Should he respond to non-Muslims when they wish him a Happy New Year?

Is it permissible for me to say to non-Muslims "And the same to you" when they wish me a Happy New Year or say Best Wishes?

Praise be to Allah.It is not permissible to greet or congratulate the kuffaar on the occasion of Christmas, New Year or any of their other holidays, and it is not permissible to respond to them when they greet us on those occasions, because they are not festivals that are prescribed in our ... Continue Reading

Sleep paralysis is not a Jinn attack

Our daughter is having strange experiences during sleep. She complains of feeling something pressing down on her chest which paralyzes her entire body. She cannot even speak. This stops and starts throughout the night. It happens so frequently that she has become depressed and angry. We feel that this is an attack from the Jinn and we want to know what she can do about it.

The Scientific Research Committee - IslamToday.net   These symptoms should not be construed as an attack from the Jinn. This is a very common problem. It is a condition known as sleep paralysis (SP). Sleep paralysis is defined as a condition in which someone, usually lying in a supine ... Continue Reading

Accepting a gift from a kaafir on the day of his festival

My neighbour is an American Christian, and she and her family brought me a gift when it was Christmas. I could not refuse the gift, lest she be offended.  
Can I accept this gift, as the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) accepted gifts from kaafirs?

Praise be to Allah.Firstly: The basic principle is that it is permissible to accept gifts from kaafirs, so as to soften their hearts and make Islam attractive to them, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) accepted gifts from some of the kaafirs, such as the gift of ... Continue Reading

Disturbed by Waswaas (Whispers from the Shaytaan) and evil thoughts

When I do Salah (formal prayers) or intend to do good deeds I often get very evil thoughts in my mind. When I concentrate in Salah, and try to focus on the meaning of the words, evil thoughts enter my mind, which make evil suggestions about everything including Allah. I feel very frustrated and angry about this. I know that none forgives sins except Allah alone, but because of my thoughts I feel that there is nothing worse than to have evil thoughts about Allah. After Salah I ask Allah's forgiveness, but feel very bad because I want to stop these evil thoughts, but I can't stop them. These thoughts spoil my enjoyment of Salah, and also make me feel as though I am doomed. Please advise me.

Praise be to Allah.  Evil whispers during prayer and at other times come from the Shaytaan, who is keen to misguide the Muslim and deprive him of good and keep it far away from him. One of the Sahaabah complained to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about ... Continue Reading

Ruling on having a Christmas tree without celebrating Christmas

I don't celebrate Christmas in any way, but my 11 year old daughter loves the beauty of a Christmas tree when decorated. Is it permissible for me to have one in my house throughout the year?

Praise be to Allah. The Christmas tree is one of the symbols of the Christian festival and celebration; this is why it is named for Christmas. It is said that it was first officially used as a symbol in this manner in the sixteenth century in Germany, in the Cathedral of Strasbourg in 1539 ... Continue Reading

She is going to go to Jeddah and she does not have any firm intention to do ‘umrah; from where should she enter ihram if she does decide to do ‘umrah?

I am currently living in Canada for the purpose of study, but my permanent place of residence is between Jeddah and Amman. When I stayed in Amman during the summer break, I decided to go to Jeddah to deal with some official papers, and I intended to do ‘umrah if Allah made that possible for me and if I had a mahram and enough time to do ‘umrah. I intended to do ‘umrah from Jeddah because my mahram would be there. But because I was not certain that I would be able to do ‘umrah, on the day I travelled by plane I did not do ghusl, because I was menstruating and I had not yet decided to do ‘umrah. When I got there on the second day I did ghusl and formed the intention to do ‘umrah from Jeddah, and I did it.
My questions are:
Is my ihram from the miqaat of Jeddah considered valid or not?  Because of my family circumstances, we are always moving back and forth between Jeddah and Amman, and we always enter ihram from our house in Jeddah, even if we are on our way back from a trip to Amman and after staying in Jeddah for several days. We do not remember how many times we have done ‘umrah in this manner.
What is required of us if we should have entered ihram from the miqaat for the people of ash-Shaam (Greater Syria)? After I did ‘umrah I was uncertain as to whether I was completely clean following my period. If I think it most likely that I was still menstruating whilst I was doing ‘umrah, what is the ruling on my ‘umrah and what expiation do I have to offer?.

Praise be to Allah. Firstly:  If a person passes the miqaat intending to do Hajj or ‘umrah, it is not permissible for him to pass it without entering ihram, because of the report narrated by Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah ... Continue Reading

It is permissible to remove janaabah by means of tayammum when there is an excuse for that

Is it permissible to remove janaabah by means of tayammum?.

  Praise be to Allaah. If there is a reason for doing tayammum – such as non-availability of water, or being unable to use it because of sickness etc – then tayammum takes the place of wudoo’ and ghusl. So the person who is junub should do tayammum and pray, then ... Continue Reading

He had a wet dream but he did not do ghusl because it was very cold

I was once sleeping in the afternoon after taking lunch. i had erotic dreams & sufferred from nocturnal ejactulation. when the adhan for assar was being given , i woke up. s it was very cold i could not take a bath. i washed the semen off from my pants, did taimyum and continued with my asaar prayers. did i do the right thing? is it necessary to take a bath after having a wet dream or is it suffficeient to wash off the semen & do wadoo to become clean. In fact in view of the cold i tokk bath only after a few days, & contined to perform salat all these days using the same garment. i hope i have put the problem before u lucidly
Praise be to Allaah.  It is the mercy of Allaah towards His slaves that the obligation to do certain duties no longer applies when one is unable to do them, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope” [al-Baqarah ... Continue Reading

Ruling on imitating the kuffaar, and the meaning of the phrase, “What the Muslims think is good is good before Allah”

What is the Islamic ruling on the issue of imitating the kuffaar in their customs and dealings? What are the guidelines concerning that in Islamic sharee'ah? Is every imitation of the actions of the kuffaar regarded as a haraam kind of imitation, knowing that there are many things that the kaafirs do that are not haraam and are not condemned by sharee'ah, where the one who does them does not do them merely to imitate the kuffaar, but because he thinks those things are good, as Ibn Mas'ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "What the Muslims think is good is good before Allah"?  
Please advise us, may Allah honour you, and please give me a detailed answer and explain to me the guidelines on this matter.

Praise be to Allah.  Firstly: The Muslims have no need to imitate any of the other nations in matters of religious rituals and acts of worship, for Allah has perfected His religion and completed His Favour, and chosen for us Islam as our religion, as He says:  {ٱلْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ ... Continue Reading

When making up missed fasts, it is essential to form the intention the night before, as is required in the case of the original fast

I wasnt aware that ramadan fasts missed due to menstruation had to be made up before nafl ones and I started keeping some nafl ones so is it possible for me to change the intention of the previous nafl ones I have kept or to change the intention of fast during the day? Because the one I kept today for example I started off with the intention of keeping a nafl fast but can I now change this to the intention of making up the ones I missed in ramadan?

Praise be to Allah. Firstly:  It is not valid to change the intention of observing the voluntary fast that one has completed in order to make it a fast to make up for a day of Ramadan which one did not fast, because when making up missed fasts, it is essential to form the intention ... Continue Reading

A menstruating woman entered ihram for ‘umrah and did sa‘i, then she did tawaaf after she purified herself

When I went to do ‘umrah, I was menstruating, so I did sa‘i and cut my hair, and I exited ihram and put on niqab. I waited until I became pure, then I did tawaaf at the Ka‘bah. I did this based on the ruling on Hajj, which says that the menstruating woman should do everything except tawaaf. Please note that I am not married. What is your opinion, may Allah bless you?

Praise be to Allah You did the right thing by entering ihram at the miqaat when you were menstruating. The evidence that it is correct to enter ihram when menstruating or bleeding following childbirth is the report which says that Asma’ bint ‘Umays (may Allah be pleased with her) ... Continue Reading

If he does ghusl following a wet dream, maniy continues to come out of him during the prayer

May Allah reward you with good for answering my question, but I think that it needs further explanation of the issue of sprinkling hot water on the private part, because the wet dream occurred at the time of ‘Asr prayer, and I have a problem, which is that maniy and even madhiy continue to come out for a considerable period after they are first emitted. It often happens with me that one of them is emitted at the time of prayer, whether that is because of thinking or because of a wet dream, but in order not to miss the prayer, I sprinkle hot water (on my private part) so that whatever is left will come out. Please note that I do not feel any desire when I use this method. Now I am going to make up the fast of that day that I told you about, in sha Allah, but what should I do if maniy continues to come out whilst I am praying? Should I pray in that case?

Praise be to Allah. Firstly:  We appreciate this further explanation and we ask Allah, may He be exalted, to help us and you avoid reprehensible words and actions.  Secondly:  If it does not come out continually all the time, then it does not come under the ruling ... Continue Reading
Loading prayer times ...
00:00:00 Time to
6 Rajab 1447
Fajr 00:00 Dhuhr 00:00 Asr 00:00 Maghrib 00:00 Isha 00:00

People you might follow