An imaam is guilty of some secret sin; should he continue in his position as imaam?

A young man is an imaam in one of the mosques. He is, as he says, well-liked by the people at the mosque, but he knows deep down that he has shortcomings and is guilty of some sins, and does not deserve to be the imaam or to have this love and respect from people. He fears that if he remains as imaam of the mosque, he may become a hypocrite or show off. Should he stay in the mosque? Should he continue leading the people in prayer, or should he leave this position out of fear of becoming a hypocrite and show off?

Praise be to Allaah.

You describe this young man as being loved by his people, but he is guilty of some transgression which is a matter between him and his Lord. I say that the fact that Allaah has blessed him with the position of imaam and the love of his people dictates that he should give up his sin and stop transgressing against himself, and he should worship Allaah properly, and give thanks to Allaah, because the fact that a person is loved by his people and is their imaam is a great blessing from Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And the slaves of the Most Beneficient (Allaah) are those who walk on the earth in humility and sedateness…

And those who say: ‘Our Lord… and make us leaders for the muttaqoon (the pious)…” [al-Furqaan 25:68, 74]

Those who pray are among the pious, and the one who leads them in prayer is imcluded in this aayah, “…and make us leaders for the muttaqoon (the pious)…” So let him praise Allaah for this blessing, and stop transgressing against himself, and let him make this one of the means of bringing himself back to obedience to Allaah, and let him fear Allaah with regard to his status.

When he says that he is afraid he may show off, this is waswaas (insinuating thoughts) that the Shaytaan puts into a person’s mind whenever he wants to do an act of obedience to Allaah. The Shaytaan comes to him and says, “You are showing off.” He has to cast this idea aside, ignore it and seek the help of Allaah, for he always recites in his salaah the words, “Iyyaaka na’budu wa iyyaaka nasta’een (You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help” [al-Faatihah 1:5 – interpretation of the meaning].

He gave charity because he felt embarrassed in front of his boss at work

I gave money to a charitable project because I felt scared of my boss at work. If it had been up to me I would not have given even a penny. Will I have the complete reward for this action just as I would if I had given willingly and by my own choice? Please answer with evidence (daleel).

Praise be to Allaah.
If the situation is as you described, then you will not be rewarded for this donation, because you did not give it for the sake of Allaah, rather you gave it for the sake of your boss because you were afraid of him. It was narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Actions are but by intention and each man will have but that which he intended.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari in Bad’ al-Khalq and Muslim in al-Imaarah, no. 1907).

From learning Quran online Blog.
And notably& note that we want to discourse and share with you it is about Reading quran and doing Quran recitation online to appreciate it, Ramadan is the month when the divine Holy Quran has been brought out. A miracle by the Lord of the worlds, Allah (SWT) Should we not spiritualize him by reading Quran the natural endowment he has sent down for us and we should learn Arabic Quran by heart to have the power of it and we as Moslem should try to Learn Quran with translation to comprehend it while we do quran memorization and let our heart fill will teardrops of glory and wash away our sins in the month of Ramadan many people teach quran and we should participate in teaching quran as much as we could. important note to before starting to read Koran after social intercourse or menstrual bleeding one must not touch the holy Quran or do quran recitation and also not do quran memorization until after bathing non-Muslim should not handle the religious writing, but may listen up to Quran online. In relation to all these things in your thoughts when one is not reading or reciting holy Quran it must be closed and stored in nice and clean situation, it should never be placed on floor or in a privy and Muslim will require to focus on reading quran  the tajweed  quran and its normals with a proper institute.
End from online Quran reciter blog.

If he bought a car by instalments and dies, will he not be forgiven until it is paid off on his behalf?

I bought a car by instalments; in this case, if I die before paying off all the instalments, will these instalments become like a debt that I owe, and will I not be forgiven until it is paid off in full?.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: 

It is permissible to buy a car or any other item by instalments, even if that is for a price that is higher than the cash price. This has been explained previously in the answers to questions number 13973 and 113945. 

Secondly: 

The instalments that you owe are regarded as being a debt that you owe. 

No one should incur debts except in the case of need, because of what is narrated in the texts of seeking refuge with Allah from debt and asking Allah to pay it off, and that one's soul is in pledge to this debt until it is paid off. Muslim (1886) narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Amr ibn al-‘Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The martyr will be forgiven for everything, except debt.” 

Al-Nawawi said in Sharh Muslim: As for the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), “except debt”, this is drawing attention to all the rights of human beings, and indicates that jihad, martyrdom and other righteous deeds do not cause duties to human beings to be waived; rather they cause duties to Allah, may He be exalted, to be waived. End quote. 

Al-Nasaa’i (4605) narrated that Muhammad ibn Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We were sitting with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he raised his head towards the sky, then he put his palm on his forehead and said: “Subhaan-Allaah!  What a strict issue has been revealed to me!” We remained silent and were afraid. The following morning I asked him, “O Messenger of Allaah, what is this strict issue that has been revealed?” He said, “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, if a man were killed in battle for the sake of Allaah, then brought back to life, then killed and brought back to life again, then killed, and he owed a debt, he would not enter Paradise until his debt was paid off.” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Nasaa’i, 4367.   

Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said in al-Tamheed (23/238):  

The debt for which a person will be kept out of Paradise – and Allaah knows best – is that for which he left behind enough to pay it off but he did not leave instructions to that effect, or he was able to pay it off but did not do so, or he took the loan for some unlawful or extravagant matter and died without having paid it off.  

As for the one who took a loan for something lawful because he was poor, and he died without leaving behind anything to pay it off, Allaah will not keep him from Paradise because of it, in sha Allaah. End quote. 

If a person buys a car by instalments, in the event of his death it may be possible to pay off his debts or a large part of it from the price of the car after selling it. 

Hence we say: There is nothing wrong with you embarking upon this transaction so long as you are determined to pay it off, and you should write a will concerning what you owe. 

We ask Allah to help and guide us and you. 

And Allah knows best.

Scholarly views concerning zakaah on debts, and the most correct view

I ve invested money in his business as a sleeping partner, but his way of conducting business wasnt upto my satisfaction and i didnt ask for any profit nor he gave me,so i asked him after a year to give my amount back and he has been making excuses for the last 3 years,he sweared upon ALLAH that his condition is not good but he keeps on giving me tentative dates,i am hopeful that he will pay me back but i want to ask if i should pay zakah on amount when i get it or should i pay on all the years,i cant say that during all these times if he had enough resources or if he is just faking it and using my money,its just that i believe his financial status when he swears upon ALLAH,and i believe whatever he says.kindly do guide,i ve tried to express my question to the best of my ability and i hope that you will figure out what i am intenting to ask.Sorry for not being able to make question precise,hope you will not mind it.

Praise be to Allaah.

When a Muslim is owed a debt by someone else, one of two scenarios must apply: 

(i)                That it is owed by someone who admits it and knows the amount and is willing to pay it. 

(ii)              It is owed by someone who admits it, but he is in difficulty or is delaying payment, or it is with someone who denies it. 

In the first case, he should pay zakaah on the debt in addition to the wealth he has with him, so he should pay zakaah on all his wealth, and do that every year, even if he has not received it from the debtor, because it is like trust. And it is permissible for him to delay paying zakaah on the debt until the time he receives it, and then pay zakaah for all the past years. 

In the second case, he does not have to pay zakaah, but when he does receive it, in order to be on the safe side he should pay zakaah on it for one year, even if it was kept with one who was hard up or delayed payment, or denied it, for several years. 

This is a summary of the correct scholarly view concerning this issue. There are differences among them concerning the issues that we have mentioned. This is a brief look at their opinions concerning that: 

It says in al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah (23/238, 239): 

The debt is the property of the lender, but because it is not in its owner’s possession, the fuqaha’ differed concerning it. Ibn ‘Umar, ‘Aa’ishah and ‘Ikrimah the freed slave of Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them) were of the view that there is no zakaah on a debt, and the reason for that is that it cannot grow (through investment), so its zakaah is not due on it, like items that are kept for personal use. 

The majority of scholars are of the view that debt which is due is of two types: that which it is hoped will be paid off, and that concerning which there is no hope that it will be paid off. 

A debt which it is hoped will be paid off is that which is owed by one who admits it and is willing to repay it, and there are several views concerning this. The view of the Hanafis and Hanbalis, which is also the view of al-Thawri, is that zakaah must be paid on it by its owner every year, because it is wealth that belongs to him; he does not have to pay zakaah on it whilst it is not in his possession, but when he does take possession of it, he must pay zakaah on it for all years past. 

The basis for this opinion is that it is a debt that is confirmed to be owed, so he does not have to pay zakaah on it before he takes possession of it, and because he is not making use of it at present, so he does not have to pay zakaah on wealth that he is not making use of. But the entrusted item whose owner can take it at any time does not come under this category, rather he must pay zakaah on it when one year has passed.  

The more correct view of al-Shaafa’i, and of Hammaad ibn Abi Sulaymaan, Ishaaq and Abu ‘Ubayd is that he must pay zakaah at the end of every year on the debt that he hopes will be repaid , as in the case of wealth that is in his possession, because he is able to take it and dispose of it. 

The Malikis regarded debts as being of different types: the zakaah of some debts is to be paid every year, namely the debt of the merchant who buys and sells for trade; zakaah is to be paid on the price that he is owed for the trade goods. 

In other cases, zakaah is to be paid when one year has passed since [the lender] first acquired it, and it is to be paid for only one year, even if it stays with the borrower for many years. 

There is no zakaah on some kinds of debt, which is that which he did not take possession of, such as a gift, mahr, or compensation for an injury and the like.  

In the case of a debt for which there is no hope of repayment, which is what is owed by one who is hard up, or who denies it, or is delaying repayment, there are several opinions. The opinion of the Hanafis in this case, which is the view of Qataadah, Ishaaq and Abu Thawr, and is mentioned in one report from Ahmad, and is the view of al-Shaafa’i, is that there is no zakaah on it, because it is not fully in his possession, because he is not able to make use of it. 

The second view, which is the view of al-Thawri and Abu ‘Ubayd, and is narrated in another report from Ahmad, and is the more correct view of al-Shaafa’i, is that he should pay zakaah on it when he takes possession of it, for all years past, because of the report narrated from ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) concerning the uncertain debt: “If he is sincere then let him pay zakaah when he takes possession of it for what is past.” 

Maalik was of the view that he should pay zakaah when he takes possession of it for one year, even if it stayed with the debtor for several years. This is the view of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez, al-Hasan, al-Layth and al-Awzaa’i. End quote. 

What we think is most correct in this case is that which was mentioned in a fatwa issued by the scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas and by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen. See the answer to question no. 1117. 

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, after discussing the scholarly views on this matter: 

The correct view is that zakaah must be paid on it each year, if it is owed by one who is rich and willing to pay, because it comes under the same ruling as wealth that you have with you; but he should pay it when he takes possession of the debt, and if he wishes he may pay zakaah on it with the zakaah of the rest of his wealth. The former is a concession (rukhsah) and the latter is a virtue, and is more expedient in discharging one’s duty. 

But if it is owed by one who is delaying payment or one who is hard up, then no zakaah is due on it, even if it remains for ten years, because he is unable to dispose of it, but if he takes possession of it, he should pay zakaah once, for the year in which he took possession of it, and he does not have to pay zakaah for the time that has passed.

This opinion was mentioned by Shaykh al-‘Anqari in his commentary on Shaykh al-Islam Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab, and his grandsons (may Allaah have mercy on them). It is also the view of Imam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) and this is the correct view, for the following reasons: 

1.     It is akin to crops on which zakaah must be paid when they are acquired, and rent, concerning which Shaykh al-Islam favoured the view that zakaah must be paid on them when taking possession of them, even if a full year has not yet passed.

2.     One of the conditions of zakaah being obligatory is that one must be able to pay it; when one is able to pay it, then zakaah must be paid.

3.     A few months of the year may have passed before he gave it as a loan.

4.     Waiving zakaah for what has passed and making it obligatory to pay zakaah for the year in which one takes possession of it only makes things easier for the owner, because how can we oblige him to pay zakaah when he is obliged to give the one who is hard up more time? It is also making things easier for the one who is hard up, by giving him more time. 

An example of that is wealth that is buried and forgotten. If a person buried his wealth for fear that it might be stolen, then he forgets its whereabouts, he should pay zakaah only for the year in which he found it.  

Another example is stolen wealth, if it remains with the thief for several years, then its owner manages to find it; he should pay zakaah for one year only, like the debt that is owed by one who is hard up. End quote. 

Al-Sharh al-Mumti’ ‘ala Zaad al-Mustaqni’ (6/27, 28). 

To sum up: 

You have to pay zakaah on this money for the three years during which you were a partner with your friend. 

After that – from the beginning of your agreement with him to repay the money – this money changes from the money held by a partnership to money that is owed by your friend. It seems from your friend’s situation that he is hard up, so you do not have to pay zakaah on this money until you take possession of it, then you have to pay zakaah on it for one year only, even if it remained in your friend’s possession for several years. 

And Allaah knows best.

He is taking a loan from the state to study and will pay back only half of it

I study in a western country (Germany) where the students have the possibility to get every month a special amount of money. You have to fulfil an application form and the competent persons calculate the monthly amount which you get (depends on the income of your parents, the rent and some other things). After you have finished your studies you have to pay back half of the whole amount monthly to the state without interest (it can also be less than the half), the other half of the amount you do not have to pay back. -Is it allowed to apply for such a financial support and to get money every month from the state? -Is it perhaps not allowed that half of the whole amount you do not have to pay back to the state according to the islamic rulings?.

Praise be to Allaah.

If the loan will be paid back without interest, then there is nothing wrong with taking it, whether it is paid back in full or half is paid back or less than half, and even if nothing at all is paid back, because this given by the state as a help and it can waive all or part of the debt. 

The basic principle concerning that is that a loan is a contract of a charitable nature in the first place, and the lender has the right not to ask for his money back, and that is mustahabb if the borrower is hard up, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And if the debtor is in a hard time (has no money), then grant him time till it is easy for him to repay; but if you remit it by way of charity, that is better for you if you did but know” [al-Baqarah 2:280]. 

Muslim (1653) narrated that Abu Qataadah said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) say: “Whoever would like Allaah to save him from the distress of the Day of Resurrection, let him give one who is hard up more time (to pay off his debts) or let him waive (the debt) from him (in whole or in part).” 

But if the reason for your confusion is that this state is not a Muslim state, and in this case the student is going to benefit from the wealth of the kuffaar, there is nothing wrong with this either, in sha Allaah. Accepting the gift of a mushrik is permissible. Imam al-Bukhaari included that in a chapter heading in his Saheeh: “Chapter on accepting gifts from the mushrikeen,” in which he narrated (2618) the hadeeth of ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Abi Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: We were with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him), one hundred and thirty, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said: “ Does anyone among you have any food?” One man had a saa’ of food or the like with him, so dough was made, then a mushrik man who was very tall came with sheep that he was herding, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of be upon him) said: “A sale or a gift?” He said: No, a sale. So he bought a sheep from him and it was cooked... 

al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

This hadeeth indicates that it is permissible to accept the gift of a mushrik, because he asked him whether he would sell or give. 

And it shows to be false the opinion of those who say that a gift should be returned to an idolater but not to one of the People of the Book (i.e., a Jew or Christian), because this Bedouin was an idolater. 

See also the answer to question number 6964 and 85108. 

And Allaah knows best.

The ministry takes interest-based loans from the bank and lends to the unemployed without interest

Is the following transaction permissible? 
One of the ministries in our country is going to give me a loan for a small project and repayment will be on easy terms for me. But the problem is that the loan will be done through a bank. For me payment will be without interest, but the bank will take interest from the Department in question, which suggested that to me and is sponsoring this project. Is this regarded as coming under the heading of interest-based loans? Is it permissible for me to take this loan or not?.

Praise be to Allaah.

If the matter is as you describe, there is nothing wrong with you taking this loan, because it is a goodly loan without interest. The fact that the one who is lending it to you -- which is the department in question -- has borrowed this money with interest, does not affect you, because you are not dealing with interest and because the one who takes a loan with interest takes possession of the money that he borrows, according to the more correct scholarly view, and it is permissible for him to dispose of it by giving it or lending it or otherwise, even though he is committing sin by dealing with riba.

See: al-Manfa’ah fi’l-Qard, by ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Muhammad al-‘Imraani, p. 245-254 

We ask Allaah to make things easy for you, to meet your needs and to bless you in your livelihood. 

And Allaah knows best.

Is it permissible for his wife to take a loan from the Bab Rizq program in order to give him the money?

My wife wants to help me apply for a loan from the ‘Abd al-Lateef Jameel Fund (Bab Rizq program), by applying on the basis that she is going to set up a small business by herself. The people in charge of the Bab Rizq fund will examine her application. If they agree and she gets the money, I will take it from her and open a legitimate business or something else that will benefit us. Is that permissible? Please note that we are in urgent need of this money.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: 

There is nothing wrong with taking loans that do not involve paying any interest. 

Secondly: 

If your wife takes a loan, she may give it to you by way of a loan, or as a gift or partnership. But if she takes a loan in order to work on a specific project, then she has to fulfil that, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The Muslims are bound by their conditions.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (3594); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood. 

It is no secret that it is not permissible to lie, deceive or use tricks; rather it is obligatory to adhere to the terms of the contract between your wife and the lender. 

And Allah knows best.