Monday, August 29, 2005

Ask the Imam

An Imam* (eem-AAM) is a very important person in the Muslim community. Respected for his religious knowledge, an Imam is often sought to answer complex questions. But what do you do if you do not have access to a local Imam? What, if any, are you alternatives if you have a burning question and you must have an answer? Well, you fire up your web browser and go to to Ask the Imam. Ask the Imam -- Logo Title -- Click for site! Ask the Imam is run by Mufti Ebrahim Desai, an Imam in South Africa. This is quite the interesting site. On the index page, there is a list of all question categories, and there is a running tally for how many questions have been answered under each one. For example, Marriage currently has the lead with 617 questions. But Prayer is gaining fast with 520 questions. You can search the archives to see how often a certain topic -- say internet -- pops up. You can even submit your own questions (only after you search the archives and confirm that yours is truly unique). But my favorite feature, is the Random Fatwa** ! Go ahead, click the link and try it now! ----------------------------- *While Imam can be loosely understood as an Islamic prayer leader, a full definition is more complex and can even depend on tradition. Check the Wikipedia entry here. ** A Fatwa is a legal interpretation and/or pronouncement by a religious authority. Read more here.

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