Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

dear brother asak

jazzzakallah for all your answers i have recieved so far.I would like to know why allah(swt) created prophet christ pbuh without any male intervention. What was the reason behind this.?

secondly, In surah ale imran ayaath no 33 ale imraan has been mentioned. This imran we know was the father of moses and haroon. again in ayaath no 35 wife of imraan has been mentioned.Was the name of the father of bibi maryam ,Imran ? kindly clarify.
My third question is, i have purchased a house and the loan has not yet been cleared from my side.

Do i have to pay zakaath on this?

jazzakallah 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Birth of Isa & Imran

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: I would like to know why allah(swt) created prophet christ pbuh without any male intervention. What was the reason behind this.?

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 19 Surah Maryam verses 16-21:

16 Relate in the Book (the story of) Mary when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East.

17 She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them: then We sent to her Our Angel and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.

18 She said: "I seek refuge from thee to (Allah) Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost fear Allah."

19 He said: "Nay I am only a messenger from thy Lord (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son."

20 She said: "How shall I have a son seeing that no man has touched me and I am not unchaste?"

21 He (the Angel) said: "So (it will be): thy Lord saith `That is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him (Jesus (a.s.) as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us': it is a matter (so) decreed."

The predominantly Jewish nation to whom the Lord Most Gracious chose to send Prophet Isa (a.s.) had transgressed so far in their rebellion to the Lord that they constantly denied, rejected and even murdered many amongst the chain of Prophets after Prophet Musa (a.s.) that were sent to warn them of their transgression!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale-Imraan verses 181-184:

181 Allah hath heard the taunt of those (the Jews) who say: "Truly Allah is indigent and we are rich!" We shall certainly record their word and (their act) of slaying the Prophets in defiance of right and We shall say: "Taste ye the penalty of the Scorching Fire!”

182 "This is because of the (unrighteous deeds) which your hands sent on before ye: for Allah never harms those who serve Him."

183 They (the Jews, also) said: "Allah took our promise not to believe in any Prophet unless He showed us a sacrifice consumed by fire (from heaven)." Say: "There came to you Prophets before me with Clear Signs and even with what ye ask for: why then did ye slay them if ye speak the truth?

184 Then if they reject thee so were rejected Prophets before thee who came with Clear Signs, Books of dark prophecies and the Book of enlightenment.

The Rabbis amongst the Jews had made the religion of Allah their property, and changed, altered, erased and added to it as they willed and pleased. Whenever a Prophet was sent to them with clear Signs from the Lord to warn them of their manifest transgression, they simply and boldly denied the Prophet and the Signs they showed to them by the permission of Allah! Such was their audacity and boldness, that they not only denied the Prophets and the manifest Signs of Allah, they labeled these noble Prophets of Allah as imposters and condemned some amongst them to be executed!

Amongst this long chain of Prophets which the Lord Most Gracious sent as Warners to the Jews after Prophet Musa (a.s.), the Lord in His Sublime Grace and Mercy sent the Noble Messenger Isa ibn Maryam (a.s.)….with such absolutely manifest and incredible Signs that none who saw would dare reject him! Not only did Allah Subhanah create Prophet Isa (a.s.) without any male intervention, but as an incredibly manifest Sign from Him, bade the Noble Isa to speak and declare his appointment to the office of Prophethood from his very cradle!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 19 Surah Maryam verses 27-34:

27 At length she (Mary) brought the (babe Jesus) to her people carrying him (in her arms). They said: "O Mary! Truly an amazing thing hast thou brought!

28 "O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil nor thy mother a woman unchaste!"

29 But she pointed to the babe. They said: "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?"

30 He (Babe Jesus (a.s.) said: "I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me Revelation and made me a Prophet;

31 And He hath made me Blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live;

32 (He) hath made me kind to my mother and not overbearing or miserable;

33 So Peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the Day that I shall be raised up to life (again)"!

34 Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of Truth about which they (vainly) dispute.

But even after seeing and witnessing such incredibly manifest Signs of the Lord, the rejecters of the Truth denied Prophet Isa (a.s.) and the Signs which he showed, and in their boldness and transgression even tried their level best to kill him!

Thus beloved brother, not only the miraculous birth of Jesus (a.s.) but his whole life was a manifest Sign from the Lord and amongst His absolute last warnings to the transgressors….so that after the rejection of these absolutely Magnificent and Manifest Signs, they would have absolutely no excuse for their constant and consistent denial and transgression in the Presence of their Lord!

Your Question: In surah ale imran ayaath no 33 ale imraan has been mentioned. This imran we know was the father of moses and haroon.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale-Imraan verse 33:

33 Allah did choose Adam and Noah the family of Abraham and the family of Imran above all people.

Although there is no mention of the name of the father of Prophet Musa (a.s.) and Prophet Haroon (a.s.) in the Quran or the Sunnah, there are some unauthentic Israeli records which do record the name of the father of Prophets Musa and Haroon as Imraan. Because nothing in mentioned in the Quran and the Sunnah, one cannot say with absolute conviction that this Imraan and the Imraan mentioned in the Quran are the same person; and Allah Alone Knows Best.

Your Question: again in ayaath no 35 wife of imraan has been mentioned.Was the name of the father of bibi maryam ,Imran ? kindly clarify.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale-Imraan verse 35:

35 Behold! A woman of Imran said: "O my Lord! I do dedicate unto thee what is in my womb for Thy special service so accept this of me for Thou hearest and knowest all things."

There is no mention of the name of the father of Maryam in the Glorious Quran or the authentic Sunnah; but it is absolutely evident from the above verse that Hadrat Maryam was from the family of a person named Imraan.

In light of the above verse of the Glorious Quran and in the absence of any other mention of the person Imraan in the Quran or Sunnah, the scholars have given two opinions regarding Imraan:

1. Either it was the name of the direct biological father of Hadrat Maryam, or,
2. it could be that Hadrat Maryam’s mother was a direct descendant of the family of Imraan. It was quite a common practice of those days that a person was recognized by the name of one amongst their famous ancestors. And Allah Alone Knows Best.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 19 Surah Maryam verses 27-28:

27 At length she (Mary) brought the (babe Jesus) to her people carrying him (in her arms). They said: "O Mary! Truly an amazing thing hast thou brought!

28 "O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil nor thy mother a woman unchaste!"

Although there is absolutely no record in any Israelite book of history regarding a brother of Hadrat Maryam named ‘Haroon’, the Jews referred and addressed Hadrat Maryam as the ‘sister of Haroon’ when she came with her babe Jesus (a.s.) amongst them for the first time! It is quite evident from this verse of the Quran that it was quite common in those times to refer to a person by the name of one amongst their most famous ancestors.

If one assumes that Imraan was the father of Prophets Musa (a.s.) and Haroon (a.s.), then it is quite possible that the reference to Hadrat Maryam’s mother as ‘a woman of Imraan’ is to the same person named Imraan.

But if one assumes Imraan to be the direct father of Hadrat Maryam, then obviously the father of Prophets Musa (a.s.) and Haroon (a.s.) and the father of Hadrat Maryam are two separate individuals, both of whom were named Imraan.

Because not much is mentioned regarding the person Imraan in the Quran or Sunnah except his name, the scholars have accepted both versions. And Allah Alone Knows Best.

Your Question: i have purchased a house and the loan has not yet been cleared from my side. Do i have to pay zakaath on this?

If one has purchased the house with the intention of staying in the house themselves, then regardless of its value, there is no zakah liable in Islam for the house where one resides.

But if the house was purchased with the intention of investment, re-sale, or earning from its rent, etc…..then it would constitute one’s excess wealth and one would have to pay 2.5% zakah annually on its market value.

If the house is bought as an investment and there is a loan outstanding on the property, the believer will only be liable to pay the proportionate zakah of what he has invested in that property. Thus if the property is worth $10,000.00, and the loan outstanding is $6,000.00, then the zakah would be paid on the balance $4,000.00 at the rate of 2.5%.

But if the house was purchased with the intention to reside therein by the owner, then Shariah Law allows complete exemption of zakah on the one house where one resides, regardless of its value.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan