Question.
In some Musjids a section of the shoe racks has been fitted with doors which can lock. The doors and the locks have been fitted on some shelves to prevent the theft of shoes. Any musalli who wishes to put his shoes in the lock-up rack has to pay a rental for the shoe-box. He keeps the key with him for the period that he has paid rent. If he has paid the rent, for say six months, then he only is entitled to place his shoes in that particular shelf which he locks and keeps the key. Is this system permissible?

Answer.
All the facilities of the Musjid-the shoe racks, the water, the taps, the toilets, the towels and whatever else there may be-are for the free use of all the musallis. No one has a preferential right to use any of these facilities, not even the contributors/donors. It is not permissible for any musalli to secure for himself exclusive use of any specific facility of the Musjid in lieu of a payment. Whoever comes first, has the prior right to the Waqf facility. Just as payment of a fee/rental cannot secure for one the exclusive right to sit in a particular spot in the Musjid or use a particular towel or a particular tap, or use a particular copy of the Qur'aan, etc., so too is it not permissible to pay money to reserve for oneself the exclusive right to use any particular shoe-box. All the shoe shelves/boxes are Waqf for the use of all the musallis. Giving a particular musalli the exclusive right of using a specific shoe-box infringes on the rights of the musallis who may come to the Musjid earlier than the one who has paid `rent'. Sometimes he may not even be present in the Musjid. The shoe-box will then remain unused to the inconvenience of other musallis. Irrespective of the advantages of this system, it is not permissible since it violates the rights of others and is in conflict with the rules of Waqf pertaining to the Musjid facilities.

Question.
When is a person pronounced dead in Islam? Organs like the heart and kidneys are useful if removed while they are receiving adequate blood perfusion. It is for this reason that when a person is pronounced "brain dead" with only a machine keeping him alive, the organs are removed. Thereafter the machine is switched off. What is the Islamic viewpoint of this concept and its application?

Answer.
Firstly, it is not permissible to remove any organs from the human body, whether the person is alive or dead. Secondly, the concept of brain dead is rejected by Islam. It is a concept created to deceive and soothe the minds of people to enable doctors to slaughter a living person for grabbing his organs. As long as the slightest blood perfusion takes place, the person is alive, i.e. the Rooh is still in his body. The machine will `sustain' life only as long as the time of Maut has not arrived. The Qur'aan categorically declares:
"No person will die but with the permission of Allah at the appointed time."
It is not the machine which ensures the perfusion of the blood and it is not the machine which keeps the person alive. If a machine can keep a person alive, it will mean that the answer for Maut has been found. Man can then escape death and be kept perpetually alive. Malakul Maut can then be `defeated'. The perfusion of blood and remaining alive are the effects of the presence of the Rooh (Soul) which is the life-giving substance. After the departure of the Rooh, nothing can ever keep the blood flowing and keep a person alive.

Question.
Can sihr be a cause of sickness?

Answer.
Yes, it can be a cause for sickness. But one should exercise care in this regard. Nowadays the imagination of people is playing havoc with them. Almost every sickness and calamity are attributed to sihr. There is a glut of incompetent aamils and quacks operating. Their diagnosis is blindly accepted by people and imagination then plays havoc. While all these aamils diagnose sihr, they are hopelessly incapable of curing the patient who suspected to be a victim of sihr.
When one is afflicted by sickness or any kind of calamity, repent, recite Istighfaar in abundance and make dua constantly. Allah Ta'ala is The only One Who cures. Have yaqeen in dua, but at the same time reform yourself morally and spiritually. Recite Surah Falaq, Surah Naas, Aayatul Kursi and the last ruku' of Surah Baqarah daily. Continue with this spiritual prescription. If Allah Ta'ala wishes, He shall cure. But, those who generally resort to the incompetent aamils of today become hooked onto imagination. They then imagine that they are afflicted with sihr when this is not the case.

Question.
If a person dies without having discharged all his qadha Salaat and Saum, can his heirs perform the Salaat and fast on his behalf?

Answer.
It is not valid to fast and perform Salaat on behalf of the mayyit or on behalf of anyone. Only Fidyah will absolve the mayyit (deceased) of his obligation. If the mayyit had made a wasiyyat (bequest) for the Fidyah (monetary compensation) of his Salaat and Saum to be paid, then it will devolve as an obligation on the heirs to pay the Fidyah from one third the value of all of his assets.

Question.
How does an aamil use a jinn to help him?

Answer.
It is not permissible for a Muslim to gain control of a jinn. By mean of some amal (practice) it is possible to gain control of a jinn and make him subservient. But this is haraam because jinn is free just as man. Just as it is haraam to enslave a free human being, so too is it haraam to enslave a jinn. Generally those who enslave jinns are evil aamils. They employ shaitaani methods for this person. They even resort to kufr.

Question.
Can sihr be a cause of sickness?

Answer.
Yes, it can be a cause for sickness. But one should exercise care in this regard. Nowadays the imagination of people is playing havoc with them. Almost every sickness and calamity are attributed to sihr. There is a glut of incompetent aamils and quacks operating. Their diagnosis is blindly accepted by people and imagination then plays havoc. While all these aamils diagnose sihr, they are hopelessly incapable of curing the patient who suspected to be a victim of sihr.
When one is afflicted by sickness or any kind of calamity, repent, recite Istighfaar in abundance and make dua constantly. Allah Ta'ala is The only One Who cures. Have yaqeen in dua, but at the same time reform yourself morally and spiritually. Recite Surah Falaq, Surah Naas, Aayatul Kursi and the last ruku' of Surah Baqarah daily. Continue with this spiritual prescription. If Allah Ta'ala wishes, He shall cure. But, those who generally resort to the incompetent aamils of today become hooked onto imagination. They then imagine that they are afflicted with sihr when this is not the case.