Q.) "Is car insurance permissible? The photo-copy of an article published in "Arab News" is enclosed wherein it is held that car insurance is perfectly permissible and it is not against the concept of "Tawakkul" or "Taqdeer". Please explain whether or not this viewpoint is correct in Shari'ah."   (Mansoor Qadri, Jeddah)

Q.) I have been accepted in a beneficial program for a Masters in Education.  The problem is that I received only a small scholarship and the rest of my financial aid package consisted of loans (interest based).  My parents are strongly encouraging me to attend the program.  They say that in this society (America), it is impossible to finance one's education without such loans.  Unfortunately, there are few Muslim scholarships (but I am trying to apply for them).

To not accept the loan would mean not attending the program, and not achieving a noble end, i.e. to help the Muslim ummah. However, the ends do not justify the means.  We went to an imam, and he cited the fatwa that in dar al-harb it is permissible.  I went through some of your previous fiqh questions, and I noted that some of what the Imam said was misconstrued; that this is a minority opinion and that most ulama of the Hanafi madhab do not follow this opinion.  I am confused now, because I know not to attend the program (because of the loans) would greatly upset my parents, which upsets me. However, to do so, to me seems tantamount to displeasing Allah azza wa jaal, which is more upsetting.  Please advise me in this urgent matter as soon as possible.  Jazakum Allahu Khair

Q.) These questions came to light after discussing them with ulema, who advise me to put forward these questions to Mufti Taqi Usmani sahib and inform them of the view of our beloved Mufti Sahib.

IN A TIME WHEN MANY RELIGIONS ARE DECREASING IN NUMBERS, ISLAM ON THE OTHER HAND IS INCREASING. ISLAM IS THE FASTEST GROWING RELIGION IN THE WORLD. THIS PHENOMENON INDICATES THAT ISLAM IS TRULY A RELIGION FROM GOD. IT IS UNREASONABLE TO THINK THAT SO MANY PEOPLE CONVERTED TO ISLAM WITHOUT CAREFUL CONSIDERATION AND DEEP CONTEMPLATION BEFORE CONCLUDING THAT ISLAM IS TRUE.

This is no less than a reminder to (all) the worlds. And you shall certainly know the truth of it (all) after a while.(38:87-88)

"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in America, a guide and pillar of stability for many of our people..." HILLARY RODMAN CLINTON, Los Angeles Times, May 31, 1996, p.3


Already more than a billion-people strong, Islam is the  world’s fastest-growing religion.  ABCNEWS, Abcnews.com


"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the country." NEWSDAY, March 7, 1989, p.4


"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the United States..." NEW YORK TIMES, Feb 21, 1989, p.1


Moslems are the world's fastest-growing group..." USA TODAY, The population reference bureau, Feb. 17, 1989, p.4A

This is an excerpt from Ch. 14 'The General History of Islam' from Introduction to Islam by Dr. M. Hamidullah.

THE history of Islam means practically the history of the world during the last fourteen centuries. What we can attempt here is just a modest sketch in broad lines of the chief events of this history.

Orthodox Caliphs:

490. In the year 632 (11 H.) Prophet Muhammad breathed his last. During the twenty-three preceding years, he had toiled successfully for the formulation of a religion as well as the creation from nothingness of a State, which beginning as a tiny city-state in a part of the town of Madinah embraced in the short span of ten years the administration of the whole of the Arabian Peninsula together with certain southern parts of Palestine and Iraq. Further, he left a community composed of several hundreds of thousands of adherents, with the fullest faith and conviction in his doctrines and capable of continuing the work he had begun.

491. The temporal success of the Prophet of Islam prompted certain adventurers, during the latter part of his life, to advance pretensions to prophethood. For several months, after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, the task of his successor, Abu-Bakr, consisted in suppressing these impostors, who had been joined by a few others, emboldened by the death of the Prophet.