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

Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

57 Questions

I have been stuck in a cycle of suicidal thoughts and depression since I was 14. Three years later I'm still struggling and I can't hold myself together anymore. I have decided that I truly need to kill myself. How do I avoid punishment for it in hell?
Zoheir Ali Esmail

Bismillah

Thank you for your question and for reaching out. From what the scholars have understood,  a person doesn't have the right to decide whether to continue living or not no matter how extreme the difficulty. For a Muslim there is only one way out of depression and that is to keep searching for a solution until something works. I know it may seem like the only solution is to end it and sometimes it may seem like an attractive option, but the guidance that all Islamic scholars will give to not take that way. In the modern world depression is more and more common, but at the same time there is a growing community of people that have found their way out of bleak depression, and others that have a relationship with depression, sometimes being ok and sometimes falling back into it. Seek out help from these communities and people who are going through the same kinds of things you are, and with Allah's help, maybe you will start to see things differently.

May you always be successful 
I lost custody of my 3 month old son to my ex-husband who threatened to file a case against me for being morally unfit to bring up my son. Is this a trial for me or a punishment from God?
Zoheir Ali Esmail

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. There is no level

of certainty in which anyone can judge God's mind, but God doesn't punish believers unless that is better for them to face something hard in this world rather than the next. In that sense it is better to treat the issue as a trial when the factors effecting your situation are not in your hands, because when facing something difficult with the mindset of it being a trial, the important thing is to concentrate on your response. And that response is putting your hope in God, being patient and trying to reconcile and strengthen your faith. God only puts a believer in the best situation for them, and while it may not be easy or possible to see that in the moment, the wisdom of Gods actions will reveal themselves in time. If the situation is a result of your own actions, it still holds true that what you should focus on is your response to the situation at hand, as it is through the cultivation of these traits that life will inevitably improve. Difficulties affect people in two ways broadly speaking. Some are crushed by them and can never quite recover. Others are forced to dig deep and emerge stronger.

May Allah grant you every success in this world and the next.
Why did Allah (swt) create us? Why does he punish the sinners with painful and, at times, eternal chastisement rather than locking them up?
Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi

Allah (SWT) has created us not to get from us any benefit for Him but
only to shower upon us His unlimited bounties and to grant us from His
Grace and Mercy. Life is one of the biggest bounties from Allah (SWT)
on us. In the Holy Qur’an Allah (SWT) says : “Those on whom your Lord
has bestowed His Mercy and for that He created them” (Surah 11 : verse
19).

Allah (SWT) has given every human being the ability to do good with His
help or to do bad if he wants to. Allah (SWT) did not want to punish
any human being but those who insist on doing wrong and harming others
and denying the main facts of life must be distinguished from the good
people. That’s why punishment is the realistic result of insisting on
doing wrong. Without punishment on insisting the wrong-doers it will
be an injustice on the victims on one side,  and the people who do good on another side.

Wasaalaam.
Is the cutting of hands as punishment for stealing really a part of the Shariah? If yes, is it not counter productive since the one who has stolen will never be able to reform and get back on track in life?
Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi

Financial security is one of the most important concerns of human beings every where and every time. Theft is a real danger which endangers human beings wealth and property. Human societies over the history till now, tried many ways to tackle and counter theft and robbery but no real success was achieved. Till today millions of innocent people suffer from those who steal their money in different ways. Those who steal do that because they do not fear real punishment, hence they steal whenever they find a chance.

Islam deals with this burning issue with inner treatment as well as outer action.

1. Inner treatment: is to warn that theft is a major sin and it leads the thief to hellfire. This will make good Muslims away from this sinful act.

2. Outer action: Those who do not care for religious teaching and insist on committing theft, must be punished in public to show them and others the miserable results of this crime and to protect people from similar crimes. 

Cutting the hand of the thief has conditions which insure that he deserves this type of punishment for the security of the people and society. Thief who was instigated by hunger is excluded from such punishment.

Cutting the hand of the thief (with all the conditions) does not mean cutting more than the fingers of one hand only. He will still be able to work and earn in lawful way.

Allah , The Most Merciful, Has ordained this punishment on the dangerous thief to provide the people financial security. It is a fact hat no other punishment could work all over the history to stop theft crime like this punishment. Where ever this punishment was applied in proper way with all its conditions, people enjoyed security on their wealth and property. Theft crime rates dropped to near zero in Muslim societies after proper implementation of the rules of Allah (SWT) which provide peace and justice to all and prevent evil doers to violate he rights of others.

Allah (SWT) says in Sura Al-Baqara, Verse 179 : AND THERE IS REAL LIFE FOR YOU IN APPLYING THE PROPER PUNISHMENT, O PEOPLE OF INTELLECT, SO  THAT YOU BECOME PIOUS).

After all, we believe that the Mercy and Wisdom of Allah is the best in all situations and for all human beings. Punishing one thief who deserves punishment is the real justice because it provides security to millions and saves their basic rights on their wealth and property.

Those millions of victims who suffer from theft, they suffer because of the failure of the non Muslim legal system to stop or counter the crime, and they  pay for that failure of the system to  protect them. Quran is very clear that proper life will be achieved by applying proper punishment, which means that with out applying the proper punishments, there will be no real life of security, peace and justice. 

Wassalam.