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I have heard that people who have born out of marriage are seen as inheriting ‘bad blood’, which means they naturally have a “bad blood line”?
Those people do not bear the responsibility of their parents’ crime. They are judged by Almighty Allah just like He judges other people. He said: “He who does wrong will have the recompense thereof” (123:4).
Is contemplating sin a sin?
Contemplation of a sin is not a sin. Yes, the individual deserves godly punishment when he starts the actual act of the sin practically.
What is the punishment for contemplating sin?
A person desiring to commit the sin will not be punished without actually committing the sin.
Does the ability of the person contemplating sin to actually carry out his thoughts have any bearing on the punishment? If, for example, I want to commit adultery, but I do not know how to approach a woman. Another person may be able to do so, yet refrains from doing it. Is that person’s sin and mine of the same severity?
The individual does not deserve to be punished for a sin just because he wants to commit it. If he is able to commit the sin but refuses to do so because he fears or respects God, Almighty Allah will reward him for passing such a test correctly.
I start an action to commit a sin. However, this action, with all my intention to sin, did not result in any sinful result. Have I committed a sin?
If you embarked on committing the sin purposefully, then you have wronged and you should seek forgiveness from God, even if the deed did not conclude as the sinful act.
If someone in his youth committed the sin of adultery and then repented and has thereafter not committed such sins, should he still expect punishment on the Day of Judgment?
Certain verses from the Quran and religious texts indicate that when a person sins and afterwards repents and regrets what he has done and decides to stop committing such a sin, then almighty Allah will not punish him.
Is marriage due to predestined? If so, it means that a person does not have a choice in their marriage and does not have free-will.
Everything in this universe is under the godly control but Almighty Allah gave the human the ability to act and enabled him to do the act or not to do it. Therefore, the individual should choose the life partner based on what is good for him in this life and the hereafter.
What should be our belief towards the Black Stone of the Ka’bah? We are told that it was brought down by angel Gabriel from Heaven, and some people say that it was probably a meteorite. What is the reality of it?
We believe in it as the religious texts describe. It was narrated that it is a stone from Heaven. Even if it was proven that it is a meteorite, such a thing does not oppose the unseen side of it as the texts indicate.
Are tawalli and tabarri considered as one of the fundamentals of the religion, or amongst the branch issues?
They are considered as perfections to the beliefs of the true religion.
For whom should we do Tawalli and from whom should we do Tabarri? What is the permissible or recommended way of doing Tawalli and Tabarri?
Tawalli is friendship and love for the Prophet and the Imams (peace be upon them) after him and their followers.
Tabarri is the disassociation from the enemies of Allah including those who are obstinate to the truth and the deviated oppressors.
The obligatory form of Tawalli and Tabarri is having them in the heart.
Many people around the world believe in reincarnation. What is the view of Islam on reincarnation?
There is no doubt that reincarnation is an invalid concept. The entity of the human being does not change after death. Almighty Allah resurrects him after his death in his original form and identity and he will be judged for his actions. Allah almighty said: "And whoso doeth good an atom's weight will see it then, And whoso doeth ill an atom's weight will see it then." (Quran 99:7-8)
What is concept of Badā' (alteration in the divine will)? Why do people dispute over the Imamah of Imam Musa al-Kadhim (peace be upon him)?
There is no doubt that Badā' exists. Verses from the Holy Book prove it, such as: “Allah effaces what He wills, and establishes (what He wills), and with Him is the source of ordinance.” (39:13) Aside from this, there are numerous narrations, which explain that Almighty Allah’s knowledge does not change by the sequence of events. Some incidents might lead, as they happen based on their natural sequence, to a different result and its real destiny that Almighty Allah knows may not correspond to what one might imagine from preceding incidents.
Bada' can take place for any incident, including the issue of the passing of Imamate. Almighty Allah limited this position to certain personalities. However, people could conclude from certain circumstances that a different person will fill this position. Because of his piety, Isma'il, the oldest son of Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq (peace be upon him), was seen by Shias to be the next Imam after his father’s death, and for some of them it may have been something very obvious. But Almighty Allah knew that this will not happen, and thus Isma'il died during his father’s lifetime, and the next Imam was Isma'il's brother, Musa al-Kadhim (peace be upon him).
Do we as Shias believe in Raj'ah and is it the same as reincarnation? I have heard some companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), like Miqdad and Abu Dharr, will come back, and even Imam Hussain (peace be upon him). Is this true and could you explain?
Raj'ah is not reincarnation. Reincarnation is the belief that after a person dies, he will begin a new life in this world in a different physical form. Shia scholars reject this belief since it leads to the denial of the Hereafter. It was reported in some narrations that Imam al-Ridha (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever believes in the reincarnation is an unbeliever who denies the existence of Heaven”.
Raj’ah is the return of life to a dead person back to this world. There were many narrations that prove the return of some righteous believers from the dead to this life.
It is sufficient to believe in this belief in general, without getting into details. The return of some people to this life after they passed away does not contradict with any other belief. Such return to life has been mentioned in the Holy Qur'an, such as in the following verse: "Or (bethink thee of) the like of him who, passing by a township which had fallen into utter ruin, exclaimed: How shall Allah give this township life after its death? And Allah made him die a hundred years, then brought him back to life. He said: How long hast thou tarried? (The man) said: I have tarried a day or part of a day. (He) said: Nay, but thou hast tarried for a hundred years. Just look at thy food and drink which have not rotted! Look at thine ass! And, that We may make thee a token unto mankind, look at the bones, how We adjust them and then cover them with flesh! And when (the matter) became clear unto him, he said: I know now that Allah is Able to do all things."(2:259).
It is common amongst Shi'as to seek intercession from the Holy Prophet and the Ahlulbait (Peace upon them all) and to do Tawassul through them. I understand that if I visit the grave of any of the Infallibles (peace be upon them) and seek their intercession, they can hear me. But what I find hard to grasp is how they can hear me when I am at home, for example. I hear a lot of my brothers and sisters say that the Imams (peace be upon them) hear everyone from everywhere. Is this not an attribute of Almighty Allah only? Is there any hadith that tells us that they can hear their followers from anywhere?
The religious sources clearly indicate the legitimacy of seeking intercession from the Prophet and the Imams of the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them). It is one of the means by which one's wishes and supplications can be fulfilled. There is no difference between visiting their shrines or seeking their intercession while being far from them, since the geographical distance is only an obstacle in communication in this material world, whereas it is not an obstacle in the metaphysical world. It has been reported by Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him) that an angel asked Almighty Allah to grant him the ability to hear people, and Almighty Allah did. This angel now stands till the day of judgment and whenever a believer says, “Peace and blessings be upon Mohammed and his progeny,” this angel conveys this to the Prophet and the Prophet replies by saying, “Peace be upon him.”