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I have only one question. A Shia converted sunni virgin girl can marry a shia guy without her walis permission?When its 100% sure that her wali will not only reject but also force her to marry to any sunni guy. And we are so much afraid of falling in sins too.

Salam aleikom dear brothers and sisters This summer, I may get to meet ayatoallah Sistani (may Allah protect him and prolong his life) in sha Allah I want to hear from anyone here who have met him, how was it? How long did you get to be with him? Were there any specific rules you had to know before meeting him? I recently read somewhere that you are not allowed to ask any specific questions regarding fiqh issues when meeting him. Is this true? Sorry for so many questions, I just want to be prepared lol. Any replies are appreciated :) Jazakum Allah khayrun wa alsalam aleikom wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuhu.

Salam Alaykum, I had the tawfeeq of going to Iraq for ziyarat during Arbaeen and had the chance to meet Ayatullah Sistani (ha) with my group on January 5, 2013. He gave a brief talk to us and advice especially for believers living in the west. Here are some of the points that I remember from his talk that I think everyone can benefit from: - In the beginning he welcomed us all and prayed for us that our ziyarat be accepted. He then began by giving advice on the importance of purifying ones self. He said it is of utmost importance that we work hard towards purifying our nafs and that success in this life comes from that. He then quoted the verse: "Successful are the ones who purify themselves" (Qur'an 87:14). - He then spoke about the importance of having good akhlaq. He said the whole purpose of prophethood and all the prophets was towards perfecting our manners and akhlaq with each other. He quoted the hadith of the Prophet (saw): "I have not been sent except to perfect the moral attributes". He said we should give great importance to how we treat our fellow brothers and sisters and should be the best in character with them. - He tied this into the best way to spread the religion of Ahlulbayt (as) in the west is through our character and morals. He quoted the hadith by Imam Sadiq (as): "Call people towards us with something other than your tongue". He said we should see everyone as being part of us and not being separate from us. We should treat each other the way we want to be treated. He then quoted the hadith by the Prophet (saw): "Want for your fellow brother/sister what you want for yourself. Hate for your fellow brother/sister what you hate for yourself". - He spoke about the importance of seeking knowledge as it is the foundation and basis of our religion and that knowledge is not confined to only religious knowledge. But the worldly knowledges are also important if we can use them to benefit the Islamic Ummah and that we should excel in all fields of knowledge. Once we have this knowledge we should teach it to our fellow brothers and sisters. He emphasized about how we are all one and that we should see others children as our own. If their parents cannot teach their children something and we have that knowledge, we should teach their children as if they are our own. - He then spoke about that there is a threat trying to grow within Shias that is trying to separate us from the Maraja. He said to be wary of it and that is trying to break us apart and separate us from Islam. He gave the example that when we get sick we don't write our own prescriptions but we go to a doctor and we follow the prescription that the doctor gives us because he is more knowledgable in medicine than us. He said the maraja are just like doctors of our soul and that it is because they have studied years all the knowledges such as Rijal, Hadith etc that they can tell us what is halal and haram based on the teachings of Ahlulbayt (as). - He finally said that he prays especially for the believers in the West every morning after Fajr that we remain steadfast and successful in our religion. Someone asked Ayatullah Sistani (ha) about his health, he replied: - Being 82 years old, he has no complaints about his health Alhamdulillah he is doing very well right now. He said the only thing that bothers him is that he has not left his home in years to go outside due to the situation and that does take a bit of a toll on him. But besides that he is doing well. Someone asked about why he doesn't start a Hawza in the west such as in London, he replied: - He had spoken before to some people who run Shia institutions there but he said there we can only teach the basics and preliminaries. Students from the west who truly want to learn to be scholars should come to Najaf as all the resources and teachers are here and everything is established. Alhamdulillah Ayatullah Sistani looked very well and good in health and spoke very nicely. If you want to read my whole experience of what it felt like meeting him, you can read it here at my new blog: http://wisdomful.blogspot.com/. I also had chance to meet Grand Ayatullah Taqi al-Modarresi and Grand Ayatullah Bashir al-Najafi. I have a brief video of Ayatullah Modarresi which I'll upload and share soon and write about what they had to say some other time. If anyone has any questions about my trip feel free to ask. Iltimase dua

Syed Sistani mentions how a husband can't refrain from having intimacy with his young wife for more than 4 months. I was wondering if there is a similar timeline for women where they can refrain from intimacy for x amount of days? Also, another question that I have is that what would be valid reasons for a wife to refuse intimacy from her husband without her refusal being counted as a sin? From what I understand (so far) is if a wife has any of the 3 reasons to refuse intimacy then she won't get any sins for refusing. But if a wife says that "she is simply not in the mood" then the wife will be committing a sinful act?

My sibling is going to be graduating from a UK university in a few months. My family and I will be attending and we have also booked some seats for a dinner that will occur after the graduation ceremony. The dinner would consist of other university students (there will be Muslims attending as well) and will also serve halal meals (which my family and I selected). Now for this dinner everyone will be seated in a big dining table and wine/alcohol will be served to individuals who choose to drink (non-muslims, Christians, etc). I recently came across some hadiths and rulings which stated that it is haram to sit in a table where wine/alcohol is being served and wanted to ask if my family and I (including my siblings) would need to cancel our booking? (I also have some additional questions about this topic which I have included in the end of this post) Another question that popped up in my head is that are the same rules of not being able to sit in the table where wine/alcohol is being served applicable to other haram things such as pork? Here are the hadiths that I found from al-islam .org: If liquor is served on a table, it is Haram to sit there and eat even if one does not touch the wine. Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (‘a) informs that the Holy Prophet (S) said: “Accursed, accursed is the one who sits at a table where wine is being served.”15 The Holy Prophet (S) also says: “One who believes in Allah and the last day, must not even sit at the table where wine is kept.”16 Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (‘a) says: “Do not sit with drunkards because when the curse descends it engulfs all the people in the company of the drunkards.”17 Some scholars have stated that it is not permitted to be in the company of people where anything Haram is being done. For example, backbiting about a Muslim. It is then obligatory on a person to leave immediately if possible and be free of the sin of just being in this company. Also, if by his leaving, the others will discontinue their sinful action, it is obligatory on him to do so. I also found a link from Sistani's website which says that one must leave the table where wine/alchohol is being served: Answer: Yes, it is obligatory to move away from that table. Question 1 (For Muslim students who are studying at a university abroad) So I am planning on going to the UK for my masters degree and the university that I plan on attending allocates students to different colleges that host daily lunches and dinners (halal food options are available). My siblings have shared that wine/alcohol is served in these events so I am confused on how to approach this type of situation in the future where my class mates are having a class lunch/dinner and expect me to attend. I am guessing that I would have to refuse to attend these events because wine/alcohol will be served? My siblings shared how there is a mix of Muslim and non-Muslims students at the dining table and everyone usually discusses things related to their particular university course. They also mentioned how some of these lunches/dinners are networking events so I am personally not sure on whether I can attend a lunch/dinner for the purpose of networking or listening to a speech (given by industry professionals) at these events. (I would like to point out that my siblings were not aware of the rule that it is haram to sit in a table where alcohol is being served and they have just found out about it recently) My question for Muslims university students (who have attended or are attending university abroad) is how do you handle/deal with these type of situations? I am guessing the answer is to not attend these events but I am curious to hear if there are some other responses. Question 2 (How to handle situations where work events serve wine/alcohol and you are required to attend) Another question that I have is that how do Muslim working professionals deal with work situations where they need to attend a event where wine/alcohol is being served? I am planning on making a career change to the start-up investing/venture capital sector and I have noticed is that a lot of venture capitalists are required to attend networking events to talk/engage with start-up founders (from what I have observed, these networking events do serve wine/alcohol). I guess my question is that how should one handle situations where their work requires them to attend certain events but the events serve something haram like wine/alcohol?

Salaam everyone, inshaAllah you are well. I am 20, female. Baiscally, I have missed around 11 years of prayers (counting from age 9). I have prayed in between but not regularly. Also I doubt my prayers were right/accepted. I finally learnt my salaah properly recently. So now I have around 11 years of missed prayers. What is the quickest and simplest way of catching up on these prayers? I follow Sistani if that's any help. JazakAllah Khairun !!!!!!!!

While it's true, there are disagreements among our Alims about many things, what shall we do when will not have any of then any more? What shall we do when most of them are going to settle in the west and are loosing their core values? We lost the Shirazi family. We lost the Khoeis..who shall guide us when the Shias like Yasser Habib are getting obsessed about Umar, Aisha, Shias like Khamenei getting obsessed with politics??? What shall we do to get us enlightened with the true Islam, true tashayyu??

Salam, I have been following a Marja for as long as I can remember and recently found out that he has some controversial views/ outlooks (not sure exactly about what but apparently he has closed his office). I am now trying to do my research so that I can choose a new Marja with a proper understanding of their way of thinking. The issue is I don’t know where to start. I did a quick google search of the main Marja, but most of them had no websites in english that I could thoroughly explore (the exception being Seyed Sistani). Could you please assist by suggesting the main Marja I should look into, linking their websites if they have any or any books available in English. I appreciate any other extra knowledge you may have to share. Jazakallah Khairan

Al Salam aleykom I have been having some issues with my parents on many different matters like what job I want or what clothes I wear etc. I don't want to work with something haram / wear something haram it's totally halal things that i want but my parents often force me to do otherwise. I understand that I need to obey my parents since I live with them but to what degree can they force me to study/work with something I do not want or force me not to wear something that is totally acceptable/halal. By the way I am a baligh male. I follow sayyid sistani. Also if you could cite sources for what I need to obey them in I will be grateful (doesn't have to be from sistani). Walsalam alaykom.

Salam Aleykum Brothers and Sisters in Islam! There seems to be a new Fatwa by Seyed Ayatollah Sistani! According to the past this was stated in the Q&A section of his (the emince) website Question: What is your ruling about cat hair on a person's dress during salat? Answer: Cat hair does not make prayers void. Cat Hair 2Question: Can I keep a cat in my house? Answer: There is no problem. Animals 3Question: Does cat hair affect your prayers. Answer: According to Grand Ayatollah Sistani, cat hair does not affect the prayers. Animals 4Question: What is the Islamic law about cat hair found on your clothes during prayer? Answer: Cat hair does not affect your prayer. Now lately looking into the Q&A section it got some changes! Question: What is your ruling about cat hair on a person's dress during salat? Answer: If there is one cat hair or there are two or three hairs on a person's body or clothe, his prayer is in order but if there are more than that, his prayer becomes void, as an obligatory precaution. Cat Hair 2Question: Can I keep a cat in my house? Answer: There is no problem. Animals 3Question: Does cat hair affect your prayers. Answer: According to Grand Ayatollah Sistani, cat hair does not affect the prayers. Now my question is what does this tell me now, cause it got me really confused when u look at question 1 and question 3, here. Is it now permissible to pray with cathair on your clothes or even on your prayer rugs or not. The problem is I am a follower of him and had persian cats over so many years. Now this is stated and obviously my cats didn't die. What shall I do? I will do whatever it takes to make my Salat being Inshallah accepted by Allah swt. but there must be something or an option without giving them away! If you could help me I would remember you in my supplications! Wa Salam Seyed Ashkan "WalAsr"

Ayatollah Sayyed Ali al-Sistani (may Allah lengthen his life) is considered as the greatest living shia scholar of this time. What makes him the greatest shia scholar? Is that so because he is politically influential in Iraq? He has no presence in public (let alone social media). Perhaps, he has not delivered even a single public lecture in his whole life. If he had done so, it would have been available online in form of audio or video clip. So, he is not listened to as well contrary to other modern scholars of other schools of thoughts. His books are also not well read by common men. His only mass translated book is Tauzeeh al-Masail (Islamic Laws). The book contain no rationale/discussion behind his fatawa. This is contrary to the famous ulema of Ahlul Hadith (al-Bani, al-Baz to say a few), who beside mentioning their verdict also persent their rationale/arguments in their fatawa too. Yes, there are alot of his muqalids (followers). But it shocking to see that most of these muqalids do not know much about him except that he is a great scholar. His official website al-Sistani.org is full of stuff like "permissible" and "not permissible" without explaining wisdom behind it most of the times. The website's "Send Question" session explicitly mentions that "We do not reply to purely scientific questions or those that are not of daily use or questions about the concept and wisdom [sic] of Islamic laws." Some of his fatawa are somehow impracticable and hard to act upon. For instance, he says a Non-Muslim is najis (ritually impure), and to him ritual purity (tahaarat) is obligatory for touching Qur'an. So in his view, Non-Muslim can not touch Qur'an. Isn't strange? If he can't touch Qur'an, how can he get guidance from it? Someone may argue that a Non-Muslim can touch translation only copy of Qur'an. Now, let's suppose the Non-Muslim in question is among a million native Arabic speaking Non-Muslims living in Middle East & Central Asia, what should he do when the only language he knows is Arabic? An educated person living in this globalised era demands reasoning and argument for following religious verdicts. This is not an era of blind following. Modern scholars (or their representatives) have considerable presence on social media. For example, Dr Zakir Naik (he mainly follows fatawa of reputed Ahlul Hadith scholars) conducts online Q & A session regularly on his YouTube & Facebook link. He welcomes any type of question & he explains wisdom behind Islamic Laws too. Why can't Sayyed al-Sistani or any of his well learned representative hold such sessions too?

Asalam u Alikum I saw a dream today (Friday) in the morning. The grand ayatollah Ali Sistani RA sent a man to me. He was wearing white Pakistani dress. He was in his 20s with light beard and wearing glasses. He told me that Ali Sistani RA is meeting with the world leaders of tomorrow. He said that he wishes to meet me as well. We were sitting on a grassy hill. I said that I would love to meet him. Then I saw Ayatollah Sahab coming in a white dress with two or three guys with him. But as soon as we were going to meet, my dad came and woke me up. What does it mean? Can anyone help me with the interpretation?

Salam, I had a question regarding missed days of fasting. I had a combined total of 121 days of fasting missed from the year 2010 to the year 2015. I had intentionally not fasted. I have been fasting every Ramadan since the year 2016. I started to make up the days that I missed starting in the year 2016, before the Ramadan of 2016, and was able to complete all 121 missed days before the start of Ramadan for the year 2019. I have not done anything else to make up my fasts other than fasting the days that I missed. What exactly is my kaffarah? I am a muqallid of Ayatollah Sistani. I went on Ayatollah Sistani’s website to figure out what exactly I had to do in order to become current on my fasts, but I got confused. I would really appreciate it if I can get guidance on what I exactly need to do. I regret not fasting on those days and I would like to fix it. Thank you.

Salam, As the title suggest, the authorities are not allowing Tania burial in my city Lucknow and across various different cities in India. The only places that are exempted are villages where people bribed the authorities. I would like to know the opinion of Maria in such a case as I was unable to find any statements from Ayatulah Sistani. Moreover, is it compulsory to bury tazia.

What are your thoughts on this video and how do we reconcile the daunting points raised? @Mahdavist https://www.sistani.org/english/qa/01128/

(salam) (bismillah) I came across this fatwa by al-Sistani that has been recently given. I found it interesting. Sunday, October 13, 2013835 MasonDearborn, MI 48124United StatesSee map: Google MapsQuestion No. 100644 The subject of the question: Insulting the companions and wives of the prophet (s.a.w.a.) --------------------------------------------- The Question: as-Salamu Alykum wa rahmatu Allah wa barakatuhu, A video clip has been seen several times on social network web sites showing a congregation during the martyrdom of al-Imam al-Jawad (a.s.). This group of people from the area known as al-A'dhamiyyah are shown shouting out insults upon 'Omar, A’isha, and others. Is this type of behavior condemned by the supreme religious authority, especially since it involves the insult of religious figures of our brothers of the Sunni school of thought, and it could potentially fuel unrest amongst the people of Iraq and jeopardize peace? The Answer: In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful This type of behavior is condemned, strongly denounced and contrary to the commands of the Imams of the Holy Household of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) to their followers. Allah is The Guide. The Office of Ayatullah Sayyid al-Sistani The Holy City of Najaf 12/2/1434 Source: https://secure.imam-us.org/fatwa/companions?utm_source=Sayyid+Sistani%27s+fatwa+about+the+Prophet%27s+%28s.a.w.a.%29+companions&utm_campaign=Sistani+Companion+Sahabah&utm_medium=email (salam)

Asalamualaykum, I have always (or at least in the past 5 years), refrained from music like rap, sensual songs, and just things with too much beat in them. For the past month or so, I have put haram music aside completely but ever since, I've been in this kind of paranoia and anxiety of what is haram and what is halal. I've read my marja's ruling on music over and over again this past month but I just don't seem to get it completely. My marja' is Seyed Sistani and if someone (familiar with fatwas and/or following Ayatullah Sistani) would please help clarify some questions for me I will really appreciate it and may Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) bless you inshaAllah. The following 2 links are what I am going based off of. One is all the basic rulings on music and the other contains more info from the Q&A. (please take note of what is noted as "compulsory/ obligatory precaution and what is noted as haram/forbidden) https://www.Sistani.org/english/book/46/2071/ https://www.Sistani.org/english/book/46/2072/ Meanwhile I've pretty much stopped listening to all music due to a post on shiachat with a whole long list of supposed hadiths from Imam Sadiq AS about music and they were so so strict and harsh that I've just been terrified of all types of music and I just feel very confused inside. It just doesn't make much sense that music is as great as a sin as murder, or any other of the greatest sins. I'd like to know whether these hadiths are even authentic? Is it just an exaggeration caused by translation errors? The hadiths are also found here: https://www.al-Islam.org/greater-sins-volume-1-ayatullah-Sayyid-abdul-husayn-dastghaib-shirazi/fifteenth-greater-sin-music I'm asking because some of these hadiths are not compatible with what Seyed Sistani is saying. The hadiths seem to say music, in totality, and anything close to it is completely haram and punishable,but Sistani seems to distinguish between haram and permissible music. and even says that haram music " does not mean that the music or the song’s tune amuses the heart or changes the mental state because there is nothing wrong in it. " I don't think I should doubt that my marja' has already read an is knowledgable of the hadiths of the Imams (pbu them). However, I'm still struggling with trying to understand what he means when saying " the music or the song that is suitable for entertainment and amusement gatherings". Does that mean dance party music? could someone please give examples of halal music or answer my questions below based on Seyed Sistani's rulings? To further clarify what the said phrase means: does "entertainment and amusement gatherings" mean two criteria? Number 1: entertainment and Number 2: amusement gatherings? or is "entertainment and amusement" used as a single description of that gathering? If someone knew the Farsi version maybe that would help because translations sometimes make it harder to understand. My more specfic questions are: 1. Is ney (reed flute) music halal? The ney I was told was halal before but I don't know now because of this: "The Messenger of Allãh ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).) said, “And the person with the [sin of] singing (al-ghinã’) will be raised [on the day of resurrection] blind, deaf and dumb. The person with [the sin of] adultery, of wood-wind, and of drum will also be raised in the same way.” Is ney a woodwind instrument? It is rarely used in any type of " entertainment and amusement gatherings" but rather gatherings of religious poets and such. The ney has such a beautiful and simple sound that is just something I always listened to that made me remember and become presently conscious Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) and the purpose of our existence on Earth. Either way, In short, I just find it hard to think that it is haram. Is it? I feel like based of Sistani's description it is allowed but those hadiths supposedly from Imam Sadiq AS is what throws me off. 2. Is traditional (sonnati) persian music halal? (For example Shahram nazeri or shajarian?) Based on Seyed Sistani's description of what is and isn't ghina. Can you give me examples of other singing which would not be ghina? 3. I am a writer and I write fantasy and fiction. I have always enjoyed listening to what is called "epic music" while I write or even just for workout. Epic music is not commonly listened to by a large audience because it's basically the dramatic music used in movie backgrounds. Is that music considered as music used in " entertainment and amusement gatherings"? 4. Finally, would classical music be allowed? I know this post is quite lengthy but I believe it could help clarify things for many people inshaAllah. If I do not receive logical and descent answers here I will ask on Ayatullah Sistani's website and post the answer here inshaAllah in case it might be helpful for anyone else. May Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) guide us towards the right path and make it easy for us to obey and satisfy Him. Ameen.

Salamunalekum, I want to know cricket betting is halal or haram???

Salam, Sistani (may Allah bless him) is a true representation of how a true and pious muslim should act. Sistani's love for ahlulbayt (as) reflects through his personality and words. I have been following him and he seems like a very peaceful and a very wise man. I just went through his statement on Shia Sunni unity and it is truly amazing knowing how loving he is towards our Sunni brothers/sisters. I wish more Sunni scholars had let go of their egos and put aside the differences and consider us shias as muslims (not these kafir labels). Sistani is a huge Shia figure and for him to say the following words, shows how less of an ego he has. Most scholars today unfortunately love to attack other sects and label them "kafir". This is nothing but ignorance by imposing your own views. I have realised that this is why Shia Sunni unity can't happen because many sunni scholars aren't willing to associate with us Shias. Name me a Sunni scholar(a very big figure) who would be so open-minded for a Sunni to pray in a Shia mosque. The following are some of his statements: - "There is no real difference between Shiite and Sunni beliefs, and I am the servant of all Iraqis [either Sunni or Shiite],” he emphasizes. “I love everyone, and this religion [Islam] is the religion of love,”. - "We should attend Sunnis’ Friday prayers more than Shiite’s. We do not discriminate between Arabs and Kurds, and Islam has collected all of us" - "This kind of conferences are highly important, since they help Shiites and Sunnis find out that there is no real difference between their beliefs, and the difference simply is on legal (Fiqh) issues" I don't mean to attack my Sunni brothers and sisters but It hurts me when we are labelled 'Kafir' by Sunnis. Why can't we all put our fiqh issues aside and be one unit. Going to a sunni mosque in my university and praying in our Shia way leaves such a "frightened look" in so many sunnis faces.

salam everyone my eid is on saturday. i currently live in sydney and it takes me an hour and a half to get to wollongong. am i valid to fast? i follow sistani and i know according to him, you cannot fast when travelling far.

Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barkatuh, Dear brothers and sisters, I don't know how to begin telling this, but the problem is that I'm in something of a fix. A while ago, I had emailed a question to sistani.org. As everyone here knows, they take a lot of time to respond, so I emailed najaf.org as well, since they respond relatively quicker. The question was about a personal issue I'd rather not discuss here in public, so please don't mind that. But now that I have received the replies from both the websites, I see that the fatawa given are contradictory to each other. I initially thought that it must have been a typing error, but when I ran a search, I found that najaf.org has been giving the same reply for at least the past three years (they've been shared by other brothers as well), and that's too long a time for a discrepancy to not be caught and rectified. To double check if it wasn't a mistake, I re-sent the mail to najaf.org, and their reply has been the same i.e. contradictory to the one sent by sistani.org. What should I do in this situation? How do I know if the verdict of his eminence (ha) has changed, and hence the discrepancy and contradiction?

SA, I had surgery recently and my doctor said I cannot put water on my head because I have stitches. I recently have become in a state of Janabat. How can I do ghusl if my head cannot become wet? I follow Sistani and I’m a man.

What are the views of Shia scholars on apostasy. Is someone to be punished for leaving islam generally, or is it only when one leaves islam publicly? Please give sources with scholars such as syed sistani, syed khamanei, and others

What really annoys me is that these women who put hijab and posts pictures on facebook and their insta account not to mention the rest of the platforms. Both Sayed sistani and khamenei doesnt allow it. And when i ask them if they're committed they'd be like yes of course... if you mention them the picture issue they start giving all the excuses possible which is even more disappointing. What kills me more is to see them doing the duckface! Do you think imam al mahdi is proud of these women? Shame.

A good article on Christmas that summarises the Fiqhi opinion of Sayyed Al-Sistani. Also, the article contains information regarding sending salam to the kitabi unbelievers. https://purifiedhousehold.com/salams-or-merry-christmas/