Followers

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Questions... Any answers?

Peace!

I have questions. Questions that need answers. If anyone could please answer them that would be great. If they could answer them with like... back up info, that would be even better.

1. Is being an organ donor okay with Islam?
2. What is okay to paint/draw?
3. Can I keep family photos?
4. Should I delete/throw away all of the pictures of me from before Islam?
5. Is singing/ instrument playing/ listening to music okay or bad?
6. Who is allowed to be your Islamic guardian dude? Because my parents aren't Muslim... Can my friend's dad "adopt" me? Or does it have to be someone specific?
7. For Converts: Is there anything you wish someone had told you before you converted? Or questions you wish you had asked?

Thanks for your time, I REALLY appreciate it!!

8 comments:

Yasemin said...

Hi Never Ever! Hope it all works out for you.

1) Being an organ donor is okay in my opinion and the opinion of many scholars. The only question in my mind is we are supposed to return to the Earth as we came, so I hope someone else can answer this fully, because it depends on a scholar.
2) I think anything not overtly sexual, derogatory or of the Prophet and Companions.
3) I don't see why not but there has to be a link.
4) "
5) Shaalom to Salaam wrote about this, she did a great post, if you want to visit hers. http://shaalom2salaam.blogspot.com
6) Oh I wish I knew this.
7) I wish people warned me about finding a good husband, and green card marriages. Also, I wish I had known how hard it would be culturally, because Islam is good but culture is so hard. Love you sweetie.

Unknown said...

Salam,

will answer most of your questions... ( of course what I think is correct based on my knowledge of Islam).
1. By organ donor do you mean after death or while alive.. I think both are okay with Islam as Islam believes in helping.. and Allah will recreate when on Judgement day.
2. Yes is ok to paint and draw, however one is not allowed to draw the face.. Am sure about this.( not just eyes as some have presumed).
3. Of course you can keep photos.
4. No need to throw away your earlier pics.
5. Is ok to sing.. there are references to folks singing.. in Umar's RAD time... after all God is the Merciful.
6. Dont know why you need a guardian.. but if you insist.. join a family.. and ask an adult to be the guardian. need not be formal adoption...
7. not a convert so....

hoped my answers help..
did you want me to elaborate from hadith to support my answers..

Goldeline said...

First of all, it is important to have input from other Muslims, but your best bet for answering questions like this - and getting answers with evidence from the Qur'an or hadith, is doing your own research online or with books, and looking at what the scholars have to say. Our religion is not open to interpretation, therefore it is always necessary to have daleel (evidence) to back up whatever advice is given when dealing with religious matters!

1. It's a really controversial topic, but basically, organ donation is allowed as long as it does not harm the donor (for instance, donating a kidney) and the recipient will not be able to live without the donation.
2. It is only permissible to paint or draw things that do not have a soul - so only inanimate objects. This is based on this hadith:
Sa’eed ibn Abi’l-Hasan said: I was with Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) when a man came to him and said, O Abu ‘Abbaas, I am a man who lives by what his hands make, and I make these images. Ibn ‘Abbaas said: I will only tell you what I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say. I heard him say: “Whoever makes an image, Allaah will punish him until he breathes life into it, and he will never be able to do that.” The man became very upset and his face turned pale, so [Ibn ‘Abbaas] said to him, Woe to you! If you insist on making images, then make images of these trees and everything that does not have a soul. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2112; Muslim, 2110).
And there are so many others, too.
http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/7222 lists most of them. I know this may sound extreme, but it is to prevent idolatry. Even if the images themselves are not 'worshipped" they could potentially be used as an aid in worship, etc, and this is not permissible.
3. Yes, you can keep family photos! This is another controversial topic, I would do some research on it if I were you. :-)
4. No, you don't have to do that! But, just make sure that after you begin to wear hijab, you are careful about who sees the pictures. :-)
5. Singing is definitely ok, and accompanying music is a touchy subject. Based upon what I have read, I prefer to be on the safe side and stay away from it, listening to nasheed and things like that. Onece again, I encourage you to do your own research! :-)
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503544202 might be a good place to start.

Goldeline said...

6. The "guardian dude" (lol) is called a "wali" and his main duty is making sure that you get married fairly and things like that. You don't really need a wali until you are looking to get married. But these are the conditions:
The consitions for a wali are as follows:

- He should be of sound mind. (He should be without mental illness which effect his decision making. Pick someone who is known for their good advice and someone who is responsible).

- He should be an adult. (Picking a man that is older and is a father with daughters is good because you know he knows what to think about and how to go about these marriage situations)

- He should be free (not a slave)

- He should be of the same religion as the bride, (Muslim ofcourse). A kaafir can not be the wali for a Muslim, and a Muslim can not be a wali for a kaffir. An apostate(someone who has left Islam can not be a wali for anyone).

- He should be of good character (piety, attitude, conduct, etc), as opposed to being corrupt.

- He should be a male as the Prophet (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "Np woman can conduct the marriage contract of another woman, and no woman can conduct the marriage contract on behalf of herself, because the zaaniyah(adultress) is the one that arranges things on her own behalf. (reported by ibn maajah, 1782)

- He should be wise and mature, which means being able to understand that matters of compatibility and interests in marriage.

(taken from Islam Web)

A lot of women will have the imam at the mosque be their wali, but it is totally acceptable to choose your own! For instance, my best friend's husband will be mine inshaAllah (she and he are both considerably older than I am).

7. There isn't really anything that I can think of, except for things that are more personal in nature. It is difficult for sure (at first, that is) but it is so rewarding. I guess one thing would be to not be defensive. I really struggled with that - I thought that everyone was out to get me, that people were always staring at me and were rude to me and things like that. My mom pointed that out to me, and it took a while, but I finally realized that not EVERYONE hates Muslims, lol. Also, another thing to remember is that you will not always be perfect. Of course this is a given, but I think that sometimes we expect to just "get" everything right away. This is NOT an excuse to not try, but just an encouragement that, even if you don't get everything right at first, your intention and your effort are what matter, as well as your commitment to LEARN. Do not ever think that you are good enough. Don't ever stop trying to perfect yourself in your religion - every time you pray, try and make it your best. And do not ever think that you have learned enough of the Qur'an! Dont' stop learning! Knowledge is an essential part of Islam, and it is greatly loved by Allah subhana wa ta'ala. There is a hadith that says that the ink of a scholar is worth more than the blood of a martyr. SubhanAllah!
But also remember that you will have ups and downs. You won't always be perfect, sometimes you will be distracted in prayer, sometimes you will forget how to do something, sometimes you will sin. Don't let it discourage you, let it motivate you to do it better. And remember that the absolute most important thing is prayer. Do not ever leave it.

Whew, this is a long comment! I hope it is helpful!

May Allah ta'ala guide you, sister. Ameen.

NeverEver said...

Lisa~ thank you so much for your answers. I went to shaalom2salaam to find that post and found a WHOLE BUNCH of other stuff too. It was great, thanks again!

Fawaz~ Thanks for the input and I think that Amirah probably cited hadith you were thinking of, but if there are others and you have the time, that would be great.

Amirah~ THANK YOU so much for your help. I wanted to do some research for myself on these topics, but I really had no idea where to start looking. I never knew where everyone found their ahadith, so it's good to know it's out there!!!

I really really appreciate ya'll taking the time to help me learn. a lot!

Pixie said...

1. Is being an organ donor okay with Islam?: I honestly don't know but I think you can donate blood and stuff but after death is something debated by scholars. I'd have to research it more since there is a hadith that says you cannot cut up the body of a dead Muslim (I've never read the hadith but the controversy exists because of the hadith)


2. What is okay to paint/draw?
The most widely held veiew by respected scholars is inanimate objects.

3. Can I keep family photos?
Though some scholars debate this, the scholars I follow say photos are not the same as drawings. Yes, in my opinion, you can, but you are supposed to keep them in photo albums and not hang them on walls or decorate tables with them (in your own home---don't try and convert your parents with the photo thing unless htey decide to become Muslims).

4. Should I delete/throw away all of the pictures of me from before Islam?
No but you cannot show them to men other than your father, your brother, your unclel your grandfather, women, and your husband. O, and your son and grandson:D If your facebook is public take it off being so and restrict it and who can see your photos and remember facebook employees can see them at any time male or female. Some photos, like old grad pics hanging in your school, don't worry about. When you convert you get a clean slate just don't put more out there than what is floating around already.

5. Is singing/ instrument playing/ listening to music okay or bad?
Singing is halal if the lyrics are. The Prophet allowed percussion instruments but not stringed ones so alot of modern music is out.


6. Who is allowed to be your Islamic guardian dude? Because my parents aren't Muslim... Can my friend's dad "adopt" me? Or does it have to be someone specific?
No, lol, your friends dad can't adopt you, but your wali (guardian has to come from a respected end legit member of the Muslim community---email bm_pixie@hotmail.com if you want me to find a very legit Imam to find someone the same in your area). This dude helps you find a good husband and supports your rights during marriage and after if the marriage is bad. It cannot be any old Muslim brother. After you are married, your husband will be your maharam, and his father. So you won't need a wali anymore unless your husband doesn't uphold your marriage rights.

7. For Converts: Is there anything you wish someone had told you before you converted? Or questions you wish you had asked?

Most girls wish they had learned their religion well before marrying or had married a more relgious brother. I wish I had known that not all Muslims know their deen or practice it so we should always follow the sunnah. The Qu'ran actually advises us to obey the Messenger of Allah so we have to follow the hadiths as well, which is something I didn't know when I converted.

NeverEver said...

:-D Thanks Pixie!!!!!!!!!!! I appreciate you taking time to answer these questions. It helps a whole lot to hear what others have to say because I know that you did the background part of it before me. I will try to research more on my own, too. Yeah the wali was what I was talking about, but I had no idea what to call it :-P "guardian dude" seemed the best descriptive choice.

Anyways, thanks again and God bless you and reward you for the time you spend helping other people get closer to Him!

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