Q.1. A pregnant woman has been confirmed by her doctors to be bearing an abnormal baby. Is she allowed to have an abortion?
Q.2. A man receives rent for an apartment he has let out. How much should he pay in zakah on that apartment and its income?
(Name and address withheld)
A.1. We cannot give a blanket ruling on such a question. It depends on the type and extent of the abnormality, and the stage of the pregnancy. Normally speaking, if the pregnancy constitutes some serious risk to the mother’s life or health, then abortion is permissible. However, this should be determined by well-qualified doctors. The basis here is that an assured life, which is the mother’s, is more important and entitled to be saved than a potential life, which is that of the unborn child.
If the embryo’s abnormality is such that the child is certain to die in a short period after birth, then it may be permissible to abort. However, each case should be considered on the basis of accurate information, consulting both doctors and competent religious scholars. No ruling can be given on a hypothetical case.
A.2. When a property is rented, zakah is payable on the income it generates, after deducting any expenses incurred with the maintenance of the property. The value of the property is not liable to zakah in this case.
Ablution and Examining Patients
Q.1. When a doctor examines his patients, he unavoidably touches patients of the opposite sex. Does this invalidate his ablution?
Q.2. Is there a Hadith that mentions a direct causal relation between masturbation and loss of memory?
P.M. Nazar
A.1. Scholars differ as to whether skin-to-skin contact with a person of the opposite sex invalidates ablution, or wudhu. All agree that such contact between a man and a woman whom he cannot marry, such as his mother, daughter, sister, etc. has no effect on his ablution. As for other women, including his wife, the stricter view is that any such contact renders the ablution invalid, even when the contact is unintentional. The extreme opposite view is that no casual contact with anyone invalidates ablution. In between there are different views. The view I feel to be more accurate is that such casual contact invalidates wudhu if it is associated with feelings of sexual nature. Casual contact, such as when giving something to a woman, does not invalidate ablution. But deliberate contact, particularly when extended, as in the case when a man shakes hands with a woman and continues to hold her hand longer than normal in such cases, requires a fresh ablution.
A.2. There is no such Hadith to the best of my knowledge. Moreover, the causal relation you are mentioning is not true.
