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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 household members to pool money for the Udhiyah and gift it to one of them?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is permissible for members of a household to pool their money together and gift the total amount to one individual among them so that he may offer the sacrifice (Udhiyah). In this case, the family members receive the reward for giving charity (Sadaqah), and the one performing the sacrifice includes them in the spiritual reward (Thawab).
 
Furthermore, slaughtering a single sheep (on one's own) is considered religously better than participating as one of seven people in the sacrifice of a cow or a camel. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on using an inhaler while fasting?

Using an inhaler through the nose or mouth breaks the fast because the medication in these inhalers is intended to reach the lungs, which are considered part of the body cavity (jauf).
● If a person needs to use it occasionally, they may use it while fasting, continue refraining from food and drink for the rest of the day, and make up for the missed fast later.
● If a person needs to use it daily, they may use it while fasting, continue refraining from food and drink, and pay fidyah (feeding one needy person per missed day).

What is the ruling on the follower (*maʾmūm*) reciting Sūrat al-Fātiḥah behind the imam?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
In our school of Islamic thought, the Shāfiʿī school, reciting al-Fātiḥah is obligatory in every rakʿah of the prayer for the imam, the follower (maʾmūm), and the one praying individually (munfarid), because it is one of the pillars (arkān) of the prayer. Whoever does not perform it, his prayer is invalid, whether the prayer is silent (sirriyyah) or audible (jahriyyah), based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “The prayer of the one who does not recite the Opening of the Book (Fātiḥat al-Kitāb) is invalid.” Agreed upon.
It is stated in ʿUmdat al-Sālik, one of the books of the Shāfiʿī school: “He recites al-Fātiḥah in every rakʿah, whether he is the imam, the follower, or the individual worshipper.”
The jurists of the other schools hold a different opinion, which was previously explained in Fatwa no. (3169); please refer to it. And Allah Almighty knows best.

In the Sharia-compliant viewing  at a prospective bride (*al-naẓrah al-sharʿiyyah*), is it permissible for the man to see the woman without a veil (*ḥijāb*)?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is sunnah for the suitor to see the woman he is seeking to marry within the limits the Sharīʿah permits, namely looking at the face and the hands (palms and backs), based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “Look at her, for it is more likely to bring about harmony between you.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhī.
The suitor may also ask one of the women to look at the woman he is seeking to marry. In that case, she is permitted to see of her what she is normally permitted to see, which is not limited to the face and hands, and she then describes these matters to the suitor. It is narrated on the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Umm Sulaym to look at a girl, and said: “Smell her breath, and look at her heels.” Narrated by Aḥmad in his Musnad.
It is stated in Tuḥfat al-Muḥtāj (Vol.7/p.192): “For one who cannot easily look, or does not wish to look himself, it is sunnah to send someone who is permitted to look at her, to observe her and describe her to him, even regarding what he himself is not permitted to look at. He thereby gains through the sending what he would not gain through looking. Because of the added need for this, it is excepted from the prohibition of a woman describing another woman to a man.”
The permissibility of looking is conditional upon his resolve to marry her once he is able to, his predominant assumption that his proposal will be accepted, and his assumption that the woman is free of marriage and of a waiting period (ʿiddah). Otherwise, looking is forbidden.
Accordingly, it is not permissible for the suitor to look at anything other than the face and hands. He may ask one of his maḥram women, such as his mother or sister, to see the woman unveiled, and the Sharia-compliant viewing (of a prospective bride) must take place in the presence of one of the woman’s maḥrams. And Allah Almighty knows best.