Is dancing permissible. If not, why?
There is no rigid ruling concerning dancing, just like many other activities. Decent dancing which does not aim at arousing unacceptable emotions, and does not make of the women's body an object of exciting desires, and does not involve holding or pulling close to oneself a member of the opposite sex, is permissible. Many communities have folk dancing which is acceptable from the Islamic point of view. The dancers would be respectably dressed and the dance may involve elaborate movements, but it remains decent. It involves no exciting of desire to do anything forbidden. When such dances are performed by men, or when they are performed by women in presence of women audience only, these are permissible.When the delegation from Abyssinia visited the Prophet, they performed some of their folk dancing in the mosque. The Prophet watched them and he also lowered his shoulders so that Lady Aisha, his wife, could watch. Had every type of dancing been forbidden, the Prophet would not have done so. He would have made the ruling clear to all present.
• Darwin's theory of evolution
During a discussion, a friend of mine claimed that human beings came from apes (Darwin's theory of evolution). This led to a heated argument and a scar on our friendship. May I ask who were the first human beings on earth? Whom did they worship and who was their god?
The theory of evolution has two basic flaws. It observes in fine details the gradation of species from one-cell organisms up to the chimpanzee and man, who the theory considers to be the next in line. Advocates of the evolution theory have admitted this and sought to explain by speaking about a "missing link". The other basic flaw in this theory is that it cannot be proven in any scientifically acceptable way. Its argument is rather didactic. It makes a huge jump from scientific observation to theorization about life and existence. Thus, it imposes its theory on scientific findings. Perhaps it is appropriate to state here that Muslim scientists have observed the gradation of species, not only in the animal world but also in the world of plants. They referred to the fact that there is a very fine line which separated one species from the next. They also observed that there are two huge gaps: The one which separates the highest from the lowest, i.e. the chimpanzee from man. However, Muslim scientists did not seek to impose any arbitrary theory of life on their findings. They simply attributed this gradation to its appropriate cause, the will of Allah, the Creator of all.
As Muslims, we recognize only one source for the formulation of our concepts of life and the role of man. That source is divine revelations. We know that Allah has revealed the Qur'an, His last message, through the angel Gabriel to His last messenger, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Allah has also guaranteed that the Qur'an which contains His message, will remain intact, free from distortion, for the rest of time. Therefore, we must refer to the Qur'an for the formulation of our concepts of life and creation. We know that the knowledge contained in the Qur'an is factual, because it comes from the Creator whose knowledge is limitless and absolute. We cannot, therefore, abandon this factual source of knowledge, preferring it to a scientific theory which is liable to amendment or improvement as even its most outspoken advocates admit. On the basis of information Allah has given us in the Qur'an, we state without hesitation that human life on earth started with Adam, peace be upon him, who was created of clay and Allah breathed of His spirit into him. Therefore, man is the result of a combination of clay and spirit. He came into existence as a result of Allah's will when He decided to appoint a vice regent on earth. How did Allah breathe His spirit into Adam whom He made of clay and when did all this happen are details which He has not chosen to give us. Therefore, we need not concern ourselves with these for two reasons: First, we have no means of finding out the answers with any degree of certainty because the only source which can give us such information, namely, Allah (limitless He is in His glory) has chosen not to tell us. Second, our knowledge of such details will not be of any help to us in the fulfillment of our task which is given to us by Allah, namely, the building of human life on earth. Had such information been of benefit to us in this regard, Allah would not have withheld it.
You ask about the God worshipped by the first human beings. There has always been obviously one God, Allah. Adam was a prophet who taught his children how to worship Allah alone. The Unitarian faith existed as long ago as man himself. What professors of comparative religion in Western universities assert about the development of religious beliefs is totally untrue. They claim that man started with primitive concepts of God and worshipped forces of nature and represented them with idols and totters, etc. Later, as man developed, his beliefs also developed and he started to believe in a small number of deities, who were then reduced to two before the concept of monotheism evolved. All this is contrary to what Allah tells us in the Qur'an. Allah gave Adam, the first man on earth, the message based on the Oneness of Allah. His children continued to worship Allah alone for many generations before deviation crept into their faith. Therefore, Allah sent them prophets and messengers to call on them to revert to the Unitarian faith. They made such a return at the time of Prophet Noah, when the group of believers who survived the flood with Noah , started a new social order. Other returns were achieved by other prophets in different communities. This message was given its complete and final form in the Qur'an revealed to Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, Allah's last messenger.
• Day of judgment: Signs, indications
Are there any signs and indications of the approach of the day of judgment? Could you please outline them?
There are very clear statements in the Qur'an concerning the day of resurrection. The first is that its timing is known only to God who keeps it to Himself: "They question you concerning the hour and when it will come. Say: 'Its knowledge belongs to my Lord. He alone will reveal it at its appointed time." (7:187) We also know that it will arrive suddenly. "It will overtake you without warning."
We are told in the Qur'an that it will be preceded by strange happenings in the universe. One of these is that a walking creature will come out of the earth which will speak to people. This is a true piece of information mentioned in Verse 82 of Surah 27, entitled 'The Ants.' We do not know exactly what sort of creature this will be but it must be something like animals, because the word used to denote it is normally used to refer to walking animals. Since God has not given us any more information about this creature, we do not venture to say any more. We only say that we believe the Qur'anic statement as it is, knowing that God is able to do what He pleases in the manner and fashion He chooses.
Another indication which the Qur'an has mentioned is the release of Gog and Magog after the collapse of the wall which separates them from us. We do not know who are Gog and Magog, or where their land lies, or where the wall is. If we manage to identify these on the basis of research and linking various sorts of evidence and we come up with a conclusion which is not contrary to the Qur'an, we accept it. Otherwise, we accept the Qur'anic statement in its generality.
There are other indications which have been outlined in authentic Hadiths, such as true knowledge becomes scanty, while ignorance becomes widespread. Drinking intoxicants and adultery becomes commonplace. Women become greater in number than men, and honesty becomes a rare commodity in human society. Social standards become inconsistent, and lowly people rise in society. The impostor will make his appearance when he will delude a great many people. None but the true believers will be able to recognize that he is an impostor. The second coming of Jesus, the Messiah, will then follow, and he will certainly support the message of God's final Prophet, Muhammad, peace be upon him.
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