Questions Archive
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What is the precise meaning of mockery? Do caricatures qualify as ridicule as well?
10255 2012/01/15 Laws and JurisprudenceMost philologists and interpreters of the Holy Quran consider istihza ( ridicule ) and tamaskhur ( mock ) to have the same meaning. The meaning of this term is to humiliate someone and bring their dig
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What are the secrets and philosophy of prayer in Shiism?
7120 2012/01/15 Philosophy of Religion and LawWithout doubt every divine ruling has its philosophy and reason ( s ) , but we do not have to investigate every ruling and find its philosophy. A true Muslim must surrender before the message of revel
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Please introduce a few methods of ibadat.
9077 2012/01/15 PracticalIbadat means to express humbleness, obedience before Allah’s demands and following the divine rulings in our everyday life. Ibadat has levels; the highest being when it is performed along with ma’refa
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Who is God? Why have I not become God? Why do I always have to be weaker, inferior and less knowledgeable than God?
7052 2012/01/15 TraditionalDoubt and skepticism in the sphere of beliefs is a spiritual illness and will endanger the spiritual and mental health of the individual and society; therefore it must be carefully cured. However doub
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How is Prophet Adam’s (A.S.) creation (about 5,764 years ago) make sense when fossils found from human beings are almost 25 million years old?
150169 2012/01/15 ExegesisThere is no inconsistence between these two. If we have heard that Prophet Adam has been created six to seven thousand years ago, this might refer to a different and new generation of human beings whi
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Please explain the intellectual and logical reasons that prove tawhid.
13400 2012/01/15 TraditionalTawhid, which is amongst the most prominent principles of all Abrahamic faiths, means to believe there is only one god, and is the opposite of polytheism ( shirk ) . Tawhid also includes denying any p
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Did the prophet commit Tark al-awla in the battle of Badr or Tabuk?
9691 2012/01/15 TraditionalSome Muslims scholars from denominations other than Shiism believed that when the Prophet did not receive revelations in regard to a certain issue, he would improvise in that regard. On this basis, it
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If a person suffers from brain death, is it permissible to donate his organ? Is the use of organs taken from such patients permissible?
7313 2012/01/15 Laws and JurisprudenceThe opinions of some of the grand religious authorities ( jurists ) about donating or removing the organ of a patient who suffers from brain death are as under:Office of Grand Ayatollah Khamenei ( may
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Why is pork haraam? Is there a reason for all religious laws?
6015 2012/01/15 Laws and JurisprudenceIn general it can be said that all Shari ah laws are based on divine knowledge and wisdom and the benefits and indecencies of every ruling has been explained and established, and no one other than All
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Is it haraam (impermissible) to celebrate birthdays within Islam?
15984 2012/01/12 Laws and JurisprudenceCelebrating birthdays is not a part of the Islamic traditions; it is a matter about which the Shari`ah is silent. The Islamic doctrines have not persuaded or recommended us to celebrate our birthdays.
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Had Imam Mahdi's mother been the granddaughter of Caesar, the King of the Romans?
22862 2012/01/11 تاريخ بزرگانAccording to reports and traditions, the real name of the mother of the Imam of Time, Imam Mahdi ( atf ) had been Malika daughter of Yashoa, the son of Caesar the King of the Romans. From mother s sid
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What are the conditions of divorce?
8215 2012/01/11 Laws and JurisprudenceIf you were interested in living with your husband, you should have made every effort to save the marriage. In fact, you could have done something to draw your in-laws attention and make your husband
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What is the Islamic law about chocolates or other products containing alcohol or gelatin?
13419 2012/01/07 Laws and JurisprudenceWe forwarded the above question to the offices of some of the grand jurists and the answers which we have received are as under: Office of Grand Ayatollah Khamenei ( may Allah grant him long life ) :
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I heard that Orbit gum has pork in it, is it true? If it contains pork, what is the Islamic law about it?
20705 2012/01/07 Laws and JurisprudenceIn this regard, a lot of research has been conducted but we did not find a trustworthy and reliable source to confirm the existence of animal ingredients like pork in Orbit chewing gum.It should be no
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What is the correct, healthy and sin-free relationship between a boy and a girl?
9109 2012/01/07 Laws and JurisprudenceAccording to Islam, man and woman are complementary to each other. Each sex is incomplete without the other. God, the Sublime, has created these two to be a source of peace and tranquility for each ot
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Why is card game considered to be "gambling" even if one intends to play it for entertainment and recreation without placing a bet?
11048 2012/01/04 Laws and JurisprudenceGenerally speaking, gambling and playing with gambling instruments are haram. The prohibition of card game which is considered to be a means for gambling is also for the same reason. Therefore, playin
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Are the punishments for some sins harsher and greater by many folds than the punishments for some other sins?
6577 2012/01/04 TheoreticalIt is inferred from the Holy Qur an and traditions of the Ahlul-Bayt ( a.s. ) that there are different degrees of torments in hell, proportioned to the different degrees of sins on earth. The Quran co
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What is the Islamic law about being Kathir al-Shak?
13120 2012/01/03 Laws and JurisprudenceUndoubtedly, excessive and constant doubt which makes a person obsessive is the temptation of Shaitan ( Satan ) who wants God s servants to become tired and lethargic towards worshipping God and final
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What is the Islamic law about smiling at a non-mahram while to talking to her?
7836 2012/01/03 Laws and JurisprudenceIf one smiles at a non-mahram or jokes with her with the intention of deriving sexual pleasure or if it entails evil or it is feared that he might fall into a sin, it is not permissible and it is a ma
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Is there any punishment for touching and hugging a non-Mahram?
51938 2012/01/03 Laws and JurisprudenceIt is haram ( forbidden ) for a non-mahram man and a non-mahram woman to seek any kind of pleasures from each other ( it is even forbidden for them to cast lustful look at each other ) . It is for the
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Are non-Muslim women mahram to Muslim women?
8963 2012/01/03 Laws and JurisprudenceWhen it comes to non-Muslim women looking at Muslim women, there is a narration in our sources from Imam Ja far Sadiq ( a.s. ) who said that: It is not appropriate for Muslim women to remove their Hij
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How does God have knowledge of unreal or false information whereas false information is not considered to be knowledge?
6594 2012/01/01 TraditionalGod s knowledge of something – be it true or false – does not imply its acceptance. You know that God’s knowledge is neither acquired through learning nor preceded by ignorance. God’s knowledge encomp
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What is the philosophy behind prostrating on earth?
14908 2011/12/31 Laws and JurisprudenceThe essence of prostration is humility and it is one of the obligations we must perform, as the Quran says: “O you who have faith ! Bow down and prostrate yourselves…”.There is an important point here
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Can a Muslim go in a church and offer prayers there?
10677 2011/12/31 Laws and JurisprudenceThere is no problem in going inside a church except for when he who goes there is a well-known figure whose going to church leads to promotion of the church or when it is feared that he might be ideol
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Where are the spirits of people who died in remote times? Are they not contained in a place and does time not run on them?
10768 2011/12/29 TraditionalHuman beings live, after their deaths, in an intermediate state, a realm called Barzakh ( the Intermediate World ) which is a world between this life and the Hereafter. Barzakh is a sequence that happ
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Will there be a new life in the world after the Day of Judgment?
22223 2011/12/26 TraditionalIt is gathered from the evidences and proofs in the verses of the Quran that the Day of Judgment is in fact not the continuation of this world. This world shall turn into a mess completely because gre
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Given the fact that man's body cells change continuously from the time of conception until old age, which one of these bodies are resurrected and brought to justice on the Day of Judgment?
6904 2011/12/25 TraditionalThe answer to the above question is that the soul is the center of reward and punishment, happiness and agony, pleasure and pain. Hence, if the body suffers a pain, it is because of the soul to which
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Is there any death in Paradise and Hell?
6546 2011/12/25 TraditionalThe Quran, traditions and rational arguments agree that when the Day of Judgment occurs and human beings go to Paradise and Hell, there is no death thereafter. The Holy Quran describes the Day of Resu
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What are the legal obligations of a wife towards her husband?
18374 2011/12/21 Laws and JurisprudenceThe sustainability, continuity and stability of a marital life depend on love, understanding and respect for mutual rights. In order for the family, which is small social unit, to be solidified and s
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What is the duty of the son or daughter regarding the prayers and fasts of their parents who don’t observe their religious duties?
6775 2011/12/21 Laws and JurisprudenceAccording to the view of a majority of the jurists, making up for the missed prayers and fasts of one’s father is binding on the eldest son. This means that it is wajib for the eldest son to either pe
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What duties does a child have when it comes to parents?
9647 2011/12/21 PracticalThe importance of fulfilling the rights of parents ( father and mother ) has been recognized by the Quran to be so high that in several verses, it has been demanded immediately after forbidding shirk
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Please mention the five qualities of the Imam according to Quranic ayahs?
15530 2011/12/21 ExegesisSubsequent to mentioning the story of rescuing Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Lut and granting Ibrahim ( as ) righteous children, [ 1 ] the Quran reflects on the imamah and leadership of this great Proph
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How can we strengthen the inclination towards worship in our children?
6285 2011/12/21 PracticalWhen it comes to encouraging worship and the performance of religious obligations, it is the foundations of one’s thought that need to be analyzed and fixed first. His view of God, the world, man, res
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Is the prayer performed in the Imams' shrine right? Though the grave is in the direction of the prayer?
10808 2011/12/21 ExegesisConsidering the verse mentioned at the surface level, we deduce that it is permissible to build mosques over graves. In the exegesis of the Quran, it is mentioned that a mosque has been built over the
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In a hadith by Imam Ridha (as) I read that “أَنَّهُمْ مَالِکُونَ مَجَازاً لَا حَقِیقَةً لَه”. What is meant by this metaphorical ownership that the imam is talking about?
7945 2011/12/20 Contextual studyAllah is the true owner of the entire universe and everything within it. However, Allah has put this ownership at the disposal of man without disconnecting His own ownership in the least way, as Quran