Question 553

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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. O Allah, send prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, the Imams and the Mahdis, and grant them peace. Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you. May Allah magnify your reward for the martyrdom of the truthful, pure Fatima al-Zahra-may the prayers of my Lord be upon her. To my master, my guardian, and my father, the Yamani of the family of Muhammad ... I am always overcome by a feeling of sadness and anxiety and by thoughts that ultimately lead me to despair. My master and guardian, I want from you anything that will help me rid myself of this feeling and make me worthy of supporting Muhammad and his family with tongue and sword. May Allah establish you upon the earth, my masters and guardians. Another message: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. O Allah, send prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, the nation [as printed] and the Mahdis, and grant them peace. Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you. May Allah magnify your reward for the martyrdom of the truthful, pure Fatima al-Zahra-may the prayers of my Lord be upon her; upon her father, the Messenger of Allah (s), the master of humankind; upon her husband, the Commander of the Believers (a), the master of the vicegerents; upon her children al-Hasan, al-Husayn, and Zaynab; and upon the Imams and the Mahdis (a), especially her son, the Remnant of Allah upon the earth, and his vicegerent (may Allah establish them upon the earth). O Allah, curse those who oppressed her and usurped her right, the right of her children, and the right of the supporters of her children. O Allah, grant us the honor of supporting them, by Your name, the One, the All-Conquering, and by sending prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, the Imams and the Mahdis, and grant them peace. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. To my master and guardian, the Yamani of the family of Muhammad (a), I have some questions, among them: The Exalted said: ‘The fornicator marries none but a fornicatress or a polytheist woman, and the fornicatress is married by none but a fornicator or a polytheist, and that has been forbidden to the believers’ (^[75]). When I read this verse, many thoughts enter my mind. You know, my guardian, that a person has many hidden matters, including his sins and things that we do not know but Allah knows. I do not know what this verse means: ‘and that has been forbidden to the believers.’ Is it forbidden by Allah, or by the believing person? Forgive me, my guardian, for my limited understanding in formulating the questions. I know that you, my master, understand what I mean. At the beginning of Surat al-Waqia, why did He, Glorious and Exalted is He, begin with the companions of the right and not begin with the foremost or the companions of the left, according to the order of the descriptions-either the ones brought near or those who have gone astray-as at the end of the surah? There is discourse about women in the Noble Quran and the narrations of the Household (may Allah’s prayers be upon them all), and my questions, master, are: What is the consultation in which a man must oppose a woman? Whenever a matter arises and a woman discusses it with men and gives her opinion, they say, ‘Consult them and oppose them.’ This leaves bewilderment and brokenness in the heart because they cite the Household (a) against us. My master, I want you to give us a ruling concerning the extent of the limits within which a woman may speak and interact with a man who is not her mahram, and likewise concerning a man and the extent of his interaction with a woman who is not his mahram, whether she is a female Supporter or not. Is the interaction the same in every respect? Some brothers among the Supporters interact with their wives with much abuse and insult, and it can extend to other things of which we are ashamed to speak. They also interact with them by beating them. I am not speaking about myself, but about real incidents that bring sadness to our hearts. I ask Allah to grant my brothers success in every good and to replace these interactions with treatment by which the female Supporters may reach Allah and support Muhammad and the family of Muhammad with tongue and sword. My master, my guardian, and the delight of my eye, joy cannot contain me because you are with us in this age, my masters and guardians. By Allah, at times I can hardly believe it when I hear your voice, which is dear to us. We wish from Allah, by the right of the truthful al-Zahra (peace be upon her), that He grant us the honor of supporting you-peace be upon you. Forgive me, my master and guardian, if I have overstepped with my words, for I gather them with difficulty because they crowd together while I am confused. O Allah, establish Muhammad, the family of Muhammad, and the Riser of the family of Muhammad, sooner rather than later, by the right of Fatima, her father, her husband, her sons, and the secret entrusted within her. Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you. Sender: Umm Zaynab - Iraq

Source: The Enlightening Answer Across the Ether, Vol 6; Author: Imam Ahmed Al-Hasan; Question 553; Page Not available; AL-JAWAB-AL-MUNIR-V6-Q553. View Arabic source · Open the original Arabic source ↗

Accepted Answer

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, the Imams and the Mahdis, and grant them peace. I ask Allah to grant you success in remembering Him, Glorious and Exalted is He, and in reciting the Quran, for in these there is a polishing of hearts and a purification of souls. So recite the Quran abundantly, especially Surat Ya-Sin, Surat al-Waqia, and the Verse of Subjugation: ‘Indeed, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then established Himself over the Throne. He covers the night with the day, which pursues it swiftly; and the sun, the moon, and the stars are subjugated by His command. Unquestionably, creation and command belong to Him. Blessed is Allah, Lord of the worlds. Call upon your Lord humbly and secretly. Indeed, He does not love the transgressors. Do not cause corruption upon the earth after it has been set right, and call upon Him in fear and hope. Indeed, Allah’s mercy is near to the doers of good’ (^[76]), in order to drive away the devils of humankind and the jinn. May Allah protect you from their evil. A to Q1: ‘The fornicator marries none but a fornicatress or a polytheist woman, and the fornicatress is married by none but a fornicator or a polytheist, and that has been forbidden to the believers’ (^[77]). The fornicator does not commit fornication while he is a believer; rather, the garment of faith is stripped from him. If he regrets and repents, his faith returns to him. Thus, the prohibition in the verse applies to a fornicator and a fornicatress who are known for fornication and from whom no repentance has appeared. Marriage to such people is forbidden. May Allah grant you success. I explained this matter in The Laws of Islam, and this is the text from that book: ‘It is not permissible to marry a woman known for fornication unless her repentance becomes apparent.’ A to Q2: Perhaps you confused the two questions at the beginning of the surah-‘Then the companions of the right-what are the companions of the right? And the companions of the left-what are the companions of the left?’-and believed that it began with the companions of the right, whereas it began with the ones brought near and explained their condition: ‘And the foremost, the foremost: those are the ones brought near, in Gardens of Bliss ...’ Then came the companions of the right, and it explained their condition: ‘And the companions of the right-what are the companions of the right? Among thornless lote trees ...’ Then came the companions of the left, and it explained their condition: ‘And the companions of the left-what are the companions of the left? Amid scorching wind and scalding water ...’ It is likewise at the end of the surah. As for the two questions at the beginning of the surah concerning the companions of the right and the companions of the left, while omitting a question concerning the ones brought near, this is to demonstrate the honor of the ones brought near and the loftiness of their station, and that there is no need to ask about their condition or to explain it. Therefore, He, Glorious is He, began directly by explaining their condition without asking about it. A to Q3: A. It is foolish to say, ‘Consult a person in order to oppose him.’ Indeed, it is discourteous. Not everything narrated from the Household (a) is authentic. There are those who erred in transmitting from them, and there are those who deliberately fabricated statements against them in order to malign them. Whatever you find that contradicts the Quran and the character of the Quran certainly did not issue from the Household (a). Rather, it is an erroneous transmission, a corrupted text, or speech fabricated against them (a). B. Speech between a woman and a man is permissible, but the speech is supposed to be for a sound and acceptable reason, such as work or guidance. It should not be frivolous speech or speech merely for the sake of talking. C. A husband and wife are two persons joined by a contract. Certainly, they are not one person but two, and consequently there must be differences and divergence between them in many matters. This requires patience and each of them bearing with the other. There must be affection and mercy between the spouses so that their life together may continue; otherwise, conflict between them is an indication of the social failure of one of them or of both together. For this reason, Allah, Glorious and Exalted is He, urged that some members of the community close to them-his family and her family-intervene to guide the spouses, advise them, and solve the problems that caused the disagreement between them. The Exalted said: ‘If you fear a breach between the two, appoint an arbiter from his family and an arbiter from her family. If they both desire reconciliation, Allah will bring harmony between them. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware’ (^[78]). As for a husband using physical blows against his wife, it is forbidden and impermissible except in the case of nushuz. This is a special case in which the wife refuses the marital bed, and the blows may not be severe. Allah has established its counterpart for her: the prohibition against the husband refusing the marital bed. Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you. Ahmed Alhasan Mid-Shaban / 1431 AH

Question 553 - The Enlightening Answer Across the Ether, Vol 6

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Question 553

Ahmed al-Hasan Response:

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