Question 1

Is music haram in Islam?

Accepted Answer

The position of the four imams and the vast majority of scholars, including the early generations, is that musical instruments and singing accompanied by them are forbidden. The clearest evidence is the hadith of al-Bukhārī (5590) in which the Prophet ﷺ said: "There will be among my nation people who consider lawful fornication, silk, alcohol, and musical instruments." The mention of these together with already-established prohibitions confirms that musical instruments are likewise forbidden. Singing without instruments may be permitted if the lyrics are good and it does not lead to evil — such as the duff (frame drum) for women on weddings and Eid, which is established in the Sunnah. A Muslim should fill their heart with the recitation of the Qur'an, dhikr, and beneficial knowledge — not with music that distracts from the remembrance of Allah.

Question 2

Is polygamy allowed, and under what conditions?

Accepted Answer

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, housing, and outward treatment. If he fears injustice, he must restrict himself to one. Equal love of the heart is not required since it is not in one's control, citing the Prophet's ﷺ statement: "O Allah, this is my division in what I control, so do not blame me for what You control and I do not."

Question 3

Is shaking hands with the opposite gender allowed?

Accepted Answer

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 Prophet ﷺ also said: "For one of you to be stabbed in the head with an iron needle is better than that he touches a woman who is not lawful for him" (Tabarani, sahih).

Question 4

Is marriage valid without a wali?

Accepted Answer

Al-Shafi'i ruled categorically that no marriage contract is valid without the wali of the woman, citing "Any woman who marries herself without the permission of her wali, her marriage is invalid, invalid, invalid" (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi — sahih). He held this against the Hanafi position that allowed a woman of age to contract her own marriage.

Question 5

What are the conditions of a valid nikah?

Accepted Answer

Imam al-Shafi'i held that a valid marriage requires: (1) a wali (male guardian) for the woman, based on "There is no marriage without a wali" (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, sahih); (2) the consent of both parties; (3) two upright Muslim witnesses; and (4) a specified mahr. Without the wali and the two witnesses the contract is invalid.

Question 6

What is the ruling on masturbation?

Accepted Answer

Imam Ahmad was asked about a man who does that with his hand. He disliked it strongly, and said: I hate it, it is not from the action of the people of muruwwah (dignity). He held it forbidden in principle, citing the verse: "And those who guard their private parts except from their wives... but whoever seeks beyond that, those are the transgressors" (al-Mu'minūn 5–7). He permitted it only in cases of severe necessity to a man who feared he would otherwise fall into zinā and could not marry — as a lesser of two harms, not as something originally permissible.

Question 7

Is music haram in Islam?

Accepted Answer

Listening to musical instruments — flutes, strings, and the like — is forbidden by the Book, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the Salaf. Allah said: "And of the people is he who buys idle talk to mislead from the way of Allah" — Ibn Mas'ud, Ibn 'Abbas, and others said: by Allah, it is singing accompanied by instruments. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "There will be from my Ummah a people who will deem permissible silk, alcohol, and musical instruments." Music is the spell of zinā, the call of Shaytān, and a sickness for the heart that prevents it from finding sweetness in the Qur'an.

Question 8

Is it permissible for Muslims to have boyfriends/girlfriends or date before marriage?

Accepted Answer

Allah has forbidden zinā and forbidden every path that leads to it: looking, seclusion (khalwah), touching, and free mixing. He said: "And do not approach zinā" — He did not merely say "do not commit it", but "do not approach it", forbidding all its means. A relationship between an unmarried man and woman, by phone, message, or in person, that is built on affection without a contract of marriage, falls under approaching zinā and is forbidden, even if the two of them claim purity of intention.

Question 9

What are the rights of parents in Islam?

Accepted Answer

Imam Ahmad was asked: which of the parents has greater right? He said: the mother. He used to say: birr (kindness) to the parents is an expiation for major sins. He held that obeying them in what is permissible is obligatory; obeying them in disobedience to Allah is not, but kindness to them remains. He said: do not raise your voice above theirs, do not walk in front of them, do not call them by their names, and do not sit until they sit. If a man's parents call him while he is in voluntary prayer, let him cut it short and answer them — except in the obligatory prayer.

Question 10

What is the ruling on divorce, khula, and remarriage?

Accepted Answer

Talāq is the most hated of the permissible things to Allah — it is permitted only at need. The legislated form is to divorce the wife in a state of purity in which the husband has not had relations with her, then to leave her until her ʿiddah ends — this is one revocable divorce. Three pronouncements at one sitting is, on the most authentic position (the view of Ibn 'Abbas, Ibn Taymiyyah, and a group of the Salaf), counted as one. Khulʿ is the wife's right when she dislikes the marriage; she returns the dowry and the marriage is dissolved. Remarriage to a thrice-divorced wife is not permitted until she marries another genuinely (not by halāla, which is cursed).

Family & Marriage

Is music haram in Islam?

Is polygamy allowed, and under what conditions?

Is shaking hands with the opposite gender allowed?

Is marriage valid without a wali?

What are the conditions of a valid nikah?

What is the ruling on masturbation?

Is it permissible for Muslims to have boyfriends/girlfriends or date before marriage?

What are the rights of parents in Islam?

What is the ruling on divorce, khula, and remarriage?

Are arranged marriages mandatory in Islam?

What is the Islamic view on dating and marriage?

What are the rights and duties of a husband and wife in Islam?

How should parents raise children according to Quran and Sunnah (including education and discipline)?

What is the ruling on listening to music with instruments?

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