Explaining Islam in Light of the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ‎)

Where was Adam (pbuh)?

Question It is stated in Qur’an that when Allah Ta`ala created Adam he was in Jannat1. Now Jannat is a different place than this planet earth (as in these days every place is known to man and there is no place which is like Jannat). Now after the incidence when Adam and Hawwa erred in […]

Ascribing to a Particular Juristic School

Question I myself do not necessarily hold to the teachings of any one particular school of juristic thought (as Hanafi, or Shafii or Maliki etc.) and was wondering if that is wrong?  Should I affiliate myself with one Imam’s teachings in order to remain consistent? Answer No, it is not wrong if you do not […]

The Position of Hadith

Question How should the hadiths be considered? The Holy Qur’an is absolute.  I feel that the hadiths, because they are accounts of the Prophet  (pbuh) that were related indirectly, therefore, they cannot be considered absolute because what the Prophet (pbuh) may have said may have been confused or altered.  Furthermore, some hadiths may be purposefully […]

Is God Male?

Question One question, which I want to ask is: As you know Allah is only one as all Muslims believe, and according to Qur’an there is no sex of Allah. But you have used “HIS” for Allah in some of your answers, which means that Allah is “HE” a male. What are your comments, please? […]

The Hadith Regarding Praying Five Times as the Distinction Between Muslims and Non-Muslims

Question Please comment on the hadith that goes as follows: A believer is distinguished by a non-believer by praying five times a day. Does this mean that prayer is the only way a believer is determined?  That doesnt seem to follow the Qur’anic injunctions… Answer To fully understand this saying ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh), […]

Regarding Lailat al-Qadr

Question My question concerns Lailat-ul-Qadr. I know that it is in the last ten days of Ramadhan and that it is on one of the odd nights (nights of the even days). However, many people have made it into the night of the 27th. Now they say that if you come and listen to a […]

Reverence of the Night of 15th of Sha`baan

Question I came to know that people fast on the day of Mairaj. I looked up in Hadith books but no mention of it. Scholars here in Saudi Arabia believe it is Bid`ah as there are no authentic Hadith proving its validity. Answer The reverence which the Muslims, mostly of the sub-continent, give to the […]

Will Only Muslims Go To Paradise?

Question We believe that those people who believe in the oneness of God and in the last prophet only they will eventually be forgiven by God. But most of us are Muslims only because we were born in Muslim families i.e. by chance not by choice. I am quite sure that had we been born […]