I collect rabbit figurines as a hobby. Some of these are more stylized and abstract while others are more realistic. Some people object to them, but they are not more than charming decorations. What is the proper view?
Such figurines are not statues. They are not thought of as idols by anyone. There is no harm in using them as house decorations.
Is it permissible for a Muslim woman to have her baby delivered by a male doctor?
In normal circumstances, a Muslim woman should have her baby delivered by a Muslim woman midwife or doctor. It is not permissible for her to reveal of her body what a man is not allowed to see of her. However, there are circumstances which make a woman's condition particularly difficult and she needs to be attended by an experienced or specialized male doctor. It may happen that such a doctor, with the necessary expertise, cannot be found among the lady doctors in the community. In such circumstances, if the man doctor equipped with the necessary experience attends her delivery, that is permissible. One must not forget that this is in an emergency case and emergencies are treated individually, according to the need and the risk involved in every particular case. [ Added: e.g. Haraam meat is permissible to save life, so long as it is not taken more than absolutely necessary to sustain life. It is the niyyah that is the crucial factor.] The rule is that if a woman can do the job in hand satisfactorily, resort to a man is not permissible to a Muslim patient. When the skill or experience required is possessed only by a man, his services may be employed within what is needed.
• Depression: Islamic way to overcome it
What is the best Islamic way to overcome depression? (which results from thinking about the past, loss of friends, fear of getting old, possible death of parents, etc.)
The sort of depression you ask about is easily dispelled when one remembers that everything in this life is decreed by Allah. We all get older and it is possible for a young person to lose his or her parents. None of us know what the future brings to us. We may be close friends with a person today and in a short period that person becomes far away from us. All such happenings should be accepted with patience. One should know that whatever happens in this life, takes place only with Allah's will. When we remember Islamic values, we accept such events with resignation and we can easily submit our will to Allah. When we do that, we view any happenings in our lives as trivial. We are able to look at life in a more detached and reasonable way. No event in the life of a human being represents the end of the road, except his own death. Allah takes care of us and we should entrust ourselves to His will. When we are true believers, we view every development in our life as good. We can easily submit to it as it represents Allah's will.
A prayer which helps overcome such depression should be addressed to the causes of depression themselves. The Prophet teaches us that we should pray according to the situation we find ourselves in. There are, in addition, prayers which the Prophet himself used. One of these which is relevant here is that which says: "My Lord, I seek refuge with You against worry and depression, disability and laziness, cowardliness and miserliness, being overburdened with debt and being subject to oppression."
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