The Press Release on the Terrorist Attacks against the Shia in Egypt

The Press Release on the Terrorist Attacks against the Shia in Egypt
2013/06/25

We strongly condemn the terrorist attacks that lead to the martyrdom and wounding of tens of innocent lovers of the Ahlul-Bait (peace be upon them) in Egypt and the dragging of deceased bodies along the ground that took place afterwards.

As we ask the Almighty Allah to send His mercy on the souls of the martyrs and to grant the wounded fast recovery, we call the government and the judiciary of Egypt to take the responsibility in bringing the perpetrators and those who motivated them with incitement verdicts to justice. In addition, we call the Egyptian government to take the necessary steps in preventing the recurrence of similar events.

We pray to the Almighty Lord to bless the efforts of Al-Azhar in promoting a culture of moderation and rejecting extremism and hatred, which distort the image of Muslims and rupture the unity of the peaceful Egyptian nation.

"There is no power save from Allah, the All-high, the All-Great"

The Office of the Religious Authority, Sayyid Mohammed Saeed Al-Hakeem

Day Questions

If there is gold on a pen, can I carry it in my pocket and pray with it?

Yes, it is permissible to carry it, and carrying it during the prayer does not invalidate it.

I have heard that if a person fails to do Taqleed, his or her all good deeds will be corrupted, no matter how virtuous a devotee may be. Is it true?

The individual - that did not reach the level of Ijtihad - can not guarantee the correctness of his deeds before Almighty Allah, unless they correspond to the verdicts of a religious jurist - Marja since s/he will then, not be responsible for the errors in the verdicts - if any. Without following, the person will be held responsible before The Almighty if the actions and transactions were not really in accordance to the religion.

Does the khula and mubarat divorce require witnesses?

All types of divorce, including khula and mubarat, are not valid unless there are qualified witnesses present, and the other conditions must also be fulfilled, such as the woman not being in her menstrual period and not having had sexual intercourse since the last menstrual period.

Some people are against the concept of intercession (waseelah). Kindly tell me in the Quran which verse indicates waseelah for prayer to Allah.

This topic entails a detailed discussion, but in summary Allah said: “And if, when they had wronged themselves, they had but come unto thee and asked forgiveness of Allah, and asked forgiveness of the messenger, they would have found Allah Forgiving, Merciful” (4:64). It is clear that the intercession of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) is one of the causes of divine mercy and forgiveness, and there is no evidence that this is limited to his life, especially with the traditions narrated from him that indicate that he replies to our salutations and greetings to him after his death; so just as salutations reach him after his death, so do our requests for his intercession.

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