Assalam U Alaykum,
Mufti sahib I would like to start by thanking you for providing the great service to the Deen you are providing. I ask Allah SWT to accept this from you and may He duly reward you inshAllah for your efforts.
I have two questions on seperate issues:
Question 1:
We have been looking to get our sister married and have had a lot of trouble finding a suitable proposal. After finally finding someone we found that the guy works as an Auditor in a conventional bank. His family has reassured as that he will find an alternative job in an Islamic bank but he is not actively looking. Should we get our sister married to him?
Question 2:
A friend has asked me to explain why are we required to follow one madhab only i.e. Hanafi or Shafie etc. If all 4 are correct then why are we not allowed to select between them. This background of this question is the fiqh of qasr salah where my friend was arguing the fact that zuhr/asr and maghrub/isha can be combined even out of time.
JazakAllah Khair
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Brother in Islam,
1. According to Shariah, it is not advisable for one to work in a commercial bank. We do not know the full job description of the person in reference; therefore we cannot comment on the above job description. Much depends on the type of work and duties that an auditor is required to do. However, one will be excused to work in a bank while searching for a suitable alternative.
Our advice is that if the boy has good character and is sensitive to the laws of the Shariah, he should be considered for your sister in marriage.
It is however important to make Istikhara and decide based on that.
2. You may refer to the following books for an in-depth understanding on the issue of Taqleed:
1. The legal status of following a Mazhab by Hadhrat Moulana Mufti Muhammed Taqi Usmani (Damat Barakatuhum)
http://www.cometoislam.com/fiqh/legal/main.htm
2. Differences of the Imams by Sheikhul Hadeeth Hadhrat Moulana Zakariyya Saheb (Rahmatullahi Alayhi)
http://www.slideshare.net/IslamicBooks/differences-of-the-imams-by-shaykh-zakariyya-kandhelvi-ra
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Ismail Desai,
Student Darul Iftaa
Durban, South Africa
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.