Questions people actually ask.
Ninety of them, answered plainly, each one saying up front how settled the ruling is and what it rests on. Where the schools differ, both positions are here and neither is picked for you.
Scholars agreeThe four schools concur on this.
- How does someone become a Muslim?Qur’an 47:19 · Sahih al-Bukhari 8
- What are the five pillars of Islam?Sahih al-Bukhari 8 · Sahih Muslim 16
- What do Muslims actually believe?Qur’an 2:285 · Sahih al-Bukhari 50
- What is shirk, and why is it treated as the most serious sin?Qur’an 4:48 · Qur’an 31:13
- Will Allah forgive what I did before I knew better?Qur’an 39:53 · Qur’an 25:70
- When are the five daily prayers?Qur’an 17:78 · Sahih Muslim 612
- How do I make wudū’?Qur’an 5:6 · Sahih Muslim 223
- Can I pray before I’ve learned Arabic?Qur’an 2:286 · Sunan Abi Dawud 832
- Do I have to pray in a mosque?Qur’an 62:9 · Sahih al-Bukhari 645
- Why do Muslims fast in Ramadan?Qur’an 2:183 · Qur’an 2:185
- What actually breaks the fast?Qur’an 2:187
- Who does not have to fast?Qur’an 2:184 · Qur’an 2:185
- I ate something by accident while fasting — is my fast broken?Sahih al-Bukhari 1933
- Is fasting only about food and drink?Sahih al-Bukhari 1903
- What is zakāt, and do I have to pay it?Qur’an 9:60 · Qur’an 2:110
- What is ribā, and why is interest forbidden?Qur’an 2:275 · Qur’an 2:278
- What is the difference between zakāt and sadaqa?Qur’an 2:261 · Sahih al-Bukhari 1503
- What food is forbidden in Islam?Qur’an 5:3 · Qur’an 2:173
- Is alcohol always forbidden, even a small amount?Qur’an 5:90
- Can I still be close to my parents if they are not Muslim?Qur’an 31:14 · Qur’an 31:15
- Is dating allowed, and how do Muslims actually meet someone?Qur’an 17:32 · Qur’an 24:31
- What counts as backbiting, and is it really that serious?Qur’an 49:12
- How am I supposed to deal with anger?Qur’an 3:159 · Sahih al-Bukhari 6114
- Do I have to forgive someone who genuinely wronged me?Qur’an 42:40 · Qur’an 24:22
- How do I find a mosque or a community I actually fit into?Qur’an 3:103 · Sahih al-Bukhari 6018
- What exactly is the Qur’an?Qur’an 15:9 · Qur’an 2:2
- What is the Sunnah, and how is a hadith different from the Qur’an?Qur’an 33:21 · Qur’an 59:7
- Why are there four schools of law, and do I have to pick one?Qur’an 4:59 · Qur’an 21:7
- Do Muslims believe in Jesus?Qur’an 19:30 · Qur’an 4:171
- What happens after a person dies?Qur’an 3:185 · Qur’an 23:99
- If Allah is merciful, why is there so much suffering?Qur’an 2:155 · Qur’an 2:156
- What is ‘Umra, and how is it different from Hajj?Qur’an 2:196 · Sahih al-Bukhari 1773
- What does Islamic dress actually require?Qur’an 24:31 · Qur’an 33:59
- Can a Muslim marry someone who isn't Muslim?Qur’an 2:221 · Qur’an 30:21
- How do I pray when I'm travelling?Qur’an 4:101 · Qur’an 4:103
- How do I make du‘ā’, and does it have to be in Arabic?Qur’an 40:60 · Qur’an 2:186
- When does Hajj actually become obligatory for me?Qur’an 3:97
- Does a child's Hajj count?Qur’an 3:97 · Sahih al-Bukhari 1521
- What am I not allowed to do while in ihrām?Qur’an 2:197
- Can I shower or cool down while I'm in ihrām?Qur’an 2:197 · Qur’an 2:185
- I can afford Hajj but keep putting it off. Is that a problem?Qur’an 3:97
- I get intrusive, blasphemous thoughts about Allah. Am I sinning?Sahih al-Bukhari 3276 · Qur’an 2:286
- Is the month of Safar unlucky?Sahih al-Bukhari 5757
- If the Dajjāl only appears at the end of time, why did every prophet warn about him?Sahih Muslim 2933
- What should I do when the Muslim community is divided and fighting?Sahih al-Bukhari 7084 · Qur’an 3:103
- Do crystals, gemstones and amulets have real power?Qur’an 10:107 · Qur’an 4:48
- “No one with an atom of pride enters Paradise” — does that mean me?Sahih Muslim 91 · Qur’an 31:18
- How do I know whose religious advice to trust?Qur’an 16:43 · Qur’an 21:7
- Does doing business during Hajj ruin my intention?Sahih al-Bukhari 1521 · Qur’an 22:27
- I have a medical condition that needs a pad or dressing. Can I still make Hajj?Qur’an 2:286 · Qur’an 2:185
- I put on the ihrām clothes but changed my mind. Can I just stop?Qur’an 2:196
- Does gargling or rinsing my mouth break the fast?Qur’an 2:187
- My gums bleed while I'm fasting. Does that invalidate it?Qur’an 2:187
- Can I cook and taste the food while fasting?Qur’an 2:187
- Can I wear perfume while fasting?Qur’an 2:187
- I slept through suhūr. Is my fast still valid?Sahih al-Bukhari 1923
- I vomited involuntarily while fasting. Do I have to make the day up?Qur’an 2:286
- What exactly are the things that break the fast?Qur’an 2:187
- Can I break my fast before I hear the adhān?Qur’an 2:187
- I woke up in a state of janāba without having washed. Is my fast valid?Qur’an 2:187
- I'm ill. Can I stop fasting, and what do I owe afterwards?Qur’an 2:184 · Qur’an 2:185
- I saw someone eating in Ramadan. Should I say something?Qur’an 3:104
- When is the supplication made at the breaking of the fast?Qur’an 2:186
- Can I fast the day after ‘Īd?Qur’an 2:185
- Two scholars say different things. Which one do I follow?Qur’an 4:59 · Qur’an 21:7
- What does shirk actually mean?Qur’an 4:48 · Qur’an 31:13
- What are the sacred months?Qur’an 9:36
- Is Rajab singled out with a special prayer, an ‘Umra, or keeping vigil on the 27th night?Sahih Muslim 1718 · Qur’an 9:36
- What is the ruling on calling to “the unity of religions”?Qur’an 3:85 · Qur’an 60:8
- Is it true that Allah created the universe for the sake of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ?Qur’an 51:56 · Sahih Muslim 1718
It dependsThe honest answer turns on your circumstances. What it hinges on is below.
- What do I do about all the prayers I’ve missed?Qur’an 20:14 · Sahih al-Bukhari 597
- I have a mortgage or a student loan. What do I do now?Qur’an 2:280 · Qur’an 2:286
- Do I have to buy halal-certified meat?Qur’an 5:5 · Qur’an 5:3
- Can I go to my family’s Christmas dinner, wedding or funeral?Qur’an 31:15 · Qur’an 60:8
- Can I keep my job if it involves alcohol or pork?Qur’an 2:286 · Qur’an 65:2
- I keep failing at this. Does that mean I was never sincere?Qur’an 3:135 · Qur’an 2:286
- I fell ill and couldn't complete the pilgrimage. What now?Qur’an 2:196 · Qur’an 2:286
- Should I pay off my late father's debt or go for Hajj?Qur’an 2:280 · Qur’an 3:97
- Someone has offered to pay for my Hajj, but I'm in debt. Should I go?Qur’an 3:97 · Qur’an 2:280
- I found something valuable. What am I supposed to do with it?Sahih al-Bukhari 2429 · Qur’an 4:58
- I reached puberty and didn't fast those years. What do I do now?Qur’an 2:184 · Qur’an 2:286
- I keep putting off the days I owe. Is there a deadline?Qur’an 2:184
- I have years of fasts owed from pregnancies and nursing. What is due from me?Qur’an 2:184 · Qur’an 2:185
- Are penalty clauses for non-performance valid in a contract?Qur’an 5:1 · Qur’an 2:282
- I don't know how many fasts I owe. How do I work it out?Qur’an 2:286 · Qur’an 2:184
- What is the ruling on using Qur’anic verses as decoration, on phones, and selling them?Qur’an 38:29 · Qur’an 20:114
- Is marriage an obstacle to seeking knowledge?Qur’an 24:32 · Qur’an 2:286
- When do I make up a fast, and when do I feed a poor person instead?Qur’an 2:184
- I went years without fasting Ramadan. Where do I start?Qur’an 39:53 · Qur’an 2:184
Schools differGenuine ikhtilāf — each school’s position is below, and none is picked for you.