His Eminence, Grand Ayatollah al-Hakeem, receives the Lebanese Ambassador to Iraq

His Eminence, Grand Ayatollah al-Hakeem, receives the Lebanese Ambassador to Iraq
2019/05/05

His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammed Saeed al-Hakeem received Mr. Ali Adib al-Habhab, the Ambassador of Lebanon in Baghdad, along with his aides, on Sunday 5 May 2019.

Day Questions

I have a Sunni and a Shia translation of the Holy Quran. Which is better and can I rely on the Sunni translation?

Translating the Holy Book of Allah into various languages is a task that should comprise of two things: First: Transferring the precise meaning from a language to another, which requires a great deal of understanding in both languages. Second: Expressing the meaning of the verse from the commentary of the Holy Book, and presenting the facts that correspond to the verse in an honest and precise way. This requires referring to the trustful sources that depend on the teachings of the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them).

Is knowing politics, economics and other worldly sciences a condition to be a Mujtahid or not?

The said sciences are not related to reaching the level of Ijtihad but during the search for a religious answer to an issue that corresponds to another field, like politics, economy or medicine, a scholar is expected to make sure that the issue is understood in such a way that the obligation before Almighty Allah to know the subject of the religious verdict is fulfilled. This might require the reference to the experts in these sciences. Using this knowledge, the religious verdict is determined using the religious knowledge and evidences that he already possesses.

I want to start a business to sell motorcycles, I will offer the option for the customers to buy in installments over a set period of months, and the total sum received in installments will be more than the cash price. Will the extra amount be considered as usury? What is the case if I allow the deferment of the payment to a later time, similarly for a higher price than the immediate cash price?

If the contract is based on delaying the payment of the price, even if the total installments amount to more than the cash price, it is valid and it is not considered as usury or interest. In addition, it is permissible to receive the total payment at the end of a designated period.