SHAFAQNA – Q [1] Can I go to the funeral of my non-Muslim friend? It is permissible for the purpose of good companionship.
Q [2] I have heard that it is prohibited to cut ties with one’s relatives. Is that true? Does this also include relatives who have left Islam, or mock it and its followers?
It is permissible to communicate with such people because there is a possibility that they might come back to the right path as a result of such ties. However, in some cases such communication encourages them to do wrong. Then, it becomes prohibited.
Q [3] I am a Muslim and have a friend who is Jewish. This friend moved to Israel and has joined the Israeli army. Although he supports Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian lands, I am not sure how to interact with him now. How should I approach my relationship with him now?
You do not have to cut your personal relations with him. Yes, you must guide him to differentiate between truths and falsehoods as much as you can, if it is possible. Almighty Allah said: “Call unto the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation”(16:125).
Q [4] Is it allowed for us to send our children for trick-or-treating on Halloween, October 31st?
It is not permissible to celebrate festivals which are alien to our religion, if it encourages or propagates another religion, or if it is based on the dissolution of the Islamic personality of the Muslim individual in the values of the non-Muslim society.
If a believer lives in a society where this is prevalent and involvement in it is an indication of good companionship, then it is permissible.
Q [5] I find it difficult in dealing with Sunnis and I don’t know what I am supposed to do, because I was a Sunni before converting to Shiaism. Could you please give me some guidance?
We advise you to deal with the members of other sects of Islam with high morality and tolerance to any discomforts that might occur. It is better to call them to recognize the rights of the Ahlul-Bait and to love them (peace be upon them). And it is better to explain to Sunnis – without inciting them and any bigotry – the necessity to follow the Imams of the Ahlul-Bait as religious leaders after the Prophet (peace be upon him as his progeny) as the Messenger of Allah himself ordered us to do so when he said: “I am leaving amongst you the two weighty things, the book of Allah and my household”.
We encourage you to do all this with calmness and ease. Almighty Allah said: “Call unto the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation”.
Source : Sayed Al Hakeem