Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and peace and benediction
be with our master, Mohammed and his Pure Progeny.
This is a selection of the answers to questions, from different
parts of the world, put to His
Eminence Grand Ayatullah as-Sayyid Ali al-Hussaini as-Seestani
(May Allah grant him long life). The answers, which bore his seal,
cover current issues facing contemporary Muslims. They revolve
around general themes, such as prayer, Hajj (pilgrimage), food,
commodities, woman issues, reproduction, medical issues, ethical
matters, modern science and technology, entertainment and leisure,
work, transactions, religious dues and other topics.
We were inundated with encouraging responses from the faithful,
when the first Arabic edition appeared in the West. This has
emboldened us to issue the second edition with additions: Current
Issues, a supplement to Minhajus Saliheen (The Path of the
Good). Volume 1, second edition, 1414 H., from pages 427 to 468 [of
the Arabic version] which includes are-as such as banking,
insurance, selling and buying, shares, bonds, import and export,
premiums, post-mortem, artificial insemination, birth control,
lottery tickets, prayers and fasting.
Another addition has been the addendum of Ma-nasikul Hajj
(pilgrimage rites). It contains important areas such as:
Affordability, paying khums (a type of religious levy
equivalent to one fifth), rules of performing hajj by proxy,
appointing an agent, types of umrah (lesser pilgrimage),
forbidden acts concerning Ihram (pilgrimage special attire),
shading, kaffarah (atonement), tawaf (circumambulation
of the Ka'ba) and its prayer, sa'y (brisk walking between
Safa and Marwah), wuquf (devotional stay) at Arafat , staying
over-night at Mina, hady (sacrificial offering), and pelting
pebbles at Jimar or Jamarat (place where the three
slabs of stone representing the devil are erected).
A third addition is some important issues that are frequently
enquired about; they come under the title of Miscellany.
This translation contains all the above subject matter and some
recent questions received after the book was published together with
His Eminence as-Seestani's answers. We spared no effort to cluster
all related issues together, especially in the first section of the
book, containing questions and answers on current issues, for the
benefit of the reader.
We pray to the Almighty to bestow success upon us to be able to
publish the second series of Fiqhul Mughtaribeen (Jurisprudence for
the Immigrants) in the near future, Allah willing. May He preserve
for us our Religious Authority, as-Sayyid as-Seestani so that we
would benefit from his knowledge. Allah is the Most Merciful.
Murtadha al-Kashmiri
London, Rajab, 1414 H.
(December, 1996)