Jurisprudence and Rulings

A vow must be fulfilled according to the intention, time, place, and amount specified when it was made. If an emergency prevents this, the vow may be fulfilled once the situation has passed. If the appointed time has gone by, the vow remains due for the following year. Without a valid reason, reducing or increasing the amount, or changing the time, is not permissible.

Ablution is recommended and preferable at all times, but special emphasis is placed on being in a state of ablution when reciting the Quran, praying and supplicating, going to sleep or eating, visiting holy sites, entering a mosque, and in the hours before dawn.

There is nothing wrong with turning to others for help with our ordinary worldly needs, provided we understand that they are means through which things come about and are themselves in need of God. Asking them for help must not become worship or supplication; we should recognise the limits of their abilities and not regard them as healers in their own right.

After remembering a particular deceased person, it is better also to offer a general prayer for all deceased believers, so that the reward reaches everyone without diminishing the reward of the person specifically remembered. Prayers such as «اللهم و اعمم بذلک من شهد لک بالربوبیة...» are recommended for this purpose.

According to a narration from Imam Ali (AS), urinating in the bathroom is one of the factors associated with a lack of blessing and poverty in life. The narration also mentions other causes of poverty, such as leaving cobwebs in the home and eating while in a state of major ritual impurity. Other narrations, meanwhile, point to ways of increasing one’s provision, including maintaining family ties and seeking forgiveness.

Ghusl is different from bathing: it is performed to attain ritual purity before God and requires an intention and a specific order prescribed by Him. Just as provision and healing come by God’s permission, purity too is attained only by following His laws and with His permission. The intention and order in ghusl are essential elements; without them, ritual purity is not achieved.

The conditions for paying khums and zakat are clearly defined. Changing or converting property on which khums or zakat has not been paid does not remove the obligation. Whether someone is required to pay khums or zakat should be determined by a religious authority or through the person’s own ijtihad; they may be exempt, or even eligible for assistance.

The Imam of Our Time (AJ), who is a model of faith and worship and from whom divine rulings are derived, performs the prayers at the prescribed times for each geographical region. He upholds the sacred law and is aware of prayer times in different regions.

A lie told for a good reason is permissible only when the person is knowledgeable and skilled in its use, and knows when to resort to it. If a lie is told to prevent a sin and there is no other way to do so, it is unobjectionable. Otherwise, resorting to it is not recommended.