A Muslim Convert Once More

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Ustadz Adam Daniel Kelwick said, “If you can find seventy excuses for an abuser, but not a single excuse for a victim, you need to recheck your understanding of the ‘ sunnah ’.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Despite what many Muslims would have us believe, there is nothing in the Qur’an that forbids us from praying for our deceased non-Muslim family, friends, or even strangers.   Anyone who says that, especially the Wahhabi sect, have limited Allah’s ( s.w.t. ) Mercy and Generosity.   This is the sort of close-minded, exceptionalist thinking we should not entertain, or even tolerate.   Would anyone of us, many of us converts to Islam, accept it if we were told we cannot make du’a for our deceased nearest and dearest because they passed away wearing the label of the wrong faith tradition?   And yet, it is acceptable to pray for murders, rapists, terrorists, and worse, who all happened to die “Muslim”?   They cite verses of the Qur’an to justify their lack of compassion, and their obvious tribalism, racism, and exceptionalism.   Some would state we can pray for them while they live, but we cannot ask pardon for them when...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Muhammad Sa’id ibn Muhammad Ramadhan al-Buwthi ( r.a. ) said, “How can we combine between feelings of joy towards the advent of ‘Iyd and feelings of sorrow for the afflicted slaves of Allah ( s.w.t. ) who suffer from adversities?   Each issue has its function.   They correlate and harmonise with each other, when I am happy for being Guided by Allah ( s.w.t. ) to the good, for being His slave, and for being Protected by Him.   It is a mental function that exists in my mind, and then it spreads in my whole conscience.   Similarly, when I feel pain and sorrow for my fellow Muslims, I get closer to Allah ( s.w.t. ) through these feelings.   The believer’s heart can combine between both feelings.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ How will my family give zakat if we have no income, and we live by the money in fixed deposits in the bank? ” Zakat is paid out of excess, earnings above the nisab , for that period, the hawl .   If there is no excess, and that money is spoken for, even if it is above the nisab , you do not need to pay the zakat .   Another of the conditions of zakat is the fund be fully in your control.   Money, in a fixed deposit, is not liquid for the duration of that fixed deposit. For example, if the nisab is $5,000 for the year, and you have $6,000 which you have in savings, untouched, you would normally have to pay zakat on that.   However, if you are saving the funds for a specific purpose, such as for education, or a wedding, it would not make sense to pay zakat on that since it would continuously diminish the amount set aside, particularly if the 2.5% zakat is more than ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ In Muslim communities, is there usually an appointed enforcer of zakat collection, and would there be a punishment, in shari’ah , for those who do not keep their zakat obligation? ”   There is no enforcer.   There is, however, people appointed to collect the zakat and distribute it. Such a person is the amil .   The amil ’s job is to collect the zakat discreetly, and distribute it discreetly - at least in theory.   The reason is so that the identities of the donors and the recipients are kept confidential.   Specifically within the Singapore context, it is written in law, in the Administration of Muslim Law Act (Cap 3), that non-payment of the zakat is an offence:   Non-payment of zakat or fitrah 137.—(1) Whoever, being liable to pay any zakat and having failed to procure, in accordance with section 70, the cancellation or modification of such liability,...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ Does the Qur’an explicitly prohibit Muslim couples from kissing, and touching during the Ramadhan? ”   The Qur’an States that there is no eating, drinking and sexual activities during the time of the fast:   سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة أُحِلَّ لَڪُمۡ لَيۡلَةَ ٱلصِّيَامِ ٱلرَّفَثُ إِلَىٰ نِسَآٮِٕكُمۡ‌ۚ هُنَّ لِبَاسٌ۬ لَّكُمۡ وَأَنتُمۡ لِبَاسٌ۬ لَّهُنَّ‌ۗ عَلِمَ ٱللَّهُ أَنَّڪُمۡ كُنتُمۡ تَخۡتَانُونَ أَنفُسَڪُمۡ فَتَابَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَعَفَا عَنكُمۡ‌ۖ فَٱلۡـَٔـٰنَ بَـٰشِرُوهُنَّ وَٱبۡتَغُواْ مَا ڪَتَبَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمۡ‌ۚ وَكُلُواْ وَٱشۡرَبُواْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡخَيۡطُ ٱلۡأَبۡيَضُ مِنَ ٱلۡخَيۡطِ ٱلۡأَسۡوَدِ مِنَ ٱلۡفَجۡرِ‌ۖ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّواْ ٱلصِّيَامَ إِلَى ٱلَّيۡلِ‌ۚ وَلَا تُبَـٰشِرُوهُنَّ وَأَنتُمۡ عَـٰكِفُونَ فِى ٱلۡمَسَـٰجِدِ‌ۗ تِلۡكَ حُدُودُ ٱللَّهِ فَلَا تَقۡرَبُوهَا‌ۗ كَذَٲلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَتَّقُونَ (١٨٧)   Permitted to you on the ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn ‘Arabi ( q.s. ) wrote:   “O you who laugh in the form of the weeper! By us, you are the complaint and the complainer. Is the fast abstention without elevation, Or elevation without restraint? They are both together, For the one who affirms tawhid by association. Intellects are trapped and prevented, From their freedom of action without nets or snares. Intellects are impaired from their freedom of action, Severely cut off by the shari’ah . They surrender to what their proof refutes, And they believe without perception. The star of guidance carries them along, Swimming between the angels of the spheres. My self, had it not been for you, I would not have been As if I were Him, were it not for you!   Were it not for you! Fast from phenomenal being and do not break your fast! The God of Creation will Bring you close, Taking Charge of you by that. In...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ According to Islam, if I pay tax, do I have to pay zakat as well? ”   Your taxes are your social obligation, to pay for the upkeep of the state and the functioning of its institutions.  Your zakat is your religious obligation to be distributed to any of the eight categories of recipients: the poor, the destitute, the administrators of zakat , the recently converted or considering conversion, the debtor, the slave seeking freedom, the stranded traveller, and those striving in the way of God, such as scholars.   If zakat were to be considered fulfilled simply because we pay our tax, we might as well deduct our utility bills, our internet bills, our car insurance, and everything else, from our zakat obligation.  If that were the case, there would be no zakat to collect.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ Why have you not tried the zakat method of eliminating poverty? ”   Zakat is not a “method”; it is a religious obligation, one of the pillars of faith.  It involves Muslims giving a tithe on their wealth to certain categories of people in society, such as the poor and destitute, and stranded traveller, and the debtors.  It is meant to alleviate their condition.   Zakat does not eliminate poverty.  If that were true, there would not be hundreds of millions of poor Muslims in Muslim-majority nations all over the world.  Some of the poorest nations are Muslim-majority nations.   The underlying conditions of poverty include disenfranchisement, economic oppression, institutionalised corruption, a lack of socioeconomic mobility and the concentration of wealth at the top.   Zakat only addresses the last issue partially.   Zakat does not magically e...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ If someone has above the nisab of gold, and a small amount of money saved in the bank, does she need to pay zakat separately? ”   The nisab for gold and cash is calculated differently because they are different classes of assets.  You cannot simply lump everything together and then calculate zakat based on net worth.  In the same manner, funds in different bank accounts should be treated according to what they are there for, since zakat is payable upon excess funds from your savings, not your income.   If, for example, money in a specific account is for a specific purpose, and the money is held for that, that money is not savings.  There is no zakat for that.  Likewise, money held in trust is not yours, so there is no zakat payable by you.  Money loaned out is also not liable for zakat since you have no ownership of it until it is returned.  Money ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ Why is Ramadhan said to be celebrated when it means to fast? ”   Why does fasting preclude celebration?  Ramadhan does not mean “to fast”.  “Ramadhan” is from the root word “ ramadha ”, which means “hot” or “parched”.  We fast to divest ourselves of worldly attachments and celebrate our enhanced connection with the Divine.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ What does it feel like to give zakat , Islamic charity?  Does it feel like worship? ”   The zakat , the tithe, on excess wealth is an act of ‘ibadah , worship.   As to feelings, we are not supposed to take pride or pleasure in it, since, as Muslims, we believe that nothing in this world is actually ours.  Even the next breath, the next heartbeat, is a gift, and it will eventually run out.  What goes to the recipient was always meant for them, according to Divine Decree.  It is only that Allah ( s.w.t. ) has Afforded us the privilege of being the vessel through which He Gives.  It is duty, and we should be humbled by it.