Fatwas Part Sixty-Seven

Issued by: Dr. Ahmed Subhy Mansour, translated by: Ahmed Fathy

A Question of Inheritance

Published in December 26, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … My paternal uncle died; he is survived by his twin-sister, his mother, a brother and a sister on this mother's side, and two sisters on his father's side and one son of his brother (i.e., that's me) … How would his money (i.e., the inheritance) be distributed as per Quranic laws? … Thank you …    

Answer:

  The son of the living brother (i.e., you) has no inheritance share at all. The mother of the diseased person receives one-sixth of the money, and the rest is distributed among all the siblings by applying this Quranic law: "...If the siblings are men and women, the male receives the share of two females..." (4:176). Before such a distribution, the written will and testament (if there is any) should be executed first and all debts (if there is any) must be settled first. 

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Performing Prayers in Bed

Published in December 27, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Is it OK to perform prayers in bed, especially that I kneel and prostrate in the normal way but on the mattress? … Thank you …  

Answer:

 It is OK; what is more important is to perform prayers in piety within the fear of the Lord God and to adhere to piety all day long apart from the times of the five daily prayers.

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Waiting-Period after Self-Repudiation

Published in December 27, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … How many months are the waiting-period of a woman who has separated herself from her husband at court by self-repudiation (or Khole' in Arabic), not by divorce? … Thank you …

Answer:

  Her waiting period is three months exactly like divorced women.

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Paying Dowries Is Obligatory 

Published in December 27, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … If a marriage contract is valid if it is drawn without the husband paying a dowry for his wife? Some say the marriage is not valid and some say otherwise … What do you think? … Thank you …    

Answer:

 In that case, the husband must pay a dowry for his wife to legalize and validate the marriage contract. This sum of the dowry must be first agreed upon and accepted by the wife, i.e., her husband must obtain her verbal consent about the sum first before paying it to her. Dowries might be made into two parts: one paid upon signing the marriage contract and the other one paid later on at a specific time agreed upon mutually by the wife and her husband. It is OK that a wife might cede (willingly only) part of the sum of the dowry to her husband.

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Salafists as Servants of Tyrants

Published in December 28, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Why do Salafists/Wahabis have notions and hadiths that deify rulers, however good or bad these rulers are?… I shall never understand how they think and how they dare to ascribe injustice of rulers to God's Will; what do you think? … Thank you …      

Answer:

 Salafists/Wahabis know quite well that all types of injustices are prohibited in the Quran and that God, the Omniscient Lord Who knows their evil deeds, does not love the unjust ones and will torment them in Hell if they die without repentance and reform. Yet, they prefer their hadiths and fiqh books to the Quran and they support tyrannical rulers as they are their partners and God will condemn them of course: "And man will be evidence against himself. Even as he presents his excuses." (75:14-15). The Sunnite Wahabi/Salafist religion is based on tyranny, oppression, injustices, and bloodshed. Followers of Sunnite Salafism/Wahabism (i.e., the rulers and affluent ones in power) commit such sins while clergymen justify their crimes for them within Sunnite sharia and hadiths. May God curse them all!

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History of God's Prophets and Messengers

Published in December 28, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … What is your own evaluation, as a historian and a researcher, about the books of Mr./..... and Mr./..... about history of prophets and messengers of God? … Thank you …      

Answer:

 Such books and their likes are filled to the brim with nonsensical myths and balderdash derived from Sunnite books authored by historians, hadith fabricators, orators, and fiqh scholars during the Middle-Ages, whose writings about prophets are purely fictional and are based on the Talmud and the Old Testaments. The very first Quran-based book about the history of prophets/messengers of God is our book titled "Prophets in the Quran: An Analytical Study", which we have  authored in 1985 in Cairo, Egypt, and it is found now on our website. It has been among the five books we have authored to teach as a professor to our students at the History Department, Al-Azhar University, and we have been persecuted because of these books for two years (1985 – 1987), until we have been incarcerated in Nov. 1987. It is a shame that some people (regarding history of prophets) prefer these books of Sunnite nonsense to the Quranic Absolute Truth.  

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Glorified Be the Lord God!

Published in December 28, 2017

Question:  … Dear Sir, … Is it OK in case of amazement or surprise that one may utter phrases like"Glorified be the Lord God!" and "Praised be the Lord!"? … Thank you …         

Answer:

 It is OK, of course. Glorification and remembrance of God is required and recommended all the time as much as we can, even if we forgot. This shows how we appreciate God's creation and blessings/bounties and how we are thankful for Him.

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Ornaments of Moses' Pharaoh and his People

Published in December 29, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … What is meant by ornaments and splendor in the verse 10:88 about Moses' Pharaoh's wealth, when Moses invoked God's wrath to destroy Pharaoh's wealth? … Thank you …   

Answer:

 The term "ornaments and splendor" means all precious possessions Pharaoh and his corrupt, affluent retinue members owned and showed them off in arrogance and tyranny. This includes their gold and jewels and ornaments worn in the hands, hair, clothes, feet, necks, fingers, etc. Indeed, most Pharaonic artifacts found are ornaments worn by affluent men and women even inside the sarcophagi of mummies.    

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Performing Dawn Prayers in Time

Published in December 29, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … I find great difficulty in the long nights of every winter to stay up to perform dawn prayers in time or to wake myself up in cold weather; is it OK to skip it and to perform morning prayers instead? …Thank you …   

Answer:

 No; there is nothing called morning prayers; God in the Quran mentions the dawn prayers, but lazy ones perform it any time before the noon prayers. It is easy for real believers to get used to perform dawn prayers in time regularly with the passage of weeks and months and to organize one's time perfectly so as not to miss the dawn prayers. By the way, it is better for the human body and mind to wake up early and to sleep early (for 8 hours), so do not stay up.

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The Metaphoric Style of the Quranic Text

Published in December 29, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Do God's Omniscience (i.e., He knows and watches over everything) and Transcendentalism (i.e., He is above time, place, and everything) contradict with these verses mentioning God's knowledge: "Or do you expect to enter Paradise, before God has known those among you who strive, and before He has known the patient ones?" (3:142); "Or do you think that you will be left alone, without God knowing which of you will strive..." (9:16); "God has now lightened your burden, knowing that there is weakness in you..." (8:66) … What do you think? … Thank you …      

Answer:

 Of course, God's Omniscience incudes everything and He is before and above time and the universe, as He is the Creator of time and the universe and He is the First and the Last. All creatures of the Lord God live within the frame of time and place. God in the Quran addresses human beings in ways that make them understand and discern, using metaphoric language that employs verbs of human actions to describe God's decrees, actions, and commands; e.g., "...They planned, and God planned, but God is the Best of planners." (8:30). Hence, in the verses you have quoted in your questions, there is no contradiction with God's Omniscience at all; these Quranic  verses address human beings in simple ways to make them understand the importance of working hard in patience and striving to perform many good deeds, within monotheism, to earn Paradise in the Hereafter as our reward. No human mind could imagine or understand fully the qualities/epithets of God the Dominant Lord; one is amazed to think of billions of galaxies in outer space; let alone thinking of the Supreme Being: God Himself Who created this universe. Thus, metaphoric style is adopted in the Quran (similes, metonymy, symbolism, etc.). For further information, please wait for our "Quranic Moments" episode about the metaphoric and factual styles of the Quranic text.

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The Day of the Festival

Published in December 30, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … In 20:59, in the context of Moses and the challenge with the Egyptian sorcerers/magicians, what does the term (the day of the festival) refer to? Was it the Nayrouz or spring festival? … Thank you …        

Answer:

 It is clear that it is a festival celebrated by the Ancient Egyptians. It might have been Sham Al-Nassim spring festival, still celebrated by Egyptians until now, which falls each year on the Monday after the Coptic Easter. Egyptians on that day eat fish, green vegetables, and colored eggs, while having picnics in gardens and parks.

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About The Verse 99:2

Published in December 30, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir,  … God says in the Quran: "And the earth brings out its loads." (99:2) … What does the word (loads) mean here exactly? … Thank you …

Answer:

 There are Signs of the Hour, which have commenced with the descent/revelation of the Quran as the Last Message of God to humanity and they include the humankind assuming that they control the earth: "...Until, when the earth puts on its fine appearance, and is beautified, and its inhabitants think that they have mastered it, Our command descends upon it by night or by day, and We turn it into stubble, as if it had not flourished the day before. We thus clarify the verses for people who reflect." (10:24). In fact, 10:24 is being realized and taking place now. There are still two signs that have not taken place yet: "And when the Word has fallen on them, We will bring out for them from the earth a creature which will say to them that the people are uncertain of Our Verses." (27:82); "Until, when Gog and Magog are let loose, and they swarm down from every mound. The Promise of Truth has drawn near. The eyes of those who disbelieved will stare in horror: "Woe to us. We were oblivious to this. In fact, we were unjust."" (21:96-97). The Hour will being with earthquakes destroying everything on earth and the universe is going to be destroyed before the Last Day: "No - when the earth is leveled, pounded, and crushed. And your Lord comes, with the angels, row after row." (89:21-22). A new, eternal universe will be created, fit to the Dominant Lord God's manifestation of Himself to judge human beings: "On the Day when the earth is changed into another earth, and the heavens, and they will emerge before God, the One and Dominant Lord." (14:48). Thus, the word (loads) in 99:2 means that the earth will be destroyed while human souls will be resurrected and their records/books of deeds registered by angels will be brought from Barsakh levels of earth. Human souls will be able to see Barsakh-realm creatures; i.e., angels, jinn, and devils, who lived on earth. The earth loads include those tormented in Barsakh (i.e., the people of Noah and the people of Pharaoh) and those enjoying the Barsakh Paradise (i.e., those who were killed for God's sake/cause). The crushed earth will let go of all these on the Last Day: "When the sky is ruptured. And hearkens to its Lord, as it must. And when the earth is leveled out. And casts out what is in it, and becomes empty. And hearkens to its Lord, as it must." (84:1-5). The destruction of the heavens and the earth will turn them into the zero point that was before the universe was created: "On the Day when We fold the heaven, like the folding of a book. Just as We began the first creation, We will repeat it - a promise binding on Us. We will act." (21:104). There is seven heavens and seven Barsakh levels on earth: "God is He Who created seven heavens, and their like of earth. The command descends through them, so that you may know that God is Capable of everything, and that God Encompasses everything in knowledge." (65:12). Loads of the earth are found in its Barsakh levels: souls of the dead on the one hand, and the angels, jinn, and devils who live on earth on the other hand.  Earthly, material level of earth is weaker than the Barsakh levels on earth that we cannot see or experience during our lifetime.

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Masturbation, Again!

Published in December 30, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … I am a male youth, and I am addicted now to the bad habit of masturbation on a daily basis; I desire very much to stop this sin, as it makes me feel that as if I were a disbeliever in God. I tried to abstain an repent many times, but I failed miserably! I feel so bad! I feel that my heart is filled with misguidance and disbelief and this is why I cannot repent sincerely! I am afraid that I'm damned! The more I seek repentance and atonement, the more I fall in sinning! Please help me and tell me what to do! I vowed many times to god that I will repent, but I have not been able to fulfill this promise or vow! The devil is tempting me with bad images of God and of myself! I know I must keep my vows to God! I know I must adhere to chastity, but how?! Any advice?! … Thank you …    

Answer:

  This is a frequently asked question that comes to us more often. Of course, masturbation is prohibited in Islam, but it is NOT a grave sin; rather, it is among the small mistakes or minor mishaps. You can get rid of masturbation gradually by getting busy with more important issues (e.g., (re)reading our archive of writings to ponder on the Quran more deeply) and to fortify your will. Of course, you have the ability to repent since you suffer pricks of conscience now, as we infer from your message. Get busy with acts of worship, extensive readings an studying, reading the Quran, pondering the Quranic Truth, performing good deeds, etc. May God bless and reward you and accept your repentance.    

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Prophets between Jesus and Muhammad

Published in December 31, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Do you think that there were prophets between the era of Jesus and the era of Muhammad? … Thank you…

Answer:

 This is most likely within the level of entire earth; there were prophets/messengers to all peoples/nations worldwide as per the Quran; yet. God does not tell us about all of them in the Quran; the focus is on prophets/messengers within the middle of the world; i.e., what has come to be known in the 20^th century as the Middle-East.

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Buying, Carrying, and Looking at the Cross

Published in December 31, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Is it OK to buy, sell, carry, own, and look at the cross cherished by Christians? Is it OK to engage in trade within goods that have crosses printed on them? Is it OK to deal with the International Red Cross? … Thank you …      

Answer:

 Seeing a cross is not a sin; people's eyes can see anything automatically. What is sinful and prohibited for monotheists is to carry, buy, and sell crosses (and Christian icons) because it is like pagan idols that must be avoided and one must not come near pagan idols sanctified and worshipped by polytheists. this applies to 'holy' relics, items/things, and mausoleums that foolish polytheists assume that they can draw benediction from them. Some conmen and swindlers during the Mameluke people used to sell to the gullible ones stones with  footprints carved on them as 'holy' relics by claiming that the footprints belonged to Muhammad, whose feet sank into the stone! This myth and falsehood provided the name to one of the Cairene districts, a district named Athar Al-Nabi (i.e., literally in Arabic, footprints of the prophet). Some gullible ones assume to draw benediction from a cloak assumed to have been Muhammad's and few hairs claimed to be from Muhammad's head-hair! This is very silly and nonsensical. Some Shiites in the past used to sanctify a sword that they claimed to have been owned or used by Ali Ibn Abou Talib: their supreme deity among other gods within the Shiite pantheon. All such relics are to be avoided and one must not come near them or touch them because they are abominations, let alone buying and selling them. Other abominations to be avoided but are often forgotten are food items (and meat of slaughtered animals sacrificed at mausoleums) presented at religious celebrations (i.e., moulids, feasts, or festivals) of Sufis, Shiites, and Shiites to celebrate their saints/deities in many cities; e.g., Cairo, Yathreb, Karbala, Najaf, Qom, etc. Such food items are abominations as the werededicated to other than God. It is naivety to focus on crosses while forgetting about polytheistic 'holy' relics, feasts, and mausoleums sanctified by the Muhammadans. For more details about prohibited food items that are abominations, we refer readers to two articles of ours in English on these links: http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=17003/ http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=13976          

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We Do not Know

Published in January 1, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … I like very much your idea of pronouncing God's Name (i.e., Allah) with a heavy, emphatic sound of the letter (L) (or the sound /l/ in the IPA symbols) instead of the light, non-emphatic pronunciation common in the Egyptian variety of Arabic … But I ask you: when have this mispronunciation appeared for the first time? …Thank you … 

Answer:

 We do not know exactly when this phenomena has emerged; we specialize in the Quran and in history/heritage of Muslims/Muhammadans, but not in linguistics, phonology, or history and development of the Egyptian Arabic tongue. Of course, we never claim to know everything; we are just a researcher who frankly assert that after four decades of research since 1977, our findings are still very little. We implore the Almighty Lord God to increase our knowledge of the Quran. The scholars of the earthly, man-made religions of the Muhammadans are ignoramuses who 'enjoy' their 'blissful' ignorance. The Middle-Ages Arab poet Al-Mutanabbi says the following in a line of his poetry: (Those endowed with reasonable minds feel miserable in the bliss of their minds/ Whereas those ignoramuses feel blissful in the misery of their ignorance).   

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This Food

Published in January 1, 2018

Question: …  Dear Sir, … A friendly neighbor of mine who is very close to me gave me a tray of food as a gift on the day of Moulid (i.e., Sunnite feast/commemoration of Muhammad's assumed birthday). I did not eat this food as I am a Quranist man who never celebrate polytheistic feasts, but I left the tray at my kitchen and my wife and children ate from it … Was this a sinful act that I made them eat this food inadvertently? Should I have thrown it away? … Thank you …

Answer:

 It is OK to ear food of those who give these food items as gifts within any occasion. This is not a sin. What is sinful for sure is to consume food items prohibited in the Quran as they are abominations; e.g., food presented (and meat of animals slaughtered) at the feasts/celebrations/moulids held by mausoleums of deities/saints or in Christian, Sunnite, Sufi, or Shiite parties celebrating such mortal, entombed gods and offering oblations to them. Thus, the location is the criterion here to judge food items as abominations or not. You have not committed any sins by accepting a gift of food items at your home and allowing your household members to eat it. 

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An Unjust Sister

Published in January 1, 2018

Question: …  Dear Sir, … I'm a young unmarried woman who have three sisters … Before the death of my mother, she lent me a large sum of money and when I tried to repay her later on, she told me to keep the sum for myself, but she never gave the same amount of money for any of my three sisters. After her death, I felt uncomfortable regarding this sum of money; I divided it in equal shares with two sisters, without giving the youngest sister any shares because she inherited her rightful share but she disowned her sisters (me included) and never talk to them or to any family members; even my mother, years before her death, bought a new car to this youngest sister and never for the rest of the sisters (me included). Was it right or wrong that I've given money to my two younger sisters to ease my conscience regarding the legal inheritance shares? Another question is how am I gonna deal with the youngest sister who is a troublemaker; nearly two years before my mother's death, she kicked this youngest sister out of the house for good, after big quarrels; this youngest sister is a working, unmarried woman and she lives alone; before the death of my mother, I used to tell her to fear the Lord God in piety and to stop mistreating the other sisters (me included) and our mother, but she has derided me and called me a foolish woman! Should I try to get nearer to her and to forgive her for the troubles she's caused to me, to the two sisters of ours, and to our late mother? Or shall I avoid her for good because she is an evil person? A last question is as follows: does my mother's paternal uncle has a share of inheritance money or not? I apologize for my long letter though I tried to be brief as soon as possible … Thank you for your time …    

Answer:

  The borrowed money ceded to you by your mother during her lifetime is never part of inheritance money; it is all yours, and your sharing it with two sisters is good gifts from you to them but never part of their rights, we assure you. Your youngest sister is an impious, unjust person who mistreated your later mother; since she has rejected your pieces of advice, you would better avoid her. But when the time comes and she would repent, feel remorse, and seek you and the other sisters, be there for her and embrace her with your heart and arms. The four sisters should have equal shares of 2/3 of the inheritance money, and 1/3 is for your late mother's uncle who is still alive.

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I Saw This Strange Dream

Published in January 15, 2008

Question: … Dear Sir, … I am a religious woman, who is a wife, and a mother of sons who have reached the marriage age, and I deal with my husband and sons with seriousness of mind and they respect me very much … I saw this strange dream days ago during my sleep, and I desire your help to interpret it for me … I saw in this dream that I am having a bath, as I lie naked inside the bathtub filled with water and a female friend of mine is massaging my back with water, while I hide my private parts and my breasts with my hands as I feel shy of my nakedness before the eyes of this female friend. When I woke up, feeling worried, I've assumed that my death is drawing near and this female friend was washing by body with water before my burial! Is this interpretation true? This is what came to my mind when I woke up. Could you have another ways to interpret this strange dream? If I'm gonna die, tell me so frankly; for I'm not afraid of death but I still feel worried about this dream … Thank you …  

Answer:

We are no interpreter of dreams like Joseph; yet, we remind you that our own reading of your dream is mere personal view that might be wrong or true, because dreams/visions indicate the metaphysical realm of the past or the future, and this linked to is God's Omniscience and not to our limited knowledge of course. in light of this, we surmise that your dream maybe indicates a coming problem you will face soon and your female friend will help you to solve it, while she will not know the whole details of the problem, because you will not tell her the whole story.

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An Evil Way

Published in April 16, 2013

Question: … Dear Sir, … I'm now a single 45-year-old man; I desire to get married after spending my youth in promiscuity. Yet, I never trust women at all; I used to have sex with so many married women who cheated their husbands. I feel that God will punish me by making my future wife cheat on me by having sex with another man! I feel tormented by this thought! … I desire to get married and have a child before I grow too old for that! My late paternal uncle, who was promiscuous and taught me to lead a promiscuous lifestyle, died recently alone and depressed, and he had suffered many diseases that the human flesh is heir to. I seek repentance so as not to suffer his fate in this world and the next. But I must get married to avoid fornication; yet, I distrust women very much; when I get engaged to some women, I left them soon enough, because every time, I try to seduce the woman to get her into bed, and when she would refuse, I reject her and cancel the engagement, as I feel furious for being repulsed and rejected sexually by her! And when the woman accepts to enter into my bedroom, I reject her and cancel the engagement because I feel she is a loose woman who will betray me later on if I get married to her! I feel so bad! Any advice? …  Thank you …        

Answer:

 God says in 17:32 that fornication is an evil way; this is exemplified by your torment now; your psyche and mentality are damaged, but NOT beyond repair, we assure you. You are now tormented by doubts and haunted by bad memories. You must repent sincerely and stop thinking about the possibility that your future wife might be unfaithful to you; choose a good woman whose age is suitable for you (i.e., not too young), so that you start a new life of repentance. Deal with her fairly and kindly and make sure to win her heart and mind first. Keep away from any promiscuous friends of yours. Once you get married, have a child as soon as possible. You must perform many good deeds and acts of worship while imploring Almighty God to accept your atonement and repentance. Be a role-model for your wife in piety and righteousness. May God guide and help you.