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Got (more) answers?
Serena
10/28/01 at 16:34:45
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.

I pray you are all in the best of health and iman. :)

I am hoping that one or another of you may be able to answer these questions for me...

1. What should one do if there is a difference of opinion regarding an important decision you have to make? Should you go with *any* opinion or with only the one that your Madhab offers?

2. What is a Dispensation? And under what circumstances are you allowed to take it, if any? Would this depend on the problem you are facing, or on the Scholar that you ask?

3. If you ask someone for a fatwa and you find out later that the advice you were given was wrong, yet you followed their advice and dealt with your problems accordingly, will there be a fault on you for not seeking out someone more learned before taking the steps you did? What if you were under a time constraint?

4. How do you know who you can trust regarding such personal issues?

5. Before you take *any* action should you first pray Istikhaara, or is that prayer only for special circumstances, such as getting married, moving away, taking a job, etc.?

6. What if you receive one opinion about an issue and you’re borderline on what to do, and after you pray your feelings turn *away* from the opinion you received, should you still follow the advice given?


I have more questions but my time is short so insha’Allah I’ll post them later.

Jazakallahu Khairun.

Take care all,

Serena :-)
Re: Got (more) answers?
BroHanif
10/29/01 at 09:51:10
Not a scholar so can't answer all of em but I'll help

[quote]1. What should one do if there is a difference of opinion regarding an important decision you have to make? Should you go with *any* opinion or with only the one that your Madhab offers?[/quote]

I prefer to go with my madhab since I amo more confortable with that opionion but that does not mean I disregard the others. Depends upon your situation and what the opinion is about.

[quote]2. What is a Dispensation? And under what circumstances are you allowed to take it, if any? Would this depend on the problem you are facing, or on the Scholar that you ask?[/quote]

My lack of knowledge can not answer this question, sorry.


[quote]3. If you ask someone for a fatwa and you find out later that the advice you were given was wrong, yet you followed their advice and dealt with your problems accordingly, will there be a fault on you for not seeking out someone more learned before taking the steps you did? What if you were under a time constraint?[/quote]

If you sought advice from a scholar or a person who had sound knowledge, then as far as I know there will be no fault on you. But then again, you need to be careful who you take your religion from. Sometimes there is no chance to seek somebody who is more knowledgeable where time is precious and sadly people are afraid to spend time with others since there are other constraints like time, wealth and family. If it was something major then I would make taubah and seek good advice, again it depends on the issue of what it was, you were seeking.

[quote]4. How do you know who you can trust regarding such personal issues?[/quote]

Good question, Its very hard I find to know somebody who you can really trust with one's personal life. I tend to go for a few friends like scholars(those who remind me of Allah) and close family i.e. mom and wife. My personal measure of trusting somebody is how do they remind me of Allah, is that person sincere in his talk, also does that person tend to slip his tongue sometimes, otherwise that would be a complete no, no.

[quote]5. Before you take *any* action should you first pray Istikhaara, or is that prayer only for special circumstances, such as getting married, moving away, taking a job, etc.? [/quote]

Hmm, I'll try and find out about this one.

[quote]6. What if you receive one opinion about an issue and you’re borderline on what to do, and after you pray your feelings turn *away* from the opinion you received, should you still follow the advice given?[/quote]

There may be guideance and understanding in the advice given, sometimes the advice given is there for our nafs i.e. taking the harder option than the easier one. And in there there is usually benefit for oneself.

Hope it helps

Hanif(With one F)



Re: Got (more) answers?
Merimda
10/29/01 at 20:58:17
<<Before you take *any* action should you first pray Istikhaara, or is that prayer only for special circumstances, such as getting married, moving away, taking a job, etc.?>>

Salam

The Hadith States:

"On the authority of Jaabir Ibn Abdullah (ra) he said: "The Prophet(saw) would instruct us to pray for guidance in all of our concerns, just as he would teach us a chapter from the Quraan. He would say 'If any of you intends to undertake a matter then let him pray two supererogatory units (two rakah na'afilah) of prayer and after which he should supplicate:

mentions the dua here..

The hadith mentions *in all of our concerns* so I don't think it is limited to certain matters.
Salam,
merimda



Re: Got (more) answers?
se7en
12/28/01 at 17:54:30

as salaamu alaykum wa rahmatAllah,

I was surfing through some of the older threads, thought that I would try to answer some of the questions here..  (sorry Serena, this is *really* late :))

[quote]1. What should one do if there is a difference of opinion regarding an important decision you have to make? Should you go with *any* opinion or with only the one that your Madhab offers?[/quote]

There are some who say you should go by the madhab you subscribe to in *all* circumstances, others that say you should go by the opinion with the largest amount of evidence supporting it.

When there is more than one legitimate option granted to you by scholars, you should also take into consideration what you personally, in your heart, are most comfortable with.  Is taking this option something you'd feel comfortable meeting Allah with?  Do you truly feel like this is the *right* way of going about doing things?  

Also perhaps it is something you should do istikhara about.  It really depends on the situation, as bro Hanif said.

[quote]2. What is a Dispensation? And under what circumstances are you allowed to take it, if any? Would this depend on the problem you are facing, or on the Scholar that you ask?[/quote]

The word "rukhsa" in Arabic is often times translated as dispensation.  It's when you're granted an exemption or laxity in something that would normally be required of you.  For example, when you are traveling, a rukhsa is that you don't have to fast, or that you can shorten/combine your prayers.

There are some dispensations that are commonly known and applicable (like the traveling one I mentioned above, or for when you are ill, pregnant, etc) but there are also times when you may take a rukhsa because of your *specific* circumstances.

Allah is merciful, and this is why dispensations are part of the sharia.  Allah does not want to impose difficult upon you.  So if you think you may be eligible for a rukhsa, *definitely* look into it :)

[quote]3. If you ask someone for a fatwa and you find out later that the advice you were given was wrong, yet you followed their advice and dealt with your problems accordingly, will there be a fault on you for not seeking out someone more learned before taking the steps you did? What if you were under a time constraint?[/quote]

What you are held accountable for is seeking out, to the best of your ability, a person that is qualified to answer your questions.  Someone that you, in sound judgement, determine to be capable of answering your questions about the deen competently because of their knowledge and experience.  Of course if you are under a time constraint, or there are no qualified people in your area, Allah knows your intentions and your circumstances, and you should just do your best.  You are at fault though, if you avoid seeking such a person out because you don't really want your question answered, or if you go to someone who gives you the answer you want to hear, though they are not qualified.  

If you do go to a qualified person, and go by what they tell you, you will not in *any way* be held accountable if the answers you were given are incorrect.  It is the scholar then who will be held accountable for giving out incorrect information.

[quote]4. How do you know who you can trust regarding such personal issues?[/quote]

It's hard, but it is very important that you find some good, competent people you can turn to with your questions, because these are people you're trusting with your deen.  

I think it's really about finding someone who's knowledge and method you feel comfortable with.  By 'knowledge' I mean someone who knows the Qur'an, ahadeeth, has extensively studied the Islamic sciences, and also strives to apply what he teaches in his own life.  By 'method' I mean someone who teaches in a way that appeals to you and makes sense to you.

How do you find someone like this?  I'd say by attending his or her classes.  You really learn a lot about someone by sitting in a class they teach, hearing them speak and answering questions.

Is it clear by his answers that he knows what he is talking about?  Does he give his opinion alone when answering a question, or does he respond also with text from the Quran, the hadeeth, the works of scholars that support his personal opinion?  Does he mention other opinions, that he doesn't necessarily agree with, but that are also legitimate?  Does he say "Allahu a'lam"?  Does he admit when he does not know the answer?  Does he get angry when you question him?  Does he just mention the correct view on the matter with no elaboration, or does he try to explain it in a way that you understand and appreciate?

Once you take some classes with the person, the answers to these questions will really become evident to you, and you'll begin to see whether this person is one you should trust with your questions or not.  Of course you shouldn't attend the class with the intention of evaluating the teacher :)  But it's a good way to get to know a person and their method.

If classes like that are not available, you can turn to a persons lectures, khutbas, articles, etc.

[quote]5. Before you take *any* action should you first pray Istikhaara, or is that prayer only for special circumstances, such as getting married, moving away, taking a job, etc.? [/quote]

Meri answered this one above :)

[quote]6. What if you receive one opinion about an issue and you’re borderline on what to do, and after you pray your feelings turn *away* from the opinion you received, should you still follow the advice given?[/quote]

It depends on the type of issue it is.  If it's like a fiqh type question that you needed a scholarly answer to (ex: "I haven't been praying or fasting for the past two years, what should I do?" ) then it's not really something you should do istikhara about.  Another thing is that if you ask someone for the answer to this type of question, you shouldn't then go to someone else for a second answer, unless the first is *evidently* incorrect.  When you get an answer from a knowledgeable person on this sort of issue, that is what you're obliged to go by, even if you dislike it.

If it's an issue like marriage or some other personal decision, then istikhara overrides istisharaa [consulation], as far as I know.  Because performing istikhara is asking Allah directly to facilitate good for you, and when the correct decision becomes clear it's *Allah* who has determined that that is best for you, so of course you should take that above people's opinions.


Whew.. ok :)  

If anything here sound shady or questionable, please let me know and I'll look it up inshaAllah.

wAllahu a'lam.

wasalaamu alaykum wa rahmatAllah :)


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