Is Subway BBQ Sauce Halal If It Contains Bourbon Whiskey as a Flavor That Is Cooked Off? QuestionSubway changed their BBQ sauce ingredients and it lists “bourbon whisky.” Is it halal, given that it is added for flavor and is usually cooked away and evaporated, so that nothing remains? AnswerAlhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasulillah, wa … Read more
Is It Permissible to Continue Wearing a Retainer After Cosmetic Orthodontic Treatment? QuestionAssalamu alaykoum, I had a gap between my two front teeth and some crooked lower teeth. Dentists told me braces or Invisalign were not medically necessary but optional. I chose to proceed to correct the gap and crookedness. Later, I learned that changing … Read more
Is a Medically Induced Coma Permissible as an Alternative to Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID)? QuestionAs-salamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh, Medical assistance in dying (MAID) is haram in Islam, whether receiving it or aiding in it as doctors, nurses, or pharmacists. Is it permissible for someone to be placed into a medically induced coma instead of … Read more
Did I Commit Shirk by Praying While Experiencing a Visual Hallucination, and Can I Pray in the Same Place Again? QuestionI suffer from medically diagnosed visual hallucinations and am under a doctor’s care and medication. One evening, while standing for prayer, I experienced a persistent visual hallucination of a “shirk object” at the top of … Read more
How Should a Person With Permanent Health Conditions Fulfill Their Fasting Obligation, and Is There Flexibility With Fidyah? QuestionWith Ramadan coming up, I have a question about fasting. Due to physical and mental health conditions that I will live with the rest of my life, fasting is inadvisable because I must take medication throughout the … Read more
Is It Permissible to Change One’s Zakat Payment Date, and Is Early Payment Valid? QuestionSalaam alaikum warahmatuLlah wabarakaatu, I would like to know if it is permissible to change my zakat payment date. I am not sure exactly when my original zakat date was, and although I tried to keep the initial date, there is … Read more
Must I Leave a School After Repenting From Shirk Because a Cross Is Present There? QuestionAssalamu alaykum. I am a Muslim in high school. Out of ignorance, I chose a Christianity class instead of ethics, and in that class I committed shirk. The classroom also had a large cross. I regretted it, made sincere tawbah, … Read more
Is Salah Valid When a Person Sees Uncontrollable Intrusive Images of Shirk, and What Should She Do? QuestionA person is seeing intrusive images related to shirk (churches, statues, symbols). Doctors say these are hallucinations and she cannot control them. She is taking medication, but it is not working well. It is very hard for her … Read more
Is Abortion Permissible in Early Pregnancy Due to Severe Marital Hardship and Emotional Harm? QuestionSalam, I am currently 5 weeks pregnant. I am in a very difficult marriage. Am I allowed to get an abortion? I have only been married for 3.5 months. My husband has changed drastically and has shown possible signs of cheating. … Read more
Is Salah Valid If a Strand of Hair or Part of the Neck Was Accidentally Showing During Prayer? QuestionIf I finished my prayer and then noticed that a strand of my hair was out the whole time, or my neck was accidentally showing, do I have to redo my salah? Was my salah accepted? AnswerAlhamdulillah, … Read more
Is Hajj Permissible and Accepted for Someone Who Has a Mortgage? Questionالسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته If someone has a mortgage for his or her house, are they still allowed to perform Hajj? Is their Hajj accepted? AnswerAlhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasulillah, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajmain. This question requires distinguishing between the obligation … Read more
How Does a Person with Chronic Health Conditions Know If They Are Exempt from Fasting? QuestionSalam alaikum, I have a couple of chronic health conditions that could make fasting difficult and possibly unsafe or damage my health further. How do I know if my condition is serious enough to be exempt from fasting? Do I … Read more
Am I Sinful for Intrusive Doubts and Distractions After Mocking Others, and How Do I Return My Heart to Allah? QuestionI used to follow a lot of atheists and Christians and listen to their talk about Islam. I used to mock their ignorance and did not care. Now these words come to my mind automatically … Read more
Is It Permissible to Make Duaa That a Pregnancy Does Not Continue If It Will Cause Harm to One’s Dīn and Well-Being? QuestionAs-salamu alaykum. I was married earlier this year, but my husband has been verbally abusive and emotionally neglectful, and I no longer feel safe in the marriage. I am considering divorce. I have … Read more
Is It Required to Clean the Private Area Before Every Wudu Even Without a Bowel Movement? QuestionBefore making wudu, am I required to clean the private area each time and ensure that there are no traces of stool, even if I have not had a bowel movement? AnswerAlhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasulillah, wa ala alihi … Read more
Is It Obligatory to Ensure No Water Remains in the Mouth After Wudu, Especially During Fasting? QuestionWhen I drink water or perform wudu, do I need to ensure that all water has completely left my mouth before praying? Is it obligatory to ensure no water remains in the mouth even after wudu before prayer.Even during … Read more
Is Ghusl Valid by Simply Immersing in Water, and What Are the Rulings on Wudu, Touching the Private Parts, and Washing After Sleep? QuestionSalaam alaikum warahmatuLlah wabarakaatu. Please I would appreciate some clarification on these matters below. BarakaLlahu feek. 1.) Can you cite the evidence from the Prophet or any of the Companions that simply … Read more
Is It Permissible to Keep Former Religious Trinkets as Mementos After Accepting Islam? QuestionSalam Imam Mahmoud, Can a person keep formerly religious trinkets from their past life as mementos? For example, if a person was a Christian, can they still keep their rosaries and Bible after accepting Islam if they have sentimental value? Or if … Read more
Is Smoking a Major Sin or a Minor Sin in Islam? QuestionAs-salamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.Is smoking a major or minor sin?Jazak Allahu khayran. AnswerAlhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasulillah, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajmain. 1. The Shar‘i Context Smoking was not present in early Islamic history, so the ruling is derived from general Qur’anic and … Read more
Is a Contractor Required to Credit the Fair Market Value of a Deleted Item, or Only What He Actually Budgeted? QuestionSalam. A person submits a quote for a construction project based on a set of drawings. The drawings include item X. Later the client decides to cancel item X from the scope. He asks for … Read more
Do I Have to Pay Zakah on Money I Loaned to Others, and What If the Borrower Cannot Repay? QuestionDo I have to pay zakah on a loan that I have loaned to people? And what if they cannot pay it back and they are poor? Do I have to pay zakah on it? Can … Read more
What Are the Rulings of Menstruation, Irregular Bleeding, and Tahara for Women with Unusual Cycles? QuestionAssalamu Alaykum,For women who have abnormal, irregular, frequent periods, or bleed for very long periods, what are the rulings of tahara? Examples:Case A: 5 days period, stops 9 days, then 4 more days of bleeding.Case B: 5 days period, stops … Read more
Does the Hadith About Embryonic Stages Contradict Modern Science? When Is the Soul Actually Breathed into the Fetus? QuestionCan you please clarify something for me? I feel confused because it seems like there is a contradiction between an authentic hadith and modern science. The hadith says the baby goes through stages for 40 days, then … Read more
Is Food Still Halal if It Is Prepared in a Place Where Non-Islamic Chants Are Heard? QuestionAssalamu alaikum. I buy pizza from a place because it is halal. It has changed owners but they said it is halal and they have a halal certificate on the wall. The problem is that after ordering and paying, … Read more
Forgetting Which Prayer One is In QuestionSalam Imam, what should one do if he forgets what he is praying? In a regrettable lapse of focus, I forgot if I was praying the last rakaat of Isha or the first rakaat of witr. Jazakallahu khairan. AnswerAlhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasulillah, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajmain. … Read more
Acting Without a Fatwa When Faced With Urgent Dilemmas QuestionSalam Imam, what should we do when we are faced with a dilemma which requires a fatwa, but we cannot receive one in a timely manner? For example, if I didn’t know whether something was pure or impure, and the time of prayer is coming. What … Read more
QuestionIs eating at restaurants that serve pork and alcohol haram? If one asks the staff to change the utensils in fear of cross-contamination with haram, but does not know for sure if they actually changed them, is it still permissible to eat the food? JazakAllahu khayran. AnswerAlhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ‘ala rasoolillah, wa ‘ala alihi wa … Read more