Liaison office of Grand Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Al Sistani (L.M.H.L) in London, Europe, North and South America.
It is important for me to stress at the end of this book
that my first attempt in writing Islamic Laws for Muslims in non-Muslim
countries is in need of evaluation.
This being so to establish a body of
laws for Muslims in those countries that deal with various aspects of their
lives and so that those issues could be governed by noble principles of the
Islamic shari‘a.
The number of Muslims, be they citizens or
residents in non-Muslim countries —especially America and Europe— is increasing.
The percentage of the immigrants coming to this part of the world from Muslim
lands has also gone up. On the other hand, the pace of change and transformation
in these societies is very fast.
This on its own poses more questions and
creates new situations that must be studied carefully so that the right
solutions could be presented.
This is needed to keep pace with change in
reality, and be proactive rather than reactive.
I should also point out the importance of writing in this subject without loosing sight of spirituality as seen by Islamic ethics and morality, especially in an environment that is attached almost totally to materialism and all that the latter stands for.
I have attempted here and there to
emphasize some of Islam’s values, as espoused by the Qur’anic verses and the
noble ahadith: This was done in a bid to blend the codes of ethics with
jurisprudence just as I have previously done in my book, al-Fatawal
’l-Muyassara (Jurisprudence Made Easy) since I have detected the active link
between the theoritical and the practical planes [of life].
Also because I can
see the need that these teachings should find their way to materialization in
the day-to-day conduct of Muslims, especially those who reside in the midst of
non-Muslim societies.
It is sufficient for me that I have tried.
I seek the help of Allah, hope for His aid, and pray for his acceptance
since He is the Most Merciful of the Mercifuls.
All praise be to Allah, the Lord
of the Universe. And may Allah be pleased with our master, Muhammad, and his
pure and infallible progeny.
Author