Questions & Answers

Dear Shik Muaz Alkhatib, alsalam Alikum Wa Rahmatut Allah Wa barakatuh, I am really glad to see your web site. My question to you is in the United States, where currently I am living, I found what is called Islamic Companies that would help a person to buy a house without obvious interest. When I called and spoke with them, it was clear to me that these companies will go to a bank and get the amount of money that would be sufficient to buy the house that I want to own. They will buy the house for me (from the bank money) and re-sell the house to me in a higher price because I will pay the nnew price of the house during a period of time. According to the Islamic company the contract between me and the Islamic company does ot have interest. Is uisng these companies would be Haram since I know that the money the Islamic company is using to buy the house comes from a regular bank? I appreciate your time.

First I give you my warmest Salams. I belong to a school that has some students that went on the internet and created a very bad blog about the school. They are using pictures of teachers and students and making lots of fun and even disrespectful stories. There is a place for people to write in with comments and I think they cannot control this. How do I encourage again the fear, healthy fear, of Allah SWT in the hearts of these students? They are so free of fear now because they think they are hidden from all. This may be true of the dunia, but not from the eyes of Allah SWT. Do you have some appropriate hadith or Quranic verses I can send in to them? May Allah reward all of your efforts in this life for the next.

Holland – Monday 22 november 2004 Dear Mou’az How are you doing, and how is your family? I hope you are all in good health. You probably have heard of the commotion in Holland after the murder of a film maker. All the anger between Muslims and non-Muslims is coming out. It makes me very worried. On the one hand, there are a few radical young Muslims who are planning to kill people who they think are anti-Islamic. On the other hand, there is a large population of Muslims (1 million, on a total population of 16 million) who are not radical. But the Dutch people are afraid and confused: who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? Now there is a new issue, and I would like your advice on the matter. When a female minister visited a mosque this weekend, one of the imams refused to shake her hand. This was in front of television, and made many people (again) confused and angry. I have been looking for what Islam says on this matter, but I did not find a clear stand point on this. Is that correct? Could you tell me what the refusal to shake hands with the other gender is based on? Thank you, and all the best M.S