I have a few questions that i’ve been thinking about and pondering over for some days now. So, at last i’ve decided to share with you all and seek opinions.
Arabic is indeed a beautiful language and i love learning it, and reading it/reciting it. The question I have is, does reading English Quran have the same good as one recited in arabic? By good, i hope you’re aware what i mean. I apologize for the lack of a better fitting word there.
Ruling on Hajj. Can one perform Hajj while in debt? And if Yes/No, then what is the ruling on the types of debts that are acceptable and allow one to perform the pilgrimage. What about people who owe money on credit cards or have other liens placed on them?
I’m confused as to whether the sunnah is just to sleep on the right side or, sleep on the right side while facing Kaaba? Please shed some light on it.
Charity: Can charity be applied to relatives who are in need of help?
I have a few more, but i’m just unable to bring them to words at this time. I will surely update this request if and when i have thought of a few more. For the meantime, i would really appreciate if you would please shed some light on the questions mentioned. Sources would be appreciated as well.
I am sure you will get very detailed answers InshAllah here... but I can only partially answer two of your queries...
Everytime you translate a language... you loose its true mening to some extent. Hence, a translation of the Quran into english will never be quite what it is in Arabic... thats why there is so much emphasis on learning arabic too. Thats why it may be better to recite in arabic, and if we dont understand it, then the english could be used to understand that recitation.
Your relatives have a greater right over your charity then those in need who aren't related to you... so as far as i know... you can give charity to your relatives.
i certainly am not an expert, but i think reading Arabic and understanding it, are two different things, so to read Quran, if does not know the meaning of Arabic, will be good to the extent that one can recite Quran. to understand it, if arabic is not understood, reading it in arabic and understanding its meaning in Urdu or English will be better.
dear Haaj ideally is performed when one does not owe anything to anybody for if a person were to die in the state of Hajj, that loan will be outstanding.
but, if it is a limitation that one is unable to take care of, prior to going for hajj, then with good intentions, hopefully one can perform Haaj.
for using loan money while performing Haaj, i am not sure, but it should ideally be own money. a religious scholar can answer this better.
to the best my knowledge, why zakaat farz as charity is thought of to be given to one's own kind... those who are with indigence, is because it helps to focus on the immediate community where the need is to be ful-filled by those who are well-positioned with wealth and are close by.
though, relatives must have a need. so, that is why giving charity to them takes precedence over giving monetary help and support to non-Muslims and far off people.
i dont think that other than zakat, charity is limited to be given only to muslims who are poor.
sleeping in the direction of kaba is said to be good. definitely, for respect of kabba, it is said that one must not have feet towards kaaba.
may Allah swt enable us to do all this successfully. amen.
Arabic is indeed a beautiful language and i love learning it, and reading it/reciting it. The question I have is, does reading English Quran have the same good as one recited in arabic? By good, i hope you're aware what i mean. I apologize for the lack of a better fitting word there. u shud try reciting it in arabic.... the meaning of the Quran in any other language is an interpretation of the person who writes it in that language and can be wrong/biased at times.... so expecting to get the same reward for reading it in english is not very sensible...
Ruling on Hajj. Can one perform Hajj while in debt? And if Yes/No, then what is the ruling on the types of debts that are acceptable and allow one to perform the pilgrimage. What about people who owe money on credit cards or have other liens placed on them? u can perform hajj while in debt
I'm confused as to whether the sunnah is just to sleep on the right side or, sleep on the right side while facing Kaaba? Please shed some light on it. the sunnah is to sleep on the right side.... if u can face the kaaba it'd be better.... what is prohibited is to sleep face down.... lying on either side or lying on one's back is allowed....
Charity: Can charity be applied to relatives who are in need of help? according to hadith, charity to a relative is double in reward.... cuz u r doing to good deeds... one of charity and one of caring for one's relatives.... however u cannot give charity to relatives who u r obliged to spend on (i.e. spouse, parents, children etc)....
True that Quran is guidance however its recitation only also carries rewards. It does not mean though that we should not try to understand its message. At least I would find that undermining its purposeful existence and our ignorance of Allah SWT message. A very brief example should explain that the mere recitation also carries rewards. The Muqattat alfaaz i.e. Alif, Laam, Meem etc at the beginning of certain surahs are not known to us in meaning and they were not known to the Sahaba either however they still recited it because it carries rewards for reciting them. Infact there is a hadith about this in Tirmidhi, which I don’t recall though. If anyone remembers it or has the text for it can they please post it.
As far as the question of sleeping on belly is concerned, we would like to cite for you the following fatwa issued by **Prof. Ali As-Sawwa**, professor of Shariah at the University of Jordan:
A Muslim should not sleep on his belly especially as this may strengthen his sexual urge. In addition, it is an unhealthy manner of sleeping. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that one day the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by a man sleeping on his belly. He tapped the man with his foot saying: “Such manner of sleeping is loathed by Allah” (Ibn Hibban).
Here, it is also beneficial to mention some Islamic manners of sleeping:
1-Try to sleep in the state of purity.
2-Dust your bed three times before you go to sleep.
3-Lie down on your right side, put your right hand under your right cheek and recite: “ O Allah! in Thy Name I live and die.”
4-Before you sleep recite Ayat al-Kursi and the two last verses of the same Surah.
At college I have heard a rather sordid version/reason for the prohibition. I think there may be evidence of it, but it concerns Shaitan and some dodgy acts. I have not ratified those claims with any scriptural evidence so I will not mention it explicitly here.
Muslim Jurists have unanimously agreed that Hajj is obligatory upon anyone who is able to perform it, based on the verse in which Allah says: Pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to Allah, those who can afford the journey (Aal `Imran 3:97).
Before going to Hajj one should relieve himself of obligations towards others, his trusts and debts. If one is in debt, he can not go for Hajj as this debt is the right of the creditor. However, if the creditor allows him/her to go for Hajj, then he/she can perform Hajj.
Elaborating more on this, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, President of the Fiqh Council of North America, states:1. Hajj is not obligatory (Fard) on a person who is in debt. However, if a person has a long-term loan and he/she is required to pay only a certain amount every month, then his/her debt is only that which is due every month. If he/she pays off all the debt and then nothing is left with him/her to make Hajj, then Hajj is not obligatory on him/her. But if he/she only pays his/her monthly dues and then has enough money to make Hajj, then he/she should make Hajj because it obligatory on him/her.
If someone is in debt and his/her creditor allows him/her to go for Hajj, then he/she can perform Hajj. If a person takes loan (of course without interest) to perform Hajj and he makes Hajj, his/her Hajj is valid, although he/she was not required to do so and Hajj was not obligatory on him/her.
There is nothing wrong in going for Hajj and also doing some business on the side to make money or to pay some debts, as long as Hajj is performed with sincerity and all its rituals are carried out properly. In this respect, Allah Almighty says: It is no sin for you that ye seek the bounty of your Lord (by trading(Al-Baqarah 2:198)
. Arabic is indeed a beautiful language and i love learning it, and reading it/reciting it. The question I have is, does reading English Quran have the same good as one recited in arabic? By good, i hope you're aware what i mean. I apologize for the lack of a better fitting word there.
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nahi....u hv to recite in arabic......
PS: sry for u know wht:(
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Charity: Can charity be applied to relatives who are in need of help?
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yes ofcourse..it is better to give charity to close relatives 1st..then others....