Question:
Is it true that giving an engagement ring is unlawful in Islam? Please explain your answer.
Answer:
I believe that engagement rings are not unlawful, but I prefer that people avoid the practice whenever it it is possibly that it could be associated with some superstitions notions.
The practice of giving engagement rings is a new one and thus not addressed by the classical works of Islamic Law. However, there are three situations with respect to those who adhere to this practice, and these situations affect the ruling that must be given.
1. Some people vest in such rings certain powers and believe that they create love in the couple’s hearts and that removal of the rings will lead to separation or hatred. In this case, use of these rings is expressly forbidden, since it constitutes a type of polytheism, albiet to a lesser degree. The reason for this being polytheism is that the people give effective power to something that is neither a divine cause nor a natural cause for anything.
2. If the engagement ring is made of gold, then the man may not wear it, since it is forbidden for men to wear gold. The woman, however, may have her ring made out of gold.
3. In cases where there are no beliefs associated with the rings and where the man will not be wearing a gold ring, then scholars disagree. Some say that it is permitted but disliked for being a new and baseless practice. Others say it is permissible without any reservation because it is a harmless custom.
It does not have to be prohibited on account of it being a particular religious custom of certain non-Mulsims, especially since the custom is widespread in most Muslim countries.
As I said before, I do not deem it prohibited, but I warn against it if it has a chance of bringing about those false beliefs mentioned above.
And Allah knows best.
Showing posts with label Customs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Customs. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Saturday, March 2, 2013
What is the Islamic ruling on shaving beards?
Question:
As-salamu `alaykum. Sheikh, is growing one’s beard a sign of piety? A sheikh in my community mentioned that shaving of the beard is forbidden by Prophet’s words. I see that beard is a sign of identity for Muslim males. Is that right way to look at it. I am aware that inward iman (faith) and taqwa (piety) are more important and this is about the outward appearance as per Islam. Please clarify.
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, thank you for your good question and apparent interest to know more about Islam and its teachings.
Growing beard is a great Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). However, Muslims differed regarding its ruling: some of them state that it is mandatory and shaving it is forbidden while others view that it is an optional Sunnah and hence there is no harm in shaving it. What to be stressed here is that beard in Islam does not have the same religious significance as that of the other prescribed rituals. Thus it is important for us to recognize that we are not allowed to ostracize men who do not have beards nor are we to question their basic faith
Responding to your question, Dr. Wael Shihab, PhD in Islamic Studies, Al-Azhar University, and the Head of the Shari`ah Dept. of Onislam.net website, stated,
As-salamu `alaykum. Sheikh, is growing one’s beard a sign of piety? A sheikh in my community mentioned that shaving of the beard is forbidden by Prophet’s words. I see that beard is a sign of identity for Muslim males. Is that right way to look at it. I am aware that inward iman (faith) and taqwa (piety) are more important and this is about the outward appearance as per Islam. Please clarify.
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, thank you for your good question and apparent interest to know more about Islam and its teachings.
Growing beard is a great Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). However, Muslims differed regarding its ruling: some of them state that it is mandatory and shaving it is forbidden while others view that it is an optional Sunnah and hence there is no harm in shaving it. What to be stressed here is that beard in Islam does not have the same religious significance as that of the other prescribed rituals. Thus it is important for us to recognize that we are not allowed to ostracize men who do not have beards nor are we to question their basic faith
Responding to your question, Dr. Wael Shihab, PhD in Islamic Studies, Al-Azhar University, and the Head of the Shari`ah Dept. of Onislam.net website, stated,
Thank you for your question.
Islam calls upon Muslims to be handsome and beautiful. A Muslim should always be pure in clothes and body. This purity and cleanliness extends to one’s morals and manners. In their words and deeds, Muslims are to be pure and clean avoiding any form of vulgarity or foul speech. Commanding the purity and the cleanliness of the appearance, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), says: “Verily, Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty.” (Muslim, Sahih, hadith No. 91)
Growing men’s beards is a significant Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). A man who lets his beard grow, should keep it clean and neat to maintain the beauty of his over-all appearance.
As for the issue of shaving one’s beard, there are three scholarly views on this: First, shaving beard is prohibited. Second: it is makruh (reprehensible). The Third view is that there is no problem in shaving the beard.
I myself incline to the view which says that is generally disliked for a Muslim man to shave his beard without a justification. The fatwa, therefore, may differ from one case to another depending on surrounding circumstances and conditions.
In all cases, a Muslim should abide by Islam’s values and morals in all his or her dealings and practices.
May Allah accept your and our good deeds.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Are we allowed to wear wedding rings?
Question
As-Salamu `alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa barakatuh. I want to know the Islamic ruling concerning engagement ring. Is it permissible in Islam or not? Jazakum Allah Khayran.
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 your good question and we pray to Allah to enable us furnish you with the best answer.
As far as your question is concerned, we would like to cite for you the fatwa issued by the prominent Muslim scholar, Sheikh `Atiyyah Saqr, former head of Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee:
“The engagement ring or wedding ring has a history of thousands of years old. Some people claim that the Pharaohs were the first to invent it long before the Greeks had any notion of it.
Others say that it stems from an old custom still upheld by people. By this they are referring to tying the bride and the bridegroom together with chains and making him ride a horse, while dragging his bride behind him to the marital home, which might be a distance of two houses. Later, it became popular to wear a ring, instead of being tied with chains.
Wearing an engagement ring on the left finger is related to an old custom of the Greeks who believed that the circulation of blood by the aorta is done through this area.
It became apparent later that the British were also fond of wearing engagement rings; in fact, they regarded the habit as purely Christian.
Muslims adopted the idea of wearing the engagement ring without any obvious reason, and some consider removing it as a bad omen. This has no basis in Islam.
Wearing an engagement or wedding ring is not considered unlawful in the Islamic perspective, as there is no religious text that determines this.
It is also not considered as a form of imitating unbelievers. We know in any case that such imitation is forbidden, especially on something contravening the teachings of Islam.
If the ring is silver, there is nothing wrong in both men and women wearing it. But if the ring is made of gold, women can wear it, while men cannot. At-Tirmidhi relates through the authentic chain of narration that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Wearing gold is forbidden for male Muslims, but it is allowed for female Muslims.”
According to the hadith narrated by Muslim, the Prophet forbade men from wearing gold rings. It is also narrated that when the Prophet, peace be upon him, saw a man wearing a gold ring, he immediately removed it from the man’s hand and threw it away. He then said: “Wearing it (a gold ring) is like wrapping one’s hand with fire brand”.
http://www.onislam.net/english/ask-the-scholar/morals-and-manners/customs-and-traditions/174823.html?Traditions=
As-Salamu `alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa barakatuh. I want to know the Islamic ruling concerning engagement ring. Is it permissible in Islam or not? Jazakum Allah Khayran.
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 your good question and we pray to Allah to enable us furnish you with the best answer.
As far as your question is concerned, we would like to cite for you the fatwa issued by the prominent Muslim scholar, Sheikh `Atiyyah Saqr, former head of Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee:
“The engagement ring or wedding ring has a history of thousands of years old. Some people claim that the Pharaohs were the first to invent it long before the Greeks had any notion of it.
Others say that it stems from an old custom still upheld by people. By this they are referring to tying the bride and the bridegroom together with chains and making him ride a horse, while dragging his bride behind him to the marital home, which might be a distance of two houses. Later, it became popular to wear a ring, instead of being tied with chains.
Wearing an engagement ring on the left finger is related to an old custom of the Greeks who believed that the circulation of blood by the aorta is done through this area.
It became apparent later that the British were also fond of wearing engagement rings; in fact, they regarded the habit as purely Christian.
Muslims adopted the idea of wearing the engagement ring without any obvious reason, and some consider removing it as a bad omen. This has no basis in Islam.
Wearing an engagement or wedding ring is not considered unlawful in the Islamic perspective, as there is no religious text that determines this.
It is also not considered as a form of imitating unbelievers. We know in any case that such imitation is forbidden, especially on something contravening the teachings of Islam.
If the ring is silver, there is nothing wrong in both men and women wearing it. But if the ring is made of gold, women can wear it, while men cannot. At-Tirmidhi relates through the authentic chain of narration that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Wearing gold is forbidden for male Muslims, but it is allowed for female Muslims.”
According to the hadith narrated by Muslim, the Prophet forbade men from wearing gold rings. It is also narrated that when the Prophet, peace be upon him, saw a man wearing a gold ring, he immediately removed it from the man’s hand and threw it away. He then said: “Wearing it (a gold ring) is like wrapping one’s hand with fire brand”.
http://www.onislam.net/english/ask-the-scholar/morals-and-manners/customs-and-traditions/174823.html?Traditions=
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Are Muslims allowed to use utensils when eating or does it have to be by hand?
Question:
Can a Muslim eat with utensils like forks and chopsticks or is this forbidden?
Answer:
The Prophet (peace be upon him), his Companions, and the pious predecessors all used to eat with their hands. They did not employ any other means to bring food to their mouthes.
However, this is really a matter of regional custom. There is no blame on a person who eats by another method according to his habit or his custom. It is important, however, that he gives preference to his right hand, even if he is eating with a utensil.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) commanded: "Mention Allah's name, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is in front of you." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]
And Allah knows best.
http://en.islamtoday.net/node/1248
Can a Muslim eat with utensils like forks and chopsticks or is this forbidden?
Answer:
The Prophet (peace be upon him), his Companions, and the pious predecessors all used to eat with their hands. They did not employ any other means to bring food to their mouthes.
However, this is really a matter of regional custom. There is no blame on a person who eats by another method according to his habit or his custom. It is important, however, that he gives preference to his right hand, even if he is eating with a utensil.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) commanded: "Mention Allah's name, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is in front of you." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]
And Allah knows best.
http://en.islamtoday.net/node/1248
What's the ruling on celebrating birthdays?
Okay so there's different views regarding this. To be honest I haven't celebrated my birthday since I was 9 or 10. But sometimes my family likes to go out for dinner when a member's birthday comes.
I'll be posting two fatwas on this.
The first one:
Question:
What is the ruling on celebrating birthdays?
Answers:
If you mean formally celebrating the likes of the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) or Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) as a devotional act, then this is clearly unlawful. Such festive days are newly contrived innovations that conflict with the dictates of Islamic Law.
Such rites are from the traditions of the People of the Book. They have a devotional purpose and are carried out seeking nearness to Allah. This is the reason I view such occasions to be unlawful and prohibited.
If, on the other hand, you mean celebrating personal birthdays, then this is something different, since it is not intended as a devotional act or an act of worship. Therefore, it is not as serious a matter.
Still, personally I tend to regard it as something disliked for people who are not already accustomed to celebrating this event in their culture, but do so merely to blindly ape cultural practices that are outside of their own experience and understanding.
All the same, birthday parties are not religious occasions and do not have an overtly religious cast to them.
A birthday party is not a festival of the nature of an `îd that is a general festive day for the entire community. It is merely a personal occasion that means nothing more than a remembrance of something dear. Therefore, it is permissible.
And Allah knows best
http://en.islamtoday.net/node/618
And the second one from: http://askthescholar.com/question-details.aspx?qstID=6658
Question:
I am 21 years old. I don't celebrate my birthday with birthday parties. But is it acceptable in Islam if I invite some friends and relatives of mine and treat them with food without telling them that the foods are for my birthday? To what extent celebrating birthday is haram in Islam?
Answer:
Celebrating birthdays has been a contentious issue among scholars: While one group opposes it, others approve of it as long as one refrains from all objectionable rituals and practices. Those who approve of it are basing on the principle of jurisprudence, which states that customs cannot be deemed as haraam unless forbidden by Shari'ah; or unless there are evils associated with it. The case is different with religious rituals and beliefs, which can never be instituted except by the clear sanction of the Law-Giver.
In light of light of the above, if it is a custom in your culture or country then you may do it as long as you stay away from the following: 1. Wastage and extravaganza; 2, Music and un-Islamic rituals and practices. In case of celebrating the birthday you may do well to give thanks to Allah by giving charities to the poor, and reading some Qur'an and offering du'as and supplications.
I'll be posting two fatwas on this.
The first one:
Question:
What is the ruling on celebrating birthdays?
Answers:
If you mean formally celebrating the likes of the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) or Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) as a devotional act, then this is clearly unlawful. Such festive days are newly contrived innovations that conflict with the dictates of Islamic Law.
Such rites are from the traditions of the People of the Book. They have a devotional purpose and are carried out seeking nearness to Allah. This is the reason I view such occasions to be unlawful and prohibited.
If, on the other hand, you mean celebrating personal birthdays, then this is something different, since it is not intended as a devotional act or an act of worship. Therefore, it is not as serious a matter.
Still, personally I tend to regard it as something disliked for people who are not already accustomed to celebrating this event in their culture, but do so merely to blindly ape cultural practices that are outside of their own experience and understanding.
All the same, birthday parties are not religious occasions and do not have an overtly religious cast to them.
A birthday party is not a festival of the nature of an `îd that is a general festive day for the entire community. It is merely a personal occasion that means nothing more than a remembrance of something dear. Therefore, it is permissible.
And Allah knows best
http://en.islamtoday.net/node/618
And the second one from: http://askthescholar.com/question-details.aspx?qstID=6658
Question:
I am 21 years old. I don't celebrate my birthday with birthday parties. But is it acceptable in Islam if I invite some friends and relatives of mine and treat them with food without telling them that the foods are for my birthday? To what extent celebrating birthday is haram in Islam?
Answer:
Celebrating birthdays has been a contentious issue among scholars: While one group opposes it, others approve of it as long as one refrains from all objectionable rituals and practices. Those who approve of it are basing on the principle of jurisprudence, which states that customs cannot be deemed as haraam unless forbidden by Shari'ah; or unless there are evils associated with it. The case is different with religious rituals and beliefs, which can never be instituted except by the clear sanction of the Law-Giver.
In light of light of the above, if it is a custom in your culture or country then you may do it as long as you stay away from the following: 1. Wastage and extravaganza; 2, Music and un-Islamic rituals and practices. In case of celebrating the birthday you may do well to give thanks to Allah by giving charities to the poor, and reading some Qur'an and offering du'as and supplications.
Are wedding anniversaries considered biddah?
Question:
Are wedding anniversaries an innovation?
Answer:
Some young couples, when the date of their wedding comes around again, like to celebrate that day. The husband often presents a romantic and affectionate gift to his wife. Sometimes, they rent a room in a hotel for the night and spend a romantic time together.
Some Muslims, however, look upon this with suspicion, wondering if this comes under the prohibition of observing holidays aside from the established `ids.
Celebrating one's anniversary in the manner described above is not in any way intended as a religious observance. I see no objection to it at all.
There is no way that the question of innovation can even come up, since an innovation in Islam is to introduce something unprecedented into a matter of religious observance or a matter of devotion to Allah.
As long as the observance of one's wedding anniversary is just a customary occasion - neither intended as an expression of religious worship nor established as a formal festival or rite - then there is nothing wrong with celebrating it.
And Allah knows best.
http://en.islamtoday.net/quesshow-73-836.htm
Are wedding anniversaries an innovation?
Answer:
Some young couples, when the date of their wedding comes around again, like to celebrate that day. The husband often presents a romantic and affectionate gift to his wife. Sometimes, they rent a room in a hotel for the night and spend a romantic time together.
Some Muslims, however, look upon this with suspicion, wondering if this comes under the prohibition of observing holidays aside from the established `ids.
Celebrating one's anniversary in the manner described above is not in any way intended as a religious observance. I see no objection to it at all.
There is no way that the question of innovation can even come up, since an innovation in Islam is to introduce something unprecedented into a matter of religious observance or a matter of devotion to Allah.
As long as the observance of one's wedding anniversary is just a customary occasion - neither intended as an expression of religious worship nor established as a formal festival or rite - then there is nothing wrong with celebrating it.
And Allah knows best.
http://en.islamtoday.net/quesshow-73-836.htm
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