Hanafi first
The relied-upon Hanafi position
Each answer gives the fatwa position of the Hanafi school first. Where the Shafi'i, Maliki or Hanbali schools differ, their view is shown beside it.
Questions and answers
Islamic questions, answered with evidence.
490 questions Muslims ask, each with a short answer, the Hanafi ruling, the other schools where they differ, and the Quran and hadith behind it.
Search every answer, guide and tool on AmalKit. Spelling does not have to be exact: namaz, salah and prayer all work.
Belief
30 questions. Allah, the angels, the prophets, qadr, the grave and the hereafter.
Purity
30 questions. Wudu, ghusl, tayammum, impurities and what breaks wudu.
Prayer
31 questions. Times, conditions, mistakes, missed prayers, travel, Jumuah and congregation.
Fasting
32 questions. Ramadan, what breaks the fast, fidya, kaffarah, taraweeh and voluntary fasts.
Zakat and charity
30 questions. Who pays, on what, how much, who receives it, and sadaqah.
Hajj, umrah and qurbani
30 questions. Ihram, the rites, mistakes, and the Eid sacrifice.
Food and drink
29 questions. Halal and haram food, meat, ingredients, alcohol and smoking.
Marriage and family
30 questions. Nikah, mahr, rights in marriage, parents, and divorce.
Women
30 questions. Hijab, periods, postnatal bleeding, and women in worship.
Money and work
30 questions. Interest, mortgages, insurance, investing, crypto, jobs and debt.
Dress and appearance
28 questions. Beards, hair, tattoos, gold, silk, perfume and clothing.
Daily life
28 questions. Music, pictures, pets, games, celebrations, speech and friendships.
Death and funeral
27 questions. Dying, ghusl and janazah, burial, mourning, iddah and wills.
Quran, dua and dhikr
28 questions. Touching and reciting the Quran, duas, dhikr and memorising.
Health and medicine
26 questions. Medicine, vaccines, organ donation, birth control, IVF and mental health.
Children
26 questions. Naming, aqiqah, circumcision, raising children and adoption.
Other faiths and new Muslims
25 questions. People of the Book, converting, family who are not Muslim, and greetings.
Most asked
Popular questions
- How many rakat is taraweeh?In the Hanafi school, taraweeh is 20 rakat, prayed in sets of two after Isha and usually before witr. It is a sunnah mu'akkadah (emphasised sunnah) for men and women. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools also say 20, the Maliki school accepts 20 or 36, and some scholars today pray 8.
- How much is zakat?Zakat is 2.5 percent (one fortieth) of your zakatable wealth, such as cash, gold, silver and business stock, once it has stayed at or above the nisab for a full lunar year. The four schools agree on this rate for money. Crops and livestock have their own rates.
- What makes meat halal (zabiha)?Meat is halal when the animal is a halal species, a sane Muslim (or a believing Jew or Christian) cuts its throat with a sharp blade while it is alive, and Allah's name is said over it. In the Hanafi school, leaving out Allah's name on purpose makes the meat haram. The Shafi'i school treats the bismillah as a sunnah.
- Is aqiqah compulsory in Islam?No. In the Hanafi school aqiqah is mustahabb (recommended), an act of thanks for a new child, and you are not sinful if you leave it. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools call it a stressed sunnah (sunnah mu'akkadah), and the Maliki school calls it a sunnah.
- Who is Imam Mahdi in Islam?The Mahdi is a righteous man from the family of the Prophet ﷺ, from the descendants of Fatimah, who will appear near the end of time and fill the earth with justice. Sunni Muslims believe in him on the basis of authentic hadith. He is not a prophet, and Isa (Jesus) will return in his time.
- Who is Jesus in Islam, and is he the Messiah?In Islam, Jesus (Isa) is one of the greatest prophets and messengers of Allah, born of the virgin Maryam without a father. The Quran calls him al-Masih, the Messiah. Muslims love and honour him, but do not believe he is God or the son of God, or that he was crucified.
- What happens after you die in Islam?The angel of death takes your soul, your body is washed and buried, and in the grave two angels question you. You then stay in barzakh, the life of the grave, until the Day of Resurrection, when everyone is raised, judged, and sent to Jannah or Jahannam.
- Can a Muslim gamble?No. Gambling (maysir or qimar) is haram by the Quran in every form: casinos, sports betting, poker for money, online slots and betting apps. All four schools agree. Games played for fun, and contests where only one side or a sponsor puts up the prize, are not gambling.
- What does Allah look like?No one can describe how Allah looks, because nothing is like Him (Quran 42:11) and no one sees Him in this world. Sunni Muslims believe the believers will see Allah in Paradise, without saying how. Muslims never draw or picture Him.
- What are houris in Islam?Houris (hur al-'in) are the pure companions of Paradise described in the Quran as fair, with large beautiful eyes, like well-protected pearls. They are a special creation of Jannah for its people. Believing women are not left out: they will be in Jannah with their believing husbands, and no one there will be alone.
- Is kosher meat halal?Not in the Hanafi fatwa position of Deobandi institutions. Kosher slaughter is done by hand, but the blessing is usually said once for a series of animals rather than over each one, and certification follows Jewish law, not Islamic law. Some scholars, especially in the Shafi'i school, accept kosher meat. Kosher non-meat products can contain wine or alcohol.
- Why is music haram in Islam?In the Hanafi school, and in the four schools in principle, playing and listening to musical instruments for entertainment is haram. The main proof is a hadith that lists instruments with wine and zina as things people will wrongly make lawful. The duff (frame drum) at weddings and Eid is the main exception, and a minority of scholars allow more.
Our method
How we answer
Evidence
Quran, hadith and the fiqh books
The ayat are printed from the Quran with the Sahih International translation. Every hadith is checked against the standard Arabic text at its number, with its grading.
Review
Checked by scholars
The scholars on our team review every answer. A page says who reviewed it and when. For a personal case, we point you to a mufti.