Q.1. Which types of raffle are permissible, and which are not? Do they carry serious punishment?
Q.2. If one distances himself from another Muslim because of his bad conduct, does one incur a sin?
Rasheed, Jubail
A.1. Where raffles are offered as a means of promotion, without putting a price on them, then they are permissible. Suppose a shop offers a draw using the numbers carried by it till receipts, and offering a prize like a television set or even a more valuable one, there is nothing wrong with that. The people who enter the draw are those who buy something from that shop. What they pay is the price of the commodity they buy. They do not pay anything for entering into the draw. They receive their money’s worth. Such raffle is permissible. But if you have to pay for your raffle ticket, it is a form of lottery or gambling, and it is forbidden.
A.2. If you boycott someone because of his Islamically unacceptable behavior, you are to be commended. It is always better to steer away from whatever and whoever encourages sinful practice.
On zakah, Heaven, etc.
Q.1. I am paying zakah on all my possessions except for 85 grams of gold jewelry for my wife. Could you please corroborate whether my action is correct?
Q.2. You mentioned that sex is not one of the pleasures we enjoy in Heaven. This does not seem to fit, because there are women companions in Heaven, known as Hoor. Besides, not everyone has the chance to enjoy sex in this life. Such people may have their compensation in Heaven. What is the alternative for women?
Q.3. The prayer known as tasabeeh is widely practiced in India, but not so here, although it is mentioned in a Hadith related by Abu Dawood, Ibn Majah and others. Why is it not mentioned by Al-Bukhari, Muslim and Al-Tirmidhi?
M. Naseeruddin, Jeddah
A.1. As you mention, you have several types of property. The land you have is intended as investment. Hence, it is liable to zakah at the rate of 2.5 percent of its market value, which is likely to change from year to year. If it goes up, then your zakah on that particular property goes up as well. The bonds you have are also liable to zakah at the same rate, and this applies to both capital and profit.
Your wife’s jewelry is not liable to zakah at all, if it is for her personal use. Its value is well within what is reasonable, although it may be more than 85 grams. You are confusing two things here when you bring up this figure. This is the threshold of zakah, but it does not have to be in actual gold. Suppose you do not have anything in gold, but you have SR100,000; you are liable to zakah. The figure has nothing to do with the amount of jewelry any woman has.
Besides, why do you include your wife’s jewelry with your property? It is hers, and she is the one to consider whether it is liable to zakah or not. A woman’s jewelry intended for her personal use is not liable to zakah.
The same applies to your daughter’s jewelry, unless you consider it your own property. As for the deposit you have in her name, to be used for her marriage, you have to consider whether you have taken it out of your property and given it to your daughter or not. If you consider it her own property and you have no claim to it other than that of a father on his children, then she is the one to pay its zakah. But if you are simply reserving it for her, then it is your property, and you pay its zakah. As for the insurance policies, they are liable to zakah on their maturity. When you receive their proceeds, you pay their zakah right away, once only. Then you include these with the rest of your property on your next zakah date.
A.2. There is much that is said about Heaven and what people may receive there. Much of what is said does not carry any evidence. It is often received by word of mouth and taken for granted. Yes, there are Hoor, which means wide-eyed females; but there is nothing in the Qur’an or the authentic Sunnah to suggest that the pleasure we have with them is sexual. Since the sexual desire is meant for procreation, and there will be no procreation in the life to come, it is logical to assume that there is no sex there. If some people do not seem to enjoy the satisfaction of their sexual desire in this world, it does not follow that they will have it in Heaven. What they will have is much superior to anything they have known in this life.
Besides, there is nothing to suggest that women will have so many husbands in Heaven, which, again, indicates that the whole idea of sex in Heaven is not realistic. If someone asks what is the point of having Hoor then, the answer is that their presence is part of life in Heaven, in the same way as the presence of boys serving its inhabitants. No one has ever suggested that these boys will be partners to the women inhabitants of Heaven. Why should the Hoor be sex partners to men? This view is expressed by many scholars, but it is not shared by all.
A.3. If some Hadith scholars mention a particular Hadith, it is because they consider it of a reasonable degree of authenticity. Since Al-Bukhari and most Hadith scholars do not mention the Hadith concerning the tasabeeh prayer, this indicates that they did not consider it to be reasonably authentic. The Hadith in question is rated as poor on authenticity, or dhaeef, which means that it cannot be the basis of confirmed rulings. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, who is a scholar of the highest caliber in both Hadith and Fiqh, feels that there is no sufficient grounds to suggest that this prayer is Sunnah.
Unfulfilled intention
Q. When I came here, I intended to give 2-month salary for charity, including a contribution to the building of a mosque in my village. On arrival, I discovered that I was cheated and I had to accept a salary of about one half of what I was promised. Despite the passage of several years, I have not fulfilled that intention. I want to do so now, but which salary it should be: the one promised, or the actual one, or my present salary, which is higher than both?
S. Akhtar, Jeddah
A. If this was a mere intention, then you are free to act on it or not. If you do, you receive God’s generous reward; and if you do not, you deprive yourself of that reward. Hence, it is infinitely better to do so. If you find it difficult, then do as much of it as you can, without putting yourself to hardship.
On the other hand, if this was a pledge, which means a firm promise made to God, then it becomes a duty and must be fulfilled. It should be put into effect as soon as possible. The promised salary, which was not paid at the time, is not the one to be used. What is due is the actual salary you started with. However, since you have delayed it so long, if you pay more, it is better. The more you pay, the greater is your reward.
