Fatwas: Part Thirty-Two

Issued by: Dr. Ahmed Subhy Mansour, translated by: Ahmed Fathy

Violating Publishing Conditions

Published in March 23, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … When I was browsing within old articles written by Quranists on your website, I was amazed to read some that express weird views contrary to Quranism and to your ideas in general such as………… Why such articles have not been deleted yet? … Thank you …     

Answer:            

  Of course, when anyone would publish an article that violates the publishing conditions of our website (which are as follows: 1- never to ascribe any hadiths to Muhammad, and 2- never to deny Quranic facts and tenets of Islam), we usually remove this article. Please send us links of such articles so that we delete it. Thank you very much, dear son. Indeed, we urge all our fellow beloved Quranists to send us links of similar articles that violate and contradict the Quranist line of thought to be deleted. Sadly, we have no time to follow all articles published on our website by others; in the past, many Sunnites infiltrated into our website to vent their anger against us and to write as per their whims to stir trouble and useless, futile debates among Quranists by writing articles that contradict the Quranic verses. We have deleted many of such articles, but some escaped our notice. Please help us, everyone, to purify our Quranism website from nonsensical articles that contain corrupt ideas and thought.   

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No Procrastinators

Published in March 23, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Some people would borrow sums of money from me, but they'd procrastinate when the time comes to pay back their debts, and I never get my money back unless with too much nagging … My question is as follows: shall I continue being charitable to those persons and lend them money again when they ask me? Or shall I stop it to avoid being harmed by their procrastination? … Thank you …  

Answer:

  It is not obligatory, or even a religious duty, to lend money to those who harm you by their procrastination.   

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Pardon for Yazidis

Published in March 23, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Yazidis never belief in prophets and messengers and do not admit that Satan and devils exist, but they are monotheists who believe in the One God, the Creator, and perform good deeds and charity, etc. My question is as follows: would Yazidis be pardoned by God, thought they do not believe in the Quran, and would be admitted to Paradise? … Thank you …      

Answer:

   God's pardon is not granted during the lifetime of individuals; rather, it is granted on the Day of Judgment.  As for one's lifetime, repentance is a must, long before one's death so that one has enough time to reform, correct, and rectify oneself and perform enough good deeds to remove the past sins so that one is regarded by God among the good people who deserve to be forgiven on the Last Day and thus enter Paradise. Accordingly, we are never to judge others (persons or groups) by asserting God would pardon them or not; instead, we implore the Almighty Lord to forgive and pardon us. 

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Jinn, Magic, and Autism

Published in March 24, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Do you believe in spiritual treatment, or is it contacting Jinn? What do you think about hypnosis? Is it something good and true or magic? Are mind-control programs OK or not? Lastly, could any of these methods be used to treat severe cases of autism, as medical treatments did not work?  … Thank you …     

Answer:

   The so-called 'spiritual' treatment is a myth used by quack-doctors and charlatans to deceive the gullible ones and take their money. There is nothing in Islam called contacting Jinn at all; such myth is spread because of falsehoods and lies (i.e., narratives and hadiths) fabricated by Al-Bokhary and his likes and propagated by their Sunnite followers who seek to get money. We tend to think that hypnosis is true and based on scientific experience; we do not think that there is such a thing as "mind-control programs". As for autism, you should ask a specialized medical doctor about its medical treatment.

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Noon Siesta  

Published in March 24, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … In a recent article of yours pondering a Quranic term, you mention the noon siesta or taking a nap at noon. Is this mentioned in the Quran as you say? How and where? … Thank you …    

Answer:

    Yes of course; it is mentioned in the following Quranic verse: "How many a town have We destroyed? Our might came upon them by night, or while they were napping." (7:4). The last word in this Quranic verse, in Arabic, means literally in classical Arabic 'sleeping at noon', as typically done by people within hot-weather environments. This verse refers to the fact that God's punishment by smiting and destroying evil people had occurred while they were sleeping by night or at noon.

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Supporting Tyrants

Published in March 24, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Some shop owners raise on their walls photos, mottoes, flags, and symbols of the oppressive tyrants, dictators, or unjust political parties, and I hate to see this, and I either close my eyes or never to enter such a shop or pass by it … What do you think of such support for the unjust ones? … Thank you …    

Answer:

  Those who support the unjust ones are partners in injustices and oppressions, and they share sinning with the unjust ones as per the measure of this support of unjust criminals. Real believers must hate the unjust people and all sorts of injustice. God does not love the unjust ones and never desires injustice to human beings.  

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Read our Archive, Please!

Published in March 25, 2017

Question:  … Dear Sir, … I shall never understand why people reciting the Quran with beautiful voices are not acceptable to you … Could explain this further to me? … Thank you …      

Answer:

  We refer you to our article proving that singing the Quran is a grave sin, as they ridicule it and divert listeners away from pondering the verses. Please read our entire archive first before posing repeated questions.

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Answered Before

Published in March 25, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … As per the Quranic verses 2:177 and 9:60, could we infer that relatives of Prophet Muhammad (i.e., the Hashemites of Qorayish in Mecca) are to be revered and honored and given part of zakat money?! Am I to give my own rich relatives zakat alms money as well? … Thank you …   

Answer:

   We refer you to our article on that topic, proving that there is no such a thing as a 'holy' family in Islam regarding the household of Muhammad. This article (in English) is titled "The Notion of Descendants of Muhammad's Household Is a False, Hateful, Racist One of Disbelief" and found on our website on the following link:

 http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=16080

Please read our entire archive first before posing repeated questions.

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Would You Please Read First?!

Published in March 25, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … I was wondering about tests and ordeals of life to people as per Quranic verses and Quranic stories within your Quranist views; why Fate is imposing things on us? … … Thank you …    

Answer:

  Please read our entire archive first before posing repeated questions. We refer you to our articles on the Quranic term "fitna" or persecution as well as our book titled "How To Understand the Holy Quran".

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Please Watch

Published in March 26, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, …  Why do not you write about features of women's dress code as per Quranism? Are women's clothes should not be tight, transparent, and similar to men's? …Thank you …      

Answer:

 Modest unrevealing clothes in general are recommended for women, but without covering their heads (we refuse hijab and niqab) and it is a nonissue if clothes of women are tight or not; for more details, please watch on YouTube our episodes on women's dress code and accessories/ornaments within our program titled "Exposing Salafism".

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It Is Not Prohibited

Published in March 26, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, …  Can I as a Quranist eat from food items prepared by Yazidis (meat, milk, bread, etc.), though they are not among the People of the Book and the Quran never mentions them of course?… … Thank you …         

Answer:

  It is not prohibited at all; prohibited food items are specified in the Quran and one cannot add to them at all.

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Please Write About It  

Published in March 26, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Upon deep reflection on certain Quranic verses, I've made a discovery; I've inferred that the terms ''Yahood'' (a sect of Jews) and ''Nasara'' (a Christian sect) are not Judaism and Christianity per se or even the people who followed the religion of Moses and Jesus respectively; rather, they are sects/doctrines invented by some people who claimed they believed in the Torah/Gospel and they were later subdivided into other sects, just as those Muhammadans who claimed to believe in the Quran but in fact, they revere and sanctify countless books instead in their sects of Sufi orders, Shiite doctrines, and Sunnite trends … It is great that many ponderings on Quranic verses are published on your great website to enrich our minds with food for thought, instead of the ossified, fossilized views of Al-Azhar … But could you please inform me if my views expressed above are correct?  … Thank you for your time and advice…

Answer:

    You can of course, as a writer on our Quranism website, write an article expressing your views to share it with other Quranists who are willing to discuss them by writing comments addressed to you.

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Not All of Them

Published in November 15, 2014

Question: … Dear Sir, … Do all religious traditions of our forefathers are deemed wrong?  … Thank you …     

Answer:

  No, not all of them; the evidence to support this is the Quranic command to use the Quran, God's Word, as criterion to judge any religious traditions: ""Shall I seek a judge other than God, when He is the One who revealed to you the Book, explained in detail?" Those to whom We gave the Book know that it is the truth revealed from your Lord. So do not be of those who doubt." (6:114). This indicates that any inherited notions or traditions that do NOT contradict the Quran are OK, but those contradicting it must be discarded. For instance, all hadiths must be discarded because the only hadith (literally: discourse) in which real believers must believe is God's discourse: the Quran: "... Which message, besides this, will they believe in?" (7:185); "In what discourse, beyond this, will they believe?" (77:50); "These are God's Verses which We recite to you in truth. In which message, after God and His revelations, will they believe?" (45:6). Yet, our ancestors and forefathers believed in so many discourses (hadiths/narratives/myths) of Al-Bokhary and his likes, and their hadiths must be discarded and rejected altogether. As for the five daily prayers, for example, we inherited the way they are performed and their timings from our forefathers, following the Abraham's religion, and this does not contradict the Quran; yet, we as a Quranist thinker utter the testimony in prayers as the Quranic verse 3:18 beside other verses containing praise of the Lord, instead of the Sunnite Sufi utterings containing their saints and Muhammad as a deity. We discern that the verse we mention here is suited to be the testimony during prayers because it contains the testimony of Islam and the fact that there must be distinction among His messengers and prophets: " God bears witness that there is no God but He, as do the angels, and those endowed with knowledge-upholding justice. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Wise. Religion with God is Islam…" (3:18-19). We also infer from the Quran that pilgrimage can be performed anytime throughout the four sacred months and not to be confined in one week, and there is no such a thing as stoning a pillar representing Satan. We conclude from the Quran as well that it is prohibited to sanctify and worship mausoleums/tombs, including the one dedicated to Muhammad in Yathreb. Let us be reminded that disbelievers of Qorayish in Mecca used to prefer the traditions of their forefathers to God's Word: "And when it is said to them, "Follow what God has revealed," they say, "Rather, we follow what we found our parents devoted to." Even if Satan is calling them to the suffering of the Blaze?" (31:21); "And when it is said to them, "Follow what God has revealed," they say, "We will follow what we found our ancestors following." Even if their ancestors understood nothing, and were not guided?" (2:170). Sadly, the Muhammadans follow the footsteps of disbelievers by adhering to hadiths authored by ancestors and claim that hadiths are part of divine revelation and of Islam!                       

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An Excellent Idea

Published in March 27, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Why don't you specify certain links/pages on your website so that each Quranist would write how and when she/he has been guided to Quranism? … I do believe such stories would be beneficial to novices who read on your website for the first time … Thank you …   

Answer:

  This is an excellent idea, and we urge all writers within our website to do so; this is very useful to the history of the Quranist school of thought. but we do not need to open a new section for this; each Quranist should write an article about this topic on her/his page separately.

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Between Faith and Specialization

Published in March 27, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Is it not hypocritical to read or study at the university books of Sunnite sharia and to listen to Sunnite sermons with its blasphemies? A faithful believer cannot remain silent, but either to avoid such sources of blasphemy and disbelief or to refute and criticize them vociferously and outspokenly, right?  … Thank you …     

Answer:

    Those who search for the Quranic Truth must specialize and/or read books of falsehoods of the earthly religions that ascribe themselves to Islam so that they can refute, debunk, question, and criticize them and use the Quran and their minds as the criteria to judge their notions to get to know roots of intellectual deviation of the Muhammadans and consequently get nearer to the Quranic Truth. For instance, our specialization in Al-Azhar University does not mean that we must believe in Azharite books as 'holy' or  as containing any truth related to faith tenets. We believe only in the Quran as the Only Book of God in Islam and we specialize in it, while we disbelieve in books of the Sunnite, Sufi, and Shiite religions though we studied them for decades as part of our specialty as a Muslim thinker and a historian.               

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Between Satiation and Gluttony

Published in March 27, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Is having a stomach filled with foods prohibited? Those who assert this view quote this Quranic verse: "…and eat and drink, but do not be excessive. He does not love the excessive." (7:31). Is this what is meant really by 7:31? … Thank you  …  

Answer:

  Being satisfied and no longer hungry is not deemed gluttony or excessiveness. In fact, gluttony or excessiveness is when one eats on even when one is no longer hungry, or when one cooks excessive amounts of food that are eventually thrown away. Such excessiveness is certainly prohibited in the Quran, and it is certainly harmful to one's health, as obesity and being overweight causes many health problems and one is forced by nutritionists and medical doctors to remain hungry for long times to lose extra weight as a result of previous excessive eating.

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 The Devil's Touch

Published in April 13, 2007

Question: …  Dear Sir, … After my younger brother grew mentally ill and psychiatrists failed to cure him, after taking much money from us, I took my brother to a spiritual healer who treated him by reciting the Quran to him in bed, and my brother began to feel better and he might be cured soon enough … Yet, your writings assert that treating people with reciting the Quran to them is a type of deceit by charlatans who seek money from the gullible masses and an insult to Islam; how come that you say so while the Quran tackles Satan's touch in 2:275? Would you deny this Quranic verse while claiming to be a Quranist?! … Thank you for taking time to answer me …    

Answer:

 The meaning of Satan's touch or devilish touch in 2:275 have a meaning that differs from that of Sunnite charlatans; its meaning for Quranists is misguidance and seduction of the devils to human beings in general. This meaning is derived from the Quranic three contexts that mention the touch of the Devil to mean misguidance and seduction to do evil acts. The intended meaning is NEVER to create mental of physical illness in human bodies. The first Quranic verse is as follows: "Those who swallow usury will not rise, except as someone driven mad by Satan's touch …" (2:275); within this verse, we read a figure of speech about people infatuated with usury money and mad with this greed/love of money, NOT maddened in the literal sense of the word. Indeed, usurers are driven by their greed to collect and hoard money to be so obsessed by it and create enmities with people and live in constant fear and worry by the devilish seduction that made them worship money as a deity. The second Quranic verse is as follows: "And mention Our servant Job, when he called out to his Lord, "Satan has touched me with hardship and pain."" (38:41); within this verse, we discern that the Devil caused Job's wife, progeny, and friends to desert him and to corrupt his relations with all of them (see 2:102), and then he was taken ill physically and psychologically as a result. It is NOT the devil that caused Job's sickness, though. Job prayed and implored the Lord to grant him relief from the physical ailment and the psychological pain, and his patience was rewarded by good health and the return of his wife, family, and friends. "And Job, when he cried out to his Lord: "Great harm has afflicted me, and you are the Most Merciful of the merciful." So We answered him, lifted his suffering, and restored his family to him, and their like with them-a mercy from Us, and a reminder for the worshipers." (21:83-84). This asserts that the role of devils is just seduction by suggesting evil tendencies and ideas, as we know from this third verse: "And when a suggestion from Satan touches you, take refuge with God. He is Hearing and Knowing. Those who are righteous-when an impulse from Satan strikes them, they remind themselves, and immediately see clearly." (7:200-201). This means that whispers of devils used to come to all pious people and prophets as well, and they sought refuge in God so that they remain in the righteous path all their lives. Bad, evil, corrupt persons never do that; they respond and obey devil's whispers and commit evil deeds until they are dead and upon dying, they see that Hell is their fate after the Day of Resurrection. The Quran is a source of healing in the figurative and not literal sense of the word; an antidote against disbelief, doubts, polytheism, and evildoing. The Quran relieves the worried and the those in crises as they remember God in piety, patience, and devoutness of faith and belief that allays fears of the truly faithful ones. but it is insulting to the Quran to think it heals physical or mental ailments. And the Quran causes distress and loss for those who disbelieve in it. "We send down in the Quran healing and mercy for the believers, but it increases the wrongdoers only in loss." (17:82); "…Say, "For those who believe, it is guidance and healing. But as for those who do not believe: there is heaviness in their ears, and it is blindness for them…" (41:44). "O people! There has come to you advice from your Lord, and healing for what is in the hearts, and guidance and mercy for the believers." (10:57); "And seek help through patience and prayer. But it is difficult, except for the devout." (2:45); "O you who believe! Seek help through patience and prayers. God is with the patient ones." (2:153); "While those who believe, and work righteousness, and believe in what was sent down to Muhammad-and it is the truth from their Lord-He remits their sins, and relieves their concerns." (47:2). Hence, psychological balance and wellbeing are achieved when one believes in the Quran wholeheartedly; one does not need spiritual charlatans who abuse and manipulate the Quran to steal one's money. Psychological ailments and stress as well as mental disturbance occur when one is worshipping one's body all the time and worship money (Mammon). Hence, greed, carnal lusts and appetites, and the race to hoard material possessions and assets makes one depressed, frightened, and extremely worried all the time. Moderation in life is advised in all aspects; one cannot dedicate one's lifetime to the transient world and forget about the spiritual aspect and preparing for the Afterlife. Really peaceful and faithful monotheistic ones live in harmony and are guided by the Quran, never fearing any mortals: " God defends those who believe…" (22:38); "That is only Satan frightening his allies; so do not fear them, but fear Me, if you are believers." (3:175). 

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Witnesses in the Quran

Published in November 3, 2006

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Are there links between ''martyrs'' and witnesses" in the Quranic verses? … Are victims of terrorism witnesses/martyrs in the Quranic sense? … Thank you …     

Answer:

   Witnesses in the Quran are those who preach the Truth among people and who will bear witness for/against people on the Last Day. Witnesses include prophets and messengers and all preachers who spread the Religious Truth as per Scripture or God's Word. Please read 4:41, 11:18, and 16:89. As for those killed while sincerely striving for God's cause, they are witnesses on the Last Day and they live in Barsakh Paradise (the one in which Adam and Eve used to live before their descend on earth) until the Last Day. We cannot assert the same for killed victims of terrorism; this is up to God who is Omniscient and knows all that is inside hearts and minds of human beings.      

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Sad for My Friend

Published in February 13, 2009

Question: … Dear Sir, …I live in the USA and I'm of Arab origin and a Quranist thanks to you … My intimate American friend is a very moralistic upright person who does lots of charity works and so on, and he is helpful and so good, but he is an atheist! I feel so sad because I cannot guide him to Quranism, and I shudder at the thought that he would be tormented in Hell … Would God make him enter Hell for his atheism? Or would he enter Paradise because he is peaceful, charitable, good person? … Thank you …    

Answer:

  Please, our dear son, do not distress or trouble yourself; do not make yourself uneasy and disturbed; you must bear in mind that the Quran talks about certain behaviors, traits, and qualities of disbelief and polytheism to be avoided and the good behaviors, traits, and qualities of belief to makes us adhere to them. No mortals can say that a person, specified by his/her name, is entering Hell or Paradise; this is God's matter on the Last Day, not yours. No names are mentioned in the Quran as to who is going to enter where in the Hereafter. God created us free to choose our fate as per faith and deeds; you are not allowed to think of the unseen. Unknown realm of the Hereafter by claiming that someone is entering Hell or not. Please stop believing in Sunnite myths and notions that cause your present sorrow. Personally as a Quranist, we try to present the Quranic Truth online seeking reform on all levels, and we never trouble ourselves with those rejecting it to remain an atheist, a Muhammadan, or following any other denominations. Please do not contemplate within the forbidden aspect of God's omniscience and deciding other people's fates in the Afterlife as per their deeds and faiths. Get busy instead by preparing and paving your way to Paradise by your good deeds and deep monotheistic faith. Thank you.       

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Divorce!

Published in February 6, 2007

Question: … Dear Sir, … I'm a Muslim American man of Arab origin who is married to a Christian American woman who has three adolescent sons from a previous marriage … Her sons are driving me crazy with their troubles and lifestyles that give me immense pain and mortification … As quarrels increased between me and my wife, and me and her sons, I left the house after pronouncing the words "I thereby divorce you!" three times! … After we negotiated and solved most troubles, I asked Wahabi sheikhs in my city, and they asserted to me that I divorced her once not thrice and I can return to her … I returned because I love her and she loves me, and she cannot live without me… But weeks later, we quarreled because of her sons, and I left the house after pronouncing the words "I thereby divorce you!" … Wahabi sheikhs told me that divorce in moments of fury is invalid … I'm afraid and I feel that my marriage is no longer valid; I'm worried and I cannot decide if the verbal divorce is valid or not; she cannot do without me because she does not work and her sons depend on me financially, and I love her! But I fear God and I must check and verify all things about divorce in Islam… Wahabi sheikhs are no longer trusted by me …What is your opinion? …Thank you …   

Answer:

  Your marriage is still valid, and we personally advise you not to quarrel with your wife over her boys, because cultural differences are bound to cause some trouble and you must bear patiently with her sons. You are not responsible for the upbringing of her sons, and please stick to your marriage and to your wife since she loves you and you love her. Please tolerate her sons for her sake, since she is an ideal wife to you, as we feel between the lines of your message. May God guide, aid, and reward you. There is nothing in Islam (Quranism) called 'verbal' divorce; rather, real divorce is valid only when papers are signed to that effect in presence of witnesses (at least two persons), and you can even in that case return to your wife before the end of the three-month waiting period. If reconciliation does not occur within this period, divorce is final after the end of the three-month period, and a possible remarrying one's divorced wife must be within drawing new contract and paying new dowry. For more details (in English) about divorce:

http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=15977