Q. I have been told that if one reads surah 18, The Cave, on Fridays, God will forgive that person’s sins committed between the two Fridays. Is this correct?
A.A. Hussain
A. Reading this surah on Friday, before the Friday prayer is due, is recommended. We have a couple of Hadiths that encourage this reading. Abu Saeed Al-Khudri quotes the Prophet (peace be upon him) as saying: “For anyone who reads surah The Cave on Friday a light will be lit for him between the two Fridays.” (Related by Al-Nassaie and Al-Bayhaqi.) Abdullah ibn Umar quotes the Prophet as saying: “Anyone who reads surah The Cave on Friday shall have a light coming from under his feet and reaching up to the sky to give him light on the Day of Judgment. He will also be forgiven his sins committed between the two Fridays.” (Related by Ibn Mardaweih.)
These two Hadiths certainly recommend reading this surah on Fridays, but the second is not an authentic Hadith. It is not related in any of the major anthologies. Besides, this should not be taken as a way to encourage committing sin.
A person may think: “If I commit this offence, I can always read Surah 18 on Friday, which takes me only 15 minutes, and I will sure be forgiven.” This is not an appropriate way of thinking for any Muslim.
A Muslim should always be careful not to commit any sin, then he should do the things that the Prophet specified to be ways of ensuring God’s forgiveness, because however we try to avoid sin, we will always be tempted to commit at least minor offences.
Having said that, I must clarify that reading this surah should always be in the proper manner of reciting God’s words.
If a professional reciter sits in the mosque, reading it aloud, in a way that begs admiration, and distracting those who are praying, then that is forbidden according to Imam Muhammad Abdou, who issued a fatwa to this effect.
Advance Distribution of Interest
Q. I have money invested in a long-term deposit, with a fixed interest rate. As I know the amount of interest in advance, I begin to distribute this to needy people before it is credited to my account. Is this proper?
A. Moeed
A. This is perfectly appropriate. It is also appropriate to wait until the interest is paid to you before you begin to distribute it.
On the other hand, some scholars suggest that if the interest is equal to or below the rate of inflation in your country, it is permissible to keep for yourself, as you will be keeping the value of your principal amount.