Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question Do the classical rulings (a child’s status following the slave mother; a master marrying off an enslaved woman without consent) constitute ijma, near-ijma, or majority opinion, are they binding, and if legal slavery hypothetically returned through legitimate warfare would Muslims be obligated to apply them exactly as the early […]

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question What is the ruling on making singing Vande Mataram compulsory in schools and madrasas? Answer In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. Some verses of this song raise a theological concern, because they use language of devotion toward the motherland rather than toward God. One should […]

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question I grew up westernized and secular. How do I shed ingrained prejudices and come to love the Arabs and the good culture of this religion? How do I connect with the scholars without knowing Arabic? And how do I see snow as Allah’s beautiful creation rather than mere ice […]

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question I am studying theology and need definitions of technical terms the scholars use: sifat, huduth, ‘arad, mahal, mukhassis, jirm, ta‘lil, and tab‘i. Please add any I have missed. Answer In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate These terms are the working vocabulary of Ash‘ari and Maturidi […]