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Religion and Sharia
Author : Dr. Jadallah Bassam
Date Added : 30-01-2024

Religion and Sharia

 

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

 

"The Deen/Religion" with a short vowel on the "D" refers to divine rulings that guide humans towards happiness. It is named "Deen" because it is the means by which individuals are rewarded or punished in the afterlife. This concept is vital and significant, influencing human life and remaining an essential societal need. Therefore, countries, institutions, and individuals need to incorporate it into their laws, priorities, and plans. It cannot be ignored, as it is inherent in human nature, a natural disposition created by Allah, and it aligns with sound reasoning and solid evidence. This is particularly true when the religion encompasses a comprehensive legal framework covering various aspects of life, including worship, transactions, and ethics.

 

In the precise sense, scholars like Al-Fakhr al-Razi have defined religion as a "divine constitution that guides people of intellect towards virtues through their praiseworthy choices." This notion is reiterated in various expressions, such as Sharif al-Jurjani's statement: "Religion is a divine constitution that invites people of intellect to accept what is with the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him." Similarly, they say, "Religion, in terminology, is a celestial law guiding people of intellect toward virtues in essence, such as the legal rulings revealed to the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him." The underlying idea is that religion consists of a set of rulings and teachings from God, which, when pondered upon by those of sound intellect, lead them to recognize their validity and the necessity of adhering to them. The ultimate goal of these rulings is to bring happiness to humanity.

 

Discussions about the concept of religion have arisen in both ancient and contemporary philosophical debates. These discussions have explored the meaning, origin, evolution, and the extent of religion's intertwining with human life. Scholars have debated the comprehensiveness of its rulings, leading to the classification of religion into various types. Philosophers, for example, have described it as civil religion, natural religion, the religion of philosophers, or the religion of the ancients. Some philosophers have even denied the validity of religion altogether, considering it a cause of backwardness. Others have gone so far as to invent, synthesize, or distort religions, viewing religion as a human, earthly creation.

 

Whatever the case may be, our focus in this article is to clarify an important issue from the perspective of the Islamic creed: "The Religion before God is Islam (submission to His Will): " [Al-Emran, 19]. The point emphasized here is that religion in Islam is not a matter of personal desires or whims, nor is it subject to human experiments, societal evaluations, or individual opinions. Rather, it consists of divine judgments and teachings with an absolute source.

 

One of the characteristics of these divine judgments is that they align with reason and do not contradict it. Indeed, those endowed with reason find themselves naturally inclined towards these judgments when they understand them. The result of this inclination is the attainment of goodness for the adherent, leading to complete happiness. This happiness encompasses both the worldly and the hereafter, as emphasized by the Quran. Allah, the Most High, says {What means}: " And those who are blessed shall be in the Garden: They will dwell therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure, except as thy Lord willeth: a gift without break." [Hud, 108]. Additionally, it is narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) supplicated, "...O Allah, I ask You for success in judgment, and [to be] among the martyrs, and to live a life of the fortunate." [Sunan At-Tirmidhi].

 

If we contemplate this concept in its principles and objectives, we find that by adhering to Islam and its teachings, we strive for complete happiness. In the religion of Islam and its laws, there is no conflict between male and female, father and mother, father and son or daughter, ruler and ruled, or between the rich and the poor. There is no contradiction between duties, and no preference is given to any individual over another among the children of Adam. Instead, everyone is equal in the eyes of this upright religion, and dignity is accorded to all based on the fundamental principle. Allah, the Most High, says {What means}: "And We have certainly honored the children of Adam." [Al-Isra, 70].

 

Afterwards, people vary based on what Allah has entrusted them with in terms of abilities, capacities, and readiness to bear the responsibility of the divine commandments. Allah, the Most High, says {What means}: " We did indeed offer the Trust to the Heavens and the Earth and the Mountains; but they refused to undertake it, being afraid thereof: but man undertook it;- He was indeed unjust and foolish;-." [Al-Ahzab, 72]. Moreover, the variation among people is functional, depending on their constitution, nature, and abilities. However, fundamentally, the address is directed to every individual, regardless of differences in classes, colors, nationalities, or races. Whoever does good and carries out the trust as it deserves has done good for themselves, and whoever does evil has wronged themselves.

 

Delving into the concept of religion, as we have mentioned, leads us to the pinnacle of the religious perfection that takes into consideration humanity in the most complete sense. It neither unjustly equates individuals through a forced equality that some advocate, nor neglects them, leaving them adrift without divine guidance. Rather, it strikes a balance, embodying a system filled with wisdom, mercy, and justice, guiding towards goodness.

 

Finally, we must fully understand these realities. Such understanding is sufficient to fortify us against a significant influx of contemporary doubts that may undermine our intellectual and societal security, jeopardizing natural relationships between people and even within oneself. After grasping these principles, we should take a decisive stance on the issue of religion: to adhere to it. As narrated from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), "None of you believes until his desires conform to what I have brought." We ask Allah for continuous blessings and a good ending. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all worlds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

If someone delays making up fasts for a year, can they give fidyah before performing qada?

Yes, it is permissible to give fidyah before making up the missed fasts (qada), because each is an independent obligation, and there is no required order between them. 

A pregnant woman has iron deficiency. When she showers, she becomes very tired and feels cold. What is the ruling on tayammum in this situation?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
One should not resort to tayammum (dry ablution) as a substitute for the obligatory ghusl (ritual bathing) so long as it remains possible to use water — for example, by heating the water, warming the place where the bathing takes place, or taking other similar precautions. However, if such measures prove ineffective, or are simply not possible to carry out, and performing ghusl [with cold water] would result in severe harm, then tayammum becomes permissible in that case, due to genuine inability to use water on account of the harm that would result, as described in the question. That said, she must make up (qaḍā') the prayers she performed using this tayammum.
It is stated in Bushrā al-Karīm: "One should not perform tayammum on account of cold unless warming the limbs fails to remove the aforementioned harm, and no means are available to heat the water — such as a vessel, firewood, or fire — and one fears [that using cold water would result in] any of the harms mentioned earlier in the discussion on illness: danger to life, loss of function in a limb, the onset or worsening of an illness, delayed recovery, or the [visible bodily] blemish mentioned in that discussion on illness. In such a case, tayammum becomes permissible due to the harm involved, but the prayer must still be made up afterward (qaḍā'). If, however, warming the body proves effective, or the means to heat the water are available, or none of the aforementioned harms are feared — then tayammum is not permissible, even if using the water causes some degree of discomfort or pain, since mere discomfort alone does not permit resorting to tayammum." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Is the Saying "Whatever is Taken by the Sword of Shyness is Forbidden" an Authentic Ḥadīth?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The saying "Whatever is taken by the sword of shyness is forbidden" is not an authentic ḥadīth, though its underlying meaning is sound. The established sharʿī principle is that a Muslim's wealth is not lawful for anyone to take except with his wholehearted consent, as Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly, but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent." [Al-Nisā/ 29] And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Listen to me and you will live well: do not wrong others, do not wrong others, do not wrong others. Indeed, a man's wealth is not lawful except with his full, willing consent." (Reported by Aḥmad in his Musnad.) Whatever is taken through the pressure of shyness or social embarrassment runs directly counter to genuine, wholehearted consent.
The jurists have explicitly stated that whatever is taken by means of the "sword of shyness" carries the same ruling as that which is taken by coercion — it must be returned to its rightful owner.
Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states in al-Fatāwā al-Kubrā (Vol.3/P.30): "Do you not see the reported scholarly consensus that whoever has something taken from him purely out of shyness, without his genuine consent, does not pass ownership of it to the one who took it? They reasoned that this constitutes a form of coercion through the 'sword of shyness,' comparable to coercion at the point of an actual sword. Indeed, many people would rather submit to the literal sword and endure the pain of its wound than submit to this first kind of coercion, out of fear for their dignity and standing — which people of sound judgment hold dear and guard most fiercely." And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law regarding one who slaughters a ewe and it turns out to have been pregnant, and is it permissible to slaughter the ewe if one knows it is pregnant?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
If a person slaughters a ewe and it turns out to have been pregnant, the fetus becomes lawful (ḥalāl) by virtue of its mother's slaughter (tabaʿan li-ummihā).
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vol.6/P.158): "A fetus found dead [after the mother's slaughter], or found alive but in a state resembling that of a slaughtered animal [i.e., dying shortly after], becomes lawful — whether or not it had grown fur — provided it is found in the womb of a mother that was lawfully slaughtered, whether her slaughter was by cutting the throat, or by an arrow or hunting dog sent after her. This is based on the ḥadīth: 'The slaughtering of the fetus is [effected by] the slaughtering of its mother' [narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who graded it ḥasan, and by Ibn Ḥibbān, who graded it ṣaḥīḥ] — meaning that the slaughter which rendered the mother lawful renders the fetus lawful as well, by virtue of following her; and because the fetus is one of her constituent parts, and her slaughter renders lawful all of her parts."
This ruling differs, however, from the case of one who knows from the outset that the ewe is pregnant [and intends to sacrifice her specifically as the udḥiyah while pregnant] — in which case, according to the Shāfi'ī school, she does not fulfill the requirement of a valid sacrifice.
It is stated in Ḥāshiyat al-Bujayrimī 'alā al-Khaṭīb (Vol.4/P.335): "A pregnant animal does not fulfill the requirement [of a valid sacrifice], and this is the authoritative position (al-mu'tamad), because pregnancy diminishes the quality of the meat. As for why such an animal is nevertheless counted as complete [i.e., fully valid] in matters of zakāh, that is because the intent there is reproduction (nasl), not the quality of the meat.". And Allah, the Most High, knows best.

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