Q. In our small community, we have two mosques, one following the Hanafi and the other the Shafie schools of law. In the first mosque, the Imam starts the congregational Maghrib prayer immediately after it is called. One person wanted him to wait a few minutes to allow others to come to the mosque. He also says that he would have a chance to offer the recommended prayer of mosque greeting. The imam says that all Hadith collections stress the importance of attending to Maghrib prayer immediately. Should we not ask this person to go to the other mosque if he wants to have his way?
K. Talib
A. No, he should not be asked to go to the other mosque. All Muslims may offer their prayers in any mosque, because all mosques belong to God and He alone must be addressed in them. To ask someone to leave is to be presumptuous and to give ourselves an authority which does not belong to us. At the same time, if one wishes to make a suggestion, he should have the opportunity to explain it. If it is in the interest of the community, then it should be adopted.
To start with, it is wrong to assume that the man is making the suggestion because of self-interest. He may genuinely believe that it is better for the community to have this short delay in order to allow people to arrive in the mosque. On the other hand, he could easily join his prayer of mosque greeting to his obligatory prayer, earning its reward, without difficulty. He does not need to offer it as a special prayer.
Having said that, it is wrong of the Imam to insist that the congregation must start immediately, without a few moments wait. Hadiths that warn against delaying prayers refer to a longer delay, so that prayers are offered at the end of their time range. The time range for Maghrib is from sunset to the start of Isha time, but it is very strongly recommended to offer it at the beginning of its time. Therefore, while we try to do that, we may be rather flexible in trying to accommodate what people may need or suggest.
Investment schemes
Q. Banks in the UAE offer different investment schemes, and I would like to ask if either of the following ones is permissible. The first is to buy bonds which are entered in a monthly lottery. There are no dividends or returns of any sort, but one can get one’s money back at any time by selling the bond back to the bank. People choose this fund for the lottery it offers. The other fund offers bonds for three years with unfixed returns, but no risk of loss. You get at least your money back, and whatever profit the fund attains. Are these acceptable from the Islamic point of view?
N.A. Khawaja
A. The first of these saving schemes exploits the investors, because it offers no returns. Thus, the money does not make any gains, despite the fact that it provides the banks with assets which undoubtedly make good returns. The lottery they run makes this form of investment even more unacceptable, because those who do not win feel that the winners are getting away with their own money. This is true because the prizes the lottery gives come from the profits the money invested makes. It thus goes to some people at the expense of others. This creates a feeling of grudge against the winners. This is something Islam is keen to avoid. Hence, it prohibits lottery as a form of gambling. Consequently, this saving scheme is unacceptable.
The second scheme draws no prizes and offers no lottery. It simply divides the profits achieved among investors. The fact that the rate of return is not fixed is commendable. The absence of risk of loss may be overlooked, because you expect banks to be able to make profits at all times. However, there are even better schemes than this. Perhaps you need to shop around for the best scheme.
Investing in the stock market
Q. I am an American Muslim and I have heard different views on investing in the American stock market. Some people say it is permissible so long as the stock does not earn Abdul-Basir
Lipscomb
A. God tells us in the Qur’an that He has made selling and trade permissible while He has forbidden usury (2: 275). This is the main principle we need to apply here. When you invest in the stock market, you are buying and selling shares. Therefore, it is permissible, as long as you are investing in stocks of companies whose activities are permissible. In the same way that trading in wines, pork and pigs is forbidden, because of the nature of these items, the same applies to the stocks of companies. If you buy and sell shares of bookmakers, casinos, or usurious financial institutions, then you are engaged in a forbidden transaction, because of the nature of the business itself, not the mechanics of buying and selling shares.
We need also to realize that when we buy shares, we are actually buying a portion of an ongoing business. At the time of the Prophet people shared in trade caravans, buying and selling certain portions, or shares. Although the transactions were much more simple and straightforward at the time, the principle remains the same. The Prophet did not object to such deals. He was fully aware of what was involved, because he traveled on such trade caravans before he received his message. Had there been anything in such an enterprise that Islam does not approve of, he would have pointed it out.
Sexual practices
Q. Could you please explain the meaning of the verse which mentions that one’s wife is like one’s field. Does this relate to what sexual practices may be permissible?
S.A.
Karachi
A. The verse you mention may be rendered in translation as follows: "Your wives are your tilth; go, then, to your tilth as you may desire, but prepare well for yourselves and fear God and know that you shall meet Him." (2: 223) This verse uses the Arabic word harth, rendered here as "tilth", to describe the marital relationship. It gives this relationship connotations of tillage and production in a context of fertility and procreation. Within this healthy, warm and conducive atmosphere, couples may seek each other’s comfort in any manner that will give them the greatest and most fulfilling pleasure.
Thus, sexual fulfillment must be sought as part of an overall objective which serves to please God Almighty, and is beneficial to the individuals concerned. They will be further rewarded by God for respecting His teachings and abiding by them.
The above is quoted from Sayyid Qutb’s commentary on this verse. We need to add that anal intercourse is strictly forbidden. It also prohibited to have intercourse with one’s wife when she is in menstruation. But it is permissible during the period to have what may fulfill the sexual desire, short of intercourse.
