Fathwa, - Dangers of non-Muslim servants

Question
We have a non-Muslim servant and we found pictures of the children and
myself along with something that looks like a goat's horn in her room.
What do you think of this? Is it a kind of magic? Please advise.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad,
is His slave and Messenger.
Before answering the question, we must first discuss the issue of
having female servants in general in Muslim houses, let alone
disbelieving female servants. This phenomenon often results in much
corruption which reality bears witness to. This includes:
1- The oppression of children when their upbringing is left to
these maids. This is the most dangerous aspect as it causes the child
to lose his emotions towards his parents, especially his mother.
Consequently, a child loses affection which is the basic element in
directing and guiding children.
2- The existence of maids is a basic element in encouraging
mothers to go out to work, markets or visits, and this contradicts the
Sharee'ah goals which require that a woman stays in her home. Allaah
The Almighty Says )what means(: }And stay in your houses.{]Quran
33:33[
3- Laziness and inactivity of women, which results in many illnesses.
4- Leaving maids with adolescent sons in houses results in many
immoralities.
5- When the maid is a disbeliever the children are brought up on
subversive creeds and ideas that contradict the Muslim creed.
Therefore, the Sharee'ah criteria for having a maid has to be
followed. These criteria are as follows:
1- A maid has to be a Muslim.
2- She should be accompanied by her husband or a Mahram
)unmarriageable person(.
3- The Sharee'ah limitations should be observed. That is, there
should be no Khalwah )isolation( or intermixing between the two sexes,
nor should men have any dealings with them.
4- The children's upbringing should not be entrusted to these maids.
As for the question, it is not farfetched that this maid does whatever
harms Muslims as she is a disbeliever. Allaah The Almighty Says )what
means(: }They do not observe toward a believer any pact of kinship or
covenant of protection. And it is they who are the
transgressors.{]Quran 9:10[
They are neither restrained by kinship nor are prevented by a
covenant. So what do you think then if there is no covenant or kinship
in the first place? The surrounding proofs indicate that she might
have been trying to work a spell and this is indicated by the horn of
the goat. You should therefore dismiss her to be relieved from her
evil, but your suspicions about her should not encourage you to
oppress or upset her. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(: }And do
not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just;
that is nearer to righteousness.{]Quran 5:8[
Allaah Knows best.

Fathwa, - She hated her non-practicing husband and committed Zina with his cousin

Question
I want to introduce myself. I once asked a question here saying is it
ok to leave my husband temporary until he start practicing the sunah
correctly. U guys answer that It's ok if I'm sure that he will change
because of that. But Subhanallah, I did only for a few days because I
was disappointing my family according to them so I came back. I came
back also because I was newlywed so much in love with my husband I
couldnt see, the truth so I stayed with him. I stayed with him my
eeman declined so much, because of the environment and because of me
not studying no more any Islamic teaching. I became worst than him. I
felt that I'm a looser. And I started having lots of fight and yelling
with him, not necessarily his faults to start them but both of us and
some times me. We didn't have much intimacy most times, and often we
only argued and belittled each other. I was very sad and disconnected
to Islamic teaching too. It continued like that until his cousin a
male came to stay with us. I had my niqab on and my husband always
belittled me for that infront of him telling me even his cousin can't
see my face I'm abnormal living like that in society. I felt bad and I
did the most hideous crime. As I stay with my husband cousin I started
conversing with him laughing and joking with. He is so handsome and
very comfortable to me at that time because I felt I was worthless to
my husband. Once I was alone with him playing, I showed him my face.
He immediately felt for me so did I with. We started doing harram and
I completely hated my husband. It continued I regretted having this
hideous sin with this guy but I continued with him because that was
the only place I felt completely satisfied. Me and my husband is just
fighting and arguments. I stopped doing this harram with this guy and
I will never try to be with him alone. But still I don't enjoy staying
with husband but I have a child now . I afraid my family, son would
not forgive me. What should I do plz help advice n make dua.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that
Muhammadis His slave and Messenger.
It is confirmed that the Prophetwas asked about the "male in-law", who
is the husband's brother or male relative and he said: ''The male
in-law is death itself." ]Bukhaari and Muslim[
This means that he is like death because of the afflictions and
calamities that happen due to being lenient in dealing with him and
because of him entering upon the wife as he is not like other
non-Mahram )marriageable( men because of his blood relation with the
husband.
What you mentioned about the sin that you committed with him is clear
evidence of this. Therefore, you should repent to Allaah from this
grave major sin by regretting it and being determined not to do it
again. So, you should not sit with that man nor talk to him, and you
should not be in a place where you may be in seclusion with him as a
way of preventing the means that lead to what is forbidden. For more
benefit, please refer to Fataawa 86527, 154373and 127911.
On the other hand, we advise you to try to rectify your husband by
supplicating Allaah for him and calling him to goodness and
righteousness and to get closer to Allaah and you should advise him to
befriend righteous people who would guide him to do good and keep him
away from evil. You should not despair of him becoming a righteous man
nor give up enjoining him to do good deeds and forbidding him from
doing evil deeds.
As far as you are concerned, you should keep company with righteous
and good women who would help you perform righteous deeds, guide you
to do good and help you in what you are doing.
As regards separating from your husband and asking him for divorce,
then we do not advise you to do so unless the marital relations
between you and him become impossible while he persists in his
dissoluteness and disobedience after advising him and admonishing him.
In which case, divorce should be the last solution in the same manner
that cauterization should be the final treatment )i.e. it is the last
to be opted for among all healing procedures(.
Allaah Knows best.

Fathwa, - Her husband forces her to live in the same house with his brother

Question
My question is my husband is forcing me to stay with his married
brother ,I had told him about the hadiths mentioning that "brother in
law is death" living together may cause many problems,but he doesnt
seems to listen,he says that I just have to maintain my Hijab thats
all.Wht can I do?since his wife is also a nonmehram to him that will
be a probs.As a muslim women I dont get my rights from my husband ,he
doesnt agrees to the rights of women in Islam.Please advise.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad,
is His slave and Messenger.
It is your right as a wife to get a separate accommodation where you
would be safe from any harm and where you would not be embarrassed.
Besides, it is not permissible for you to obey your husband in
dwelling with your brother-in-law in the same house whose amenities
are not separate, where his brother could see you )without Hijaab( or
be in seclusion with you, or where there is any other matter that
might lead to temptation.
Even if we presume that you can take the necessary measures to avoid
these prohibitions and always wear Hijaab, then this may cause much
hardship to you. So, your husband has no right to oblige you to live
in such a situation. For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 84608.
Based on this, it is permissible for the wife to ask for divorce as a
way of repelling harm off herself if her husband does not provide her
with an accommodation that is Islamically acceptable.
There is no doubt that your husband is also obliged to abide by the
Islamic conditions in dealing with the wife of his brother as she is a
non-Mahram to him. Therefore, we warn against being lenient in such
kind of dealings within one family as this is one of the major reasons
of corruption. The Hadeeth that is mentioned in the question which
reads'the male in-law is death itself'is the best evidence in this
regard. The text of the Hadeeth is as follows:Uqbah Ibn 'Aamernarrated
that the Prophetsaid: "Beware of entering upon women"; a man from the
Ansaar asked: 'O Messenger of Allaah, what do you say about the male
in-law )the woman's husband's male relative like his brother, uncle,
cousin, etc.(?' He replied: "He is death itself )i.e. his seclusion
with her is as serious and dangerous as death(." ]Bukhaari and Muslim[
For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 154373.
As regards what you mentioned about your husband that he does not
agree with the women's rights in Islam, then this needs more
clarification ]as we do not know exactly what you mean[

Physics by Muslims

The Holy Quran had awakened a spirit of enquiry among the Arabs which
was instrumental in their splendid achievements in the field of
science, and according to a western critic led them to realize that
"science could not be advanced by mere speculation; its only sure
progress lay in the practical interrogation of nature. The essential
characteristics of their method are experiment and observation. In
their writings on Mechanics, hydrostatics, optics, etc., thesolution
of the problemis always obtained by performing an experiment, or by an
instrumental observation.
It was this that made them theoriginator of chemistry, that led them
to the invention of all kinds ofapparatus for
distillation,sublimation, fusion and filtration; that in astronomy
caused them to appeal to divided instrument, as quadrant and
astrolabe; in chemistry to employ the balance the theory of which they
were perfectly familiar with; to construct tables of specific
gravities and astronomical tables, that produced their great
improvements ingeometryandtrigonometry.
TheMuslims developed Physicsto a high degree and produced such eminent
physicist asKindi, Jahiz, Banu Musa, Beruni, RaziandAbdur Rahman Ibn
Nasr.
Work of Muslim Physicists
Al-Kindi
Abu Yusuf Ibn Ishaq, known asal-Kindiwas born at Kufa in the middle of
the 9th century and flourished in Baghdad. He is the most dominating
and one of the greatest Muslim scholars of physics. Over and above
this, he was an astrologer, philosopher, alchemist, optician and
musical theorist. He wrote more than265 books, the majority of which
have been lost.
Most of his works which survived are in Latin having been translated
by Gerard of Cremona. Of these fifteen are onmeteorology, several on
specific weight, ontides, onopticsand onreflection of light, and eight
are on music. His optics influenced Roger Bacon. He wrote several
books on iron and steel to be used for weapons. He applied mathematics
not only to physics, but also to medicine.
He was therefore regarded by Cardon, a philosopher of the Renaissance,
"as one of the 12 subtlest minds." He thought that gold and silver
could only be obtained from mines and not through any other process.
He endeavored to ascertain the laws that govern thefall of bodies.
Razi
Razi investigated on the determination ofspecific gravityof means
ofhydrostatic balance, called by himMizan-al-Tabii. Most of his works
on physics, mathematics, astronomy and optics have perished. In
physics his writings deal with matter, space, time and motion. In his
opinion matter in the primitive state before the creation of the world
was composed of scattered atoms, which possessed extent. Mixed in
various proportions with the articles of void, these atoms produced
these elements which are five ih number namely earth, air, water, fire
and celestial element. Fire is created by striking iron on the stone.
Abu Rehan Beruni
Abu Rehan Beruni, was a versatile genius, who adorned the durbar
ofMahmud of Ghazni. His outstanding achievement in the realm of
physics was theaccurate determination of the weight of 18 stones. He
also discovered thatlight travels faster than sound. He has also
contributed immensely to geological knowledge by providing the correct
explanation of the formation of natural spring and artesian wells.
He suggested that the Indus valley was formerly an ancient basin
filled with alluvial soil. HisKitab al Jawahir(Book of Jewels) deals
with different types of gems and their specific gravity.
Khazini
Khazini, was a well known scientist of Islam, who explained the
greaterdensity of waterwhen nearer to the center of the earth. Roger
Bacon, who proved the same hypotheses afterwards based his proof on
the theories advanced by Khazini. His brilliant workMizanul
Hikmah(Balance of Knowledge) deals with gravity and containstables of
densities of many solids and liquids. It also contains "observation on
capillarity,uses of aerometerto measure densities and appreciate the
temperature of liquids, theory of the lever and the application of
balance to building."
Other notable Physicists
*.A voluminous unedited lapidary byBetuniis kept in manuscript form in
the Escorial Library. It deals with a large number of stones and
metals from the natural, commercial and medical point of view.
*.Barlu Musahas left behind him a work on balance, whileAl-Jahizused
hydrostatic balance to determine specific gravity.
*.An excellent treatise had been written byAl-Naziriregarding atmosphere.
*.Chapters on weights and measures' were written byIbn Jami and
Al-Attar.Abdur Rahman Ibn Nasrwrote an excellent treatise on weights
and measures for the use of Egyptian markets.