Various topics
Placing hands on the chest when greeting the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ 📃
Q: May Allaah reward you. The questioner says: What is the ruling on placing the hands on the chest and bowing when greeting the Messenger of Allaah, may Allaah’s prayers and peace be upon him?
A: Our Prophet, may Allaah’s prayers and peace be upon him, is obligatory for a Muslim to have good manners with him, both alive and dead. He, may Allaah’s prayers and peace be upon him, was blessed alive and dead, and nothing of his honor changed with his death, may Allaah’s prayers and peace be upon him. Allaah decreed death for him like all other human beings. But his honor and grace remain. He is dead, may Allaah bless him and grant him peace, buried in his grave. And whoever comes to greet him must be display good manners with him May Allaah bless him and grant him peace. And the greatest etiquette is not to commit shirk while greeting the Prophet, may Allaah bless him and grant him peace. He does not say, O Messenger of Allaah, grant me wealth, O Messenger of Allaah, relieve my anxiety. Because if the Prophet, may Allaah’s prayers and peace be upon him, heard this while he was alive, he would have been very angry, because it is associating partners with Allaah Almighty. One of the great etiquettes is that the servant avoids innovations while greeting the Prophet, may Allaah’s prayers and peace be upon him. And it is from good manners to avoid being in the form like the standing in prayer, because this standing is for Allaah and not for any of Allaah’s creation. As if he puts the right hand on the left and lowers his head to the ground while greeting the Prophet, may Allaah’s prayers and peace be upon him, at his grave, bowing. All of this must be avoided. But a person stands while greeting the Prophet, may Allaah bless him and grant him peace, with manners. He does not appear here and there, nor does he shout and call, but he behaves with the Messenger of Allaah, may Allaah’s prayers and peace be upon him, while he is dead, as if he were meeting him while he was alive. It is bad manners that we see these days taking pictures at the grave, either to take pictures of the grave, or for a person to take pictures of himself at the grave. He comes with his back to the grave, then brings a camera and takes pictures with the grave. This is very bad manners with the Messenger of Allaah, may Allaah’s prayers and peace be upon him.
Ruling on returning lost item in Makkah 📃
Q: May Allaah reward you, says the questioner. One of them assigned me to return a lost item that he took from Makkah two years ago. He took it during his stay in Makkah and he was performing Umrah. Then one of his companions needed some money, so he gave him from this lost item, and after the period ended, he transferred the amount to his country. Then, now he wants to return it to the safety deposit box in the Great Mosque of Mecca. He says the exchange rate has increased, so should he return its amount? Or return it at the price of today?
A: I don't know what kind of lost item it is. And the lost item of Mecca is never owned, and it is not permissible to capture it except for identifier. And this is what our brother did, he made a mistake. He must ask Allaah for forgiveness for what he did. And he must return it. If it was money in Saudi riyals, for example. It is returned by SAR. I mean, if he picked up an amount of money in Saudi riyals, and the price of his country's currency was stronger than the price of the Saudi riyal. Currencies fluctuate. We realize that the Sudanese pound is at 5 riyals. Today, the people of Sudan tell you about its value. The riyal is 9 riyals for 9 pounds, so the Saudi riyal must be returned, not the currency. He returns it in Saudi riyals. He also took it and delivered it to the trusts, and what I see and ask Allaah to forgive me out of precaution for his brother that with his return, he gives the same in charity with the intention of its owner. Why? Because when he took it, he withheld it from its owner for a year or two. Perhaps its owner came back asking about it and did not find it and despaired and left it. As a matter of precaution to discharge the obligation, I see that my brother should return it as he did and hand it over to the officials in the Sacred Mosque for the lost items, and more than that, give the same amount in charity with the intention of its owner. By this he discharged his obligation, Allaah Almighty willing. yes
Clarification on pubic hair and what counts as a sign of puberty 📃
Q: May Allaah protect you, there are many questions, and they also ask for more clarification about the differentiation or criteria for differentiating between the hair which is considered a sign of puberty and other than that.
A: Of course, this is something that is realized by creation. Pubic area has hair around it, even with a small child. But this hair that grows from the beginning is short and soft. This is not a sign of puberty. Rather, the sign of puberty is the strong, coarse hair that is somewhat coarse. This is the hair that is a sign of puberty, and I cannot explain more than this, yes.
Is it permissible to donate a kidney 📃
Q: May Allaah bless you, the questioner says, is it permissible to donate a kidney?
A: Contemporary scholars agreed that organs may not be sold at all. It is forbidden to take payment for an organ from the organss. Because a person does not own his body for him to take compensation for it. As for organ donation, there are two types of organs: a type without which life cannot be, or without which life is incomplete. Like the heart, for example. What person can live without a heart? Like the eye, for example. A person lives with one eye, but life is not complete with one eye. These organs may not be donated. The second type is organs that a person can live if he donates them. Like the kidneys. If a person donates a kidney he can live with the other kidney. Like the liver, if a person donates a part of it, he can live and even grow it again. Here, the scholars differed regarding the ruling on organ donation, so a group of contemporary scholars held a position that it is permissible to donate organs because this is a form of charity and it saves lives. And Allaah Almighty commanded justice and goodness. They said our bodies yes they do not belong to us. But Allaah, who created our bodies, commanded us to do good. This is a favor. It saves from destruction. It is a good thing and there is no objection to it. Some people of knowledge, such as Imam Al-Albani, may Allaah have mercy on him, went to prohibit organ donation. Some scholars, such as our sheikh, Sheikh Ibn Baz, may Allaah have mercy on him, remained silent about it. Our sheikh has a fatwa forbidding it, and he has a fatwa for refraining from the issue. And what is apparent to me, and Allaah knows best, is the permissibility of organ donation. Because it is good. There is nothing legally prohibiting from it. Because it is well indicated by the general texts. There is nothing legally preventing it. This is the clarification of the organs. This is in regards to donation from a living person. As for donating after death, those who see the permissibility say that it is permissible to donate every useful organ. This means that a person may write a will or sign a donation document while he is alive, that if he dies, he will donate his organs. If he dies immediately after his death, the heart is taken, and the liver is taken. The cornea of the eye is taken and the good kidneys are taken. Those who see it as permissible say that it is permissible to donate every useful organ here. And those who do not see the permissibility in the first place say that this donation is not permissible. Because it entails splitting the body of the dead. And breaking the bone of the dead is like breaking it alive. They said it is forbidden. And those who see the permissibility say that splitting the body while it is alive is permissible for the interest and more so when he is dead. In any case, and I ask Allaah to forgive me, I think that the most correct view is that it is permissible to donate organs that do not harm during life, I mean, donating them during life. And donating all beneficial organs after death is not harmful. Yeah. Brothers, always if I give fatwa, I give fatwa with my knowledge. I do not oblige anyone to take my fatwa. I do not prevent from other statements made by scholars. But I display the knowledge. Whoever accepts the fatwa and is convinced of it, that is it, and whoever does not take it, there is no harm. Because some of them are really fools. If they hear from me or someone else who issues a fatwa that contradicts a fatwa of a great scholar and the issue is controversial, they say how does he contradict so-and-so? This is not based on knowledge. Jurisprudence is based on correct evidence and proper consideration. A person issues fatwas based on his knowledge. As for you, O listener, it is obligatory for you to take what is correct, so whatever appears to you to be correct, it is obligatory for you to adhere, yes.