Maulana Sayed Mohammad Baqer Qazwini

Maulana Sayed Mohammad Baqer Qazwini
 
Age:
Location: Dearborn, Michigan
Nationality: United States

For user Hasnain

Public QnA

I have a ring that has three stones in it: Aqeeq, Dur Najaf and Turquoise. Do they have to be worn in separate rings to get the benefits mentioned in the ahadith or it’s fine for them to be on the same ring?

No they don’t have to be worn in separate rings.

I was wondering if you could give me some insight on the ruling of singing and songs. Sometime when I read about it it seems like it is completly haram and only instrumental music could be permissible and sometime it seems like singing seems so follow a similar ruling to music. I hardly listen to songs but some movie music includes like “chanting” (like the singing in some star wars soundtracks) and some soft humming which is why I am asking. (also because my friends sometime sing like nursery rhymes or old cartoon music like from spongebob) What about non entertainment types of singing? Like nursery ryhmes, childrens music etc.

So there two haram things: 1- Singing. Anything that is considered singing by society is haram. In Arabic this is called “Ghenaa’” غناء. It’s an entertainment type of singing. 2- Music that’s suitable for entertainment gatherings, like concerts. So if you are seeing a movie and you come across songs or music that seems to be suitable for entertainment gatherings, mute it and avoid listening to it. Yes, soft humming is ok because it’s neither signing nor is it typical of entertainment gatherings. 3- If they are not seen as music that’s typical of entertainment gatherings in the eyes of society, then they would be ok. However, with children’s music, there are two types: the type that is suitable for an entertainment gathering, and the one that isn’t. So one must avoid the first.

Lego sets involve making animals dinosaurs from the bricks which are 3D. Is this permissible?

It is not permissible to make a 3D sculpture of animals. So avoid that and instead make sculptures of buildings, cars, planes, etc…

Some say that when we make DUA, the best thing to do is to just let go and trust in Allah’s timing and that our affairs is in His hands ultimately. Can you explain why it is also empathized for us to be consistent in making that Dua to Allah SWT? The reason I ask is because sometimes I wish I could just pray for my need once, and have a genuine trust that Allah SWT heard me and will answer me accordingly. I hate to admit this, but there is one or two supplications that have not been granted to me (yet), and it’s a sad reminder for me every time I supplicate for it again on the prayer mat. Sometimes I wish I could just let go of that DUA and leave my affairs to Allah SWT given that he’s he has already heard my request multiple times.

Here’s why we are to insist in our Dua: 1- To always keep us close to God and to supplicate to Him. If what we want is granted right away, we’d forget to supplicate to Allah until we need something else. Most people are like this. We only turn to Allah when we feel we need Him for something. 2- Insisting humbles us. It breaks our arrogance. That’s why a believer doesn’t insist with anyone except Allah. 3- Sometimes the timing is not right. If we do Dua once and stop because we don’t see a response, then we won’t pray for it again when the timing is right. So keep doing Dua and when the right timing comes Allah makes it happen. While we insist in Dua, we should not insist inappropriately. Some people insist in a demanding way. While we insist, we should also say: Ya Allah, if you know this is not good for me, then replace it with something better. Always be upon to that, and don’t get stuck on what you want.

Is it permissible for a traveler to recite zohrain nafila when he is required to shorten the prayer. Is it ok for Fajr? And isha also with niyat of Mustahab or rija?

No, when one is traveling, the daylight Nafilas are not to be prayed. So you cannot pray them. You can only pray the night Nafilas. For Isha’, you can make the Niyya of Raja’ not Mustahab, because Sayed Sistani states it is dropped when traveling. So if someone wants to pray it, he would do so with the intention of Raja’.

For the purpose of marriage, is it ok to be in the phase of getting-to-know-each other with more than one person? For example two guys at the same time? The case is I was born in sunni environment, now I live in Japan for study and it’s getting harder to find any shia men, so I was thinking to try marriage app, and for this case, is it ok to have conversation (online by chat) more than one man?

Yes you can as long as you are professional with them and don’t cross any Islamic gender boundaries.

I am temporarily residing in a Sunni country, Jordan, and there is social pressure to attend the mosque and pray with Sunnis. I am not under duress in the sense that my life would probably not be in danger should people know that I am a Shia, and I can also pray again upon returning home. For quiet prayers such as Dhuhr and Asr, reciting the bismillah loudly would make me stick out as not a part of the congregation. Is it permissible for me to whisper the bismillah and the rest of the surahs to myself when praying with Sunnis, and do I have to repeat the prayers after?

Yes you can whisper all of that, and you don’t have to repeat your prayer when you get back home.

I am currently having irregular bleeding which I believe meets the condition of istihadah, specifically, slight istihadah, every two weeks. I am getting this checked with the doctor. However, what I am not sure about is if I am able to perform prayers normally and be intimate with my husband.

If the irregular bleeding does not continue for three continuous days, then it is istehadha. In this case, you must pray (but you do wudhu before each prayer) and you can be intimate with your husband.

While fasting, if there’s saliva on one’s lips, can they swallow that saliva if it happens to go out of their mouth and on their lips, and can one swallow the saliva if it goes around the lips or must one wipe it off? Also in prayers, would that be fine or would it nullify the prayer?

If it’s a little bit of saliva on the lips, and when it enters back into the mouth it mixes with your saliva, then it’s ok and doesn’t break your fast. And it does not nullify the prayer.

I’ve been married Islamically for almost two years but have been living with my parents. My husband has a house now and my parents will not let me go there to clean/furnish it without a “chaperone” being there with my husband and I, even though we are completely halal for each other. It is causing great difficulty between my husband and I and I do not know what to do. If I explain to my parents, they will get really mad and even threaten divorce between my husband and I. What is the correct way to go about this without disappointing my parents or my spouse?

If you have a way to go without your parents knowing, you are allowed to do that because Islamically you can go. You are not making any violations. If there is no way to do that without them knowing, have a local scholar or a respected family/community figure speak to them. Alternatively, if the chaperone is on your good side, you can ask the chaperone to leave after dropping you off. That way you can avoid tension with your husband.

My mother and my father are separated, and my mother does not like my father and she says he makes her suffer and her children suffer and causes a lot of problems. She then says a lot of the time: “May Allah take his life and inshallah we hear the news of his death soon and he dies a painful death” I tried to advise her and say you cannot make dua against anyone even if they do bad to you, especially for death. But she claims that because he caused her and her family suffering, she can make this dua, and she uses Dua Alqamah, Dua Al samawat and dua al jawashan Al saghir mentioning my father’s name, and says this dua allows her to make dua against him for his death and suffering etc. is this permissible? Is this allowed? She has never made dua against anybody except my father.

If he is a believer, then it is not appropriate to make such a Du’a against him. However, if he truly oppressed her and made her suffer, then the oppressed is allowed to pray against the oppressor. So she is allowed to make such Du’a, but it’s not recommended her. If she doesn’t, and instead prays for his guidance, Allah will reward her.

Is squid/ calamari haram? And why is it haram ?

Yes it’s haram because the only halal seafood is fish with scales and shrimp. Some studies have claimed that fish without scales might be harmful. You can read this post here for some more information: https://gatheringofchrist.org/no-scales-no-fins-no-good/

I have returned from my wajib Hajj and intended not to commit past sins again however I have unfortunately given into my desires again. Does this mean my Hajj was of no use/not accepted? What advice does Islam have for people who fall into sin again after Hajj?

It doesn’t mean your Hajj is not accepted, but it might decrease from its reward. When you get the urge to sin, quickly do Wudhu, mention Allah’s name by taking deep breaths while doing so, preoccupy yourself and do something, and remember scenes from the Hajj. Also remember those 1000+ who died at the Hajj. Tell yourself you could have been one of them. Such thoughts help.

I have a question regarding Surah Al Nisa verse 34. The verse states that men have authority over women and if women do not listen to their husbands or fulfill their duties they should be admonished, turned away in bed, and lastly they should be hit. Which kind of women exactly is the Quran referring to? Because I do not understand what is meant by not fulfilling their duties. Additionally, in the last part of the verse it says that if the women continue to be disobedient the husbands should hit them. Can this last part of the verse be explained? Especially in a modern day context? How exactly is the hitting supposed to be carried out in order for it to be effective? I don’t understand what is meant by “hit lightly” and how it’s effective. And why does the Quran say such a statement regarding how to treat wives? But the Quran does not state such rights wives have over their husband? Could you explain this verse and my queries because it can be taken out of context and misused or not understood correctly.

You may see this class video for a complete discussion on that: 50- (4) Biography of the Prophet - Sawdah and Nushouz - Sayed Mohammad Baqer Qazwini https://youtu.be/NOO_b7f3bvs

Is it true that if one makes dua and he sneezes after what he asked god for, the prayer is accepted?

The hadiths we have indicate that when a person sneezes and praises Allah, then Allah grants him protection. I am not aware of any hadith that states if you do a Du’a then you sneeze it means your prayer has been answered.

I’m 17 years old and I have very weak beard growth on the sides of my face. It brings humiliation to me as it doesn’t look nice and is very short in length but the hair above my lips and on my chin is sufficient and presentable. Is it permissible for me shave the hair on the sides of my face and keep the hair on my chin and above my lips? I only intend to do this until I’m a little older and able to fully grow a beard

According to Sayed Sistani it’s not permissible. You can trim it, but not fully shave it. So what you can do is instead of fully shaving the sides, trim them and keep them at a very short length such that it doesn’t look odd.

I have a question about music. I’ve argued a lot with people in my family about music on weddings. They say that we can’t say that a wedding is haram just because of music. They also said that some ulamah have permitted music to weddings and made it an exception. Also that cultural music and dance is not haram so dabke, Chobi etc. do our ulamah really say this? What does sistani and khamenei say about this? I mean I think I know that music for hashd al sha3bi and iraqi hosat is halal from what I’ve understood but is it true that cultural music and dance is halal and that there are exceptions to weddings regarding some music? They made a point that several religious families and sheikhs even have music on their kids wedding. They also said it’s wrong of me to say this is haram because I’m not god, but I’m just stating facts

According to Sayed Sistani, any music that is “suitable for entertainment gatherings” is haram. Entertainment gatherings are like concerts. As for a wedding, we have hadiths that singing in weddings is permissible, hence most scholars have ruled that’s permissible to have a female singer in a wedding for the women. As for music, many scholars believe the hadiths apply to singing and not musical instruments. So if a wedding has entertainment music, it would be haram to listen to it. If one can avoid listening to it, such as using earphones, then it would be ok to attend. Otherwise it would not be. As for Dabka, it depends on whether society classifies it as dancing or not. If the label “dancing” on it applies, then for men it’s haram. As for women, many scholars allow female only dancing, but Sistani says it’s not permissible as an obligatory precaution. In any case, mixed weddings in which men and women do the dabka is haram. Yes if it’s segregated, then there are scholars who say that dancing and singing are permissible for women only.

I had nikkah done and husband has come from to uk. It has been a little over a year and I feel like married life has ruined my life. I suffer from severe depression and anxiety for many years but since marriage was done by pressure I have zero expectations from husband he gets angry quickly over silly things like a child so I never ask him for anything. I feel like I am the one doing too much for this marriage and it isn’t fair on me. Is there anything to help with this marriage as I have no idea how to be happy in this marriage and not be angry all the time nor do I know any marriage counselor that speak English and are aware of western culture and society?

1- When your husband is a good mood, say something nice to him, thank him for his efforts and show him appreciation, then tell him how you feel. Tell him you want to live with him in a lifelong positive marriage, so any negativity must be addressed. 2- Have someone whom he respects, like a family or friend, talk to him. 3- Seek a Muslim counselor. Do some research abd find a good Muslim counselor who has good reviews. 4- Everyday pray 2 rak’as like the morning prayer, then when done gift it to Imam Mahdi. Say O Allah I offer this prayer as a gift to Imam Mahdi. Then talk to Imam Zaman and ask him to help you with this situation. This prayer is very effective. 5- Read this Dua daily: https://www.duas.org/Amn.htm

I have encountered many people who are foolish or ignorant when it comes to islam, people who enjoin evil (amr bil munkar), love the Dunya more than deen or simply say things that are incorrect but are not willing to be corrected. I fear hardheartedness and hypocrisy because many times, I am forced to be around such people by the will of Allah. How did the ahlul-bayt deal with foolish people when we have to keep them company? Is there any way where I can get the most if not protect myself in this test that Allah has given me?

1- Constantly seek knowledge and remind yourself of the reality of this life. That will significantly protect you. 2- Use the time you are around them to advise them—using a very soft, effective approach. 3- Spend less time around them. If you find a group having an effect on you, then to protect yourself keep a distance from them.

To what extent must we obey the law of the land? If the law of the land has oppressive laws, it wouldn’t make much sense to be complacent with those laws. For example, in the United States in the 1940s segregation was legal, and trying to integrate races into the same communal areas was completely prohibited by law and people would be lynched by civilians with no repercussions. Just because it was legal doesn’t mean it was islamically permissible or moral. Just like today in France, they’ve made wearing hijab illegal in certain educational institutions, if we obeyed the law of the land in that regard we would be disobeying Allah swt. Doesn’t that mean that not every secular law implemented has to be followed as if it’s Allahs sharia? Speeding is another example, if someone speeds they’ve made a civil infraction but they haven’t earned a sin. Where is the line between sharia and following the law of the land?

It’s mandatory to follow the law of the land according to Sayed Sistani in order to keep order in society, because not obeying them can lead to chaos and lack of order. But if there are laws that: 1- Violate Islamic principles 2- Promote injustice Then one must not follow them.

My elderly parents are non muslim. (Catholics) When they die, we do not know if we will be able to afford an in-ground burial. In catholicism, cremation is allowed as of 1963. What is the ruling for me (obviously a muslim) being the executor of their will and having to fulfill the responsibility of making their arrangements after their death? Ive listened to numerous lectures by Sheikh Dr Farrokh Sekaleshfar and he stated cremation is not good for the soul as the soul is still in association with the body for a while after death and that it would be horrific for the soul to see/experience their own cremation. I certainly dont want my parents souls to suffer I know cremation is prohibited to Muslims but I dont know what is permissible to do for non muslims whos religion permits it.

If cremation is allowed according to their religious rulings, and you have no funds to bury them, then yes in this case you can execute their will. However, cremation might disturb their soul, so do your best to find a way to bury them. See if there are funeral homes that offer discounts, charities that might help, and so on. Or try to get your parents to pay for a funeral home from now. Alternatively, you can ask them to appoint someone else to execute their will.

1. What should I do if I start a prayer in ada and finish it in qada while not knowing if I managed to pray the first rakat in ada or not. This happened to me because I slept through my alarm for fajr. 2. Should I have performed tayammum because of shoertness of time? If so, how do people usually perfom tayammum? Like in the West. what to people usually use?

1- If you are in time for a wajeb prayer, such as between dawn and sunrise, and you get up to pray to fulfill your obligation, even if at the end of the prayer you mistakenly thought your prayer is qadha, it is valid and it is considered ada’. That’s because your main intent was to pray the current prayer. However, if you are outside of time, and your intent was to make up a prayer, then it’s considered as a valid qadha’ prayer because that was your actual intent, even if you mistakenly said or thought it’s ada’. 2- If you don’t have enough time for Wudhu or Ghusl, yes you must do Tayammum. You can do Tayammum on dirt, earth, and dusty rocks. You should keep a Tayammum box that contains turab or stacked square turbas and do Taymmum on it. According to Sayed Sistani, some dust/earth/soil must be on the turbas. So what you can do is break a torbah and make those other ones dusty with it.

عادة نرى خروج بعض السوائل بعد ان نستيقظ من النوم واعلم بانها مذي ولكن دائما اشك هل خرج معه بول أو لا فبما احكم في هذه الحالة

اذا استبرأتم بعد التبول (الخرطات التسع) فهذا البلل محكوم بالطهارة ولا اثر لهذا الشك.

1. Is it permissible to put your address at a family members house in order to send your kids to a better school district? 2. Is undeclared work haram income? For example someone cuts lawns to make money but doesn’t report his income to the government, therefore it isn’t taxed. Is this haram? Or another general example is working for a business and getting paid cash instead of check, therefore taxes are not taken out and you don’t report the income 3. Also, is it permissible to clock in the hours but make them up elsewhere, for example sometimes us employees switch days / shifts with others. So say I watch my sister Thursday but I want to do something that day, I will call up another employee and say hey can you watch her todays shift and I’ll watch her your next shift. It’s not clocking in any extra hours or taking money that isn’t worked for / earned

1- As for putting the address at a family member’s house, if this is illegal to do then it would not be permissible per the fatwa of Sayed Sistani. 2- Same applies here. If it’s illegal then it would not be permissible according to his fatwa, since he does not allow doing something illegal (unless it violates Islamic principles). 3- As for switching hours with other employees, as long as you did not agree to a condition that prohibits this, it would be permissible. So if the company doesn’t care about what shifts you take, it would be ok to do that.

I think I’m doing something to displease Allah swt, lately I feel so zoned out during acts of ibadah, and out of nowhere I started feeling jealousy towards people I love. I’ve never ever had this issue before so it’s very alarming to me. It’s not that I don’t want them to be happy, I find myself wanting it too and may Allah forgive me that’s a horrible way to feel. I hate it and I feel like I’m afflicted with a spiritual disease I’d like to heal. Whenever I feel this way I immediately ask Allah for forgiveness but it’s something I want to fix right away. I don’t know what’s causing this lately but if you have any recommendations on how to help purify my intentions and feelings please send it my way. Also whenever I feel this way I immediately start doing dua for Allah to increase them in good and forgive them their sins and increase them in Afiyah etc

Some recommendations: 1- Continue to pray for those who you feel jealous of. 2- Donate more, give Sadaqa more, sponsor more orphans. 3- When you get overwhelmed with those thoughts, distract yourself and think of God’s mercy, the Day of Judgment, and the stories of the Prophets and Imams. 4- Wash your head with Sidr water. 5- Eat a pomegranate first thing in the morning, especially on Fridays.

What is recommended things to do in salah? and especially second raka salah

It’s recommended to: -Recite Sura Ikhalas after the Fatiha in the second rak’ah -Observe the Qunut -Do Takbir before ruku’, after standing up from ruku’, before going down to sujud, after raising your head from sujud, before going to the second sujud, and after raising your head from the second sujud. -When sitting for Tashahud, sit in the position of Tawarruk where you lean towards your left side. -Before the Tashahud start by saying: الحمد الله بسم الله وبالله والحمد لله وخير الاسماء لله Look at your lap during Tashahud. After saying وأشهد ان محمداً عبده ورسوله say: أرسله بالحق بشيرا ونذيرا بين يدي الساعة، وأشهد أن ربي نعم الرب وأن محمدا نعم الرسول After the Salawat in the Tashahud say: وتقبل شفاعته وارفع درجته

Will there be a punishment for not wearing Hijab? My daughter wears it but finds it very hard especially because most of our family don’t wear it. So she can’t reconcile with it because she says if they will be forgiven, then why does she need to wear it? She has promised God she won’t take it off but cries about it quite frequently as she sees everyone else not wearing it. I’m worried as I feel it may be affecting her faith sometimes..she said she would feel better if there was a definitive answer like with Salah for example.

Every sin warrants punishment if one insists on it and doesn’t stop doing it, whether not wearing hijab or another sin. Hence, if one doesn’t wear hijab, one will be deserving of punishment. Of course Allah can forgive whoever He wants for any sin, but Allah will reserve the right to punish if He seems fit. Yes one can repent, but: 1- How does one guarantee she’ll repent before she dies? So many people die before repenting. 2- Insisting on sins can weaken faith, remove certain blessings from our life, and it might take the tawfiq from repenting. Try to strengthen her resolve by reminding her: 1- What a great reward she’ll earn by wearing it. Everyday she’ll be rewarded for it. If someone would give her £1 million each she’d wear it, would she feel weak? What Allah gives her is more than £1 million. 2- She’ll make Lady Fatima (a) proud. 3- The benefits of hijab.

How can we come to know that, after performing all the rituals of the day of arafah and seeking forgiveness, Almighty has forgiven me for all my sins and has given me a chance and opportunity to take a completely new start ?

Because Allah promised us that if we sincerely pray and ask for forgiveness, He will forgive us. So we don’t doubt His promise.

I am strugging with me deen. I feel not connection to allah and even less connection to the Ahlulbayt. Im questioning my shia beliefs and as to why being shia is the correct path. I watch other shias and feel like an outsider and its really scary and hurtful. I dont know how to get closer to allah and the ahl bayt and strengthen my iman and I’d love if you could give me some advice.

First I recommend you see this: https://www.youtube.com/live/M0cQeuWrbA0?feature=shared Second, I recommend you study why we are Shia. Know the proofs and arguments. If you want a brief lecture on that you can see this: https://youtu.be/5MfXAdiF0tM?feature=shared You may also read this book: https://www.al-islam.org/inquiries-about-shia-islam-sayyid-moustafa-al-qazwini And this book: https://www.al-islam.org/then-i-was-guided-muhammad-al-tijani-al-samawi May Allah facilitate it for you.

1) I am a revert an 11 year old to be exact my parents are catholic and I want to attend my local shia mosque. I dont know how to convince them 2) What books should I read to gain knowledge like you

1- Be very wise in telling your parents. Don’t tell them now you became Muslim, as that could lead to negative consequences. Have indirect conversations with them on religion and Islam, and see what their stance is. Ask them hypothetical questions like “what if one if my friends is Muslim but he has a good character, should I stay friends with him?” If they showed a strong negative reaction, then don’t tell them you became Muslim. Tell them later when you get older so you can be in a stronger position. 2- I recommend al-islam.org. It has some very good books. Read Inquiries about Shia Islam by Sayed Mustafa Qazwini. Read the series on the Imams by Shaykh Baqir Sharif Qurashi: https://www.al-islam.org/person/baqir-shareef-al-qurashi I also recommend reading: https://www.al-islam.org/fifty-lessons-principles-belief-youth-naser-makarem-shirazi https://www.al-islam.org/islam-code-social-life https://www.al-islam.org/what-muslim-should-know-and-believe-sayyid-saeed-akhtar-rizvi May Allah bless you