Q. We may carry a variety of things that bear God’s name or the kalimah, or verses of the Qur’an, such as Saudi bank notes, papers, books and jewelry. Some of these articles may drop on the floor, or we may have our wallets in our back pockets, or we may have to go to the toilet. Is it appropriate to carry these with us, as there is no other place to leave them?
K.A. Abbasi, Alkhobar
A. As long as one does not intentionally do something disrespectful to God, His name or revelations, then he is all right. When you put your money in your wallet and put it in your back pocket, you are only safeguarding your money and putting it in the most convenient place. There is nothing wrong with that. If it drops on the floor, you do not do it intentionally to place God’s name there. The opposite is true, you would rather prevent its fall. The same with jewelry one wears. A woman with a pendant bearing God’s name does not commit an offense when she goes to the toilet, because she has nowhere to put her jewelry safely.
In Brief
Q.1. Many Muslims in India marry Hindu women. I understand that such a marriage is not valid. My question is whether it is permissible for a Muslim to marry a daughter born in such a marriage.
Q.2. Discharge of wind invalidates ablutions. If it happens during prayer, is it necessary to repeat the whole prayer, or only the remaining portion?
Q.3. When compensating for not fasting, we are required to feed one poor person two meals for each day. Can we feed two poor persons one meal each?
E. Hussain, Jeddah
A.1. If the Hindu woman maintains her faith and does not convert to Islam, the marriage is invalid. As for the daughter born in that marriage, she is an independent person. If she is a Muslim, then she may be married to a Muslim. Her parents’ fault does not apply to her. It is what she declares to be her faith that counts. If she says that she does not know what her religion is, then a Muslim may not marry her until he has explained to her the main Islamic concepts and she declares herself a Muslim.
A.2. If one’s ablution, or wudhu, is invalidated during prayer, one must repeat the prayer in full.
A.3. Compensating for not fasting during Ramadan is normally by fasting a day instead. Feeding a poor person is acceptable as an alternative only when such compensation by fasting is impossible, either because the person concerned is too old or has a chronic illness that is unlikely to be cured. In this case, for each day of not fasting, the compensation is to feed one poor person two meals. Giving one meal each to two poor persons is not right because the relevant Qur’anic verse (2: 184) uses the singular form.
