Biscuits with ‘surah’ for improving memory Q70 :My son who is aged 12 is in the initial stage of memorizing the Qur’an. A friend of mine suggested to me to give him biscuits to eat after writing on them the surah ‘Al-Fateha’, or the Opening with saffron. I know the importance of this surah, but…

Birthday of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): Its significance Q69 :Birthday of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): Its significance A69 : The month of Rabi Ul-Awal, which is the third month of the lunar year, has a special significance for Muslims. According to the more authentic reports, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)…

Birthday of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): Celebration of Q68 :In many Muslim countries, the Prophet’s birthday is celebrated with functions which include chanting slogans and poems. Since some scholars participate in these functions, it is assumed that they are appropriate. Please comment. A68 : Neither the Prophet nor any of his companions celebrated…

Birth: the purpose of our birth Q67 :Is anything mentioned in the Qur’an regarding the purpose of our birth? It seems that we are born to eat, work, sleep and get married, and perhaps pray but to create problems for others as well. Are we, Muslims, doing anything good for the benefit of human beings,…

Birth, life and death – feeling of helplessness Q66 :May I start by saying that I adhere to Islamic teachings as much as I can. However, I am bothered by the thought that I have no choice as to the very basic step of coming into existence. It may be that my parents wanted so…

Birth Control: Through sterilization Q65 :Since birth control is not allowed in Islam, may I know if it is permissible to try to elongate the period between pregnancies, depending on necessity and on condition that both husband and wife agree on that? Is it also forbidden in Islam to sterilize a man or a woman…

Birth control: Coitus interruptus Q64 :You advised a young man to get married and delay having children until he has finished his studies. This obviously means that he has to resort to methods of birth control. In our community, most scholars say that birth control is not acceptable from the Islamic point of view. Please…

Birth control: As national policy Q63 :Is it appropriate for a married couple not to have more than two children because of their limited economic resources? Is it acceptable that they take measures to prevent pregnancy after having had two children? A63 : During the time of the Prophet, some of his companions tried to…

Big Bang: Origin of the universe – the right approach Q62 :Articles and books have been published postulating about the “big bang” as the probable origin of the universe some 10 billion years ago. It will be appreciated if you could share with us some thoughts about how religion in general, and Islam in particular,…

Believers: Who is a true believer? Q61 :Who comes under the definition of a Muslim? There are people who have Muslim names and say that they are Muslims because they have Muslim parents. They rarely, if at all, practice Islam. Others may attend to certain Islamic practices on occasions, such as those who offer their…