Fatwas Part Eighty-Nine

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

You Are Welcome to our Quranism Website (1)

Published in July 23, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … I'm an Egyptian who live and work in Jordan; I work for a Jordanian friend and we talk a lot about Islam; he's convinced with my view that hadiths are nothing but lies and falsehoods; he asked me many questions about doctrines and about prayers and the testimony during prayers; I told him that I'm a Quranist Muslim, and he is curious to get to know about Quranism; I made him reject many Sunnite myths; he hates Friday sermons as they are filled with myths of polytheism and revering/sanctifying the Jordanian king … What books of yours should I make him read first? I desire very much that he'd one day convert to Quranism as the Only True Islam … Thank you …    

Answer:

 You and your friend are very welcome to our Quranism website; we urge readers to think critically while reading our writings; we are the generation of dialogue, and our progeny will choose for themselves (http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=16851). Please send our greetings to your friend. You can make him first read our book titled "The Quran: Sufficient as a Source of Islamic Legislation" (http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/book_main.php?main_id=92), and then the one about prayers and the one titled "The Unspoken-of History of the Pre-Umayyad 'Righteous' Caliphs" (http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/book_main.php?main_id=83), and then he can read the rest of the books and articles within any order he would choose as per the topics that would capture his interest. May God bless you and him.

-----------------------------------------------------          

Thank You, our Son

Published in July 23, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … I beseech and implore our Almighty Lord God to reward you, Dr. Mansour, for your showing thousands of people what True Islam is … I feel that Quranists worldwide are following the way of the Truth, though I've never met with any of them in person … I feel my life has changed to the better after watching your great videos; I'm still reading your archive of books, fatwas, and articles; I feel that I'm at last following the Quranic Truth leading to deliverance and to Paradise; I implore God to make me and you among the winners in this world and in the Hereafter … Thank you …  

Answer:

 Thank you very much, our son. We advise you to read our book, in English, titled "Islam Is the Religion of the Truth", found on this link: (http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/book_main.php?main_id=106).

-----------------------------------------------------           

You Are Welcome to our Quranism Website (2)

Published in July 23, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … You are my real tutor, though I never met you in person; I feel very grateful to God that He made me come across your great website; I've read most of your great writings and I feel overjoyed as I watch your YouTube subtitled-into-English videos of the show titled "Quranic Moments" … I take pride in being a Quranist Muslim now; I'm Persian by origin but I live in Egypt and I was born in Bahrain; my Iranian parents are Twelver Shiites; I'm fluent in Arabic, English, and Persian; I can perfectly speak Cairene/Egyptian Arabic and some people feel that as if I were an Egyptian man … In fact, 25 years ago, I've begun my intellectual journey in search for True Islam; I felt repulsed by the Shiite notions since my adolescence; I kept reading books of history and religion within Sunnite and Shiite viewpoints; I felt aversion towards both Sunnite and Shiite notions; I felt that Sufi books are very disgusting; I reject the Sunnite, Shiite, and Sufi religions now … I'm convinced that the true testimony during prayers is the verse 3:18, but I cannot find your book about prayers to which you have referred in some of your fatwas; I need to know details about how to perform the five daily prayers. I wonder if you can provide me, via an email message, with the link to your PDF books in Arabic so that I can share them with my friends … Thank you very much …

Answer:

 You are very welcome to our Quranism website. Please read our book about prayers in Islam; it is found on our website in Arabic; you can download its PDF version, in Arabic, via this link that contains most of our books: (http://www.4shared.com/office/U4-gO0Fw/___.html).

--------------------------------------------------------                    

Fulfilling and Keeping Vows

Published in July 24, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … I made a vow with the Lord God to stop doing something which is permissible in Islam; can I change/break my vow now? What atonement is to be done in that case? In fact, I broke it several times unintentionally and I feel pangs of remorse, though this vow is not linked to something sinful; what is your opinion of my case? … Thank you …    

Answer:

 It is very sinful to break one's vow made with the Lord God; you would better not to make vows of the kind at all in the future. You are bound to keep your vow for life; God will judge you for not fulfilling or keeping your vow made for His sake; you have to ask for His pardon and forgiveness for breaking this vow inadvertently. God says in the Quran: "Among them are those who promised God: "If He gives us of His bounty, we will donate and be among the upright." But when He has given them of His bounty, they became stingy with it, and turned away in aversion. So He penalized them with hypocrisy in their hearts, until the Day they face Him - because they broke their promise to God, and because they used to lie." (9:75-78).

-----------------------------------------------------                    

Not Prohibited

Published in July 24, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … Is it prohibited to throw away in the dustbin a book or a newspaper that contains God's Name or Quranic verses? … Thank you …      

Answer:

 This is not forbidden; no one dares to forbid something never mentioned as such in the Quran. One is not to deify things, especially things we make with our hands, like books, ink, colors, newspapers, copies of the Quran, etc. One is to deify, sanctify, and worship only God and to revere and apply His Word; i.e., the Quran. It is a polytheistic practice of the Muhammadans to deify copies of the Quran; in contrast, they disbelieve in Quranic verses as they prefer fiqh and hadiths to them. They also deify books of their 'holy' imams. 

-----------------------------------------------------                    

Abraham and Pilgrimage

Published in July 25, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … I have some questions about this verse: "And announce the pilgrimage to humanity. They will come to you on foot, and on every transport. They will come from every distant point." (22:27) … How come that Abraham would announce the pilgrimage to humanity after his death? Does the word "humanity" includes non-believers or non-Muslims? About the pronoun (you) referring to Abraham, people should go to the Kaaba for God's sake and not for Abraham's sake, right? … Thank you …      

Answer:

 We have mentioned that religious legislations (i.e., dos and don'ts) are NOT to be taken from verses containing Quranic stories of prophets; the verse 2:27 is about the story of Abraham. God told him to proclaim pilgrimage to all people who were his contemporaries; the term (humanity) means that all people can visit the Kaaba for pilgrimage, whether they are Muslims/non-Muslims, gentiles/Jews, monotheists/polytheists, or even non-believers, provided that all pilgrims should be peaceful, non-violent people. Pilgrimage legislations are found in certain verses in the Quranic Chapters 2, 3, 5, and 22; these verses do not include 22:27. The pronoun (you) in 22:27 means that people would come to him so that he would teach them how to perform pilgrimage for the Lord God's sake and not for the sake of Abraham himself.   

-----------------------------------------------------                    

Secularism/Laïcité of the West Countries

Published in July 25, 2018

Question:  … Dear Sir, … In secular, civil countries, no one raises religious banners or mottoes to deceive others; freedom is the most respected value especially religious freedom; yet, how should one apply Quranic penalties in cases of fornication and theft? Citizens of the West will not accept that such penalties of Quranic sharia legislations would be applied within Muslim communities there, you know … What do you think? … Thank you …        

Answer:

 This is the difference between secularism that protects religion and the one that discards it; the secular Quran-based country should apply the penalties to protect the society and all citizens; the imprisonment penalty in the West (and elsewhere) is not mentioned in the Quran; the real sufferers of imprisonment are the relatives, wives/husbands, and children of imprisoned people. The imprisonment penalty contradicts this Quranic general rule: "No burdened soul can carry the burden of another..." (35:18). Thus, penalties within Islam are personal; they aim at reform and not retribution; once fornicators/thieves repent in public, no penalties will be exacted on them at all. Even murderers can be spared being put to death when Diyya money is paid to the family members of the victim as per their consent and their forgiving the culprit; this is applicable in many cases as per the Quran. Of course, secularism of the West has many points in common with the Quran; e.g., absolute religious freedom and lack of clergymen as well as leaving judgment to God as far as religion is concerned and equality for all citizens in a given country.         

-----------------------------------------------------                    

About Barsakh, Again

Published in July 26, 2018

Question:  … Dear Sir, … I disagree with your views about Barsakh of the dead souls; this metaphysical realm cannot be imagined by living mortals; your views might be wrong, you know … Thank you …      

Answer:

 Of course, our inferred views are based on our own ponderings of the Quranic verses and we welcome different views and ponderings, based on logic and deep belief in the Quran as God's Word, from our readers. We refer readers to our article, in English, about Barsakh, found on this link: (http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=18682 ).

-----------------------------------------------------                    

Balderdash of Orientalists

Published in July 26, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … Some orientalists assume that Muhammad lived elsewhere and never in Arabia; they base their views on certain Quranic verses such as................... They assume that Muhammad lived in the Levant! How would you refute their nonsensical views? … Thank you …   

Answer:

 The Quran clearly mentions that Muhammad lived in Mecca and then in Yathreb; orientalists in general know little about the dialects and the varieties of the Arabic tongue and the cultural exchange between Arabia and its neighboring regions; they never know the difference between the Arabic-tongue dialects and the Quranic-tongue terminology; they never know the minute details and nuances of terms used in Arabic books of the Abbasid Era and other eras; some orientalists have great views and theories formed within objective studies, and some of them are biased and propagate falsehoods and balderdash as if they were great theories. We, Dr. A. S. Mansour, are more knowledgeable than any orientalists, past and present, in the Arabic tongue, Arab history and heritage, and the Quranist research. We understand Islam better than they do, of course. The language barrier is still an obstacle before most orientalists; please do not give much of your time and attention to books of orientalists. Thank you. 

-----------------------------------------------------                    

Extra Dawn Prayers in Sunna!

Published in July 27, 2018

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Is it OK to perform extra prayers after I perform the dawn prayers? Or would I be imitating the Sunnites in their fabrications? What are the proper extra prayers as per the Quran? Are they to be performed only by night? What do you think?… Thank you …     

Answer:

 There are no Sunna prayers in Islam; please do not imitate Sunnites; God in the Quranic Chapters 32, 51, and 73 mentions that it is OK to perform extra prayers anytime (especially by night) alongside with reading the Quran and glorifying the Holy Name of the Lord God; yet, do not give Sunnite labels to your acts of worship. The Quranic term (Sunna) means way/method of the Lord God in dealing with polytheists/disbelievers; this term has nothing to do with Muhammad.

-----------------------------------------------------

May God Bless and Reward You

Published in July 27, 2018

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Words cannot express my feelings of contentment and joy as I have reached True Islam, for which I have been looking for years, as I came across your great website of Quranism by accident … May the Dominant Lord Allah reward you in this world and the next one …  I was never religious during my youth; I never prayed until I reached the age of 35; I led a life of pleasure and sin; I never frequented mosques; when I reached the age of 35, which is more than ten years ago now, I felt worried about my position in the Hereafter; I decided to perform prayers regularly in mosques and to read Sunnite books, and I felt as if I'd be guided! I was surprised to hear nonsense and balderdash inside mosques by ignoramuses! I felt instinctively that their words insult God and the Quran! The Quran does not need such countless books of interpretations; words written in such books are vague and difficult! Such books are nothing but myths! The Quran is not that difficult to understand and to ponder; I began surfing the internet; doubts increased inside my mind regarding the Sunnite religion; Salafist/Wahabi websites drove me crazy! Such obscurantism and such backward views never fit our modern world! Should one read 150 pages to 'interpret' the Quranic Chapter One?! I've realized that all Sunnite/Shiite doctrines and schools of fiqh have nothing to do with Islam; I was wondering how I would make sure that I understand the Quran in the right way; I implored the Lord God to grant me guidance by the Quranic Light … I felt that it is impossible that Prophet Muhammad would have uttered such silly, nonsensical, contradictory hadiths that undermine the Quran and insult God …   I reject all hadiths now …  Two years ago, when I came across ahl-alquran.com, this has been the major turning point in my life; I'm an avid reader; I've read your entire archive of writings and watched all your great YouTube videos with much interest and I realized, for the first time in my life, that I have found True Islam which is the religion of monotheism. I no longer feel depressed; I feel nothing but hope, joy, and happiness; I've decided to write this email message to thank you for being what you are and for launching your great website to teach people how great Islam is … I know now the meaning of (There is no God but Allah); may God grant you Paradise for your great services to Islam  …  Thank you …        

Answer:

 May God bless and reward you, our son. We thank you for your kind words about our person. The Almighty Lord God has guided us; if it had not been for Him, we would not have been guided at all. Your kind words soothed our soul; we receive verbal abuse and hate mail on a daily basis from Sunnites and Shiites. Our foes insult us because they cannot refute Quranism. We welcome you to our website as a reader and a writer. We implore the Almighty Lord God to make Quranists know one another in person inside Paradise in the Hereafter, by His mercy, after He pardons them for their sins and accepts their monotheistic faith and their good deeds.

-----------------------------------------------------                    

Made-up Women who Wear Perfume!

Published in July 28, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir,  … I'm an 18-year-old young man and I came across your website by accident … I was shocked very much when the sheikh during the last Friday sermon I attended mentioned thatbeautified, made-up women who wear perfume are like adulteresses and will enter into Hell in case they would not repent! Is that true?! What do you think?  … Thank you …

Answer:

 Please do not pay any attention to Sunnite myths/hadiths of balderdash and nonsense; would perfumed women be flogged, then?! Islam does not urge unclean bodies; it urges clean bodies and pure souls. Please read our archive of books, articles, and fatwas and watch our YouTube videos.

-----------------------------------------------------                    

Please Read our Archive (1)

Published in July 28, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … Can I read the Quran with my eyes only? Or should I read/recite it loudly to get rewarded by the Lord God? … Thank you …    

Answer:

 It is a grave sin to recite/sing the Quran as if it were a song; this is utter rejection of (and disbelief in) the Quran; please read our previous fatwas and articles on that topic and about how to read the Quran in the best manner. Please read our archive of writings first before posing repeated questions. 

------------------------------------------------------    

Please Read our Archive (2)

Published in July 28, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … Why should I ask God to have mercy on the deceased persons since the they will never benefit from these prayers of mine and their Record of Deeds are closed forever? … Thank you …

Answer:

 We have mentioned many times in previous fatwas and articles that praying for the sake of the dead persons is never beneficial for them but it is so for those who obey the Quranic command and do it to please God; the one who get rewarded is the living person who prays for the dead ones and takes heed of death in order to be more pious and work hard to earn Paradise in the Hereafter. Please read our archive of writings first before posing repeated questions.

--------------------------------------------------------                    

Awra of Men and Women, Again

Published in July 29, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … What are the Awra body-parts for men and women within Islam? … Thank you …     

Answer:

 We refer you to our article, in English, titled "Quranic Terminology: Awra", found on this link (http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=16335). We briefly assert here that the word (Awra) means one's times of privacy when he/she is alone (and possibly naked or semi-naked) and it also refers to one's private parts that one does not like others to see and would feel ashamed or disgraced if seen by others. The face, head, neck, arms, and head-hair of women are NOT required to be covered and this applies to body-parts (of men and women) washed within ablution before the daily prayers; the niqab and the veil/hijab have nothing to do with Islam. The Lord God within the Quranic verses 24:31 and 33:59 requires that chaste women cover their chests/breasts and legs. The Awra body-parts for men, we think, are their genitalia and bottoms. The Awra body-parts for women are those not washed within ablution and the whole arms; yet, what is common within values/mores/customs within any geographical areas does interfere within deciding what Awra body-parts would be for both men and women; e.g., in countries located at the equator in Africa, some tribes allow men and women to go about in the extremely hot weather within jungles semi-naked (i.e., they cover only their genitalia) and women in that case go about bare-chested and this is normal there and not deemed as a source of shame. Of course, Awra also means times when one does not like anyone to intrude into their privacy at home when they are semi-naked (i.e., when sleeping during hot weather with light clothes or no clothes at all, when having sex with one's spouse, within times of repose/bathing, etc.); see 24:58. The main criterion for Awra body-parts is when feels shy or ashamed of showing them in public or outdoors or before the eyes of others indoors.

-----------------------------------------------------                    

Our Articles Are Too Long

Published in March 14, 2012

Question: … Dear Sir, … I do believe that your articles are too long to be read and enjoyed by many people; it is very time-consuming to read them; most people of our modern world prefer short articles since they read yours on a daily basis … What do you think?  … Thank you … 

Answer:

 We write for the cultured people and researchers who seek knowledge and seek the Quranic truth of Islam; we hope they spread links of our articles and books via cyberspace to make them reach ordinary readers. Of course, sometimes, we write short articles with simple language, with no jargon of our field of specialization (i.e., Muslim history and heritage) or archaic language, and when we use jargon or archaic words, we explain them to the readers. Our political articles are easy to read, we think. Some lengthy articles are part of a series of articles that will be grouped in a book form later on. We cannot promise you that all our articles would have the same length most of the time.  

-----------------------------------------------------                    

To Use the Quran to Make God Accept Supplications

Published in June 12, 2013

Question: … Dear Sir, … Is it true or not that one can read the Quranic Chapter 36 to make one's wish/supplication come true by God? One of my friends advised me to read the Quranic Chapter 36 in particular every night before I sleep to make Allah grant my wishes; he assumes that God has answered the prayers of his sister because of this. I would like to ask you, Sir, am I doing something wrong if I read any verses while thinking deeply of my supplications to make Allah grant my wishes? Please enlighten me with the knowledge which Allah have granted to you; peace be with you  … Thank you …

Answer:

 It is very wrong and very silly to assume that reading certain Quranic verses or Chapters would make one's wishes or supplications come true. We are commanded in the Quran to supplicate sincerely, devoutly, and within piety to the Almighty Lord God and to implore Him, with a low voice of course, preferably while praying and prostrating or during our read the Quran in general. God rewards those who supplicate to Him. Yet, we are not to decide what is good/bad for us; God will do that. Human beings never know the future; God knows what is best for us and He may or may not grant one's wishes for a reason which might (or not) be realized or discerned by human beings later on. You would better read the Quran while pondering on it deeply; this is an Islamic duty imposed by God on the pious believers. Yet, the Quran is not a talisman for good luck or a genie for granting wishes in this world. Thank you for your good question.

-----------------------------------------------------                    

We Never Mind At All

Published in November 29, 2015

Question: … Dear Sir, …  I'd like to have your consent to meet with other Arab enlightenment thinkers and religious reformists like Dr.......... and Dr.......... in a conference anywhere in the West to cooperate within the endeavors of showing True Islam to the whole world; such a conference will attract the attention of worldwide media, you know, and all of these thinkers with you can form one committee or one organization to refute obscurantist ideas of Salafism/Wahabism and corrupt, false hadiths and fiqh …  What do you think? … Thank you …    

Answer:

 We can never object to such an idea if proposed by anyone; we never mind cooperation with anyone who is willing to help combat and undermine the religion of terrorism: Sunnite Wahabism.

-----------------------------------------------------                    

Social Aspects of the Quranic Inheritance Legislations

Published in June 30, 2007

Question: … Dear Sir, … Would you shed more light on the social aspects of the Quranic inheritance legislations? … Thank you …  

Answer:

 Of course, social aspects of the Quranic inheritance legislations means to indicate the organic relation between the family unit and society. Any given society, represented by the judicial authority, cares for orphans who are inheritors of wealth and appoints guardians for them to invest their money and deliver it to the orphans when they come legally of age; society thus checks and watches over such guardians and how they spend on orphans. The Quran entails giving the poor and the relatives who have no legal shares some of the inheritance money when it is being distributed in their presence: "If the distribution is attended by the relatives, and the orphans, and the needy, give them something out of it, and speak to them kindly." (4:8). This means that tolerance, charity, and altruism are present here. Of course, rights of people come first in the Quranic sharia laws; all debts of the deceased person should be settle BEFORE the execution of written will and testament and the distribution of inheritance shares: "...After fulfilling any written will and paying off debts, without any prejudice..." (4:12). The Quranic inheritance laws care for the parents and the near kin of the deceased person: "It is decreed for you: when death approaches one of you, and he leaves wealth, to make a will and testament in favor of the parents and the near kin, fairly and correctly - a duty upon the righteous ones. But whoever changes it after he has heard it, the guilt is upon those who change it. God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. " (2:180-181). Since males pay dowries and are to spend on their families, the Quran entails that sisters and brothers who inherit their parents should have shares as per this verse: "God instructs you regarding your children: The male receives the equivalent of the share of two females..." (4:11). There is no injustice here, as working men should spend on women in general; i.e., their daughters, wives, mothers, and sisters. Of course, there are shares given to living wives/spouses and mothers and fathers of the deceased persons; God warns those who steal inheritance of money of orphans against Hell-fire if they do not repent. God warns those who violate inheritance laws against Hell: "These are the bounds set by God. Whoever obeys God and His Messenger, He will admit him into Gardens beneath which rivers flow, to abide therein forever. That is the great attainment. But whoever disobeys God and His Messenger, and oversteps His bounds, He will admit him into a Fire, wherein he abides forever, and he will have a shameful torment." (4:13-14)

-----------------------------------------------------                             

To Curse and Verbally Abuse Wahabism in Public

Published in November 10, 2012

Question: … Dear Sir, …  Is it OK to curse and verbally abuse Wahabism (and other earthly, man-made religions) in public or not; what do you think? … Thank you …        

Answer:

 It is forbidden to curse or verbally abuse the gods of those who have other religions so as not to let them have the chance to insult or blaspheme against the Lord God unawares; God says in the Quran: "Do not insult those they call upon besides God, lest they insult God out of hostility and ignorance. We made attractive to every community their deeds. Then to their Lord is their return, and He will inform them of what they used to do." (6:108). Yet, it is not part of cursing and verbal abuse to describe things as they are truthfully; the Wahabis consider it insulting to consider their deified authors/imams as mortals! Any authors may commit mistakes; when we find faults in the writings of their deities Al-Bokhary, Ibn Taymiyya, and Ibn Abdul-Wahab, they consider our person as an infidel because they deify such authors. It is OK to curse those who died as disbelievers/polytheists; we do not mean persons or their names but their descriptions; cursing is not verbal abuse or insult; rather, it is an invocation addressing God to remove certain people away from His mercy. God has cursed the disbelievers/polytheists here: "Those who suppress the proofs and the guidance We have revealed, after We have clarified them to humanity in the Book – those – God curses them, and the cursers curse them. Except those who repent, and reform, and proclaim. Those-I will accept their repentance. I am the Acceptor of Repentance, the Merciful. But as for those who reject faith, and die rejecting – those – upon them is the curse of God, and of the angels, and of all humanity." (2:159-161).