Fatwa (Selection) – alahazrat

Charging for Religious Services – 3

In another lengthy fatwa [which is composed of a set of questions; I have extracted only the relevant part of the fatwa here for brevity] Question: Concerning a person [Zayd] who recites from a book in a Mawlid with such a melodious voice and tune that he outperforms professional singers; the commonfolk who do not understand a thing [of what is recited] but are just enthralled by his voice are captivated by ...

Charging for Religious Services – 2

Question: Concerning the following: -In certain parts of Bengal, certain literate people* are invited to gatherings to recite the Qur’ān or recitation of litanies and donate the reward to the dead. These people are then paid for this service after visiting the graves. -Even though an amount is not agreed upon beforehand, it is a tacit agreement that something has to be paid for this service and that such a payment is necessary. -These ...

Charging for Religious Services – 1

Question: [This is a snipped and relevant part of a compound question:] Speech makers who sermonize in a Masjid or outside of it are given offerings in cash or kind by the listeners; some of them merely recite poems and odes [naat] - Is it permissible to give such offerings in a mosque or out of the mosque? - Is such an income permissible for the speaker? - Are they included in the description ...

On Samaa – I

Question: What is the ruling concerning the issue that: Samāá or recitation/singing is permitted for an eligible [ahl] person and impermissible for an ineligible [nā ahl] person. Just as Shaykh Sáadī raĥimahullāh has said: na goyem samāá ay birādar key chīst magar mustamiý rā ba-dānam key kīst I cannot say anything, O brother, about the status of samāá Until I see the status of the person who listens to it. So, why should the samāá ...

Scholar by Self Study

Question:1 What is the ruling concerning a person who has read some ordinary books of Urdu and Persian, used in preliminary classes, and who has not attended any Islamic school nor obtained certificates from scholars: yet he claims that he is a mufti and translates verses of the Qur’ān and ĥadīth and makes it known to the public that he is a scholar (maulvi). a) Is it allowed to accept the ruling ...

On Tajwid – II

Question:1 Please describe, where in the books of fiqh is it written, that it is farđ áyn2 to recite the Qur’ān with (minimum) tajwīd such that every letter is pronounced distinctly. If it is indeed true, then in which book is it present and in which place in that book. If you can recall a hadith at the moment in this regard, please include it in your answer. — Answer: It is clearly written ...

On Tajwid – I

Question:1 Zayd says the following: “It is necessary to learn the makharij2 and it is obligatory3 to pronounce [the Qur’ān in recitation] properly. However, if one cannot pronounce properly in spite of trying very hard [to learn], they will then have a valid excuse. If a person does not know about the makhraj absolutely or that he knows about them, but he does not pronounce accordingly, then, his namaz/salat is invalid. If most ...

Respecting an Impious Sayyid

Question: 1 A person is a sayyid, but his deeds and character are bad and shameful. Is it permissible to respect him for his lineage and only dislike his deeds? Compared to this sayyid, if there are people from other families like Shaykhs, Mughals, Pathans etc. who are pious – can they be considered higher than this sayyid? In such a situation, does the sharīáh give precedence to actions or mere ...

Marrying a Convert Lady

Question:1 What is the opinion of jurists2 in the following matter: A Sharīf3 converted a non-muslim cobbler-woman to Islam, married her and brought her home. When his kin came to know about this [and deeming that the] Sharīf has tarnished the name of a family of Qadiri4 Sayyids and keeps a cobbler-woman covered (in ĥijāb)5 at home, [they were enraged]. This woman has been a widow for the past two years. ...

Earning by Recitation- II

Question:* Speech makers who sermonize in a Masjid or outside of it are given offerings in cash or kind by the listeners; some of them merely recite poems and odes [naat] – Is it permissible to give such offerings in a mosque or out of the mosque? – Is such an income permissible for the speaker? – Are they included in the description of the verse: ‘These are a people who have bought this ...