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An Official Statement from the General Iftaa' Department
Author : The General Iftaa` Department
Date Added : 10-05-2026

An Official Statement from the General Iftaa' Department

(The Station of our Master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is One of Reverence and Veneration — and He was the First to Interpret the Noble Qur'an and Clarify its Meanings)

The General Iftaa' Department affirms that describing our Master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as ummī — unlettered — is a description of perfection and honour, and it is entirely impermissible for this description to be used in any way that diminishes his noble station ﷺ. Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "Say: O mankind, indeed I am the Messenger of Allah to you all — He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. There is no deity except Him; He gives life and causes death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, who believes in Allah and His words, and follow him so that you may be guided." [Al-A'rāf/158]

His not having read or written prior to his noble prophethood ﷺ is in fact a testament to his miracle — for Allah the Almighty revealed the Noble Qur'an to him and taught him from Himself beneficial knowledge and principles that illuminate all that was sent down to him. Through this, he surpassed philosophers, legislators, historians, and masters of the natural and physical sciences. His being unlettered, combined with the knowledge he possessed that puts in order the affairs of this world and the next, is the clearest proof that what he spoke was nothing other than divine revelation from Allah the Almighty.

The Prophetic Sunnah — comprising his words and deeds ﷺ — is the second source of Islamic legislation. It contains the explanation and interpretation of the words of Allah the Almighty, whether it comes as an elucidation of the Qur'an's meanings and rulings, or as rulings not explicitly mentioned in the Qur'an itself. Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "And whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you, refrain from it." [Al-Ḥashr/7] He also says {what means}: "And We have sent down to you the Reminder so that you may make clear to the people what was sent down to them, and that they might reflect." [Al-Naḥl/44]

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was the first to interpret the Noble Qur'an, and it is impermissible to separate what the Prophet ﷺ brought independently from what he brought as an explanation of the words of Allah — for both are revelation from Allah the Almighty. He says {what means}: "Nor does he speak from his own desire. It is not but a revelation revealed." [Al-Najm/3–4] And the Prophet ﷺ himself said: "Indeed I have been given the Qur'an and something like it alongside it." — Narrated in the Musnad of Imam Aḥmad.

In this context, we make clear that it is not permissible for anyone to undertake the interpretation of the Noble Qur'an and the pure Sunnah, or the derivation of Sharia rulings, without having acquired the essential Islamic sciences that enable a sound understanding of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet ﷺ — such as the principles of jurisprudence (uṣūl al-fiqh), the sciences of the Arabic language, and other related disciplines. Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "So ask the people of knowledge if you do not know." [Al-Naḥl/43]

We also caution strongly against the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his noble Sunnah being treated as content for social media platforms — turned into material for mockery, ridicule, and the accumulation of views. This is entirely unacceptable and constitutes a grave violation of the reverence owed to him ﷺ.

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Summarized Fatawaa

A pious man proposed to me and my father was hesitant in this regard because he is black, am I sinful if I accepted his proposal?

If the suitor is pious, color isn`t a drawback. However, try talking to your father kindly, so that he approves of your marriage with contentment, and that is better for you.

What is the correct point at which to raise the hands when standing up for the third rak‘ah (after the middle tashahhud)?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Raising the hands while saying the takbīr [when rising for the third rak‘ah] is a recommended sunnah, and omitting it does not affect the validity of the prayer. The proper time for this is after rising from the middle tashahhud, once one has fully stood up.
It is stated in I‘ānat aṭ-Ṭālibīn (Vol.1/P.158): "His statement, 'and rising from the first tashahhud' — meaning, this manner [of raising the hands] is also a sunnah when he rises from the first tashahhud, that is, when he stands upright from it.
Consider [the question]: when precisely does the raising of the hands begin? Is it at the very start of rising from the first tashahhud, or after he has reached the minimum position of rukū‘ [i.e., once fully upright]? The apparent, [correct] view is the latter — even though the outward wording [of the text] might suggest the former — because at the very start of his rising, he is still relying on both hands [to push himself up, and therefore cannot yet raise them]."
It is stated in ‘Umdat as-Sālik (p. 53): "If his prayer extends beyond two rak‘ahs, he sits after them in the iftirāsh position, recites the tashahhud, and sends blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ alone, without [mentioning] his family [at this point]. He then stands while saying the takbīr, supporting himself with his hands; and once he has stood upright, he raises them level with his shoulders." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the Islamic ruling on the aqiqa?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
The 'aqīqah is a confirmed Sunnah (sunnah mu'akkadah). Two sheep are to be slaughtered for a newborn boy, and one sheep for a newborn girl. This is established by numerous Prophetic traditions, among them:
The narration of Samurah ibn Jundub, may Allah be pleased with him, who reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Every child is held in pledge for his 'aqīqah, which is slaughtered on his behalf on the seventh day, and he is named, and his head is shaved." — Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who graded it as ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ.
And the narration of 'Ā'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded us to slaughter one sheep as 'aqīqah for a girl, and two sheep for a boy." — Narrated by Aḥmad and Ibn Mājah.
The imperative in these narrations is understood to denote recommendation rather than obligation, based on the ḥadīth of 'Amr ibn Shu'ayb, on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about the 'aqīqah, whereupon he said: "Allah does not love 'uqūq" — as though he disliked the name itself — and then said: "Whoever has a child born to him and wishes to offer a sacrifice on their behalf, let them do so: two equivalent sheep for a boy, and one sheep for a girl." — Narrated by Aḥmad and Abū Dāwūd.
The legal inference drawn from this narration is that the Prophet ﷺ linked the slaughter to the wish and willingness of the individual, saying: "whoever wishes to offer a sacrifice... let them do so" — thereby indicating that the 'aqīqah is recommended (mustaḥabb) and not obligatory (wājib).
And Allah Almighty knows best.

Is it permissible for a menstruating woman to recite the Quran from the computer without actually touching the Quran?

It is not permissible for a woman in her menstrual period, or in postpartum to recite the Quran, even by heart, or without actually touching the Quran itself. Recitation itself is what is prohibited on her regardless of how it is done. However, it is permissible for her to surf through the Quran by her eyes, or to recall it in her head without uttering the words. There is no harm for her to look at the Quranic verses on the computer without touching it, or to utter the words as this is called looking not reciting or reading.