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I am Syed and my brother is a medical student, and he does not have a job/income. He pays for his housing and tuition with loans from the university. Am I allowed to give him khums sehme sadat money to help him with his fees for housing?

Since your brother is also a Sayyid, you may give him the Sahm al-Sadah portion to cover his major expenses, provided that he performs his daily prayers and does not sin openly based on obligatory precaution.

• khums
• syed

When one invests in an exchange-traded fund (ETF), the money goes to a manager, who then invests it in specific companies as he deems necessary. These may be halal investments or haram ones. In this way, it is like paying taxes: The government may use your money for halal purposes, like emergency medical services, or for haram purposes, like unjust wars. Is it, then, permissible to invest in an ETF which holds both halal and haram assets, given that one does not know whether the fund manager will use his money in particular for haram investments?

Companies that are not fully based on unlawful transactions, rather some of their transactions are lawful and others are unlawful, such as Costco or Target where most of their transactions are lawful except for a small portion that deals with alcohol and pork, then it is permissible to invest with such companies, however the following must be noted:

1) If it is possible to stipulate in the investment agreement that the money is not to be used in the unlawful portion of the investment such as alcohol, then one must stipulate this condition, and money received as profit is permissible.

2) If it is not possible to stipulate the aforementioned condition, then there are two cases:

a- if the percentage of the unlawful portion can be identified, one must separate it and refer in its disposal to the jurist (marja’).

b- if the percentage of the unlawful portion cannot be identified, then one must estimate it to a number that is close enough to the actual, and then settle it with the jurist (marja’).

Settling the amount with the jurist (majra’) means that the jurist may require giving the amount as charity to the poor, or disposing it on a matter that he specifies, or requesting handing it over to him.

• investment
• investments

Is it okay to vote in the forthcoming US Elections this November?

If voting is in the interest if the Muslim community and future generations, there is no problem in it.

• permissibility
• voting

When I perform Wudhu, when wiping my feet, I usually did not go wipe the way up to the joint of my foot, I only went half-way. Does this mistake make all my prior Wudhu invalid? (And thus, my prayers/worship)?

Based on obligatory precaution, wiping the feet up to the raised part in the middle of the foot [before the ankle] will not suffice. However, since this is an obligatory precaution, you can refer to another jurist (marja') in this matter who considers that wiping up to the raised part of the feet sufficient. One of the prominent jurists in the holy city of Najaf his eminence al-Sayyid Mohammed Saeed al-Hakim considers wiping from the tips of the toes until the raised part of the feet -a little bit before the joint- sufficient.

• wudhu

The husband divorced his wife by reciting the talaq with two witnesses over the phone and then emailed the wife and informed her that she was divorced. I was told this makes it invalid because the talaq was done over the phone and not in person. I just want to confirm because the husband did it this way. Should the wife still consider herself divorced?

Also, on the day the husband recited the talaq, she was in the middle of her menstrual cycle (however, he was not aware of this), does this also invalidate the divorce or is there no problem in this?

Yes, the divorce remains invalid especially because she was on her menstrual cycle and he did not inquire about it before conducting the divorce. Therefore, divorce needs to be conducted correctly.

• divorce
• validity

When one invests in an exchange-traded fund (ETF), the money goes to a manager, who then invests it in specific companies as he deems necessary. These may be halal investments or haram ones. In this way, it is like paying taxes: The government may use your money for halal purposes, like emergency medical services, or for haram purposes, like unjust wars. Is it, then, permissible to invest in an ETF which holds both halal and haram assets, given that one does not know whether the fund manager will use his money for haram investments?

Companies that are not fully based on unlawful transactions, rather some of their transactions are lawful and others are unlawful, such as Costco or Target where most of their transactions are lawful except for a small portion that deals with alcohol and pork, then it is permissible to invest with such companies, however the following must be noted:

1) If it is possible to stipulate in the investment agreement that the money is not to be used in the unlawful portion of the investment such as alcohol, then one must stipulate this condition, and money received as profit is permissible.

2) If it is not possible to stipulate the aforementioned condition, then there are two cases:

a- if the percentage of the unlawful portion can be identified, one must separate it and refer in its disposal to the jurist (marja’).

b- if the percentage of the unlawful portion cannot be identified, then one must estimate it to a number that is close enough to the actual, and then settle it with the jurist (marja’).

Settling the amount with the jurist (majra’) means that the jurist may require giving the amount as charity to the poor, or disposing it on a matter that he specifies, or requesting handing it over to him.

• investments

If someone is in doubt as to whether or not a discharge was semen or something else, then should they do Ghusl? As in if someone is not 100% sure if all three conditions of semen being identified are met which are sexual desire, ejaculation, and resultant relaxation of the body, then what should they do?

If there was no previous ejaculation of semen short before the ejaculation of the new discharge, and the signs of semen are not present, and there is no possibility that it is mixed with remaining urine in the urethra, then it is pure and does not require anything

• ghusl
• semen
• sex

At the beginning of house construction, people slaughter animals and let the blood flow in the foundations and bury the heads. Is this practice of burying head in accordance with shariah?

There is no religious basis for such acts, rather when a person purchases a new home it is recommended to host believers to a feast (walima).

• slaughtering

Can we touch any Surah/ word of Quran without wudhu on phone devices or any other similar devices?

It is permissible to touch the smart device screen without wudhu if it shows the writing of the holy Quran or the names of Allah exalted

• electronic
• quran

I been advised to consume brewer's yeast (beer yeast) and I would like to know is it halal, or not?

If it is derived from beer it is not permissible to consume, otherwise, if you are not sure that it is derived from beer or any unlawful ingredient there is no problem in consuming it

• permissibility