Fatwas Part Ninety-Four

Issued by: Dr. Ahmed Subhy Mansour, translated by: Ahmed Fathy

May God Grant you Patience and Solace

Published in September 9, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … I feel so sad and guilty; I accidentally caused the death of my 8-year-old son! My son was swimming in a small, plastic swimming pool in my garden; I placed an electric heater near it and told him to pour the hot water from this heater into the cold water of the pool … I do not know how, but during my temporary absence inside the house, he got an electric shock and died instantly! Am I to blame?! Is there any kind of atonement expected from me? Any advice? … Thank you …    

Answer:

 We implore the Lord God to grant you patience and solace; your ordeal/suffering is of the bitterest kind, no doubt. Yet, you are NOT responsible for his death; this is part of fate preordained by the Dominant Lord God; please do not waste yourself in remorse and pain; you are a victim here and not culpable of anything. Those who adhere to patience during such hardships should adhere to this stance and words: "Those who, when a calamity afflicts them, say, "To God we belong, and to Him we will return."" (2:156); may God grant you mercy and peace of mind and reward you for your patience within this oral; please accept the sincere condolences on behalf of ourselves and on behalf of all of our fellow Quranists.

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Insulting the Companions

Published in September 9, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, …  I dislike the fact that you insult and ridicule the companions/contemporaries of Prophet Muhammad in your books, articles, and videos; you believe in all narratives of history that criticize, insult, and verbally abuse them and you mock them harshly; you never quote narratives of history that praise them … I agree wholeheartedly with Quranism and the return to the Quran as the Only Source of Islam, and I take pride in being a Quranist Muslim, but you have to respect the feelings of others who revere these companions so as not lose many people that you must win to your side; please remember this verse about Prophet Muhammad: "...Had you been harsh, hardhearted, they would have dispersed from around you..." (3:159); please do not generalize (as you have done within your understanding of the verse 48:29) and follow the example of Prophet Muhammad by avoiding harshness; please do not ignore my message; I wait impatiently for your reply. Please take heed of my sincere advice to you; do not make others stop reading your writings and stop watching your videos because of your tendency to be sarcastic and your harsh words in your videos that hurt the feelings of those who revere and respect the companions of Prophet Muhammad; you should bear in mind that the number of Quranists will not increase if you insist on your style … Thank you …  

Answer:

 Apparently, you have not yet read our entire archive of writings and watched all our videos; you should do so within patience and reflection and do not be hasty within judging our person; we have written (in books and articles) and talked (in several videos, esp. Friday sermons) a lot about the good contemporaries/companions of Muhammad mentioned in the Quran (without names) and history never mentions their names. It is our mission and duty to defend Islam (i.e., the Quran) by exposing its arch-enemies; i.e., the four pre-Umayyad caliphs and the other companions who committed the grave sin of Arab conquests in the name of Islam who tarnished its name and the imams/leaders/clergymen of the Muhammadans who distorted the great religion of Islam by their narratives/hadiths ascribed forcibly to God's Religion. You will never be a true Quranist as long as you revere/sanctify any mortals (prophets or non-prophets); you should stop sanctifying the so-called companions or contemporaries of Muhammad in order to avoid an eternity inside Hell as a punishment for this polytheism. Hell dwellers will find no intercessors, supporters, or allies. Islam is all about devoting one's religion, acts of worship, and faith to the Lord God, Allah, as the Only Deified and Sanctified Being; this is monotheism. We personally never care if the number of monotheists/Quranists would increase or decrease; we have to preach the Quranic Truth through our website and our videos and we do not care if millions would accept or reject the Quranic Truth. We never care about pleasing people; we seek only to gratify the Lord God to be among the winners in Paradise on the Last Day; we do not take heed of being blamed by anyone for siding with the Quran as the Criterion. We never seek worldly possessions, rewards, or stature/fame; we are no leader of any type and we never seek to have 'followers' or 'disciples'. May God guide you and us to His Straight Path.      

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Slaughtering Sacrificial animals to Celebrate Newborn Babies

Published in September 10, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … Is it OK in Islam to slaughter sheep or goats to celebrate the birth of my brother's daughter? I intend to distribute half of the meat to the poor and to make a banquet with the other half to invite friends and relatives; shall I increase the amount of meat to the poor by buying more from the butcher's? What do you think? … Thank you …

Answer:

 Instead of such Sunnite practices, you can donate meat as a type of charity anytime without specifying this as 'celebration' for anything or anyone. You have to remember to give to the poor the best parts of the slaughtered animal(s) and the greater amount of meat; the poor need this meat more than your well-off friends and relatives; what you consume (and defecate and urinate) will not benefit you in the next world; in contrast, what you donate for the Lord God's sake, seeking to please Him within piety and monotheism, will remain in your Book of Deeds and God will reward you for it.

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Coercion and Threat

Published in September 10, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, …  Let's suppose that a heterosexual man in a hotel-room in a West country was forced at gunpoint and was threatened to be killed if he would not submit to being raped by a male aggressor, would God punish him for letting a man rape him? Would the victim be deemed as a sinner and a homosexual? In such a case, the victim had to submit to the aggressor to avoid being killed, you know … Thank you …    

Answer:

 We are not to judge what is inside hearts of people; this is the mission of the Omniscient Lord God; He knows if someone is forced to sin or is pretending to be forced to satisfy carnal lusts and appetites. God knows if someone is coerced or consented to commit sexual sins or illicit sex. In general, God does not punish coerced people who sinned unwillingly or in despite of themselves.

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A Question of Inheritance (1)

Published in September 11, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … A woman died, leaving one son and her own 2 brothers and 2 sisters; how would her wealth be distributed among them? … Thank you …      

Answer:

 Her brothers and sisters have no inheritance shares; her son inherits all her money; it is incumbent on him to give some of the money to some relatives, orphans, and poor ones if they attended his being given the inheritance money.

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Laughing During Prayers

Published in September 11, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … Is laughing during performing prayers spoil and nullify them?  … Thank you …      

Answer:

  No; yet, it negates piety and concentration required in prayers. Of course, devils try to distract people during prayers and make them think of sinning; in contrast, one can concentrate fully during watching movies and sports; devils never distract them at such activities that waste their time; sadly, many people are polytheists who make their entertainment, jests, and play as part of religious practices. In the same vein, devils never distract those who pray, supplicate, and worship at mausoleums/abominations because this is sheer polytheism that pleases Satan; the polytheists in that case never lose their concentration at all. Thus, within the five daily prayers, the devils may control the soul of the impious ones and make them remember funny stories to make them laugh; this will not nullify or spoil prayers, but one has to retrieve concentration and piety as much as one can during prayers.    

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About Ali!

Published in September 12, 2018

Question:  … Dear Sir, … I admire your writings and views about the so-called companions of Prophet Muhammad; yet, I'm very much surprised because you have undermined and insulted the Imam Ali Ibn Abou Talib, though he was the wronged party defeated by Mu'aweiya and he was killed eventually by one of the Al-Khawarij group; why do not you tackle positive historical narratives about him? You never mention his excellent qualities and traits; you have to be objective as a historian, you know, by covering all sides of any narratives, right? … Thank you …        

Answer:

 You are shocked because we have written the truth about a criminal like Ali: the supreme god of Shiites; you still deify him and this is sheer polytheism; the 'positive' narratives you refer to are nothing but mere lies invented by Shiites in later eras. In real Islam (i.e., the Quran), one is never to deify, sanctify, or worship mortals. The Quran is the Criterion we use to judge the history and deeds of the contemporaries of Muhammad and the heinous crimes they committed once he died (see our book, in English, titled "The Unspoken-of History of the Pre-Umayyad 'Righteous' Caliphs", found on this link:       http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/book_main.php?main_id=83). It is typical that newcomers to our Quranism website would be shocked at first; please read all our books and articles, watch all our videos, and ponder deeply before you readily protest or express your astonishment.  

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Lesbianism

Published in September 12, 2018

Question:  … Dear Sir, … I'm a graduate of Al-Azhar University like you; I have read your entire archive and I browse your website regularly …  I like your ponderings about the fact that lesbians and homosexuals are not punished by any human beings as no penalties (or corporeal punishments) for them are found in the Quranic text; God will judge and punish them only in the Hereafter if they died without sincere repentance ........... About the verses 4:15-16, you have written that 4:16 is about homosexuals who are to be rebuked and advised to adhere to chastity, and I agree, and 4:15 is not about lesbians, but about lewd women who are sex workers and they are to be prevented from sinning by not allowing any men to enter into their houses; right? This is not about lesbians, as keeping such women together in one place will not prevent lesbianism, right? Do have the pleasure of understanding your views correctly? … Thank you …      

Answer:

 Thank you for your open-mindedness; of course, you have perfectly comprehended what we have written. Any sexual behavior outside heterosexual marriages is forbidden in Islam; see 23:1-7. Sexual sins are of two types: small mishaps and mistakes like lustful looks, masturbation, sexual touches/kisses, and watching pornographic material or movies. The Lord God will forgive those who commit such small sins if they avoid the grave sins like fornication/adultery and the practice of lesbian/gay sex. Even grave sins can be forgiven by God if one repents sincerely and adhere to chastity. As for penalties, God mentions in 4:16 that people are to rebuke any two men who engage into sex together, and there are no penalties of flogging/stoning them or putting them to death like the case of the wicked Sunnite religion. Lesbianism has no penalty applied by people in this world. Corporeal punishments mentioned in the Quran are for fornicators/adulterers/adulteresses, thieves, and for those who spread sexual slanders about women; there is no stoning in Islam at all. Of course, other grave sins have no penalties applied by people within Islam; e.g., drinking wine. Of course, such sinners (gays, lesbians, adulterers, fornicators, and wine-drinkers) are punished in the Hereafter in Hell in case they did not repent sincerely before their death.      

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They Are Not Quranists!

Published in September 13, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … I live in Jordan; I admire very much your website; I'm happy to tell you that the number of Quranists in my country certainly increases with the passage of time … Some people in my country have formed a group about the Quran-centered belief; I do not know if they are Quranists within your trend or not; they have their own set of ideas and notions and different ways of pondering the Quran; they assume that Jesus was born as a boy and not as a male baby at first who suckled his mother's breasts! They assume that Gabriel is the father of Jesus! They perform three prayers only per day!............ What do you think?  … Thank you …   

Answer:

 The people you mention are not Quranists! They insult the God and the Quran; they are ignoramuses who insist on tackling the metaphysical realm of the past and the unseen regarding things never mentioned by the Lord God in the Quran. They manipulate Quranic verses by distorting and twisting their meanings and by focusing on parts of decontextualized verses to force the Quran to accommodate their erroneous views. They intentionally disregard other Quranic verses that prove their views wrong. They never follow our own Quranist methodology of pondering the Quran (see our book, in English, titled "How to Understand the Holy Quran", found on this link:        http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/book_main.php?main_id=121); we refer you to our English articles about similar and definitive verses and how to combine all verses about any given topic or term to study and examine all of them. Those people you refer to in your message lack the required tools for researching the Quranic text and they have a very poor understanding of the Arabic tongue and the Quranic one. The faulty notions and sets of terminology of Sunnite, Shiite, and Sufi books still influence their thinking; they seek to spread strange ideas to feel they are 'outstanding thinkers' who shock clergymen of the earthly religions of the Muhammadans; besides, they might be Quran-hating atheists who desire to make people cast doubt on the Quran; it is blasphemous to deny the acts of worship especially the five daily prayers by making them three or less; some extremists in their disbelief never perform prayers at all and read the Quran only; in fact, they never read or ponder it at all. They have nothing to do with Quranists who belong to our school of thought.     

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Worshiping Desire

Published in September 14, 2018

Question: …  Dear Sir, … God says in the Quran: "Have you considered him who has taken his desire for his god? God has knowingly led him astray, and has sealed his hearing and his heart, and has placed a veil over his vision. Who will guide him after God? Will you not reflect?" (45:23) … Polytheists worship and deify mortals, animals, stones, trees, planets, stars, etc., but who among them would deify desire?! Would you please explain the verse 45:23 to me? … Thank you …     

Answer:

  Every human being has his/her own desire(s); most people feel too enthusiastic for their desires that they turn them into religions. The Arabic term for (religion) means literally a path/route/way. This is literal meaning is used in the verse 9:122. The figurative path is one's faith to which one adheres and one applies in this life; this religion/path is only of two types: monotheism (i.e., Islam) or polytheism/disbelief. Real monotheists avoid their sinful desires to earn the Eternal Life in Paradise in the Hereafter; polytheists/disbelievers follow their whims and desires as they prefer this temporary life to the Hereafter: "As for him who was defiant. And preferred the life of this world. Then Hel is the shelter. But as for him who feared the majesty of his Lord, and restrained the self from desires. Then Paradise is the shelter." (79:37-41). The misguided people follow their whims and desires while assuming they will enter into Paradise however sinful they have remained all their lives; Satan and devils misguide them with false promises and fake hopes; see 4:119-121. Of course, such false promises and hopes include hadiths/narratives of imams of earthly/terrestrial religions that urge people to follow their whims and desires as part of religion. Of course, 45:23 applies to the clergymen of the Shiite, Sufi, and Sunnite Muhammadans and so are these verses: "And relate to them the story of him to whom We delivered Our Verses, but he detached himself from them, so Satan went after him, and he became one of the misguided. Had We willed, We could have elevated him through them; but he clung to the ground, and followed his desires. His metaphor is that of a dog: if you chase it, it pants; and if you leave it alone, it pants. Such is the metaphor of the people who deny Our Verses. So tell the tale, so that they may ponder." (7:175-176); "Have you seen him who chose his desire as his god? Would you be an agent for him?" (25:43). This is why these polytheists/disbelievers lose their minds and become like animals: "Or do you assume that most of them hear or understand? They are just like cattle, but even more errant in their way." (25:44). Hence, the misguided ones follow their whims and desires by worshiping mortals, stones, animals, etc.     

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I Want to Get Married

Published in September 15, 2018

Question: …  Dear Sir, … For ten years I've been looking for a pretty bride; each time I examine young women, I find faults in their looks; I'm afraid that I'm getting older and I'm still single! I wanna get married! Any advice? …  Thank you …        

Answer:

 You are extremely mistaken; the fault is in your thinking; you are looking for physical beauty only; not all very beautiful woman have good character and many of them are selfish, superficial, self-centered, and arrogant; you might be happier with a moderately pretty wife; you might be very sad and disappointed when you marry a super-pretty wife like a box of jewels which is very beautiful but very cold and emotion-less. She might be like a female spider that devours her mate. Beauty is important but is not the only element or even the most important one in your future life-partner. Reasonable men choose good wives who will be good mothers so that their sons and daughters will take pride in their mothers. All pretty women lose their beauty with the passage of years as they grow old; a good conjugal relationship within love and care is what remains in successful marriages. The real, remaining beauty is the high moralistic level and good manners of one's wife. By the way, you are looking for the most beautiful wife while forgetting that you are not the handsomest of men!    

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Moses and Pharaoh

Published in September 15, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir,  … Why did not Pharaoh put Moses to death as per his earlier intention to do so as per the verse 40:26? What do you think? … Thank you …

Answer:

 Moses' Pharaoh was a self-deified tyrant and he massacred many Israelites; God has punished him by making him, ironically, the one to rear and bring up Moses (who caused his downfall) in his palace; all tyrants of our world never heed this lesson. The Lord God has promised to protect Moses and Aaron in 20:42-46; Pharaoh could never harmed them; by the way, our Quranism website deserves more than mere idle browsing; please read and ponder on our writings before posing repeated questions; we refer you to our many articles about the Quranic story of Moses and to our book, in English, titled "The Israelites in Pharaonic Egypt within a Quranist Vision", found on this link:    http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/book_main.php?main_id=118

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Language and Tongue

Published in September 16, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … I wish that you replace the word ''language'' in all your writings with the word "tongue"; you have convinced me that the Quranic word "tongue" is better … Thank you …    

Answer:

 This is among our own linguistic discoveries as we have pondered the Quran for the last 40 years; the root of the Arabic word for ''language'' means to babble and chatter; the Quranic word "tongue" is more precise and accurate; we have tackled this topic in two or three articles of ours; the Quranic tongue and set of terminology differ from the changeable meanings of the Arabic tongue within the centuries until today. In some cases, we forget and use the term "language" instead of the term "tongue" in our fatwas and articles. Thank you for reminding and advising us. 

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The Muhammadans Are Hypocrites

Published in September 16, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … Does the verse 63:1 apply to Muhammadans who deify Muhammad as they mention his name in prayers, Azan, and so on? … Thank you …

Answer:

 Yes, of course. God says in the Quran: "When the hypocrites come to you, they say, "We bear witness that you are God's Messenger." God knows that you are His Messenger, and God bears witness that the hypocrites are liars." (63:1). This is because the Muhammadans, like contemporaries of Muhammad, testify he was God's messenger but they refuse to believe in the Quran. Muhammad died, but the real messenger that remains with people is the message: the Quran itself. It will remain till the Hour takes place; the Lord God preserves its text. The hypocrisy of the Muhammadans includes their faith tenet that the so-called companions or contemporaries of Muhammad are infallible; they deify and sanctify such mortals who consumed ill-gotten money and conquered nations to loot, enslave, and settle in their countries. Hypocrisy never ends; hypocrites who pretend to believe in the Quran are found in all eras; God promises them the lower depths of Hell. The Quran describes the features of hypocrites to expose them in all eras; real monotheists must avoid hypocrisy. The features of hypocrisy described in the Quran apply to the Muhammadans, past and present, and they are manifested in their deifying copies of the Quran while never believing in its verses or pondering its text. They persecute Quranists who expose and undermine the silly hadiths and who preach Quranism peacefully through the internet. The Muhammadans are misguided and misguiding hypocrites whose earthly/terrestrial religions have made them sink deeper in the quagmire of backwardness, obscurantism, and violence.   

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About the Crow and the Two Sons of Adam

Published in September 17, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … About God sending a crow to teach the son of Adam who murdered his brother how to bury him, books of interpretations/exegeses mention that.................... I have some questions about these views....................What do you think? … Thank you …     

Answer:

 We advise you never to take heed of, or to be interested in, myths of interpreters within their exegeses or commentaries which are blasphemous and insulting to God and to the Quran; the interpreters of the Middle-Ages fabricated stories from their own imagination; we are not to tackle the metaphysical realm of the unseen and unknown of the past; we are to believe only in the details mentioned in the Quranic stories as the Absolute Truth. You have no right whatsoever to pose questions about things that God has chosen not to mention in the Quran so as not to ascribe falsehoods and lies to Islam (which is the Quran only). God says in the Quran: "And narrate to them the true story of Adam's two sons: when they offered an offering, and it was accepted from one of them, but it was not accepted from the other. He Said, "I will kill you." He Said, "God accepts only from the righteous." "If you extend your hand to kill me, I will not extend my hand to kill you; for I fear God, Lord of the Worlds." "I would rather you bear my sin and your sin, and you become among the inmates of the Fire. Such is the reward for the unjust ones." Then His soul prompted him to kill his brother, so he killed him, and became one of the losers. Then God sent a raven digging the ground, to show him how to cover his brother's corpse. He said, "Woe to me! I was unable to be like this raven, and bury my brother's corpse." So he became full of regrets. Because of that We ordained for the Children of Israel: that whoever kills a person - unless it is for murder or corruption on earth - it is as if he killed the whole of the humankind; and whoever saves it, it is as if he saved the whole of the humankind. Our messengers came to them with clarifications, but even after that, many of them continue to commit excesses on earth." (5:27-32). The focus in this story is on the heinous crime of murder; this was the first crime of murder on earth and the murderer did not know what to do after perpetrating this crime; the corpse had to be buried. As for your question about the term (awra), we refer you to our article, in English, titled "Quranic Terminology: Awra", found on this link:      http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=16335  

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Angels and Deeds of Human Beings

Published in September 18, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir,  … God says in the Quran: "They profess obedience, but when they leave your presence, some of them conspire something contrary to what you said. But God writes down what they conspire. So avoid them, and put your trust in God. God is Guardian enough." (4:81); yet, you say in your videos, books, and articles that the angels are the ones who write deeds of human beings. Would you explain this contradiction to me?! … Thank you … 

Answer:

 There is no contradiction here at all; the Lord God issues His decrees and commands and the Lord God's angels execute them; this is why in some verses, the decrees and commands are ascribed to God; in other verses, they are ascribed to the angels. Hence, 4:81 never contradicts these verses about angels who write the deeds of human beings: "When We make the people taste mercy after some adversity has touched them, they begin to scheme against Our Verses. Say, "God is swifter in scheming." Our envoys are writing down what you scheme." (10:21); "Or do they think that We cannot hear their secrets and their conspiracies? Yes indeed, Our messengers are by them, writing down." (43:80); "Though over you are watchers. Honest recorders. They know everything you do." (82:10-12); "As the two receivers receive, seated to the right and to the left. Not a word does he utter, but there is a watcher by him, ready." (50:17-18).

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Written Will and Testament as a Duty in Islam

Published in September 18, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … The law in my country imposes on grandparent(s) to write will and testament for their grandchild(ren) whose parent(s) died; this is NOT mentioned in the Quran; right? What do you think? … Thank you …

Answer:

 You are right; written will and testament is for inheritors only; people whose parent(s) died will not inherit the grandparents who have other sons and daughters. Yet, the grandparent(s) during their lifetimes may give the grandchild(ren) something (money or possessions) without written will and testament. 

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This Is Not Murder

Published in September 19, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … My daughter has a 6-month-old male baby; she knew ten days ago that she is pregnant. Is abortion at that stage OK as far as Quranism is concerned? Or is it a kind of murder? What do you think? … Thank you …    

Answer:

 It is OK to abort in the first three months off pregnancy since the soul has not entered into the fetus yet; this is not murder; if abortion occurs when the embryo has developed a heart and vital organs, this is prohibited murder/killing of a human soul.

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 A Question of Inheritance (2)

Published in September 19, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … My grandmother died and left a large some of money and some assets; four of her six daughters and her three sons (including my father) died before she died; the grandchildren are myself and my brother and sister; how inheritance should be distributed …  Thank you …  

Answer:

 Dead people never have inheritance shares, even if they have daughters and sons; thus, the two daughters of your grandmother (i.e., your aunts) inherit 2/3 of the money; the rest is divided among you and your brother and sister as per the Quranic rule in 4:11 about the male receiving the equivalent of the share of two females; other relatives and poor people may have gifts of money if they attended the distribution of inheritance money: "If the distribution is attended by the relatives, and the orphans, and the needy, give them something out of it, and speak to them kindly." (4:8). 

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About Abortion

Published in September 20, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … Thank you for your reply about abortion for my pregnant daughter who has a 6-month-old male baby; I told my daughter about your view; she has now frequent bad dreams or nightmares about abortion; she's afraid to do it; she feels that God wants her to keep the pregnancy; what do you think? … Thank you …        

Answer:

 Not all dreams are messages from God; dreams have nothing to do with Islamic/Quranic legislations; such dreams reflect your daughter's anxiety as she is apparently very young; she has the right to abort at this stage of pregnancy (BEFORE the soul is breathed into the fetus or embryo) and she has the right to keep her pregnancy if she likes. Thank you.