As usual, the Religious Authority, Sayyed
Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah established the first day of the
blessed month of Ramadan, on the basis of astronomical
calculations that His Eminence trusts (the birth of the crescent
and the ability to see it).
The courageous Religious Authority, has been the
first to issue Fataws regarding many issues, people and society,
such as prohibiting crimes of honor, vendetta crimes and the
burning of tires, firing shots and fireworks, in addition to his
call for a dialogue among the Sunnis and Shiites, and
considering such a dialogue as a critical necessity and a
fundamental requirement for regaining power to the Islamic
nation and preventing any chance of igniting a sectarian strife
among Muslims…
"Al-Afkar" magazine met the Religious Authority,
Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah, in the blessed Month of
Ramadan and discussed with H.E many jurisprudential and life
issues that concern the Lebanese, Arabs and Muslims:
The greenhouse effect and the sighting of the
crescent
* Your Eminence issued a statement in which you
announced that Thursday, September 13, is the first day of the
blessed month of Ramadan, and it seems that the Muslim countries
are going to adopt your Fatwa but, the Libyan President
considered that Wednesday is the first day of the month of
Ramadan… what is his proof of that?
- Al-Qadhafi relied on the birth of the crescent
as a proof even though it disappears before sunset, while we
believe that the crescent must stay after sunset.
*What are the bases that you rely on in sighting
the crescent?
- We rely on the astronomical birth of the moon
with the ability to see it in accordance to the nature of the
cosmic system. Till now, the problem with Muslims in this
respect is that they abide by the text in form without trying to
understand its meaning or the idea on which the text is based;
hence the issue of the month is one of the issues that are
related to the cosmic system and not to the human being.
"Surely the number of months with
Allah is twelve months in Allah's ordinance since the day when
He created the heavens and the earth". Thus, when the
moon enters the wane, the month ends and when it gets out of the
wane, meaning the area of darkness, we will be able to see it if
there were no hindrances. In this respect, we rely on the
ability of sighting the crescent.
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* It is narrated that: "break your fast when you
see the crescent", but it was not said that sighting is achieved
with the naked eyes. Therefore, is sighting achieved through
science?
- There is a point that must be noticed and
which indicates that the reliable Hadiths that we trust in,
confirm that "certainty does not comprise any doubt", meaning
that relying on certainty and the ability of seeing the moon is
one of the means that establish certainty. And in case we have
other means that leads to certainty more than the act of seeing,
we should rely on this means, especially after the seeing by the
naked eye is no longer feasible, considering that the space is
now full of many elements that prevent the clearness of the
atmosphere and thus hinders the naked eye from seeing through
it.
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The issue of the month is one of the issues that
are related to the cosmic system and not to the human being
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* Is the greenhouse effect considered a part of
those elements?
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- That is right… there is also another problem
that we are facing, and that is our atmosphere is full of dust
and emissions of industries and factories in which seeing is no
longer a precise means. Consequently, seeing by the naked eye
does not establish certainty in this respect, considering that
man, in some cases sees twenty crescents, while in fact he sees
none, but he imagines that, due to the flashes that take place
and that people think that they are a crescent, while it is not
so. |
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Our atmosphere is full of dust and emissions of
industries and factories in which seeing is no longer a precise
means. Consequently, seeing by the naked eye does not establish
certainty.
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The People of Heaven
*Some ask: In which age does the pious
believer enter Heaven?
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- Allah, the Most Exalted says: "He
who has done an atom's weight of good shall see it." He
also says: "It will not be in accordance
with your desires, nor the desires of the People of the
Scripture. He who does wrong will have the recompense thereof,
and will not find against Allah any protecting friend or
helper." Thus, the issue is not a matter of age, but
rather a matter of action. It is said that man enters Heaven as
a youth and that all the People of Heaven are youths. As a
matter of joking, an old man and an old woman met the Prophet
(p.) and he (p.) told them that the elderly do not enter Heaven,
so they started to cry. But the Prophet told them that the
elderly will be turned into youths when they enter Heaven. In
this respect, it is narrated that: "All Hassan and Al-Hussein
are the Masters of the Youths of Heaven", although they were
old. So, the Hadith here reveals that they will be turned into
youths…
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The issue is not a matter of age, but rather a
matter of action
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*Does the family meet in Heaven?
- Allah, the Most Exalted says that the family
is gathered in Heaven through His saying:
" The gardens of perpetual abode which they will enter along
with those who do good from among their parents and their
spouses and their offspring; and the angels will enter in upon
them from every gate:." (13:23-24),
"Peace unto you for that ye persevered in patience! Now how
excellent is the final home!" (36:56).
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* Who are the Houris?
- The Houris are the women whom Allah, the Most
Almighty, has created to make men happy, but concerning women,
Allah says: "and you shall have therein
what your souls desire and you shall have therein what you ask
for." (41:31), meaning that nobody will feel deprived in
Heaven, but the woman's sexual need was not commonly mentioned
at the time the Quran was revealed to the Prophet (p.).
* Is polygamy possible in Heaven?
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The laws of life are different from the laws of
the hereafter. |
- In life, polygamy might arouse some
sensitivities and negative emotions, but the situation is
different in Heaven, since in Heaven, the woman will not mind
polygamy, Houris, or the like. Consequently, it is not necessary
that the laws of life are the same as the laws of the hereafter
in this respect. Maybe, there are other laws that make people
happy forever.