Using Qurbani Meat in Khichra (A Common Dish in South Asia)

Madani Muzakarah

Using qurbani meat in khichra (a common dish in South Asia)

Q: Can meat from qurbani be used to prepare khichra? In the month of Muharram, this is normally prepared as niyaz. Is doing so permissible?

A: There is no problem in using qurbani meat for khichra which is prepared as niyaz. The khichra can also be given to friends and family. Whoever performed qurbani owns the meat from the sacrificial animal, and he can use it to feed people at weddings or any other such occasion.^[1]

The fish of Madinah

Q: Have you eaten the fish of Madinah?

A: By Allah’s grace, I have eaten fish in Madinah. This can be referred to as the fish of Madinah in this sense, as it entered Madinah and became affiliated with it. Otherwise, although there is an ocean of mercy in that blessed city, an ocean of water is not visibly apparent.^[2]

Making up missed fasts on the 9^th and 10^th of Muharram

Q: If a sister is to keep fasts she has missed, can she do so on the 9^th and 10^th of Muharram?

A: Of course! She can keep fasts on these days with the intention to fulfil ones that were missed. She should not do so with the intention of keeping supererogatory (nafl) fasts.^[3]

Cleaning the home on ʿĀshūra?

Q: Can we clean the home on ʿĀshūra?

A: Yes, of course you can. Cleanliness is a good thing; Allah and His Messenger صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم like it.^[4]

Death while taking a selfie

Q: People who die whilst taking selfies at high or dangerous places; will their deaths be ruled as suicide?

A: These people do not deliberately kill themselves. For this reason, their deaths will not be deemed suicide. At the very least, for them to do such actions is not correct according to Islam. The Quran says:

وَ لَا تُلۡقُوۡا بِاَیۡدِیۡکُمۡ  اِلَی التَّہۡلُکَۃِ ۚ

“Do not fall into destruction by your own hands.”^[5]

These people want to impress others with their bravery, but instead display sheer naivety. “Look!” they say, “look at the kind of selfie I have taken!” They put their lives in danger in pursuit of these selfies, and some even face fatal consequences. Some are run over by trains, others fall from heights. A video from India recently went viral in which a Muslim youngster was taking selfies with a lion in a zoo. He fell off the wall and fell close to the lion which dragged him away. In the meantime, the youngster’s heart failed. May Allah forgive him and envelop him in mercy.

اٰمِیْن بِجَاہِ خاتَمِ النَّبِیّیْن صلَّی اللہ علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم

Selfies can sometimes be dangerous, but not always. People have found a way to keep themselves frivolously occupied by taking them. If death is written to occur at a certain time, it will find any path to reach you, and the person will not even comprehend what is happening. A person may take a selfie or do something similar and meet his death whilst doing so. We ask Allah to protect us all.^[6]

Food with the name of Allah Almighty written on it

Q: In this picture, you can see the name of Allah is written upon a chapati. Can this be eaten, or should we keep it as a relic? (A video was broadcasted on Madani Channel during this question, in which the name of Allah can clearly be seen written upon a roti.)

A: سُـبْحٰـنَ الـلّٰــه, the name of Allah is distinctly visible. News of such matters increase people’s love for Allah. Nevertheless, it is permissible to eat this chapati. We also find Islamic amulets (taʿwīz) with sacred verses written on them, which we then mix into water and drink. There are even spiritual practises associated with things like this. For example, to write one of the names of Allah Almighty a given number of times on a chapati and consuming it. In the same way, there is absolutely no problem with eating this chapati. Eating it is a means of attaining blessings.^[7]

A spiritual remedy for fear

Q: My eyes open suddenly at night, and I become really scared. What should I do when this happens?

A: If this happens, keep reciting یَا رَءُوْفُ, یَا رَءُوْفُ. Your fear will go away, اِنْ شَــآءَالـلّٰـه.^[8]

 Attaining the opening takbir (takbīr taḥrīma)

Q: What does it mean to attain the opening takbir?

A: The first takbir performed when beginning salah is known as the opening takbir. The meaning of attaining the opening takbir is for the worshipper to finish reciting the thanāʾ before the Imam begins reciting the Quran. Bahar-e-Shari’at (1:571) states: “If ˹the worshipper˺ performs the bowing (rukūʿ) in the first unit of salah in sync with the Imam, the excellence of having performed the opening takbir will be attained ˹by him˺.”^[9]

Who is “you both”?

Q: Who is meant by “you both” in the following verse of Surah al-Raḥmān:

فَبِاَیِّ  اٰلَآءِ  رَبِّکُمَا تُکَذِّبٰنِ (۱۶)

“So, which of the favours of your Lord will you both belie?”^[10]

A: It refers to humankind and the jinn.^[11]