This is a curated archive of scholarly opinions for educational purposes. SunnahAnswers indexes existing answers from qualified scholars — we do not issue rulings ourselves.
Topics covered
What is shirk and what are its major and minor forms?
Madārij as-Sālikīn
Madārij as-Sālikīn 1/376 — Manzilat at-Tawbah min ash-Shirk al-Asghar
"Shirk is of two kinds: greater and lesser. Greater shirk is everything which Allah has named shirk and which expels its doer from the religion — such as worshipping idols, calling upon the dead, slaughtering or vowing fo…"
How do I pray salah step-by-step?
Zād al-Ma'ād
Zād al-Ma''ād 1/192–250 — Hady an-Nabī fī aṣ-Ṣalāh
"The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Pray as you have seen me pray." (al-Bukhari 631). The summary of his prayer is this: face the qiblah after wudu''; intend in the heart the prayer you are performing (the tongue need not utter it);…"
What breaks wudu?
I'lām al-Muwaqqi'īn
I''lām al-Muwaqqi''īn 4/278–286
"What is established by clear evidence to break the wudu'' is: (1) anything that exits from the two private parts — urine, stool, wind, madhi, wadi, or maniyy; (2) deep sleep where one loses awareness, on the authority of…"
How do you perform wudu (ablution) correctly?
Zād al-Ma'ād
Zād al-Ma''ād 1/185–192
"The Prophetic wudu'' as described by ''Uthman ibn ''Affan and others (al-Bukhari 159, Muslim 226): say Bismillah at the start; wash both hands up to the wrists three times; rinse the mouth and sniff water into the nose (…"
Who is eligible to receive zakat?
I'lām al-Muwaqqi'īn
I''lām al-Muwaqqi''īn 1/204–212
"Allah Himself specified the eight categories of zakat recipients in the verse — leaving no room for human addition or subtraction: "Indeed, the charities (zakat) are only for the poor (al-fuqara''), the needy (al-masakin…"
Is it permissible to celebrate Mawlid?
Madārij as-Sālikīn
Madārij as-Sālikīn 1/450 — Manzilat al-Mahabbah
"The truest love of the Prophet (ﷺ) is in obedience to his command, following of his Sunnah, and abstention from inventing in the religion what he did not legislate. He (ﷺ) lived among his Companions for twenty-three year…"
What is the ruling on gheebah (backbiting)?
al-Jawāb al-Kāfī (ad-Dā' wa ad-Dawā')
al-Jawāb al-Kāfī, chapter on the disease of gheebah
"Gheebah (backbiting) is among the major sins, and Allah likened it to the most repulsive of acts: "And do not backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would detest it." (al-Hu…"
How should one deal with doubts about faith or waswas (intrusive thoughts)?
al-Wābil aṣ-Ṣayyib min al-Kalim aṭ-Ṭayyib
al-Wābil aṣ-Ṣayyib, chapter on the harms of waswas
"Waswas concerning Iman is a sign of pure faith, not of weakness — for shaytan only attacks a heart that holds something precious to defend. The Companions came to the Prophet (ﷺ) saying: "We find in our hearts what one o…"
What is Qadr (destiny) in Islam?
Shifā' al-'Alīl fī Masā'il al-Qaḍā' wa al-Qadar
Shifā' al-'Alīl, chapters 1–4
"Belief in al-Qadar rests on four levels which together complete the article: (1) al-''Ilm — that Allah knew all things before they came to be, in their totality and detail. (2) al-Kitabah — that He wrote all of that in t…"
What is the importance of Salah in Islam?
Kitāb aṣ-Ṣalāh wa Ḥukm Tārikihā
Kitāb aṣ-Ṣalāh wa Ḥukm Tārikihā, opening section
"Salah is the pillar of the religion: whoever establishes it has established the religion, and whoever destroys it has destroyed the religion. It is the second of the five pillars after the shahadatayn, and it is the only…"
What is the sharia and how is it applied?
إعلام الموقعين
I'lam al-Muwaqqi'in 3/14-15
"Ibn al-Qayyim wrote that the sharia is built entirely on wisdom and the welfare of mankind in this life and the next — it is justice, mercy, benefit, and wisdom in its totality. Any ruling that departs from justice into…"
What must a woman cover, and when?
إعلام الموقعين
Hadi al-Arwah & I'lam al-Muwaqqi'in 2/80
"Ibn al-Qayyim explained that the woman's entire body is ʿawrah before non-mahram men, and that the believing women of the Sahaba covered themselves with their jalabib so that nothing of them was seen — including the face…"
Why is pork forbidden?
زاد المعاد
Zad al-Ma'ad 4/376-378
"Ibn al-Qayyim explained that Allah forbade pork by explicit text in four places (al-Baqarah 2:173; al-Ma'idah 5:3; al-An'am 6:145; al-Nahl 16:115) describing it as rijs — filth. The wisdom includes the foul nature of the…"
What happens to the soul after death?
كتاب الروح
Kitab ar-Ruh, chapters 1-15
"Ibn al-Qayyim devoted Kitab ar-Ruh to this question. He affirmed: the soul leaves the body and is taken by the angel of death; the believer's soul is welcomed and taken up through the heavens, while the disbeliever's is…"
What is the concept of the Hereafter?
حادي الأرواح
Hadi al-Arwah ila Bilad al-Afrah, intro & ch. 1-3
"Ibn al-Qayyim wrote that belief in the Akhirah is one of the six pillars of iman. It comprises: the trial of the grave, the resurrection, the gathering, the presentation of deeds, the scales, the Sirat over Hellfire, the…"
What is the reward for patience in hardship?
مدارج السالكين
Madarij as-Salikin 2/152-160 & ʿUddat as-Sabirin
"Ibn al-Qayyim explained that sabr is half of iman. Allah promised the patient: "Indeed the patient will be given their reward without account" (al-Zumar 39:10), three things in succession (salawat, mercy, and guidance —…"
Does Allah forgive all sins?
Madarij as-Salikin
Madarij as-Salikin 1/302–305
"Allah's mercy precedes His wrath. Every sin other than shirk is under His will to forgive — He may forgive it for whom He wills. As for shirk, dying upon it without repentance is the only sin Allah has decreed He will no…"
What is Jannah (Paradise)?
Hadi al-Arwah ila Bilad al-Afrah
Hadi al-Arwah, chapters 1, 4, 60
"Paradise is the abode Allah has prepared for His believing slaves: in it is what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and what has not occurred to the heart of any human. Its lowest dweller will be given the like of the wo…"
What is the ruling on divorce, khula, and remarriage?
Zad al-Ma'ad
Zad al-Ma'ad 5/241–268; I'lam al-Muwaqqi'in 3/30
"Talāq is the most hated of the permissible things to Allah — it is permitted only at need. The legislated form is to divorce the wife in a state of purity in which the husband has not had relations with her, then to leav…"
What is the ruling on celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, or non-Islamic holidays?
Ahkam Ahl adh-Dhimmah
Ahkam Ahl adh-Dhimmah 1/441
"Congratulating the disbelievers upon the rituals of their disbelief is forbidden by consensus, even if the one congratulating does not himself fall into disbelief — for it is approval of their kufr, and approving kufr is…"
What is Barzakh?
Kitab ar-Ruh
Kitab ar-Ruh, chapters 13–17
"Barzakh is the intermediate realm between this world and the next — from the moment a person dies until he is resurrected. In it the soul is questioned by the two angels, and the grave becomes either a garden from the ga…"
Is music haram in Islam?
Ighathah al-Lahfan
Ighathah al-Lahfan min Masayid ash-Shaytan 1/348–360
"Listening to musical instruments — flutes, strings, and the like — is forbidden by the Book, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the Salaf. Allah said: "And of the people is he who buys idle talk to mislead from the way of…"
How to perform Hajj step by step?
Zad al-Ma'ad
Zad al-Ma'ad 2/101–289 (Hajj al-Wada')
"The Prophet (ﷺ) entered ihrām from Dhul-Hulayfah, intending Hajj al-Qirān. On the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah he went to Minā and prayed five prayers there. On the 9th, he proceeded to ʿArafah after sunrise, gave the khutbah, pra…"
How to make dua properly?
al-Jawab al-Kafi
al-Jawab al-Kafi (al-Daa wa'd-Dawa'), pp. 7–28
"Duʿā has conditions for its acceptance: that the food, drink, and clothing of the supplicant be from halāl; that he begins with praise of Allah and salāt upon the Prophet (ﷺ); that he is certain of being answered, with a…"
Is it permissible to work in a riba-based bank?
I'lam al-Muwaqqi'in
I'lam al-Muwaqqi'in 3/107–112 (cooperation in the prohibited)
"(Applied from the principles of the Salaf on cooperation in sin.) The Prophet (ﷺ) cursed the consumer of ribā, the one who pays it, the scribe of it, and its two witnesses, and said: "They are equal." Whoever writes the…"
Who is Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)?
Zad al-Ma'ad
Zad al-Ma'ad 1/17–93 (Introduction to the Sirah)
"He is Muhammad ibn ʿAbdillāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muttalib, of Quraysh, of the Arabs, of the descendants of Ismāʿīl ibn Ibrāhīm — the Seal of the Prophets, the Imam of the pious, the leader of the white-blazed on the Day of Resur…"