Amina Inloes

Different Muslims, both Sunnis and Shi'is, have varying views about al-Hallaj. Some take a negative view of him, especially this statement, and others appreciate the spirit of it.

Regarding al-Hallaj, Ayatollah Motahhari says in his introduction to 'irfan:

-=-= begin quote =-=-

Now famous simply as al-Hallaj, he is one of the most controversial mystics of the Islamic world. The shathiyyat uttered by him are many, and he was accused of apostasy and claiming divinity. The jurisprudents pronounced him an apostate and he was crucified during the reign of the 'Abbasid caliph al-Muqtadir.

The 'urafa' themselves accuse him of disclosing spiritual secrets. Hafiz has this to say about him:

He said, that friend, who was raised high on the cross,

His crime was that he used to reveal secrets.

Some consider him no more than a charlatan, but the 'urafa' themselves absolve him and say that the statements of al-Hallaj and Bayazid that gave the impression of unbelief were made when they were beside themselves in the state of 'intoxication'.

Al-Hallaj is remembered by the 'urafa' as a martyr. He was executed in 309/913. 

-=-= end quote =-=-

So there are varying views.

The ruling is... "Think before you ink". :)

(For an expanded version, one can consult the below link, before they think, before they ink.)
 

Sunnis and Shi'is have different hadith collections.

However, there is some shared material between the collections - after all, the goal is to obtain the teachings of the Prophet (S), and the Prophet (S) was a single person.

Shi'is will generally allow for the use of some hadith from the Sunni books, depending on sourcing, narrator, and so forth. The reverse is much less common (that is, Sunnis do not usually give credence to Shi'i hadith for matters such as jurisprudence). 

Shi'is do not give a special place to or automatically accept the sihah al-sittah or "six authentic books" famed in Sunnism. 

Shi'is also give equal weight to the narrations from the Imams (A) as they do to narrations from the Prophet (S), on the grounds that the words of the Imams (A) are the teachings of the Prophet (S).

Hope that helps!

Islam has some matters that are fixed and other matters that are flexible. If Islam did not have any flexibility, and only prescribed one rigid standard for every matter of life, it would not have been able to spread to different cultures, time periods, and ways of living. 

So, with respect to marriage, Islam prescribes certain things, such as performing a marriage contract, forbidding incestuous marriages, and abstaining from adultery.

However, it does not prescribe whether or not a marriage should be a "love marriage".

This allows for accommodation between different individuals, cultures, situations, and lifestyles. 

However, some Muslims are very sensitive on this point due to a sense of cultural clash, or cultural warfare, and feel it is necessary to preserve one approach to marriage or another as "the Islamic view". 

As for what sort of marriage succeeds best, perhaps this has more to do with certain compatibility factors, a mutual spirit of commitment, and the support that the society offers for marriage and family life - some countries are more family-friendly than others.

I don't think there is a full resource on this in English available presently (online or in print). However, you can purchase the Dirayat al-Noor software from Iran and it offers an easy to use database for hadith narrators in Arabic (not sure about Farsi). Another useful resource is Mu'jam Rijal al-Ahadith by Ayatollah al-Khoei, which is also available online in Arabic.

Sometimes, you can find information about some of the narrators in some other books in English. For instance, some of the biographies of the Imams by Baqir Sharif Qarashi have information on some of the companions of the Imams. There is a book called Tradition and Survival by Hossein Modarressi which also has some bibliographic information on some early Shi'i narrators. 

So if there is someone specific you want to know more about, you may be able to find information in other sources. However in general I don't think there is a comprehensive source available in English. Perhaps someone will update this answer with one, or perhaps you will create one!

In Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 20, p. 73, it is somewhat vaguely ascribed to 'Ikrimah that during the Battle of Uhud, the words of Nad-e-Ali were called down to the Prophet (S) from the heavens. 

(Specifically, this narration does not include the phrases bi-azamatika ya Allah or bi-nubuwwatika ya Muhammad)

To my knowledge, it does not have a chain of transmission and it is not specified in any of the classical Shi'i hadith books as a du'a.

Since Sufis also recite this du'a frequently, possibly Sufis first used it as a du'a, and then it became more common en masse among Shi'is. It is hard to say.

However, part of the merits of a du'a lie in its effectiveness. Since many people recite this du'a for a specific matter, and find that their prayers are answered quickly, experience shows it is a helpful and effective du'a, regardless of its origins. Seeking intercession from the Prophet (S) and Ahl al-Bayt (A) as a general act is acceptable.  

There is also no problem if one does not wish to read it because of theological reasons, absence of strong sourcing, or some other matter. 

Personally I read it sometimes.

In Islam, a man should groom himself and look nice for his wife.

It is related from Imam Rida (A): "The women of Bani Israel deviated from the path of chastity because their men were not bothered about cleanliness and looking nice." The Imam then added: "What you expect of your wife, she expects the same from you."

It is also related that Allah is beautiful and loves beauty, and loves to see the signs of His blessings on His servants.

The Prophet (S) used to give attention to looking appropriate and presentable. Here are some narrations on some of his grooming habits, including combing and oiling his hair and beard: https://www.al-islam.org/sunan-nabi-sayyid-muhammad-husayn-tabatabai/cha...

Of course, different people have different levels of motivation and interest in these things, and different understandings of what it means to be tidy.

So yes, you can ask, and yes he should make some efforts. Even if it were not emphasized in Islam, it is still good to try to accomodate one's spouse's requests as long as they are ethical and doable. However, it is difficult to force someone to change. 

Perhaps you can encourage him, if you have not already, by giving him some nice beard oil. There are also some websites dedicated to beards and men who are proud of their beards. After all, a beard is a symbol of a manly man (for men who can grow them, of course) and so it is nice if he takes pride in it. 

Also since the beard is symbolic of Islam, it is nice to look after one's beard because it is part of the public image of Islam. 

Sorry to hear you are having wudu challenges.

While many people successfully complete wudu in Western clothing, I agree that Western clothing (especially formal wear for men) is more restrictive than some other cultures' forms of clothing, and may pose some logistical challenges (such as Sleeves That Do Not Rise or Inflexible Trousers), or is in an awkward space (Work Bathroom With Colleagues Staring). I am sure many of us have had Adventures in Clothing We Cannot Do Wudu In.

(This is setting aside other issues, such as not being able to undo buttons on sleeves due to a mobility problem, which would be a different sort of issue and would need a different intervention)

So, first, some general thoughts:
* If possible, try to wear clothing that you know you can do wudu in while wearing. I know that sounds simple, just putting it out there. Sometimes you can change what you wear, and sometimes you can't.
* If you are doing wudu in the same place regularly (such as a job site), perhaps you can keep some helper items around you, such as plastic slippers, or a stool. If it is awkward to keep those in a washroom area, maybe there are other locations you can do wudu, such as on an outdoor or park bench with a water bottle? 

Sock Challenges vary according to madhhab.

* Sunni - The down side of Sunni-style wudu is that you have to wash your feet. Yes, it's awkward lifting up your feet and sticking them in the sink at work. Sometimes they even have rules against it. There may be other more comfortable or more discreet ways to accomplish this. You will have to think outside the box to find what works for you. 

The plus side is, many Sunnis will allow wiping over leather socks as long as one has done wudu before wearing them. So, if you are doing Sunni-style wudu, you could see if that is a possibility. As in this article: https://islamqa.info/en/answers/9640/conditions-of-wiping-over-socks

* The plus side of Shi'i-style wudu is that you only have to wipe the feet. This can be done more discreetly without hauling your feet up into the sink, and is easier to do away from running water. Overally, Shi'i-style wudu is more water-efficient. But you do still have to wipe the feet, and there is no option to wipe over leather socks.

Some time ago, they used to sell "wudu socks" for women (I think made in Iran?). Perhaps they still exist. They were socks with flaps at the toes, so that, rather than taking off the entire sock, you could just open the flap and wipe the foot from the toe area, then close the flap back up. I am not sure if such items existed for men, but you could have a look and see if such a thing exists. If not, maybe make your own or have them made, or start your own product line?

Anyway, in short, yes, you do still have to do wudu as long as you actually have water and are able to perform wudu.

If you have a physical reason why you are absolutely unable to perform  regular wudu (such as a cast on your foot), or some other sort of mobility consideration, that is a different situation and you should look up your specific case in accordance with the type of fiqh you follow.

But if it is just awkward, maybe you can think of some different ways to go about doing wudu that help to meet your needs better and make life easier. After all, Allah desires ease not difficulty!
 

Hijab is not a precondition for the acceptance of du'a. However, anything we do with a sincere intention for the sake of Allah should, God willing, bring us closer to Allah.

However it does not guarantee acceptance of a specific du'a, especially since some things are kept from us because it is in our best interest, there is some wisdom behind it, or we are meant to follow a different path in life.

A literal reading of Twelver Shi'a hadith indicates that Allah created and appointed the prophet as a Prophet prior to his existence in this world. So it was not due to activities that he chose to do, such as mysticism, that he became a prophet. 

Of course, he had some practices which can be called "mystical" such as spending time alone in the cave of Hira for worship. It is natural that someone who is very close to God would want to choose to do those activities. 

My understanding is that the time "before" this world is outside of chronological time, and therefore Allah did this with full knowledge of what was before and after. So therefore Allah knew the Prophet's merits over all people, rather than just only pre-designing him as the Prophet. That is, it is a combination of the individual merit of the Prophet and the creational will of Allah. This was why he was born with 'ismah; otherwise, it might be unfair for Allah to grant some poeple 'ismah and not others. Other people may have different understandings. But in any case it was not solely due to the Prophet "earning" the prophethood through ascetic or mystical practices.

However, some other people, including some people who are not Muslims but who feel the Prophet was close to God, might see it this way and might agree with your view. 

Sorry to hear about your situation. Inshallah it improves soon, by the grace of Allah.

As Shaykh Zoheir said, you can do wudu from a bottle of water. Perhaps you can step out of the car for prayer if it is safe. 

If you have a concern about being seen without hijab, just do your best to preserve your modesty as wudhu can essentially be done from under a cloth.

The larger tahara can also be done with a reasonably small amount of water (rather than requiring an actual shower), but for this, modesty is more important of course. I guess you and your husband will have arranged somewhere or some way to wash up. 

If you absolutely cannot perform wudhu or ghusl due to modesty reasons, you ca do tayammum.
 

It is said that Fatima al-Zahra (A) and Imam 'Ali (A) got married in the second year after the migration to Medina, after the Battle of Badr (so approximately 624 AD)

However, biographers do not agree about when Fatima al-Zahra (A) was born. Sunni biographers often say she was born around 605 AD, whereas Shi'i biographers often say she was born around 614-615 AH. There are some other views as well.

So, she would have been around nine or nineteen years old at the time of her marriage.

It seems reasonable that she would have married young since men are eager to seek the daughters of important men for marriage, and it is reported that others had already asked for her hand. But God knows best.