Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

74 Questions

As a Muslim revert, how can I manage the excessive production of oil in my hair caused by wetting my scalp during Wudu, especially since I cannot wear a Hijab outside or wash my hair more than twice a week?

Amina Inloes

Often, the production of hair oil adjusts naturally over a few months to a change in hair routine. So, possibly, your hair will adjust by itself.

In the meantime, I suggest using the minimum water and doing the minimum necessary amount of washing for wudu (rather than anything extra/mustahhab).

This will vary between schools of thought. For instance, the 4 Sunni schools of thought require wiping the entire head (but have some minor differences regarding wudu between each other). The Twelver Shi'i school of thought requires wiping a quarter of the head with 1-3 fingers by using the remaining water from wudu (not taking extra water).

Historically, most people did not wash their hair daily, and certainly did not have access to commercially produced shampoos, so, in and of itself, performing wudu regularly does not usually require people to wash their hair more frequently (although individual circumstances vary).

This is venturing outside the scope of responses offered here, but you could look into advice online by people starting the "no shampoo (no 'poo)" routine in reducing oiliness. Possibly dry shampoo might be helpful. Of course you have to decide what is best for yourself, your health, and your circumstances.

Lastly... doing wudu doesn't usually make people's hair oily. It is possible that this is happening for yourself, since everyone is different. However, if you haven't already, you could look into other causes, such as hormones, stress, diet, or an underlying health condition. If you have recently converted to Islam, this could be an underlying stressor, if it has come with shifts in your life or challenges.

Best wishes!

What advice would you give to recent reverts to Islam who feel the weight of their numerous major sins and are really pessimistic about their fate in the hereafter despite saying “I’m sorry my lord” and then moving on?

Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi

The best answer is from Allah in Quran : Say O My servants who have transgressed against themselves ( by committing evil deeds and sins) Despair not of the Mercy of Allah. Verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly He is The Oft-forgiving , The Most Merciful) Sura 39, Verse 53.

The Mercy of Allah (SWT) is much greater than our imagination. It includes every thing (My Mercy embraces everything) Sura 7, Verse 156. Special mercy is for sincere servants servants of Allah who left wrong deeds and repented and sincerely decided not to do it again. Allah Love those who repent and purify themselves. Sura 2, Verse 222.

We need to trust The Mercy of Allah and hope to receive His Oft-Forgiveness. He Has Promised every one who repents and sincerely seeks forgiveness to Grant him His Forgiveness.

'It is good to repeat (YA ARHAM ARRAHIMEEN) also to repeat (YA GHAFOUR YA RAHEEM).

Wassalam.

As a convert to Islam, does my Islam need to be validated by a mosque so that I may enter Mecca?

Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi

Real Islamic rules do not need such validation document because your faith in Islam (THERE IS NO GOD BUT ALLAH, MUHAMMAD IS THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH) in enough to be a Muslim.

Some Muslim governments ask for a document of being a Muslim from those who were born as non Muslims. Such document can be issued by a mosque or Islamic organization for getting a visa for Hajj or Umrah. It is never compulsory to get such document to be a Muslim. Visa requirement to Macca is different from the conditions to be a Muslim.

Wassalam.

I have a proposal from a man who is willing to revert to Islam. How do I know he is genuinely believing and will our marriage be accepted if he secretly reverts for love?

Amina Inloes

You never really know about people. Even in the time of the Prophet (S), there were hypocrites who pretended to be Muslim. Only Allah knows what is in the heart, and only Allah knows whether people will follow through with a lifetime commitment (such as converting to a religion - or, for that matter, having a lifelong marriage).

Many of the sahabah converted instantly. So if he converts tomorrow, he could be an Abu Dharr or a Salman al-Farsi. Or he could be... someone else. One way you can glean some idea of this is with respect to how he is with commitment in life, in general. Has he followed through on other commitments, or does he tend to jump around from thing to thing? This still doesn't give you a full picture but gives you some idea.

Also, people sometimes change throughout life anyway - there is no guarantee that the person you marry will be the same person forever.

So, you can never know for sure, but it is good to follow your intuition and good judgment and advice from people you trust and who have wisdom. If you are having doubts, possibly your intuition is picking up on signs that your rational mind is dismissing.

You could wait some time after he has converted (say, a couple years) before committing to the marriage to see how he does with Islam.

That said, it is not respectful to doubt that someone is sincere about his religious belief simply because he was not born into it (unless there are some signs that the person is insincere or not thinking straight), and respect is important for marriage. So this should also be sorted out before marriage.

It is not uncommon for women to convert at the time of marriage to a Muslim man and often they remain in the faith and become strong Muslims. Of course, the social situation and experiences of men are somewhat different, but just putting that out there.