Q. What is the ruling when a person goes back on a commitment made to God? Someone I know bought a laptop and committed himself to God that he would not use it to watch a movie. After a while, he broke this commitment and watched a movie using his laptop. What should he do?
A. Ali
A. A Muslim must always be true to his promises and commitments. Therefore, he should not make a commitment unless he feels able to honor it. A promise made to God has a greater claim to be fulfilled than one made to a fellow human being. No doubt this person felt at the time that he would be able to fulfil his commitment, but then at a point of weakness, he fell short of doing so.
What he should do is to repent, pray God for forgiveness and resolve to honor his commitment in future. He must not feel that because he fell short once, he can go on doing so in future. One mistake does not justify a repeat.
What we are talking about here is the breaking of a clear commitment made to God. We are not discussing the question of watching a movie and the ruling concerning it.
In as much as what is pledged to God is permissible, or halal, it must be adhered to. Had the pledged action been unacceptable from the Islamic point of view, it must not be done. If it is, it incurs a sin, while if it is abandoned, it earns reward.
Sometimes people make an undertaking that is unnecessary, thus making things hard for themselves. Watching a movie is not forbidden in Islam, unless the movie itself produces negative results, or excites a person tempting him or her to do what is forbidden. Horror movies may have a very bad effect on some people, particularly young ones.
Therefore, they are either forbidden or reprehensible to watch. Movies which have no such negative effects or influences are permissible. Our friend who made this undertaking was no doubt motivated by a noble feeling that since God granted him the facility of owning a laptop, which might have been a dear wish of his, he felt that he should express his gratitude by using it only for serious purposes. This is fine, but he made an unnecessary undertaking which now he has no option but to fulfill. When he uses his laptop, he should simply resolve to use it for good purposes. Sometimes, watching a movie is relaxing.
Who Teaches Children the Qur’an
Q. Since I came to work in Saudi Arabia, I have learned proper recitation of the Qur’an, i.e. Tajweed, but I have not memorized the Qur’an as I would have loved to do. I recently came across the Hadith that tells that the closest people to God on the Day of Judgment are those who teach the Qur’an.
In my home country, children are sent to a Hafiz who teach them the Qur’an. Could I teach my three children Qur’anic recitation even though I am not a Hafiz?
S.A. Hussain
A. Why should you hesitate? The Prophet (peace be upon him) says: “The best among you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it.” This applies to everything related to the Qur’an: its proper recitation, accurate reading, meaning, the significance of the historical accounts it relates, etc. When you have learned something of that, what stops you from imparting that knowledge to others, who will benefit from you just as you have benefited from your teachers?
Someone told me this little incident. He said: “I offered this Friday prayer in a mosque I do not normally frequent. The Imam concentrated his sermon, or khutbah, on explaining a short surah, which I had read perhaps hundreds of times. Yet the way he explained it reveals treasures of meaning that I had never considered. I believe most of the congregation now see in it a message that they could not have understood before.” When the man gave me a summary of the sermon I realized that the Imam had presented the main message of the surah in a very appealing way capturing the attention and imagination of his audience. I told my interlocutor that now that the surah has been well understood by him, he should explain it to those who are close to him.
This is the main point: when you have learned something new about the Qur’an, give it to others so that they would benefit as you have. Do not keep it to yourself.
In Islam, it is a major sin to suppress knowledge. A person who has learned something useful should impart it to others. You have learned the proper recitation of the Qur’an. You should give that knowledge to others if you can.
The best thing you do is to teach your wife and children. If you teach them now how to read the Qur’an, this will be the best gift you will ever give them. Moreover, whenever any of them reads the Qur’an, your reward will increase as you have been the one who taught them. Besides, your teaching may be better than that of many a person who has memorized the Qur’an, because some of these recite it poorly.
They may have memorized the text but have not learned its recitation properly. You have learned that, so you teach your children.
Missed Sacrifice
Q. My friend’s sister came over for pilgrimage. However, at some point she was unconscious because she was diabetic. As a result, she overlooked the sacrifice and returned to her home country. Soon afterward, she died. My friend wants to do the sacrifice on her behalf in her home country. Is it the right way to do so?
Abdulaziz
A. In order to make the woman’s pilgrimage complete, a sacrifice should be offered on her behalf, but it should be offered at the place where it was due. It cannot be offered in her home country. Her brother should send the money to you, or give it to some pilgrim he trusts, and the person concerned should buy a sacrifice voucher on her behalf. In this way, the sacrifice will be offered where it fell due and the woman’s pilgrimage will be complete.
