Women's Issues

Q: A few days before my haidh, I have a discharge of red cloths when I go to the toilet. Does my haidh start then or only when I start bleeding?

Q: Is it compulsory for a woman to wear a niqaab or is it optional?

Q: I have been invited to a “Walima” of a close family relative. The event will be in a hall with a screen to separate men and women. The bride will be on a stage and the bridegroom will (after the nikaah) change into a suit and go to the bride to put the ring on her finger and exchange jewellery. There will also be a lot of non-Muslims attending as well and I expect that women will be inappropriately dressed. It is claimed that there will be no photographs but I suspect that this will be difficult to enforce and control. My son has been requested to recite Qur'an at this function. My questions are:

1. Is it permissible to attend such a gathering?

2. Is it permissible for my son to recite Qur'an here?

My obvious concern is about breaking family ties should I not attend. Please advise.

Q: My haidh is very irregular, so much so that it is extremely difficult to calculate it correctly. When I am not sure as to whether I am experiencing haidh or istihaza, should I continue reading namaaz till I am certain?

Q: A sister spotted first day (Thursday night) then immediately took the pill. She did not spot at all for 6 days. She had forgotten to take the pill at lunch time on Wednesday and then she spotted immediately. She then took the pill she had forgotten to take and the spotting stopped. Is the 6 days her haidh days? Can she make ghusal and read Salaah as she is clean now? She leaves for home on Saturday after which she will stop the pill and this will start her proper bleeding. So which days are her haidh days? Does the first six days which are tuhr are they haidh days or after she stops the pills are those haidh days?

Q: Nowadays it has become a fashion to wear the "half niqaabs" and in this case the whole forehead is left open. So is it permissible for a woman that wears the niqaab, to show her eyebrows?

Q: I would like to know how to work out my period as my cycle has changed. I still have the marina on. During these last few months I bled very little. For example I get a brown discharge for two days and then 14 or 15 days later I get a red discharge for two days. So basically throughout the month I'm bleeding for about four days on and off. How do I work out my period? I also get a whitish yellow discharge often. Will I count that as period blood also? This month I never bleed at all for about 22 days and then I bled for about 6 days. I'm very confused as I don't know which days to count as my period and which are my clean days. I want to keep my qadhas before Ramadan but I'm not sure on which days I should fast.

Q: I am going to university, boys and girls both are coming there. Actually I am wearing burqa and I want to cover my face. But because of long time like 7 hours, it seems difficult for me. In that case can I open my face only? May I open my face at lunch time in the canteen? I am taking my lunch with girls only.

Q: I am in umrah. I am taking pills to stop my haidh. If I do spot, should I stop going to the musjid to pray my salaah?

Q: Do women need to wear a niqaab as well as hijaab?