Fiqh

In the last issue we discussed the various kinds of impurity. When we discuss purification we have to start with water, since it is the substance with which impurity is removed. Within the context of purification water may be divided into several classes:


A. Plain water

This type of water is considered to be Tahoor, or purifying water. This means that it is pure in itself and that it purities other objects. We can identify a number of subdivisions of this type of water:


1. Rain water, snow and hail. Allah says in the Quran: “He sends down on you from the skies water with which to purify you.” (8:11) He also says: “We cause purifying water to descend from the skies.” (25:48)


2. Sea water. Aman said to the Prophet: “We travel by sea and carry with us a little amount of water. Should we use it for ablution we find ourselves short of drinking water. Are we allowed to have ablution with sea water? In reply the Prophet described the sea as “its water is Tahoor (i.e. purifying), and its dead animals are permissible to eat.” (Transmitted by the first five of the compilers of the Prophets traditions.)


3. The water of ZamZam, which is from the well close to the Ka’abah. The Prophet is authentically reported to have requested for a bucket of ZamZam water to be brought to him. He then drank some of it and used the rest for his ablution, (transmitted by Ahmad)


4. Water which has changed its color as a result of the passage of time or its particular location, or because of what is essentially in it, such as weeds.


In short, we may say that whatever water can be described -as plain water without any qualification, may be used for purification and ablution.


B. Used water

Under this title, we include the water which drips from the body of a person who has just taken a bath or made ablution. This water is also Tahoor, in the same degree as plain water. This ruling is made on the basis that this type of water has originally been Tahoor, and it has not encountered anything which changes that quality. Several traditions of the Prophet suggest that the Prophet on several occasions wiped his head, during ablution, with his hand. Again, the Prophet stated categorically that no believer can be in a situation where he may be considered impure. Hence, using plain water for ablution or washing one’s body does not signify any thing more than a contact between pure water and a pure object. This cannot make such water any thing but Tahoor or ‘purifying’.


C. Water mixed with a pure object such as soap or flour

As long as such water retains its main quality as plain water, it remains Tahoor, and it can be used for ablution or washing if by mixing its basic quality is changed and it becomes something which cannot be described as plain water, it becomes pure in itself but it cannot purify other objects.


D. Water which has come in contact with something impure

We have to identify here two cases:

1. If a change of taste, color or smell has been produced as a result of such contact. In such a case, all Muslim scholars agree that such water cannot be used for purification.


2. The water retains its basic qualities without any change in its taste, colour or smell. In this case, the water retains its pure and purifying qualities, regardless of its quantity.


The Al-Shafi’s school of thought makes it a condition that the quantity of such water must be large in order to retain its purifying characteristics. This opinion is less weighty than what we have explained above.



Water left over after drinking

Water left over in a pot from which people or animals have been drinking is pure. It can be used for drinking or ablution. This applies to whatever is less over after drinking by Muslims or non-Muslim, human beings or animals including birds, cats, horses, donkeys, wild animals and birds or prey. The exception, however, is water from which dogs or pigs drink. We are told by the Prophet to wash seven times any pot from which dog has been drinking. Pigs, or the other hand, are impure and dirty. We are not allowed to use the water they leave for any purpose of purification. (Courtesy Arab News)

Aqeedah -The Creed

Aqeedah can be defined as:
Beliefs in Islam that we believe in, beyond doubt that are supported by clear text and converged by all Muslims since the establishment of Islam, they are the issues that Prophet (Pbuh) called to believe in and all the prior prophets of God.


Islamic shariah becomes void if it violates the aqeedah.

Scholars of Islam state that aqeedah is the origin of the religion and everything else is the branch.


Sources of Creed

• Intellectual thinking; logical sense - e.g. 2+2=4 and does not equal 5 or 6

• Experiencing it - e.g. touching fire will hurt someone

• What human nature will lead to:
Beauty is beautiful
Truth is virtue
Brutality is revolting
Beheading people is bad, one’s feeling tells that

• Information we believe in because somebody one trusts said it


Doctor advises patient not to smoke otherwise the smoking will lead to cancer.


Water has hydrogen and oxygen; we did not really experience it because our teacher said that.


Most of the time we believe in lots of things from whom we trust and hence we can not belittle them but at the same time somebody can brain wash or take advantage of the other.

• Science supports al-ghyab (things beyond human perception)


Mathematics supports the theory of infinity

In Physics, substance is not really a substance but a composition of energy.


Religion

Verily, in the creation of the heavens and of the earth, and the succession of night and day: and in the ships that speed through the sea with what is useful to man: and in the waters which God sends down from the sky, giving life thereby to the earth after it had, been lifeless, and causing all manner of living creatures to multiply thereon: and in the change of the winds, and the clouds that run their appointed courses between sky and earth: [in all this] there are messages indeed for people who use their reason.


Schools of thought developed later on.

Christianity encourages blind faith whereas Islam encourages otherwise.


If thou wert to question them, ‘Who created the heavens and the earth?’ They would be sure to reply, ‘they were created by (Him), the Exalted in Power, Full of Knowledge’:-


Reliable information

It has to acquire two characteristics

• It has to be 100% authentic that came from the mouth of the Messenger (PBUH) on the authority of God.

• It should be 100% clear in meaning.


First Source - Qur’an

The late Sheikh Mahmud Shaltut, Al-Azhar Director is of the opinion that, “We say 100% clear is the Qur’an but really entire Qur’an is not clear. One can not judge anyone is wrong based on what is unclear”.


The following verses are 100% clear:

“Know, therefore, that there is no god but Allah,….”


Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him.

Verily, on the Day of Resurrection, you shall be raised again.


It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the Allah.fearing.


The Messenger believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His angels, His books, and His apostles. “We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His apostles.” And they say: “We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys.”


O ye who believe! Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and the scripture which He hath sent to His Messenger and the scripture which He sent to those before (him). Any who denieth Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messenger, and the Day of Judgment, hath gone far, far astray.


There are certain verses in the Qur’an, which are speculative (mutashabih or texts that could be interpreted in more than one way without violating basic rules of interpretation) and that can be debated. Human debate is not part of creed. Allah is way above any deficiency.


A school of thought emerged that said, “I do an evil, did I do it on my own. I created that evil, I am accountable - does Allah allow evil, is there any deficiency from God that He allowed evil to happen”.


The whole argument is not part of creed but what is part of creed is “God is not deficient”.


Are we going to see God, some said “Yes, there is a verse that says God is sitting and looking”, based on the verse “He is the One that hears and sees and some say, “No, He can see but can’t be seen” but if anyone denies that one will not be resurrected then he is not a Muslim.


Second source – Hadith

• Aqeedah will be limited to Mutawatir (consecutive) hadith. Hadith that is non-Mutawatir should not be coded as source of creed but can be used only for rulings.

• Hadith al-Ahad (Single Chain; isolated) can be used only for rulings.

• According to the opinion of Sheikh Mahmud Shaltut, one of the greatest imams of Al-Azhar, as well as many others, aqeedah should come from muhkam Qur’an or mutawatir Hadith re-iterating Qur’an. The return of Jesus is based on a singular hadith (hadith al-Ahad), so it does mount up to the level of aqeedah. If a person does not believe in this hadith may not make that person a non-Muslim and Allah knows the best.

“Abu Hurayrah said, ‘The Prophet said, ‘By Him in Whose hand is my soul, surely the son of Mary (Jesus) will come down among you as a just ruler. He will break the cross, kill the pigs and abolish the Jizyah [tax for non-Muslims]. Wealth will be in such abundance that no one will care about it, and a single prostration in prayer will be better than the world and all that is in it.’’” (Sahih Bukhari)

• Sheikh Mahmud Shaltut said that there are some scholars who considered that there is no mutawatir hadith.

• The form of prayer i.e. components like standing, bowing and prostrating is mutawatir whereas the actual details on the style of prayer like hand position while standing etc. is not mutawatir.