This is a curated archive of scholarly opinions for educational purposes. SunnahAnswers indexes existing answers from qualified scholars — we do not issue rulings ourselves.
Topics covered
What is Tawheed (Oneness of Allah) and its categories?
Majmū' al-Fatāwā
Majmū'' al-Fatāwā 3/98–105
"The reality of Tawheed is that the servant singles Allah out with everything that is exclusively His right: His Lordship over the creation, His sole right to be worshipped, and the perfection of His Names and Attributes.…"
What are the Six Articles of Faith?
al-'Aqīdah al-Wāsiṭiyyah
al-'Aqīdah al-Wāsiṭiyyah — Faṣl al-Imān bi al-Ghayb
"They are six articles which a believer must affirm without distinction or partial acceptance: belief in Allah (His existence, Lordship, sole right to worship, and His Names and Attributes); belief in His angels — noble s…"
Who are the Salaf and why is following their understanding important?
Majmū' al-Fatāwā
Majmū'' al-Fatāwā 4/149–157 — Wujūb Ittiba'' as-Salaf
"The Salaf as-Salih are the first three generations whom the Prophet (ﷺ) explicitly praised: "The best of people is my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them." (al-Bukhari 2652, Muslim 2533). T…"
Why do Muslims pray five times a day?
Majmū' al-Fatāwā
Majmū'' al-Fatāwā 22/40–48
"The five daily prayers were obligated upon the Prophet (ﷺ) on the night of al-Isra'' wal-Mi''raj when he was raised above the seven heavens — fifty originally, then reduced to five with the reward of fifty (al-Bukhari 34…"
What invalidates salah?
Majmū' al-Fatāwā
Majmū'' al-Fatāwā 22/611–625
"The salah is invalidated by anything which the Lawgiver has made a condition for its validity falling away during the prayer, or by an act foreign to it which the Lawgiver has prohibited. From these: (1) deliberate speec…"
What is the ruling on intentionally missing a prayer?
Majmū' al-Fatāwā
Majmū'' al-Fatāwā 22/40–55 — Hukm Tārik aṣ-Ṣalāh
"Abandoning the prayer is of two situations. The first is denial of its obligation — by consensus this is kufr that expels from Islam, regardless of whether the person prays or not. The second is leaving it out of lazines…"
What is the ruling on wiping over socks (al-mash 'ala al-khuffayn)?
Majmū' al-Fatāwā
Majmū'' al-Fatāwā 21/171–214
"Wiping over the khuffayn (leather socks) and the jawrabayn (cloth socks) in place of washing the feet is a confirmed Sunnah established by tawatur from the Prophet (ﷺ). Imam Ahmad said: "There is no doubt about wiping ov…"
Does eating or drinking forgetfully break the fast?
Majmū' al-Fatāwā
Majmū'' al-Fatāwā 25/231
"Eating or drinking forgetfully — without intention to break the fast — does not break the fast and there is no qada (making up) and no kaffarah (expiation) upon the one who did so, on the authentic hadith of Abu Hurayrah…"
What is Zakat and how is it calculated?
Majmū' al-Fatāwā
Majmū'' al-Fatāwā 25/8–35
"Zakat is a determined right (haqq mu''ayyan) which Allah has obligated in specific kinds of wealth, when they reach a specific threshold (nisab), after the passage of one lunar year (hawl), to be given to specific catego…"
Is it permissible for a man to wear his trousers below the ankles?
Majmū' al-Fatāwā
Majmū'' al-Fatāwā 22/138–145
"Lengthening the garment below the ankles for a man is forbidden in two situations and the texts are clear: (1) if done out of arrogance (khuyala''), it is a major sin and Allah does not even look at the doer on the Day o…"
Is music, singing, or musical instruments haram?
Majmū' al-Fatāwā
Majmū'' al-Fatāwā 11/535–576
"The Four Imams of fiqh — Abu Hanifah, Malik, ash-Shafi''i, and Ahmad — are agreed that musical instruments (al-ma''azif) are forbidden. The proof is the explicit hadith of al-Bukhari (5590) on the authority of Abu Malik…"
What is Tawheed in Islam?
Majmū' al-Fatāwā
Majmū'' al-Fatāwā 1/14–24 — Tawheed al-Uluhiyyah
"Tawheed of Allah — that He is singled out with worship — has three divisions which the people of knowledge upon the manhaj of the Salaf have derived from inductive examination of the Qur''an and Sunnah. The first is Tawh…"
What is Shirk and why is it forbidden?
Majmū' al-Fatāwā
Majmū'' al-Fatāwā 1/88–96
"Shirk is to assign to other than Allah a share in that which is exclusively His right — whether in His Lordship, in worship, or in His Names and Attributes. Major shirk (ash-shirk al-akbar) takes a person outside the fol…"
What breaks a fast?
Majmū' al-Fatāwā
Majmū'' al-Fatāwā 25/219–248
"What breaks the fast — when done deliberately, with knowledge, and by free choice — is restricted to what the texts have established: (1) eating or drinking of any kind that reaches the stomach through the mouth or nose;…"
What are the six pillars of faith (Iman)?
al-'Aqīdah al-Wāsiṭiyyah
al-'Aqīdah al-Wāsiṭiyyah, opening section
"The six pillars of Iman are established in the hadith of Jibril when he asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about Iman and the Prophet (ﷺ) replied: that you believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and th…"
Can I pray without wudu?
Majmū' al-Fatāwā
Majmū'' al-Fatāwā 21/385–392
"There is no salah without ṭahārah (purification), by the consensus of the scholars. Allah said: "O you who believe, when you rise to pray, wash your faces and your hands to the elbows, wipe your heads, and wash your feet…"
What is fasting in Ramadan?
Majmū' al-Fatāwā
Majmū'' al-Fatāwā 25/120–135
"As-Sawm in the Sharī''ah is to abstain — with intention — from food, drink, and intercourse from the break of true dawn (al-fajr aṣ-ṣādiq) until sunset, throughout the days of Ramadan. It is the fourth pillar of Islam an…"
What is the ruling on celebrating Mawlid an-Nabawi?
Iqtiḍā' aṣ-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm
Iqtiḍā' aṣ-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm 2/123–130
"Celebrating the birth of the Prophet (ﷺ) — taking it as an annual ''id, gathering for it, and devoting acts of worship to it — is a bid''ah (innovation) which neither the Prophet (ﷺ) nor the Rightly-Guided Khulafa'' nor…"
What is the ruling on making tawassul through the dead?
Qā'idah Jalīlah fī at-Tawassul wa al-Wasīlah
Qā''idah Jalīlah fī at-Tawassul wa al-Wasīlah, full treatise
"Tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah) is of two kinds. The legislated kinds — which are unanimously permitted — are three: (1) tawassul through Allah''s Names and Attributes ("O Allah, by Your name…"); (2) tawassul throug…"
What is the ruling on building over graves?
Iqtiḍā' aṣ-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm
Iqtiḍā'' aṣ-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm 2/180–195
"Building structures over graves — domes, mausoleums, mosques — is forbidden by clear Sunnah, and is one of the chief means by which idolatry entered earlier nations. The Prophet (ﷺ) said in his final illness: "Allah curs…"
Why do Muslims believe Muhammad ﷺ is the final prophet?
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmu' al-Fatawa 18/8 & 35/108-114
"Ibn Taymiyyah affirmed the finality of prophethood (khatm an-nubuwwah) by explicit Quranic text — "Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets" (al-Ahzab 33:40)…"
Is shaking hands with the opposite gender allowed?
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmu' al-Fatawa 32/259
"Ibn Taymiyyah stated that touching a non-mahram woman is haram, even by way of greeting, and the Prophet ﷺ never shook the hand of a woman in baʿyah but said: "I do not shake hands with women" (Ahmad, Nasa'i, sahih). The…"
What are the major sins in Islam?
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmu' al-Fatawa 11/650-660
"Ibn Taymiyyah defined a major sin (kabirah) as any sin for which a specific punishment is prescribed in this world (hadd), or a threat of the Fire, curse, or wrath in the Hereafter, or a denial of iman from its perpetrat…"
Is niqab obligatory upon women?
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmu' al-Fatawa 22/110-114
"Ibn Taymiyyah held that it is obligatory upon a woman to cover her face in front of non-mahram men, citing the verse of the jalabib (al-Ahzab 33:59) and the practice of the wives of the Prophet ﷺ and the women of the Sah…"
What is the difference between Hajj and Umrah?
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmu' al-Fatawa 26/5-12
"Ibn Taymiyyah clarified: Hajj is the major pilgrimage performed in specific days of Dhul-Hijjah (8th–13th), comprising ihram, standing at ʿArafah, Muzdalifah, the three days of Mina, the stoning, sacrifice, shaving, tawa…"
What are the signs of the Day of Judgment?
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmu' al-Fatawa 4/265-280
"Ibn Taymiyyah affirmed that the signs of the Hour are divided into minor and major. The minor signs (most already occurred) include the sending of the Prophet ﷺ, his death, the conquests, widespread fitan, and the spread…"
Is polygamy allowed, and under what conditions?
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmu' al-Fatawa 32/269-272
"Ibn Taymiyyah affirmed that polygamy up to four wives is permitted by the explicit text of Quran 4:3, conditioned on the man's ability to deal justly between them in matters under his control: nights, maintenance, housin…"
What do Muslims believe about Jesus (Isa) and Mary (Maryam)?
al-Jawab as-Sahih li-man Baddala Din al-Masih
al-Jawab as-Sahih 2/76, 4/110
"ʿĪsā son of Maryam is a slave of Allah and His Messenger, His word which He cast to Maryam, and a soul created by Him — not His son, nor a partner, nor part of a trinity. Maryam is the most virtuous woman of the worlds i…"
When does a traveler shorten the prayer?
Majmu' al-Fatawa
Majmu' al-Fatawa 24/12, 24/137
"Shortening is the established Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ) for every traveller, from the moment he leaves the buildings of his town until he returns to them — even if his journey is short. He (ﷺ) did not specify a fixed dis…"
Is it permissible to initiate the greeting "As-salamu alaykum" with a non-Muslim?
Iqtida' as-Sirat al-Mustaqim
Iqtida' as-Sirat al-Mustaqim 1/420; Majmu' al-Fatawa 1/406
"A Muslim does not initiate the greeting of Salām to a non-Muslim, as the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Do not initiate the Jews and Christians with the greeting of peace." If they greet the Muslim, he responds with "wa ʿalaykum" —…"