family life on permanent love which continues.

Wassalam,