Q: I really want to start wearing a niqaab but my parents said from next year. How can I convince my parents to let me wear it?

Q: I would like to know if keeping the name 'Amaani' is disliked, though it means faith, wishes, hope.

I have a 15 year old daughter whom I named 'Amaani.' However my sister in laws insist it is mentioned in bad contexts in the Quraan, no positive aayah, though the meaning of the word itself is good. They often tell me to change her name. Is there any truth in this? Can a name be affected just because it is used in a aayah of warning? 

Q: If my deceased parents have not been steadfast with zakaat, salaah and fasting due to reasons that I am not aware of, am I able to compensate for this, even if they have not mentioned it in their will? I would love my parents to be in Jannah, so how can I help them achieve this now that they have passed away?

Q: Some people mention that it is bid’ah to engage in halqah zikr. Their proof is as follows:

It was reported to Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood (radhiyallahu anhu) that a group of persons (non-Sahaabah) were sitting in a halqah (circle) in the Musjid reciting in unison 100 times Allahu Akbar, 100 times Laa ilaaha illallaah and 100 times Subhanallah, using pebbles for counting the number of times. In receiving this information Hazrat Ibnu Mas’ood (radhiyallahu anhu) went to the Musjid and found the group conducting their congregational zikr program. He exclaimed: “Count your sins on these pebbles. I guarantee then that none of your virtuous deeds will be destroyed. Alas upon you, O Ummat of Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam)! How quickly have you lapsed into destruction! There are still numerous Sahaabah among you; the garments of Nabi (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) have not yet become old nor have his utensils broken, but you have opened up the gateway of deviation.” (Musnad Daarmi)

Is there any response to this?

Q: I bought a donut from Dunkin Donuts because I was hungry and it ended up being heart shaped because of Valentine’s Day. I do not celebrate Valentine days and did not know that it would be heart shaped. I was not sure if I should return the doughnut but did not want to waste food so I ate it. Did I commit kufr or a sin ?

Q: I am planning to go for Hajj in 2020 but not sure what kind of sandal I can wear when I am in ihraam. I found that some of them are saying I have to wear a slipper with the 2 belts (flip flop) without any stitches. Some say that I can wear any kind as long as the back and the front are open and some say that it cannot cover the middle part of the foot. Please  explain to me what kind of footwear I can wear, if possible a picture would be great.

Q: Is it permissible to play the lotto in order to use the prize money as a loan to start a business? Once a profit is made, money equalling the lotto amount will be given away in charity.

Q: What is the concept of gender roles in Islam? Do the husband and wife have different roles and responsibilities? 

Q: I got married in 1995. In 1998, my husband said on the phone "If you don't come by tonight's flight we will not be able to stay together, but as flights were not available I could only reach the next day. My husband did not intend to divorce me.

1. Is it counted as one divorce?

In 2002 we had to sign a court paper in America of divorce due to some official issues but we asked a clergy if this will be counted as divorce and he said no. After making sure that it does not affect our relationship we signed the papers, and stayed afterwards together as husband and wife.

2. Is it counted as talak?

In 2003, after a fight with my husband, he sent me mail saying that he does not want to continue the relationship but he did not use the term talak, but he intended to give talak. We are staying seperately after that but we spoke to each other atleast once or twice in a year as some mufti told me that I am not divorce and to keep the relationship I should be talking to him. After that I consulted many muftis to know if our relationship existed but some said that it existed while others said that it did not.

Please confirm as we want to stay together now after a lot of hardships for many years. We are trying to stay together but because of this being not clear we are not able to continue our relationship. 

Q: A married man has done a mistake by having intercourse with another girl one time. He is feeling very ashamed of himself after that and is making taubah to Allah all the time. Will he be forgiven by Allah and what should he do to feel at ease?