Women Performing Funeral Prayer

Women Performing Funeral Prayer

Question
As-Salamu `Alaykum. What is the Islamic ruling concerning Muslim women praying Funeral Prayer?

Answer
Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
In The Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear questioner, thank you very much for having confidence in us, and we hope our efforts, which are purely for Allah's Sake, meet your expectations. In his response to the question, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, former president of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), states the following:

“Some people think that Muslim women are not allowed to perform the Funeral Prayer or Salatul Janazah. There is no basis for this belief. Both Muslim men and women are urged to perform Funeral Prayer for those who die among them. It is the right of the deceased Muslim upon those who are living that they take good care of him. The Funeral Prayer is a collective obligation or Fard Kifayah for men. If a person dies in a community and some people among them perform the Janazah Prayer for the deceased, then all others have no blame. But if no one in the community performs it then the sin of this negligence will fall on the whole community.

Islam does not insist that women must come out for the Janazah Prayer, but if they are available then they should join other Muslims in the prayers. Of course, like other prayers, this Janazah Prayer also requires purification or Taharah and ablution. Women during their menses are not allowed to perform the Janazah Prayer. When we perform the Janazah Prayers we do not only seek Allah’s Blessings and Forgiveness for the Muslim male or female who passed away, but we also receive the Blessings of Allah for our own selves. It is important that more and more Muslims attend the Janazah Prayers of other Muslims. Abu-Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, quoted the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, as saying:"(A believer) who accompanies the funeral procession of a Muslim out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah's reward and remains with it till the funeral prayer is offered and the burial ceremonies are over, he will return with a reward of two Qirats. Each Qirat is like the size of the (Mount) Uhud. He who offers the funeral prayer only and returns before the burial, will return with the reward of one Qirat only.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari)” If you have any further comments, please don't hesitate to write back! May Allah guide you to the straight path, and guide you to that which pleases Him, Amen.

Pre-marital Relations with a Non-Muslim

Pre-marital Relations with a Non-Muslim

Question
Dear Sheikh, As-Salamu `alaykum. My friend has a big problem and I would like to help her but how? She has a boyfriend who is very kind and she thinks that his behavior is very good, but the problem is that he isn't a Muslim. This important thing is missing, so she can't marry him. She has a bad conscience because she has a boyfriend although it is haram in Islam. She is Muslimah and she asks Allah for tawbah (repentance) and that Allah change the mind of her boyfriend so she always hopes that Allah can open his heart to accept Islam. My questions are: What should she do to stay in touch with Allah and by Islam? And is she still a Muslimah? Can Allah forgive her mistakes? She said that she will never give up Islam but her love to him is too strong. How can I help her to show her the right way?

Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear questioner, we would like to thank you for the great confidence you place in us. We commend your pursuit of knowledge and your care for the destiny of your friend. May Allah protect all of us against the evils of Satan and of our own selves.It is obvious that Islam does not allow Muslims to have friends from the opposite gender, whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims. Males should not have female friends and females should not have male friends. Non-mahram males and females may talk to each other, but should not socialize or go out in parties. A single male and female should never be together in a place where they are all alone, isolated without the access of any one else. Islam has given these rules to save men and women from committing sin or getting involved in situations where they might commit sin.Responding to the question, Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, President of the Fiqh Council of North America, states the following:

A Muslim's love for Allah should be more than any other love. Allah says in the Qur'an, (Those who believe, they are more ardent in the love of Allah.) (Al-Baqarah 2: 165) Also Allah says: (Say: If it be that your fathers, sons, brothers, your mate or your kindred, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce for which you fear a decline or the dwellings in which you delight are more dear to you than Allah and His Messenger and striving in His path, then wait until Allah brings about His decision and Allah guides not the rebellious.) (At-Tawbah 9: 24)If your friend really loves Allah, then she should give up that which is not pleasing to Allah. It was haram for her from the beginning to be involved in this relationship. Now she should make tawbah and if her tawbah is sincere, Allah will forgive her. But she should break this relationship immediately and inform this person that she cannot marry him unless he becomes Muslim.May Allah bless her and keep us all on the right path.

Removing Hair between the Eyebrows

Removing Hair between the Eyebrows

Question
As-Salamu `alaykum! Is it permissible for a man to remove hair from the chest, back, and between the eyebrows?

Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Brother, first of all, we’d like to say that we are impressed by your question, which emanates from a thoughtful heart. May Allah Almighty help us all adhere to the principles of this true religion, Islam, and enable us to be among the dwellers of Paradise in the Hereafter, Ameen.

As for your question, Dr. Rif`at Fawzi, professor of Shari`ah at Cairo Univ., states:

"There is no evidence from the Qur'an or the Sunnah that forbids cutting short the hair from the chest and back; but the removal of hair from these parts may be considered a form of imitating women, something forbidden according to the hadith: 'May Allah's curse be inflicted on women imitating men and vice versa.' As for women, it is permissible for them to remove hair from these parts because it causes them harm.

As for removing the hair from between the eyebrows, it is lawful, because it is not part of the eyebrows. But as for plucking the eyebrows, it is forbidden and not permissible in Islam, according to the Hadith: 'May Allah's curse be inflicted upon women who pluck their eyebrows, and women hired to do this.'

What is prohibited is an-Nams, which denotes removing the hair of the eyebrows by plucking in order to make it thin. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have cursed both women who do the plucking and those who seek to have it done. (Reported by Abu Dawud)"

Wearing Jewelry During Ihram

Wearing Jewelry During Ihram

Question
Respected scholars, as-salamu`alaykum warahmatullah.
After a week, in sha' Allah, I will be traveling to perform `Umrah, and I have gold jewelry to wear as adornments. So, is it permissible for me to wear it during my ihram?Thanks for your efforts.

Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Sister, thanks for your question. Your keenness to learn more about the rulings of `Umrah is commendable; may Allah help you to perform it and reward you best for practicing such an important act of worship.

The majority of Muslim jurists find no harm for a woman to wear jewelry during ihram, unless it is used for tempting or grabbing attention of men.

In response to your question, Dr. `Abdul-Kareem Zidan, professor of Shari`ah at Baghdad University , states the following,

It is permissible for a woman to wear any jewelry during ihram, as it has been reported by Al-Bukhari that `A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) did not find any harm in wearing jewelry for a muhrimah (a woman who is in the state of ihram).

In addition, it is stated in Al-Mughni by Ibn Qudamah that Imam Ahmad reported that Nafi` said, "Ibn `Umar's wives and daughters used to wear jewelry and dresses dyed with safflower during ihram, and he used not to contest their action." Imam Ahmad also reported — as mentioned in Al-Mughni — that `A'ishah elaborated that a woman can wear in ihram whatever she used to wear when she is not in state of ihram, such as silk and jewelry.

Thus, the Hanbali school of thought — as far as I could conclude — allows wearing jewelry by women during ihram, as it is reported by Hanbal that Imam Ahmad said, "A muhrimah can wear jewelry and clothes dyed with safflower."

Likewise, Malikis and Hanafis adopt the same view based on the juristic ruling that wearing jewelry is a permissible adornment, and a muhrimah is not prohibited from wearing adornments, along with the proofs that maintain the permissibility of wearing jewelry.

Shedding more light on this issue, Mahmoud Isma`il, the editor of Hajj and `Umrah counsels at IslamOnline.net's Arabic website, states,

The majority of Muslim jurists rule that wearing jewelry by women during ihram is permissible; however, we must differentiate between wearing adornments that are permissible according to the boundaries of Shari`ah and wearing jewelry with the intention of exposing it in front of men — other than the husband or mahrams— for temptation and/or grabbing attention, which is impermissible in general whether at the time of ihram or otherwise.Wearing jewelry for unlawful goals is worse during ihram and inside the Sacred House of Allah.

Islamic Fashion Shows Displaying Hijab

Islamic Fashion Shows Displaying Hijab

Question
As-salamu alaykum.Is it OK for hijab to look pretty (colorful, artistic)? And is it OK to hold Islamic fashion shows that display beautiful hijab clothing on models or to promote those clothes online?Thanks in advance!

Answer
Wa `alaykum as-salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear sister in Islam, thank you for the confidence you place in us, and we implore Almighty Allah to help us serve His cause and render our work for His sake.

As far as Islamic Shari`ah is concerned, there is nothing wrong for hijab to be colorful and artistic as long as it is not unusually attractive. One of the objectives of hijab is modesty and bashfulness. A Muslim woman is obliged to wear hijab, which is part of the beauty and ornament that cannot be concealed.

In his response to your question, Sheikh Mohamed El-Moctar El-Shinqiti, director of the Islamic Center of South Plains, Lubbock, Texas, states,

Almighty Allah says, [They (women) should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof] (An-Nur 24:31). Hijab is part of the beauty and ornament that cannot be concealed, and should not be concealed. There is nothing wrong for hijab to be colorful or artistic unless it is unusually attractive and flashy.As for Islamic fashions and using models, they go against the objective of hijab, which is modesty and bashfulness. Therefore, I do not think it is permissible. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Allah is Good, and He only accepts that which is good." And for every good thing, the means toward achieving it must be good as well.