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Salamun-aliakum brothers & sisters, This is my first topic discussion so please bare with me. I basically have stopped listening to all forms of music ever since I've decided to dedicate myself more to the religion of Islam. I had attempted to find some sort of loophole to make it permissible, but no avail (maybe that's a good thing). I follow Ayotollah Sistani's ((رضي الله عنه).) fatwa on music and I'm pretty sure we all know it's basically a resounding NO to all forms of music, at least the ones I grew up with and find enjoyable. I had found something rather interesting after stumbling across Imam Khomenei's website. Q1123. What is meant by lahwī music? And how best can one recognize it? A: Lahwī and deviating music is that which due to its characteristics keeps human beings away from Allah, the sublime, and away from moral merits and drives them towards sinful acts and carelessness. Its recognition rests with the common people. So, basically long story short, I ask this out of pure curiosity and not so I can "suck the pleasures out of the dunya", trust me, I hope we can all collectively agree that this world is NOTHING but a vessel for our deeds and a ground for us to know The Creator. I am curious if in your guys' opinion, the music links I will be putting down below would fall into the category of lahwi or ghina. This music is considered "indie" with popular themes regarding: melancholy, self-betterment, happiness, sadness, etc. mainly human emotion. Many of the indie songs I used to listen to in my past wouldn't necessarily have sexual or intoxicative themes per-se, possibly in some a reference. Halcyon Age - YouTube Mac DeMarco // "Freaking Out The Neighborhood" - YouTube Tame Impala - Is It True (Official Video) - YouTube Please feel free to share any & all opinions and thoughts, while being respectful :-)

Does Khamenei believe in the Qiyas? I asked it after I came to know he had written a books named " Personal views on arts ".

Can someone elaborate on these two wilayat concepts Also on a video by sayed ammar, I head that both shia and sunni literature suggest that Imam Ali(عليه السلام) was able to place back the fingers of a thief after already cutting them. Can I please see sources

Aside from the 5 daily prayers for witch you always have to face Mecca, can you face Jerusalem for your other prayers, is it halal? Do even prayers for which you have to face Jerusalem even exist. And while we're on the topic, are there prayers where you don't have to face Mecca? This may sound stupid to some people, but hey, curiosity isn't a bad thing... most of the time.

My mom says its haram to have fish thats killed in the water, is that true,since i want to go bow fishing with my friends and I would be killing the fish in the water with my bow and arrow. Thank you.

In light of the 18th school shooting in the United States this year (and it's only mid-February) I've been seeing a lot of posts on Facebook and Twitter about gun violence and gun laws in the United States. Invariably, someone will assert that the government can't regulate firearms - the Second Amendment to the Constitution forbids it. They need to familiarize themselves with the actual text of the Constitution, not the propaganda. Actually, the second amendment specifically spells out gun control. Note the words "well regulated". Amendment II A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. So who is the regulator? Believe it or not, those foresighted men who wrote and ratified the Bill of Rights covered that too. Amendment X The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. So each state can regulate who can or can not join a militia, or each locality, or if We the People have another idea who should regulate, we can do that too. The point is the militia must be well regulated. The Constitution doesn't spell out anyone's right to protect their home from burglars or to hunt deer or turkeys; to be honest, those probably fall under "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". The Constitution guarantees your right to join a well regulated militia for the purpose of national defense. It does not guarantee the right of each individual to own and use firearms, any more than it guarantees a right to libel or blackmail with the first amendment. https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights-transcript

Asslamoalaikum Wa Rehmatullah Hae Wa Barakatu. My Question is that I came to know that one can not offer prayer in a room where pictures are hanging. In my room there are pictures handing behind me when I offer prayer and certain on my left side on the wall and on right side on the wall. Can I offer prayer in this room. There is no picture in front when I face Qibla. Please specially tell the fatwa of Ayatullah Ali Al Sistani (hz)

It seems a trend for many Muslims to easily labeling as haram on almost anything such as music, sports, driving, riding bicycles, movies, TV, INTERNET including youtube, etc. thus unnecessarily harming health, work and educational opportunities for many, especially for women. Such trend would be a catalyst for attacks on Islamic system as a whole from inside and out if left ignored. In going over how things are ruled as haram(prohibited), let us start with Quran as a source. Ayat can be muHkam or mutashabih. The muHkam /clear verse which can be ‘aam / general, khaas / specific, (amr and nahy)/(imperative and prohibitive), or mushtarak / collective. مشترك Amr(imperative) can be Fard (obligatory by clear textual dalil evidence) wajib(necessary by probable evidence), manduub(recommended), or mubaah(permissible/indifferent). Nahy can be haram or makruh(disliked). So haram ruling is derived from nahy type of MuHkam verse which is absolutely clear by its own. Thus, Quranic source of haram, makruh, mubaah, manduub, wajib or fard ruling is from muHkam verses. Since some of us are subjected to such rulings with real consequences with accompanying execution power of rewards or punishments by rulers, we all must understand the mechanism of the rulings. If the source of such ruling is only from hadith with vague wording with outdated situation, such as allowed traveling distance for women; is it OK to apply the lower standard in deriving hukum than from Quran? Please help me here by correcting me in any part, offering your knowledge in this area of Islamic jurisprudence. Thank you in advance.

Hello / salam alaikum. I know that Islam is somewhat strict on marriages where husband is not a muslim (since children of such couple could potentially be raised as non-muslims and other issues).But is there any ruling on those who used to follow another religion but than converted to Islam? I am not talking about converting just for the sake of marrying a muslim but those who genuinely believe. Are they anyhow special in this case (e.g. that muslim women should still avoid them)? Another question is if such marriage between a born-muslim girl and a guy who converted during his adulthood (e.g. is from the west) can exist in real life? I am not asking for myself, I recently had a conversation about that matter with someone, but since both of us are not muslims we lack any knowledge on the subject. Thanks.

Sallam everyone, I'm new to Shia Fiqh, My Sunni friends have easy to follow syllabus for fiqh books they study in various schools. In indo/Paki they have the darsi nazami syllabus that outlines what students will study over a period of years. Is there anything similar from the shia tradition, does anyone know what syllabus they follow in Qoum, or other parts of the world ? Anyone know of any good basics books on the jafari madhab, fiqh of sallah and 5 pillars?

Hi .. This is a serious issue.. My friend is a pious muslim and has commited homosexuality with a boy and wants to repent now.. My question is ..will his repentence bring him back to islam? Are all his previous deeds ( namaz roza etc ) void as he commited this great sin? Can he still expect jannt after commiting this sin if he at all repents or does he compulsory need to go for hajj to repent for his sin and again lead a life of pious muslim?

Can someone confirm if the news article that I'm ready below is propaganda, made up anti-iran stuff? And if its not, can someone clarify the bold below? If it did happen, is there proper justification? In reference to one of the worst mass executions in the modern history of the Middle East, being carried by the government officials, Montazri stated that “So, now, without their having carried out any new activities (the prisoners), we execute them. This means that all of us screwed up, our entire judicial system is wrong”. He talks about a 15 years old girl being executed because she liked her brother who was also executed. Amnesty International estimates that in the summer of 1988, the overall number of people executed were 4,500. Some estimates reach as high as over 30,000 people. He adds “In Esfahan, a pregnant woman was among them [those massacred]. In Esfahan they executed a pregnant woman.... [In clerical jurisprudence] one must not execute a woman even if she is a mohareb (enemy of God). “I reminded [the Supreme Leader] of this, but he said they must be executed. In the month of Moharram, at least in the month of Moharram, the month of God and the Prophet, it shouldn’t be like this. At least feel some shame before Imam Hussein. Cutting off all meetings and suddenly engaging in such butchery, dragging them out and Bang! Bang!!! Does this happen anywhere in the world? ...” Montazeri’s audio points to one of the worst crimes against humanity committed in modern history and it continues to occur. It points to the means that the government uses to control the population and silence opposition. It also points to the interconnectedness of Shiite Islam, power and authoritarianism, and it points to the dominance of the IRGC, intelligence, Khamenei and their loyalists. For more details and nuances you can read full version on Here. _______________________ Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is an American political scientist, business advisor, best-selling author, and the president of the International American Council on the Middle East. Harvard-educated, Rafizadeh serves on the advisory board of Harvard International Review. An American citizen, he is originally from Iran and Syria, lived most of his life in Iran and Syria till recently. He is a board member of several significant and influential international and governmental institutions, and he is native speaker of couple of languages including Arabic and Persian. He also speaks English and Dari, and can converse in French, Hebrew. You can sign up for Dr. Rafizadeh’s newsletter for the latest news and analyses on HERE. You can also order his books on HERE. You can learn more about Dr. Rafizadeh on HERE. You can contact him at Dr.rafizadeh@post.harvard.edu or follow him at @Dr_Rafizadeh. Follow Dr. Majid Rafizadeh on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Dr_Rafizadeh

I consort to the notions that nothing is more beautiful than the powers vested in He who ordains law to its highest consequence. For understanding such without understanding sound virtue is a desecration to He who ordained these laws and those without understanding are left to the vicissitudes of unjust causes, orders, and unnatural ways of dealings within the spheres of logical consequence, inference, and logical sound hood which is vested in the laws of those who understand power structures. For there is no power but He for those who disseminate law without understanding such constructs of existence in the highest planes of thought will resolve themselves to natures unfitting for those who practice law and practice the jurisprudence of a higher nature. For natures must be resolved within the constructs and countenances of human beings, in their demeanor, in their presence, in their just presence with their parents, in their just presence with their children, with all prior to embarking unto such avenues of justice. For justice unto the family must come prior to justice in worldly order. For the ties which are vested in the heavens are verily tied within the ties in the hemispheres of the earth. For mankind understands such notions as methods are drawn to rebuke such honest candor for power structures within the linguistics of those who understand law to its highest degree. For those who understand the legacies of those who understood law from the heavenly ordinances understand that love and mercy is paramount prior to embarking upon law which imbues power unto the self. For the self is destroyed amidst power for power unto one is a desecration for there is no power but He for His love and mercy pervades and His power surveys that which is a natural consequence of His love and mercy. For imbuing love and mercy is a necessity and to imbue constructs of law without emotional consequence is to consequent the necessary components of justice into a piece meal articulation which denies the truth of the highest matter in the truest form of understanding. For love decimates and pierces through the highest congruency of falsified natures for such exist within the lessons of law in the highest order of the West and to embark upon such without sound ordinances and knowledge is to decimate one's own integrity. For it is such natures which must be reprimanded and the jurisprudence of such is such that must be reconciled with the logical assets of those who understand sound conduct, grammar, rhetoric, lack of rhetoric, and that which is a necessity prior to the articulations and embarkment in such facets of law. For Law is inherent to the adjudications of all which transpires through the heavens and the earth. And those who deny themselves understanding Law prior to embarking on law, are vested in learning powers of an egregious nature. For it is inherent in our natures to learn of He prior to visiting such realms of thought. For without such understanding, we are left to the trappings of the devils who wish to confuse that which is inherently righteous with that which is meticulously imbued through the power of logical concourses of an unnatural consequence which is vested in the manipulations of those who understand the virtue of the word. For the word is powerful and unto those who understand the necessities of the heavens are forbidden from entering such structures without having a strong foundation of imaan and ihsan. Only those will prosper in the higher ordinances of law in the west.

Salam alaykum One of the best methods of defining hijab.

Salam, Is it permissible for a man to use his beardless photographs in social media or other places? My marja is Sistani.

As-salamu alaykum, dear brothers and sisters. There is an age-old global stigmatisation surrounding lawyers as being deceptive, immorally corrupt and greedy. As insulting as it may sound, it is worth noting that, like any other fabrication, it is not without its share of truth and falsity. However, like any other profession, the legal profession has been given a bad name due to certain lamentable individuals and their equally lamentable practices. In my humble opinion, however, this profession remains to be amongst the noblest ones. On that note, let me ask you this: What practices are condemned, morally and legally (with sharia and teachings of the Ahlulbyt as the comparative standards ), by Islam for legal practitioners? I would really appreciate if lawyers, judges, academics and law students contribute to this discussion. If possible please share personal experiences. I thank you in advance for taking the trouble of contributing to this discourse. May infinite blessings of Allah shower upon you.

Salaam Alaikum brothers and sisters! My question today regards jurisprudence concerning attending gay marriage ceremonies. I live in the United States, so this is a practice that is legal in many states. I am a Muslim convert (hamdullilah) in a family that is only Christian. My Uncle is getting married, and I know this is an awkward subject, but nonetheless I love as he is my family. My whole immediate family was giving invitations, and this will take place in a few months from now in the state of Colorado. I am currently attending college but I live in NJ, and live with my family when I go home during school break. So my question is, what do I do? If I refuse to attend the ceremony I will be criticized by family and I will create conflict as well. I find this is difficult matter as I strive to follow Islam as best as possible. So my question is, what is the ruling on attending a gay marriage, is it absolutely haram? Thank you brothers and sisters, Salaam (:

(salam) What's the Shia Islamic ruling on blasphemy; on those who insult the Prophet (pbuh)? I listened to Javed Ahmad Ghamidi and he seems to be 100% accurate in his views. References: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXKKHN0q-jc http://www.ghamidi.net/article/Punishment%20for%20Blasphemy.pdf Moreover, what do you all think of Salman Taseer who was killed because of his opposition to the Blasphemy Law of Pakistan?

For those of you, who think that I am trying to bash Pakistani people, please understand that I am a Pakistani too. But we seriously need to identify our flaws and work together to mitigate them. Otherwise we would be stuck in this never ending circle of misery. I don’t mean to cause any harm. Problem No. 3: Law & Order This should have been problem no.1 . Well law & order in Pakistan is non-existent. Period. We have so called statutes of law telling us how and what should be done. But as we all know that they can be bent anytime by the Superclass in our society. Dough is what runs this community. Every person has a price here. Justice is an unknown phenomenon. We follow no rules. Well some of us do. Like 2% to 5% of us. The zeal and vigor with which we started off as a nation has vanished into thin air. Both my maternal and paternal grandfathers were in the army back in their days and my maternal grandfather fought in WW II as well. If they saw the state in which Pakistan is in now, they would have shed tears of blood. My maternal grandfather could not sleep for days after the partition of East and West Pakistan. Our forefathers have sacrificed so much for this nation. And I don’t know where we are headed??

(bismillah) (wasalam) In Youtube's Terms of Service, it states that "You shall not download any Content unless you see a “download” or similar link displayed by YouTube on the Service for that Content." Based upon that, is it considered forbidden in Islam to download videos or a video's audio from Youtube exclusively for one's personal use? I was perplexed over this matter and I always had second thoughts when I wanted to download latmiyyat from Youtube. Thank you for your answers in advance. Wassalam

(salam) COURT P: 1. In court P all the principles of natural justice are abide by. There are instances where the courts deviated from them but generally speaking they follow the golden principle "Audi Alteram Partem" (No body should be condemned unheard). Even if the government wants to take action against some one it gives a reasonable notice to that person to do the needful and also inform the person of non compliance of orders/directions of the government. Even if government neglect this principle, the courts take the action and allow the parties to present their version about the case. There are no instances in these courts where some orphan is deprived of his/her right and the government occupied his/her land illegally without notice to that person. References: http://legalperspectives.blogspot.com/2010/07/audi-alteram-partem-natural-justice.html http://www.pljlawsite.com/html/PLJ2011CR16.htm 2. In court P this is settled principle that no one can be the judge of his own cause. Nemo iudex in causa sua (or nemo iudex in sua causa) is a Latin phrase that means, literally, no-one should be a judge in their own cause. Even if a judge is interested in some cause due to some relation with one of the parties, he sends the case to the big judge to fix the case for adjudication before some other court so that the justice is done and he does not decide his own case. References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemo_iudex_in_causa_sua 3. In Court P, it is written in the constitution that every law shall be made in accordance with Quran and Sunnah and no law in contradiction of Quran and Sunnah will be declared void. COURT A: 1. in Court A all the principles of natural justice were violated. The Court occupied the land of an orphan without notice to her. So the orphan was condemned unheard and her land was occupied illegally and unlawfully in clear violation of natural justice. 2. In Court A the Judge was not only interested in the cause rather he was the party of the case himself but still he opted to decide the case and unilaterally illegally occupied the land of the orphan. 3. The judge invented a hadith in clear violation of Quran. Quran did not provide any exception for a woman from her right in the property left by her predeceased but he made a self made hadith in violation of Quran.