Faithful Reflections

One divorce or three: a question of evidence, law and judgement. Three Talaq in One Sitting: One Divorce or Three? A SOURCE-CRITICAL PAPER BY MOHAMMAD AAMIR · 15 OCTOBER 2026 · A STUDY OF ARGUMENTS, NOT A FATWA Abstract I examine whether a husband who clearly pronounces three divorces in one sitting has effected one divorce or three. The four established Sunni schools normally count three; a significant minority, most famously Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim رحمهما الله , count one. I separate three questions often confused in debate: Is this a good way to divorce? Does it have legal effect? How many divorces take effect? I set out the Qur'anic context, examine the principal reports and their authenticity, explain what each of the four imams or their schools really taught, and state why I tentatively favour one count for a truly simultaneous triple declaration. I also explain why I do not think that this settles every irregular div...

Islamic Finance · Fiqh of Zakat Zakat Today: Can It Fund Schools, Salaries and Social Work? Is your Zakat truly valid if it pays a teacher’s salary or builds a community centre? A scholarly deep-dive into the doctrine of Tamleek , the four schools of law, and the survival of modern Islamic institutions. A Research Paper • Islamic Finance & the Jurisprudence of Zakat • June 2026 24–28 min read Four-madhhab analysis Classical & contemporary Fiqh Abstract The contemporary architecture of Islamic social finance is undergoing a profound institutional crisis. Madrasas, civil-rights bodies and welfare NGOs—squeezed by the retreat of public funding—increasingly depend on Zakat to pay salaries, build centres and run programmes. Yet the classical doctrine of Tamleek (the unconditional transfer of ownership to an eligible poor individual) appears to forbid exactly this. This paper...

When does the soul enter? The 120-day hadith and what we now know from brain science — remarkably close When Does Life Begin in Islam? 120 Days Hadith and Soul Simple notes from Quran, hadith of Ibn Mas'ud, and modern foetal brain research December 2025 • Kathmandu • Not a fatwa — please speak to trusted scholars On this page 1. The big question — when does life become protected? 2. What Quran says about embryo stages 3. The 120-day hadith and why scholars agreed on it 4. Some say 40 days — what's going on? 5. Before 120 days — Maliki vs Hanafi view 6. What brain science shows around that time 7. Why 120 days makes sense as a safety line 8. Final thoughts 1. The big question — when does life become protected? If you ask most people, "When does a baby in the womb become a full human with full protection?" you'll get lots of different answers. In Islam, scholars have looked at this fo...

Zakat cleans and grows wealth — Riba eats it. One circulates, the other concentrates. Zakat vs Riba in Islam - Why Islam Promotes Charity and Forbids Interest A simple, honest attempt to answer a young brother who asked: If interest is haram, how do I save for my kids? August 2025 • Kathmandu • Not a fatwa, please check with trusted scholars On this page 1. Why I wrote this 2. The big idea — give vs take 3. What is Zakat? Purification and growth 4. Who gets Zakat? The 8 groups 5. What Quran and Sunnah say about Zakat 6. What is Sadaqah? Beyond money 7. Zakat vs Sadaqah — difference 8. Why Riba (interest) is haram 9. Other haram earnings — gambling and uncertainty 10. When Zakat actually ended poverty 11. What this means for us today 1. Why I wrote this A few months ago, a young Nepali Muslim brother asked me after Jumuah: "If interest is haram, how am I supposed to save for my children's education?" I didn...