Agha Seyyid Mohsin Al-Hakim (r.

Agha Seyyid Mohsin Al-Hakim (r.a.) gave a ruling that industrial alcohol was Najis, even if one did not know that it was made of Najis things. Now, Agha-e-Al-Khoui has been told by many chemists that absolute alcohol (i.e. having less than one percent water) in itself is not intoxicating; it only intoxicates when it is mixed with some other liquids.

Acting on this information, Agha-e-Al-Khoui has said that alcohol in itself is not Najis; but when it is mixed with other liquids and creates intoxication then that liquid is najis. Q 46: MEDICINES CONTAINING ALCOHOL There are a lot of substitute drugs containing alcohol. What do you suggest for them? A. According to the Fatwa of Ayatullah Khoui, "alcohol" itself is not Najis, because it is not in itself an intoxicant. It intoxicates when it is mixed with some other liquids.

And it is then that it becomes Najis. Accordingly, a drug which contains alcohol, but does not intoxicate, is not Najis. Q 47: SKULL OF MAN Is the skull of a dead man Najis? In Biology Lab we touch man's skull. If it is Najis is it wajib to (i.e. Ghusl-e-Mase-mayyit)? A. Yes, Ghusl of Mas-e-Mayyit becomes Wajib, if one touches the body or the bone of a dead person after the body has become cold (and, in the case of a Muslim's dead body, after it has cold and before Ghusl-e-Meyyit has been given).

If he/she touches it in the night, Ghusl-e-Masse-Mayyit should be performed before morning prayers (If because of unbearable cold or illness one is unable to perform this Ghusl even with hot water, tayammum should be done in its place). Q 48: DOG AS A PET Can we keep dog as a pet? What should one do if the dog smells him? A. A dog may be kept for herding the sheep or cattle, guarding the house, garden or farm, or to help in hunting lawful animals.

But such a dog should not be allowed to wander freely into the house in order that it may not touch clothes or utensils etc. If a dog smells someone, there is no harm. But if it touches either the person when the cloth or that part of body or his cloth is wet, then will be Najis. Q 49: PRAYER IN A CLOTH WASHED BY A NON-MUSLIM? We send our clothes to 'dhobi' for washing because I don't know how to wash. But the dhobi is Hindu. Now can we pray with those clothes? We don't have any alternative A.

No. You should keep some tahir clothes for prayer.