Q: I am looking at converting to Islam and have several questions. Is my name permissible, or should I change it due to it having un-Islamic meanings? Todd means fox, dog, clever or wily (intending to be deceitful), and Christopher means Christ-bearer. My next question is hair on men, my hair is long, it is past my shoulders but is neat and kept clean, am I commanded to cut it or shave it if I convert? Also, what is the rule on piercings, I have several. My last question is I still am researching and trying to clear doubts, should I take my Shahadah now or wait and clear my doubts first and say it with a clear mind, and is it better to say it in private or in public like a mosque?

Q: Is it permitted to find out the sex of the baby before the baby is born?

Q: When I was a kid (5-6 years age), I remember that I stole a balloon from my classmate's bag. Now, when I am a grown up, I've realised that I've committed a sin. I've repented by heart to Allah. I tried to find my classmate and apologize to her but she is no more in my school. I don't know where she is now. What should I do now?

Q: I have recently finished hifz in a boarding Madrasah and now I am doing full time aalim class local. I am finding it very different to maintain my hifz I tried to go back boarding madrasah but my heart weren't there. So I came back to my alim class locally but now I feel like going college im 19 I was thinking about how I will make a living in the future can you give me some advice.

Q: What is the ruling regarding engagements, ring ceremonies in Islam? Is it permissible to conduct nikah in lawns?

Q: I have a wall frame with Arabic surah written in it and it has gone really old it is beyond repair and can not give it to anyone if I do the other person will not hang it on a wall in his house. How can I dispose of the frame?

Q: We teaching revert ladies. Coming to the type of rings permissible to wear, we explained metal jewellery are not permissible because the idol worshippers used to use it. Now some questions arose. Please give us some clear and simple answer to their understanding Insha Allah.

1) Why is it not permissible to wear imitation rings (i.e the event behind it if there is) and do the idol worshippers used to have a certain tradition behind it or is it just that they used to use it?

2) Why is it then permissible to wear imitation jewellery (besides rings)?

3) Some jewellery are made of animal skin especially (south african) traditional jewellery. Is it allowed to wear such? Even in namaaz?

Q: If a follower of hanafi fiqh prays asr salaah individually or as an Imam at a time when the time of asr has not started according to the hanafi maslak but started according to the maslak of the other three imams, is this salaah valid?

Q: I have sluggish blood circulation problem and severe anemia leading to weak heart and CHD. I do not wish to take the allopathic treatment which only eventually leads to operations. I have been advised to take body massage as alternative. Can I take massage by ayurvedic lady doctor? I am married with grown up children.

Q: Zaid is in a country which is a country of kuffar (kuffar rulers, dominant kuffar population, elected body making laws is all kuffar). However there Muslims living there and there are hundreds of mosques, even medaris for religious education. There are some areas where Muslims presence is clearly felt. Zaid went there for higher education and finished his masters degree and then got a very good job of his field. The employer organization arranged for his permanent residence permit to work freely there. He wants to come back to a Muslim country. But, he will get much higher salary and many benefits if he has the citizenship of this biladul-kuffar. So people are advising him to first get the citizenship and then return your home country. Is it jaíz for Zaid to apply for citizenship that will require finally an oath of allegiance (giving up allegiance to his country of birth and declare allegiance to this country of kuffar?). Some say the required oath is only a political allegiance and not a religious allegiance because their constitution give complete freedom of religion.