I'm trying to find out if the performance of what is Mubah/Halal is rewarded or not; Dr. Zeidan says no. The Hadith of the Prophet–Salla Allahu `Alaihe Wa-Sallam–seems to indicate that such deeds are rewarded. (My personal observation was: “If that which is 'Mustahab' is rewarded, why not that which is Halal?”) Also, Dr. Zeidan mentioned that it is “moharram” to pray in lands that are taken away by force [ his expression was “al-ard al-mughtasabah”]; could you please also clarify this for me. Jazakum Allah Khair for helping me out with this.

All praise be to Allah, and may his peace and blessings be on the last and best prophet and messenger, Muhammad. As for the reward for halal actions, you will be rewarded for them with the right intention. For example, if you sleep to wake up early for salat al-fajr or some other good reason, you will be rewarded for that sleep. In general sleep is not reward worthy nor is it blameworthy. The same applies to eating…etc. As for the hadeeth about having marital relations with the wife, it is reward worthy because it keeps the couple chaste and protects them from evil. But if the man has sex with his wife and others, and didn't intend by that to protect himself or her or any good intentions such as promoting the compassion between them…etc, then his mere having sex with the wife is not reward worthy. So, by having a good intention, you transform the halal action which is neutral on the scale of reward and punishment to one that is reward worthy. As for praying in the land wrongfully seized by force, it is haram but does it invalidate the prayer? The hanbalis: yes. The rest: no. The debate has to do with what is called infekaak al-jihah. According to the hanbalis the very prayer that he prayed can not be separated from the haram, which is the use of land wrongfully seized by power. According to the others, the prayer is one thing and the use of the land is a separate thing. Allah knows best.

assalaamu alaikum, I am currently divorced. While married I went to school and took out a student loan. Being a new Muslim I was not aware this is haram, and at the time my then husband, though born Muslim, was also ignorant of this fact. Since I was receiving state grants that paid for the majority of tuition costs, and I had only books left to pay for, the remainder of this money was taken by my husband. He used it to pay rent and for living expenses for both of us, since neither of us worked while going to school, and also to buy cars that he would resell as a business venture. Subsequently I found out it is haram, and did not want to take out any more student loans. My then husband became very angry and demanded I take out more loans, in even larger amounts. I was weak at the time and very frightened of him, as he was physically and verbally abusive, so I felt forced to do so. The same happened with the money–most of it being used to pay for living expenses and business ventures, and except for the little needed for remainder of tuition after grants and for books, I used none of it. While married no payments were made on these loans. I have been making payments on these loans for the past 3 years, with payments totalling more than $10,000. I am still deep in debt, over $40,000 in student loans, with the monster of riba breathing down my neck. My exhusband is now a very wealthy business man. My question is, is he at all responsible for any of this debt, and if so, how much? jazakumullah khair.

All praise be to Allah, and may his peace and blessings be on the last and best prophet and messenger, Muhammad. You were both wrong, and need to repent. Your husband based on your story has committed a great evil forcing you into usurious transactions for his benefit. He is responsible for all the money he burrowed from you. If you gave him the money as a gift without him committing to pay it back to you or the company, then it is your mistake and unfortunately your responsibility to pay it back to the company. Allah knows best.

What is the general ruling on zakah and buildings? 2- Is zakah payable on a building: - that has not been fully paid off yet (has loan on it) - on which partial payment has been made, meaning, is zakah due on the _equity_ in the building? 3- Is zakah payable on land that is currently not in any use but in future could be: - sold for profit OR - funding children`s education OR - have construction of rental shops/house on.

All praise be to Allah, and may his peace and blessings be on the last and best prophet and messenger, Muhammad. There is no zakat on buildings per se, unless these buildings are considered trade goods, such as the case of businessmen who buy and sell buildings. Otherwise, if it is a building used by the owner or rented out by him/her, s/he doesn't need to pay zakat on that building. This land that you have for possible future use or sale is not zakatable. Allah knows best.

AssalamuAlikum, Is it permissible for me to keep my hair tied while I make salat? I tie my hair in a pony tail due to it being a long.

All praise be to Allah, and may his peace and blessings be on the last and best prophet and messenger, Muhammad. If you usually have it tied, then it is permissible to keep it tied during the salat. Allah knows best.

I am going to Hajj inshaAllah with my parents to perform Hajj and to help them also, they will pay all the expenses, would this Hajj count for me ? do I need to do another Hajj with my own money when I get older? Jazakum Allah Khair.

All praise be to Allah, and may his peace and blessings be on the last and best prophet and messenger, Muhammad. This hajj counts for you, and you do not have to make another hajj. Allah knows best.