In my home country, some people call themselves Saalik. They deliberately put on a crude and austere appearance, wearing a large white turban and applying henna to their beards and heads. They claim that seven parts of our bodies have to say the name of God many times during the day. Their guides assign to them a particular supplication for each of the seven parts, and they have to repeat it hundreds of times during the day. They have special mosques to which they go. Please comment.
(Name withheld)
Every Muslim knows that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was God’s messenger who delivered to us God’s complete and final message. No revelations from on high will ever be vouchsafed to anyone after him. Therefore, whatever is claimed by people to be desirable, recommended or obligatory, in matters of religion, should be referred to what the Prophet taught. Anything that is not in line with what he taught is rejected. When we study his actions we realize that he was the perfect model of a totally devoted servant of God. His lifestyle in following and implementing the Islamic faith cannot be improved upon. To suggest that it can is to say that God’s message is imperfect or falls short of what is good for us.
The term Saalik is a plural form of Sulook which originally means “poor, penniless, etc.” Over the years it acquired connotations of being “disrespected, treated with contempt.” This is not how Islam wants its followers to be. A Muslim is a person of dignity who stands up for what is right and defends it with whatever means are available to him.
There is nothing that the Prophet said or taught that speaks of different organs of our bodies, which must say the name of God any number of times. We speak with our mouths and tongues, and we may express our feelings with gestures or facial expressions. What these people do is of their own invention, and it represents deviation from the Prophet’s method, which is the correct one. This is simply one of many ways in which some people lure others into a practice that appears to be a higher method of devotion, when it is no more than time wasting in what is useless and of no benefit to anyone other than the guide, who may reap material or social benefit from his group. I strongly advise that you have nothing to do with this group and you should confine yourself to what you learn of the Prophet’s practice through authentic Hadiths and traditions.
I hope you know Indian laws. I am wondering whether it is permissible to invest money in mutual funds and life insurance schemes. If so, which types are permissible in Islam?
(A. Rasheed K.)
I am afraid I have no knowledge of Indian law, and little knowledge of the laws operating elsewhere. People who wish to know about the permissibility of certain types of investment should give me the details of the scheme, and I will try to answer on the basis of the information supplied. Otherwise, I have no means of giving an informed answer.