Woman in haidh travelling for Umrah

Q: I would like to ask for guidance regarding a woman travelling for Umrah. 

1. If a woman’s menses begins while she is in Madinah, before she reaches the Miqat, and she still needs to travel to Makkah for Umrah, what should she do? Should she enter into ihram at the Miqat while menstruating, and how should she proceed? 

2. If her menses continue and she is unable to perform Umrah before her scheduled departure for her home country, what should she do in this situation? Is she required to remain in Makkah until she becomes pure and can perform Umrah, or is there another ruling that applies?

Selling the musjid extractor fan to a soup kitchen

Q: During the construction of the Musjid a large extractor fan was put in as a mechanism to assist with cooling. It never worked as expected and was used very few times, and has laid dormant for 5 to 6 years. 

Now a soup kitchen (which is a waqf) requires a similar machine. The Musjid wants to give the soup kitchen the extractor at no cost. However, the cost of removing the extractor and patching up aspects of the Musjid where the extractor was attached will be paid for by the soup kitchen. 

Please advise if this is correct. If not what should he done as the Musjid wants to get rid of the extractor.

Woman with no deeni qualification conducting online Islamic classes

Q: A woman with a master’s degree in psychology conducts online Islamic lessons, programmes, and individual consultations, combining psychological concepts with Islamic teachings. However, she lacks systematic Islamic training and qualified teachers, having studied primarily through YouTube lectures and books. 

She makes statements such as, “I do not have a teacher. Allah Himself teaches me the wisdom I share in my lessons,” “Ilham comes into my heart like rain,” and “I do not have a murshid; wisdom comes into my heart, and then I weigh it against the Qur’an and Sunnah.” She frequently claims to receive divine inspiration and guidance through dreams and uses her students’ dreams to support her teachings. 

One of her programme assignments is muraqabah, in which students are instructed to describe ordinary daily activities using expressions such as, “Allah made me wash the dishes and look after my children.” 

We would like to ask the following questions: 

1. What is the Islamic ruling on her conduct, teaching methods, claims of ilham, use of dreams as evidence, and attribution of ordinary actions to Allah in this manner? Is it permissible for someone without systematic Islamic training or qualified teachers to conduct Islamic programmes and offer consultations as an Islamic psychologist, combining psychology with Islamic teachings? 

2. Is it permissible for women to consult qualified male scholars regarding her teachings and practices when no suitably qualified female scholars are available? The woman objects to this, arguing that sharing materials from her women-only Telegram channel violates the amanah (trust). Are women permitted to share relevant materials with scholars for the purpose of obtaining an accurate Islamic ruling?

Using scented wet wipes in ihraam

Q: I need guidance regarding an incident from my previous Umrah. I follow the Hanafi madhab. 

I was in the state of Ihram for approximately two days. During that time, I used scented baby wet wipes while changing my daughter’s diaper. I don’t remember how many times I used them. 

Initially, I didn’t realise that the wipes were scented. When I realised, I stopped using them. However, on one occasion, I forgot about the restriction and used the wipes again. I used only a small amount before remembering and putting them away immediately. 

I was using the wipes on my daughter, not intentionally applying fragrance to myself. However, a little fragrance may have transferred to my hands while changing her diaper. 

Could you please guide me according to the Hanafi madhab on whether any compensation is required? If compensation is required, please tell me the exact amount in Indian rupees, how it should be paid, and who is eligible to receive it. Since I cannot remember how many times I used the wipes, please also advise me on how the compensation should be calculated.

The Ba Alawi tareeqah

Q: The influence of the Ba’Alawi tareeqah has spread substantially, more so in Cape Town, and now too in Gauteng. 

Are they on the right manhaj? Is it permissible to attend their gatherings and listen to their talks? 

A lot has been said about some of their scholars but Habib Umar himself seems to be very pious and adhering to Sunnah.