Q. Could you please clarify whether it is true that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) also has 99 names. To my knowledge, this is true of God only. Please comment.
A. Siddiqui
A. The Prophet is called by several names, but the name he was given at birth was Muhammad. His mother reports that she heard a voice telling her that she was carrying a boy who would be the best of mankind, and that she should call him Muhammad. His grandfather wanted to call him Ahmad, which is his second name mentioned in the Qur’an. Both these names are derived from a root that signifies praise. Muhammad in particular means ‘one who is often praised.’ From the same root a further name is derived, which is Mahmood. The Prophet is also called by other names, but these are mostly attributes or qualities which he is known to have had. An examples of these is Mustafa, which means ‘chosen.’ Furthermore, he is described in the Qur’an by certain qualities, and some people claim that these are also names of his. This is not true, because some of these are attributes of God, such as Ra’oof and Raheem, which mean kind and compassionate respectively. When these are used on their own, they refer to God, not to the Prophet.
To find 99 names and qualities by which to call the Prophet will require some arbitrary usage of such qualities. Besides, there is nothing to be gained by such an exercise. We know that the Prophet combined the best qualities that could be found in the best of people. To give him a name for each such quality is a totally unnecessary exercise. People, however, think that by doing so they demonstrate their great love of the Prophet. The fact is that such love is best demonstrated by following the Prophet’s example, not by singing his praises, much worthy of praise as he certainly is.
Wearing a beard
Q. What is the size recommended for a man’s beard in Islam?
Farouq-Uddin
A. Muslim men are recommended to wear a beard and not to shave. The Prophet is reported to have said: “Trim your mustaches and keep your beards.” This does not indicate any size which may be said to be recommended. However, most scholars agree that a beard should be of a reasonable length, which is neither too short so as to look like that of one who has not shaved for a few days, and not too long so as to be overgrown. However, some people have recently come up with the idea that one should neither trim his beard nor even take off an overgrowth. This is insupportable, because the Hadith does not indicate that. Moreover, it is contrary to the Hadith which tells us that we should take care of our hair. The Prophet has given us guidance which consistently indicates that we should always take care of our appearance, doing only what is suitable for a Muslim man with a serious approach to life. This means that a beard should always be of moderate length, as fits one’s face. It should never be left to cover the larger part of one’s face. Otherwise, it may give Islam an unfriendly image.
Purchase by installments
Q.1. Here in the US, a person may have to use the facility of buying expensive items, such as a car or a house, or even less expensive items, on installments. This may involve the payment of interest. Is this acceptable from the Islamic point of view?
Q.2. Is stoning to death the Islamic punishment for adultery? I could not find it in the Qur’an.
M.A. Saeed, USA
A.1. Much depends on the form that the purchase takes. If you go to a car dealer and say that you want to pay for your car over a period of time, and he says to you that the price will be so much for immediate payment, but a higher one for payment over a period of, say, two years, this is perfectly acceptable. On the other hand, if the car dealer offers to make arrangements for you with a finance company so that you pay over the same period and at the same price he has quoted, this is strongly objectionable, and may be forbidden. In this latter form, you are actually obtaining from the finance a loan in the amount of the cash price of the car, which the company pays to the car dealer on your behalf. You then repay your loan with interest.
In the first form, you are buying the car for a higher price because of the payment arrangements, while in the second you are borrowing money and repaying it with increase. As for buying a house on mortgage, this is permissible. We have discussed this on several occasions, quoting the ruling of the European Fiqh Council which permits this arrangement.
A.2. You are right when you say that the punishment of stoning is not mentioned in the Qur’an. It relies on a Hadith that defines the punishment for adultery. It should be said that according to the weightier opinion, this is not a mandatory or hadd punishment that cannot be waived. Rather, it is discretionary. Moreover, Islamic punishments are established mostly for deterrence. This applies to the punishment for adultery which requires either a free, unsolicited confession, or testimony by four qualified witnesses who state that they have personally seen the offense being committed.
Ihraam for South African pilgrims
Q.1. Pilgrims from South Africa start coming to Makkah at the beginning of Ramadan. While some go to Madinah first, those who travel to Makkah put on their ihraam garments at Jeddah airport. Since Yalamlam is their point of meeqat, should they not travel either to Yalamlam or to Rabigh in order to begin their consecration?
Q.2. Back home, after Friday prayer is finished, a section of the congregation offer Dhuhr prayer in congregation. Please explain.
Yusuf Ibrahim, Jeddah
A.1. It is not certain whether pilgrims coming from southern African areas pass by any point of meeqat on their way before landing in Jeddah. If the flight is over the sea and it approaches Jeddah from the sea, then they certainly do not pass by any point of meeqat before landing. This will mean that the first point in the Hil area they pass is Jeddah. The Prophet did not define any point of ihraam for those who travel by sea, which means that their ihraam should be on dry land wherever they land within the Hil area. There is a strong case to apply this to pilgrims traveling by air.
A small but increasing number of scholars consider Jeddah the point of meeqat for all travelers by air or sea. The most notable of these is the late Sheikh Mustafa Al-Zarqa, one of the most authoritative scholars of the twentieth century. His fatwa is based on very solid evidence, and it certainly makes things much easier for all pilgrims from distant areas. If it is taken up by the fatwa counsels in Muslim countries, it will benefit most pilgrims.
A.2. According the Shafie school of Fiqh, when you have several mosques in the same town, all offering Friday prayers, then you should offer Dhuhr prayer afterward. This is because a condition added by Imam Al-Shafie for Friday prayer is that it should be one congregation in each village, town or city. In this case, Dhuhr prayer is not required. The evidence in support of this view is not particularly strong.
Arab News Islam 10 January 2003
