Becoming Muslim
362 questions
Is it incumbent upon a Muslim who has committed major disbelief (such as mocking Islam) to utter a different formulation of the Shahada? And is he required to add "He is alone without partner"? And is it obligatory to add "He is alone without partner" when reciting the Shahada in the Tashahhud and after ablution? And did the Prophet Muhammad add these words?
To what extent is the Sheikh's statement correct that a sleeping person is like a dead person, and that whoever cannot resist sleep to perform acts of obedience will not be able to say "La ilaha illa Allah (There is no god but Allah)" in the throes of death?
What is the ruling on an enemy soldier uttering the Two Testimonies (Shahadatayn) after being overpowered in the battlefield, and does it safeguard his life? And how do we reconcile between the Hadith of Usamah and Miqdad, and the Hadith: "Whoever is killed defending his property is a martyr, and whoever is killed defending his religion is a martyr, and whoever is killed defending his life is a martyr, and whoever is killed defending his family is a martyr," knowing that the assailant had struck Miqdad and cut off his hand? And does the ruling differ between apostates who are combatants and original disbelievers who are combatants? And who are those whose lives are safeguarded merely by their uttering the Two Testimonies? And what is the scholarly basis for the People of the Dhimma and the People of the Covenant who are combatants, in cases of gaining power over them during war and captivity?
Can a girl who committed many sins before knowing Islam convert to Islam, and what should she do about her past life?
Is the testimony of the Tashahhud in prayer accepted with only the wording "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah," or must "His servant and Messenger" be added? Is it prescribed not to bend the right leg in the Tashahhud? What is the ruling on frequently uttering the Shahadah within it? Is it desirable to supplicate after it? What is the ruling on saying "O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the torment of the grave, and from the torment of Hellfire, and from the trials of life and death" at the end of the last Tashahhud?
Is the Adhan of the Sunnis incomplete, and what are its legal forms?
Does thinking about or recalling something—intentionally or unintentionally—while uttering the Two Testimonies of Faith necessitate their repetition?
How should a new Muslim facing a prison sentence be advised, when he sees his imprisonment as an opportunity to learn his religion and spread Islam, and insists on not praying for release from prison but rather asking Allah for what is best for him? And what can be offered to help him endure and remain steadfast during that period?
Is a long separation between the parts of al-muwālah (succession) stipulated not to occur, and does a long separation due to recalling the meanings of the testimony "There is no god but Allah" affect it?
What is the ruling on bringing a Christian domestic worker to Medina, despite stipulating Islam to the recruitment office, and discovering her Christianity after her arrival, and her offer to embrace Islam to stay?
What is the ruling on uttering the Shahada in a non-Arabic language instead of Arabic, while knowing the Arabic language?
What is the ruling on adorning the name of Allah and the Shahada, and is that considered a distortion of them, and what is the ruling on introducing English letters into the adornment?
Is the fatwa attributed to Sheikh Ibn Baz – may Allah have mercy on him – regarding the authenticity of the ruling that whoever mocks the beard of a righteous man by saying: “Look at his beard, it’s like a goat’s beard,” exits the fold of Islam and must perform ghusl and utter the Shahada as if entering Islam, authentic?
Have the scholars unanimously agreed on the condition that the guardian (wali) and the two witnesses must be Muslim for the validity of the marriage contract? And to whom does the guardianship transfer if the woman's brother believes in the two testimonies (Shahadatayn) and the Qur'an but does not pray and describes himself as a non-Muslim? What should be done if the contract has already been concluded and then they learn about the requirement for the guardian and the two witnesses to be Muslim?
What is the ruling on someone who smiles upon hearing or seeing something related to religion, or upon imagining disbelief, to the point where they experience recurring doubt, perform ghusl, and recite the Shahada due to their belief in having committed an act of disbelief? Is such a person considered a disbeliever due to that smile?
What is the ruling on one who believes that Jews and Christians are not disbelievers, and is he required to renew his Islam by performing ghusl and Shahada? And what is the ruling on one who curses Allah or His Messenger (peace be upon him), and is repentance and regret sufficient, or is he required to renew his Islam? And what are the cases that necessitate renewing one's Islam by performing ghusl and Shahada?
What is the ruling on one who died before the call of Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab? Is he considered among the people of the Fatrah (a period during which no prophet was sent or divine message was proclaimed) and will he be tested?
Is it permissible to pay zakat to a recent convert Muslim wife on the basis of her being "whose hearts are to be reconciled," and for how long can she be considered as such?
How can one reconcile the statement that public dawah began at the end of the third year of the prophethood with the statement that it began with 'Umar ibn al-Khattab's embracing Islam in the fifth or sixth year?
Is a person considered an apostate if they postpone prayer (Maghrib, Isha, and Fajr) until the next day with the intention of making it up, while knowing of Sheikh Ibn Baz's fatwa that whoever delays prayer beyond its time is an apostate, believing that the majority of scholars consider it a major sin, and intending to recite the Shahada and perform ghusl the next day to resolve the scholarly dispute?
What is the ruling on one who disbelieves, then immediately repents, pronounces the Shahada, and turns back to Allah?
Is ignorance not considered an influential impediment to legal capacity if a person falls short in dispelling it through learning?
What is the meaning of the Two Testimonies (Shahadatayn) in conjunction with the word "Ashhad (I bear witness)," and what is your advice to those who suffer from obsessive doubts concerning them?
Does unintentionally changing a letter or word when reciting the Qur’an, due to an unpurposed error in sight or memory, and continuing with the incorrect recitation for some time before correcting it, constitute an alteration of the Qur’an that necessitates apostasy (ridda) or requires uttering the Two Testimonies (Shahadatayn)?