Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question A foundational maxim of Sacred Law is the principle of “no harm” (la darar). However, the minimum requirement for marriage is physical and mental maturity, with physical maturity defined as the capacity to bear intercourse safely. This raises the question: Does this requirement permit the very harm that the […]

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question While I was studying, my mother asked me to serve dessert to guests, and I showed irritation; she became upset, said I was ungrateful for the tuition my parents pay, and prayed against me in her distress. Is Allah now displeased with me? Answer In the Name of Allah, […]

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question Why does the most perfect religion seem to fail to comfort women and to be centered on men, appearing to disregard a woman’s emotional world while withholding rights — instant divorce, leadership, decision-making? Is this not enough to show how low Islam holds women? Answer In the Name of […]

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question Is Buddha a prophet of Allah? And how should a Muslim view the Buddhist Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path—their compatibility with Islam, and the key differences, especially regarding suffering? Answer We do not declare Buddha a prophet, nor do we declare with certainty that he was not; […]

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question In theology, is a vacuum a kind of body (jism)? And can a space exist that is entirely free of substances and accidents? Answer In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. A vacuum is not a body. According to the soundest view, there is no real, […]

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question Were the early conquests an “invasion”? Did the Companions weigh peaceful means, and does Islam value a non-Muslim’s life — especially under a law that seems to permit enslaving non-combatants? Answer In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. Your religion does not permit the harm you […]

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question A seller maintains passive online listings that automatically complete transactions when a buyer makes a purchase. He asks: if a sale occurs during the Jumu‘a prayer window without any action on his part, has he committed a sin? Answer In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate. No. […]

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question A worshipper raises his hands at the start of each rak’a. Does this invalidate his prayer, or the prayer of the person beside him? Answer In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. No. Raising the hands invalidates no one’s prayer—neither the one who does it nor […]

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question If a husband only provides the basic needs of his wife and prevents her from working, does she still have the right to earn wealth? Answer In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate. Outside employment and domestic roles require mutual agreement between spouses, but marriage does not […]

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question A hadith cites Quranic wording that does not match the mushaf. How is this reconciled with the Quran’s preservation? Answer I pray you are well, and your care for the Book of Allah is a good sign. The reconciliation becomes clear once you keep two streams of transmission apart. […]

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 The night (al-layl) begins at Maghrib. But I know that night prayer (qiyam al-layl) is specifically after Isha. My question: when the Quran and hadith describe the virtue of worshipping at night, do they mean only after Isha — or does any act of worship from Maghrib to Fajr […]

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question What religious obligations apply to a child with a cognitive disability, and how should caregivers approach expectations and discipline in such cases? Answer In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate. I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question, and may Allah […]

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question A husband authorized his wife to divorce herself; she used the authorization once, was taken back during the waiting period, was later divorced by him, and again taken back, and then, in anger but fully conscious, used the same authorization a second time. Do these events count as three […]

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question Is it permissible to buy and sell gold on a spot basis when the sale completes immediately, but the payment reaches the seller’s bank account a day later due to administrative bank processing? Answer In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate. Yes, this is permissible. When the […]

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question For years, I washed my arms from the elbow to the wrist in wudu, not realizing that the hands to the fingertips are included. Must I redo my ghusl and repeat eighteen years of prayers? Answer Be at ease: your worship stands, and you do not repeat eighteen years […]

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question I struggle with extreme misgivings (waswasa) in prayer: I repeat al-Fatiha out of doubt, prostrate afterward out of forgetfulness, and fear my prayers—including a witr — are invalid. Does one prostration cover several mistakes? Must I act on doubts in tashahhud? Answer In the Name of Allah, the Merciful […]

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 My institution forces students to shave their beards, attend musical programs, wear shorts, and, at times, block prayer. I want to leave, but my parents insist I stay. What should I do? Is istikhara valid here? Answer In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate. May Allah relieve […]

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question My husband has spent three years fixated on a woman from his past — keeping and kissing her photographs and writing of his desire for her, even presenting her as his wife to colleagues. Is this zina of the eyes? Are my rights violated? Answer In the Name of […]

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question Four witnesses are required to prove zina. Does the same standard apply to someone who has been sexually assaulted? Is she proven innocent only if she brings witnesses? Answer In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate. No. The four-witness standard is the evidentiary bar for convicting someone […]

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Question A teacher deliberately used a vague, true-sounding statement to make a student believe someone was dating his younger sister, hoping to awaken his sense of honor about having a girlfriend. He corrected it within minutes. Was this within a teacher’s Islamic rights? Answer In the Name of Allah, the […]

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 […]