u/The_White_Pawn

Hi everyone,

I have a specific question for the Muslim practitioners here who train in striking arts like Boxing, Muay Thai, or MMA.

I want to learn striking purely for practical self-defense. I have no intention of going pro or competing in amateur bouts. However, in Islam, there is a clear hadith stating that we should avoid striking the face during a fight or training.

For those of you who strictly adhere to this rule, how do you manage your training and sparring sessions?

I know that during sparring, we wear a full set of protective gear: mouthguards, 16oz sparring gloves, shin guards, and sometimes facesaver headgear that completely protects the nose and face.

• Do you consider wearing this full protective gear sufficient to bypass the restriction (since you aren't directly damaging the face), or do you still strictly avoid headshots?
• If you still avoid headshots, do you only engage in body-sparring?
• Do you feel that hitting heavy bags and doing pad work with a coach is enough to prepare you for a real-life self-defense situation?
• How do you learn distance management, timing, and head movement if you aren't doing standard sparring with head strikes?
• Have you found good workarounds in your gyms, or do you eventually just gravitate towards grappling arts like BJJ or Judo to avoid the issue entirely?

I really want to learn how to defend myself properly, but I am struggling to see how I can become proficient without standard sparring. I would appreciate your practical insights and experiences!

As-salamu alaykum,

Is it permissible to practice striking-based martial arts such as Boxing, Muay Thai, and MMA? I understand that grappling-based arts like Judo, Wrestling, and BJJ are generally permissible, but I am uncertain about striking disciplines due to the specific hadith of the Prophet (pbuh): "If somebody fights (or beats) his brother, he should avoid the face."

I have no intention of becoming a professional athlete or competing in tournaments for medals and money. I strictly want to learn how to defend myself in the event of a potential street fight. In a life-threatening scenario, I understand this falls under necessity (darurah) in Islamic jurisprudence. In such a worst-case scenario, I wouldn't hesitate to defend myself fully, including striking the face, as the attacker would be trying to do the same to me.

My question, however, is about the training process. During sparring, practitioners wear extensive protective equipment: mouthguards, thick padded gloves (usually 16oz), shin guards, and specialized headgear (often "facesaver" headgear with a front bar to protect the nose and face).

Even with all this heavy protective gear—where direct skin-to-skin contact is completely eliminated and the risk of physical injury to the face is minimized—is it still strictly forbidden to strike a training partner's face/headgear? If so, how can one effectively learn to throw punches, gauge distance, and properly defend against head strikes? Is hitting a punching bag or the instructor’s pads sufficient to prepare for a real-life fight?

I can't use the LivU app very often because the tokens are too expensive. I spent almost my entire salary on that app in one month using my credit card. I need more economical alternatives.

Onun hadis sıhhati incelemeleri doğru mudur? O bir hadise sahih, hasen, zayıf, mevzu derse inanmalı mıyız?

Bize öyle bir site veya uygulama lazım ki, herhangi bir satranç oyununda yapılan her hamlenin arkasındaki planı, amacı, mantığı detaylı bir şekilde açıklamalı. Bir nevi niyet okumalı, her ihtimali düşünmeli. Hamleyi değerlendirmeli. Yanlış bir hamle ise o hamlenin neye yol açacağını anlatmalı. Var mı böyle bir site veya mobil uygulama?

I’ve been stuck in the PMO rut for fifteen years. My sexual urges are intense. My libido is high. After college, this bad habit evolved into a virtual sex addiction on video chat apps. But since these apps are expensive, I can’t engage in virtual sex very often. I rarely visit porn sites these days. With NSFW subreddits available here, I don’t bother going to porn sites. GIFs are enough for me. I recently started taking psychiatric medications, and as a result of these medications, my libido has decreased. However, this hasn’t saved me from the PMO quagmire. I still crave looking at NSFW GIFs or engaging in virtual sex and masturbating. This has become a clear addiction for me. Masturbating to porn or virtual sex has become part of my daily routine. I can’t masturbate without porn or virtual sex. I’ve gotten used to masturbating this way over the years. I keep this addiction going because I don’t do anything else, I have no social activities, and I have a lot of free time. I live in a different city from my family; I have no one here, and I have no friends. I don’t go out of the house. My life consists of going from home to work and back. I have no hobbies other than playing chess. Though I don’t really think any of this matters much. Because even if I had lots of hobbies, a wide circle of friends, or came home late at night, in the end everyone would go to their own homes, and I’d be alone in mine, sleeping alone. Even when I’m alone at home, late at night, I can still watch porn or have virtual sex and masturbate. I don’t think the real problem here is a lack of a life. What should I do? How will I escape this quagmire? I’m living a meaningless life; my soul is screaming “help.”

Selamlar herkese,

Avrupa Yakası'nda, gerçekten iyi ve çeşit bulunduran ayakkabıcı ya da outlet tavsiyelerinize ihtiyacım var.

Ayak numaram 47 olduğu için standart mağazalarda alışveriş yapmak tam bir çileye dönüşüyor; bildiğiniz gibi çoğu dükkan standart olarak en fazla 44-45 numara getiriyor.

Özellikle spor ayakkabı ya da rahat bir yürüyüş ayakkabısı arayışındayım. Aradığım spesifik özellikler şunlar:

Bağcıksız (slip-on tarzı, giy-çık) olması

Delikli / hava alan bir yapıya sahip olması

Bildiğiniz, "şuraya kesin bakmalısın", "şu AVM'deki outlette büyük numara çok oluyor" dediğiniz veya doğrudan büyük numara çalışan spesifik dükkanlar varsa önerilerinizi bekliyorum.

Şimdiden çok teşekkürler.

I’m a 30-year-old man. I’m on the autism spectrum; I have Asperger’s syndrome. This might seem like unnecessary information to you, but I think there might be a connection between this and the problem I’m about to describe. I’ve been working for three years, and ever since I started earning money, I’ve been gaining weight steadily. I’m 186 cm tall and weigh 130 kg. I want to lose 50 kg, but unfortunately, I can’t expect quick results—losing that much weight will take at least a year. This situation scares me. How will I consistently stick to my diet and exercise routine for an entire year? I don’t trust myself in this regard, and I can’t believe in myself. But I have to make this happen. I’ve given up on trying to attract women; I’m just worried about my health now. I get tired quickly when I walk, I’m out of breath, and my heart rate goes up. My family is very upset with me about my weight. Especially my mom—she gets so stressed out and cries because of me. I’m afraid I’ll cause her to have a heart attack, a stroke, or a paralysis. If that happens, if my mom passes away because of me, I couldn’t live with that guilt. I want to want to lose weight. I think because of my situation, I can’t seem to get my head around it. I can’t muster that determination. To lose weight, I need to mentally commit to it, but I’m so far from that mindset. That’s why I can’t take action. I talk a lot, but unfortunately, there’s no action. Sweets, junk food, and fast food are so delicious. I can’t give them up. If you eat them even once, you’ll become addicted. On food delivery apps, the restaurants offering discounts are always the ones selling unhealthy food. I’ve seen a few dietitians, but it was a total failure—I didn’t listen to them, and I didn’t follow their advice. I think my problem is psychological because I believe I’m addicted to the dopamine I get from unhealthy foods. But I don’t think this is emotional eating. What should I do? Who should I consult? What kind of specialist can help me?

I notice that English-speaking Muslims online, as well as those who have recently converted to Islam, adhere to Salafi, anti-Sufi beliefs and the Saudi Arabian creed. To this day, I have not seen a single English-speaking Muslim who follows the Maturidi school or accepts Sufism. They are all Hanbali. Why is that?

I live in Turkey. The situation here is nothing like that. Sufi culture dominates here. Takfirism is a source of strife. We view the Khawarij—those who declare us infidels or polytheists—as innovators. Salafis are a minority here, and they come from among our Kurdish citizens. Our Muslim population is either Maturidi or Ash’ari.

I’m stuck in a cycle of masturbation. I’m not guarding my eyes from what is forbidden, and I’m engaging in acts that lead to adultery. By “acts that lead to adultery,” I mean virtual sex. I use a video chat app for this. Since that app is expensive, it leads me to waste money. Other than that, GIFs on NSFW subreddits are enough for me. I don’t bother with using a VPN or incognito mode to access explicit websites.

Guys, my situation is far from encouraging. If I keep this up, I’ll be ruined. I’m addicted to porn, virtual sex, and masturbation, just like a heroin addict. I can’t break these bad habits. Because of these addictions, I can’t pray or make supplications. We were taught that the supplications of those who don’t pray won’t be accepted. If Allah won’t accept my prayers because I don’t pray, then why should I pray to Him in vain until I start praying? I’m too lazy to take a ritual bath. I can’t take a ritual bath every day.

You’ve probably declared me an apostate after reading this. I am a Hanafi and a Maturidi. According to our creed, deeds are not a part of faith, and someone who doesn’t pray is not an apostate. According to Hanafi scholars, for someone who doesn’t pray to be an apostate, they must deny prayer, belittle it, or mock it. Regardless, this situation unfortunately does not change the fact that I am a sinner and have darkened my heart. If I die in this state, I don’t think I’ll go to Paradise. The reason I think this way is not because I have lost hope in Allah's mercy, but because of my own actions. I want to get my life in order. Please help me. I’m in a very bad situation.

Bunu gerçekten merak ediyorum. Köpekler ile ilgili peygamber efendimizin hadisleri ortada. Evde köpek beslemek caiz değil, hatta evinde köpek besleyen kimsenin sevaplarından her gün bir cüz eksilir. Ancak av köpeği, bekçi köpeği beslenebilir, o da evde değil, bahçede. Köpek necistir, köpeğin geçtiği yerde namaz kılınmaz, köpek bulunan eve melekler girmez. Peygamber efendimiz "köpekler de bir ümmet olmasaydı hepsinin öldürülmesini emrederdim" dedi, saydığı fasık hayvanlar, yani insanlara zarar veren hayvanlar arasında saldırgan köpek var.

Ülkemizde başıboş sokak köpeği sorunu var, hepiniz biliyorsunuz. Bu sorun yüzünden kaç tane yetişkin ve çocuk saldırıya uğradı, parçalanarak öldü, sakat kaldı, travma yaşadı. Kaç kişi köpekten kaçarken yola atlayıp bir aracın altında can verdi. Mesele sadece ölmek, yaralanmak değil. Bazı kimseler okula veya işe gidip gelecek iken en kısa yoldan sırf köpek var diye gidemiyorlar, başka yollardan gelip yollarını uzatıyorlar. Hiçbir şey yapmasalar bile duruşları ile insanlara korku salıyorlar, gerilim yaratıyorlar. Kısacası, saldırmasalar bile insanların hayatlarını zorlaştırıyorlar. Bunun için varlıkları yetiyor. Sadece insanlara saldırmıyorlar, kedilere de saldırıyorlar.

Bazen "Allah'ım, köpekleri niye yarattın?" şeklinde bir vesvese geçiyor içimden öfkeli bir şekilde, neredeyse isyan edeceğim. Dile getirmiyorum bunu tabi. İnsanlığa hiçbir faydaları yok, sadece zararı var. Köpekleri hiç sevmiyorum. O yüzden bu hayvan türünün yaratılmasının ardındaki hikmeti merak ediyorum, öğrenmek istiyorum.