How Can an Incarcerated Person Refuse a Specific Cellmate on Religious Grounds?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
My incarcerated son is being pressured to accept a homosexual or transgender cellmate, fearing harm from other Muslims if he does. Is it his religious right to refuse the cellmate?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
He should raise his concerns through the proper channels of the prison service, stating that he fears harm from others if he is made to share a room. This is his religious right. However, it has to be done with respect and wisdom. He should also look into the prison policy of sharing a room with others and cite it as a reference.
Prayer of Need
I would urge you and him to perform a prayer of need. Ask Allah (Most High) to facilitate direction and help in this matter. See the link below on how to perform the prayer of need.
I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. In sha Allah, you will receive guidance and direction.
Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersAcademy (seekersguidance.org), like from the Islamic Studies Curriculum (seekersguidance.org) or Youth Islamic Studies Curriculum (seekersguidance.org), building your way up doing each course?
I pray this helps answer your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening
