• Lactating wife and a sucking husband
What happens if a husband sucks the breast of his lactating wife and swallows some drops of her milk?
As you are well aware, breast-feeding is a cause which prevents marriages between the child who is breast-fed and the family of the woman who has breast-fed him, if she is not his own mother. There are, however, certain conditions for this rule to operate. The first is that the child should have at least five full feeds. The second is that the breast-feeding should occur when the child is less than two years of age. Anything that occurs after the child has reached his or her second birthday is of no consequence. When a child is breast-fed by a woman other than his mother, at least five full feeds, he or she is treated for marriage purposes as her own child.• Lard — Use of ointment containing modified lard
I bought a medicinal ointment prepared in the Philippines and the formula indicates that it contains benzoinated lard. Is it permissible to use?
The medicine you have described is used externally, to rub over the skin. It is not taken orally. It contains lard, which is the melted fat of a pig. The lard is used after it has been benzoinated, which involves a chemical process. When the ointment is prepared, it goes through another chemical process, which ends up in making a product that is totally different from each of its ingredients. According to scholars, an impurity is removed when the impure stuff, lard in this case, has been transformed into something else. This applies here. However, the impurity of pigs is the worst of all impurity. Therefore, my advice to you is not to use this medicinal ointment if you can have a suitable alternative. If it is the only medicine to suit your condition, you may use it, but you should remove any traces of it when you do your ablution for prayer.• Lawful & unlawful — What makes things lawful & unlawful
I have followed ‘Islam in Perspective’ for a number of years. Now that I have gathered more knowledge of Islamic teachings, I feel that you are too lenient. I wonder whether this is the best policy to follow, as it seems to me that people nowadays are always looking for a ruling to satisfy what they feel should be allowed. There is here a danger of exceeding the limits and playing to the people’s wishes rather than doing what Islam requires. Look at the number of questions asking about interest and whether it is permissible or not. It seems as if people are pressing scholars to come out with a ruling of permissibility. May I ask whether it is the same as riba which is mentioned in the Qur’an? Are fixed rate returns on bank deposits permissible or not?
Thank you very much for what you have said about this column and the efforts put into it. Yes, from time to time I have received letters of criticism accusing me of being too liberal or too lenient. But you will be surprised when I tell you that I also have received letters criticizing me for being too strict and unaware of the realities of practical life.
To both types of readers, I am certainly grateful, because they give me a feeling of how the message presented by this column is received. I am certain that when readers are better aware of what Islam requires of them in their lives, they will know that they can still go about doing their business and conduct their affairs, without transgressing the limits set by God. In other words, they do not have do anything sinful in order to enjoy their life and have a comfortable standard of living.
One of the most authoritative scholars of our time, Yussuf Al-Qaradhawi, has published a priceless book under the title, "What Is Permissible and What Is Unlawful in Islam" in which he discusses briefly issues that are highly relevant to day-to-day life and outlines what makes certain practices lawful and others unlawful.
The book was invaluable in making people realize that it is not difficult to lead an Islamic life, away from the too restrictive attitude adopted by certain individuals and groups. In other words, it helped people to set their lives on the Islamic tract. It has been published many times and been of help to numerous people.
However, it has been bitterly criticized in some quarters as being too liberal. I am afraid that such criticism betrays a lack of understanding of the message of Islam and how it works in human society.
Yet that issue is clearly set out by God and His Messenger, peace be upon him. God tells us in the Qur’an: "God wants what is easy for you and He does not want to cause you hardship."
The Prophet, peace be upon him, instructs us: "Make matters easy, not difficult." The important thing when we do that is not to overlook any part of the teachings of the Qur’an or what has been outlined by the Prophet, peace be upon him. If we do that, then we are playing to people’s desires and wishes. Far be it from us to do so.
Of course people wish to have rulings about matters facing them. Certain matters cause them more concern than others do. What they can do with their money and savings, preserving its value and getting some returns, is a very important issue. I am afraid Muslim scholars and economists have not yet been able to offer an easily applicable and practical formula to suit our modern times while taking into consideration people’s fears and hopes, as well as the most important factor of being in line with Islamic teachings. Banks provide easy and tempting offers. We often seem to slam a verdict of prohibitions on all bank dealings and transactions, without looking carefully into them to determine what is lawful among them and what needs to be modified in order to make it lawful for Muslims to take advantage of them. Clearly this is an area which requires careful study which cannot be done by Islamic scholars on their own.
Muslim economists must help them in this very important and highly urgent task. Long ago scholars issued a ruling that all interest is forbidden, drawing on the apparent similarity between it and usury. More recently, certain scholars have begun to question this ruling, stating that we cannot slam a blanket verdict of prohibition on all bank transactions.
But most scholars still pronounce interest as forbidden. There is no doubt that scholarly research is needed in this area so as to facilitate for people what serves their real interests. All investment, which gives a predetermined rate of interest, must be looked at very carefully.
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