Q. One day as we were offering Taraweeh prayers, a group of latecomers started another congregational prayer, offering the obligatory prayer of Isha. The imam told them that they should have joined him with their own separate intention, and completed their prayer after he has finished his two rakaahs. A few days later, some latecomers started a congregational prayer immediately after the imam had finished his obligatory prayer. They were still offering Isha when he started his congregational Taraweeh prayer. How is this possible?
M. Ahmad, Abqaiq
A. It is not possible. What the imam said to the first group is correct. They should have joined him, making their intention to offer their obligatory Isha prayer, while he did his Taraweeh. The difference in intention does not affect the validity of the prayer of either imam or followers. On the second occasion, both the imam and the latecomers were wrong. They should not have started their congregation without his permission. Had they sought such permission, he would have told them to join him when he started Taraweeh. Most probably he considered their congregational prayer to be invalid because they did not seek his permission before starting it. That is the only way to explain his behavior. However, even if he considered it invalid, he should not have started his congregation. He should have waited until they had finished.
Zakah for relatives, etc.
Q.1. Is it permissible to pay zakah to relatives, including brothers and sisters? How much zakah should a person pay if he has funds amounting to SR17,000, a plot of land worth SR20,000, which he intends to sell, and his wife’s jewelry? What is the difference between zakah and fitrah?
Q.2. Is it permissible to use aftershave, perfume and toothpaste during the day of fasting?
S. Alam, Riyadh
A.1. Paying zakah to relatives who are poor is not only permissible, but also preferable. It counts as a double act of kindness. However, zakah may not be paid to poor relatives who are entitled to be supported by the zakah payer, such as his parents, wife and children. Since one is required to support these when they are poor, one may not pay them any zakah, because he would be paying it to himself. However, when he supports them, his zakah liability is bound to be less.
Zakah is normally calculated at the rate of 2.5 percent, except for special types of assets. Therefore, this person pays a total of SR925: 425 for his savings and 500 for the land, if its value on the day of his zakah payment is still the same. If it has appreciated, his zakah goes up. His wife’s jewelry is not zakahable if it is for her personal use.
The fitrah is another name for Zakah Al-Fitr, which is a special kind of zakah, payable at the end of Ramadan and before the Eid prayer. It is a small amount, but payable for everyone of one’s family, adult or child, even an infant born a few minutes before the Eid prayer. It is payable by every Muslim who has more than what he needs for food for the day and night of the Eid. Zakah, on the other hand, is liable on people who own more than the threshold of zakah, which is the equivalent of the value of 85 grams of gold.
A.2. The use of perfumes, including aftershave, is permissible during the day of fasting. The same is the case with a toothbrush or miswak, but toothpaste should be avoided, because it may very easily be swallowed.
The jinn’s interference in our lives
Q. What is the reality of the jinn having an influence on our lives? There are people who claim to have contacts with the jinn and the ability to redress any harm perpetrated by them? Do these people resort to black magic? Is it possible for a person to cast a spell on another to the extent that he would marry a woman whom he would not have married otherwise? Please explain
Shakeel Ahmad, Jeddah
A. As Muslims we believe in the existence of the jinn, because God has told us that He has created them. From what is mentioned about them in the Qur’an we know that they have been given freedom of choice, like ourselves. They are also required to believe in the message of Prophet Muhammad, in the same way as human beings are. They are held to account for their deeds as well, and will receive the same reward or punishment as we do. Like human beings, most of them do not believe in God and His messenger. Moreover, we learn from the Qur’an that they have powers which have been denied to us, such as their ability, prior to Islam, to go up to Heaven to eavesdrop on the angels. But this ability has been denied them since the approach of the Islamic message. This means that they have not been able to learn anything from the angels for over 1400 years. We are also told in the Qur’an that they see us, but we cannot see them.
How much do they influence our lives? The answer is that they have nothing to do with us, in the same way as we have nothing to do with them. We live in two different worlds. Some people unfortunately exploit the little information we have about the jinn in order to deceive others, leading them to believe that the jinn can do us much harm and we need to be protected from them. Those who promote this idea describe themselves as being able to communicate with the jinn and force them to do their bidding. But when you look at what they do, you realize that it is all a question of deceiving some gullible people in order to take their money.
I have been told by a reader that he went to a place where a man claimed to have contact with the jinn and that he would be bringing one of them to answer questions and solve problems. Sure enough, he went into some rituals before telling his attendants that a female jinni was ready to come and speak to them. He asked them to keep their eyes closed, because if they were to look at the female jinni they would go blind. The reason was that the jinn, being created out of fire, generates binding light. They did as they were told and they heard a female voice telling them things, answering questions and suggesting solutions to their problems. Afterward, this female went round and collected money from them for her food and sustenance.
Anyone could see that the whole episode is a charade aimed at making those gullible people part with their money. I wonder how none of them could think that if the jinni would blind him to look at, how could he hand her the money without feeling her heat, or without the money being burned in her hand; how could she buy the food without the shopkeeper going blind by her presence. None of them could ask himself what sort of food the jinn eat, and whether it is available in human shops and supermarkets, when their very nature is so different from ours. If I were in that situation, I would certainly keep my eyes open and challenge that impostor who claims to control the jinn. He would have no answer to my challenge.
These people attribute great power to the jinn, but how do they know about their power? It may be that they are weaker than ourselves, but the cheats who make these claims need to give them this aura of great powers in order to deceive their clients out of their money.
Black magic is mentioned in the Qur’an, but from the Qur’anic references we have, we can conclude without hesitation that it is all a matter of illusion, without any real substance. Read, if you will, the story of Moses and the sorcerers in Surahs 7 and 20.
It is forbidden for a Muslim to learn black magic or practice it. It is also forbidden to go to a fortune-teller and seek his help. Therefore, the right way is to expel any such thoughts about magic and the jinn from our minds, to seek only God’s help and rely on Him only.