Part 2 of 2: Usuli Institute Q&A with Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl, 20 June 2020

0:00 - Advice from Dr. Abou El Fadl 8:30 - On loyalty to one’s spouse I am an unmarried person who is trying to understand marriage. One matter is still disturbing me and, as a female, I feel betrayed about love between spouses. It seems that spousal love is only for good times. If bad things befall a married couple, for example a wife has become chronically ill, terminally ill or her body is disfigured/changed due to disease, accident or other reasons, and as a side effect of treatment, her value is decreased in the eyes of the husband. People may suggest polygamy for the husband in these cases or the husband may cheat or leave her. All of these matters breaks a wife’s heart. What is the Islamic ruling about these situations? Does a wife deserve loyalty from her husband, even if her beauty is lost? 24:07 - On the importance of kindness In the Quran, Allah says, “Believe in me and be kind to your parents”. Is the concept of kindness a concept that takes precedence over other virtues in Islam? Does the importance of being kind extend and apply to others beyond parents too? For example, is it better in Islam to be kind than to be right or correct? 30:43 - On art in Islam I am a writer of short stories. As someone who deeply believes in art’s ability to push dialogue and furthermore create experiences that change how one engages the world, I think a lot about issues justice, ethics and Islam. I often write in a genre called speculative fiction, which is like science fiction or other genres that use non-mundane realities. My stories specifically involve Muslims, politics, spiritual practices, but also mix the speculative. In all my stories of this kind, the speculative elements serve as metaphors of vehicles to explore issues of ethics, justice and the human condition as per my life experiences and understanding of Islam. I obviously make no claim that the stories reflect the physical laws of reality. These are, after all, works of imaginative fiction. It’s also worth noting that these stories offer an interpretation that the more magical parts are psychological, something that’s quite common in fiction. My intention in all of this is to articulate an Islamic consciousness that explores all of the Usuli Institute is interested in and to do so as richly and evocatively as possible using the tools of fiction. What is the Professor’s opinion on this kind of art? Is it okay to use speculative elements in this way? 40:29 - On evolution My question concerns the scientific theories of evolution versus creationism and the relationship between them through the lens of Islam. 1:03:42 - On beards Is it mandatory for men to keep a beard in islam? 1:10:29 - On COVID-19 & Qurbani meat Regarding the threat of contracting COVID-19 via the distribution and handling of Qurbani meat, is it allowed this one time only to give money equivalent to the Qurbani shared to deserving people so that no one gets exposed to the deadly disease? 1:12:31 - On masturbation The Professor said that masturbation is allowed in a previous Q&A. This may get too personal, but what are the boundaries allowed in doing it? I know, of course, that stuff like porn is banned. But say someone has a particular fetish, like attractive feet or pregnant women, and looks at, say, images of fake feet or fake pregnant women. Would that go over the boundaries?