Dar al-Ifta Ahl al-Sunnah
Mufti Muhammad Hashim Khan Attari Madani
1. Lighting candles in the homes on Thursdays
Q: What do the scholars of Islam say about the following matter: Some people light candles in their homes on Thursdays, even though there is no practical need. They only do so because ˹according to them˺, the ˹souls of the˺ righteous will visit as a result, among other reasons. Please explain the Islamic stance, if any, about this matter.
Questioner: Adnan (Lahore)
بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ
A: Lighting candles, believing that the ˹souls of the˺ righteous will visit, is an invalid and baseless belief. Lightning a candle for this purpose is an invalid reason, which itself is a bidʿah, wastage, and impermissible.
وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم صلَّی اللہ علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم
2. The ruling on taking part in boxing
Q: What do the scholars of Islam say about the following matter: Are sports in which the face is struck permissible, such as boxing?
بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ
A: In normal circumstances, boxing and other sports in which the face is hit are impermissible and haram for several reasons:
1. It is haram to strike the face of a human without a valid reason. In fact, when Islamic courts of law sentenced someone to a judicial corporal punishment, it was still not permissible to hit ˹the convict˺ in the face. It is even prohibited to throw water on the face with force during wudu. Thus, if it is not permitted to strike the face when enforcing judicial punishments nor to throw water on the face with force whilst making wudu, how can permission be given for sports in which striking the face is a key feature?
2. In these sports, the reserved parts of the body (ʿawra) that must be concealed are usually exposed. Unnecessarily exposing these body parts is impermissible and haram even in solitude, so how great of a sin will it be to expose them in front of others? Moreover, it is even impermissible and haram to expose these body parts before others for the purpose of istinjāʾ, whereas they are exposed in these sports merely for entertainment and play, so how could this be permissible? Rather, it is compulsory, by consensus, to conceal one’s nakedness in front of others and during salah.
3. Such sports are a form of trivial entertainment and amusement which has no religious or worldly benefit. Every form of triviality is, at the very least, disliked (makrūh) and not allowed. Thus, if a form of entertainment also has an impermissible element, such as sports which involve hitting the face, it will be impermissible and haram.
وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم صلَّی اللہ علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم
3. Removing a gold tooth from the mouth of the deceased
Q: What do the scholars of Islam say about the following matter: If a person has a gold tooth fixed in their mouth and they die, will this tooth be removed, or will they be buried with it? Will burying them without removing it be deemed a waste of wealth? The tooth is not easily removed and requires either a surgical procedure or tearing out.
Questioner: Ahmad Hadi (Garhi Shahu, Lahore)
بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ
A: If a gold tooth is fixed in the mouth of the deceased in such a way that it is not possible to remove it without operating, causing damage, or causing harm, then it will not be removed. The deceased will be buried with it. Islam gives respect and honour to the Muslim, whether dead or alive, and it is not permissible to treat a deceased Muslim in a way that will cause them harm or pain. A hadith mentions that breaking the deceased person’s bone and causing them pain is like breaking their bone and causing them pain during their lifetime. Operating or causing damage to remove a fixed tooth will also result in pain and a violation of dignity. Therefore, removing it is not permissible.
As far as the matter of wasting wealth is concerned, then no doubt, Islam emphasises preserving wealth and declares it impermissible to waste it. However, it is not being wasted without reason here. Rather, it is being done to protect a deceased Muslim from pain and harm, and there is no doubt that preserving the dignity of a believer is of greater importance than preserving wealth. This [principle] will be adhered to as long as there is no injustice involved, and there is no injustice involved in the matter of the gold tooth.
Hence, the noble jurists state that if a person’s property entered the stomach of another person without any injustice or compulsion, and then the latter died, it will not be taken out by cutting open his stomach. In fact, if it is swallowed unjustly, but he left behind enough wealth to pay compensation then it will still not be taken out by cutting open his stomach. Whereas, in the above-mentioned case, the gold tooth does not belong to anyone else, rather, he had it affixed himself personally, so how can one cause pain to the deceased to remove it? Therefore, keeping in mind his dignity, it will not be allowed to remove the gold tooth through operating or by causing pain.
وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم صلَّی اللہ علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم
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