Charms: Used to cast spell or to neutralize Q93 :1. After a family dispute, a relative of ours threatened to place a charm to prevent the marriage of my younger sister. Several years have passed since then and she is still not married. What is worse, my mother has been going to an astrologer to…

Charms or ‘taweez’ with verses from the Qur’an Q92 :Some people wear a charm or ‘taweez’ which contains some verses from the Qur’an, assuming that it protects them from other peoples’ evil eyes and the designs of wicked people and devils. Some people attach charms to their children, newly constructed houses, cars and animals. Yet…

Charms and the spread of Islam Q91 :You have spoken in the past about charms and pronounced them as a form of polytheism. However, in our homeland, we find that Islam was spread by the great Sufis like Khawaja Moinuddin Chishtie, Nizamuddin Aulia and others. These were, no doubt, the true believers in Allah and…

Charms and the black magic Q90 :Would you please let me know what view Islam takes of wearing charms? Many people believe in the bad effects of black magic and feel that a charm will enable them to get rid of its effects. How correct is that? A90 : Black magic exists and it is…

Charity via a will Q89 :It is my intention to give my wife, by a will, a plot of land which I have bought so that she would give it away as a donation to pay the expenses of a small school for the children of our village. Is it appropriate? A89 : What I…

Charging fees for lectures Q88 :There is a tradition in our part of the world to organize meetings with the aim of instructing the Muslim community about Islam. Such a meeting may last several days with speeches, lectures and seminars about the Qur’an, the Hadith and other Islamic subjects. It used to be the case…

Charging different customers different prices Q87 :A shop manager receives all the goods he sells from an establishment which sets prices for all the goods. But the shop manager does not fix any price. He sells his goods after bargaining with every customer. Could you please comment on his action. A87 : You say that…

Change came about – but how? Q86 :I was a person who cared very little about religion. I almost ridiculed religion and those who were religious. I have even rejected the existence of God and demonstrated that rejection in an outrageous manner. Yet, one day in November last year, it all changed. Waking up one…

Ceremonial impurity, the state of – [or janabah] Q85 :Could you please advise whether it is obligatory to remove the state of ceremonial impurity immediately after one gets into it. This becomes extremely difficult in the case of newly weds or for any person who has involuntary urine discharge. A85 : The state of ceremonial…

Celebrations and commemorations Q84 :Some people celebrate certain anniversaries, such as the birthday of a child or death of a relative. What I would like to know is whether such celebrations are acceptable or not from Islamic point of view. I may add that when death anniversaries are marked they often include certain activities such…