I am a young man who is in the habit of checking his garment to make sure they are pure. When I find stains, I am not sure whether they are drops of urine or other stains. At one point I decided to see a physician, however, after making Istikharah, I did not go, but I am still worried. Is it permissible for me to make Istikharah if I doubt my purity? Please answer me, may Allah reward you with good!

Praying Istikharah is always a good thing. Yet, Istikharah is offered regarding permissible matters and not obligatory, desirable, prohibited or undesirable matters. Obligatory and desirable matters are done without offering Istikharah, just as undesirable and prohibited matters are avoided without offering Istikharah.
As for the inquirer, he seems to be always in doubt and he needs to ignore these ideas. He may follow the opinion of Imam Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) who says that sprinkling the garment with water eliminates the effect of any stains of urine. All you have to do is to sprinkle your garment with water. This view is adopted by Imam Ahmad as well. The basic ruling of objects is that they are pure. Thus, the garment is pure unless you are certain it is not.

Is it permissible to sell or buy after the Adhan is pronounced for any prayer other than the Jumu`ah prayer? What is the ruling on the contract concluded in this case? Does the ruling differ if one of the parties or both of them are non-Muslims? Give us your Fatwa, may Allah reward you!

The prohibition to conduct sales after the Adhan is restricted to the Jumu`ah prayer, for Allah says: “O you who believe (Muslims)! When the call is proclaimed for the Salat (prayer) on the day of Friday (Jumu’ah prayer), come to the remembrance of Allah [Jumu’ah religious talk (Khutbah) and Salat (prayer)] and leave off business (and every other thing)…” (Al-Jumu`ah, 62:9) This order to leave off business is particular to Jumu`ah prayer, while it is permissible to conduct business after the Adhan of any other prayer. On the other hand, if this business distracts a Muslim from prayer, any distraction is not permissible. In any case, the contract is valid and it does not matter if one of the parties or both are non-Muslims.

In the Name of Allah, peace be upon you.
My question is: What is the ruling of Mushriks or the people of the book who receive the message of Islam but do not join Islam? And what is the ruling of those who do not receive the message of Islam? Similarly, what is the ruling of Christians who admit Allah is One but follow the religion of `Isa (Jesus, peace be upon him)? Will they be among the dwellers of Paradise or the denizens of Hell? Enlighten us, may Allah reward you with good!

Allah, Glorified be He, says: “And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.” (Al-`Imran, 3:85) The Prophet (peace be upon him) stressed the same ruling by saying that any Jew or Christian who heard about him and did not follow him would be among the denizens of Hell. This is related by Muslim (153) on the authority of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him). Anyone who receives the message of Islam and does not enter Islam will not be saved from the punishment of Allah; he will enter the Hell. Allah, Praised be He, says: “…this Qur’an has been revealed to me that I may therewith warn you and whomsoever it may reach.” (Al-An`am, 6:19) The message of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) nullifies all previous messages, for he is the final Messenger and his message prevails over all messages. That is what we believe.
Other rulings are based on this ruling. For example, a Muslim can deal with these people to benefit the Muslims or keep them safe from any harm. This has nothing to do with their belief, for every person with a certain belief thinks he is on the right path. It would not be called belief if he did not think so. This is what makes our belief in Islam firm. As for those who do not receive the message, they take the same ruling as the people who lived in the interval between the prophets. Scholars have two opinions regarding them:
First: As far as the basics of Islam are concerned, they are punished, but this is not so concerning subsidiary matters. Many scholars such as Al-Qarafi adopt this opinion. The author of Maraqi Al-Su`ud says: “The people who lived in the interval between two prophets are not held accountable for subsidiary matters, but scholars differ concerning the basics.” Such people are not required to fulfill subsidiary matters but they are required to follow the principles of Shari`ah; which is to believe in Allah, His angels, books, messengers and the Last Day. But scholars differ in this regard. An example of such a person is someone who lived on an island and did not hear anything of Muhammad’s message. Anyone who did not receive the message takes the same ruling. On the Day of Judgment, he may be resurrected and given the choice, as mentioned in the Hadith related by Ibn Kathir. Thus, the matter is subject to many criteria discussed by scholars (may Allah be merciful to them all).

Is it permissible to attend the National Day celebration? If I am obliged to attend the celebration – as an employee in the embassy – what should I do? Can I attend with the intention of giving a religious talk, advising people to obey Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him)? Please guide me what to say because the celebration date is approaching and I do not know how to answer the ambassador’s wife if she invites me.

The National Day is not a day of `Id. It is just an occasion when people gather to celebrate something, like celebrating marriage or a newborn. This is not a religious `Id and we have to clarify this difference, which many people do not understand. Based on their misunderstanding, they may cause others to have doubts in their religion and to feel as if they are committing a major sin by celebrating an occasion. It is not a sin and the basic ruling of all things is permissibility. There is no harm to attend this celebration. The Maliki School of jurisprudence deemed it undesirable to eat from `Atira (a sacrifice offered by the pre-Islamic people during the month of Rajab), while the Hanbali School deemed it permissible, since there is no text prohibiting it. People during the pre-Islamic times used to slaughter an animal in the month of Rajab. It was called Rajabiyyah or `Atira. Some scholars are of the opinion that it is permissible, based on the basic ruling. If people gather and slaughter an animal during Rajab or Sha`ban, or at any time, there is no harm in this. Similarly, if people celebrate an occasion, such as their independence or the National Day, which is common in African countries, there is no harm in this. It is also good that you can give a religious talk to the people. On the other hand, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) told us that Muslims have only two `Ids: `Idul-Adha and `Idul-Fitr, this does not mean that he forbade people from gathering. These celebrations are not prohibited, even if you hate attending them, as long as they involve no evil. Thus, there is no need to disturb people and spread doubts regarding matters that are not prohibited according to the Qur’an, Sunnah, Ijma`, or the agreement of scholars in the same Madhhab. It is better to take the more lenient of the two opinions in such cases as these which have no conclusive evidence. Leniency and ease is among the principles of this religion. Allah says: “He has… not laid upon you in religion any hardship.” (Al-Hajj, 22:78) He also says: “Allah wishes to lighten (the burden) for you.” (Al-Nisa’, 4:28) And He says: “So verily, with hardship, there is (more than one) relief, verily, with hardship, there is (more than one) relief (i.e. there is one hardship with two reliefs, so one hardship cannot overcome two reliefs).” (Al-Sharh, 94:5-6) The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Make things easy (for people) and do not make things difficult, give glad tidings and do not put people off.” Related by Al-Bukhari (69) and Muslim (1734) on the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him). So, the basic ruling in this religion is to make things easy for people. The opinions of other scholars are respected, but they are not equal to the judgment of Allah. Peace be upon you.

Is it permissible to spend Zakah money to build Azhari institutes? Bear in mind that students in our country are in a dire need of this type of education, which is not financially supported by the state. Please answer us, may Allah reward you!

Scholars differ as to this point. Some believe that the category of “for Allah’s Cause” – mentioned in the Qur’an as one of the eight categories on which Zakah may be spent – may cover building Azhari institutes. It also covers paying for tuition, paving roads and building hospitals. All of these things are “for Allah’s Cause”, as they believe. Yet, the majority of scholars believe that the category of “for Allah’s Cause” covers only those going to Jihad or to Hajj.
So there are two groups of scholars. One group thinks that the category of “for Allah’s Cause” may include any act done for Allah’s Sake. This opinion is held by the Shafi`i Imam Al-Qaffal and Sheikh Muhammad Abdu and his student Muhammad Rashid Rida, in addition to some contemporary scholars. Thus, it is permissible to build Azhari institutes from Zakah money, according to their view. However, the widely known opinion is that of the majority of scholar which prefers giving Zakah to the poor or fighters in the cause of Allah, or according to Malik, to buy weapons. Scholars of this opinion further believe that this category does not include such things in question. So, Azhari institutes should be built with money from charity or endowments. And Allah knows best.