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
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.
