by Admin | Jul 17, 2020 | Divorce, Marriage, Oaths & Vows, Q&A
Question:
Country: Bangladesh
Another brother’s Question:
“As salaam alay kum,
I have two related question about divorce and would appreciate if you can please answer at your convenience:
Question 1. Divorce vow BEFORE marriage
Many months back I read a fatwa on some Hanafi website that if an un-married person makes divorce statement before marriage such as “Any woman I marry is divorced” or “if I marry XYZ then she is divorced” then according to Hanafi and Maliki sunni schools this man and his future wife will be automatically divorced as soon as he performs a nikkah!!
This was very disturbing to me so I tried to research further and found out that Shafaee and Hanbali schools do NOT count such statements to effect any divorce in a future marriage if they were made prior to performing of an actual nikkah.
But both sides have their supporting evidence even though seems like majority agrees that it will NOT be counted as divorce.
What is your opinion on this issue from the pure Quranice perspective ONLY because Hanafis and Malikis both have supposedly different hadiths to support their opinion? I will list the fatwas below for your reference so you know what information I have received on this issue.
What troubles me the most is that how come scholars like Abu Hanifa and Malik can go along in forming such opinions that go against the spirit of our religion?
Question 2. Repeating divorce statements to self-due to strong thoughts about divorce
Due to reading so many fatwas on divorce etc. I feel I have been suffering from these constant thoughts about divorce now. Not sure if this is called WASWASAH in Islamic terminology.
At times I start to repeat divorce related statements to myself in my mouth and can’t seem to stop the thinking process. I have no intention to say these statements whatsoever. Again, I have read that some Hanafi scholars go to the extreme (in my opinion) and say that if a person even moves his tongue in his mouth while repeating divorce statements then divorce will be effective and binding. When I repeat such statements in my mouth I have no audible sound coming out (even though my tongue moves and lips may move) but even a person standing right next to me will not be able to hear anything that I am repeating in my mouth. I am sure you will think I am just mentally sick even asking this question and maybe I am. But I do need to know why such extremes are written in our books of fiqhs to an extent that a person like myself gets extremely sad about the condition of our religion and the extremes present in it due to opinions of various scholars and schools of thoughts. Lastly, do you feel that me repeating such divorce statements to myself (without audible sound) have any legal implications? I hope Allah forgives me as I do not have any desire or intention to say these statements in first place.
Thank you for your time.”
(Question published as received)
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
According to the Ḥanafī madhhab, if an unmarried man says: “Any woman I marry is divorced” then the first woman he marries will be divorced (unless he made intention for all women), whoever he marries thereafter shall remain in his marriage.[1]
Similarly, if an unmarried man says: “If I marry xyz, she is divorced”, divorce will take place when he marries the named woman; this would only be on the first occasion of marrying her, and if he marries her a second time, divorce will not take place.[2]
As muqallids of a madhhab, our duty is to abide by the ruling of our madhhab without searching further into its complexities. Hence, we advise you to stop self-researching and stick to following the ruling of the Ḥanafī madhhab.
As for your statement: “What troubles me the most is that how come scholars like Abū Ḥanīfah and Mālik (raḥimahumallāh) can go along in forming such opinions that go against the spirit of our religion?”, that is indeed an ignorant statement and a fallacious claim to make. Verily, Allah Ta‘ālā has preserved the dīn through the knowledge of these erudite fuqahā’. They certainly were aware of the verses of the Qur’ān, the Aḥādīth of our Beloved Messenger, Muḥammad (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), and the spirit of our religion, Islam. They had a deep understanding of the dīn and researched thoroughly before forming any opinion.
Your second question is unclear. What do you mean by divorce related statements? Do you address your wife with these statements? Kindly elaborate further.
And Allah knows best
(Mufti) Bilal al-Mahmudi
Concurred by: Mufti Zameelur Rahman
[١] قال ابن مَازَةَ البخاري الحنفي (المتوفى: ٦١٦هـ): ولو قال: أيُّ امرأة أتزوّجها فهي طالق يقع على امرأة واحدة إلا إن نوى العموم، هكذا قيل، وكان ينبغي أن لا تصحّ نيّة العموم فيه؛ لأنَّ هذه الكلمة لا تحتمل العموم. (المحيط البرهاني. ج ٣، ص ٣٦٦. دار الكتب العلمية)
قال ابن نجيم المصري (المتوفى: ٩٧٠هـ): ولو قال أي امرأة أتزوجها فهي طالق كانت على امرأة واحدة إلا أن ينوي جميع النساء. (البحر الرائق. ج ٤، ص ١٠. دار الكتاب الاسلامي)
قال ابن عابدين الدمشقي الحنفي (المتوفى: ١٢٥٢هـ): لو قال: أي امرأة أتزوجها فهي طالق لا يقع إلا على امرأة واحدة كما في المحيط وغيره، بخلاف: كل امرأة أتزوجها نهر. والفرق أن لفظ كل للعموم ولفظ أي إنما يعم بعموم الصفة، لقولهم في: أي عبيدي ضربته فهو حر لا يتناول إلا واحدا لأنه أسند إلى خاص، وفي: أي عبيدي ضربك يعتق الكل إذا ضربوا لإسناده إلى عام. (رد المحتار. ج ٣، ص ٣٥٣. دار الفكر)
[٢] قال في العالمغيرية: قال: إن تزوّجت فلانة أَبدا فهي طالق فتزوّجها مرّة فطلقت ثمّ إذا تزوّجها أُخرى لا يقع. (الفتاوى الهندية. ج ٩، ص ٢٦٠)
by Admin | Jul 17, 2020 | Ḥalāl & Ḥarām, Miscellaneous, Q&A
Question:
In my previous job i have had a very hard time performing my salah on time despite trying very hard to perform my salah on time, there were times i missed my salah. Even looking into other jobs i find i will have the same problem and miss some salah. Based on this I would like to know if it would be permissible to become a pro boxing so i wouldn’t miss my salah. I would also like to know what would happen if i end up dying in the ring or my oppenent dies in the ring accidentally, would Allah punish me for this? I would only adopt this sport so i can perform my salah on time. If you can please answer it would be greatly appreciated.
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Your attitude towards performing ṣalāh timeously is encouraging. We make du‘ā’ Allah grants you a flexible means of income in which you can perform your ṣalāh on time, āmīn.
It is not permissible to adopt boxing as a means of income as boxing is not permissible.
Consider the following Aḥādīth of Rasūlullāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam):
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه، قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: وفي حديث ابن حاتم، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: إذا قاتل أحدكم أخاه، فليجتنب الوجه، فإن الله خلق آدم على صورته.
Abū Hurayrah (raḍiyallāhu ‘anhu) has narrated that Rasūlullāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, “If somebody fights (or beats somebody) then he should avoid the face.” [1]
عن أَبي سعيد الخدرِي رضِي الله عنه، أَن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلَّم قال: لا ضرر ولا ضرار، من ضار ضاره الله، ومن شاق شاق الله عليْه.
“An individual should not harm others or be harmed by others in return.” [2]
It is clear from the above that it is not permissible for you to choose boxing as a career. However, if one learns boxing merely to stay fit and to defend oneself, this will be permissible with the condition referred to in the Ḥadīth, i.e. avoid hitting the face.
And Allah knows best
(Mufti) Bilal al-Mahmudi
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
[1] Saḥīḥ al-Bukhārī
[2] Al-Mustadrak li l-Ḥākim
by Admin | Jul 17, 2020 | Q&A, Ṣalāh, Waqf & Masjid
Question:
Country: Bangladesh
Is it permissible for the imam to do a collective dua with the muqtadis after salah?
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
After quoting numerous excerpts from Ḥadīth and the books of fiqh, Muftī Rashīd Aḥmad Ludhyānwī (raḥimahullāh) presents the following conclusions on making du‘ā’ after the obligatory ṣalāhs :
1. To make dhikr and du‘ā’ after the obligatory prayers is proven from various explicit and authentic narrations.
The fuqahā’ (raḥimahumullāh), however, state that the imām should stand up to perform sunnats after Ẓuhr, Maghrib and ‘Ishā’. To delay the sunnats is makrūh. They offer two explanations for those narrations which prove du‘ā’ after ṣalāh:
a) Such narrations are related to Fajr and ‘Aṣr
b) Du‘ā’ is to be made after sunnats are performed as the sunnats are appended to the farḍs (mulḥaq bi ’l-farā’iḍ)
2. To raise the hands and make du‘ā’ is not proven as a regular practice after farḍ ṣalāh, hence to make du‘ā’ occasionally after ṣalāh in this manner when it is for a need is justified, but not as a habit.
3. It is not permissible to condemn one who raises his hands for du‘ā’ after ṣalāh, nor to condemn the one who doesn’t.
4. The imām should stand up to perform sunnats immediately after Ẓuhr, Maghrib and ‘Ishā’. It is makrūh to remain seated for longer than the duration of reciting:
اللهم أنت السلام ومنك السلام تباركت يا ذا الجلال والإكرام
5. To make du‘ā’ silently is unanimously more virtuous and there is more hope of acceptance in this manner.
6. The sunnah method is for the imām to make a concise du‘ā’ by himself in the presence of the congregation. Once the congregation departs, he may engage in lengthy du‘ā’. However, these days it is quite the opposite—the imām makes lengthy du‘ā’ in the presence of the congregants, but he is silent when he is alone!
7. For the imām and congregants to have any form of connection after the termination of ṣalāh, even if by doing silent du‘ā’ together, is not proven from any Ḥadīth.
8. The custom (practice) of making du‘ā’ with the imām, whether it is silently or loudly is a bid‘ah which has come into existence due to deficiency in knowledge and the prevalence of ignorance, and it is the excess of the ignorant.
9. If the imām makes du‘ā’ loudly with the intention that the congregants will be able to learn du‘ā’s after hearing them, then it is fine. Once they have learnt them, then it will be bid‘ah to make du‘ā’ loudly.
Analysis of the currently widespread practice of du‘ā’
1. The laity consider it to be a sunnah of ṣalāh.
2. The practice of making du‘ā’ is so rife that the one who leaves it out is made to be a victim of abuse. And the imām who does not practice congregational du‘ā’ may be removed from his post.
3. Despite the consensus on making du‘ā’ silently being more virtuous, people are adamant on the practice of making du‘ā’ loudly.
In light of the above, the current practice of making group du‘ā’ after ṣalāh should be abandoned. ‘Ulamā’ should give more attention to this.
It is necessary for imāms to totally abandon the practice of making congregational du‘ā’ loudly and educate the masses that to make congregational du‘ā’ after ṣalāh silently is also not proven from sunnah, thus, this too should not be given much importance. Moreover, imāms should occasionally leave out silent congregational du‘ā’ so that the thought of it being sunnah leaves the minds of the masses. However, before doing this, the masses should be educated about the ruling with compassion and kind-heartedness.
And Allah knows best
(Mufti) Bilal al-Mahmudi
Aḥsan al-Fatāwā (1/226-7), (3/66-68) and (10/248). Sa‘īd
قال علاء الدين الحصكفي الحنفي (المتوفى: ١٠٨٨هـ): ويكره تأخير السنة إلا بقدر اللهم أنت السلام إلخ. قال الحلواني: لا بأس بالفصل بالأوراد واختاره الكمال. قال الحلبي: إن أريد بالكراهة التنزيهية ارتفع الخلاف قلت: وفي حفظي حمله على القليلة؛ ويستحب أن يستغفر ثلاثا ويقرأ آية الكرسي والمعوذات ويسبح ويحمد ويكبر ثلاثا وثلاثين؛ ويهلل تمام المائة ويدعو ويختم بسبحان ربك. (الدر المختار مع رد المحتار. ج ١، ص ٥٣٠. دار الفكر)
by Admin | Jul 17, 2020 | Q&A, Ṣalāh
Question:
Country: United Kingdom
After the fardh salah of fajr and asr the imam normally turns around and faces the people but after the other salahs he does not, the reason being that there are sunan to pray after the fardh. What is the ruling regarding this according to hanafi mazhab and should you turn around in all the salahs?
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
According to the Ḥanafī madhhab, it is desirable for the imām to turn away from the qiblah after fajr and ‘aṣr. It is undesirable for the imām to remain seated facing the qiblah after these two ṣalāhs. The imām may simply turn away from the qiblah either to the right or to the left. He may also turn fully and face the congregation.
After ẓuhr, maghrib and ‘ishā’, the imām should not stay seated after the ṣalāh but should stand up to perform the sunnah prayers. [1]
And Allah knows best
(Mufti) Bilal al-Mahmudi
10 Ramaḍān 1439 – 26 May 2018
[1] فإن كانت صلاة لا تصلَّى بعدها سنة كالفجر والعصر فإن شاء الإمام قام وإن شاء قعد في مكانه يشتغل بالدعاء؛ لأنه لا تطوع بعد هاتين الصلاتين فلا بأس بالقعود، إلا أَنه يكره المكث على هيئته مستقبل القبلة. (بدائع الصنائع، ج ١، ص ١٥٩. دار الكتب العلمية)
وكذا يكره مكثه قاعدا في مكانه مستقبل القبلة في صلاة لا تطوع بعدها كما في شرح المنية عن الخلاصة، والكراهة تنزيهية كما دلت عليه عبارة الخانية. (رد المحتار على الدر المختار، ج ١، ص ٥٣٩. دار الفكر)
وإن كان لا يتنفل بعدها يقعد مكانه، وإن شاء انحرف يمينا أو شمالا، وإن شاء استقبلهم بوجهه إلا أن يكون بحذائه مصل سواء كان في الصف الأول أو في الأخير. (البحر الرائق شرح كنز الدقائق، ج ١، ص ٣٥٥. دار الكتاب الإسلامي)
وكذا في: (حاشية الطحطاوي على الدر المختار، ج ١، ص ٢٣٣. دار المعرفة)
(فتاوى محمودية. ج ٥، ص ٦٥٠. جامعة فاروقية)
(كتاب النوازل. ج ٤، ص ٧٨)
by Admin | Jul 16, 2020 | Q&A, Ṣalāh
Question:
Assalamu alaykum Mufti Sb
What is the correct method of Tashahhud? After raising the finger, do we drop the finger down totally or leave it slightly hovering?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The most correct method is to have the hands flat on the thighs in tashahhud and upon saying “lā ilāha” to tuck the little and ring fingers of the right hand under the palm, forming a circle with the thumb and middle finger and raising the index finger, and then to lower it slightly (not completely) when saying “illallāh”. Thereafter, the right hand will be kept in this position until the end of tashahhud (if the first sitting) or till the end of ṣalāh (if the last sitting).[1]
And Allah knows best
(Mufti) Bilal al-Mahmudi
13 Muḥarram 1440 / 23 September 2018
Concurred by: Mufti Zameelur Rahman
[١] وذكر الفقيه أبو جعفر الهندواني أَنه يعقد الخنصر والبنصر ويحلّق الوسطى مع الإبهام ويشير بالسَّبابة، وقال: إن النبِي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – هكذا كان يفعل والله أعلم. (بدائع الصنائع في ترتيب الشرائع. ج ١، ص ٢١٣. سعيد)
حكي عن الفقيه أبي جعفر أنه قال: يعقد الخنصر والبنصر ويحلق الوسطى مع الإبهام ويشير بسبابته، وروي ذلك عن النبي عليه السلام. (المحيط البرهاني في الفقه النعماني. ج ٢، ص ٤٢. إحياء التراث العربي)
و في مراقي الفلاح: (و) تسن (الإشارة في الصحيح) لأنه صلى الله عليه وسلم ((رفع أصبعه السبابة وقد أحناها شيئا)). ومن قال إنه لا يشير أصلا فهو خلاف الرواية والدراية وتكون (بالمسبحة) أي السبابة من اليمنى فقط يشير بها (عند) انتهائه إلى (الشهادة) في التشهد لقول أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أن رجلا كان يدعو بأصبعيه فقال له رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: ((أحد أحد)). (يرفعها) أي المسبحة (عند النفي) أي نفي الألوهية عما سوى الله تعالى بقوله لا إله (ويضعها عند الإثبات) أي إثبات الألوهية لله وحده بقوله إلا الله ليكون الرفع إشارة إلى النفي والوضع إلى الإثبات
قال الطحطاوي في حاشيته: قوله: (وتسن الإشارة) أي من غير تحريك فإنه مكروه وعندنا كذا في شرح المشكاة للقاري وتكون إشارته إلى جهة القبلة كما يؤخذ من كلامهم
قوله: (فهو خلاف الرواية) لأنه روي في عدة أخبار منها ما أخرجه ابن السكن في صحيحه عن ابن عمر قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: ((الإشارة بالإصبع أشد على الشيطان من الحديد)). والمذكور في كيفية الإشارة قول أصحابنا الثلاثة كما في الفتح وغيره فلا جرم إن قال الزاهدي في المجتبى لما اتفقت الروايات عن أصحابنا جميعا في كونها سنة وكذا عن الكوفيين والمدني وكثرة الأخبار والآثار كان العمل بها أولى كما في الحلبي وابن أميرحاج
قوله: (والدارية) لأن الفعل يوافق القول فكما أن القول فيه التقي والإثبات يكون الفعل كذلك فرفع الأصبع النفي ووضعه الإثبات قوله: (وتكون بالمسبحة) بكسر الباء الموحدة سميت بذلك لأنه يشار بها في التوحيد وهو تسبيح أي تنزيه عن الشركاء وخصت بذلك لأن لها إتصالا بنياط القلب فكأنها سبب لحضوره
قوله: (أي السبابة) سميت بذلك لأنها يشار بها عند السب وقيل يكره تسميتها بذلك ورده ابن أميرحاج بأن تسميتها بذلك ثبتت عند مسلم وغيره من حديث ابن عمر حيث قال وأشار بالسبابة. (حاشية الطحطاوي على مراقي الفلاح. ج ١، ص ٣٦٦-٧. نور الصباح)
(حلبة المجلي. ج ٢، ص ٢٠٤-٢٠٦)
(فتاوى النوازل للفقيه ابي الليث السمرقندي)
(أحسن الفتاوى. ج ٣، ص ٣٠. سعيد)
(فتاوى دار العلوم زكريا. ج ٢، ص ١٣٨-١٤٠. زمزم)
