Sayed Saleh Qazwini

Sayed Saleh Qazwini
 
Age:
Location: Michigan
Nationality: United States
For User Saleh

Public QnA

Due to the nature of my job involving extensive travel with coworkers, a lot of times I will go to a restaurant to eat dinner with them when away from my home base. My understanding is it’s haram to eat or drink from a table where alcohol is being served. What should I do if they order alcohol after we’ve sat down, where explaining our religious requirements could lead to developing a poor reputation at work? Is it a requirement that I leave the table and move to a different one? How would the rule apply if we’re at a restaurant with a long table with a large group, where someone on the other end (somewhat far from where I’m seated) is drinking alcohol. Would this ruling also require me to leave?

You would have to excuse yourself from a table where alcohol is being served. You can tell them and explain your reasoning. Even if it is a long table, you would still be in that gathering and it is forbidden. I know several individuals that have made it clear to their coworkers and company and the coworkers respect their wishes and do not serve alcohol in work meetings.

I was looking for an english translation of nahjul balaghah and when I read reviews they people usually comment that the translation is bad. Do you have any recommendations of any one who has translated it mostly correctly?

There is one on Al-Islam.org. I haven’t compared it with others but that is the one that I usually refer to.

As the imam of a mosque and an experienced scholar, I’m sure you have witnessed or at least heard many reasons for divorce, husbands cheating, or wanting to get other wives. With your insight, what is everything a wife can do to keep her husband interested in solely being monogamous? Behaviour, characteristics, etc. anything would be appreciated. What do you think is important for a relationship to not end in divorce or cheating? How does one keep it thriving? Lastly, I understand while lady Khadija (sa) and lady Fatima (sa) are far different than us normal women, what can we learn from them and their relationships that had their husbands so pleased and content?

Keeping a marriage healthy is a constant struggle. If the husband and the wife both fulfill their responsibilities and duties within a marriage the chances of keeping the marriage healthier would be stronger. A wife should strive to make her husband love her and stay close to her through loving him and being there for him and his needs. Often times we see the rights of husbands are neglected just as the rights of wives are neglected. This causes the relationship to become dry and eventually some may want to move on or end the relationship all together. Having said that, there are also some wives and some husbands that despite the partner doing everything they can, they do not do their part and either find other partners or seek divorce. This is a problem that I have seen quite often unfortunately. This problem has to be avoided prior to getting married during the vetting process, if there is one. We can learn from the women of the Ahlulbayt to make sure what we do we do it for the sake of God. Even in moments of anger or emotions, we have to see whether God is pleased or not. If we do that we will gain nearness to God and our relationships will be healthier.

I recently moved in with a family member who happened to recently attain a dog for a house pet. I’m of the knowledge that dogs are najis to the point where the angels do not descend upon the home of a Musalli if a dog is inhabited in that house. There are no mosques around me within walking distance. What is the best I can do under the circumstances I’m in. And if I chose to pray in the condition of being around najis are my prayers still valid?

Pray in a room that the dog does not enter in.

I’m struggling with many years of destructive mindset and lazyness which cost me my education, jobs, family troubles…According to myself I can’t achieve anything. Besides that my brain works slow so that doesn’t help my self esteem. I’m now trying to create a stable life with routine and structure that will be good for me: what dua can I recite? What story from Ahlul Bayt or habits can I adopt? No talk with family or consequences have ever changed me. I need help from Allah to change me- this lifestyle is killing me….

Pray on time. It will teach you to appreciate time and program your day based on priorities.

Do we believe that the aimmah (as) knew when qiyamat is?

No they don’t know when Qiyamat is

How would the process be like when agreeing on a mehr which is teaching a quranic verse from the quran. I would want to know how the process is a supposed to go like?

There has to be an agreement on teaching a verse, or helping someone recite something. Teaching has value and as long as it has value it can be a Mahr

Do we have any narrations on chest beating for imam Hussain? Sahih ones would be appreciated

Salaam chest beating as a form of sorrow and mourning yes we have several narrations. One is the poem by dibil Ibn Ali alKhuzaee in front of Imam Rida. He said oh Fatima if you see Hussayn you would slap your face out of sorrow. The Imam did not tell him that is wrong and therefore it is accepted as a form of grieving.

It’s about if the imam knows their death, is it suicide?

Suicide is when a person makes the choice to their own life. Imam Hussayn was killed because of the choices he made. He asked to let him go and they didn’t. Suicide and fighting in a battle to defend faith and values are two different things.

Did the sahaba really burn the 10 paras of the Quran ?

It is recorded in history that Uthman burned the variant copies of the Quran in order to unify the Quran.

I’ve heard that once someone passes away that is the only way to compensate for missed salah and fast; what about the ones currently alive who have so many missed prayers and fasts? Due to severe illness or falling astray? Is there an amount that should be paid to compensate for those missed salahs and prayers? And what about breastfeeding mothers who are unable to fast? I’m trying to make up for all my salaam and fasts that I’ve missed or was unable to do in the past, some out of ignorance and falling astray and some due to illness

During a persons life they have to make up on their own. Once they pass away another person can make up for them.

What is meant by the matter between the two matter in the discussion of jabr and tafwid? Can you provide an example of the balance of things that are destined and things that we have in our control? I’m not confused as per why the stance is superior to the other two but what would it be and what is the balance? Also can you further elaborate on the stance of jabr and what they hold and what it implies? Also, what is Tafwid and what did they claim and how is it problematic, I’m having trouble understanding it

There are certain things in our control and other things not in our control. We did not choose the circumstances we were born in however we are responsible for the decisions we make in life. That is what amr bayn amrayn is. Tafwid means Allah created then left everything up to people to decide. He is just watching from a distance without being involved. This is problematic because it takes God out of the equation. God won’t be involved in your life and you are the sole decision maker.

What’s considered to be inappropriate joking to do in front of non mahrams? Is it just if the content is inappropriate? Some examples include just being funny, knock knock jokes, pranks etc

Joking, flirting are inappropriate. You be the judge.

As Shias we pray zuhr and asr together and Maghreb and Isha together unlike Sunnis. Why is this the case in Shia Islam despite the fact that zuhr means midday, asr means afternoon, Maghreb means evening and isha means night?

The prophet would join prayers at times to bring ease to Muslims. You are not required to join, however the actions of the prophet indicate that the time of the later prayer begins after the end of the former.

If I want to marry a Muslim girl who didn’t marry before I should ask for her father permission but what if her father is not Muslim. He also is an alcoholic and he is not stable. In this case is it a must to take her father permission or not ?

In that case you ask her grandfather (fathers father). If he is dead then she has no wali and doesn’t need permission.

With muharram coming up, I had a question concerning new styles of latmiyat. In recent years, there has been a trend where a reciter sits near the main reciter makes a special sound that adds a beat to the latmiya. Is it permissible to listen to these latmiyat?

No this type of recitation is not appropriate in most cases.

I wear medical devices which affects my ghusl because it cant touch the skin and I know that im supposed to do tayamum. However, even after removing the patch every 3/10 days, a adhesive remains on the skin. I can remove it with oil however sometimes I think I’ve cleaned it all off then after ghusl I see that I havent. Do I have to do ghusl again? And are my prayers from before I saw that not all of it was removed valid? This is something that causes alot difficulty for me and if this is the case I would have to be repeating my prayers alot

Yes you have to make sure you remove it all. If it blocked the water from reaching your skin you would have to wash that part after the ghusl. If you are sure that your wudhu or ghusl was not done properly you would need to redo the prayers. Purity is an essential part of prayer.

Is it permissible to use cooking wines when the alcohol is burned off? And can we eat beer battered Cod? I don’t know if it makes a difference if the alcohol content isn’t there anymore

All types of alcoholic beverages are haraam to use, wine, beer etc.

Are there any musical instruments that are haram to play? Even if the music is not suitable for gatherings of entertainment

All musical instruments that are used in sessions of amusement are haraam to play

I’ve got a question about watching movies and series 1) Is it allowed to watch movies/series when someone drinks alcohol in them or comsumes drugs, when I am 100% sure it wont have any influence on me? 2) Is it allowed to watch movies etc. with kissing scenes when I skip These scenes? 3) Is it allowed to watch movies etc. that contains naked or sexual scenes when I skip These scenes 4) Is it allowed for a man to watch movies etc. where a woman appears without a hijab but watching it without any Lust or desire? Just watching it because of the Story line of the movie/series? 5) Is it allowed to watch movies etc. when someone in them uses words like divine or heavenly? I want to explicit mention that alhamdulillah I am steadfast in my principles and I know that I would never let myself be affected by this scenes like the mentioned ones inshaAllah

Watching nudity, or sexuality is haraam. Watching other things that may impact your faith and bring you away from God would also be haraam.

The method I use for wudhu is I wash my face several times with the intention of wudhu then turn off the tap and wipe all over my face to ensure that water reaches all the required areas. My question is that sometimes after turning off the tap and during wiping, the back of my hand or fingers may touch my face or hair accidentally and place on it water from the back of the hand. I then wipe over that area with the front of my hand (palm) or fingers, coming into contact with the water from the back of the hand, and also I continue wiping the other parts of my face. Does this invalidate the wudhu? Are the water at the front and back of the hand considered different? Is the water from the back of the hand considered as “new water” in this case so it contaminates the wudhu water?

No that is not considered different water.If you wash your face more than two times it Invalidates the wudhu

The question is regarding Oyster Sauce. Is it Halal? In Pakistan it is readily available and people don’t mind having it. But I have doubts. Can you please clarify?

According to sayed Sistani oyster is not halal. You should avoid the sauce if it is from the oyster. Some Shia scholars and Sunnis believe that all seafood is halal. However majority Shia opinion is that fish with scale and shrimp are halal only.

I watched your lecture on imam ridha as and you said something I’ve been thinking about. You said all the imams were not involved in politics. How is that true? Imam Hussein and his family died for the reason not to give bay3a to a corrupt leader. They all stood up against corruption and all in all Islam is not just a lifestyle; it is a way to build up a society and to have the best functioning system possible. Imam Ali was Khalifa at one point as well and more political than that it doesn’t get. To say that imams are not politically involved does not sound logical to me. Did you mean that they weren’t too verbal about politics because of the taqqiya or did you mean that they did not care for politics?

I meant they didn’t care for politics. They were focused on teaching and guiding people, they did not run after political rule. You can be Imam without having a political seat.

I heard that Sayyid Khomeini rh allows for people to have the gender transition surgery if they have gender dysphoria, even if they don’t have both of the sex organs. For example, a male who is fully biologically male, but has gender dysphoria and the “brain” of a female, would be allowed to have the gender reassignment surgery and identify as female according to him. Is this true of the late Khomeini? And if possible, could you name the other maraji who have that view, if any?

Yes this view was addressed in Iran. However it has conditions. They would have to go through therapy and sit with psychiatrists and specialists. Then once they change their gender they cannot go back. Typically this is applied for those who have hermaphroditism

Can we read books that are graphic that teach us different techniques to use in bed with your spouse? Also, are you allowed to read books that have sexually explicit content in it but no imagery?

It’s best to avoid those books, as they can cause deviations in sexuality and expose images or thoughts that are unhealthy for a person. If a person wants to learn with his wife and knows that this would not cause further problems it would be okay as long as their are no images of real people.

What type of music are halal. In the fatwas it is written amusement gatherings what does that mean? Like are songs that are played in concerts disco’s ext Haram?

Salaam yes concerts and discos and clubs are all amusement gatherings. The halal ones would be a military parade or a classical song that you hear in a store.

Why does the Shia school of thought think that the parents of the prophets must be monotheists? I understand the concept I am confused though because of what the Quran mentions about the father of prophet Ibrahim (a). If this is mentioned in Hadith, isn’t it if the Hadith contradicts the Quran it must be disregarded? If it doesn’t contradict do you mind explaining it to me because I cannot read Arabic I can only read the translation of the Quran. Unless I’m missing something I am very confused because in the Quran Allah swt says that prophet Ibrahim told his father Azar to not worship gods other than Allah. I have heard the argument that azar is his uncle, but I am still confused then why does Allah refer to him as his father and not his uncle? Is there a different wording for someone who is a biological father instead of a guardian? Is there another example in the Quran that shows that father might refer to a guardian? Otherwise why would we think that Allah didn’t literally mean his biological father?

The Quran had an interpreter and that is the prophet and the Imams of the Ahlulbayt. In the Arabic language اب could mean uncle as well. There is a hadith where the prophet says to imam Ali you and I are the abawa of this umma. Meaning leaders. Walid on the other hand means father or mother who are biological. So the Quran is not clear that Azar is the father. This means there is no contradiction and the hadith of the imams is clarifying the verses and giving us proper tafsir. We have a lot of proof that is clear in which RasulAllah and the Ahlulbayt come from pure progeny. No one in the lineage worshipped an idol. If the father of Ibrahim worshipped an idol that means the father of all the prophets including RasulAlah was not pure. The hadith of the imams and the verse وتقلبك في الساجدين is clear that the prophet didn’t have a father that was a polytheist. Also, Allah ordered Ibrahim not to do dua for azar. However in the end of his life he says oh Allah forgive me and my waliday, my birth parents. This means that azar was not Ibrahim’s father because he did dua for his parents.

Some sites sell high quality replica/fake football team shirts. I wanted to know if it would be haram to buy from these sites? Also, if prayer is performed with such a cloth, would the prayer be void?

No it is not haraam to buy them, unless it’s illegal than some scholars say it is haraam to break the law in a way which would give you a bad image. Prayer is valid if the clothes were purchased with your money.

When playing sports instead of shaking hands with a non mahram coach sometimes female hijabi athletes will tap their elbow with his because it’s not skin to skin contact. Is this permissible?

As long as skin is not touched it would be ok. It should not cause problems, if it does and is seen as inappropriate action than it should not be done.

Is Friday prayer wajib? If it is what do you do when you have a job that doesn’t permit you to leave to pray at that time? If it isn’t wajib, why is that because in the Quran doesn’t Allah show his displeasure of the Jews abandoning the sabbath and working?

Friday prayer is highly recommended. You should talk with your work to arrange to go to Prayer. If you couldn’t it is not a sin. Friday prayer is Wajib during the time of the living Imam. Since the Imam is in occultation, the prayer is just recommended now.