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General FAQ’s

General F.A.Q.

What are five daily prayers?

The five daily prayers in Islam are:

  1. Fajr (Dawn Prayer) – Performed before sunrise.
  2. Dhuhr (Noon Prayer) – Performed after the sun passes its zenith.
  3. Asr (Afternoon Prayer) – Performed in the late afternoon.
  4. Maghrib (Evening Prayer) – Performed just after sunset.
  5. Isha (Night Prayer) – Performed after twilight has disappeared.

These prayers are obligatory for Muslims and are a fundamental part of Islamic worship.

Qibla (also spelt Qiblah or Kiblah) is the direction towards the Kaaba (located in the centre of Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, Saudi Arabia). It’s the direction which Muslims around the world face when performing their prayers, wherever they are in the world.

  • Fardh – obligatory
  • Wajib – second in importance to Fardh, obligatory
  • Sunnah – optional but highly recommended
  • Nafl – optional

Each daily prayer has a different number of rakats per prayer:

  • Fajr:  2 Rakat Sunnah, then 2 Rakat Fardh
  • Dhuhr: 4 Rakat Sunnah, then 4 Rakat Fardh, then 2 Rakat Sunnah, then 2 Rakat Nafl
  • Asr: 4 Rakat Sunnah, then 4 Rakat Fardh
  • Maghrib: 3 Rakat Fardh, then 2 Rakat Sunnah, then 2 Rakat Nafl
  • Isha: 4 Rakat Sunnah, then 4 Rakat Fardh, then 2 Rakat Sunnah, then 2 Rakat Nafl, then 3 Rakat Witr Wajib, then 2 Rakat Nafl

Ramadhan FAQ's

Is one allowed to take the COVID-19 vaccine whilst fasting?
Taking an injection or vaccination in the arm will not break one’s fast. However, if the injection is inserted directly into the stomach then the fast will break.
It is not necessary to make a verbal intention for fasting. The intention of the heart will suffice.
The Shari fast begins at Subh Sadiq and not when one makes a verbal intention, therefore, if one eats after making a verbal intention but before Subh Sadiq, his fast will be valid.
It is Makrooh to brush one’s teeth using toothpaste whilst fasting. One should use a Miswaakinstead to clean his teeth.
Yes, one is allowed to apply Itr and perfume whilst fasting.
Yes, one can spray an air freshener whilst fasting. However, the droplets should not deliberately be inhaled.
One can apply Vicks on the outer body whilst fasting. The use of Vicks will not invalidate one’s fast.

If one vomits a mouthful intentionally then his fast will break.

However, if one vomits less than a mouthful intentionally then his fast will not break. Similarly, vomiting unintentionally will not invalidate one’s fast even if the vomit may be more than a mouthful.

If one were to vomit a little (less than a mouthful) and thereafter re-swallow it, the fast will not break. However, if one were to vomit a mouthful and thereafter re-swallow it the fast will be broken.
Taking a blood test and having blood extracted whilst fasting will not invalidate the fast. However, one should not have so much blood extracted that one becomes excessively weak.
One’s fast will not break by having dialysis done whilst fasting. This is because this procedure only cleans the blood, and nothing is inserted directly into the stomach.

If the blood is so much that it is equal to or is more than the saliva in one’s mouth and it goes into one’s stomach, then the fast will be broken.

If one’s gums bleed but the blood does not go into the stomach, one’s fast will not be broken.

If one has a nosebleed and the blood goes into one’s mouth and down the throat, then the fast will be broken.
Injecting glucose whilst fasting does not break one’s fast, however this should not be done without a reason.
Yes, smoking a cigarette or Shisha will break one’s fast.
No, the fast will not break by applying nicotine patches to the skin.

If a fasting person enters a place where there is smoke and the smoke enters his mouth without his intent, then his fast will not be nullified.

However, if smoke is entered into the mouth intentionally for e.g., one deliberately inhales the smoke of an incense stick/Bakhoor burner then the fast will be invalidated.

One’s fast will be nullified by directly inhaling the steam/vapour of medicine or water.
Inhaling an Asthma pump will break the fast.
If one or two drops of tears or sweat from the face were to unintentionally go down one’s throat, the fast will not be invalidated.
If one sniffs in such a manner that mucus from the nose goes down the throat, the fast will not be broken.
There is a difference of opinion with regards to this matter therefore one should avoid placing medication into the eyes whilst fasting.
Yes, masturbation will nullify one’s fast and Qadha will be necessary.
If a pregnant woman or breastfeeding woman has the ability to fast then she must observe the fast of Ramadhan. However, if she fears that fasting will cause severe harm to herself or the child, then she is permitted to break the fast and make Qadha later.

Zakat FAQ's​

Who has to give Zakat?
Zakat is Fardh (compulsory) upon every sane adult Muslim (male and female) who possesses wealth or assets equal to or above a certain financial threshold (known as the Nisab) for one lunar year.
The Nisab is 87.48g gold if a person only possesses gold or 612.36g of silver if one has only silver. If a person has various zakatable assets then the Nisab will be the value of 612.36g of silver (which equates to approximately £386 as of Feb 2021).

Zakat is due on

  • Gold & silver (ornaments or jewellery)
  • Cash held at home or in bank accounts
  • Pensions
  • Property owned for investment purposes
  • Stocks & shares owned directly or through investment funds
  • Money lent to others
  • Business stock in trade & merchandise
  • Agricultural produce

The Qur’an specifies eight categories for the distribution of Zakat: “Indeed, Zakat expenditures are only for [1] the poor and [2] the needy, and [3] to those who work on [administering] it, and [4] for bringing hearts together, and [5] to [free] those in bondage, and [6] for those in debt, and [7] for the cause of God, and [8] for the stranded traveller. [This is] an obligation from God. God is All-Knowing, All-Wise.”

(Qur’an, Chapter 9, Verse 60)

A person’s zakat day is one lunar year from the day when one first possesses the niṣab of zakat, provided that one is mature and sane and he retains some amount of wealth throughout this period. Thereafter, this same date every year will remain as a person’s zakat day provided that some wealth remains throughout the year.
If a person cannot remember his original zakat day then he should try his best to estimate when this date was. If one is not even able to estimate when this date was then one should fix a date in the lunar year and use this as his zakat day.
When a person reaches his zakat day and he possesses wealth equal or exceeding the zakat niṣab, he will give zakat on whatever zakatable items he possesses on that day. It will not matter when during the year that wealth came into his possession and nor will the wealth spent throughout the year be taken in to consideration.
If shares were purchased with the intention of reselling, then zakat would be due on the current market value of the shares. If they were purchased with the intention of acquiring dividends, then zakat would be due on the zakatable assets the shares represent. If this is unknown, then it will be precautious to give zakat according to the full market value of the shares.
If a person has a money purchase or personal pension scheme (provided they are shariah compliant), then zakat must be paid on the value of the zakatable assets the pension scheme holds. The help of an accountant should be sought in order to determine this. If one is unaware of the zakatable assets then as a precaution zakat should be paid on the whole value of one’s pension pot. Zakat does not need to be given on a final salary pension scheme.
A person with a student loan should only deduct any outstanding repayments which a due on his zakat due date, any future repayments will not be deducted. Furthermore, this ruling will only apply until the actual loaned amount is repaid, any interest will not be deducted.
If a property is being rented out, zakat does not need to be given on the value of the property. Rather, zakat will be due on any income which has been generated from the rent and is in a person’s possession on his zakat day. If a portion of this rental income has already been spent before a person’s zakat due date, then this will not be taken into consideration (i.e. zakat does not need to be paid on the amount spent already).
Zakat will be given according to the market value of the merchandise on a person’s zakat due date.
The most precautious opinion with regards to a such a debt is that it shouldn’t be deducted at all from one’s zakatable assets. However, some contemporary scholars have given allowance for the next 12 months of repayments to be deducted. (This allowance would only apply until the actual borrowed amount is repaid. Anything extra that a person has to pay will not be deducted at all from ones zakatable assets.)
Zakat is only given on gold and zakat. Hence, zakat will not need to be given on platinum jewellery (provided it is not business merchandise).
Zakat will need to be given on all gold and silver jewellery.

Zakat should be given according to the value of the gold/silver which one would receive if he/she was to sell it in one’s local market. This can be found out by asking local jewellers how much they would purchase the gold/silver for.

If the gold/silver jewellery contains precious stones – such as diamonds etc – then the weight of the precious stones will be deducted from the weight of the jewellery and zakat will be given according to the weight of the actual gold/silver.
Zakat does not need to be given on precious stones e.g. unless they were bought with the intention of reselling.

There are a few ways Zakat on gold and silver can be paid:

  • It is permissible to give actual gold and silver in Zakat. For example, if someone has gold jewellery that weighs 100 grams, she can give 2.5 grams of gold as Zakat on the jewellery.
  • It is also permissible to pay zakat by giving give something else — such as medicine or blankets or flour etc. – that holds the same value as the zakat that needs to be given.
  • One may also borrow money from someone else in order to pay their zakat and then pay the debt off at a later time when they possess cash.
Unpaid zakat for previous years will still remain due. A person should try to his best to estimate the amount zakat and pay accordingly.
Zakat can be paid using other money as well. It is not necessary to pay zakat using the money he set aside only.
Money which is placed in donations boxes that one has at home is still islamically regarded as one’s wealth until he does not hand it over to the masjid, charity etc. Hence, zakat will need to be paid on the money which is inside box if a person’s zakat date arrives and he has not yet handed that money t the masjid, charity etc. If one is unaware of how much money is inside the box, he should try his best to estimate and give Zakat accordingly.

If the gold used in the jewellery is not pure gold (and the jewellery was not bought with the intention of reselling) then the ruling on it is as follows:

o       If the ‘gold’ contains 50 percent gold or more (i.e. it is 12 carat gold or more), it will be counted as pure gold in the sense that the total weight of the jewellery will be taken into consideration when calculating Zakat. However, the market value of pure gold will not be used to calculate Zakat; instead the market value of the same type of gold will be used. For example, for 18 carat gold jewellery, the market value of 18 carat gold will be used to calculate Zakat.

o       If the ‘gold’ contains less than 50 percent gold (i.e. it is less than 12 carat gold), then there are two possible scenarios:

– If it is not possible to melt and separate the gold from other metals (due to the gold content being so little for example), it will not be counted as gold at all and therefore Zakat will not be obligatory on it.

– If it is possible to melt and separate the gold from other metals, Zakat will be obligatory on only the gold content. In 9 carat gold, for example, it is possible to melt and separate the gold from other metals; therefore, Zakat is payable on 9 carat gold, albeit only on the gold content. For example, if someone has 9 carat gold jewellery that weighs 10 grams, she has to pay Zakat on 3.75 grams of pure gold (as 9 carat gold contains 37.5% pure gold; and 37.5% of 10 grams is 3.75 grams). Therefore, if the market value of pure gold is £50 per gram, 3.75 grams of pure gold will be worth £187.50. Hence, she will have to give £4.69 (2.5% of £187.50) in Zakat. (The rulings mentioned above for gold jewellery also apply to silver jewellery.)

White gold is an alloy of gold and at least one white metal, usually nickel, manganese or palladium.

Thus, white gold is treated like normal gold and is subject to Zakat.

The amount of Zakat payable would be calculated by multiplying the full weight of the jewellery by the price per gram for gold of that carat.

For example, if one has an 18-carat white gold bangle weighing 50 grams, then 50 grams would be multiplied by the price of a gram of 18 carat gold.

Likewise, if one has a 9-carat white gold bangle weighing 50 grams, then 50 grams will be multiplied by the price of a gram of 9 carat gold.

If the medicines were bought with the intention of reselling then Zakat will be necessary on the market value of the medicines.
If the glasses were bought with the intention of reselling then Zakat will be necessary on the market value of the glasses.
A child who has not reached the age of puberty is not liable to pay zakat, regardless of how much wealth they own.
There is no Zakat on interest money, rather the whole amount of interest should be returned to its rightful owner or be given in sadaqah without the intention of reward if the owner is unknown.
If a wife possesses wealth equal to Nisaab, then it is her responsibility to pay her own Zakat, her husband is not responsible. However, if the wife wife grants permission to her husband to pay her Zakat and the husband pays on her behalf, her zakat obligation would be fulfilled.
If they are eligible for zakat, then it will be permissible to give to them.

If the loan provided to someone is of such a nature that its repayment is anticipated or the loan is acknowledged by the debtor, then it will be compulsory on the creditor to pay zakat on such a loan. However, one will only be liable to pay the zakat after the debt has been repaid.

In regards to the method of paying zakat on such a loan one has two options:

  1. Pay the Zakat on the loaned amount on a yearly basis by including it in your Zakat calculation with other zakatable assets, even though the loan has not been received yet.
  2. Pay the Zakat once the debt is received for all the previous years.

If the loan is such that the creditor has lost all hope of being repaid, then zakat will not be compulsory on such a loan. If one thereafter receives the money; fully or partially, he will not need to pay zakat for the previous years

It is not permitted to give Zakat to one’s parents or grandparents.
A poor person is one who does not possess surplus wealth equal to the value of nisab.
If they are eleigible for receiving Zakat, then it will be permissible to give Zakat to a person’s in-laws.
A person who is mentally insane is not liable to give to give Zakat.
If a person possesses wealth equal to nisab, it is permitted for him to give Zakat before his Zakat date. Thereafter, when his Zakat date arrives he may minus the amount that he has already paid from the Zakat which is due on him.

Qurbani FAQ's

Who needs to offer the obligation of Qurbani?
As indicated by the shariah, Qurbani is mandatory upon each mature Muslim male/female who has abundance in wealth. Typically, the individuals who are qualified to pay Zakat are obliged to offer Qurbani.

It is the strategy of Eternal Aid that we choose recipients of the Qurbani dependent on a scoring framework, which positions families as per their need. The scoring framework depends on the accompanying target models:

Ø Families who do not live on the basic pay for that specific country.

Ø Eligible for Zakat.

Ø Female-headed families i.e., widows, single mothers, etc.

Ø Families with incapacitates as well as old people.

Ø Poor Pregnant ladies

Ø Families with almost no admittance to the market

An intensive requirements evaluation will be applied to recognise the weighting and need of every one of the above standards. These are then applied while choosing recipients to guarantee Eternal Aid circulate Qurbani meat packs to those eligible.

According to the Hanafi school it is not necessary for children who have not reached the age of puberty to offer Qurbani, even if the possess wealth equal to Nisaab. Similarly, it is not necessary for parents to offer Qurbani on behalf of their children, however it is Mustahabb (preferable) for them to do so if they possess the means.
No, this isn’t required as long as you have made the aim that you are giving this Qurbani for someone in particular.
Eternal Aid essentially conveys:Fresh Qurbani – Animals are bought and butchered locally.

The volume of Qurbani is delegated by the portions submitted for every country. For donors, the following can assist you with understanding how to calculate your Qurbani donation:

1 Sheep or Goat = 1 Qurbani

1 Cow = 7 Qurbani (One Qurbani equals to 1/7th of a part).

Eternal Aid performs Qurbani as one of our yearly causes. Hence, individuals who have benefited from our Ramadan donations and from our overall projects, Insha’Allah, will benefit from our Qurbani distribution. This permits us to centre our endeavours and assist similar individuals with improving their lives.
Eternal Aid has dedicated teams and scholars on the ground. Likewise, with our different causes, Eternal Aid’s work is continually checked and reviewed. Reports are additionally delivered every year showing what activities have occurred in every cause.
No, as Eternal Aid is leading a huge number of Qurbani’s, this is for all intents and purposes impractical. It is additionally not important to articulate the name of the individual, regardless of whether you are making a Qurbani in the interest of another person. Just making the intention by yourself that you are offering this Qurbani for the benefit of someone is adequate.
The ideal opportunity for Qurbani closes when the sun sets on the fourth day. In this way, you can make a donation until the finish of the third day after Eid (thirteenth of Dhul-Hijjah) before Maghreb salah.
It is fitting to give as ahead of schedule as could really be expected. Eternal Aid carries out our Qurbani for more than 4 days (tenth to thirteenth Dhul Hijjah). We buy the animals to be butchered ahead of time. As long as your donation is given prior to the time set to do the Qurbani, the Qurbani will be completed on schedule.

Since Qurbani is a demonstration of love that is the most closest to Allah (SWT) in the days of Tashreek, it is important that one offers the best contribution. Eternal Aid receives excellent guidelines with regards to choosing the animals for Qurbani i.e. weight (meat yielded), and health of the animal.

We would like our brothers and sisters to get the best quality Qurbani, preferring for his brother/sister that which he/she adores for him/herself. These expectations subsequently come at a greater expense.

Eternal Aid consistently attempts to provide for the neediest and poor in the most far-off regions, hard to reach. Distributing meat in hard-to-reach regions brings about higher transportation costs which increase the Qurbani cost.

Indeed, every one of the different costs like the expense of the animal, butcher, butchering, transportation, stockpiling, choice of the recipients and dissemination are included in the costs.

Qurbani is offered through Eternal Aid outreach work in West Bengal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malawi and UK Institution.

Eternal Aid outreach programs will buy and butcher animals locally. On the off chance that there are issues with animal supply in a specific place (because of restricted nearby stock, catastrophic event, and so forth) then, at that point animals are sourced and butchered in one of our allocated regions. All animals are sacrificed by Islamic rules.

Qurbani in 2021 will be offered after the Eid Salaah. The butchering will happen from after the Eid salah on Eid al-Adha (tenth Dhul Hijjah) and completed by the nightfall of the thirteenth Dhul Hijjah. There is a distinction of assessment among the Islamic scholars with respect to whether Qurbani should be possible in more than three or four days. To regard this distinction of assessment, Eternal Aid endeavours to offer Qurbani in three days. In the event that you give a Qurbani on any of nowadays, the Qurbani will, in any case, be done on schedule, as Eternal Aid has effectively bought the animals to be butchered heretofore.

Animals picked in a country are reliant upon:

Ø The reasonableness of the meat to the neighbourhood diet

Ø Animal cost

Ø The area and the accessibility of animal

Ø Meat’s quality

You may wish to offer one Qurbani in the UK and one abroad for instance and this is allowable. You are permitted to offer more than one sacrifice. The Prophet (SAW) himself completed various Qurbani for himself and the Ummah. Numerous Muslims offer various Qurbani in the interest of the Prophet (SAW) and for late parents.

Yes, definitely

It would be better if individuals did not visit, our teams on the ground will be occupied with butchering the animals, partitioning them, pressing the meat, moving it to towns, and circulating the Qurbani pack

If a wife possesses wealth equal to Nisaab, it is her own responsibility to have her Qurbani fulfilled, not her husband’s. However, if the husband arranges for his wife’s Qurbani, there is nothing wrong in this and he should inform her of his intention beforehand.
if Qurbani is necessary on more than one individual of a household, it is not sufficient to have one Qurbani of behalf of the whole household. Rather, each individual must ensure that a separate Qurabani is offered on his/her behalf.
It is Mustahabb (preferable) for the person who is offering Qurbani to refrain from cutting his/her hair nails in the month of Dhul Hijjah until his/her animal is slaughtered. However, there is no sin if an individual does do so.