May 2007

1. DEAR ABE: On the morning show on TV today, someone was asking an expert why God allows bad things like the recent massacre at Virginia Tech to happen.  What does the Quran have to say about bad things happening to good people? --A READER FROM TEXAS

DEAR READER: The massacre at Virginia Tech was a tragedy, but we take comfort knowing that the young people killed are in Heaven [1].  Those who survived are being tested through this tragedy. Will they trust in God?  Will they implore God for strength to forgive?  God is in control of everything.  He could have prevented it, but He did not [2].  Instead, God permits Satan’s reign on Earth to be chaotic.  Why?  God has given us freedom of choice, either to follow Satan’s lead, or to trust God in every circumstance [3].  Similarly, God permitted Satan to test Job through hardship, but Job’s belief never wavered. He submitted to God [4].  Likewise, our submission to God’s will, through hard times, will prove the strength of our faith.

Relevant Quran Verses: [1] Appendix 32 of the Quran translation by Rashad Khalifa; [2] 3:109, 10:24, 9:116, 42:43, 41:49; [3] 42:30, 4:79, 3:154, 3:156, 7:196, 9:72, 57:20, 24:2, 4:85; 38:69, Appendix 7 of the Quran translation by Rashad Khalifa; [4] 21:83-84, 38:41-44.

See our article: About Islam: Why Does God Allow Bad Things To Happen?

2. DEAR ABE: I have suddenly found myself falling for a Jewish man and I am a Muslim girl, neither of us wants to convert but could we ever be accepted in the eyes of God if we were to one day marry?  Will my children be considered as a love child because we are not "married" in the same religion? --CONFUSED

DEAR CONFUSED: God tells us in the Quran that there are believers in all religions, regardless of the name they call themselves. If both of you believe in God, believe in the Last Day, and lead a righteous life, you are both believers [1]. Labels such as Jew or Muslim are not important to God, only to the people around you. Your marriage to one another would be valid as far as God is concerned [2]. The Quran tells believers to marry believers [3], and this could include marriage between a Jew and a Christian, a Christian and a Muslim, etc... Any children you might be blessed to have could not possibly be considered a "love child" if you are legally married. Even if your family dislikes your husband, or his family dislikes you.

Relevant Quran Verses: [1] 2:62, 5:69, 4:146, 33:35;  [2] 5:5, 30:20-21;  [3] 2:221, 24:3, 22:78.

3. DEAR ABE: I agree with everything you say -apart from the hijab.  I don't disagree; I'm just a little concerned.  I do wear hijab because I thought it was obligatory, but then I read your answer to Headstrong where you said no and gave evidence.  This made me think… doesn't it say somewhere that you should cover everything on the body apart from the face and hands?  Even on Hajj, that's what Muslims do.  So isn't hijab then obligatory?  I don't know, just thinking… I always have thought the covering of the hair was a definite yes in Islam. -- A MUSLIM FROM ENGLAND

DEAR ENGLAND MUSLIM: In order to come to the correct understanding on required garments, it is important to explore what God tells us through the Quran. Referring back to the Quran allows us to avoid confusion from contrasting opinions. There will be no contradictions, and the Truth will be found therein. Nowhere in the Quran does it require women to cover their hair, arms, legs, etc. The religious rules imposing head covers, or Hijab, are from sources outside of the Quran; mainly from religious scholar’s edicts, and Hadith [1]. The rules to cover everything at Hajj are not God’s requirements [2]. However, it is not wrong to wear head covers on account of cultural tradition, and so rules should not be imposed stating that head covers can not be worn. [3]

Relevant Quran Verses: [1] 12:111, 31:6, 39:23, 39:29, 45:6, 52:34; [2] Appendix 18, and Appendix 19 of  the Quran translation by Rashad Khalifa; [3] Article: About Islam: Headcovers.

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