Question: Is it halal to compete for cash prizes in computer games? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question It is only halal to compete for cash prizes in activities that have a direct use in a military setting, such as marksmanship (Minhaj al Talibin, Nawawi). […]

Question: There is a hadith that mentions calling upon certain angels to help one find something you have lost. What is the hadith exactly and is it authentic? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. There are a number of very similar hadiths to this effect […]

Question: How authentic are the books Nahj al Balagha and al Sahifa al Sajjadiyya in the eyes of Sunni scholars? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. Short Answer: Scholars have criticized the authenticity of Nahj al Balagh because of its lack of chains of transmission […]

Question: What does the legal term ‘common understanding’ (urf) mean? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. Common understanding/practice (urf) is a legal concept (fiqhi) and not a source of law (asl shariyy). We do not determine what Allah allows or forbids based on what people […]

Question: Is reciting the Qur’an in the ritual prayer (salat) the same as praying outside of the ritual prayer? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. Reciting the Qur’an in the ritual prayer (salat) is different from reciting it normally, and that is for a number […]

Question: What is the ruling if I stand for Maghrib prayer knowing it is Maghrib time but then mistakenly make the intention for Isha?  Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. If one intends to pray Isha instead of Maghrib, while knowing that is it not […]

Question: Is it true that the black stone was originally an angel? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. No, it doesn’t seem to be the case that the black stone was originally an angel since nothing sound has reached us stating that. Even if it was […]

Answered by Shaykh Farid Dingle Question If one sees someone that one would like to marry, how should one go about to find out if one could propose to them? Answer Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. Gather Basic Information If one sees someone that one imagines one would like to marry, one […]

Question: If the prayer time enters and then one starts menstruating, does one have to make up the prayer?  Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. If the prayer time enters, and then one’s menstruation starts, one must make up that prayer if enough time elapsed […]

Question: Is it true that the name of a person affects their character and fate? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. One’s character and fate are determined by one’s choices in life. One is not doomed or saved just because of one’s name. That said, […]

An Introduction to Living Simple: Asceticism Part One: Zuhd Literature by Shaykh Farid Dingle In order to get through life with ease, the Early Muslims (salaf) focussed on certain key ways of living that would make it spiritually and practically easier and more fruitful. They coined a term for the different and variegated rules that […]

Question: How do you wash your face in wudu? Do you have to scrub your eyebrows and beard to make sure water gets underneath? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. Allah Most High tells in the Qur’an, ‘When you get up to pray, wash your […]

Question: How should a non-Muslim visit a Muslim grave? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. It is perfectly fine for a non-Muslim to visit a Muslim grave (Mawahib al Jalil, Hattab). When they go to visit the dead Muslim, they should not pray for them […]

Question: Given that the price of gold varies, how do you pay zakat on jewelry for previous years? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. For zakat on previous years, one would pay zakat based on the price of gold when the zakat was due. For […]

Question: Why is it that astrology is forbidden while astronomy and meteorology are permissible? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. The difference between meteorology and astrology is that meteorology is based on science while astrology is based on superstition. Relying on superstition is harmful, forbidden, […]

Question: Does one have to intend an obligatory prayer as either specifically current performance (ada) or makeup (qada)? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. In general, you do not need to intend whether or not a prayer is a current performance (ada) or a make […]

Question: If one believes the imam is adding an extra cycle of prayer (raka) to the prayer, is it permissible to follow him in that? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. If one believes the imam is adding an extra cycle of prayer (raka) to […]

Question: Is it permissible to make tayammum if there is a highly contagious disease that prevents one from using public bathrooms? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. Yes, fear of getting sick is a genuine reason to make tayammum (Minhaj al Talibin, Nawawi). However, that […]

Question: If one keeps trying to do something and continually fails, does that mean that Allah is telling you not to do it? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. If one keeps trying to do something and continually fails, it does not necessarily mean that […]

Question: If one is 99% sure that one has broken wudu, should one make wudu? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. Even if one is 99% certain that one has broken wudu, one does not need to make wudu, and does not need to check […]

Question: Is it permissible to be part of a fraternal organization? Is it permissible to deal with people who are part of a fraternal organization? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. Allah Most High has said, ‘By time, indeed, mankind is in loss, except for […]

Question: My wife isn’t working so I am receiving financial help from a relative. Is this okay? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. Receiving financial “gifts” from a family member is perfectly fine. Receiving “financial help” from others is perfectly halal, but not the preferred […]

Question: Where I live, I have a number of schools that I could send my young child to: an Islamic school, a public school and a Catholic school. I could even do homeschooling. Which should I choose? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. I completely […]

Question: Are matching grants permissible? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. Yes, matching grants are permissible because they are simply gifted contracts (hiba). As a Muslim, it is more noble not to claim any benefits at all if one can survive on one’s own income […]