Ibn Bāz · Fatāwāفتاوى ابن باز

Fatāwā of Shaykh Ibn Bāz, in English

Each answer translated in full, nothing added and nothing removed, with the shaykh’s Arabic one click away.

65 fatwas · all drafts under review · Methodology

Browse by topic

ʿAqīdah 8

Fiqh 54

Innovations 1

Poetry and songs 2

All fatwas

ʿAqīdah Names and attributes

  1. The ruling on the expression “taking on the character of Allah’s names and attributes” Your kind letter dated 23/3/1386 AH has arrived; may Allah bring you to His guidance. I have noted its question about what some preachers said in the Friday khuṭbah… Draft
  2. A reply to a question about Allah being above, Exalted is He From ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Bāz to the honoured brother Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad Sindī — may Allah grant him success and increase him in knowledge and īmān. Āmīn.… Draft
  3. The correct meaning of the Shin A student asks: What is the correct explanation of His saying, Exalted is He: ﴾يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَنْ سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ فَلا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ﴿ “On the Day… Draft
  4. The ruling on taʾwīl of the divine attributes A brother asks: What is the ruling on taʾwīl [reinterpretation] of the attributes? Draft
  5. On reviling the face, and the ḥadīth that Allah created Adam in his image There is a ḥadīth from the Prophet ﷺ in which he forbids reviling the face, and in which it is stated that Allah, Glory be to Him, created Adam in his image. What is the… Draft

ʿAqīdah Sorcery and divination

  1. The ruling on going to soothsayers and astrologers Please answer regarding the soundness of the religion of someone who goes to soothsayers and astrologers and puts his īmān in what they say. They come out with things… Draft

ʿAqīdah Swearing by other than Allah

  1. The prohibition of swearing by anything other than Allah He also says in his letter: We notice, honoured Shaykh, that some people — school students in particular — swear by success, saying “By my success” or “By my tawfīq… Draft

ʿAqīdah Ruqyah and amulets

  1. The ruling on amulets made from the Qurʾān What is the ruling on amulets made from the Qurʾān and from other things? Draft

Fiqh Ṭahārah

  1. The ruling on yellowish or brownish discharge after becoming pure If a woman has nifās [postnatal bleeding], becomes pure within ten days, and then, four days later, sees ṣufrah [yellowish discharge] or kudrah [brownish discharge]… Draft
  2. How long does a woman’s postnatal bleeding last? I am asking about a woman, a first-time mother, who gave birth to a daughter. Fifty days have passed and her bleeding has not stopped. Should she pray or not? Draft
  3. The ruling on a man in wuḍūʾ touching his wife What is the ruling if a woman touches her husband? Must he perform wuḍūʾ or not? Draft
  4. How to Perform Tayammum I hope Your Eminence will explain to us the correct way of performing tayammum [dry ablution with clean earth]. Draft
  5. Does the ghusl for janābah suffice for the Friday ghusl? Does the ghusl for janābah [major ritual impurity] suffice in place of the ghusl for Jumuʿah? Draft
  6. Wuḍūʾ for someone with urinary incontinence A man with urinary incontinence says that when the prayer time comes in and he performs wuḍūʾ, no more than two drops of urine come out after the wuḍūʾ, and this… Draft
  7. The ruling on a menstruating woman touching the Qurʾān We are students at a girls’ school. In the Qurʾān lesson the teacher tells us to recite the Qurʾān while we are excused, and we are too shy to tell him, so we recite out… Draft
  8. May a menstruating woman recite the Noble Qurʾān? Is it permissible for a woman to recite the Noble Qurʾān during the days of her excuse? And may she recite the Noble Qurʾān when she goes to bed, and recite Āyat… Draft
  9. When the period for wiping over leather socks begins and ends Your Eminence, our Shaykh, we would like clarification of when wiping over the khuffs [leather socks] begins and when it ends. Is it from the first ḥadath [state of… Draft
  10. How many times the head is wiped in wuḍūʾ: the correct view One scholar says that the head is wiped with water once, and another says three times. Which is correct? Draft
  11. The categories of water and the ruling on each A discussion arose about the categories of water. Some hold that water falls into two categories, pure and impure; others hold that it falls into three: purifying, pure… Draft
  12. Wuḍūʾ with water clouded by mud and weeds A group of us went out into the open country and sat by a pool of water. The water was clouded with mud and some weeds. Is it permissible to perform wuḍūʾ for the prayer… Draft
  13. Obsessive doubts about wuḍūʾ A questioner says: After I urinate — may Allah honour you — drops of urine come out of me for a few minutes and then stop. I put tissues inside the opening of the penis.… Draft
  14. How to wipe over socks, and the conditions for doing so How is wiping over socks done, and what are its conditions? Draft
  15. Does the white discharge a woman experiences break wuḍūʾ? A sister from Abhā, who signs herself Ṣ. Ṣ. Ṣ., asks: Does the white fluid that comes out of a woman while she is pure from menstruation break wuḍūʾ? Draft
  16. What is the ruling on shaking hands with a non-maḥram woman, and does it break wuḍūʾ? The brother M. R. Y., from Darʿā in Syria, says in his question: I was at a gathering where a shaykh was present with us. After a little while a woman came in and shook… Draft
  17. Does ghusl for janābah or other reasons suffice in place of wuḍūʾ? Brother ʿ. Ṣ. S., from Thādiq in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, asks: I performed ghusl for janābah [major ritual impurity] with soap and shampoo. Does this ghusl suffice… Draft

Fiqh Ṣalāh

  1. Holding a second congregation in the mosque after the first has finished What is the ruling on a group who arrive late and pray as a second congregation after the prayer for which the adhān was given has been led by the appointed imām? Draft
  2. The ruling on following the imām in each closing salām What about when the imām gives the salām to his right and the maʾmūms [those praying behind the imām] follow him, and then he gives the salām to his left and they follow… Draft
  3. The ruling on shaking hands with fellow worshippers after the obligatory prayer Some people give salām to their right and left when they have finished the prayer, and some of them say “ḥaraman” [may you pray in the Ḥaram], saying: This increases… Draft
  4. What counts as catching the congregational prayer? How much must one catch to have caught the congregational prayer? Draft
  5. The ruling on someone who forgets something in the prayer and does not perform the prostration of forgetfulness We prayed in congregation in a mosque, and the imām stood up for a fifth rakʿah. The maʾmūms [those praying behind the imām] said to him, “Subḥān Allāh [Glory be to… Draft
  6. What is the istikhārah supplication? What is the duʿāʾ of istikhārah [the prayer for guidance in a decision] like? Draft
  7. The ruling on abandoning the prayer while acknowledging that it is obligatory A man acknowledges that the prayer is obligatory, but he does not pray. Is it permissible to eat with him and to sit with him? Draft
  8. The ruling on combining two prayers without an excuse In Yemen we have a sect called al-Makārimah who regularly combine the ẓuhr and ʿaṣr prayers, and this combining is done between the two times. What is the view of Islam… Draft
  9. The ruling on ʿĪd greetings, embracing and shaking hands Congratulating one another at ʿĪd, that is, ʿĪd al-Fiṭr and ʿĪd al-Aḍḥā, and what people do in the way of shaking hands, clasping one another or embracing, and sending… Draft
  10. How many rakʿahs is the night prayer? Is it better for us to pray qiyām [the night prayer] as eight rakʿahs and then add three as witr [the odd-numbered night prayer], or as ten and then add three? Draft
  11. Is it permissible to leave the witr prayer? Is it permissible to leave the sunnah of witr [the odd-numbered night prayer]? I have heard that the Messenger never left witr, whether travelling or at home. Please… Draft
  12. The ruling on someone who sleeps through the dawn prayer until its time has passed I slept through the dawn prayer and did not wake up until mid-morning. Is it permissible for me to pray it when I wake up, or should I pray it at its own time? Draft
  13. How much movement invalidates the prayer? Prayer stands at the head of all the kinds of remembrance. Yet it is noticeable that many worshippers make a great many movements during the prayer. What is the limit of… Draft
  14. Whoever loses his wuḍūʾ during the prayer should break it off A reader from Riyadh writes: Someone began the prayer while he was in the first row, then a ḥadath [state of ritual impurity] occurred to him. He carried on with his… Draft
  15. Must one who repents make up the prayers he missed? To His Eminence, our father, Shaykh ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Bāz, Grand Muftī of the Kingdom and Head of the Council of Senior Scholars and of the Department of… Draft
  16. What to do when one praying is unsure how many rakʿahs he has prayed Suppose the imām, in a four-rakʿah prayer, is unsure whether he has prayed three or four, and then gives the taslīm [the closing salām of the prayer]. After the taslīm… Draft
  17. The latest time for catching witr What is the latest time at which one can still catch the witr [the odd-numbered night prayer] prayer? Draft
  18. When combining two prayers, is it better to combine early or late? When combining and shortening ẓuhr and ʿaṣr, which is better: to pray straight after the adhān of ẓuhr, or to delay it to midway between the two times? Draft
  19. The ruling on the Jumuʿah prayer when it falls on the day of ʿĪd What is the ruling on the Jumuʿah prayer when it falls on the day of ʿĪd? Must it be held by all Muslims, or only by a particular group? I ask because some people… Draft

Fiqh Janāʾiz

  1. The ruling on women visiting graves .............? Draft

Fiqh Zakāh

  1. How is zakāh paid on women’s jewellery? How do we pay zakāh on women’s gold? Draft
  2. How much zakāt al-fiṭr is due The letter before us, the last in this episode, has reached us from Muḥammad Kamāl Muḥammad, a listener working on contract, from the Arab Republic of Egypt. He asks… Draft
  3. Giving Zakāt al-Fiṭr in Money He asks: If someone who owes zakāt al-fiṭr [the obligatory charity at the end of Ramaḍān] wants to pay money instead of wheat, barley and the like, is that permissible… Draft

Fiqh Ṣiyām

  1. Cupping while fasting Does cupping break the fast, or has that been abrogated? Draft
  2. The fast of someone who used nose drops and tasted them in his throat This letter has come from Jeddah, Nazlat Banī Mālik. The sender, Muhalhil Suhayl al-Muṭayrī, says: On one of the days of blessed Ramaḍān this year, 1400, I felt a… Draft
  3. Eating and drinking during the fajr adhān in Ramaḍān His last question is: In the noble month of Ramaḍān, as the adhān of fajr begins, or while it is being called, is one allowed to drink water before the adhān has… Draft
  4. A woman whose period began before sunset in Ramaḍān She also has another question. She says: I was fasting one of the days of Ramaḍān, and only five minutes remained before the time to break the fast when my monthly… Draft
  5. What must someone do who masturbated during the day in Ramaḍān? The following letter reached the programme from a listener who signs himself (S. ʿ. al-Nabhān), of Khamīs Mushayṭ. In his letter and question he says: I would like to… Draft
  6. The Sign of Laylat al-Qadr What is the sign of Laylat al-Qadr [the Night of Decree], and what is the Muslim’s duty on that night? Draft

Fiqh Ḥajj and ʿumrah

  1. The ruling on delaying ḥajj when one is able Your Eminence! This letter concerns ḥajj. The sender, your brother in Allah, Jābir Yaḥyā al-Shawfī al-Mālikī, says: A man has gone a long time without performing ḥajj… Draft
  2. Performing ḥajj for someone else before performing it for oneself This letter is from Salmān al-Ṭāwī al-ʿAnazī, who also asks about ḥajj. He says: My wife has died without having performed the obligatory ḥajj. I want to perform ḥajj on… Draft

Fiqh Ribā and exchange

  1. Working in banks and depositing money in them What is the ruling of Islam on those who work in banks and deposit their money in them without taking interest on it? Draft

Fiqh Loans

  1. The ruling on borrowing from a bank and receiving a salary from it I work at a bank, and I took a loan to pay for housing; the bank takes a commission on this loan. What is the ruling on the debt? Also, our salaries from this bank come… Draft

Fiqh Divorce

  1. Marrying with the intention of divorce On one of the tapes I heard a fatwa of yours permitting marriage in a foreign land when the man intends to leave her after a certain period, when his course or… Draft

Fiqh Dress and adornment

  1. Dyeing the Beard Black How sound are the ḥadīths that have come about dyeing the beard black? Dyeing the beard black has become widespread among many people who are associated with learning. Draft
  2. The ruling on letting garments hang below the ankles out of custom, not conceit A brother who signs himself “Abū Muḥammad”, from al-Zulfī in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, says in his question: In a ḥadīth, the Messenger ﷺ said something to the effect… Draft

Fiqh Pictures and image-making

  1. The ruling on collecting pictures as keepsakes Is it permissible to collect pictures as keepsakes, or not? Draft

Innovations

  1. The ruling on celebrating the Prophet’s birthday and other birthdays Praise be to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, his Companions and all who follow his guidance. Draft

Poetry and songs

  1. The ruling on listening to songs What is the ruling on listening to songs? Draft
  2. The ruling on listening to Islamic chants (anāshīd) What is the ruling on listening to tapes of Islamic anāshīd [religious chants]? Draft