1. Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims
  2. Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

81 Questions

I understand that playing any game that involves placing a bet is Haram in Islam. But why is chess considered Haram even when played without a bet? Is there a difference of opinion on this matter among the scholars?
Amina Inloes

It is because there are hadith specifically prohibiting chess.

Ayatollah Khamene'i allows chess if it is not being used for gambling, but in general the traditional view is that it is not allowed.

God knows best.
What would our response be to a Christian scholar who accuses the Quran of not being the original word of God?
Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi

Quran has challenged all those who claimed what this person is claiming, to bring like Quran. ( Say: If the human beings and the Jinn join together to bring like this Quran, they will never bring like Quran even if all of them support each other.( Sura 17, Verse88).

If Quran is not the original word of God, then it should be possible for the enemies of Quran to produce like Quran. When they failed to do that, it means that Quran is the word of God.

After failing to bring like Quran which is from 114 chapters , Quran challenged the enemies to bring just ten chapters like Quran.( Or they say: He (Prophet Muhammad) fabricated it (Quran). Say: Then you bring ten fabricated chapters like its chapters, and seek help from whom you want apart from Allah, if you are truthful. (Sura 11, verse 13).

They again failed to face this challenge, which proved that Quran is not from any human source but from God.

Quran challenged them again to bring just one chapter like Quran.

(And if you are in doubt about what we revealed (Quran) on Our servant (Muhammad), then bring one chapter like Quran's chapters, and call all your partners and supporters besides Allah if you are truthful).  (Sura 2, verse 23)

All these challenges were since over 1400 years, against all the enemies of Quran, but not a single response has come from them. This fact itself stands as a living evidence that Quran is The True Word of God and all claims of the enemies are false.

We put this fact in front of all enemies of Islam and ask them to produce even one chapter like Quran if their claims are right.

Last note for the person who claims to be a Christian yet accuses Quran, to deal with enemies of Jesus and his mother Mary who accuse Mary with false allegations with out any evidence. They are in fact doing wrong and misleading themselves and others. He is in fact doing the same by accusing Quran, The True and Original word of God.

We also invite him to read what the great scientists stated about Quranic verses including scientific facts which were impossible to be known before 1400 years but mentioned in Quran. Many books were written in this subject. Just search for: scientific miracles in Quran. You read and think between you and God and decide whether you really want to follow the Truth?

Wassalam.
Is there an authentic narration in which the Prophet (SAW) says that the scholars of the Ummah are superior to the earlier Prophets?
Seyed Saied Alavi

In the name of Allah

Such Hadith is not narrated in major Shia sources.
However, there is a similar Hadith in the more recent Shia books (like Bihar al-Anwar), narrated (without a chain) from the Prophet -peace be upon him and his Ahlul Bayt- that conveys a different meaning:

عُلَمَاءُ أُمَّتِي كَأَنْبِيَاءِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ
The Scholars of My Ummah are like the prophets of Bani-Israel.

This hadith does not state superiority, but similarity. There are different interpretations as to the meaning of this analogy and to whom the prophet is referring when he says "Scholars". 

Some experts believe that "scholars" is only referring to the Infallible Imams, and the hadith means that the Imams are Hujjah (Proofs of Allah) to the people, just as those prophets were Hujjah to the people of their time.
Other experts expand the meaning to non-infallible scholars and belive the hadith is stating that just as those prophets were guardians of their people's faith and beliefs, Islamic scholars will guard and preserve the religiosity and beliefs of the Muslim community.

The abovementioned Hadith is narrated in:
Bihar al-Anwar - v2, p22
Mustadrak ul-Wasail - v17, p320

WasSalaam.
Are we supposed to only take our beliefs on Aqaed from Mutawatir reports? If so, how can I know my beliefs without knowledge of Hadith sciences? How can I rely on the books of scholars about Aqaed to know my beliefs when there is to be no Taqlid in Aqaed?
Zoheir Ali Esmail

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. Although you may be satisfied with authentic reports (perhaps not all at the level of tawatur) to construct your framework of belief, it is more common to start from an intellectual starting point. Aqaed is generally taught through a number of intellectual proofs for the existence of God, followed by an intellectual discussion on His Attributes in the light of the scriptural sources and then proofs for Prophethood, Imamate and Resurrection. At the same time, religious experience plays an important role in reaching certainty in what one believes. In short, a combination of the scriptural sources, the intellect and religious experience that contribute to the framework of belief. This is why taqlid is not required when it comes to belief.

May you always be successful