Frequently Asked Questions اکثر پوچھے جانے والے سوالات

Q: Is a conventional mortgage allowed? A: The majority of scholars and fiqh academies say interest-based mortgages are haram because they involve riba (2:275, Muslim 1598). Muslims should use Islamic home finance, rent or save. A minority view (European Council for Fatwa, 1999) allowed it in non-Muslim countries for a needed family home where no Islamic option exists. Seek a qualified opinion before relying on it.

Q: Is cryptocurrency halal? A: Scholars differ. Some fatwa bodies, such as Egypt's Dar al-Ifta (2018), declared it impermissible due to volatility, gharar and misuse. Many contemporary scholars consider established cryptocurrencies to be a form of digital property that may be bought and held, provided they are not used for haram, no interest or margin lending is involved, and one avoids pure gambling-like speculation and dubious tokens. Avoid crypto lending and staking schemes that pay fixed interest-like returns.

Q: Can I trade stocks? A: Buying shares in companies with a halal core business is permissible, as you own part of a real business. Scholars use screening standards (for example AAOIFI Standard 21: limited interest-bearing debt and non-compliant income) and require purifying the small portion of impermissible income through charity. Shares in banks, alcohol, gambling, pork or adult entertainment companies are haram, and short selling, margin trading with interest and most options and futures are generally prohibited.

Q: Can I work in a conventional bank? A: Roles that directly involve riba, such as arranging, writing, approving or marketing interest-based loans, are prohibited because the Prophet ﷺ cursed the writer and witnesses of riba (Muslim 1598). Scholars differ on roles not directly connected, such as IT support, security or cleaning: some allow them while seeking a better job, others discourage them. Islamic banks or other sectors are the safer choice.

Q: Can I work as a cashier where alcohol is sold? A: The Prophet ﷺ cursed the seller and carrier of alcohol (Tirmidhi 1295), so most scholars say a Muslim should not personally sell or handle alcohol. Some scholars in non-Muslim countries allow working at a general store when the alcohol sales are a small incidental part and one cannot find other work, while actively seeking a cleaner job. Ask to be assigned to non-alcohol tills where possible.

Q: Are photographs allowed? A: Most contemporary scholars permit photography and video for legitimate purposes such as ID, education, news and family memories, seeing it as capturing a reflection rather than creating an image. Some scholars permit it only for need. All agree that immodest photos are haram, and statues of living beings are prohibited (Bukhari 5950).

Q: Is celebrating birthdays haram? A: Scholars differ. Some regard birthday celebrations as imitating non-Muslim customs (Abu Dawud 4031) or as an innovation, and advise against them. Others consider them a cultural custom (urf) that is permissible if not treated as religious, free of haram elements such as music or extravagance, and used to thank Allah. Either way, it is not an Islamic festival; Islam's two Eids are the religious celebrations (Abu Dawud 1134).

Q: I have a tattoo from before I practised Islam. What should I do? A: Getting a tattoo is haram (Bukhari 5931), but a person who repents is forgiven. If removal would cause harm, pain or significant cost, most scholars say it is not obligatory to remove it; repentance is enough. Wudu and prayer are valid with a permanent tattoo because it is under the skin.

Q: Is life insurance allowed? A: Most fiqh academies hold that conventional life insurance is impermissible because of gharar, gambling elements and interest-based investments, and recommend family takaful instead. Some scholars permit it where it is required by law or an employer, or where no takaful option exists and the need is real. Group policies provided automatically by employers are viewed more leniently.

Q: Is gelatin halal? A: Gelatin from halal-slaughtered animals, fish or plants is halal. Pork gelatin is haram according to the majority. Some scholars, mainly Hanafi and Maliki, consider that a complete chemical transformation (istihalah) makes a substance pure, and a 1995 Islamic medical seminar applied this to gelatin; however, most fatwa councils and halal certifiers treat pork-derived gelatin as haram. Unknown-source gelatin is doubtful and best avoided.

Q: Is music allowed at weddings? A: The daff and singing of decent songs at weddings are permitted by agreement, and even encouraged: 'Announce the marriage and beat the daff' (Tirmidhi 1088). The four schools do not permit other instruments, while a minority of scholars allow them if the content is clean. All agree that immoral lyrics, free mixing and dancing in front of non-mahrams are haram.

Q: Is it haram to keep a dog? A: Keeping a dog for a need, such as guarding, herding, hunting or assisting the disabled, is permitted, while keeping one purely as a pet is disliked or prohibited according to the majority (Bukhari 2322). The Maliki school considers the dog pure, while the other schools consider its saliva impure, requiring washing.