Below are a selection of questions that have been answered by Dr Musharraf Hussain, if you have a question, then please use the contact form to get in touch.
Q: Was Hazrat Isa (Jesus) taken up into the heavens alive or did he die a natural death?
A: It is an accepted belief of the Ahl us Sunnah that Isa (peace be upon him) was raised to the heavens and did not die. However, the Ahmadi’s believe that he was not raised to the heavens and lived on earth and died a natural death. This is Ahmadi belief and not the belief of the Muslims. Allah knows the best.
Q: I was hoping you could shed some light onto the practice where people sacrifice an animal with the intention to ward off evil or ‘nazar’. Is this practice Islamic?
A: Nazar or evil eye is a Quranic concept when a person is apprehensive and fearful about something that they desperately want they seek Allah’s help. The way they do this is they promise to do some good that can be an activity like fasting, praying nafls or giving charity. It is purely out of love and fear of God.
Q: How long after a person has died should they be buried?
A: I have set up a funeral burial service in Nottingham and in fact, we have buried 100’s of people over the last few years. In some cases, we have been able to bury people within hours. We have had deaths at about 7–8 am and we have had them buried by the afternoon. This is the proper and best way to do it, burial has to be speedy, hadith stresses this, people must be buried as soon as possible. Burials should not be delayed especially as people can now travel anywhere in Britain within 2-3 hours. It is important not to keep dead people overnight and it’s also best for the family as well in terms of how they manage their grief. Decomposition is a very big consideration and reason for a quick burial, especially in hot countries. Once you have started the burial process for your loved one, it gives you a new start to that relationship, and I think that’s another factor especially in terms of dealing with that loss.
Another religious reason that judgement on your life’s activities begins immediately after a person is buried. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that the grave is a hellfire or a garden amongst the gardens of paradise, so you don’t want to deprive people unnecessarily in this wretched world when they could be in the gardens of paradise.
Q: What are the requirements for converting to Islam?
A: It’s very simple. You say the shahada. The actual procedure would involve cleaning oneself, do a ghusl, have a bath, repeat the shahada and then learn what is allowed and prohibited, and of course, learn how to perform salah. Converts/Reverts need to have constant support and guidance which unfortunately is rarely given by the community.
