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Q. The only relatives which a man has is an adopted daughter and his sister. In his will he leaves his entire estate to his adopted daughter. He completely deprives his sister of any inheritance. How should his estate be divided according to the Shariah?
A. The adopted daughter is not an heir. She does not inherit in his estate. If his only relative is his sister, then she will inherit his whole estate. The will of this man is baatil and haraam. If he wishes her to receive something of his estate, he should make a wasiyyat (bequest) which should not exceed one third the value of his assets.

Q. Is it permissible to buy CD cassettes which have nazams with and without music? A Mufti says that it is permissible to buy such cassettes. According to him, the nazams without music should be taped on another cassette and the music portion should be discarded. Please comment.
A. One does not require deep insight to understand the error of the Mufti. Commonsense is sufficient to understand that it cannot be permissible to buy and listen to a cassette on which haraam music is being played. This mufti is inducing people to buy something which is haraam and also encouraging them to listen to music. To even retape the nazam without music, it will be necessary to listen to the music. Children especially will incline to the music and they will develop the habit of listening to such haraam songs. The mufti in blurting out thoughtless answers is opening up an avenue of fitnah in the community. He invites to kabeerah sins instead of preventing evil. His argument is similar to saying that it is permissible to buy a case of liquor and fruit juice. The fruit juice should be removed and consumed while the liquor should be thrown away. This is a satanic delusion and a trap to gradually draw Muslims into the net of haraam. It is haraam to buy a cassette on which there is music irrespective of the nazam which is unaccompanied by music.

Q. I am a student at a Madrasah. Someone is sponsoring me with Zakaat money. I do not use all the money from the monthly allowance which my sponsor gives me. I save an amount from the Zakaat. After a couple of months the amount which I have saved is more than the Nisaab of Zakaat. Can I continue accepting the monthly Zakaat allowance seeing that a year has not passed on the Nisaab I have?
A. It is haraam for you to accept Zakaat when you have the Nisaab amount irrespective of a year passing or not. Whenever you have the Nisaab, then it is your Waajib duty to inform your sponsor that you have sufficient funds and you are therefore not permitted to accept Zakaat. When the money decreases to less than Nisaab, you may inform your sponsor.

Q. What makes shaking of hands on Eid Days bid’ah?
A. Why would two people who proceed together in the same vehicle to the Musallaa (Eidgah) for Salaat refrain from hand-shaking when they leave their home, but as soon as the Eid Salaat is over, they shake hands? Why did they not shake hands at home before leaving? Why do they not shake hands in the vehicle while riding to the Eidgah? Why do they not shake hands when they arrive at the Eidgah? Why do they delay their hand-shaking for after the Eid Salaat? Where did they acquire this practice from? From the Sahaabah? From the Taabieen? From Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam)? Why did these great personalities not shake hands on this occasion? These questions cannot be fobbed off by saying that hand-shaking is Sunnat. We all know that Salaat is Fardh and Sunnat. But performing Salaat at sunrise is haraam. Performing Salaat in conflict with the teachings and practice of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) is bid’ah and Haraam. In the same way, shaking hands and developing it into a perculiar and a stupid custom is bid’ah. It is not permissible to shake hands on Eid days after Salaat. It is a baseless custom which has no origin in the Sunnah.

Q. Is it Sunnat for the Khutbah to be longer than the Salaat or vice versa?
A. It is Sunnat that the Khutbah be shorter than the Salaat. According to the Hadith it is one of the minor signs of Qiyaamah for the Khutbah to be long and very long while the Salaat will be short. This is generally the practice nowadays, especially on Eid days when the khatieb bloated by ujub (vanity) and endeavouring to make an impression on the congregation, recites a very long specially prepared khutbah which tires the people. Some khatiebs go out of their way to create an impression with their khutbahs.Their motive is to impress the musallis who do not understand anything of the khutbah. As long as it is new-sounding, the khatieb basks in his ujub thinking that he is making a wonderful impression on the musallis. The desire to recite very long khutbahs and to depart from the Masnoon khutbahs are signs of the unwholesome intention of the khatieb. One who is concerned with ibaadat and thawaab will opt for a Masnoon Khutbah,and such khutbahs are not long. The need for reciting Masnoon Khutbahs is greater for us who do not understand Arabic. Firstly, the Sunnat is observed. Secondly, the people do not become weary. Thirdly the barkat in reciting a Masnoon khutbah is far greater than reciting the poetry which was compiled centuries after Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). Fourthly, the khatieb does not have much latitude for his ujub.

A GOLDEN RULE

Never submit to the obstinacy of your child regardless of his tantrums. To submit to his obstinacy and complying with his desires is to ruin him forever. Remember this. This is a golden rule. (Hakimul Ummat Hadhrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi- rahmatullah alayh)

Q. Is it permissible to use interest money to pay a Muslim’s debts?
A. If the Muslim qualifies to accept Zakaat, then he may be given the interest to pay his debts. Everyone who has debt is not necessarily permitted to accept Zakaat. His Zakaat assets may still amount to Nisaab or more after deduction of his debts. If so, then he may not be given interest.

Q. After which Surah in the 30th Juz is it Mustahab to recite ‘Lailaha illallaahu wallaahu akbar’?
A. We are not aware of this. This is the first time we have heard that reciting tahleel is Mustahab after a certain Surah in the 30th Juz. We have never read of this anywhere nor did any of our Asaatizah ever teach us about this. Nevertheless,no one can claim to know everything. Perhaps someone else can enlighten us on this question. Until we find something concrete, we cannot comment.

Q. A musalli joins the Jamaat Salaat in the 4th raka’t. How should he complete the three raka’ts which he has missed?
A. After he rises to complete his Salaat (i.e.after the Imaam has ended the Salaat), the Masbooq has to recite Thana and Qiraa’at as he would in the first raka’t. After this raka’t, he will sit and recite Attahiyaat. Then he rises, and in this raka’t he will again recite Qiraa’at (Surah Faatihah and a Surah). After this raka’t he will rise into the last raka’t and recite only Surah Faatihah.

Q. Is it permissible to perform Fardh and Nafl Salaat in a room where people are sleeping? Also is it permissible to recite Qur’aan loudly in such a room when the sleeping persons will be disturbed?
A. Salaat may be performed in the room silently without disturbing the people who are sleeping. It is not permissible to recite the Qur’aan Shareef loudly in a place where people are sleeping or making ibaadat.

Q. What intention should be made when performing Qadhaa Salaat?
A. The intention of the specific Salaat which is being performed should be made.

Q. May a non-baaligh (one who has not attained puberty) correct the mistakes of the Imaam in Taraaweeh Salaat?
A. If the na-baaligh is intelligent and knows how to perform Salaat, he may correct the Imaam.

Q. Is it true that the penalty or consequences of incorrect discharge of inheritance overtake the guilty one within 30 years?
A. The consequences of evil usually befall the criminals quickly. They don’t have to wait for 30 years. We are not aware if there is any narration mentioning 30 years.

Q. Some people make thikr while viewing television. Is this correct?
A. It is like making thikr while relieving oneself in the toilet. In fact, it is worse than making thikr in the toilet because when answering the call of nature one does not commit haraam, but when viewing television, one indulges in a kabeerah sin.

Q. Some people recite the Qur’aan Shareef in an extremely loud voice. Is this proper?
A. It is not proper to shout while making tilaawat. Reciting very loudly is improper.