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I was intimate with my wife and some but not all of the characteristics that semen had come out were present to suggest I needed to do ghusl. I did not do ghusl and fasted the next day. After further investigation on the day I was fasting, I noticed there was a white stain on my clothes. I am not sure if it was semen and I am in doubt if I was tahir. Would I need to do ghusl and break my fast?
If there was penetration, then both parties become in the state of janabah irrespective of whether there was ejaculation or not. If there was no penetration and you were in doubt whether you ejaculated or not, then you would not be in the state of janabah, hence your fast is in order.
- fasting
- semen
- sex
Is it permissible to work as a full-time employee for credit card companies? If not, is it permissible to have a work contract with them (as a business client)?
It is permissible provided that your work does not involve the handling of usury transactions.
- credit cards
- permissibility
- photographs
- work
If a person lies on a college application (e.g., making up a story for an essay), gets admission and eventually a degree, does that make the income earned from that college degree haram?
Lying and deceit are not permissible; however, there is no problem in receiving the income from the job, provided that the nature of the job is lawful (halal).
- college / university
- work
1. Do I need to pay khums on unemployment benefits received from the government?
2. If I purchase an airline ticket prior to the due date for my khums, but the travel will occur after that due date, do I pay khums?
1. If you remain unemployed for a long while, then you will have one year to spend the unemployment benefit that you receive. Hence, if you use it all during the year, no khums will be due. You will have to pay khums on what remains (i.e., unused) from the unemployment payments on the khums due date that you have designated for yourself, and if you get a new job before then, you can establish a new due date at the one year anniversary after getting a new job and determine the obligation to pay it then.
2. If the airline ticket is refundable, then khums will be due on the ticket amount since it is not an expense of the current year. If it was not refundable, it would not be liable for khums.
- khums
People eat hemp seeds for health benefits, is it halal?
It is permissible.
- food
- halal food
- permissibility
1) Is it our responsibility to call the customer service to find out if shoes made in non-Muslim countries are made out of 100% real leather, artificial leather, or a combination of both and other materials (i.e., for the purposes of purity)?
2) If I know the shoes are made out of 100% real leather, would that be najis? If yes, then what is the process to keep our body pure when we touch it with dry hands and with wet hands? What if it is made out of real and artificial leather and other materials, would that be najis?
1) If you are not sure whether the dress shoes are made out of natural leather or not, you can treat them as pure, and you do not have to investigate.
2) If the shoes are made out of natural leather or a mix of natural and artificial parts, and there is no reasonable probability that it is from an animal slaughtered according to Islamic laws, then you must treat it as impure (najis). However, it will not make other things, like your skin, impure unless there is contact with moisture, and when in doubt, you do not need to check.
- clothing
- impurities
- najis
I am taking a martial arts class, is it permissible for a Muslim to bow in front of the teacher as a form of respect?
As long as your gesture is not intended as a form of worship, there should be no problem. However, you should limit the gesture to the minimum that is required for martial arts. For example, you can make a minor gesture to show respect and not go all the way down to bowing or prostrating.
- college / university
- permissibility
- student
If a person is of illegitimate birth and has many half-siblings due to the inappropriate actions of their mother, what is the extent of family ties and responsibility towards those siblings?
Keeping ties with relatives and being kind to them is incumbent upon a Muslim, even towards their close relatives if they were non-Muslims or of illegitimate birth. However, keeping ties does not always entail visiting them and contacting them on a frequent basis, rather it is sufficient to keep ties with them by sending them greetings and asking about them through any form of communication that you feel comfortable with. Yet, if being close to them can negatively impact your faith and moral character, then you must limit the communication to the extent that will not have a negative impact.
- family relations
1. Does any one of the non-Muslim mother or father have rights over their child born out of wedlock?
2. Same for the siblings of this child from these parents?
Parents have rights upon their children irrespective of whether they were born to them legitimately or not. Almighty God says in the Holy Quran [29:8]: "We have enjoined man to be good to his parents. But if they urge you to ascribe to Me as partner that of which you have no knowledge, then do not obey them." He also says [31:14]: "We have enjoined man concerning his parents: His mother carried him through weakness upon weakness, and his weaning takes two years. Give thanks to Me and to your parents. To Me is the return." As such, one must express kindness to their parents and fulfill their needs, and if they are not guided to the right path, the child should try to guide them. The same goes for siblings.
- family relations
- rights
I purchased a burial site in Karbala for $5000, do I have to pay khums on it?
If a year has passed from the time of purchase and it has not been used, then khums is due on its current value.
- khums