Fiqh of Food & Dress (Precious Provisions)

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Qabeelat losna Qabeelat losna Qabeelat losna Qabeelat losna
August 2009 August 2009 August 2009 August 2009

All that is good and correct is lrom the blessings ol Allah () alone -
the compilers are solely responsible lor any mistakes and errors.

lrecious lrovisions lrecious lrovisions lrecious lrovisions lrecious lrovisions
Qabeelat losna
2

lntroduction lntroduction lntroduction lntroduction
Allah mentioned two blessings ol }annah that are above all others: lood and clothing. Allah () tells
Adam (),
ln the garden you will never go hungry, leel naked." [1a la: 118]
lunger and nakedness are identilied as being problematic. 1he lrophet ()'s lavorite lood dish was
the shank ol a lamb, which is why every time the ansar sacriliced a goat or lamb, they would send the
shank to the lrophet (). 1he lrophet () was gilted a very exotic clothing item that the makkans
and madinans had never seen. 1he emperors ol the neighboring land gave him a robe the likes ol
which they had never seen, and he wore it when giving the khutbah and had no problem with such a
luxurious gilt. Aisha ( - -' '+-= ) said that he would love to eat sweets and honey.
when one ol the sanauan said that he would give up meat, the lrophet () when he heard ol this said,
.it is ol my sunnan to eat and to last. l eat ol the pure ol what Allah has given me."
what did lblis do7 lblis tempted Adam () to eat ol the narm. 1he consequence when he lell prey to
this was that his nakedness was exposed. lblis tempted Adam () to eat the lruit that Allah ()
made narm by putting lalse lies and whispers into his soul. Allah's blessings diminish when you sin,
and so when Adam sinned, the clothes ol }annah disappeared oll ol his body, and Adam and luwa
began to cover themselves with what was available. Allah () says in the Quran: O children ol Adam,
let not 5nay(n tempt you like he tempted your mother and lather." Allah () warns us to not let
5nay(n trick us. lrom the beginning, the thought and plan ol 5nay(n was to eat the narm and expose
nakedness. 1herelore, this class is a very relevant class. Not only does it discuss the very genesis ol the
creation ol mankind and the problems that Adam laced but also practical jin. we thank Allah () lor
giving us such a perlect snarian that leaves no stone unturned and no lacet upon which light has not
been shed. ln other words, in each and every aspect ol our lives, Allah () has told us what to do,
when to do it, and how to do it.
lslam is a true religion because il it were not, then it would not tell us how to live our lives. 1he sign ol
it being something lrom Allah () is that it tells us how to live our daily lives. what use is a religion il
it tells you to worship Allah () on lriday or 8aturday or 8unday but not the rest ol the week. 1he sign
ol a true religion is that it is a complete way ol lile. 1his is a source ol pride and sense ol prestige lor us
and is an indication that this is nothing but a true religion.
uaJitn ol 8alman Al larsi: when a Yahudi came up to him and ridiculed him and said, las your
prophet taught you everything including how to delecate7", 8alman al larsi responded as one lull ol
ìmn and wisdom said, Yes! Our lrophet () has taught us even how to go to the bathroom and
taught us to wipe ourselves with our lelt hand."
Qabeelat losna
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ltiquettes ol lood ltiquettes ol lood ltiquettes ol lood ltiquettes ol lood
ly and large, the aJau (etiquettes) ol eating are not narm versus na|| but rather what is prelerred and
what is makrun. lrom usu| a| jin, there are live categories ol rulings in lslam: narm (sin il done),
makrun (not a sin but should be avoided), muuan, mustanau (recommended to do), wjiu (must be done).
ltiquettes vacillate between makrun and mustanau. Only a lew are actually wjiu to do or narm to
avoid.
1he lollowing naJitn shows the care and attention the lrophet () placed on etiquettes:
Once the lrophet () was sitting in the house ol his wile Lmm 8alamah, when her son Lmar b. Ab
8alamah ran in and started eating hastily lrom all over the plate. 1he lrophet () gently said to him,
'O nu|m! mention Allah's Name, and eat with your right hand, and eat lrom that which is close to
you.'" [Al lukhri & muslim in their 8ahihs]
Lmar b. Ab 8alamah was around six or seven years old at the time and was the step-son ol the lrophet
(). 1he very lact that the lrophet () is stopping lrom his meal to give a short lecture shows the
importance ol etiquettes. lt is obvious that the child lell short in the three things mentioned. 1his
shows us overall the status ol etiquettes when it comes to lood.
1. 8aying the lasmalah
8aying 'uismi||an ar ranman ar ranccm' has been quoted in many anaJitn. lrom the 8ahih muslim: Once
the lrophet () was sitting around a large plate ol lood and the sanauan were having a meal when a
bedouin passed lrom a distance and diverted his course to come to the lood. 1he sanauan said he was
walking in an unnatural manner as il he was being pushed. le reached lor the lood, and the lrophet
() stopped him with his right hand. 1he same happened with a girl and the lrophet () stopped her
with his lelt hand. le () said, 5nay(n considers it permissible to eat lood over which uismi||an has
not been said and when he saw this lood, he wanted it so he sent the bedouin to get it and when l
stopped it he sent the little girl to get it. wa`||ni, my hand is in his hand, and my hand is in her hand,
and 5nay(n is in their two hands." 1his naJitn shows us that when we do not say uismi||an, someone is
lree loading oll ol our lood. when you do not say uismi||an, you have a partner when you eat. we will
never know how (it is 'i|m a| nayu), but the lood satislies another entity as well. 1he key phrase: the
5nay(n considers it na|| to eat lood over which uismi||an has not been said.
when a man enters a house and does not say 'uismi||an, assa|amu a|aykum,' then the 5nay(n calls out
that there is lree board. when you say this, neither can 5nay(n sleep in your house nor eat ol your
lood. lnowing the severity and knowing that you will leed the 5nay(n, many scholars are ol the
opinion that it is a sin not to say uismi||an. ll you lorget, then it is lorgiven and you say when you
remember:

Qabeelat losna
4

2. lating with the right hand
1his is also learned lrom the naJitn ol Lmar b. Ab 8alamah. uaJitn in 8ahih lukhri: Once a munaji
was in the house ol the lrophet () and they were eating lood. 1he lrophet () observed the
hypocrite eating with his lelt hand and said, Ya ju|an, eat with your right hand." 1he munaji became
enraged and thought, who is the lrophet to tell me what to do7" and he became arrogant and said, l
cannot eat with my right." 1he lrophet () understood what was happening and dealt with him in the
way he deserved and said, ln that case, il you cannot do it, you shall not do it." 1he man's right hand
was then paralyzed lor the rest ol his lile, and he could not raise his right hand because ol his
arrogance.
musnad lmam Ahmad: 1he lrophet () said, Verily, the 5nay(n eats with his lelt hand." we do
everything which is pure and noble with the right hand: giving and accepting things, shaking hands,
etc.
1he question arises: lndeed, it is sunnan to eat with the right hand, and in one naJitn in 8ahih muslim,
Anas ibn malik narrates that the lrophet () ate with three lingers. which three lingers are being
relerenced7 ls it the lirst three with the thumb to make it lour or two with the thumb to make it a lull
three7 when the narrator narrates the naJitn, he is saying words and not narrating a picture, so we
need to interpret the words. 8cholars have dillered, and at the end ol the day, it is a trivial dillerence.
1he point is that the lrophet () would eat with small morsels. ln many lands, they take a listlul ol
rice and mush it together and put it down their mouth, which is in contrast to the lrophet ().
1he second point: is it sunnan per se to eat with the lingers or to eat with the right hand even il we use
a utensil7 ll we eat with our bare lingers, will we get more reward, or is the point to eat with the right
hand regardless ol how7 lt is interesting to note that utensils themselves are a modern phenomenon
and mankind lor most ol its existence did not use utensils. lt became popular in the luropean gentry
class to dillerentiate themselves lrom the peasants. Ol the customs they invented: to sit on high chairs
and tables and to have a complicated set ol utensils with each being used lor a specilic item. 1he
middle class wants to imitate the upper class, and once they do it, the lower class wants to imitate it as
well. 1he concept ol using utensils then became prevalent amongst the middle class, and when a child
became ol age, they were given a set ol utensils, and the child would eat lrom the same set ol utensils.
many museums in America have utensils with names written on them. ln our times, it is a common
practice and has lost all connotations ol snobbishness and is standard.
ls it any more sunnan to use your bare lingers, or are we allowed to use utensils7 uid the lrophet ()
ever use a utensil7 1here were no spoons or lorks at his time, but there were knives to cut meat. lt is
reported in 8ahih muslim that once the lrophet () was eating meat and the aJnaan was called, so he
picked up his knile and ate the meat and went to pray without making wuJu. [lating meat does not
break the wuJu. At one time there was iknti|aj on this issue.] 1herelore, we can salely state inshAllah
that the sunnan is to use the right hand regardless ol using the bare lingers or utensils. 1here is
nothing more or less rewarding to use the bare lingers. ln and ol itsell, it is not any more or less sunnan
to use your bare lingers.
Qabeelat losna
3

!. lating lrom that which is close to you.
1his is learned lrom the naJitn ol Lmar b. Ab 8alamah. 1hey used to eat lrom a large common plate,
and it is sunnan to eat lrom the portion ol lood that is closest to you. lt is rude to reach over to the lood
ol someone else. lowever, it is reported that once the lrophet () was invited to the house ol an
ansari, and he loved squash (some translators say pumpkin, but it is closer to a long squash), and when
the squash around him linished, he began eating the squash around the plate until he linished it all.
when Anas ibn malik saw this, he said that he never ceased to love squash. lt appears that the lrophet
() is eating lrom other portions ol the plate. low is this reconciled7 ll you are in a situation and
know that the host or people will not mind, then it is not a problem to eat lrom other portions ol the
plate. ll someone invited the lrophet () to his house, he wanted to give him everything.
lospitality is part ol our religion, and the guest takes the juiciest item. when you know you are in a
situation where the person will not mind, then there is no problem whatsoever.
4. lating lrom the corner ol the plate and not lrom the center.
1his applies even to our individual plates. ll we have a large plate ol biryani, we are supposed to work
our way to the center and start lrom the shallow ends. 1he lrophet () in a naJitn in Abu uawud:
when one ol you eats, let him eat lrom the corners (sides) and leave the center [meaning lor the last]
because uarakan comes down in the middle ol the lood." what does it mean that uarakan descends in
the middle ol the lood7 8arakan means an increase in the utility or uselulness ol an item. when lood
has uarakan, instead ol sullicing lor one, it shall sullice lor two. when money has uarakan, it will buy lor
two instead ol one. when a glass ol milk had uarakan, during the 1reaty ol ludhaybiyah, over a
thousand drank lrom it.
1he lrophet () is telling us that when muslims sit down to eat, Allah's uarakan comes down in the
center ol the lood, and we want to leave as much there to increase the uarakan.
. lating together lrom a common plate.
1his is a sunnan that unlortunately almost all ol us have abandoned completely. coming together and
eating lrom one large plate is a sunnan that the lrophet () always did. lt teaches you to have good
manners while you eat. lt brings about brotherhood and lamily bonds. uaJitn in lbn majah: 1he
lrophet () said, lat all ol you together and do not break up. 1he blessings ol Allah are with the
jamaàn." 1his does not mean that it is not allowed.
8urah Nur v. 61: 1here is no sin on you il you eat all together or il you eat individually." 1he meaning
ol this verse is that il you are alone, you do not have to go lind someone to eat with and can just go eat.
lowever, when we are together, there is an extra blessing to eat together.
lsn't ordering a pizza a social event7 1his is a manilestation ol coming together lor lood.

Qabeelat losna
6

6. wiping the plate and lingers clean.
leave nothing on the plate and lingers. uaJitn in 8ahih lukhri: 1he lrophet () said, when one ol
you eats, let him not wipe his hand until he licks what is on it or it is licked lor him." what does this
mean7 ln the days ol the lrophet (), they would have cats in the house. 1he lrophet () is saying
that even il you give lood to the cats, it is made use ol. ly analogy, the same applies to the plate and
utensils. lt is a sign ol being thanklul to Allah () lor each and every morsel ol lood.
. washing hands belore and alter eating.
1he two anaJitn narrated about this are slightly weak. lowever, acting upon weak anaJitn is
permissible in some circumstances and this is one ol them. uaJitn in 1irmidhi: 1he lrophet () said,
making uarakan lor lood requires doing wuJu (washing hands belore and alter it)." lt is common sense
that you have clean lingers when you sit down. lt is good to do so.
8. Not wasting lood, even il dropped.
8ahih muslim: 1he lrophet () said, ll a morsel ol lood lalls on the ground as you are eating, pick it
up and wipe away the dust and eat it, and do not leave it lor 5nay(n." 1his naJitn tells us a number ol
things. lirstly, we should be so gratelul to Allah () lor every morsel that even il it lalls, we should
take advantage ol it and eat it. 8econdly, il something lalls, we can clean it belore eating it and can
discard the layer touching the ground. when the lood lalls down, 99.9/ ol it has not touched the
ground, and only one layer or side touched the ground. ll you leave it, then 5nay(n can come and eat
it, and we do not want 5nay(n to eat ol our lood because when the 5nay(n eats ol our lood, we are
inviting him in and empowering him.
One ol the biggest problems ol our times is that we have a huge surplus ol lood that we discard it. 1he
quantity ol lood that is wasted rellects very poorly on our humanity and as muslims, we should be
leaders in this regard and set examples lor other people.
9. leing generous with your lood.
At 1abarani: 1he lrophet () said, when one ol you cooks meat, increase the broth and then gilt it to
your neighbors."
meat lor us is a staple part ol our daily lood routine. lor the lrophet (), meat was a luxury item, and
he would eat it every live or six weeks. 1he lrophet () is saying that when you cook the lood you are
the greediest over, show your generosity. ln another naJitn: when you show your generosity to
others, Allah will show his generosity to you." Another naJitn: 1he lood ol one person should sullice
lor two, and the lood ol two should sullice lor three." uo not be greedy with lood!
10. Not criticizing the lood, even il you dislike it.
8ahih lukhri: Abu lurayrah () narrates that the lrophet () never criticized any lood ever. 1o
emphasize the point, he used double negatives. ll he liked it, he would eat, and il he did not like it, he
Qabeelat losna
7

would abstain." 1his contradicts many cultural ideas that the lrophet () would eat anything that was
presented to him. Ol the examples is that ol the desert lizard ((auu). lt was considered a delicacy in
certain areas, and the lrophet () was lrom more central Arabia. One day his sister-in-law brought lor
him (auu and when he sat down to eat, she cried out that it is a (auu. 1he lrophet () stopped lrom
eating. lhalid ibn walid () had already started eating and asked, ls it narm ya kasu|u||an7" 1he
lrophet () said, 1his is not ol the lood ol my people, and l lind mysell having no need ol it."
criticizing lood is highly makrun because it shows we are ungratelul to what Allah () has given to us.
11. lraising Allah () alterwards.
ln the naJitn in 8ahih lukhri, three phrases are similar. when the lrophet () would say: All praise
be to Allah, abundant praise, a pure praise, a blessed praise. l praise Allah in this manner lully realizing
that this praise is not sullicient lor what le has blessed me with. l lully realize that this is not the end,
and l will never be lree ol this item. [i.e. need the lavor over and over again]."

lraising Allah alter eating is ol the etiquettes ol eating.
12. making du'a lor the one who hosted you.
we praise also and make du'a lor those who host you, which is why the sanauan would love to invite the
lrophet () lor lood. Ol the du'as he () said, O Allah, bless them in what you have given them, and
lorgive them, and have mercy on them."

ln another naJitn: O Allah leed those who have led us."
1!. lating in moderate quantities.
One ol the most neglected sunnans ol our time is to eat in simple and moderate quantities. lt is a multi-
billion dollar industry on how to lose weight. ll we were to lollow the sunnan, we would not have to
worry about how to lose weight.
Qabeelat losna
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uaJitn in At-1irmidhi: 1he lrophet () said, 1he worst container that any human can lill is his own
stomach. lt is sullicient lor a person that he eats a lew morsels ol lood (live or seven morsels) because
ol which his back will remain straight. lut il you want to go more than this, then you may take up to
one-third lor your lood, one-third lor your drink, and one-third lor the air that you breathe." more
than one-third becomes makrun.
what do you do when you are given more lood than you can eat7 You either eat one-third and throw
the rest away, or you stull yoursell, both ol which are makrun. 1he problem is in the quantity ol lood
we get.
14. control one's belching.
Once a bedouin came into the gathering ol the lrophet () and began belching out loud. 1he lrophet
() said, O so and so, stop your belching because it is irritating us!" [At-1abarani] ll belching is
makrun, then any other sounds emitted are also makrun.
1. Not doing ittik`
1he lrophet () once was eating, and a bedouin came in and saw him sitting in a way that the bedouin
lound strange. 1he bedouin said, what type ol sitting is this7" 1he lrophet () responded, As lor
me, l do not eat while muttaki." [8ahih lukhri] ln another version, he said, Allah has made me a
humble servant and not an arrogant king."
1he scholars dillered on what muttaki means. 8cholars have to piece together a visual lrom words. 1he
basic theme is the same.
As lor me, l do not eat while muttaki." [Al lukhri]
meaning ol ittika`:
1o lean with one's back against a support.
1o lean one's lelt side, supporting the body with one's lelt hand.
1o sit cross-legged.
1here are other explanations as well, but there is one central theme: you sit in a manner where the
stomach protrudes out and is allowed to become expansive. most scholars say that he was sitting in a
manner such that his body was resting on the lelt loot and his right loot was raised up pressing the
thigh against the stomach. lsychologically you eat less and think that your stomach is lull. 1he
bedouin had never seen someone sit like this.

Qabeelat losna
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lor urinking lor urinking lor urinking lor urinking
A lot ol what precedes in terms ol lood also applies to drink as well. Note: 8ahih muslim is one ol the
most comprehensive encyclopedias on eating and drinking.
1. urinking in three sips
Anas ibn malik narrates in 8ahih muslim that the lrophet () would take three sips when he was
drinking and would say, 1his is more quenching, healthier, and sweeter." what do three sips mean7
oulping down three sips7 lt means that the lrophet () would split the average sip a human being
takes into three.
uoctors tell us that it is healthier to drink in small quantities, and drinking a large amount ol lluid does
not quench the thirst. ll a person who is dehydrated drinks a cup ol water will die. le is supposed to
drink spoonluls ol water because it is possible that water will be an overdose at that stage.
2. Not blowing or breathing into the container
8ahih muslim: 1he lrophet () lorbade blowing into a container.
ln another naJitn, the lrophet () said, uo not keep the container close in between sips." move the
container away and breathe and then bring it back. 1his has led to the misunderstanding that it is
makrun to blow on lood or drink. 1he scholars say that during the time ol the lrophet (), there were
no individual utensils, and it is simple civic duty to not contaminate the utensil or bucket and to not
blow into it. 1he lrophet () said that il you are drinking lrom such a container, do not put it next to
your mouth while you drink lrom it. 8cholars say that il you have an individual cup, then it is not
makrun to blow in lor a reason. 1hey use common sense, and this is the dillerence between a jain and
a beginning student ol knowledge who takes everything literally. ly and large, everyone has
understood that this prohibition applies to common utensils.
ll you are a mother wanted to leed your child some hot lood out ol the oven, you are allowed to blow on
the lood.
!. Avoid drinking while standing7
companions themselves dillered over this issue.
1his is the huge controversy. ls it makrun or narm or muuan or mustanau to drink while standing7
8cholars have dillered greatly on the issue. 1o summarize: 1here are conllicting anaJitn in this regard.
1he lirst set ol anaJitn seem to prohibit drinking while standing.
8ahih muslim: Anas ibn malik says the lrophet () zajaran drinking while standing. 1he term
zajaran is ambiguous and could mean 'strongly lorbade' or 'disliked' and the dillerence between
the two is 'narm' and 'makrun'. 1he term is not precise.
Qabeelat losna
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1he most explicit naJitn in this regard: 1he lrophet () [allegedly] said, whoever drinks
while standing should vomit." ln the opinion ol many scholars, this naJitn is weak and not
authentic.
Another set ol anaJitn show that there is no problem to drink while standing. 8ahih lukhri has a
chapter titled the 'chapter kegarding the 1raditions ol urinking while 8tanding.'
Ali ibn Ab 1alib narrated that when he was in lula, he was brought a container ol water to
drink, and he drank while standing in lront ol everyone. le then said, l know some ol you
think that it is discouraged to drink while standing, but wa`||ni l saw the lrophet () drink
while standing."
uaJitn reported by At 1ahawi and others: 1he lrophet () drank zamzam while standing.
uaJitn in lukhri: 1here was a canister ol water stuck to the wall, and the lrophet () stood
up and unscrewed it and drank the water while standing and then closed it.
low have scholars reconciled between these sets ol naJitn7 8ome say drink only zamzam while
standing, but this is a weak opinion that it was done intentionally lor zamzam. ln 8haykh Yasir's
humble opinion and the position ol lbn 1aymiyyah, al-Nawawi, and the majority ol scholars: (the
opinion that reconciles between the anaJitn) drink while sitting il you are able, but il there is any
reason, then drink while standing and there is no problem (it is muuan). lor example: a water lountain,
a crowd at lajj, a water canister on the wall. 1his opinion says that the lrophet () discouraged
drinking while standing but on more than one occasion he himsell drank while standing.
keminder J uisclaimer: All that has preceded is etiquettes ol eating and drinking. ll you contradict
them because you are lazy and not out ol arrogance is not a sin per se. ll you do them wanting to
please Allah and lollowing the sunnan, then Allah will reward you and bless you. 1he scholars are
stricter and say the lollowing are sinlul il not done: 1) saying the uasma|an and 2) eating with the right
hand because ol the naJitn ol the bedouin.
Qabeelat losna
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8ection l: lermissible & lmpermissible Animals 8ection l: lermissible & lmpermissible Animals 8ection l: lermissible & lmpermissible Animals 8ection l: lermissible & lmpermissible Animals
we will begin by talking about the permissible and impermissible lood items: what animals are allowed
and what are not allowed. All vegetation is na|| unless it is poisonous. Alter we have clarilied what
animals are allowed, the question arises: how do you slaughter the animal7 we will then discuss
conditions ol slaughtering an animal. lunting is a separate chapter in jin. we will then move on to
miscellaneous issues relating to commonly available lood items in North America. 8haykh Yasir is
teaching the rules and not the specilic items that are na|| and narm because it is counterproductive to
teach the list ol items that are narm because tomorrow another list will come out.
lirst category: land Animals
olNlkAl kLll: lverything is permitted unless an evidence proves otherwise.
1he general rule regarding animals is that everything is na|| unless proven otherwise. we begin with
this basic presumption ol our religion. lirstly, try to understand the rule. ll we come across an exotic
creature today, and someone wants to eat it and another says it is narm, then the second person has to
bring evidence because ol the general rule.
what is the evidence lor this7 1he general rule in our religion is that everything muàma||at (i.e.
business transactions, lood and drink, wearing something,.) is na|| except what the 5narian prohibits.
when it comes to worshipping Allah and acts ol iuaaJan, everything is narm unless there is evidence
lrom the Quran and 5unnan. Allah says: l have created everything on this earth lor you." 1his shows
us that the general rule regarding items on this earth is that they are pure to use and na|| to benelit
lrom.
8ay: l do not lind in that which has been revealed to me anything lorbidden lor an eater to eat, except
that it be what has died ol itsell, or blood poured lorth, or llesh ol swine - lor that surely is unclean - or
that which is a transgression, other than (the Name ol) Allah having been invoked on it, but whoever is
driven to necessity, not desiring nor exceeding the limit, then surely your lord is lorgiving, mercilul."
[Al An'am: 14]
what is important lrom this ayah is not the list but how it is set up: l do not lind in that which has
been revealed to me anything lorbidden lor an eater to eat, except." 1his means that everything is
na|| except what is on this list.
1his class will be comparative jin. A question may arise: which do you lollow7 1here are two options:
1) lollow the opinion ol the maJnau you lollow or 2) lollow what you are taught is a stronger position
based upon evidences ol the Quran and 5unnan (make ta|ccJ to a living authority whom you trust). lt is
impermissible to pick and choose the easy position.
1he general rule which you will come across many times: 1he mlik maJnau is the most lax maJnau
regarding lood. 1he strictest maJnau in terms ol lood is the lanal maJnau. ln the middle are the
8hali's and lanbalis.

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1he 5narian looks at animals in lour categories:
- land animals (all animals that live on land)
- 8ea animals (lish, seals, etc.)
- lirds
- Vermin
1he lirst question arises: 1his is not a scientilic categorization ol animals because amphibians live on
the land and some mammals live in the ocean. ls there a contradiction7 No. 1he 5narian looks at
animals in a certain light and modern science looks at animals in a dillerent light. You can categorize
people according to gender, ethnicity, etc.
1he 5narian divides land animals into two categories: domesticated and wild. uomesticated animals are
those that mankind rears and shepherds. 1hey are larm animals such as cattle, sheep, cows, and
camels. wild animals are predatory and non-predatory.
kule ol thumb (with some exceptions): uomesticated animals must be ritually slaughtered (Jnaun).
Non-predatory wild animals by and large may be hunted. ly and large, predatory wild animals are not
allowed.
Allowed by unanimous consensus:
1) cattle (cows, sheep, goat, camels, llamas)
2) oazelles, deer, antelopes, etc.
!) wild bovines (bullaloes, etc.)
4) 2ebras
1here is a naJitn about the zebra: the lrophet () passed by a group ol people who were
cooking donkey in the conquest ol makkah. le asked them, what meat is this7" 1hey replied,
1his is donkey meat." 1he lrophet () said, Allah and lis messenger have prohibited a|
uomesticated wild
b) Non-predatory a) lredatory
land Animals
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numur a| an|iyan and have allowed a| numur a| wasniyan." [8ahih muslim] A| numur a| wasniyan is
a zebra, and a| numur a| an|iyan is a donkey. [1his naJitn has been commonly mistranslated.]
) kabbits
lrohibited by unanimous consensus (last three makrun in mlik maJnau):
1) All types ol pigs, and all that is derived directly lrom it.
anma a|-kninzccr: the llesh ol the pig. when Allah () prohibits the item that is the most
uselul (the juiciest part ol the animal), then anything less uselul is also prohibited. 1here is no
iknti|aj about this issue.
2) All types ol dogs.
!) uonkeys ('domesticated donkeys')
4) mules (ollspring ol a male donkey and a lemale horse)
lorse meat is allowed, and donkey meat is not allowed. 1he scholars use the naJitn the child is
ascribed to the lather" and say that the mule shall be ascribed to the lather, therelore, because
the lather is narm, then the ollspring is also narm. 1he ollspring ol a lemale donkey and male
horse is the hinny. loth the hinny and mule cannot have ollspring.
uillerence ol opinion over horses
uaJitn in 8ahih lukhri: 1he sanauan once sacriliced a horse and led its meat to the people ol madinah
and there was no drought or time ol great hunger. 1he lanals said that Allah created the horse to ride
and not to eat. 1he majority respond that the primary lunction ol the horse is to ride, but it is
permissible to eat.
mA}Ok kLllNo8 kloAkulNo lANu ANlmAl8
1. lvery predator that has langs
lvery predator that has langs is narm. 1he evidence is a naJitn in 8ahih lukhri: 1he lrophet ()
lorbade every predator that has langs.
lxamples: lions, tigers, bears, cats, dogs, monkeys.
1he mliks do not take this rule and say that it is makrun but not narm.
2. lvery animal that is mustaknuatn
1his separates the mliks and lanals in particular. Vustaknuatn means: 'that which is considered
disgusting.' lt comes lrom knaucctn. 1he evidence lor this rule is 8urah Al Aral v. 1. Allah says, l
have allowed lor you everything that is pure and have lorbidden lor you everything that is knaucctn."
1ayyiu is everything pure and healthy. lased upon this, the lanals, 8hali's and lanbalis say: il l lind
an animal that is disgusting, then it is narm.
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1he mliks said that the others misunderstood the verse. mlik scholars say: Allah is saying 'l have
allowed that which is pure and l have lorbidden that which is lilthy meaning that the na|| is pure and
the narm is lilthy.' lt is not your prerogative to decide what is lilthy and pure and Allah has told us
what is na|| and narm. 1he mliks say that whatever is narm is lilthy, and there is no such thing as a
disgusting animal.
1his dillerentiates lrom the lanals who use the rule the most and the mliks who have no concept ol
this rule.
le allows lor them that which is pure and prohibits upon them that which is lilthy." [Al-Aral: 1]
lxamples: scorpions, snakes, rats, mice, monkeys ol all types, hedgehog, porcupine, squirrels
low did the various maJnaniu deline that which is lilthy7
- lanals
ly and large, they did not have a hard and last rule by which they delined mustaknuatn. kather,
they used this rule quite liberally to prohibit many items which other maJnaniu consider
permissible. ln 8haykh Yasir's humble opinion: lmam Abu lanilah's upbringing and ethnicity
played a role in this. le was a nobleman lrom lersia and lrom the aristocratic class. many
lood items were considered lilthy by him and his standards that others did not consider lilthy,
and a classic example is shrimp.
- 8hali' and lanbali position
8hali's said: we will allow the sophisticated, cultured Arabs who live in the cities to decide
what is mustaknuatn. 1he bedouins ate everything, so they chose the city dwellers to decide.
lvidence: 1hey spoke the language ol the revelation.
1he lanbalis responded and said: Arabs live lrom North Alrica to lazakhstan, and the
dillerences are vast, so it needs to be narrowed lurther. we deline mustaknuatn based on the
city dwellers ol the lijaz region. lvidence: 1he Quran came down lor that region, therelore,
when the revelation came, they would understand immediately.
- mlik position
mliks reluted this position quite powerlully. 1hey said: 1) 1he lact that there is no water
tight delinition shows that it is not clear cut by itsell and there is ambiguity and 2) the naJitn ol
the desert lizard ((auu). 1hey say that the lrophet () was lrom the lijaz and did not like the
(auu, but it did not become narm. lhalid ibn walid was a Qurayshi lrom makkah also and liked
the (auu. 1his shows that people had individual tastes.
- lbn 1aymiyyah's position
le says: 1his religion is not an Arab-centric religion. 1his religion is not based upon the whims
and palates ol the Arabs. we base it upon the general trends ol humanity. lor example: snakes
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and spiders and bugs by and large are considered mustaknuatn. we do not look at the people ol
china because they are an exceptional case.
8haykh Yasir lollows lbn 1aymiyyah's position.
uiscussion:
1) llephants
lt depends on whether the tusks are classilied as langs or not. 1he majority ol scholars say that
the elephant is narm. we now know that the elephant is a docile creature and not a predator,
and the tusks are not langs. 1herelore, this shows cultural ellects upon our own scholars. ll
you re-look at jin in modern light, we realize that many ol our scholars were subject to the
cultural prejudices ol our time and considered the elephant narm based on what they knew.
2) lyena
many scholars (standard lanbali and 8hali' position) opinion is that they are allowed because
they are scavengers and not predators. 8ome species ol hyenas are predators occasionally, but
by and large they are scavengers.
!) lox
lmam 8hali' said that they are permissible because they do not hunt other animals and are not
predators. 1he naJitn says 'every predator that has langs', therelore, there are two conditions:
1) predator and 2) langs. loxes are known lor snatching chickens. 1hey are scavengers.
4) }ackals
) uauu
lhalid b. Al walid narrated that the messenger ol Allah () entered upon maymunah along with
him, and maymunah was his [lhalid's] maternal aunt, and the maternal aunt ol lbn Abbas, and
lound that she had some roasted lizard that her sister lalidah bint al-larish had brought lrom
Najd. 8he ollered the lizard to the messenger ol Allah, and [it was his habit] that he would rarely
stretch lorth his hand to lood until he had been told what it was. 1he messenger ol Allah stretched
lorth his hand, then one ol the women who were present said, tell the messenger ol Allah () that
what has been ollered to him is the (auu." 1he lrophet withdrew his hand lrom the lizard. 8o
lhalid b. al-walid asked, ls it prohibited, O messenger ol Allah7" le said, No, but it is not lound
in the land ol my people, and so l lind mysell having no need lor it." lhalid said, 1hen l chewed it
and ate it, and the messenger ol Allah was looking at me." [Narrated by al-lukhri and muslim]
!. 1he ja|||an animal
1he scholars say the ja|||an animal is not allowed. uelinition: an animal that eats lilthy lood. lor
example, il an animal eats manure, najas, dead animals then it is ja|||an.
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lvidence: 1he lrophet () lorbadeJdiscouraged (nana) the meat and milk ol a ja||||an [Abu uawud,
Ahmad]
ly and large, all ol the maJnaniu consider the ja||||an animal to be makrun and not narm. 1his is very
important in modern America because many animals are led najas. 8cholars dillered on what delines a
ja||||an animal. 1hey agree that il you lind a chicken pecking on najas, it does not make them ja||||an.
lt is when the majority ol the lood has been najas and it becomes the main portion ol the lood intake.
what is the solution il you own a larm7 leed the animal pure stock and grain lor a period ol time.
- lanbalis, lanals: majority ol its lood is najas
- 8hali's: change in it smell (sweat) and taste (milk)
majority considered it makrun, some scholars ol the three maJnaus consider it narm.
8econd category: 8ea Animals
1. ly unanimous consensus, lish are permitted.
1he two bodies ol water are not alike - one is palatable, sweet, and pleasant to drink, the other salty
and bitter - yet lrom each you eat lresh lish and extract ornaments to wear, and in each you see the
ships ploughing their course so that you may seek ood's bounty and be gratelul." [ltir: 12]
Allah praises lish in the Quran in a way that le praises nothing else. An adjective is used that is not
used lor any other meat. 8urah ltir v. 12: Allah () says that le has blessed us with sweet water and
salt water and lrom the both types ol water, Allah says, we extract a meat that is tarcc (benelicial,
nutritional, lresh, juicy, succulent)." Allah praises lish meat like le praises no other.
when scholars say lish, they include in it whales as well. lor scholars ol the past, the whale was a big
lish. 8cholars did not dillerentiate between them, and there is an authentic naJitn that the sanauan
were once short ol lood and had gone on an expedition and came across a huge whale and they ate ol
this whale lor two lull weeks. 1hey took a bone ol this whale and put it in the sand, and it was so high
that the commander ol the expedition (Abu Lbaydah) could sit on the camel and walk underneath the
bone without touching the top ol the bone. 1hey later asked the lrophet (): Are we allowed to eat
this7" le asked il they had any lelt, and they brought some to the lrophet () and he ate ol the whale,
which clearly shows that whales and lish are na||. 1his was the only time the lrophet () ate sealood.
1he lrophet () said: 1wo dead animals and two blood items are allowed lor us. As lor the dead
animals, whales and locusts, and as lor blood, the liver and the spleen." [al-layhaqi]
2. Animals that live in the water besides lish (i.e. lobster, octopus, shrimp)
1he lanals use the mustaknuatn rule. 1heir jatwa: All animals other than lish are mustaknuatn. 1hey
consider anything lound in the water besides lish and whales to be mustaknuatn.
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1he 8hali's and lanbalis say: there is no mustaknuatn lor animals in the ocean because ol 8urah Al
ma'idah v. 96: lermitted lor you is all that you catch lrom the ocean." lrom this ayah, the 8hali's and
lanbalis say that every type ol sealood is completely na||.
lor the mliks, everything is de lacto na||.
Note: anything that is poisonous is narm. lxample: blowlish.
uaJitn ol the sailor coming to the lrophet () [Abu uawud]: 1he sailor said, O messenger ol Allah, l
am a sailor and sometimes we run out ol water. can we make wudu with salty water7" 1he lrophet
() gave a general rule and said, lts water is pure and its dead is na|| to eat." You can make wudu
with ocean water even il you have lresh water. 1he sailor did not ask about sealood, but the lrophet
() gave the verdict anyway. lased upon this naJitn, the lrophet () said 'its dead is allowed.' 1he
three maJnaniu say that 'its dead' relers to anything in the ocean.
8cholars did not dillerentiate between whales and regular lish.
}bir narrated, we set out in the army ol al-lhabt and Abu Lbaydah () was the commander ol the
troops we were struck with severe hunger, and the sea threw out a dead lish the likes ol which we had
never seen, and it was called al-'Anbar. we ate ol it lor hall a month. Abu Lbaydah took (and lixed)
one ol its bones and a rider passed underneath it (without touching it). Abu Lbaydah said (to us): lat
(ol that lish)." when we arrived at madinah, we inlormed the messenger ol Allah () about what had
happened, and he said: lat, lor it is lood Allah has brought out lor you, and leed us il you have some ol
it." 8o some ol them gave him (ol that lish) and he ate it." (8ahih Al lukhri, no. 4104)
lanal position: All 'lish' are permitted as long as they do not die naturally and lloat on the surlace.
1his is an opinion lound in classical lanal texts lrom a da'eel hadeeth, and it is not held by modern
lanals.
!. Animals that live on the shore (i.e. crabs, turtles, seals, alligators, crocodiles)
lanal position: none ol these animals is permitted. (no evidence to permit it)
mlik position: all such aninals are allowed.
8hali' and lanbali position: llood-llowing animals require slaughter, rest are permitted, except lrogs
(and crocodiles lor the lanbalis)
All such (non-harmlul) animals allowed: mliks, lanbalis, 8hali's.
lanals say that they are mustaknuatn. mliks say they are permitted.
1he 8hali' and lanbali position: all blood llowing animals that live on the shore are considered land
animals, and all non-blood llowing animals are considered ocean animals. An example ol a blood
llowing blood animal is the seal. lor non-blood llowing animals such as crabs, the 8hali's and lanbalis
say that you can consider them like lish, and they do not need to be slaughtered.
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As lor alligators and crocodiles, the 8hali's and lanbalis say they are narm because they are predators
with langs.
1hose animals whose 'land-equivalents' are prohibited are also prohibited: an opinion within the latter
two maJnaniu ('sea-dog' seal, 'sea-pig' dolphin).
8ome ol the scholars said: 1hose animals that live in the ocean but we call by names ol animals that are
lorbidden on land are also narm. 1he Arabs called the seal the sea-dog and the dolphin the sea-pig.
1herelore, some scholars, which shows their cultural bias, said that because Allah lorbade the pig ol the
land, the pig ol the sea should also be lorbidden and because Allah lorbade the cat ol the land, then the
catlish should also be lorbidden.
1o summarize: 1he lanals were the strictest and said all non-lish items are mustaknuatn and the other
three maJnaniu say that they are na||.
lrogs: Are they na|| or not7 1he 8hali's and lanbalis consider lrogs to be impermissible based upon
an exception. 1he lanals say mustaknuatn and mliks say that it is na||. 1he 8hali's and lanbalis use
a naJitn lrom Abu uawud: 1he lrophet () lorbade the killing ol lrogs and said that their croaking is
tasuin. lecause the lrophet () lorbade the killing ol lrogs, then you are not allowed to eat them. 1he
mliks disagreed.
ll every animal makes tasuin, then how are we allowed to kill those animals and not the lrog7 kesponse:
1his is an exception, and we do not ask why.
1hird category: lirds
Vast majority ol birds considered permissible by unanimous consensus.
Allah praises bird meat in a way le does not praise anything else. ln 8urah waqiah: .they shall have
the meat ol any bird they desire." lt is the lood ol }annah.
lrohibited: lrohibited: lrohibited: lrohibited:
1. lirds that hunt with talons [except lor malik] (i.e. lalcons, eagles, kites, hawks)
uaJitn in 8ahih lukhri: 1he lrophet () lorbade every predator with langs and every bird
with talons.
1he talons are the claws that the bird hunts with. 1he mliks consider them to be makrun and
not narm.
2. lirds that leed oll carrion [except lor malik] (i.e. vultures, buzzards, kites)
1his is the mustaknuatn rule applied to birds. what is a mustaknuatn bird7 1he three maJnaniu
deline it as birds that eat carrion.
!. loopoe and shrike (nuJnuJ, suraJ) due to explicit prohibition about killing them [Abu uawud]
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1he 8hali's and lanbalis add two birds by exception: 1he lrophet () lorbade killing two
types ol birds: suraJ and nuJnuJ. [uaJitn in Abu uawud]. 1hese are lorbidden by exception and
not by rule.
lourth category: land Vermin
land vermin is everything else: insects, rats, snakes, lizards, etc. Allowed by unanimous consensus:
locusts.
locusts were a delicacy ol the Arabs, and desert locusts are much larger than the American
counterparts.
Other vermin: majority ol scholars prohibited or considered makrun (mustaknuatn).
mliks considered most permissible.
lmam al-Nawawi wrote: 1he views ol the scholars concerning insects and bugs is that it is narm. 1his
is the view ol the lanals, lanbalis, and uhahiris, however, lmam malik said it is na||. lbn lazm said it
is not permissible to eat geckos, wasps, worms, llies, bed bugs, or anything else ol this nature because
Allah says 'and le has lorbidden everything that is knaucctn.'
lmam malik has an interesting statement: le was asked by some people in North Alrica about
something which they called a snail lound in the deserts crawling on the trees. lmam malik says: 1his
is the same as the locust, so l do not think there is anything wrong with eating it." le considered it to
be permissible.
1he mustaknuatn was applied by the three maJnaniu lor all land vermin. lor the mliks, because they
do not lollow the mustaknuatn rule, said that they are permissible.
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8ection 8ection 8ection 8ection l ll ll: l: l: l: 8laughtering ( 8laughtering ( 8laughtering ( 8laughtering (unaun unaun unaun unaun) )) )
1hree categories ol lermissible Animals
1. kequire slaughtering
1hese animals must be slaughtered to make them na||. ll they are not slaughtered, then the animal is
narm. what animals lall under this category7 ly and large, domesticated animals (sheep, cattle, cows,
goats,.) 8cholars also add wild, hunted animals il they are in your control and not dangerous. ll you
have shot a deer and it is unconscious with its heart beating, you must slaughter it.
1here are two types ol slaughter: Jnaun and nanr. 1he dillerence is hall an inch in goats and three leet
in camels. unaun means slaughtering underneath the throat above the adams apple. Nanr is done
above the collar bone.
Nanr is done lor the camel. unaun is done to sheep and goats.
lt is an animal that is under your control.
2. may be hunted (sayJ)
ly and large, hunted animals are non-predatory wild animals. 1he classic example is the deer. Notice
that hunting is a concession. You hunt by shooting any part ol the body. 1he animal bleeds to death
slowly. 1his is a concession because you cannot physically have the animal in your hands to do Jnaun.
lunting is a separate chapter ol jin.
ln the chapter ol hunting, Allah tells us in the Quran in 8urah ma'idah v. 4: 1hey ask you what is
allowed to eat. 8ay, '1he good things are allowed to you, and what you have taught the beasts and birds
ol prey, training them to hunt - you teach them ol what Allah has taught you - so eat ol that which
they catch lor you and mention the Name ol Allah over it, and be carelul ol (your duty to) Allah, surely
Allah is swilt in reckoning." [ma'idah: 4]
8eparate chapter ol jin, deals with issues such as:
- who is allowed to hunt7 A person in the state ol inram is lorbidden lrom hunting. Also, people
ol religions other than the Abrahamic religions are not allowed to hunt lor us.
- with what may one hunt7 8cholars agree that you can hunt with a dog, birds, and sharp
instruments (i.e. kill by bleeding and not by weight). You cannot beat an animal to death or
starve them to death. Animal traps are lorbidden in our religion. A bullet is allowed because it
pierces and bleeds. 8cholars diller over black dogs.
- characteristics ol a 'trained' dog7 1he books ol jin discuss dog training because Allah says in
the Quran that you can hunt with a trained dog. 1he scholars ol jin then have to clarily what
constitutes a trained dog. 8imple rule: il you tell your dog to stop eating and it stops eating,
then it is a trained dog. 1he dog has to hunt lor you and not lor itsell.

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- lrocedure ol hunting7
1asmiya is sunnan lor 8hali's, mandatory lor others. ll you shoot an arrow and did not
say uismi||an, lor the three maJnaniu il you intentionally did not say uismi||an, then the
meat is not allowed.
what il you intended a specilic deer and the dog captured another7
ll you see a herd ol deer and aim at deer x but shoot deer y, and you said uismi||an lor
deer x, is it allowed or not7 1he majority ol scholars say it is irrelevant which animal is
killed and the uismi||an is attached to the instrument used.
what il you are in doubt as to how the animal died7
lor example: you shoot a bird and it lalls into water, so you are not sure il it died
because ol the bullet or because ol drowning. All lour maJnaniu say: when in doubt,
you must leave it. when you do not know how the animal died, you are not allowed to
eat it because it may be maytan.
A man asked the lrophet (): what il l send my dog and it loses my sight and when l
reach the animal there are other dogs present7" 1he lrophet () said, uo not eat
because you only said uismi||an lor your dog."
!. laten without slaughtering or hunting: lish, locusts
8ealood even il lound dead is na|| lor us. lt does not matter who catches the sealood. lt is permissible
because there are no rules associated with sealood or locusts.
condition ol 8laughter
1he conditions ol doing Jnaun are mentioned in many anaJitn, and we will summarize the live main
points.
kali' b. lhadij asked, O messenger ol Allah! we have no knile [with which to slaughter]." 1he lrophet
() said, whatever [instrument] causes blood to gush out, and whatever [animal] Allah's Name is
mentioned over, eat (ol it)." [Vuttaja 'a|ayn]
1. lntelligence (not uu|un) ol the one who slaughters
1his can be re-phrased: niyyan (intention). ll an animal somehow has its neck sliced, it would not be
na|| according to the majority ol scholars il it was unintentionally sliced.
majority: Able to intend slaughter. lvidence: uaJitn in lukhri that all actions are by intentions."
8laughtering is an act ol worship and a ritual.
lxample: lanals said you do not need niyyah to make ghusl. 1he other three maJnaniu say
that you need a niyyah. what is the dillerence7 ll you walk in the rain and are soaked
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drenched to the skin, and when you reach home you remember that you need to make nus|, so
lor the lanal maJnau that was sullicient.
8hali'tes: Not a necessary condition, but prelerred. [1he 8hali's are the most lax, and everyone else is
in the middle.] lowever the blood llows is okay as long as it llows.
1his does not mean that the person has to be ua|in. No scholar ever made a condition ol tanaran to
slaughter. A person can be in a state ol janauan. No scholar dillerentiated between men and women
slaughtering.
2. keligion ol the one who slaughters
Lnanimous consensus: muslim, 'original' christian or }ew.
'Arab' or convert christians: 8hali'tes prohibited. classical 8hali's had a strange opinion which
modern 8hali's had discarded. 1here was a group ol Arabs who embraced christianity because they
were interacting with the komans. 1he 8hali's did not view them as real christians and said that the
only thing they know ol christianity is to drink alcohol. ly and large, the maJnaniu say: any christian,
}ew, or muslim is allowed to slaughter lor us. A christian is someone who believes in }esus christ and
the trinity regardless ol il they view him as the son ol ood or not. A christian by delinition believes in
blasphemy.
what about the heretical groups within christianity7 At that time, there was only koman catholicism.
lrotestantism is closer to lslam than catholicism, so they lall under the group ol christians. 1he
dillerences between koman catholics and oreek Orthodox are minor. what about minor lringe groups
such as the mormons7 ln 8haykh Yasir's humble opinion, mormons cannot be given the verdict ol an|
a| kitau. 1hey believe in another prophet and a dillerent book and revelation. [1hey are like the
Qadiyyanis ol the christians]. 1he Amish are pure lrotestants, and their meat is permissible.
ly and large, America is a christian nation. lowever, when it comes to many luropean countries, we
cannot make that claim anymore (uenmark, 8weden, linland) because many claim to be agnostic and
atheist. low do you know the one who is slaughtering in North America7 lt is sale to presume that the
majority ol the laborers are koman catholic. 1herelore, this issue would not be the problem.
!. lnstrument used to slaughter
1wo conditions: that it be a sharp instrument that kills by cutting, and not weight, and that it not be
manulactured lrom an animal's teeth or claws.
8cholars made two conditions. 1he main condition is that the slaughter should be done by a sharp
instrument that causes the animal to bleed and not by a blunt instrument that causes the animal to die
ol blows. 1he animal should be killed by the sharpness and gushing ol the blood. 1here is unanimous
consensus on this. ll you kill by bluntness and blowing, then no blood llows out, and it is not Jnaun.
1here is a second condition many scholars have: the knile cannot be made lrom animals, teeth, or
claws (i.e. an ivory knile is not allowed). 1here is a naJitn that says: 1he lrophet () instructed
animals to be slaughtered except with teethJclaws or nails. 1his naJitn is ambiguous, and many
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scholars interpreted it to mean that slaughtering cannot be done with instruments made ol teeth or
nails. Other scholars say: in jani|iyy society, they would claw a chicken to death or rip it open and let it
bleed, so when the lrophet () says this, he is saying to not slaughter in the jani|iyy practice. [ln
8haykh Yasir's humble opinion, the second condition is misunderstood.]
ll the animal dies by any other method, it is considered narm by all lour maJnaniu. ll the animal dies
belore the knile reaches the throat, it is considered maytan (carrion), therelore, it raises the issue ol
stun guns and electrocutions. ln America, by lederal law, all large meat processing plants must stun
the animals belore they are slaughtered, which they believe is a manilestation ol mercy and sign ol
humanity. loultry is electrocuted and beel is stunned with a stun gun (the bullet goes in and out ol the
brain). 1he cow is immobilized and loaded onto a machine and then slaughtered.
1he problem that arises: a large percentage ol these animals will die belore the cow is placed on the
machine or the knile reaches the throat. 1his raises condition #!. kegarding chicken, the voltage is so
low that very lew chickens actually die. kegarding larger animals, the percentage is higher. ln 8haykh
Yasir's opinion, research is dillicult because every lactory is dillerent and each lactory has dillerent
procedures. Also, because there is no monitoring, many lactory workers are not in a hurry to linish the
work and may stun the animals and come back later and put them on the machine.
lased upon this condition, there is another opinion amongst North American scholars: poultry is na||
and beel is narm. 1hose who ignore the other two conditions will reason as lollows: this is a christian
plant and the workers have intended to sacrilice and the knile has reached the throat ol the chicken,
but a good percentage ol beel is dead belore the knile reaches it, therelore, there is a huge doubt
regarding it and it is considered impermissible.
1hose who allow beel say that it is a trivial percentage ol beel that is dead belore the knile reaches it.
4. Veins that need to be cut.
mammals have lour primary passages: trachea (air passage), esophagus (lood passage), and two jugular
veins (blood arteries).
lerlect slaughter: all lour arteries, while leaving the spinal cord. [unanimous consensus]
ly almost unanimous consensus, il all lour are cut along with the spinal cord, the animal is still na||
even though what you have done is makrun.
low many ol these need to be cut7 what is the bare minimum quantity ol passages that need to be
cut7 ll you slaughter a goat or sheep, il you cut 1. inches, then you have done all lour.
lmam malik and lanbali: all lour must be cut
Abu lanilah: any ol these three must be cut
8tandard mlik maJnau position: the trachea and the two jugular veins are the minimum
(esophagus is voluntary)
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Abu Yusul (student ol lmam Abu lanilah): the trachea, the esophagus, and one ol the two
jugular veins is wjiu
8tandard 8hali' and lanbali opinion: trachea and esophagus
None ol these positions has textual evidences. 8haykh Yasir leans toward at least one ol the
jugular veins being cut because blood must gush out.
. 1he tasmiya
ls it mandatory or sunnan to say the uasma|an7 crux ol the matter with respect to meat available here.
1his issue dillerentiates those who think it is permissible to eat meat outside and those who do not.
lirst opinion: Obligatory to mention Allah's name, in all circumstances.
ll you do not say uismi||an, then the meat is narm. 1his is one ol the opinions ol the lanbali
maJnau. [1he lanbali maJnau always has multiple opinions]. 1his is the opinion ol lbn 1aymiyyah
and lbn Al Qayyim.
8econd opinion: Obligatory to mention Allah's name, but lorgiven il accidentally lorgotten
ln other words: you have the niyyan to say uismi||an but you lorget by the time the knile reaches
the throat. 1his is the opinion ol mainstream lanbali scholars, the mlik maJnau, the lanal
maJnau.
1hird opinion: mentioning Allah's name is mustanau. 1he tasmiya is recommended but not
obligatory in all circumstances.
1his is the opinion ol the 8hali's. 1hey say it is not an act ol worship and niyyan is not needed.
lvidences lor lirst Opinion (Obligatory to mention Allah's name, in all circumstances.)
lrool One: 8acrilicing an animal is an act ol worship with specilic conditions.
1herelore, sacrilicing has conditions, and ol those conditions is saying uismi||an arkanman arkanccm.
(lor the 8hali's, it is not an act ol worship because you do not need a niyyan.) lecause sacrilicing is an
act ol worship, it has a routine, and we look at the Quran and 5unnan lor the routine, and ol it is saying
uismi||an Arkanman Arkanccm. lvidence:
1o every people did we appoint rites (ol sacrilice), that they might celebrate the name ol Allah over
the sustenance le gave them lrom animals (lit lor lood). lut your god is One ood: submit then your
wills to lim (in lslam): and give thou the good news to those who humble themselves." [lajj: !4]
lrool 1wo: 1he verses ol al-An'am
118. 1hen eat ol that on which the name ol Allah has been pronounced, il you believe in lis signs.
119. And what is the matter with you that you should not eat lrom that on which the name ol Allah
has been pronounced, while le has explained to you in detail what is lorbidden to you.
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121. And do not eat (the meat) over which the name ol Allah has not been pronounced lor
undoubtedly that is disobedience.
[Al An'am 116-121]
1his is the simplest prool lor the masses to understand. when you sacrilice an animal, there are three
logical scenarios: 1) mention Allah's name, 2) mention a lalse god's name, !) mention no name. 1he
Quran has prohibited mentioning other than Allah. 1o sacrilice lor other than Allah is an act ol shirk.
ln 8urah Al An'am, Allah says, whatever has been ollered to other than Allah is narm."
lrool 1hree: lt is ol the signs ol being a muslim, just like prayer and lacing the iu|a
whoever prays our prayers and laces our iu|an, and eats our slaughter, then he is the muslim. 8o do
not betray Allah by betraying those in lis protection." [lukhri]
1he lrophet () made it a sign ol lslam.
lrool lour: 8trictness shown in hunted animals, so how about non-hunted7
1he explicit naJitn about hunting animals. 8cholars say that il you are so strict about hunting animals,
then what about animals under your control7
Abu 1ha'laba al-lhushani asked, O messenger ol Allah, we live in a land where (people) hunt. l hunt
with my bow, and with my trained dog, and with my untrained dog, so tell me what is permitted lor
me7" le replied, You asked that you live in a land ol hunting, so whatever you hunt with your bow
and mention Allah's name over, eat ol it. And whatever your trained dog catches, and you have
mentioned Allah's name over it, eat ol it. And whatever your untrained dog catches and you are able to
sacrilice it yoursell, eat ol it." [Al lukhri]
Also, the naJitn ol the man who came and asked il he lound other dogs with his dogs [lukhri]. 1he
lrophet () said, You only said uismi||an over your dog."
lrool live: lrohibited even in lre-lslamic times
1his was the custom ol the righteous even belore the coming ol lslam. waraqah, the elder cousin ol
lhadija, belore he accepted lslam had rejected idolatry. le narrates his story, and ol what he says:
And l do not eat the meat that you give to your idols. l only eat the meat over which Allah's name has
been mentioned." 1he pre-lslamic nunaja (those who avoided idolatry) knew this principle.
lrool 8ix: 5nay(n eats lrom meat over which no name is mentioned
5nay(n asks Allah what will be his provision, and Allah says: any animal over which my name has not
been mentioned.
8aying the uasma|an is closing another door to the 5nay(n.

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lvidences lor 8econd Opinion (Obligatory to mention Allah's name, but lorgiven il accidentally
lorgotten)
my lord has lorgiven lrom my nation mistakes, lorgetlulness, and what they were lorced to do."
[Ahmad]
1his is a modilication ol the lirst opinion. All ol the evidences lor the lirst opinion are also used by
those who hold this opinion. 1his naJitn is a maxim ol jin. You cannot intentionally not say uismi||an
ar ranman ar ranccm.
lvidences lor 1hird Opinion (mentioning Allah's name is mustanau)
lrool One: lxplicit naJitn
A muslim sacrilices using the name ol Allah, regardless ol whether he verbalizes it or not." [keported
by al-uaraqutni, considered weak by all discerning scholars ol hadith.]
1he very lact that a muslim sacrilices is uismi||an. 1he naJitn is saying that even il he does not say it, it
is embodied in him. lven the 8hal'i munaJitntnccn (al-Nawawi, lbn lajr) clearly said that this naJitn is
weak and cannot be used. 1his naJitn is not authentic, therelore, it cannot be used.
lrool 1wo: You should say uismi||an and eat lrom it."
uaJitn ol meat being presented to some sanauan: [lukhri]
Aisha ( - -' '+-= ) narrates that a group ol people came to the lrophet () and said, O messenger ol
Allah, some people send us meat and we do not know whether they mention the name ol Allah over it
or not." 1he lrophet () said, You say uismi||an and then eat over it." Aisha ( - -' '+-= ) adds: 1his
group had just accepted lslam."
ln other words, a group ol muslims are sending other muslims meat. 1he more learned sanauan who
are ol those receiving the meat came to the lrophet () because they did not know il the new muslims
knew the 5narian or said uismi||an.
1he 8hali's say that this shows that uismi||an is not wjiu. Other scholars say that this is a naJitn against
their opinion. 1he other three maJnaniu say to look at the naJitn and il uismi||an had been sunnan, it
would not matter whether they said uismi||an or not, but the lrophet () did not say that and did make
a big deal ol saying uismi||an. 1he context ol the naJitn shows us that uismi||an is very important, but we
do not have to go spying on other muslims to lind out, and il they make a mistake, it is between them
and Allah. ll there is a reason lor doubting, then we should say it ourselves. 1he naJitn in lact is not
related to the uismi||an being sunnan or not but rather on how suspicious you should be ol other
muslims. 1he 8hali' scholars said that this naJitn should be used to prove that we should think the best
ol other muslims and not spy on them.
1his is the main evidence ol the 8hali' scholars.

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lrool 1hree: 8acrilicing is not a purely religious act (taàuuJJi)
kelutation ol this prool: lvery verse in which Allah commands you to sacrilice tells you that it is an act
ol worship.
e|s y7n/t9 pt$#u
1herelore turn in prayer to your lord and sacrilice (to lim only)." [Al lauthar: 2]
lrool lour: Allah allowed us to eat their meat knowing how they kill.
1his is the most dillicult to relute without knowledge ol usu| a| jin. 1hey say: when Allah allowed us
to eat their meat, surely le knows how they are sacrilicing. 1herelore, when Allah says in the Quran
'their lood is na|| lor you' [8urah ma'idah] then Allah knows how they sacrilice, therelore, we do not
have to ask and can just eat ol their lood.
kelutation: 1hey are using general versus specilic verses. Ask: in many christian lands, they do not
kill the animal by slaughtering it but beat it to death. Ask the 8hali' scholar: il they electrocute the
animal and it dies in lront ol you, the meat is not allowed lor us but an| a| kitau will eat ol it. Allah's
knowledge is inlinite and knows how they sacrilice, but the question is: ls this approved by Allah7 ls
this what Allah wants them to do7 1he three maJnaniu say no. we are allowed to eat ol their meat as
long as the live conditions are met. Allah has given a concession, and il all ol the other conditions are
met, then the meat ol a christian or }ew can be eaten.
lrool live: 1he verses ol al-ma'idah abrogate the verses ol al-An'am.
Verses ol ma'idah are those that allow us to eat the meat ol an| a| kitau. 1he verses ol An'am are to not
eat the meat over which Allah's name was not mentioned. ma'idah is one ol the last surahs ever to be
revealed.
1he other three maJnaniu say that abrogation is the last resort, and you never use abrogation when you
can reconcile (a principle lrom usu| a| jin). Also, there is no need to resort to abrogation because we
can reconcile. when an an| a| kitau person says uismi||an, we can eat their meat. Also, abrogation
cannot occur in lactual statements and can only occur in laws. 'lating such meat is a sin' is not a law
but a statement ol lact. You cannot abrogate a statement ol lact, therelore, there is no such abrogation.
1he other three maJnaniu are asked: to what do the verses ol ma'idah apply7 1hey respond: Allah is
relerring to when these live conditions are met. 1he meat upon this is done in our times is kosher or
equivalent. lt is a lundamental mistake to equate kosher with the meat available in the marketplace.
1he christians and }ews do not have to say 'Allah' because they believe in the same ood as we do and
can say 'in the Name ol ood.' 1he reason why there is a concession lor an| a| kitau is because they
believe in the same ood we do.
lt is well known that christians do not mention the name ol ood. lowever, il you have a christian
lriend who goes hunting or has a larm and gilts you some meat, ask him to mention the name ol ood
over it.
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lbn Al Qayyim's comment: le says that mentioning the name ol Allah removes lilth lrom the animal.
Opinion ol some lamous modern scholars:
modern lanals: 1hey are lollowing the classical lanal textbooks. 1hey say that the meat is
narm to eat.
modern 8hali's: lt is na|| to eat.
modern lanbalis: lt is narm to eat the meat.
why is this a cultural issue7 1he majority ol maJnaus say it is narm but the Arabs by and large think it
is permissible while desis think it is narm7 modern lanbali scholars say that it is narm, and modern
mlik scholars say it is narm. 1he one opinion that has been completely distorted is that ol 8haykh
lbn Lthaymeen.
8haykh lbn Lthaymeen (ranimanu||an) lollowed the lirst ol the three opinions. (8haykh lin laaz
lollowed the second opinion). 8haykh Yasir was there when the conversation took place. le said,
lven il a person accidentally lorgets, it is narm to eat the meat." ln the Q&A, a brother said, ln North
America, they do not say anything when they slaughter the meat." 1he shaykh said, You do not have
to research what they are saying, and they are technically obliged to say it." le presumed that
christians are lollowing their book and mentioning the name ol Allah when they sacrilice, and he
applied the naJitn in lukhri. 1he man said, l am not researching or spying, and we all know lor a lact
that they do not say uismi||an." 1he shaykh said, ln that case, lor you it is narm to eat." 8haykh
Lthaymeen had a dillerent understanding ol people in North America, and his position was 'don't ask
don't tell.' we know that they are not lollowing their 5narian, therelore, according to the usu| ol
8haykh Lthaymeen, the meat would be narm.
modern lanbalis, mliks, and lanals are lollowing their maJnaniu. why is there a cultural divide7
8haykh Yasir's theory: when the lirst immigrants came to America, they were lrom lndia, lakistan,
and lgypt. uesis are lanal and lgyptians are 8hali'. when masajiJ were established, the lirst split was
between lanals and 8hali's, so when the lanbalis and mliks came, they attached themselves to the
8hali' masajiJ. lor those who came to America, the lact that the 8hali's preceded them may have had a
cultural bias on their own inclinations.
8ummary ol jin issues pertaining to commonly available meat:
1) keligion ol the one sacrilicing. ln luropean countries, it is not sale to extrapolate and say that
they are all christians. 1hey have a high percentage ol atheists and agnostics. 1hey do not
have large numbers ol immigrants working in their meat lactories. 1herelore, lor luropean
countries, this is a huge lactor. ln America, we can assume that the people working in these
plants are christian.
2) 8tate ol animal as instrument cuts throat. ly and large, we can assume that chicken passes this
test because the voltage level is low and only stuns it. lowever, this cannot be extrapolated lor
livestock. lallpark ligures range lrom 20-40/ ol livestock being dead belore the knile reaches
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the throat. lor them, there is no oversight or cause lor concern. 1herelore, because ol this
lactor, poultry is na|| and beel narm.
!) mentioning Allah's Name. 1he three maJnaniu say that it is a condition. kitual slaughters are
only done by the muslims and orthodox }ews.
4) cleanliness ol animal itsell. lven il the animal is led najas or has hormones, the majority ol
scholars say that it is makrun (not narm).
Note: uistinction between na|| and Jnauina has no real jin basis - cultural dillerence. ua|| and
Jnauina are synonymous in the books ol jin. 8hali's deline it one way and the other three maJnaniu
deline it in another way. 1his does not have a legitimate jin basis. lt is a completely modern American
cultural jin connotation. lor the three maJnaniu, it is only Jnauina to be na||. we should make it a
point to avoid this type ol dillerentiation.
lroblems & 8olutions
lroblem: 1his issue, while not divisive as the moon-sighting one, understandably raises tension
between muslims. lven worse, it has taken on a cultural dimension that exacerbates the matter.
8olution: lducating the muslims that this is a classical dillerence ol opinion that transcends
cultural lines. 1eaching what jin is and the dillerences ol jin.
lroblem: 1here is a very real problem regarding na|| meat in this country. muslim butchers
themselves many times lollow dubious practices. (1his is a reality that needs to be challenged and
publicly mentioned.) 1hey are selling their religion lor a prolit, which is treasonous. when there is
a cause to be suspicious, we should be suspicious.
8olution: uire need to lorm a national body that certilies na|| butchers (gradation system7) A
group ol people approach every single butcher shop and give a grade. 1his can start on a local level
and must be done with authorities (i.e. l8ol).
we need to start thinking lor tomorrow, and we need a local council to monitor to na|| meat
practices, which is not dillicult. lt is not requiring anyone to lollow one school ol thought but
being honest and lair.
lroblem: large-scale meat processing plants present unique issues which might not have
simplistic answers.
8olution: 1hat's why the door ol ijtinJ remains open - let's use it! ln terms ol beel: every cow
must be slaughtered individually and lor every cow you would say uismi||an. most slaughter houses
slaughter 120 chickens per minute, which raises some interesting problems.
modern jin councils have some interesting positions. 8ome say to have a tape recording ol
uismi||an playing. Another opinion: the man who turns on the machine says uismi||an, which is one
uismi||an lor many chickens. 1he gradation system could be used.

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lbn Al Qayyim's (d. 1) psycho-spiritual comment:
lbn al-Qayyim writes, regarding animals that are slaughtered in other than Allah's Name: [1his
slaughtering gives the slaughtered animal a type ol lilth that necessitates its prohibition. lor
mentioning the name ol idols, or stars, or jinns over a slaughtered animal gives it a type ol lilth.while
mentioning the Name ol Allah alone causes it to acquire a purity. And Allah has made the [animals]
over which lis name has not been mentioned jis, and that is lilth. 1here is no doubt that mentioning
the name ol Allah over a slaughtered animal purilies it, and expels 5nay(n both lrom the one
sacrilicing and the animal that is sacriliced. 8o il the name ol Allah is not mentioned, 5nay(n remains a
part ol [both] the one who sacrilices and the animal that is sacriliced, which in turn causes a type ol
lilth in the animal. And 5nay(n runs through the blood veins ol animals.so when Allah's name is
mentioned by the slaughterer, 5nay(n is expelled along with the blood, thus purilying the slaughtered
animal. And il Allah's name is not mentioned, the lilth is not expelled. And il the name ol other than
Allah is mentioned lrom the devils or idols, this causes the animal to acquire yet another type ol lilth.
And slaughter is a type ol worship, which explains why Allah pairs the two together, as in, '8o pray to
your lord and sacrilice to lim,' and '8ay, 'my prayer, and sacrilice, and lile, and death, are only lor
Allah, lord ol the worlds,'' and, 'And we have made the sacrilicial animals lrom amongst the signs ol
Allah, you have much good in it. 8o mention the name ol Allah over it as they are lined up, and when
their sides lall, then eat ol it, and leed the indignant and deprived.' 8o Allah inlormed us that le has
given ownership and power over these animals to those who mention Allah's name over it, and that
through it one can achieve tawa, and that is coming closer to lim through it and mentioning Allah's
name over it. 8o il Allah's name is not mentioned over it, it would be prohibited to eat, and would be
despised."
`|m a|-muwaiìn, v. 2, p. 14.
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8ection lll: miscellaneous lssues 8ection lll: miscellaneous lssues 8ection lll: miscellaneous lssues 8ection lll: miscellaneous lssues
1hese miscellaneous rules will inshAllah demystily the rest ol the rulings ol lood and drink. ln 8haykh
Yasir's opinion, all ol the books written on na|| J narm products did not take these rules into account
because il they did, they would be shortened to a lew pages. 1he vast majority ol products labeled
narm are not narm in 8haykh Yasir's opinion. with these rules, you will be able to judge, but you may
have to do some research into chemistry.
1. 1he status ol alcohol
what is alcohol and can we use it in lotions and creams and mouthwashes7 1he issue ol alcohol is
crucial when it comes to products in North America. One ol the biggest blunders ol these people is that
they mess up organic chemistry with 5narian. 1he delinition ol alcohol in organic chemistry is
anything with an -Ol radical. 1he chemical delinition has little to do with the 5nari delinition. }ust
because something is called an alcohol chemically does not make it knamr. 1he lslamic delinition ol
knamr is 'that which intoxicates.' most alcohols do not intoxicate. lthanol is used in the
manulacturing ol alcohol.
oeneral guideline: whatever intoxicates in large quantities is prohibited in small quantities." [An-
Nisa'i] 1his is a general rule ol jin. large quantities means: that which a normal human being can
consume. ll there is a trace amount ol knamr in a product, and il you were to drink twenty glasses and
not become intoxicated, then it is not lorbidden. ll there is a trace amount that is less than is
detectable or what you can become high oll ol, then it is not prohibited. lxample: grape juice.
leer intoxicates alter - 10J1 glasses, therelore, a spoonlul ol beer is narm. 1he question arises: it is
narm to eat or drink it, but is it narm to apply it on my body7 ls knamr najas or not7 knamr is clearly
narm to drink, but what il we apply it in our lotions and gargle with it or it is in our perlumes7 1his
goes back to the classic dillerence ol opinion on whether knamr is najas or not. ll you say knamr is not
najas, then it can be put on your body and it would not be harmlul or narm.
lirst opinion: Alcoholic drinks are najas
lour schools, ibn lazm. 1his is the mainstream standard position lor the last 14 centuries ol our
umman. ly and large, this has been mainstream jin that knamr is najas.
1) O you who believe! lntoxicants and games ol chance and (sacrilicing to) stones set up and
(dividing by) arrows are only an uncleanness (rijs), the 5nay(n's work, shunt it therelore that
you may be successlul." [Al ma'ida: 90] 1his is their strongest evidence. 1he majority say that
rijs is lilthy. Allah () calls knamr rijs, and they say that rijs is najas.
2) 1he command to wash dishes ol an| a| kitau because they eat pig and drink wine.
O messenger ol Allah, we live in a land ol }ews and christians, can we use their utensils7" 1he
lrophet () said that il you do not have any other choice, then wash them lirst. 1he majority
say that the lrophet () told us this because they eat pork and drink wine.

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!) lt is prohibited in the strictest ol terms, hence must be najas.
le prohibited transporting it, selling it, etc, therelore, it must be najas.
4) ln }annah, Allah describes wine as, And the lord will give them a tanur drink." [Al-lnsan: 21]
1he wine ol }annah does not intoxicate. lt is wine that has the taste but not the side ellects ol
the wine ol this world. 1anur means pure and purilying (highest level ol purity). [1anir is pure
but does not purily, i.e. collee, lepsi, 1ang, coke]
1he lact that Allah describes the wine ol }annah as being tanur shows that wine is not tanur in
this world.
lrom this opinion: 1herelore, any perlume, liquid, etc. that has ethanol is impure.
8econd opinion: Alcoholic drinks are not najas. Very minority opinion throughout history.
lach person who held this opinion is a heavy-weight: kabi'a (main teacher ol lmam malik), Al muzani
(main student ol 8hali'), uawud Al uhahiri (lounder ol uhahiri maJnau), As-8anani (lamous scholar
lrom Yemen), Ash 8hawkani (intellectual descendant ol As-8anani), 8iddiq lasan lhan (lounder ol an|
a| naJitn movement - studied under students ol Ash 8hawkani), Ahmad 8hakir ol lgypt, 8haykh lbn
Lthaymeen.
1) 1he base ruling is that all things are pure unless explicit evidence otherwise, there is no explicit
evidence here. 1he others have not proved that alcohol is najas.
kesponse to prool 1: kijs means spiritually lilthy and not physically lilthy. oambling poker
chips are not najas, idols are not physically najas, arrows are not physically najas.
kesponse to prool 2: ll you can taste the wine, it is narm to ingest. 1he two are not the same:
not every narm is najas, but it may be narm lor you to eat it. loison is narm but not najas.
kesponse to prool !: ldolatry is prohibited more than drinking alcohol, and idols are not najas.
}ust because something is narm, it does not make it najas. lvery najas is narm, but not every
narm is najas.
kesponse to prool 4: 1he wine ol }annah is tanur, and the wine ol this world is tanir.
2) Action ol the companions in pouring wine into the streets ol madinah.
1hey say that when knamr was prohibited in madinah, they broke the wine bottles and spilled it
into the streets, and people were walking in the streets lor days. Are you allowed to throw
najas in the street where people walk7 ll knamr had been najas, would the sanauan have been
allowed to discard it where people walk7 1he very lact that they discarded it in the streets and
not in the restroom area or the trash area is evidence that the sanauan did not think ol alcohol
as being najas.
8haykh Yasir prelers going with the majority, but sometimes you have to contextualize. looking at the
evidences in a neutral matter, those holding the second opinion have a point. 1his is an opinion that is
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being resurrected, and many large lslamic jatwa councils are re-thinking the issue. we cannot live in
the modern world without coming into contact with products with knamr in it. lt appears that knamr is
not najas, therelore, anything that has ethanol in it, there is no problem applying it externally.
1he question arises about ingesting it. lere, we lollow a number ol dillerent rules. lirst and loremost,
we lollow the simple rule 'that which intoxicates in large quantities is lorbidden in small quantities.'
1herelore, one teaspoon would make it narm because it is a small quantity. 1he second thing we look
at is the need and necessity lor this product and is it something we need lor medical reasons or only lor
taste and culinary delights. many medicines in our times have quantities ol ethanol in them. 1here are
no alternatives sometimes. most common example: kobitussin (has high / ol ethanol). 8omeone said,
we drink alcohol lor medicine." 1he lrophet () said, lt is a disease and not a medicine." 1he naJitn
does not apply. No one is drinking kobitussin as knamr, and alcohol is used as a medium lor the drug to
go lrom the bottle to your stomach. 8haykh Yasir's opinion on kobitussin is 7 (not decided). 1hey have
a quantity in them that some can misuse. lt is makrun and should be avoided.
1he same ruling cannot be applied to lood llavored with alcohol. when the quantity is insignilicant,
then we can overlook it. 1he best example: homeopathy. 1hose who take and believe in homeopathy
take pills that have quantities ol ethanol in them. You can swallow the entire bottle and nothing will
happen, so we can apply the naJitn that whatever intoxicates in large quantities is not allowed in small
quantities", therelore, whatever does not intoxicate in large quantities is na||.
uenatured alcohol: An alcohol that has been chemically altered such that you cannot get high oll ol it.
1herelore, it is not lslamically knamr. Also, pure 100/ ethanol used to sterilize equipment is not knamr
at all and will blind a person il it is drunk. ly and large, small and trace quantities are overlooked.
Also, there is laxity in its use in medicines.
2. chemical changes (istin|a)
ll something is derived lrom that which is narm but it is altered chemically, then is it still considered
pork7 1his is istin|a in Arabic, which means 'a chemical change occurs.' ll you take something derived
lrom najas (dead animal, pork) and put it into a chemical reaction and something else comes out, then
does this make the linal product pure7 1his is an issue even the classical scholars dillered over.
lirst opinion: chemical change does not purily except in specilic circumstances.
majority position ol the mliks, 8hali's, lanbalis. lxceptions:
1) wine changing to vinegar by itsell (almost ijm)
Vinegar is a by-product ol knamr. You cannot produce vinegar except that it goes through
wine. wine is vacuum sealed so that it does not become vinegar.
8ahih muslim: 1he lrophet () was given vinegar and said, what a good condiment is
vinegar." 1his shows that vinegar is na||.
1hey said that vinegar is only na|| il the wine translorms into vinegar without human
intervention. 1hey wanted to shut the door lor muslims getting into the wine business.
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1he lrophet () was asked, 8hould we not turn it [i.e. the wine] into vinegar7" 1o which
he replied, No." [muslim]
[lnteresting loint: muslims would not be able to produce vinegar but would have to buy it
lrom non-muslims. ked-wine vinegar does not mean that it has red wine in it but that the
intermediate stage was red wine.]
2) 1anning ol leather lor dead animal (except lor lanbalis)
carrion is najas, but can you utilize the skin and tan it7 1hey say: yes.
8econd opinion: A chemical change purilies an impure substance.
leld by the lanals, uhahiris, some mliks, lbn 1aymiyyah and others. ly and large every body ol
muslim scholars ol our time holds this position. 1he worst najas is used as lertilizer and leeds the lood
that we eat. 8haykh Yasir has no doubt that this is the correct position. 1hey respond to those ol the
lirst opinion: You took two things, but what gives you the right to prohibit everything else7
1) what a great condiment is vinegar." [muslim]
1he lact that he ate vinegar shows a chemical change makes it na||.
2) whatever skin is tanned has become purilied." [Abu uawud]
!) change ol name.
when a pig decomposes into lertilizer, it is not called pig. when carrion changes chemically,
you do not call it dead meat.
1he Olc (Organization ol lslamic conlerence) has 60-0 scholars lrom all over the muslim world, and
they release jatawa annually. One ol their jatwas is that a chemical change makes a substance pure.
1herelore, based upon this, even il something is derived lrom a dead animal or pork, il a chemical
change occurs, then it will be pure.
1he key question: has a chemical change occurred7 You will need to lind out.
most common example: gelatin. oelatin is a substance that is lound on the outer layer ol bones, in
particular cartilage. lt gives a type ol shape and body. lt comes lrom primarily the bones ol animals,
which is the most common and cheapest way. Other sources: lish, vegetable, and chemically
manulactured gelatin. 1here are no problems with gelatin lrom lish, vegetable, and chemically
manulactured gelatin. ly and large, kosher gelatin is lish gelatin.
1he problem is: As ol now, the cheapest way to manulacture gelatin is lrom animal bones (cows and
pigs). lroblematic because: 1) does a chemical change occur7 ll it does occur, then we do not care. 2) il
a chemical change does not occur, then a 8hali' can take beel gelatin. ll you do not lollow the 8hali'
position, then even this would be narm. ln muslim countries that manulacture their own gelatin, they
use Jnauina animals.
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8haykh Yasir has asked many people including a researcher who wrote a paper on gelatin, and it is
obvious that a chemical change does not occur. 1hey take the bone and put it in a solvent so that the
gelatin is translerred lrom the bone into a solvent and made into a powder. ll it is narm to eat the
animal, it is narm to eat the bones, and it is narm to eat the gelatin.
!. lxtremely small quantities ol impurities (istin|k)
lvidences are in the article: Ol mice and men - 1he cheese lactor."
http:JJmuslimmatters.orgJ200J0J09Jol-mice-and-men-the-cheese-lactorJ
8econdly: the lamous naJitn known as the 'hadeeth ol the well ol luda.' 1here was a large quantity ol
water located at a low area ol madinah so that when it rained, the water would llow there and take with
it najas and trash. 1he lrophet () was asked about this well and said, ll water is above a certain
quantity, then it will not become najas." lrom this naJitn, we derive the rule ol istin|k.
lxtremely minute quantities ol impurities, contrary to common popular opinion: one drop ol urine in
a large vat ol water does not make the water najas. ll something is 99.999/ pure, no scholar would
consider the linal product to be impure.
cheese utilizes something called rennet, which is taken lrom beel or pig. 1he quantity ol najas rennet
that remains is 0.0001/. 1he 5narian is pragmatic. 1he question arises: what is the percentage7 lerein
lies the conundrum, and no such ligures appear in our texts. we do not know the cut-oll point. 8haykh
Yasir asked 8haykh Lthaymeen (ranimanu||an) this question, and he responded that the 5narian did not
come with numbers, and we use our common sense. 1herelore, common sense would dictate lor sure
that anything less than 0.1/ is pure and anything 20-!0/ is not pure. we look at the needs. ll there is a
medicine that has !/ najas in it, and we need it to make lile easier, then inshAllah we can overlook it.
we use common sense and see the amount and quantity.
1he l lactors are ol minute amount, and some ol them are najas. 1hey are too inconsequential to make
the linal product najas.
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8ection l 8ection l 8ection l 8ection lV VV V: : : : 1he 1he 1he 1he lin lin lin lin ol men's clothing ol men's clothing ol men's clothing ol men's clothing
low should a man and woman appear in public and private7 what are the restrictions on men and
women7 1he 5narian has many rulings pertaining to the outer appearance ol men.
'Awran comes lrom the Arabic word meaning 'to lind lault J to criticize' and 'awran is that which people
would criticize il it were exposed. 1he 'awran is that which you want to cover lrom others because you
are embarrassed to show it because it is worthy ol criticism il shown. 1he concept ol 'awran is very
clearly lound in the Quran and 5unnan.
lahz b. lakim asked, O messenger ol Allah! what are we allowed to show ol our 'awran7" le replied,
ouard your 'awran except with your wile or right-hand possession." l asked, O messenger ol Allah!
what il the people are tightly congested7" le said, ll you are able to hide it such that no one sees, do
so." l asked, O messenger ol Allah! what il we are alone7" le replied, Allah has more right that you
be ashamed ol lim than ol other people." [At 1irmidhi]
1he only person you can show your 'awran to without any restriction is your spouse. when you walk
around naked in the house, it inculcates in you a sense ol shamelessness and is disrespectlul even to
Allah (). 1he relerence in the naJitn is to being in your house alone and not wearing anything. 1o
simply make it a habit to wear nothing while at home is something against the etiquettes and
perlection ol our religion.
1he concept ol 'awran varied lrom region and religion. Allah () did not place strict rules on those
belore us, and the rules ol }ews and christians were more lax. lor }ews and christians, there was no
'awran lor people in lront ol the same gender. 1he concept ol 'awran lor them was more lax, and it was
made perlect in our 5narian. 1he last verses ol 8urah Ahzb mention that the people ol lsra'il irritated
musa and Allah says, uo not be like those who irritated musa." Allah lreed musa ol the charge they
placed against them. 1he Quran is cryptic and does not say the story, but we learn the story in more
detail in 8ahih lukhri. 1he lrophet () said, 1he children ol lsra'il would take baths in lront ol one
another. lowever, musa () would not take a bath in lront ol them. 1hey began to mock the
manhood ol musa. One day musa was taking a bath behind the rock and the people ol lsra'il were
taking a bath in the river. 1he rock began to run away, and musa had to stand up and began running
behind the rock crying out, 'O rock, my clothes!' As he ran, he passed by the children ol lsra'il who said
that it was obvious that he had no deliciency. ly the time musa caught up with the rock, he began
beating the rock so much so that the marks are still on the rock." 1he point is that the children ol
lsra'il had a dillerent concept ol 'awran. 1his is why the lrophet () said the lollowing naJitn:
let no man look at the 'awran ol another man, nor a woman at the 'awran ol another woman." [muslim]
1his ruling abrogated the previous 5narian rulings. kealize that guarding one's 'awran is a sign ol laith
and shyness. lt is a sign ol modesty and ìmn. 1his is something that is naturally engrained in human
beings. ln 8urah A'ral v. 26: O children ol Adam, we have revealed clothes to you in order to hide
your nudity and to decorate yourselves. kemember that the clothing ol tawa is better than what you
wear." Allah revealed clothes like le reveals the rain and looks. what does it mean that Allah sent
down garments7 1his means that lrom the very beginning, mankind was clothed. Adam () came
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down knowing Allah, worshipping Allah, lully clothed. Adam () came down clothed, so Allah says
that le sent down clothes. 1herelore, this is why all societies and cultures have always had some type
ol garment and covering except lor some extreme cases, but they will still have some type ol clothing
on their private parts. lt is part ol our jitran to be clothed. 1hose who think they are progressing by
discarding their clothes are worse than animals because Allah blessed the children ol Adam with
clothes. All other creatures only wear the garments they are born in. ll anyone discards clothes, they
are rejecting the blessing ol Allah.
Allah () criticizes the children ol Adam lor lalling prey to the plot ol 5nay(n. ln 8urah Al A'ral v. 2:
O children ol Adam, do not let 5nay(n cause you to go astray as he caused your parents to go astray
and exposed their nudity." 5nay(n wanted to expose what was covered ol their 'awran. Allah ()
criticizes those who lall prey to the temptation ol 5nay(n. 1he jani|iyy Arabs lell prey to this plot ol
5nay(n. men and women would do tawaaj around the la'bah naked, and in v. 28 ol 8urah A'ral, Allah
() criticizes them and says: when they do a janisna (lewdness, sin ol a vulgar nature) they say 'Allah
told us to do this and our lorelathers also did it.' 8ay: Allah never commands anything that is vulgar.
uo not say that about Allah which you do not know." lt is with this basic concept ol protecting the
awran that the 5narian came down with many commandments.
lowering the gaze: do not want to see the 'awran. why do we ask permission belore entering a house7
lt is a sin to enter without asking because you do not want to see that which is embarrassing to see.
1he 5narian came with the goals ol protecting the 'awran ol men and women.
men's men's men's men's ' '' 'Awran Awran Awran Awran
lirst opinion: 1he two private parts only (the lront and the back). 1his is the opinion ol the uhahiri
maJnau only. 1heir evidence: 1he Quran mentions one ol the plots ol 5nay(n (8urah A'ral v. 26-28) and
mentions 5nay(n exposing the two private parts ol our lather and mother, so Allah criticized the
showing ol the two private parts, which shows that the two private parts are the 'awran. 1hey also
quote a number ol traditions to back them up:
uaJitn ol }abir in 8ahih muslim: 1he lrophet () was going lor lajj and was riding on a camel with
the lrophet (). le said that the inram ol the lrophet () split open, and he saw the whiteness ol
his thigh.
uhahiris say: had the thigh been 'awran, the lrophet () would not have allowed it to be
uncovered.
Another incident: 1he lrophet () was lying down in his house and his thigh was exposed, and
Abu lakr asked permission to come in and came in and sat down. Lmar asked permission to come
in and came in and sat down. Lthman asked to come in and the lrophet () sat up and covered
and then called him in. 1he lrophet () explained later: 8hould l not be shy ol someone even the
angels are shy ol7" 1he lrophet () was so lree with Abu lakr and Lmar that he did not mind
lying down in lront ol them. le did not want to put Lthman in a shy situation so he sat up and
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covered himsell. 1he uhahiris say that the lrophet () would not have let Abu lakr and Lmar
come in il it was 'awran.
8econd opinion: letween navel and knee. 1his is the opinion ol the majority ol scholars and all lour
maJnaniu.
1he crucial dillerence between the two opinions is the thigh. (lYl: between the lour maJnaniu there
are major controversies whether the navel and knee are included or not.) 1heir evidence:
1he lrophet () said, 1he thighs are a part ol the 'awran." [1irmidhi, An Nisa'i, Abu uawud, lbn
majah, reported by many chains - nasan naJitn]
1he lrophet () once saw a man wearing underwear and told him to cover the thigh because the
thigh is 'awran.
low do they interpret the evidences ol the uhahiris7 As lor the verse in the Quran, there is no doubt
that the private parts are more embarrassing to expose than the thigh, therelore, Allah criticized the
private parts as the most private ol the 'awran. As lor the other anaJitn, some say the lrophet () was
not aware when }abir was behind him, which is problematic because then }ibreel should have come and
told him just as when once when he () was praying with najas on his shoes, }ibreel came and told him
so he then took oll his shoes. Another interpretation: scholars say that this was specilic lor the
lrophet () and only he could do it but not others. 1his is a common tactic ol the juana when they
lind problematic naJitn and something that conllicts with what he said, but this should be done as a last
resort. A third opinion is to look at the context. Never did he () intentionally expose the thigh, but it
so happened that it was exposed. lt is not as strict ol a matter as the actual private parts. le () was
not wearing something to intentionally expose the thigh. 1he thigh was exposed in circumstances
where it would be overlooked. 8imilarly, with the naJitn ol Abu lakr and Lmar, he was in his own
house and he was not prepared to receive visitors and secondly, in one version ol the naJitn, it says that
his shin was exposed and not his thigh. ll it was the shin that was exposed, then there is no problem.
8haykh Yasir's humble opinion is that ol the mlik scholars. 'Awran is ol two types: a strict 'awran and
an 'awran we are not as strict about. ('awran muna||aJan and 'awran muknajjajan). You are not allowed
to show the not as strict 'awran intentionally but il it shows then it is not a big deal.
'Awran lor men in sa|an is dillerent: a man must wear something on top as well lor sa|an. 1he lrophet
() said no man should pray sa|an except that he has something on his shoulders.
we are not allowed to expose the 'awran directly or indirectly. wearing something that describes this
portion ol the body is not allowed. wearing tight clothing is not allowed. 1his is something that all too
olten brothers completely overlook. A tight garment is something that describes the size ol the limbs.
1ight jeans and pants are narm lor men and women. lrothers have a serious problem about being lax
about their 'awran when going into sajJan.
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clothing clothing clothing clothing
8ilk and oold
1he lrophet () held a piece ol silk in his right hand and gold in his lelt hand and said, 1hese two are
lorbidden lor the men ol my umman, and permitted lor the women." [Abu uawud]
ludhaylah b. al-Yamn said, 1he lrophet () lorbade us lrom eating and drinking in gold and silver
utensils, and lrom wearing and sitting on silk." [Al lukhri]
You are allowed to touch, handle, and buy and trade in gold and silk. 1he prohibition ol gold and silver
utensils is lor men and women.
uo not wear silk, lor whoever wears it in this world will be deprived ol it in the lerealter." [Al
lukhri]
8ilk is prohibited lor men to even sit on or to use as a sheet or cover or blanket. You cannot have a silk
carpet or rug, and it is considered something leminine in nature in this world. Allah () says in the
Quran: 1hey will sit upon couches ol gold and silk in }annah."
concessions have been given lor small quantities ol silk and maybe even small quantities ol gold and
silver.
As lor the silk, it is authentically narrated that the lrophet () would wear garments that were
decorated with patches ol silk. lt is authentically narrated that he wore a garment that had silk
running as embroidery at the bottom. lbn Abbas () said that the lrophet () lorbade wearing a
garment made out ol silk, but there is no problem with decoration or lringes being made out ol silk. At
that time, there would be a simple garment with embroidery sewn on top. Lmar ibn Al lhattab ()
said the lrophet () lorbade wearing silk except lor a linger or two or three or lour. ln other words,
what is prohibited is to wear an entire garment or shirt or suit ol silk.
wearing ties7
lirstly, even il ties are made lrom 100/ pure silk, there is no doubt that they are embroidery and
embellishment and not an entire garment in and ol itsell. lt is like the embroidery that the Arabs
would wear. 1herelore, in 8haykh Yasir's opinion, there is no problem to wear silk ties because it is not
an entire garment. 8econdly, the silk is not 100/ silkworm silk. 1he prohibited silk is silkworm silk.
8ilkworm silk is very rare and dillicult to get and is primarily used in rugs and other handmade
garments. ly and large, the ties in Niemen marcus and ol a lesser and higher quality are not 100/
silkworm silk. 1herelore, it would not be lorbidden.
8mall amount ol gold or silver7
malik ibn Arlaja ibn Assad had his nose chopped oll belore the days ol lslam in one ol the jani|iyy wars
and he asked il he could take a lalse nose out ol silver and the lrophet () allowed him to do so. 1he
silver rusted, and he asked the lrophet () il he could make a lalse nose out ol gold. 1he lrophet ()
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40

allowed him to do so. 1his shows that using gold and silver lor a legitimate purpose is completely
permissible.
ln older days, teeth were made ol gold and silver, and these are permissible. lt is permissible to use it
lor medicinal purposes ol a beautilication nature.
what about small amounts ol gold and silver lor purely decoration purposes7
Once the lrophet () wore a beautilul cloak on lriday that had traces ol gold decoration on it, gilted to
him by a neighboring ruler, and the people said, we have never seen any garment like this!" 1o which
the lrophet () replied, Are you impressed with this7! Verily the handkerchiel ol 8a'd b. mu'adh in
laradise is better than what you see." [1irmidhi]
1he Arabs by and large were a very backward nation compared to the komans and others. 1hey did not
have the culture and sophistication ol others.
1he lrophet () had no problem wearing such a garment. 1he majority ol scholars sought to interpret
this away and said it was only lrom the lrophet (), and others said it was belore gold was prohibited,
but there is no evidence lor this. 1he mliks, 8hali's and lanbalis said gold is prohibited even in small
quantities lor decorative purposes. lased upon this naJitn, the lanals disagreed and along with them
was lbn 1aymiyyah. 1hey said: the naJitn is clear, and small quantities ol gold should be allowed. oold
plating, gold culllinks should be allowed. lt is not an entire item made out ol gold but is
inconsequential and should be overlooked.
8haykh Yasir lollows the opinion ol the lanals, but adds to do it at your own discretion because people
may think badly ol it.
8ilver is not prohibited lor men and can be worn. what are prohibited are silver utensils.
what about silver plated utensils7 ll small amounts ol gold are overlooked, then small amounts ol
silver should be overlooked, therelore, there is no problem in using silver plated utensils. uaJitn in
lukhri: 1he lrophet () had a lavorite cup, and it broke, so he had the hole lilled up with silver.
8mall quantities ol silver are overlooked. lor silver plating, there is very little silver. lor gold plating:
we are stricter with gold and people may think evil ol you, so it should be avoided even though some
scholars allowed it.
lrohibited colors7
1he lrophet () wore many colors, and the lavorite color ol the lrophet () was white. ln one naJitn:
clothe your living in white and clothe your dead in white." lt is authentically narrated that the
lrophet () wore yellow, green, and black. 1he only dillerence ol opinion amongst the scholars lor
men only is red. 1he reason why they dillered is conllicting anaJitn in this regard: some seem to
prohibit it and others seem to allow it.
1he lrophet () lorbade us lrom wearing red leather and silk." [Al lukhri]
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Abdullah b. Amr b. al-'As came to the lrophet () wearing two sallron-dyed garments. 1he lrophet
() said, 1hese are the clothes ol the disbelievers, so do not wear them." [muslim]
Amir b. 'Amr al-Ansari said, l saw the lrophet () deliver the sermon at mina, on a donkey, wearing a
red cloak, and Ali was in lront ol him repeating [the speech]." [Abu uawud] 1his occurred at the lajj in
the last lew months the lrophet () was alive.
8ome say that one hue ol red is prohibited which is sallron and not other types ol red. Others say
(opinion ol lbn 1aymiyyah and others): there is no kiranan whatsoever, and the lrophet () eventually
allowed the color red. lt is dillicult to give a strong opinion. ln 8haykh Yasir's humble opinion:
brothers should avoid at least the sallron shade ol red.
covering the lead covering the lead covering the lead covering the lead
Al-8htib said, [customs] change matters lrom something praiseworthy to something blameworthy,
and vice versa. lor example, uncovering the head, lor this is an issue that varies lrom place to place. ln
eastern lands, it is something lrowned upon lor people ol stature [muruà], while in western lands it is
not. 1herelore the lslamic ruling on it changes lrom place to place, and in lastern lands, it would be
taken into account lor considering someone not worthy, while this would not be the case in western
lands." [A|-Vuwjat, 2J284]
1here is no doubt that the lrophet () was always seen in public with his hair covered and the Arabs ol
old would never been seen with hair uncovered il they could prevent it. lt was the custom ol the Arabs
and many other civilizations. 1here does not seem to be any authentic naJitn in which he commands
the muslims to cover their heads.
1he covering ol the head was a cultural practice ol the Arabs that the lrophet () also did, however,
there is nothing lslamic per se with regards to covering the head. lmam Al-8htib said in his A|-
Vuwjat: customs change matters lrom something praiseworthy to something blameworthy. lor
example: covering the head. 1his varies lrom time to place to culture. ln lastern lands (lor him:
laghdad, lula), it is something lrowned upon lor people ol stature to walk with their heads uncovered.
ln western cultures (Andalus), it is not lrowned upon. 1herelore, the ruling changes."
ll a people ol a region wear a topi, then wear the topi, but il they do not, then you do not have to.
when you live in a culture and society where everyone does it, then you should do it. 1here is nothing
wrong with wearing a topi. ll a brother wants to give the image and impression that he is a muslim and
wears a topi because ol that, then it is a good sign and there is nothing wrong with that. lut to make it
a requirement or sunnan or mustanau because it is a head covering, then there is no evidence in the
5narian lor that.
lssue ol lssue ol lssue ol lssue ol isu isu isu isu | || |
1his is one ol the most hotly debated topics. su| comes lrom the verb: saua|a, which means 'to proceed
down'. 5aucc| is a path or tunnel. 1he technical delinition: to lower the garments below the ankle.
Once upon a time, isu| was a sign ol extravagance and arrogance. Amongst the Arabs, cloth was a rare
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42

commodity and most Arabs only had two garments that they owned. ly and large, the Arabs were an
impoverished nation and did not have large quantities ol cloth. 1hey would wear garments at a high
level so as not to make them impure. 8ome ol the wealthy wore their garments low to show others how
rich they were. lvery culture and society has dillerent ways ol llouting their wealth. 1he way the
Arabs did it was through lowering the garments. lt became a sign ol extravagance and luxuriousness.
1herelore, quite clearly, this is a trait and characteristic that is very un-lslamic. 1he lrophet () in
numerous anaJitn (reaches level ol tawatur) lorbade this act.
was it lorbidden because ol the pride and arrogance associated with the act7 Or was it lorbidden
because ol the act itsell regardless ol the intention7
ll a man practices isu| out ol pride: major sin by unanimous consensus. 1here is no dillerence ol
opinion. ll someone is llaunting his wealth and showing his status, then this is a sin.
ll a man practices isu| out ol habitJcustom and not pride:
1) uarm [lbn lajr, lbn al-'Arabi (mlik jain), Adh-uhahabi, minority in other maJnaus]
2) Vakrun [lbn 1aymiyyah, Al-Nawawi, standard position ol all lour maJnaus]. ll a person does so
out ol culture and habit and not out ol pride, then the act is not sinlul but makrun. lt is better
to avoid but will not incur sin il done.
lvidence ol the minority position:
lbn Lmar narrated that the lrophet () said, whoever trails his garment out ol pride, Allah will
not look at him on the uay ol }udgment." Abu lakr said, One ol his sides ol the garment drags
below [the other] unless l protect mysell against that." 1he lrophet () said, You don't do that
out ol arrogance." [Al lukhri]
Abu lurayrah narrated that the lrophet () said, whatever is below the ankles ol the izr is in the
lire." [Al lukhri] 1he izr is the lower garment.
1hey say that these anaJitn clearly show that it is narm to lower the garment below the ankle. ll you
do so out ol pride, Adh-uhahabi says Allah will not look at you on the uay ol }udgment and whatever is
below the ankles is in the lire. lt is prohibited unconditionally regardless ol the niyyan.
lvidence ol the majority opinion:
considering the unconditional hadith [mu(|a] as being conditional [muayyaJ] to 'arrogance'.
kesponse: the anaJitn are complementary and not contradictory. we consider the unconditional naJitn
being conditional to arrogance. 1he lact that one naJitn mentions pride and the other does not means
that we understand the unconditional in light ol the conditional. 1he prohibition is lor the pride and
not lor the garment.
Abu lakr said: O messenger ol Allah, sometimes my garment trails behind unless l guard mysell." 1he
lrophet () said, You are not those who do it out ol arrogance." lor the majority, they say that the
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43

lrophet () is saying that it is lorbidden because ol the kiur. 1he reason why it is prohibited is the
pride and not the mere lowering ol the garment.
lbn Lmar () narrated that the lrophet () said, whoever trails his garment, and he only intends
with that pride, Allah will not look at him on the uay ol }udgment." [muslim]
8ome ol the sa|aj understood that il it was done lor a valid reason, it would be permissible.
1here are many reports lrom the early scholars that they would lower their garments.
lbn masud () is one ol the narrators ol the naJitn ol lowering the garment out ol pride, and yet he
himsell would wear garments that went below the ankles. when asked why, he replied, lecause my
legs are skinny." le had some type ol delormity in his legs which caused some ol the sanauan to say
something unkind. when they did this, the lrophet () said, uo you laugh at his legs7 wa`||ni they
are heavier in the eyes ol Allah than the mountain ol Lhud!" lecause ol this, lbn masud lelt awkward
showing his legs and would wear long garments.
Abu lanilah once wore an expensive garment below his ankles and was asked il it was lorbidden to do
this. le replied, lt is lorbidden lor those who intend to show oll, and we are not ol those."
lmam 8hali' said, lt is not permissible to let the garments hang below the ankles in prayer or outside
or prayer in order to show oll. As lor wearing the garment below the ankles lor other than this, it is
not a big deal."
lmam al-Nawawi said the same. 1he student ol lbn 1aymiyyah said that it is not narm to lower the
garments out ol culture.
1he vast majority ol our scholars consider this prohibition to be something ol a cultural nature. 1hey
understood the prohibition to be because ol the arrogance associated with the isu|, and this arrogance
disappeared by the time ol the second generation. ly the time ol Abu lanilah it was clear they wore
garments like we do. ln western lands, no human being associates long pants with a sign ol
extravagance. lt is something everyone does including the beggars.
we are on sale ground when we are lollowing the vast majority ol the umman. ln our times, one
particular school ol thought has resurrected the position ol lbn lajar, but in classical lslam and
medieval lslam, it was always a minority opinion that it is narm in all circumstances.
cultural signilicance ol isu| in the past.
1he leard 1he leard 1he leard 1he leard
8urah lsra' v. 0: Allah () says, we have honored the children ol Adam." many ol the scholars ol
old and it is reported lrom some sanauan: Allah has honored men by giving them beards and Allah has
honored women by giving them long hair. ly and large, in the centuries ol civilizations, growing a
beard was a sign ol manliness.

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44

1here are clear textual evidences regarding the beard:
Aisha narrated that the lrophet () said, 1en matters are lrom the jitran: trimming the mustache,
leaving the beard to grow, brushing the teeth, cleansing the nose with water, trimming the nails,
washing the uarjim (joints between lingers), plucking the underarm hair, and shaving the pubes." One
narrator added, l lorgot the tenth, unless it was: washing the mouth with water." [Vuttaja 'a|anyi]
1he Arabic lor 'trimming the mustache' has been interpreted to mean shaving the mustache.
1he lanal maJnau interprets it as shaving. loth seem to have a basis, so we should not be too
strict about this. lt is not allowed to grow a mustache to an unhealthy amount.
lbn Lmar reported that the lrophet () said, le dillerent lrom the pagans, let the beard grow and
trim the mustache." And when lbn Lmar would perlorm lajj or 'Lmrah, he would hold on to his beard,
and whatever descended below that, he would remove it. [Al lukhri]
we do not have any authentic naJitn in which the lrophet () himsell would trim lrom his beard. 1he
naJitn in At 1irmidhi is a weak naJitn. 1he lrophet () had a very large beard, and we know this
because the sanauan would be able to tell he was the imam by the movement ol the beard in the prayer.
1he question arises: what constitutes a beard7
what exactly is a |inya7
[Lsed in the Quran when musa held on to the beard ol larun, and larun said, O son ol my mother,
don't hold onto my beard and my head!" 8ome scholars say that this is a Quranic evidence that you
should grow the beard because Allah commands us in the Quran to lollow the methodology ol the
prophets. 1his is not very strong evidence.]
1he word |inya, which is used in the Quran and 5unnan, comes lrom the Arabic word |ana (|am-na-a|ij),
which means 'the area ol the bones upon which the teeth grow.' A small group says: 'the bones upon
which the lront teeth grow.' 1his is a dillerence in linguistics. lased upon the linguistic iknti|aj, the
scholars dillered on the |inya and il it is the hair that grows on the entire jawbone and cheeks or only
on the lront ol the jawbone.
All linguists agree that hair on the chin is part ol the Arabic word.
Vast majority include hair on the cheekbones as well.
Vast majority also state that the hair below the eyes and on the throat is not a part ol the |inya.
uillerence ol opinion regarding hair below the chin and above the throat.
1his is why some scholars say that the beard is only the goatee.
1here is an interview with 8haykh Yasir on the beard at muslimmatters.org
http:JJmuslimmatters.orgJ2008J11J24Jthe-beard-story-exclusive-interview-with-yasir-qadhiJ
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leople go to extremes regarding the beard and some make it a sign ol religiosity and piety
while others consider a trivial matter, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
Opinions ol 8cholars kegarding leeping a leard
1. lt is obligatory (wjiu) to grow a beard. 1his was the opinion ol the vast majority ol scholars ol all
times and all maJnaniu so much so that ijm has been narrated on the subject. Ol those who
narrated ijm is lbn lazm who said: 1here is no dillerence ol opinion that it is wjiu to grow a
beard." 1his is the explicit opinion ol Al 8hali' in his book A| 0mm and al-Nawawi in A| Vajmu`.
1hey agreed it is wjiu to grow a beard but dillered on whether it is allowed to trim or not.
- uarm to trim it in any lashion or lorm. 1his is unheard opinion in classical lslam until an
esteemed grand multi ol our times popularized it. 1his is a very solitary opinion.
- Vakrun to trim. 1his is the opinion ol the 8hali' maJnau.
- lermissible to trim more than a listlul only during lajj and 'Lmrah. 8ome 8hali' scholars said
it is muuan to trim with two conditions: 1) more than a listlul, 2) during lajj and 'Lmrah. 1his
is lrom the naJitn ol lbn Lmar.
- lermissible to trim more than a listlul at any time. 8tandard position ol the lanbali maJnau
and lbn 1aymiyyah's position. 1hey took the 8hali' position and said to not be literalistic and
that it can be at any time.
- Vustanau to trim beyond a listlul. 1his is the standard position ol the lanal maJnau.
- Vustanau to trim il it becomes an object ol pride and lame (snunra). 1his is the standard mlik
position.
- wjiu to trim it alter a listlul. 1his is an unheard ol position in classical and medieval lslam. lt
was popularized by a noble and erudite scholar ol naJitn who lived in the region ol 8yria, and
lor much ol the 80s, the biggest debate was whether it was wjiu or narm to trim, both ol which
are snaJn positions.
- lermissible to trim a 'reasonable' length. 1he very lact that there is no real Ja|i| lor any one
position and there is iknti|aj, then as long as you have something that is a |inya, then it is line.
1his is a standard position as well ol the mlik maJnau. what is reasonable is that when you
look at it, you understand that it is a beard.
what does not qualily as a beard is the pencil line mark (chin strap) or a two day stubble.

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2. lt is recommended (mustanau) to grow a beard, and shaving it completely is makrun
minority position with 8hali' school, ascribed to al-ohazali, al-Nawawi, and al-kali'i and these three are
considered the main pillars ol the modern 8hali' school.
1his is the standard position ol modern 8hali's. lt is the position that is propagated by the scholars ol
Al Azhar Lniversity. lecause ol this jatwa, the masses think that growing a beard is simply a sunnan.
classical 8hali's clearly said it is narm including lmam 8hali' and lmam al-Nawawi, who is the primary
architect ol the 8hali' maJnau. modern 8hali's say: this is the position ol al-ohazali and al-kali'i who
are two ol the three architects ol the 8hali' maJnau, with the third being al-Nawawi. 1he jatwa lrom Al
Azhar says that al-ohazali and al-kali'i said it is makrun, and the lact that they said it is makrun
overrides the opinion ol lmam 8hali' because they are the medieval scholars who came later on.
8haykh Yasir did some research: ln his limited research, he lound the quotes ol al-ohazali and al-kali'i
and to him, it is clear that they are talking about trimming the beard and not shaving the beard.
1herelore, in 8haykh Yasir's humble opinion (and he is not an expert in the 8hali' school), this is an
accidental misinterpretation. Nonetheless, because the majority ol muslims believe it is sunnan to grow
the beard, Allah will judge them on the uay ol }udgment based upon their knowledge and not your
knowledge, therelore, do not be harsh on brothers without beards.
ltiquettes ol the beards
- 1ake care ol it in a healthy manner - between the two extremes. 1he lrophet () would regularly
comb and put oil on his hair, meaning he wanted it to look healthy. A man came to the lrophet ()
with unkempt hair, and the lrophet () asked il he had wealth, to which he replied yes. 1he
lrophet () said that Allah loves to see the ellects ol it on your body. Allah is }ameel and loves
beauty.
- Vakrun to pluck white hair.
- uarm or makrun to dye with black without a valid reason. 1his was done by old men when they
wanted to propose again. 1his is not allowed in our religion without a valid reason. A valid reason:
belore a battle.
- 5unnan to dye white beards with henna or other non-black colors. 1he lrophet () would die his
beard with henna and other non-black colors. when the lrophet () conquered makkah, Abu lakr
() brought his lather Abu Qahala, who was an old man and had been an ardent enemy ol lslam
lor the previous twenty years and opposed the lrophet () publicly. Abu lakr brought him in
lront ol the lrophet () while he was still a musnrik at the time. le was an old, lrail man, and the
narrator said his hair was as white as a pigeon. 1he lrophet () was gently with him and smiled
and joked with him. le () said to Abu lakr, why didn't you leave the shaykh (old man) at home7
lt was more belitting that l go and visit him." when such kindness was showered on him, Abu
Qahala accepted lslam. As he was leaving, the lrophet () told the women around him to change
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the color ol his hair but make sure not to use black. 1his shows that it is sunnan to have your hair
dyed il it was pure white because it is a command.
Other ouidelines Other ouidelines Other ouidelines Other ouidelines
lmitating the opposite gender
lbn Abbas narrated that the lrophet () cursed men who imitated women, and women who imitated
men. [Al lukhri]
ln another version, he cursed a|-muknanitnin (men who try to be like women) and a|-mutarajji|t (women
who try to be like men).
1he 5narian came with rules and not examples. lmitation varies lrom culture to time to place to era to
society. lmitation in one land is not imitation in another, and what is masculine in one land is not in
another. 1herelore, the ruling on specilic dress and jewelry varies lrom time to place to culture.
lor example, in certain Alrican tribes, men wear necklaces and earrings and it is a part ol their culture
to do so. 1he chiel wears the most exotic necklace. 1he items that men wear are dillerent lrom the
items that women wear.
what constitutes imitation7 1here are certain things that are clearly not imitation and others that
clearly are imitation and there are grey areas in the middle. 8kirts are imitation. larrings lor men are
in the middle. lendants and bracelets are also in the grey area.
ln 8haykh Yasir's opinion: to see il it is masculine or not, then think ol what would happen il a
presidential candidate were to do it or not. 1he least you can say is makrun. 1hings change over time
and place and culture. 8ee what the noble, respectable gentry are doing. le carelul ol importing jatawa
and do not blindly lollow scholars in cultural issues.
classical example: there are at least 1 jatawa ol esteemed scholars in the lastern world that it is narm
lor women to wear pants in lront ol her lather and husband (not in public) because it was imitating
men. ll the husband and lather accept this, then there is no imitation.
lmitating other cultures
Ol the goals ol our religion is that we are proud ol who we are, and we should not have an inleriority
complex.
lbn Lmar narrated that the lrophet () said, whoever tasnauuan any nation is considered to be one ol
them." [Abu uawud]
Abdullah b. Amr b. Al-'As came to the lrophet () wearing two sallron-dyed garments. 1he lrophet
() said, 1hese are the clothes ol the disbelievers, so do not wear them." [muslim]
1he lrophet () is preaching to the makkans, and what the muslims wore was not any dillerent than
what the kujjar wore. what does imitating the kujjar mean7 when the lrophet () dressed up, he
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dressed up according to the ideas ol the Arabs ol the time. what is considered lashionable by the Arabs
was considered lashionable by the sanauan. ll you were an onlooker at the lattle ol the ladr, you
would not be able to tell the dillerence between the two camps lrom their turbans and clothing and
outer appearance.
uressing in a pant and shirt or suit and tie or tuxedo is dressing up to the norms ol our culture. lt is not
imitating anyone else. ln Arabia, il you dress like a lollywood star, then this constitutes imitation. 1he
question arises: ls it permissible to dress up in a lashionable manner and to look cool7 lt is permissible
to dress up according to the culture ol your times, and there is nothing narm in this. ln lact, a case can
be made, and this is lbn Al Qayyim's position, that the 5unnan ol the lrophet () was to dress in
accordance ol the culture ol the people ol his time.
most ol us are second generation immigrants, and there are remnants ol our culture in us. we are in an
interim where there is a culture ol 'back home'. 1his is only temporary. lt is only a matter ol time until
these remnants ol our cultural backgrounds will be gone. 1he muslims ol 8outh Alrica are lilth or sixth
generation and do not speak any Lrdu. 1hey have no identity with a 'back home' and do not know
where they are lrom in lndia J lakistan. 1his is inevitable to happen. we do not have to preserve them
- we have to preserve our religion. ldentilying yoursell with lslam is positive and good, and the ideal
sunnan is to adapt a western dress and slightly lslamily it: baggier, maybe wear a kuli. we need that
lamiliarity. 1here is a very strong opinion out there that the lrophet () only began preaching this
concept ol being dillerent when he was in a place ol power, and when he was in makkah, he did not tell
them to be dillerent.
- lmitating the clothes ol the lrophet7
ls it any more sunnan to do so7 will you get more reward to wear a tnawu or a kuji7 ly and large,
scholars say that is not the case and there is no clothing that is more lslamic than another. 1he
lrophet () wore the clothing because ol his culture and time. ll you think that it is sunnan to
dress like the lrophet (), then it is sunnan to live like him and eat like him and transporting
yoursell like him. 1hese are things that the lrophet () did because ol the culture, time, and place
he lived in. 1o think it is more blessed is like picking and choosing. 8econdly, the lancy tnawu you
are wearing is not what the lrophet () wore.
And ibn Al Qayyim said, 1he custom ol the lrophet with regards to clothing was that he would
wear whatever Allah had lacilitated lor him ol the clothes ol his people, so he would wear a amis, a
turban, an izr, a riJ, a snaw|, etc. And he would wear cotton and wool, and other garments, and he
would also wear what was imported lrom Yemen and other lands. 8o his 5unnan actually
necessitates that a man should wear whatever Allah has lacilitated lor him in his land, even il it be
more luxurious (that this)." [7J a|-Va`J, 1J14!]
Ayoub As-8ikhtiani copied the sandals and dress ol the lrophet () and then discarded it alter a
lew days because it attracted too much attention. lt is arrogant to show that you are dressing and
walking like the lrophet () when no one else around you is.
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srj versus zunJ, Vuruà versus snunra
Abdullah b. Lmar narrated that the lrophet () said, whoever wears tnawu snunra in this world, Allah
will place on him tnawu maJna||a [tnawu ol humiliation] on the uay ol }udgment and then cause him to
enter the lire." [Abu uawud]
lrophet () said, uo you not hear7! uo you not hear7! A|-8aJnJna is a part ol laith, a|-uaJnJna is a
part ol laith." [Abu uawud]
srj means extravagance and going above and beyond your means. 7unJ means asceticism and living a
simple lile. lslam prohibits isrj and encourages zunJ. ln more than one verse, Allah () says: Allah
does not love those who are extravagant." srj is discouraged and may even be narm depending on
what you do. 7unJ is encouraged. what is isrj7 srj is relative lrom person to person and lrom time
to time and place to place and culture to culture and civilization to civilization. what is isrj lor one
person is not necessarily isrj lor another. lt means going above and beyond your level. lor a doctor to
wear a kolex or to drive a mercedes is dillerent than lor someone else. lt depends on who you are and
your relative level. You know when you are practicing isrj because you leel it.
Vuruà means having a dignilied appearance. 5nunra means dressing in a very ostentatious manner.
lslam encourages muruà and discourages snunra. uignilied is something that varies lrom culture to
culture. ln 8haykh Yasir's humble opinion, we need to make a point in North America to practice
muruà. oive a respectable appearance to show integrity, honesty, and a person who looks and acts in a
good manner. 1he extreme is snunra and becoming tacky and llashy.
5nunrah is relative to time and place and even occasion. when someone is getting married, you expect
them to dress up. Lse a healthy dose ol common sense and judge what is permissible or not.
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8ec 8ec 8ec 8ection V: tion V: tion V: tion V: 1he 1he 1he 1he lin lin lin lin ol woman's ol woman's ol woman's ol woman's uiju uiju uiju uiju
modern uilemmas modern uilemmas modern uilemmas modern uilemmas
lost-leminist western world versus ideal lslamic paradigm
8haykh Yasir lirmly believes that we as minority muslims living in the modern world are lacing a
unique set ol problems and a daunting series ol challenges without simplistic solutions. we live in a
post-leminist western world and are trying to resurrect ideal utopian lslamic paradigms. low
traditional can you be when society around you has lost all sense ol orthodoxy7 lerein lays the
conundrum ol being a practicing muslim. we live at a time when it is correct to say that never in the
history ol humanity have the gender roles been as they are now. low society views the roles ol males
and lemales is radically dillerent than 10 years ago. low stable can we be7 we are immersed in an
ocean current pushing us one way and we want to go another way. lt is impossible not to move. You
cannot help but budge. 1he question is: to what level are you going to conlorm and to what level are
you going to light and compromise7 1he lact that there is a compromise is a given. You cannot live in
a utopian land when the land around you is not utopian.
1he leminist movement has gone through three primary phases. 1he lirst phase began in the late 19
th

century and reached its pinnacle in the 1920s and locused on the right ol women to vote. ln this
regard, it can be argued that there is nothing un-lslamic at all. 1he lrophet () asked his wives lor
opinions on certain things. world wars l and ll had a direct, immediate, and powerlul ellect on the role
ol women in society. 1here were no men to work in the lactories. 1he second phase began post world
war ll and reached its pinnacle in the 1960s and 0s and locused on sexuality and to a lesser extent
equal opportunities and education. 1his is lollowed by a third wave that began in the 1980s and
reached its pinnacle in the 1990s and is still continuing now and locuses on equal employment
opportunities lor women. 1here was a linal push to have women clergy in every religious
denomination. 1he Orthodox }ews have a debate on whether women can be canters or not.
1here is the opposite side ol this where culturally some societies have treated women in a harsh matter
and made lslam harder than it is. ln many countries in the world, there is still no place lor women to
pray in the masjid. 1his is the opposite extreme. we are living in a society, land, area where gender
interactions are so radically dillerent than the way that they should be. 1o merely suggest that men
and women are dillerent will get you into trouble. 1he president ol larvard resigned lrom his post
because ol the backlash resulting lrom his statement that lor some reason women do not go into
engineering as much as men.
Allah created men and women dillerently, and it is not a matter ol superiority. lt is a matter one ol
having some skills and the other have dillerent skills. 1here is no comparison and competition.
And the man is not like the woman." [Al lmran: !6]
And men have a Jaraja over [women]." [Al laqarah: 228] 1his means that men have a degree over
women. 1his means that in certain regards only, men have more privileges over women such as
divorce.
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men are awwm over women because Allah has prelerred the [one] over [the other] and the one gives
ol his money to the other." qawwm has many meanings. Ol the meanings ol awwm is that men are
the caretakers ol women and are in charge ol providing lor them. men are obliged to take care ol
women. 1he woman does not and should not ever have to worry about paying rent, having a rool over
her head, about getting lood and clothes. men are the providers ol women. Also, awwm means that
men are responsible lor women. 1hey are responsible lor what their wives and daughters do, and il
they do not keep them in check, they may be held accountable on the uay ol }udgment. lt also means
that men do have a sense ol responsibility when it comes to women. 1he second reason why men are
awwm over women is because they give ol their money. lven il the woman is very rich, she does not
have to spend one penny on her maintenance or the maintenance ol their children. 1o merely say this
in our times brings about a lot ol problems.
low dillicult is it lor us to maintain our lslamic identity7
listory ol lijb legislation
listorically speaking, covering the head and the body is something that Allah revealed in all 5narians.
Orthodox }ewish women are obliged to cover their head. lven within the orthodox movement there
are levels: snood, tichel, wig. 1he more liberal orthodox allow women to wear a wig and say that it is
not her hair that is showing. lt cannot be the hair ol a }ewish woman. 8imilarly, all observant christian
nuns ol the koman catholic and lastern Orthodox churches dress in a conservative lashion.
4 lvery man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. And every woman
who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head - it is just as though her head
were shaved. 6 ll a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut oll, and il it is a
disgrace lor a woman to have her hair cut or shaved oll, she should cover her head. 1! }udge lor
yourselves: ls it proper lor a woman to pray to ood with her head uncovered7 14 uoes not the very
nature ol things teach you that il a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 1 but that il a woman has
long hair, it is her glory7 lor long hair is given to her as a covering. 16 ll anyone wants to be
contentious about this, we have no other practice - nor do the churches ol ood. corinthians 11:!-6
1he coverings ol women in various religions are very similar overall: loose coverings and covering ol
the hair and chest. lt is something that is in all Abrahamic religions. ln all honesty, the women in lslam
are the last bastion ol lemininity on earth. 1he only major religion still conlorming to some sense ol
modern dress is that ol lslam.
1he lrimary Verses kegarding uiju
1here are two primary verses and the rulings are derived lrom them. when were the rulings ol niju
revealed7 uiju came down in unu| qi`Jan in the
th
year ol the nijran. 1he lilth year ol the nijran was
when sa|an, zakan, and lasting all came down. marriage laws came down in the third and lourth years.
And in this there is wisdom. when you give Jawàn in public to people, you start with prayer and not
niju. 1wo surahs were revealed within weeks ol each other: 8urah Al Ahzb and 8urah Nur.
Qabeelat losna
32

O lrophet! 8ay to your wives, your daughters and the women ol the believers that they let down
(yuJnin) over themselves their over-garments (ja|uiu), this will be more proper, that they may be
known, and thus they will not be given trouble, and Allah is lorgiving, mercilul." [Ahzb: 9]
8urah Ahzb addressed initially the wives ol the lrophet () and then all believing women. lt has
verses in it unique to the wives ol the lrophet (), and then verse 9 is open to all women. YuJnin
comes lrom the verb Jana, which means 'to draw close to' and means a woman should draw close to
hersell and should cover hersell. 1he verb is ascribed to the woman, and the woman makes the ellort
and is doing something. 1he woman covers hersell with her ji|uu. ja|uiu is the plural ol ji|uu, which
comes lrom ja|aua, which means to pull something lrom one place to another. 1herelore, a ji|uu is a
garment used to pull lrom one side to another.
lrom classical dictionaries (lisan Al Arab), the delinition ol ji|uu is: a type ol amis, a garment bigger
than a head scarl but smaller than a lower garment, something that a woman covers her head and chest
with, a sheet that a woman uses above her clothes, a knimar.
1his verse tells us that women need to cover themselves with something called a ji|uu.
1ell the believing men to lower their gaze and be modest. 1hat is purer lor them. lo! Allah is
aware ol what they do. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to
display their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and
not to reveal their adornment save to their own husbands, lathers, husbands' lathers, their sons,
their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons or sisters' sons, their women, or their
slaves or male attendants who lack desire, or children who know naught ol women's nakedness.
And let them not stamp their leet so as to reveal what they hide ol their adornment. And turn unto
Allah together, O believers, in order that you may be successlul." [Nr: !1]
1his is a very long verse. 1he men have a type ol niju: lowering their gaze. 1hey have to make an
ellort not to display ol their beauty except that which is apparent. 1here are two verbs: 1) 'they should
not display' - the actor is the woman and the woman must make an actor not to display and 2) he
second verb is 'except that which apparent' and there is no doer ol the verb, meaning that the woman
has to make every ellort in her power to cover her beauty and what is lelt alter is beyond her control
and lorgiven. 1his means that whatever is apparent alter a woman has taken every precaution to cover
themselves is apparent. lor example: you will be able to tell overall very roughly the shape ol her body
and her size and height. lt is narrated that the alter the verses ol niju came down, 8aliyyah walked
outside in lull niju, and Lmar said that he recognized her. 8aliyyah went home upset, and the lrophet
() said that Allah has allowed you to leave your houses il you need to. 1he verse tells us that a woman
has to cover as much as she can, and what is beyond her ellorts is lorgiven.
let them hit J llap their knumur over the juyuu." knumur comes lrom the verb knamara. 1he plural ol
knumur is knimar. One beluddles the mind and takes away the intellect and the other conceals the head.
knimar conceals the physical head. ln other words, a knimar literally means: that which covers the head
(in lnglish: head scarl). juyuu is the plural ol jayu, which is a slit or an opening, which is why a pocket is
called jayu. lt is the slit that you open to put your head in. Allah is saying to take the head scarl and use
it to cover the upper chest area.
Qabeelat losna
33

ln the one case, Allah says 'let them not reveal their adornment except.' 1wo phrases are exactly the
same, except alter one phrase there is a long list ol manrams. 1his shows that there are two levels ol
niju that a woman has: one in public and the other in lront ol manrams. when in lront ol the manram,
she does not need to wear her scarl.
ln some cultures, women wear ankle bracelets. Allah did not tell them to not wear their bracelets but
said to walk in a manner that does not draw undue attention. uo not stamp your leet so that you draw
attention to yoursell. ln America, we have high heels and not ankle bracelets. ligh heels draw more
attention to a woman because they cause her to walk in a certain way. ll Allah is telling a woman not to
draw attention to hersell with sound, then what about sight and smell7
1hese two verses in the Quran mention two dillerent clothing items. 1he lirst verse mentions
something called a ji|uu, and the second verse mentions the knimar. 1herelore, this shows us that
there are two items that a sister must wear in order to lullill the requirements ol the niju.
was niju only lor the wives ol the lrophet ()7 Yes and no. 1here are two meanings ol niju. 1here is
a classical usage and a modern usage ol the term.
1wo meanings ol niju: classical usage and modern usage. 1he classical usage was restricted to the
wives ol the lrophet () and the modern usage is universal. Notice in the verses quoted, Allah does
not mention the word niju but mentions knimar and ji|uu. uiju is mentioned in relerence to the wives
ol the lrophet (). Allah says in 8urah Ahzb: ll you ask the wives ol the lrophet () lor anything,
make sure you ask them lrom behind a niju." 1he usage ol niju in the Quran is dillerent lrom the
modern usage. ln the Quran, it literally means a curtain. 1he wives ol the lrophet () had to speak
lrom behind a physical curtain. 1heir level ol niju was a degree higher than that required by other
muslim women. ln the lattle ol the camel, Aisha ( - -' '+-= ) was in a tent on the camel and was not
seen. 1his curtain is a requirement only lor the wives ol the lrophet ().
ln modern usage, the word niju means head scarl.
lenelits ol uiju
1) lurity ol heart.
Allah says in the Quran regarding the wives ol the lrophet (), to speak to them lrom behind a niju
because it is better lor your hearts and theirs. what does purity ol the heart mean7 lvery brother
knows lirst hand that when a woman is not dressed appropriately, the mind wanders. when a woman
is dressed appropriately, those thoughts are much more dillicult to come into your head. A
documentary on llc shows how men react to beautilul lemale presenters on television versus male
presenters. 1hey showed actual llc clips and chose the women and the men and brought a group ol
men to watch clips ol news. ly and large, they remembered what the men had said and were clueless
when it came to the women speaking. All the men could remember was the body ol the woman.

Qabeelat losna
34

2) 8ign ol chastity
ln 8urah Ahzb: 1his is better that they are recognized and not irritated." You treat them better. 1he
niju is a mark and a sign. lt draws attention without evil thoughts.
!) lromotes healthiness in marriage
lmagine a society where you grow up never having seen the beauty ol another woman or even to
beautilul laces. ln this case, the average lady will be very attractive. 1he average lady is competing
with the world's best supermodels. we are lacing a major crisis ol marriage, and the divorce rates in
America are skyrocketing, and the number one reason is the perception ol how marriage is lrom
lollywood and lollywood. uiju promotes healthiness in marriage. 1he average man and woman ol
the same culture and background should be attracted to one another when marriage time comes.
Lnlortunately, brothers have an image ol beauty and are checking their mental image ol beauty and
expecting women to be like that, but it is not going to happen.
4) lncreases modesty.
modesty is a branch ol ìmn. Allah does not want us to be naked even when we are alone unless taking
a bath, then how about in lront ol others7 1he more modesty you have, the more ìmn you have7
Your outer clothing is a sign ol your inner ìmn7 1he more humble you look, the more humble you will
be7
) curbs perverted behavior.
1here is a direct linkage between increased sexuality and increased nudity. 1he percentage ol
homosexuality in our times is related to the increase in nudity. 1his is the lirst time in history that
homosexuality has become mainstream and priests and rabbis can openly be homosexual and still call
themselves men ol god. 1he people ol lut said that they were lilthy and knew it.
1here is a serious crisis in our community with homosexuality. we are so desensitized to nudity that it
is a problem and leads to perverted behavior and leads to the unnatural.
6) lrotects the natural beauty ol women lrom being exploited.
) lart ol the inner beauty ol women.
lt brings out their chastity and modesty. 1he inner beauty ol ìmn shows. 1he story ol Yusul ():
when Yusul () did not lall prey to the desires ol women and showed himsell to be chaste, he became
even more handsome to them. chastity and modesty are part ol inner beauty. Allah () wants us to
protect the inner beauty and not exploit the outer beauty. One ol the characteristics ol the nccr a| ayn
is that they are women who have been separated and taken away lrom the eyes ol men in their tents.
1hey are women who are sequestered.

Qabeelat losna
33

kequirements ol woman's uiju
uiju has a number ol conditions to it. we will mention live.
1. 1hat it not describe the body, either through tightness or transparency. lence it must be thick and
loose.
Abu lurayrah narrated that the lrophet () said, 1wo groups ol lelllire l have yet to see.and the
other are women who are clothed yet naked, mì|t mumi|t, their heads will be like camel-humps.
1hey shall not enter }annah, nor even smell its lragrance, even though its lragrance can be smelt lor
such and such a distance." [muslim]
lt deleats the purpose ol niju il it is transparent or tight. 8cholars have unanimously agreed that the
ayah is relerring to women who wear clothing but do not do a proper job ol covering their 'awran
because the clothing is tight and describes the contours ol her body.
uaJitn in Abu uawud: 1ell her to wear a garment under this cloth because l am worried it will still
describe her body."
1his shows that simply covering the 'awran is not sullicient, and it must be covered in a loose manner.
8hirts and pants that are tight do not do the job ol niju.
2. 1hat it not be eye-catching in and ol itsell.
ll you are not allowed to shake your leet to draw attention to your ankle bracelets, then how about
wearing an ostentatious ji|uu7
1his goes back to culture and what may be eye catching in one society may not be in another. ln 8audi
Arabia, all women wear black and to wear a shocking pink scarl is asking lor trouble. You can say that
it is narm lor a woman in that area to wear a pink scarl or ostentatious ji|uu because it is calling
attention to her. lowever, in North America, there is a blending ol many cultures, and we consider it
acceptable to wear dillerent colors. 8isters need to think about the point ol covering when the very
covering is attracting attention. lowever, please note that there is no one color that is required in
lslam. 1he point is that it not be eye catching in and ol itsell.
!. 1hat it conlorm with the general etiquettes ol clothing [gender-specilic, not imitating others, not
|ius snunra]
4. 1hat it cover the woman's 'awran
1here are two levels ol niju. what is the 'awran ol women in lront ol manram men7
1here are three situations that a woman has to take into account:
1) ln public in lront ol non-manram men. 1he 'awran lor women is by unanimous consensus is the
entire body except lor the lace and the hands. 1here is ijm that a woman must cover her
entire body. 1he iknti|aj is over the lace, hands, and leet.
Qabeelat losna
36

2) A woman in lront ol her manram male relatives (lather, brother, uncle, etc.) 8cholars say that
there does not seem to be a precise ruling about what is allowed in lront ol manram men.
Nothing specilic has been lound in 5narian, therelore, it goes back to what is culturally
acceptable. ll your lather is line with you wearing a pant and shirt and home, then that is line.
ln some societies, a pant and shirt is too risqu. A lather has a right to tell his daughter to dress
in a certain manner just like the husband does lor his wile. 1here is no precise line in lront ol
manram men.
!) women in lront ol other women. lt appears that there is nothing specilic lor women in lront ol
other women except what is men in lront ol other men: the navel to the knee. lowever, this
means that throughout the ages and centuries, when women breastleed, they do not
necessarily cover in lront ol other women. kegarding sisters and gatherings, you cannot wear
extremely tight clothing. You must cover the 'awran in a loose manner. lrom the navel to the
knee must be covered in a loose manner. Also, there is a level ol modesty even in lront ol other
women.
. 1hat she wear an outer garment over and above her regular clothes (ji|uu)
1his is a requirement ol the niju because Allah says so in the Quran. Allah clearly mentions the word
ji|uu in the Quran. lvery society and culture has lormed its own acceptable lorm ol niju and ji|uu.
lvidences lor ji|uu
1. O lrophet! 8ay to your wives, your daughters and the women ol the believers that they let down
(yuJnin) over themselves their over-garments (ja|uiu), this will be more proper, that they may be
known, and thus they will not be given trouble, and Allah is lorgiving, mercilul." [Ahzb: 9]
2. As lor women past child-bearing, who have no hope ol marriage, it is no sin lor them il they
discard their (outer) clothing in such a way as not to show adornment. lut to relrain is better lor
them. Allah is learer, lnower." [Nur: 60]
1he garment being relerenced in the Quran is the ji|uu. 1his means that young ladies must have a
garment that the old ladies do not have.
!. 1he lrophet () commanded women to attend lid, at which one woman said, O messenger ol
Allah! 8ome ol us do not have a ji|uu, so can we remain home7" 1o which the lrophet () said,
let her sister share her ji|uu with her." [Al lukhri]
Notice the ìmn ol the sanauiyaat: when they did not have a ji|uu, they wanted to stay at home.
1his shows us that the ji|uu must be worn outside the house, so when the lrophet () says to pray
lid outside, they asked about those who do not have ji|uus. women should go lor lid properly
dressed.
4. Aisha narrates, 1he believing women would attend lajr prayer with the lrophet (), wrapped up
in their thick cloaks, and then return home alter the prayer, and no one would recognize them
because ol the darkness." [Al lukhri]
Qabeelat losna
37

1his raises a number ol questions and issues:
lsychological impact lor many sisters who have been wearing a head scarl but have not been
wearing a ji|uu: they are now told that a ji|uu is a requirement ol lslam and there is no doubt that
this will hit them in a very personal manner. many have been struggling simply with a head scarl
and loose clothes. lor those sisters: we are very proud that you have worn the niju and are
encouraged by the lact that you have dedicated many years to a requirement you thought was
legitimate, and the last thing you should leel is that you are not doing a good job. uo not leel bad
and that you have not been doing your job. lowever, the lact ol the matter is that our religion
does require a little bit more. 1he knimar is the more dillicult, and the less dillicult is the ji|uu. lt
is a requirement clearly lound in the Quran and 5unnan.
what is the minimal requirement ol a ji|uu7 1here is no doubt that the garment you lound in
muslim convention centers called the ji|uu does the job. 1his is the ideal ji|uu as long as it is loose.
ll you are ol those who have not yet managed to overcome that lear, then lor those sisters, we need
to talk about bare minimal requirements. lrom the delinitions ol ji|uu: large cloth, covers the
outer body, cloth bigger than a head scarl and smaller than an izr, the knimar. lutting all ol these
delinitions together, it can be said that an extra large scarl will do the job ol the knimar and ji|uu in
one. 1he ji|uu is a garment larger than a knimar and smaller than a lower garment. 1herelore, il a
really large scarl is worn such that it covers the upper hall ol the body and underneath that a sister
is wearing a skirt, then it is a ji|uu and knimar in one. lowever, il a sister wears a regular head
scarl, it does not do the job ol a niju. uiju is more than covering the hair and must cover the body
in a loose manner. what il she wears a loose blouse to the knees and pants underneath with a head
scarl7 A case could be made that it may possibly constitute a ji|uu. lt would have to be a shirt that
covers most ol the body ol the sister. 1he bare minimum is the covering ol the head that covers the
upper portion ol the body, and the scarves must cover the bosoms. 1hey cannot be neatly tucked
into the shirt. A sister who wears loose clothing without a head scarl is closer to the spirit ol niju
than a sister who wears tight pants and clothing and is covering her hair.
lrothers all too olten are overly obsessed with what sisters are or are not wearing. lower your
gaze! lt is not your job to give Jawàn to strange sisters about niju or ji|uu unless she is your wile
and to a lesser extent your sister. let other sisters give Jawàn to them.
8isters who are wearing proper niju and ji|uu should not be overly harsh on those who are not.
You will not win converts through harshness and arrogance. 8et a good example and be a role
model. le nice to those working their way up. le practical and relative. le their lriends belore
prodding their nijus and ji|uus. 8imple jin ol Jawàn: win their hearts belore you win their
minds.
lssues ol lssues ol lssues ol lssues ol Ni Ni Ni Ni u uu u
was in practice lrom earliest times, but is it obligatory7 lt is not an invention into the religion or
something lersians added but has existed in the beginning. 1his is one ol those issues where there is
iknti|aj within the maJnaniu. 1he very lact that there is intra-maJnau debates shows the lact that niu
has always been a controversial debate in terms ol its wujuu.
Qabeelat losna
38

lirst 8et ol lvidences: Obligatory
1. lrom the Quran: let them lower their knimar over their juyuu." ln their opinion, this means the
niu.
2. let no the women in ihram wear the niu or gloves." [Al lukhri] 1his means that outside ol lajj
they would be wearing it.
!. Aisha narrates, 1ravelers would pass us by while we were riding with the lrophet () during lajj.
8o when they approached us, we would lower our ji|uu lrom our heads over our laces until they
passed us, alter which we would lilt it oll." [Abu uawud]
8econd 8et ol lvidences: Vustanau and Not Obligatory
1. ladith ol Asma, O Asma! when a woman comes ol age, nothing should be seen ol her except this
and this," and he pointed to his lace and hands. [Abu uawud] 1his naJitn is controversial because
scholars debate whether this naJitn is authentic or not. many scholars say it is weak and many say
it is nasan. ll this naJitn is authentic, then it is a clear indication that niu is mustanau.
2. ladith ol }abir that on the uay ol lid, the lrophet () went to the women to give them a lecture
[.until he said], 8o a woman stood up, lrom the middle ol the gathering, with dark cheeks, and
asked." [Al lukhri] }abir would not know that she has dark cheeks unless she was not wearing
niu.
8isters who wear niu should be practical in what lields they can go into. ll they wear niu, they
should be very vocal and eloquent.
1he issue ol the leet being the 'awran: 1he lanal maJnau says that the leet are not 'awran, and the
other three maJnaniu say that the leet are a part ol the 'awran. 1here is nothing very explicit in this
regard. when Lmm 8alamah heard the naJitn ol men covering their ankles, she asked il it applied to
women, and the lrophet () said, let her lower one hands length below men's." 8he said, 1hen the
leet will be exposed7" 1he lrophet () said, 1hen let her increase it by an arm's length." lt is clear
that it is better to cover their leet.
conclusion: uiju is a total concept, a way ol lile, not just a piece ol cloth
many sisters misunderstand the concept ol niju and think that it is only a dupatta on their heads and a
piece ol cloth that covers their hair and then they have lree license to do as they please. 1his is a
misunderstanding ol niju. many are the sisters who do not cover their hair and their niju is much
better than those who do cover their hair. uiju is your dignity and not just a piece ol cloth but is your
attitude and way ol lile and your relationship with other women and men, therelore, il you truly want
to practice niju, it is a lilestyle and not just a piece ol cloth. 1he purpose ol niju is to protect you and
dignily you. Any attention it draws is positive attention.

Qabeelat losna
39

conclusion conclusion conclusion conclusion
1he best ol all deeds is to bring happiness to other muslims: by covering his nakedness, or satiating
his hunger, or lullilling any need ol his." [Al mundhiri]
5nay(n's earliest plot was to expose the nakedness ol our parents, and cause them to eat impermissible
loods.
many are not as lortunate as we are and are lorced to eat whatever they have and wear whatever they
have. lt is part ol our duty to take care ol them. lenelit the local community.

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