- Emulation - Taqleed 65
- Taharah 350
- Prayers 294
- Fasting 120
- Zakat 23
- Khums 82
- Pilgrimage 45
- Trade 120
- Enjoining the Good and Forbidding the Wrong 88
- Trust 1
- Leasing 3
- Lending & Borrowing 8
- Agency 1
- Will 3
- Gifts 4
- Religious Endowment (Waqf) 6
- Charity 4
- Marriage 299
- Divorce 67
- Vow, Covenant & Oath 16
- Kaffarah 6
- Usurpation 1
- Lost Property 5
- Hunting and Slaughtering 23
- Food & Drink 53
- Sea Animal 8
- Land Animals 11
- Birds 2
- Solid Food 6
- Liquids 11
- General Rulings 15
- Inheritance 14
- Compensation (Diyah and Dhaman) 10
- Diyah 7
- Ahlulbait 42
- Alcohol 15
- Banking 15
- Beliefs 89
- Blood Donation 2
- Clothing & Adornment 40
- Clothing 15
- Rings 6
- Cosmetics and Makeup 12
- Silk 2
- Gold 5
- Copyrights 2
- Converts 7
- Dance 4
- Eid 15
- Games 10
- Hijab 27
- General Issues 23
- History 2
- Holy Quran 29
- Human Cloning 2
- Imam Mahdi (Peace be upon him) 20
- Immigration 1
- Islamic Religion 31
- Internet 8
- Istikhara 10
- Islam & Christianity 3
- Jesus (Peace be upon him) 4
- Laws 2
- Man & Woman 32
- Masturbation 19
- Medical Issues 24
- Mosques 12
- Mourning Imam Hussein 34
- Mourning 7
- Muharram 10
- Tatbeer 6
- Ways of Mourning 11
- Narrations 11
- The Prophet - Peace be upon him- 9
- Organ Donation 2
- Quran Commentary 9
- Religious Chants 6
- Pets 7
- Religious Propagation 9
- Relationships 19
- Slavery 1
- Satan 2
- Smoking 7
- Supplication-Dua 22
- Tattoos 5
- Sport 2
- Tran Sexuality 4
- Vivisetion 1
- Wilayet Alfaqih 3
- Work 31
- Yoga 1
- Ziyara 15
Given the death of every creation is predestined, is it permissible to smoke tobacco, for example, which decreases one’s lifespan?
As long as the individual is able to refrain from what could cause his death, he should protect himself. If he did not and performed what led to his death, he will be held accountable for making such decisions.
One’s pre-destined death by Almighty Allah does not make him unaccountable for such negligence towards himself, as long as he is able to prevent himself from the causes of death.
Are humans creators of their deeds, or is God the creator of the human's deeds? If the latter is the case, then how can humans be judged for their deeds that God programmed them to do?
There is no doubt that humans act out of their choice and their will. Thus, the good-doer is praised and the evil-doer is dispraised. If humans were like machines such that their acts are under compulsion, then praising those who do good and dispraising those who commit bad deeds would be meaningless. However, all of this is within the boundaries of Almighty God’s power. He gave the human beings the freedom of choice and will hold them accountable for it, and He can take this ability away from anyone whenever He wishes, and there is no power or strength but from God Almighty.
The Imams of the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them) explained this belief in their famous narration: “There is no compulsion [from Allah on the humans], nor there is complete delegation (from Him for them without them being under His power), but a matter in between.”
Could you please describe me the belief of "Qadha" and "Qadar" from the view of the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them)?
The belief of "Qadha" and "Qadar" (fatalism and destiny) in the teachings of the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them) is "al-Amr baynal-Amrain" - a path between absolute fatalism and absolute freedom. This means that the human being is capable of the actions, has a choice in doing them and is responsible for their consequences; but at the same time, he is under the power of Almighty Allah, since the abilities of the human being is not independent from His power. The human capability is limited by the creation of Almighty Allah and His continuous maintaining of the life of the human being.
Since I got married, my family has been suffering from insufficiency of sustenance, but the Holy Quran says: “Get the unmarried ones among you married, as well as the righteous slave men and slave women. If they are poor, Allah will make them independent by His grace” (Surah Nur, verse 32). Why is it that many newly married couples receive an increase in sustenance, as promised by Allah, but I am suffering from financial problems?
Some traditions indicate that marriage is one of the reasons for the increase of sustenance, but this does not mean that it is a complete cause for it. There might be obstacles that prevent it or conditions of sustenance that are not met. On the other hand, Almighty God might limit one’s sustenance for various reasons, such as to test one's faith or increase one’s rewards if one is patient, or other reasons that we are ignorant of.
So, we should always turn to Him in all our affairs and ask Him to provide us with what is lawful and what would be good for us. Asking forgiveness is one of the means to increase sustenance and thanking the Almighty for His bounties is one of the causes for the continuance of blessings, as the narrations indicate, so we must do what we can from that.
In addition to this, one can recite supplications that help in sustenance, which are mentioned in the books of supplications. If the supplication is answered, we thank God for that. If it isn't, we have to be patient, as it is perhaps will be good for us.
What does the Quran say about people born with various illnesses, deformities and handicaps? How does Allah explain it?
Allah Almighty created this life for testing and trialing us; He did not create it to be a place of happiness. Rather, eternal happiness is in the Hereafter after passing the tests of this life. Almighty Allah might create a person without the sense of sight or hearing, or create a person that suffers from chronic disease, or create a healthy person who lives in poverty, or one that suffers an accident that results in losing a limb or a sense, or any other trials and tests that people undertake.
One should respond to that with gratitude for the other blessings that God has bestowed upon him and with patience over his suffering, so he that he becomes deserving of the rewards of gratitude and patience. This itself will be the means to alleviate his suffering and pain, as long as he believes that all of this is in the hands of Almighty Allah, the Merciful.