Q & A FOR THE QURAN AND ISLAMIC LAW
with
DAR AL-IFTA
___________________________________________________
DAR
AL-IFTA: What is the ruling of implanted contact lenses made of
pig tissue?
ANSWER:
If the chemical nature and components of this porcine substance
change and it is transformed into another new gelatinous or spongy
substance, then it is no longer considered porcine. In this case,
it is permissible in the Shari'ah (Islamic law) to use it, trade
in it, and use it for medical purposes. However, if in terms of
its constitution, it is considered one of the components of a
pig, then it is impermissible to use it except in the absence
of a pure alternative and for an overwhelming necessity.
DEAR
DAR AL-IFTA: Is it permissible for the wife to go through plastic
surgery to look beautiful for her husband?
ANSWER:
The principle is that it is legally prohibited to conduct plastic
surgery with the purpose of changing one's appearance without
a medical necessity. However, it becomes lawful [halal] if it
is medically decided by the physician that the procedure will
achieve either physical or psychological benefit especially one
which affects the stability of life in general and of marital
life in particular; or to remove either a congenital defect or
one that occurs later in life. However, this must be done according
to what is medically determined in order not to harm you.
DEAR
DAR AL-IFTA: I have an abnormally large nose that is not only
causing me breathing problems but mental distress as well. What
is the Islamic stance on rhinoplasty to reduce the size my nose?
ANSWER:
Among the established principles of Islamic law is that harm is
to be removed. This is based on the words of the Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon him) who said, "Do not harm and do
not reciprocate harm" (recorded by Ahmed, Ibn Majah, al-Hakim
and others. Imam An-Nawawi declared it a fair hadith).
The
principle is that it is legally prohibited to conduct plastic
surgery with the purpose of changing one's appearance without
a medical necessity. However, it becomes lawful if a physician
determines that such a procedure will achieve either a physical
or psychological benefit especially one which affects the stability
of life in general and of marital life in particular. The procedure
is also permissible for removing a congenital defect or one that
occurs later in life.
And God Almighty knows best.
DEAR
DAR AL-IFTA: Is it permissible for young Muslims to join QSIS
to establish an Islamic state?
ANSWER:
Dar al-Iftaa incriminated joining any armed organizations or supporting
them in any manner due to their barbaric acts which cause destruction
and distort the image of Islam. These horrific acts are condemned
by humanity as it goes against the natural human disposition and
are Islamically rejected.
Dar al
Iftaa added that such organizations with their extremist ideologies
have misguided many youth under the false name of religion, Jihad
and Islamic state. In fact, their acts reveal nothing but their
miserable attempt to distort religion, bring destruction and spread
blood-shed. Such terrorist organizations failed to deduct legal
evidence from its authentic Islamic sources and were driven by
their incomplete interpretation of the verses of the Qur`an and
hadiths of the Prophet [peace and blessings be upon him]. They
twisted the meanings of religious texts in order to justify their
appalling acts of extremism which leads them to desecrate the
sanctity of life and ruthlessly shed people’s blood with
thirst that never seems to stop. Furthermore, they issued extreme
condemnable infedilizing fatwas which they exploited in killing
their opponents and spreading corruption all over the globe.
DEAR
DAR AL-IFTA: I have
a sister who has a child from a non Muslim. They are not married
because neither of them wants to convert. Her family has spoken
to her so many times and yet she doesn’t find anything wrong
with her way of life. She says as long as she is still a Muslim
then no one can blame her for anything. I have chosen to cut ties
from her but the rest of my sisters and brothers choose to support
her. Am I doing the right thing?
ANSWER:
This relationship is considered fornication but is not worse than
committing disbelief. Nevertheless, the Prophet [pbuh] ordered
us to maintain ties of kinship with non Muslim relatives. In a
hadith recorded by Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet [peace be upon
him and his family] ordered Asmaa` the daughter of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq
to maintain relations with her non-Muslim mother. If this is so,
then what about a disobedient Muslim relative? For this reason,
the sin your sister is committing is not considered a reason to
sever ties with her. Rather, you are to support and advice her,
and try to make her feel safe. Otherwise, severing relations with
her may be prohibited as it may lead to disbelieve, Allah forbid!
DEAR
DAR AL-IFTA: My daughter is lesbian. Will God forgive her? We're
Egyptian practicing Muslims and live in the USA. She prays, fasts,
pays zakat, and possesses very good moral conduct except this
lifestyle. She's convinced that Allah created her this way because
she was never attracted to men nor she will ever be. She is attracted
to girls/women only not necessarily for sex but it's the emotional
attraction. She thinks that Allah will forgive her because those
feelings are not within her control. For years she tried to get
help via psychotherapy but it has not worked. Is it possible for
Allah to have mercy and forgive her if she continues this lifestyle?
In the Quran, Allah mentions lust but spoke of men not women.
ANSWER:
Such kind of issues necessitates distinguishing whether one's
tendency towards the same sex is physical or psychological. In
case of physical tendency, it is a must to consult sexual and
reproductive diseases specialists. This is carried out by a specialized
committee to decide the basic gender of the patient. Concerning
the psychological aspect, the patient undergoes a psychotherapy
program which will require a strong will. The western methods
of therapy may be not appropriate, because they begin with a primary
agreement to the sex reassignment surgery in case therapy is not
fruitful. This case is known in Islamic Jurisprudence as "al-Tinjeer"
[En. an effeminate man] and results from an unbalanced upbringing.
DEAR
DAR AL-IFTA: I want to ask about masturbation and whether is prohibited
or not. I used to think it is prohibited but did it sometimes,
I had anxiety and depression and went to a psychiatrist and during
my healing process he said that it's perfectly normal and it has
been proved healthy and said I needed to do it to let off some
of the tension. I am a lot better now and I consider myself healed
but I need to know since during Ramadan I didn't do it once.
Kindly
advise me with proofs from Quran or Hadith. Please know that the
doctor is a Muslim and I do consider him of good knowledge (he
graduated from Azhar).
ANSWER:
According to the opinion of the majority of scholars, masturbation
is prohibited [haram] and it is impermissible to practice it except
when there is a necessity through which a Muslim may encounter
physical or religious harm. This includes the physician's advice
to practice masturbation for a certain time.
SCHOLARLY
OPINIONS
Hanafi
scholars have stated that it is prohibited [haram] to masturbate
via any means other than the hand of one's spouse unless there
is an excuse. Some scholars from among the Hanafis maintained
that masturbation is undesirable [makruh]. These include The Hanafi
scholar, Ibn Nujaim who said in Al-Bahr al-Ra'iq Sharh Kanz al-Daqa'iq
(vol.2, p.293), "It is mentioned in the collection of fatawa
Al-Walwaljiya that there is no harm [in masturbating] if one only
seeks to relieve sexual desire (i.e. excessive sexual desire that
distracts a person from religious and worldly matters). Also if
one is spouseless or has a spouse, yet it is difficult to reach
her/him due to certain circumstances. This opinion is also stated
in Al-Siraj Al-Wahaj."
Shafi'i,
Maliki and Hanbali scholars have stated that masturbation is prohibited
[haram]. However, the Hanbalis stated that it is permissible when
there is a necessity.
The previous
Grand Mufti of Egypt Sheikh Mohammed Hassanien Makhlouf issued
a fatwa that was published in al-Azhar magazine (Vol. 3, Muharram
1391 A.H, p.91). The fatwa included the following:
It is
evident that the majority of scholars agreed that masturbation
is prohibited and this opinion is supported by the fact that it
poses serious harm to nerves and physical and mind health and
this calls for its prohibition. There are various means that help
one to refrain from practicing masturbation: These include
The
most important is hastening to seek marriage as soon as possible
while maintaining simplicity and avoiding excessiveness and
complications.
Moderation
in food and drink which contribute to stimulating sexual desire.
In this regard, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
recommended fasting as per his words, "O young men, whoever
from among you can afford it, let him get married, for verily
it is a means to lowering one's gaze and protecting one's
chastity. And whoever cannot, let him fast, for it will be
a shield for him.”.
Refraining
from anything that arouses sexual desire such as listening
to immoral songs and watching lewd images which are available
in abundance in movies.
Directing
one's aesthetic faculties to permissible channels such as
painting flowers and nature scenery which do not arouse sexual
lust.
Choosing
righteous pious companions.
This
dialogue was originally published and copyrighted in Dar
Al-Ifta.
