OUR DIALOGUE

Q.1 - Some people believe that a sacrifice of a sheep prior to laying the foundation of a house is necessary to protect the house and its inhabitants. Please comment.

Q.2 - If one is having a bath for a religious reason, is it an innovation to have ablution with it?

Q.3 - Do I commit a sin if I wear silk during prayer?

A.I - I know that the practice of slaughtering a sheep when one starts to erect a building is com­mon in many Muslim countries, and in other countries as well. This, however, has crept into Muslim societies from other traditions. In Islam, we entertain no superstitious beliefs of the type which requires a sacrifice to drive away evil spir­its. Such a practice is based on superstition.
Having said that, I feel that I should explain what the Prophet (Pbuh) has said: "Sadaqah, i.e. a charita­ble donation, repels misfortune." What he means is that when a person is charitable and he helps the poor and the needy, Allah may reward him by protecting him from a misfortune which might have befallen him. This is a reward by Allah which is given in advance of the reward he gives on the day of judgment to people who do good deeds.

A.2 - I have explained that if one is taking a shower or a bath for a religious purpose, such as the removal of the state of ceremonial impurity (i.e. after a discharge of semen by a man or after menses for a woman) his bath serves as ablution and grand ablution together. If it is a shower tak­en for the purpose of cleanliness, it does not serve as ablution.
However, it is recommended to start ablution for a religious purpose, including that taken on Fridays or on Eid days or to enter into the state of ihraam, with an ordinary ablution. Moreover, if one wants to have a fresh ablution without having invalidated an earlier one, he may do so. There­fore, the answer to your question is that it is no in­novation to have ablution before or after a bath.

A.3 - Wearing silk or gold is not permissible for men. However, if silk is used in a garment or a dress, it is still permissible to use that garment, provided that the silk does not represent more than a strip, not wider than the width of four-fingers, i.e. about 12-15 cms. This applies in prayer and in all situations as well.

Q. To the best of my knowledge, the Jews are described in the Qur'an and the Sunnah as having incurred Allah's displeasure. Nevertheless, we see them today wielding so much power in world affairs. Their influence on the policies of both superpowers and other nations is taken for granted. Moreover, they are in the forefront in various fields of knowledge. Their propaganda machine is unsurpassed. To my mind, there seems to be some sort of contradiction here. Do you agree?

A. If we were to evaluate matters in terms of this world, in any particular period of history, then you may be right. We are, however, re­quired by Islam to take a much broader view of things in order to achieve a clear judgment.

There are certain principles we should always bear in mind in order to maintain a proper per­spective. The first is that this life is a temporary state which leads to a later life that is much wider and ever-lasting. The fortunes of this life must not be separated from the results achieved in the second life. Therefore, if a per­son or a group enjoy great riches, much power and unquestioned authority in this life, they are not to be considered privileged or fortu­nate unless what they have here ensures that, the person or community has an even better position in the life to come.
The second principle is that this life is a test, whatever a person is granted or deprived of in this life should be viewed as a means of a test. Rich people are tested with their riches, while those who exercise power may pass or fail their test on account of how they use that pow­er. On the other hand, a person living in dire poverty is judged on the basis of how he bears his misfortune. An ultimate winner is a person who passes this test while everyone who fails is a total loser.

The third principle is that every person and every community must prove their worth through their deeds. A person may claim to be a Muslim and he may maintain all appearanc­es of a good Muslim. A community may pre­tend to be Islamic and demonstrate all the marks of Islamic life, but deep in his heart nei­ther person nor community are fully Islamic. Unless they prove their claims through a varie­ty of circumstances, their claims cannot be ac­cepted as true. The companions of the Prophet endured very difficult circumstances in both Makkah and Madinah during the lifetime of the Prophet before they were grant­ed victory by Allah. It was only after they had proven themselves that power and affluence were granted to them.

If we cast a glance on history, we find that Muslims may be overpowered, losing their land and wealth, be subjected by others and suffering humiliation. All this comes as a result of turning away from the straight route Allah has mapped for them. If they neglect their duties which Allah has assigned for them, His support may be withheld from them. When they are left to their own devices, the laws of nature which Allah has set in operation will take their course. Thus, their power will be matched against that of their enemy. I am not referring here only to the duties of the individual such as prayer, fasting and zakah, but I am referring mainly to the duty of the Muslim community of imple­menting Islam in practical life and conveying Allah's message to the rest of mankind by word and deed.

From another point of view, Allah may give non-believers or Jews or other nations wealth and power to be enjoyed for a certain period of time. If He grants these to a nation which has received a message from Him, He wants them to prove that they are worthy of that with which He has favored them. If they fail the test, then they incur Allah's displeasure and they deserve His punishment.
Allah tells us in the Qur'an that the Jews have not been faithful to the trust Allah has given them. They killed His prophets and dis­torted His message. They behaved arrogantly to other nations and they placed themselves above the rest of mankind. Allah has punished them for their misdeeds by imposing on them a life of subjugation and humiliation by other nations. This is borne out by events of Jewish history. He may, however, give them periods of respite when they are able to enjoy power, and they have to prove that they are faithful to their trust. If they do not, then ignominy will be their fate again. Reflect, if you will, on this verse of the Qu'ran: "Overshadowed by igno­miny are they, wherever they may be, save (when they bind themselves again) in a bond with Allah and a bond with men; for they have earned the burden of Allah's condemnation, and are overshadowed by humiliation. All this has befallen them because they persisted in de­nying the truth of Allah's messages and in slaying the Prophets against all rights. All this because they rebelled against Allah and persist­ed in transgressing the bounds of what is right", (3; 112).

It is certainly true that the Jews do enjoy to­day one of those periods when they have pow­er and influence and when they do have a sig­nificant impact on events that take place in most parts of the world. Their glory will not last for long because they have proven yet again that their actions are diametrically op­posed to Allah's law and to the message con­veyed to them by Allah's prophets and mes­sengers. Far from implementing Allah's law, they do their best to thwart it. Hence, Allah is certain to punish them in this life as well as in the life to come. However, the Muslim com­munities of today will need to go through a pe­riod of transformation which will put them on the right track towards the implementation of Allah's law and the creation of a society which conducts its life on the basis of Allah's mes­sage. Unless they do that, they cannot achieve the victory Allah has promised them. For Al­lah promises victory to those who support Him by implementing His message.