sary for a person to own and have full
possession of an item before selling it
further. In the case of a stock, a person
does not legally own a stock before settlement
takes place. Furthermore, even
if it is argued that a person owns the
stock from an Islamic perspective, he/
she would not be considered to have
full possession of it since there are restrictions
on selling a stock before settlement.
Consider the following hadith
in this regard:
Hakim ibn Hizam g narrates, “I told
the Messenger of Allah s that I buy and
sell often and asked him what is permissible
when buying and selling and
what is impermissible. He then told me
not to sell any item until I take possession
of it” ((Musnad Abu Dawud).
Question: It is common practice here
that farmers cut the tail of sheep off to
avoid fecal matter from accumulating
and causing potential fly strikes. Would
it be permissible to slaughter such an
animal for udhiya? Keep in mind that
over 80% of all sheep in US have their
tails docked.
Answer: Traditionally, the jurists have
considered an animal’s tail being cut
off a defect which renders the animal
unfit for udhiya. However, since
docking the tails of sheep has become
overwhelmingly prevalent and it is
no longer seen as a defect (but rather
seen as a means of protecting against
disease and increasing the meat yield
by industry experts) many ulama have
deemed it permissible to perform udhiya
with sheep which have had their
tails docked. Nonetheless, if undocked
sheep are easily available in one’s locality,
it would be better to sacrifice such
sheep.
Question: If possible, I am planning on
performing Hajj this year and was wondering
what the ruling is for wearing a
facemask while in the state of ihram.
Wearing the face-mask has been mandated
by both the airlines and Saudi
authorities.
Answer: In principle, it is not permissible
to cover the face while in the state of
ihram and doing so will result in a penalty
whether done so with or without a
valid excuse. However, since wearing a
face mask has been mandated by the
authorities, it will be considered a valid
excuse to cover the face and thus one
would not be sinful for doing so. Nonetheless,
it would be necessary for such
a person to pay a penalty despite being
excused. The details of the penalty are
as follows:
a. If the mask was worn cumulatively
for twelve hours or more, one
must carry out one of the following
three options: have a goat or
sheep slaughtered within the precincts
of the Haram, fast for three
days, or give six needy people the
amount of sadaqa al-fitr.
b. If the mask was cumulatively worn
for less than twelve hours, one
must either fast for one day or give
the amount of sadaqa al-fitr to one
person.
Question: Will the fast of the day of
Arafat be in accordance with the ninth
Dhu al-Hijja in Makka or of one’s locality?
Answer: As with all religious rites performed
on a specific time or date, the
local date will be considered. Thus,
the fast of Arafat will be kept on the
ninth Dhu al-Hijja as determined by
the moon sighting authorities of one’s
locality.
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