Original Arabic article: Link

English Translation:

Ruling on Establishing Museums, Displaying Statues in Them, and Benefiting from Them for Educational Purposes

Date of Fatwa: 2 November 2025 CE

Fatwa No.: 8795

From the Fatwas of: His Eminence Prof. Dr. Nazir Muhammad Ayyad — Grand Mufti of Egypt

Category: Doubts / Misconceptions

Ruling on Establishing Museums, Displaying Statues in Them, and Benefiting from Them for Educational Purposes

Question:

What is the ruling on establishing museums, displaying statues in them, and making use of them for educational purposes? In countries with a civilization and a long history, it is common for them to establish museums to display the artifacts and statues they possess, which represent the culture and civilization of those peoples, and to teach them to later generations. Does this conflict with the teachings of Islam, which prohibit the establishment of statues?

Answer:

There is no legal impediment in Islamic law to establishing museums that represent civilization and history, as they are considered among the means of education and cultural enrichment.

As for the religious prohibition regarding making and erecting statues, it applies specifically to cases where the intention is to imitate the creation of Allah Almighty (in a manner claiming divine creative ability), or to use them for worship besides Allah, Glorified and Exalted. Such purposes are far removed from the objectives behind establishing these museums.

There is also no prohibition against displaying statues and three-dimensional images in museums for the purpose of presenting history. Likewise, there is no prohibition against visiting them for the purpose of viewing, taking lessons and moral reflection, and learning from the آثار (legacies) of previous peoples, their knowledge, and their civilizations.

The Ruling on Making Statues and the Opinions of Jurists Regarding This Matter

Statues (tamāthīl) is the plural of timthāl (statue), which refers to an object made in imitation of one of Allah’s creations, as Ibn Manẓūr stated in Lisān al-ʿArab (11/613, Dar Ṣādir edition).

The basic ruling regarding the making and erecting of statues is that it is prohibited according to the Prophetic Sunnah, based on several hadiths. Among them is the narration reported by Imam Muslim from Abū al-Hayyāj al-Asadī, who said:

ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (may Allah be pleased with him) said to me:

“Shall I not send you on the same mission that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent me? Do not leave any statue without erasing it, nor any raised grave without leveling it.”

Also reported by Imam al-Bukhārī from Saʿīd ibn Abī al-Ḥasan, who said:

“I was with Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him) when a man came to him and said: ‘I am a person whose livelihood comes from the work of my hands, and I make these images.’ Ibn ʿAbbās said: ‘I will only tell you what I heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I heard him say: “Whoever makes an image, Allah will punish him until he breathes a soul into it — and he will never be able to do so.”’”

The man became extremely distressed, and his face turned pale. Ibn ʿAbbās then said:

“Woe to you! If you insist on making something, then make images of these trees and anything that does not possess a soul.”

However, the texts prohibiting the making of statues and images were connected to specific circumstances and contained apparent underlying reasons (ʿilal). Therefore, a group of jurists held that the prohibition applies specifically when the statue is a complete representation of a living being. As for statues that do not represent living beings, or those representing living beings but are incomplete, they permitted them.

They based this, among other evidence, on the hadith of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Jibrīl (peace be upon him) came to me and said: ‘I came to you last night, and nothing prevented me from entering except that there were statues at the door. So command that the head of the statue in the house be cut off so that it becomes like the form of a tree.’”

This was reported by Imams Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī.

Also, in a narration attributed to Ibn ʿAbbās (both as his own statement and as a report attributed to the Prophet ﷺ according to al-Bayhaqī and others):

“The image is the head; if the head is cut off, it is no longer an image.”

These texts were therefore understood as specifying (restricting) the general prohibition regarding making and displaying statues. This understanding is also reflected in the writings of jurists.

Imam Ibn ʿĀbidīn said in Radd al-Muḥtār (1/649, Dar al-Fikr edition):

“(His statement: ‘or a limb has been erased, etc.’) This is a generalization after a specification. Does the same apply if, for example, its stomach is pierced? The apparent view is that if the opening is large enough to show its incompleteness, then yes; otherwise, no… (His statement: ‘because they are not worshipped’) meaning these mentioned cases; therefore, resemblance [to what is prohibited] does not occur.”

Imam Ibn Qudāmah said in al-Mughnī (7/216, Dar Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī edition):

“If, at the beginning of making the image, it is a body without a head, or a head without a body, or it has a head but the rest of its body is made in the form of something other than an animal, then it is not included in the prohibition, because it is not the image of an animal.”

Furthermore, some jurists — including Shaykh Imam Muḥammad ʿAbduh — held that the prohibition applies specifically to cases where the purpose is to imitate Allah’s creation or to use such images for worship besides Allah. They argued that the reasoning mentioned in relation to this issue restricts the ruling rather than invalidating the previous texts and similar ones.

This is because it is permissible to derive a meaning from a text that limits its application, but it is not permissible to derive a meaning from a text that contradicts and nullifies the text itself, as mentioned in al-Ashbāh wa al-Naẓāʾir by Tāj al-Dīn al-Subkī (1/154, Dar al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah edition), and Ghāyat al-Wuṣūl fī Sharḥ Lubb al-Uṣūl by Shaykh al-Islām Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī (p. 122, Dar al-Kutub al-ʿArabiyyah al-Kubrā edition).

Shaykh Imam Muḥammad ʿAbduh (may Allah have mercy on him), as quoted by Shaykh Rashīd Riḍā in Majallat al-Manār (20/270), said after mentioning the hadiths related to images and statues:

“The warning regarding the prohibition of image-making was specific to those who lived at that time, because they were close to the era of idol worship. As for today, this does not apply.

The correct understanding is that the basis of the warning regarding images has two aspects:

The first: it only applies when there is an intention to imitate the creation of Allah.

The second: it does not require the presence of this specific intention. Rather, it applies — as understood from the hadith concerning the church of Abyssinia and what many scholars, both earlier and later, have stated in their explanations — as a means of preventing the worship of images of prophets, righteous people, and others.

The principle of blocking the means to harm (sadd al-dharāʾiʿ) differs according to times and according to the types of images. Since the statues and honored images in the pre-Islamic period that were revered as acts of worship were images of beings possessing souls, Ibn ʿAbbās permitted the person who asked him for a ruling to make images of trees and things without souls. And when images of living beings became merely for decoration and the possibility of worship disappeared, some early scholars kept some images in their homes, just as the Companions left the images in the palace of Kisrā.”

Another evidence used to support restricting the general prohibition of making and displaying statues is the narration reported by Imam al-Bukhārī from Hishām, from his father, that ʿĀʾishah, Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her), said:

“I used to play with dolls in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ, and I had friends who would play with me. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered, they would hide from him, so he would send them back to me, and they would play with me.”

Imam al-Badr al-ʿAynī said in ʿUmdat al-Qārī Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (22/170, Dar Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī edition):

“This hadith has been used as evidence for the permissibility of keeping toy images for girls to play with. This is an exception from the general prohibition of keeping images. This was affirmed by Qāḍī ʿIyāḍ and transmitted from the majority of scholars, who permitted selling dolls to girls so that they may become accustomed from a young age to matters related to their homes and children.”

This also indicates the legitimacy of using such figures for educational purposes.

Therefore, jurists excluded from the prohibition of statues those cases in which there is a benefit, such as children’s toys and educational aids, because the Prophet ﷺ approved of the presence of dolls belonging to ʿĀʾishah, Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her).

The Ruling on Establishing Museums and Displaying Statues in Them

Establishing and building museums has today become one of the manifestations of civilization and holds great value among different cultures and nations. Archaeological museums have become a form of cultural heritage and a social objective, with specialized professionals dedicated to them. Civilized nations have given attention to this field, even establishing specialized colleges and institutes for it.

The purpose of this is to promote beneficial mutual understanding and to educate later generations about the sciences, knowledge, customs, and traditions of a particular country. This contributes to the integration of humanity, cooperation in construction and development, and the spread of stability and prosperity.

These meanings are entirely far removed from the meanings that are religiously prohibited and condemned, such as worshiping other than Allah or attempting to imitate His creation and craftsmanship, Glorified and Exalted is He.

Furthermore, when one examines the purposes for which archaeological museums are established today, it becomes clear that the reasons (ʿilal) behind prohibiting the establishment of statues are no longer present in what these historical and archaeological museums represent.

This is based on the legal principle:

“A ruling revolves around its effective cause: when the cause exists, the ruling exists; and when the cause is absent, the ruling is absent.”

As mentioned in Sharḥ al-Zarkashī ʿalā Mukhtaṣar al-Khirqī (3/504, Maktabat al-ʿUbaykān edition).

The scholar Shaykh Muḥammad al-Ṭāhir ibn ʿĀshūr said in al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr (22/162):

“Three-dimensional statues were not prohibited in the previous revealed laws. Islam prohibited them because it went to great lengths to eliminate the roots of polytheism, due to how deeply polytheism had become established in the souls of the Arabs and others. Most idols were statues, so Islam prohibited taking them for that reason. The prohibition was not because of an inherent evil within them, but rather because they served as a means leading to polytheism.”

Thus, he indicated that whenever the means leading to polytheism no longer exists, the reason for the prohibition also no longer applies.

Conclusion

Based on the above, and in response to the question presented:

There is no legal prohibition in Islamic law against establishing museums that represent civilization and history, as they are considered among the means of education and cultural enrichment.

As for the religious prohibition regarding making and erecting statues, it specifically applies to cases where the intention is to imitate the creation of Allah Almighty or to use them for worship besides Him. Such purposes are far removed from the objectives behind establishing these museums.

There is also no prohibition against displaying statues and three-dimensional images in museums for the purpose of presenting history. Likewise, there is no prohibition against visiting them for viewing, taking lessons and reflection, and learning from the آثار (legacies) of previous peoples, their knowledge, and their civilizations.

And Allah, Glorified and Exalted, knows best.

So today on WhatsApp I got asked by admins to prove if I was a Sunni Muslim. Apparently it says sisters Islamic group for this _ place.

But there is no wording in the rules that say oh you must be Sunni. It says you must align with the rules of Hanafi, Shafi, Maliki and Hanbali. Like if you name it Islamic group or something you need to include Shias as well. If you name it Sunni something or the name of something Sunni it's fine. But naming it general Islam is not ok if you are going to exclude other Muslims.

And another case was the r/Islam subreddit. An ex Diwoodi Bohra who is now Athari Hanbali Salafi Niqabi went to my DMS and tried to preach Atharism in my DMS saying I was a non Muslim and I was going on the wrong path. Another Ismaili had to go DM me and help me out of this situation.

Another one was because they assumed that I was part of the Israeli government as a spy just because I was not willing to go to any protests regarding Palestine or donate money to Gaza. And I myself am Zera Yisrael as a Muslim convert and I been to Jerusalem and I have no formal ties with the Israeli government in any way. The reason why I didn't want to go to any protests is because I want to remain neutral and want my beliefs personal.

And I got called for being a Kafir for being a Muslim who doesn't wear a hijab who is a ex Hanafi Sunni. A Kuwaiti-Saudi Hanbali Sunni who is also Athari and Salafi went to my DMS saying oh I know you are Twelver which I was at the time and decided to call me a kafir and told me to have some shame and blocked me after I said I believe we should be equal no matter who we are and he said women shouldn't be able to leave the house on their own. And I was like, in the country Saudi Arabia were he is in I told him women can travel without mahram and not wear hijab now.

Now I went to the Ismaili Jamatkhana and the community welcomed me with open arms. They didn't care about my beliefs like internal and said that I was welcome to come in because I am now an Ismaili. And after the service they gave me some food and prayers and volentears took 5 minutes for me to go get tickets to see our spiritual leader. To be honest even though non Ismailis cannot enter they still have interfaith marriages and it's very common in the Jammat. To be honest it's one of the only places were I am accepted into the prayer hall without hijab as nobody wears it.

For the Twelver Shia one I was in I was treated ok. I mean the prayer leader said there is no shame I don't wear hijab. And everyone is pretty nice. And they usually still call me a sister.

In conclusion, I am basically banned from almost all Sunni spaces for being a ex Hanafi Sunni. For some reason I was a Quranist for a time before I became Twelver. I was Hanafi Sunni because I didn't really study about sects and picked the most common. Then I studied on my own and decided that Hadiths were too strict and alot of them had potential flaws so I became a Quran only person. Then studied about Shia Islam, Ahemedi, Sufi orders, Twelverism, Zaydi, Ismaili, Judaism, Jehovah's Witnesses, and like I also met some Druze and Alwites.

In December 2025 I decided to accept the Shia faith and I was practicing Twelverism because I was very scared of anything as in changes. But now since like April 2026 I mean I have been more ok of going back to studying Ismailism and recently, I took my bay'ah so I am now welcomed into the Jamatkhana to go in.

Hello, firstly I am not a Muslim (I am kind of Christian but have a lot of uncertainty about wether I can claim a label or really what I beleive but try to live by the idea that God IS good, love and peace etc. And treat others as I wish to be treated etc.) And I don't know any Muslims as I grew up in a small town of 99% white people and I'm not ashamed or prous of that it is just a fact that means that most were not religious at all and even less were muslim. I went through years of intense social anxiety where I had to complete exposure therapy and so I think perhaps my fear of Muslims is just because I have not been able to have any positive experiences to learn safety but have seen lots of negative things that have taught me fear- and I cannot just forget these things.

I know logically that people do bad things regardless of religion because humans are flawed. For example in Christianity people both past and present think and do awful things, I feel I can be content with that because I feel armed with acceptance of my own uncertainty if that makes sense? I guess I feel most threatened when I feel misunderstood or that I am myself misunderstanding. I have seen people do and say very scary things and say it is right because of Islam and whilst I have the ability to fight this fear when people say it because of Christianity because I have positive things to look to, I don't have the same wirh Islam.

I know the news and social media is biased towards threat and negativity, as are human brains, but I am looking for some positivity to help balance it out. I have been put off by Muslims who are perhaps loving but what I would describe as arrogant (again, of course not exclusive to Muslims and I am sensitive to this so know I will see it more) like they will allow others their beliefs but have an air of superiority almost? then I see and feel that whenever I see any Muslim- I am afraid that they hate me or judge me.

Again I don't think all Muslims are monolith but it is hard to argue with this fear when it has noticed this pattern. For example I notice this in vegans also (and I am one lol) but I can more easily dismiss them because I can be safe in the knowledge that they don't know everything or they are not powerful over me even if they do misjudge me. I have a hard time doing this with religious people because they hide their human fualts behind God, then I feel very threatened because I cannot argue.

I know this is not really something I can find certainty in as even in a religion people argue but I am finding it hard to not fear Muslims who view their understanding of the Quran as the word of God. I make room for uncertainty with other religions because it is less written in stone so to speak haha. It makes me feel a little better knowing that even in Islam people disagree but then I see people say they are not true Muslims and I get scared that the true Muslims are the ones who want to commit terrorism to spread their version. Basically I cannot deny reality as I see it (and I have seen people who call themselves Muslim do terrible things to Christians particularly, or try to force their way on others) but would like to expand that view so I can be more balanced and less afraid. But it seems people go from one extreme to another- either all Muslims are bad and they are scheming to take over the west or it is all a big misunderstanding and anyone criticising is just a racist idiot. I know I am flawed, I know there is good out there but I cannot see it by telling myself the bad doesn't exist.

I do have diagnosed autism and potential ocd which does impact my thinking. I hope this doesn't come across as rude or nasty at all- I want to connect with people regardless of religion and dispel the fear that Muslims are on this big team against me. I have a fear that the progressive Muslims are still to fear because they condone the behaviour of the extremists or rather don't condemn them because they are all still Muslims. Whilst I have seen behaviour like this I think it could be explained by simple tribalism, which is just human nature. I am scared to even write this because I am scared you will think I am a bad person or an idiot, but I am trying to lean into the exposure therapy in the hopes of being a better person and I don't have any friends to ask. I hope we can all have grace for each other despite our differences, and I hope you all have a lovely day.

Hi I’m 18F living in the UK going to do university in a years time. Theres just so much about my dad that makes me feel so uncomfortable. Like the way he justifies his actions vs all of ours makes him out to be a hypocrite and plain rude.

1) since march I was starting to learn how to drive manual because I wanted to do paramedics at university. Hes against me doing paramedics but hasn’t really touched on it. Recently I’ve been saying how I can’t get parallel parking right and he just started saying “SEE DO AUTOMATIC U DONT LISTEN TO ME WHEN I SAID SO” and goes on about how women shouldn’t learn how to drive manual because we’re just “incapable” to.

2) he goes off on me about wearing sweatpants to college n how I should always wear an abaya (sometimes I can’t do that due to having sports). He also makes me not talk to men (understandable) but one time I was waiting in a takeaway shop for my order and he makes me get in the car and starts going off on me about how I shouldn’t be there in the first place. But this man has no problem talking to our neighbours (who are women playing with their kids outside) and talks to them frequently. I also notice him looking at women on the streets and if there is a woman approaching us to ask for something, he answers for me. It makes me disgusted and I feel so bad for my mom who wears a niqabi for literally this reason.

3) I’ve been trying to find jobs to support university because this man is incapable of promising financial support and every job ive applied for he has critics and has critics about it. Applying for waitressing or restaurant jobs: women shouldn’t work there. Applying for office jobs: women shouldn’t work there. Applying for anything he believes women shouldn’t be accepted in the first place. Like how am I supposed to take at face value you would disown your daughter over her working at the local cafe??

4) he puts on a front to the imam of our mosque and his friends that he is the greatest man and dad alive when really his wife wants to leave, his son doesn’t talk to him. And when I decide to put effort in he makes the convo so bad I have to hold myself from breaking something. He thinks teasing and belittling me and twisting my words gives him the upper hand and makes him hilarious when really it makes me think “how stupid is this man?”. He doesn’t wash his plates and leaves his mug on the table letting it dry out and his idea of helping with the dishes is soaking it instead of attempting to clean it. Me and my brother have leftovers sometimes that we want to eat later, but my dad eats it without a care in the world. I spent two days baking this amazing cherry pie and my dad ate so many slices while telling me to make more. I would but the thing is he doesn’t offer to get ingredients or help me. He just assumes I would do it anyways.

5) his political speeches tied with Islam is horrific. Hed say wrong things and would say that politics in the west are so inefficient than in Asia. Some points I agree but when I point out things Pakistani or Bangladesh or the central Asian countries did to people especially women, he acts like ive made it all up as comedy. I can’t sit down and have a meal with him without him forcing nonsense down my throat. I promise you if I asked the imam of our mosque about the things my dad says, the imam would call him out as a hypocrite and much worse.

There are so many other things he’s done to us esp my mom (his mom performed black magic causing her 8 miscarriages every time they spent the night at her house and he’s do ne nothing when they (his mom and sisters) ridiculed her at the beginning of their marriage). Inshallah he just straightens up and realises he’s acting stupid

I have a genuine question about the Quranic verse on marrying up to four wives i understand that the verse was revealed in a historical context where there were many orphans and vulnerable women after conflicts and that justice between wives is emphasized my question is: if one of the reasons behind the ruling was to provide protection and support for vulnerable women how do muslims understand the continued relevance of polygamy today when women can be supported through other means without marriage? and then why are only four marriages allowed? What if a fifth woman who's vulnerable comes along then what abt that woman? I've looked up vids about this on youtube and not one sheikh had a video regarding this so it makes me wonder why do these sheikhs never talk about stuff that matters

I was born muslim and have kept this faith for the past 16 years of my life. I truly do believe that Allah exists and when I'm feeling extremely upset or depressed I often remember that He has a plan for me and I'm in safe hands with Him. However I have lost a lot of confidence in the religion, despite wanting to stay Muslim (its hard to explain, so sorry if this seems very cryptic or confusing).

Hearing about what extremists do (terrorism, mistreating minorities such as other races, women, etc) makes me extremely mad, and even though I know that this isn't what Islam is about, it still makes me feel skeptic.

I'm constantly hearing horrific things that people have heard the Prophet and his companions do, which is a huge factor in me somewhat losing faith. It gives me this huge feeling of anxiety, and though i know i wont leave the religion, it makes me feel like maybe i'm wrong following the religion (this is followed by sincere regret but i want to stop being skeptic altogether). of course i don't know whether the things they say are true, and even when they show proof from the Quran/Hadith, i refuse to believe it because I don't want to believe he'd do such things (for example, just earlier today, I saw that apparently a man had killed his mother because she was slandering the prophet, and did horrible things to her, and the prophet praised him. Although she was wrong for this, she shouldn't have been treated like that, and she wasn't even saying this stuff to his face.)

Also I've been hearing people talk about ways in which the Quran contradicts itself, and I try very hard to ignore this stuff, but struggle still to convince myself that my religious faith is true.

Sometimes religious leaders, or just normal Muslims, talk about things in a way that makes me feel repulsed, like for example they sometimes say extremely racist or misogynistic things which, again, make me sick to my stomach, and make me question whether Islam really does promote equality or not.

I've been struggling to pray, sometimes only praying once or twice a day, and only read the Quran during Ramadan, and even then I only read one Surah. Its not that I'm incapable of reading the Quran, it's just for some reason I am too lazy to do so. This goes for praying as well. And it fills me up with deep regret when I realise what I'm doing, but not enough for me to change my ways.

I just really need some reassurance so I can truly feel like a good Muslim, get back on the right track, understand all of the things I've mentioned before and in the future be able to read a post about something that downgrades Islam, and think "I know thats untrue" and forget about it. Could somebody help me? I'm sorry if you can't.

why am i seeing an increasing amount of conservatives on this sub?? i understand that posts can come randomly on feeds and people who aren't necessarily aligned with the views of this sub may interact with random posts they see, but it's a bit iffy replying to posts/comments since there could be some random person trying to have a scrap over my personal beliefs 😭 stay safe chat

Assalamu alaykum, hi everyone! I'm new here. As a Muslim who grew up in a Sunni family in Asia, I recently found out for the first time through the internet that there's an perspective within Islam called Quranism, or Quran-only. I got genuinely curious about this perspective, as this was completely new to me, and it seems like quite a few brothers and sisters in this subreddit identify with it. That's why I'd like to ask a questions like

1. Did you grow up in a Quranist family, or did you arrive at this belief on your own through personal study, questioning traditional teachings, or something else?
2. How do you perform basic practical worship like Salah, Hajj, Fasting, and Zakah without Hadith?

I'd really appreciate any insights you can share to help satisfy my curiosity. Thank you!

How can we follow an imaginary character that exists only in hadiths? A temu version of the anti-Christ. I saw someone calling us devils? Just because we follow only the Quran? Why this hate? I do not see them hate on islamophobes or Shiaa or anyone like this why just us who question these made-up texts?

Ok, so basically, I (18F) have been Muslim my entire life. I’ve never been promiscuous, I’d like to think of myself as a kind-hearted person, I listen to my mom and brother (the only family I have), and I fast for Ramadan, but I don’t really pray that much, which I know I should feel guilty for, but I don’t. Idk what my problem is, honestly.
Ever since I was younger, I’ve been an extremely empirical and methodical individual, and as I got older, that line of rationale only got stronger, which leads me to our main issue. I’ve been having these weirdddddd metaphysical crises where I question who or what created God ??? And I’m having SUCH a hard time trying to understand. I should honestly probably open up the Quran and read and educate myself on these things, but at the same time, I’m scared because then I would be solidifying my doubts.
I’m not rlly allowed to ask questions about religion in my family because my mom and brother get super defensive and look at me all crazy. I don’t want to go as far as to say I don’t believe in Allah swt, but at the same time, I have too many questions.
Like, why would Allah swt create man and woman ??? What’s the reason ??? Why allow for wars and sickness and sadness ???? What’s the point of this ‘test’ ??? Why would the almighty Creator feel the need to ‘test’ His creations? We mean nothing in comparison to Allah swt, so what could possibly be the purpose of any of this?
I know how everyone has jihad or struggle, but WHYYYYY. ?!?!?!?!?!? Why test faith? Why not create us with the faith intact and unwavering? Why create us at all? Why give us any autonomy to make bad decisions like Adam and Eve and then condemn the offspring until the end of time? What’s the point in any of this if the end of the world inevitably happens?
It just makes no sense to me, and I feel bad. My entire family is Muslim, and I don’t know what to do. I’m so scared because I want to believe. I want to know. I want to understand, but it just doesn’t make sense to me. It’s a mixture of so so so many things, and I just need help. I really do.
My mom told me that if you don’t feel any guilt after missing a prayer, that means God has forsaken you, and now I’m really scared because I don’t feel guilty after missing a prayer. Like, when I miss a prayer, I just shrug it off. But right now, I’m about to go to sleep, and I have this terrible, terrible, TERRIBLE anxiety where I feel like throwing up. My brain keeps thinking about these questions I have, and I think back to what my mother says…

So i see alot of people mostly muslims from like the west which is no problem that say stuff like sharia law would make world peace

But the thing is that is not true in the slightest

Idk where sharia law comes from either hadith or Qur'an hopefully the former

But i live in a country called Libya and its a muslim country that doesn't jave sharia law but for a short period of time like over a decade ago Benghazi the city i live in was taking over by Isis nothing happened to me personally but sharia law was implemented for a short while

My mom who did not wear a hijab ever had to wear one every time she went out there were many soldier enforcing the laws on the streets and even my british principal was assasinated

And this follows alot of what sharia law impliments women have to wear hijab non muslims were in danger or atleast in a stable version of sharia law they'd be segregated

This is not an attack on islam but me explaining that no religion should be the basis for any ruling power because that always 100% of the time creates discrimination

And its always people that have never experience a system that favours a specific group of people that glorify it

Im turning deist myself but i have respect for islam and take in alot of its values

Also alot of those same people seem to not understand capitalism they site that sharia law would remove capitalism or something and treat the economic system as "the high prices system"

Believe me or not but sharia law loves capitalism

This is heavily opinionated so feel free to criticise it

Hello everyone this is my first time posting here and I wanna say im afraid that when I die I will not see my father in barzakh because im not a good Muslim I mean I missed prayer sometimes and I always play games that have nudity and masturbate and im afraid that when I died I be alone in the graves and won't see my late father and mother again

Same as the title

Salam,

I want to share something personal here with you all. I’ve always known I was bI/non binary since I was 13 or 14, yet for many years I just internalized it and felt so much shame and wondered what was wrong with me and just hid it away from everyone.

I was a niqabi for years and dresses very feminine and was a salafi and just grew to very much hate myself because i knew who I was. I lived with so much shame and guilt all the time.

Yet, then I began to realize after some time that gender is inherently just a social construct. Sex is real yes but gender isn’t (not in the way most Muslims believe it to be). I realized that one of the things I resented about mosr Muslims is how they put us in a box and expect everyone to dress and act and look the same and have the same hobbies simply based on their gender when there’s no such thing as a color being for men or women or a hobby being masculine or feminine, those things just change over time and based on society and cultural norms, not Islam.

Then, I realized that the story of Lot is not really about what everyone says but rather about grape and things of that nature. And I stopped listening to what straight people had to say because they can’t choose who they like more than I can as a non straight person. They just happen to meet the societal norms and nobody should be subjected to having to simply not marry because of who they like. I don’t believe love to be a sin and I don’t believe I’m going to hell for it.

Overall, I’ve stopped caring about what others say and started realizing that things aren’t actually so black and white and im also a Sufi and so I focus a lot on spirituality and my own personal path versus just rules and regulations and fear of hell. For me, love is the center part of my very existence and everything, God is loving and merciful.

Since nobody actually knows their meaning, do you have any guess?

I swear, do these salafi owned businesses never stop talking about women 🤣🤣 this is a business selling morroccan thobes yet they always seem to be talking about multiple wives lmaoaoaoa

Salam,
I'm a young teenage girl who has been struggling with my faith lately. What has been bothering me the most are the double standards I keep hearing about in relation to Islam.

The male figures in my life, such as my brother and my ex-Salafi partner, have often told me that feminism and Islam are incompatible. They've also said things like it's worse for a girl to date a boy than it is for a boy to date a girl, or that men are allowed to marry women from the People of the Book while Muslim women are only allowed to marry Muslim men. The 72 virgins thing in heaven never made sense to me either. Whenever I question these things, I'm usually met with, "That's just the way it is," which leaves me feeling like I'm trapped and don't have room to think or ask questions.

I care deeply about women's rights and the belief that women should have the freedom to make their own choices. Because of that, I'm finding it difficult to reconcile these teachings with my own values.
I'm looking for clarity on these topics from people who are knowledgeable, compassionate, and willing to explain the reasoning behind these rulings.

Should l ignore the opinions of the people around me, or are these views actually representative of Islam? On top of that, I know TikTok communities are probably not the best source of information, and the vast different opinions I see online have only left me more confused. I'm starting to feel resentful, and it's making me wonder whether the religion is meant for someone who wants to live in peace while also valuing personal freedom and free will.

I'm asking sincerely because I genuinely want to understand, not argue.
Jazakum Allahu khayran.

I am Indian, but my marriage prospects can be outside India too.
I think I made my mind about DINK relationship even before knowing there is a term.
But honestly, I am not so convinced that Indian men are into it…
I am 21 and my family may get me married in a 2-3 years maximum. I want to find men who want progressive and seeing the world type of relationship which I find impossible for my parents to find for me
(They look for guys within relatives and friends who are very regressive and mostly orthodox and all of them uneducated) I am entirely opposite of this type of personality. If a man reading this, wdyt?