Aljumuah Magazine

When A Cultural Paradigm is Divisive

By Ahmad Shakur
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2102CoverImage.jpgIN 1871,THE English anthropologist and social Darwinist E.B.Tylor formulated the generally accepted and classical definition of the term ‘culture.' "Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capability and habit acquired by man as a member of society."

The terms are compelling, but particularly intriguing is the idea of culture as a "habit acquired by man." Habit implies a behavior performed without thought, a nearly knee-jerk reaction to stimuli, something akin to an acquired collective instinct. It is this aspect of culture that allows us to survive threatening conditions and perplexing circumstances within our environment.

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Fatwa

Hajj for the Woman who Embarks on It Whose Husband Dies

Q: A woman decided to perform the obligatory pilgrimage, but when she had finished all the necessary procedures, her husband died. Should she perform the Hajj or would that not be permissible for her?

A: If a man dies, leaving his wife a widow, she must remain in her waiting period (`iddah) and in

official mourning (al-hidad) until her waiting period is over. If she is pregnant, her waiting period is until delivery, due to the following verse: "And for those who are pregnant, their waiting

period is until they deliver their pregnancy" [65:4]. This is also due to the established evidence from the Sunnah, specifically in the hadeeth of Subai`ah al-Aslamiyyah, whose husband passed away while she was pregnant and a few nights later she began post-partum bleeding and the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, permitted her to get married. If she is not pregnant, then her waiting

period is four months and 10 days, as Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has said: "And those of you who die and leave wives behind them, they shall wait for four months and ten days…"[2:234].

As such, it is not permissible for this woman to proceed with the acts of Hajj until this period has come to term. She may then prepare for Hajj in the coming year, by Allah's Permission. We ask Allah to grant us and her success and wisdom. And Allah knows best.

And Allah, the Most High, knows best

 
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