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It is Forbidden for a Person with a Contagious Disease to Mix with others
Author : The General Iftaa` Department
Date Added : 05-07-2023

It is Forbidden for a Person with a Contagious Disease to Mix with others

 

Praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

 

The General Iftaa` Department confirms that the preservation of human life is amongst the great purposes of Islamic Law. This is reflected in the Glorious Quran and the Sunnah of our Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), and the sayings of the great jurists from amongst the Imams of our Muslim nation.

In order to save souls and lives, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) commanded that we protect ourselves from contagious diseases and adopt legitimate measures to limit their spread. Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said, "(There is) no 'Adwa (no contagious disease is conveyed without Allah's permission). nor is there any bad omen (from birds), nor is there any Hamah, nor is there any bad omen in the month of Safar, and one should run away from the leper as one runs away from a lion." {Transmitted by Bukhari}. He (PBUH) also said: "The cattle (sheep, cows, camels, etc.) suffering from a disease should not be mixed up with healthy cattle, (or said: "Do not put a patient with a healthy person). " (as a precaution) {Transmitted by Bukhari & Muslim}.

 

Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) also commanded resorting to quarantine as a means to prevent the spread of contagious diseases. He said, "If you hear of a plague in a land, do not enter it, and if it breaks out in a land where you are, do not leave it." (Transmitted by Bukhari & Muslim).

 

Our great jurists have taken the above into account. Sheikh al-Islam Imam Zakariya al-Ansari al-Shafi'i said:" The judge 'Iyad has narrated from the scholars that the leper is prevented from the mosque, Friday prayer, and mixing with the people." (Asna al-Matalib, V.1:215).Imam al-Shihab ibn Hajar al-Haytami al-Shafi'i stated: "The reason for preventing someone like a leper is fear of harm, and in such situation prevention is obligatory." (Al-Fatawa al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kubra, V.1:212).

 

Based on the above, it is obligatory for everyone to fully comply with all health and regulatory instructions issued by the competent authorities, in obedience to Allah the Almighty and to those in authority. Allah says {What means}: " O ye who believe! Obey God, and obey the Apostle, and those charged with authority among you." {An-Nisa`, 59}. 

 

Everyone must also take the necessary means to prevent the transmission and spread of the disease, such as wearing a mask, maintaining safety distances, staying away from gatherings, avoiding shaking hands and kissing, and taking appropriate medications and vaccines. It is also forbidden for someone who has been infected with a contagious disease or who is suspected of being infected with it to transmit it to others by mixing with them. He/she must take the necessary health precautions, such as quarantine, even in their home. Moreover, it is forbidden for him/her to hide their illness so as not to harm others.

 

We ask Allah Almighty to bless our country along with all Muslim countries with safety and security, and to protect us from diseases and ailments. Verily, He is capable of that, and our last prayer is that all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

 

 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible for a woman who has become pure before the end of forty days of confinement to perform different acts of worship? and is it lawful for her husband to have sex with her?

Once postpartum bleeding ceases and she is certain that it won`t happen again, she becomes pure, and so she should perform Ghusl (ritual bath), pray, and fast. She can also have sex with her husband even before the end of (40) days because the minimum of postpartum bleeding is a moment, and the maximum is (60) days. However, the postpartum bleeding for the majority of women is (40) days, but this does not apply to rest of them.

What is the recommended supplication (Du'a) upon breaking the fast, and is it recited before or after breaking it?

 
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is recommended (Mustahabb) for a fasting person to recite upon breaking the fast—that is, immediately after eating or drinking—the supplication: "Allahumma laka sumtu wa 'ala rizqika aftartu" (O Allah, for You I have fasted, and with Your provision I have broken my fast).
 
This is because our master, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), used to say this. The narration was recorded by Abu Dawud with a good (Hasan) chain of transmission, albeit in a Mursal form (a narration where a Successor reports directly from the Prophet). Shaykh al-Islam Imam Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (may Allah have mercy upon him) stated: "Its Mursal status is inconsequential, as it pertains to virtuous deeds (Fada'il); furthermore, it was connected (Mawsul) through another chain of transmission." [Tuhfat al-Muhtaj, Vol.3/P.425]
 
It is also recommended to recite: "Dhahaba al-dhama'u wa ibtallat al-'uruqu wa thabata al-ajru in sha' Allah" (The thirst has gone, the veins are moistened, and the reward is confirmed, if Allah wills).
 
This was recorded by Abu Dawud with a good (Hasan) chain. Our leading jurists (Imams) have explicitly stated that it is recommended for the fasting person to combine both supplications.
 
Imam al-Bajuri (may Allah have mercy upon him) stated:
 
 
"And his saying following his breaking of the fast—that is, it is recommended to say: 'O Allah, for You I have fasted, upon Your provision I have broken my fast, in You I have believed, to You I have submitted, and upon You I have relied. The thirst has gone, the veins are moistened, and the reward is confirmed, if Allah wills. O You of vast bounty, forgive me. Praise be to Allah Who aided me so that I fasted, and provided for me so that I broke my fast. O Allah, grant us success in fasting, enable us to stand in night prayer during it, and aid us in it while people sleep, and admit us to Paradise in peace.'" [Hashiyat al-Bajuri, Vol.1/P.562]
 
Furthermore, the fasting person may supplicate with whatever good he or she wishes, for the supplication of a fasting person is answered. Al-Bayhaqi recorded on the authority of Anas ibn Malik that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Three supplications are not rejected: the supplication of a parent for his child, the supplication of a fasting person, and the supplication of a traveler." And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law regarding one who slaughters a ewe and it turns out to have been pregnant, and is it permissible to slaughter the ewe if one knows it is pregnant?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
If a person slaughters a ewe and it turns out to have been pregnant, the fetus becomes lawful (ḥalāl) by virtue of its mother's slaughter (tabaʿan li-ummihā).
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vol.6/P.158): "A fetus found dead [after the mother's slaughter], or found alive but in a state resembling that of a slaughtered animal [i.e., dying shortly after], becomes lawful — whether or not it had grown fur — provided it is found in the womb of a mother that was lawfully slaughtered, whether her slaughter was by cutting the throat, or by an arrow or hunting dog sent after her. This is based on the ḥadīth: 'The slaughtering of the fetus is [effected by] the slaughtering of its mother' [narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who graded it ḥasan, and by Ibn Ḥibbān, who graded it ṣaḥīḥ] — meaning that the slaughter which rendered the mother lawful renders the fetus lawful as well, by virtue of following her; and because the fetus is one of her constituent parts, and her slaughter renders lawful all of her parts."
This ruling differs, however, from the case of one who knows from the outset that the ewe is pregnant [and intends to sacrifice her specifically as the udḥiyah while pregnant] — in which case, according to the Shāfi'ī school, she does not fulfill the requirement of a valid sacrifice.
It is stated in Ḥāshiyat al-Bujayrimī 'alā al-Khaṭīb (Vol.4/P.335): "A pregnant animal does not fulfill the requirement [of a valid sacrifice], and this is the authoritative position (al-mu'tamad), because pregnancy diminishes the quality of the meat. As for why such an animal is nevertheless counted as complete [i.e., fully valid] in matters of zakāh, that is because the intent there is reproduction (nasl), not the quality of the meat.". And Allah, the Most High, knows best.

What is the ruling on water present on the floor of a toilet/bathroom?

The default ruling is the purity of this water present on the bathroom floor. If one is certain or strongly suspects its impurity, then one washes whatever part of the body or clothing this impure water has touched. If one doubts its impurity, the default is purity, and we do not rule it impure based on mere doubt. And Allah the Almighty knows best.