Question: Is it is permissible to consume food to which alcohol has been added for flavor? Answer: Dear questioner, Thank you kindly for your important question. If wine is used in the preparation of food, it is unconditionally forbidden to consume, even if the alcohol evaporates in the process (al-Hidaya, Marghinani). That said one should check […]

Question: Is it permissible to be a firefighter? Is it considered a form of suicide? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. While it is true that one may not put one’s life at risk for no reason, putting one’s life at risk to save someone […]

Question: Is it disrespectful and thus forbidden to put files with verses of the Qur’an or hadith in the virtual “trash” on one’s computer? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. Showing disrespect to the Qur’an and hadith is forbidden and sinful. That said, what exactly […]

Question: Is it disrespectful to use shortcuts to type blessings on the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) or the like? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. No, it is not disrespectful to use shortcuts to type blessings on the Messenger […]

Question: What is a good dua to make for studying? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your question. The dua you mentioned is a nice one, and there is certainly no harm in using it. I don’t think it is ascribed to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant […]

Question: My fiance has a fear of being touched? Will it go away after we get married? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. In general, one should never assume that any physical, mental, moral, or personality problem in your future husband or wife will go […]

Question: Is political and religious satire permissible in Islam? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. Short Answer: Commanding the right and forbidding the wrong are both communal obligations, and may take the form of satire. That said, individuals’ names and honor still have sanctity and […]

Question: What is the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary (Sidra al Muntaha)? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. The Lote-Tree of the Utmost Boundary (Sidra al Muntaha) is a physical tree at the brink of the physical world at which Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless […]

Question: Does a bleeding spot affect my wudu or prayer? Answer: Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. Bleeding does not break one’s wudu in the Shafi’i school, and blood from spots and the like are excused in prayer (Minhaj al-Talibin, Nawawi). Hasan al-Basri said that Muslims have always prayed while wounded (Sahih al-Bukhari). This […]

Question: Where can I find the hadith that mentions the dua recited in witr [qunut] ‘Allahumma inna nastainuka …’? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, This dua is authentic from Sayyidna Umar and others of the Prophetic Companions. It is found in the Musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq, the Musannaf ibn Abi Shayba and the […]

Question: May a creditor demand the repayment of debt after he has already verbally acquitted the debtor of the debt? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. Once a creditor verbally acquits the debtor of the debt, there is no longer any debt. Given that there […]

Question: Is it haram to listen to a woman singing? What is the ruling on mixed gatherings? When is it permissible to look at a woman in the face? Answer: By default, it is offensive to listen to a woman singing, and it would be sinful if the voice inspires lustful thoughts (Tuhfat al-Muhtaj, Ibn Hajar). […]

Question: What intention should one have when working or producing academic material? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, thank you for your very important question. Allah Most High says in the Qur’an, ‘And they were only ever commanded solely to worship Allah, making religion sincerely His’ (Qur’an, 98:5). Work, be it in […]

Question: Are Kefir and Kombucha halal? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh Kefir and Kombucha and similar drinks are halal because the alcohol is naturally occurring and the percentage is extremely low. Please see: Alcoholic Content in Soft Drinks Kombucha tea and kefir [Ustadh] Farid Dingle Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Ustadh […]

Question: What is the difference between making a promise and making a vow or an oath? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, An oath is when you say, ‘By Allah …’.  A vow is when you say something that is sunna is now obligatory on you ‘for the sake of Allah’, […]

Answered by Shaykh Farid Dingle  Question I have cheated many times throughout my years of schooling. Is it permissible to use my high school certificate to apply to university or the like? Answer Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. Using a certificate that you do not deserve is not permissible. My advice would […]

Question: Does genuine blasphemy carry a death sentence? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Yes, genuine blasphemy is apostasy and carries the death sentence according to the Four Schools of Sunna jurisprudence. This is based on what was applied by the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) […]

Question: If Allah is beyond and direction, how do we understand the Prophet’s ascent to Him on the Night of Miraj (Allah bless him and grant him peace)? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your question. On the Night of Miraj, the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him […]

Question: If a Muslim murders a non-Muslim in a Muslim state, does the family of the non-Muslim have a right to retaliation (qisas)? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. Yes, if a Muslim murders a non-Muslim in a Muslim state,  the family of the non-Muslim […]

Question: Could you please explain verses 15-16 of Surat al Nisa, and verses 31-33 of Surat al Nur? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. Verses 15-16 of Surat al Nisa read: Those who commit unlawful sexual intercourse of your women – bring against them four […]

Question: Is it sinful to socialize with people who swear? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. No, it is not sinful to socialize with people who swear because we are not responsible for other people’s actions. However, we do have to tell them not to […]

Question: What does the Qur’an say about dating and extramarital relations? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. Sex is not considered bad in Islam. What is considered bad and low is extramarital relations. Allah Most High says, ‘And [lawful in marriage are] chaste women from […]

Question: Will animals be punished on Judgment Day? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, According to many scholars, complete justice will be established between animals on Judgment Day, and they will be requited for the wrongs done by them or against them, even though they are not morally responsible (Sharh Muslim, […]

Question: What is the source and authentication of the hadith quoted by Qurtubi regarding four prophetesses? Answer: Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear questioner, Thank you for your important question. In his tafsir, Qurtubi refutes an alleged statement of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) that ‘There were indeed four […]