Q: Are ladies qiraat jalsas permissible? Should we participate, or is it a bidah?

Q: There is a tradition on thanksgiving where 2 people pull the wishbone of a turkey and whoever is left with the bigger part of the bone that persons wish will come true. I know celebrating thanksgiving is not allowed and I know that only Allah grants things, but if I pull the wishbone with my cousin not with the intention of getting my wishes come true but with the intention of just having fun, is it kufr?

Q: If one is unsure if one prostrated once or twice in a unit but learns that it was twice, does one have to do sajda sahw at the end of the prayer?

If one does not do Sajdah Sahw is the prayer valid?

Q: Please recommend some kitaabs for women to read and take benefit from.

Q: If a person had missed Zakat of £1000 and all he had was £1000 in his possession and he bought a phone for £500 for example, what is the ruling on that phone - is it haram for him to keep, is it his property etc?

Q: Kindly advise me on the following:

have been taught that to make Taqleed is Waajib in terms of Fiqh related matters, that is why we make Taqleed of the 4 Imaams.

Due to multitude of Fitan that are present in the Ummah today, is it Waajib to make Taqleed of a fatwa department or 1 of any of the organisations Or what should be done?

Q: I have question regarding Hajj. I have taken a loan from my father in 2018 of $65,000 for home purchase in order to avoid interest bearing transactions. Terms we decided were that I will pay when I have the ability to pay back and Alhamdulilah I have been paying back on a monthly basis and have reduced the remaining amount to $19000.

I have $70000 in 401K, cash balance around $8000. I own 50% of the house with my brother and a car (resale approx $5000 value).

My question here, is Hajj Fard on me right now?

If I decide to save for Hajj right now if Allah wills then it might be possible to save enough for Hajj (it might be possible that I may not be able to save enough or visa/qouta issue). But my loan from my dad will be still $19000. What should be my priority to first complete? If Hajj is not fard then can I go for Umrah?

Q: There is an authentic hadith I believe in Sahih Bukhari that many critics of Islam quote where the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) is explaining as to why a woman’s testimony is half to that of a man. As I mentioned these critics imply that Islam insults and degrades women by calling them deficient in intelligence, and to prove their point they use this hadith. In this era when feminism narrative is getting aggressive how do we respond to such assertions of our religion’s critics.

Can you please explain what is the accurate meaning of this hadith?

Are we as Muslims supposed to advocate women is intellectually deficient as critics of islam claim?

Sadly I have seen cases myself where practicing muslim youth have come to declare that they have issues with shariah perhaps might be committing kufr because of such actions. I do not want the same happening within my own family and children. I believe we can only strengthen iman of our families and prevent apostasy within muslim community if we are intellectually prepared to deal with ideological challenges.

I will await your clarification to my questions above.

Q: A Muslim doctor advises something called “My DNA origins” on her website. I would appreciate Mufti Saheb’s comment on the permissibility of such tests. In the description it states:

The modern human (Homo sapiens) originated in Africa, the continent where we have spent most of our existence, some 200 000 – 300 000 years ago. It was onlyabout 60 000 – 70 000 years ago that a small East thAfrican population migrated out-of-Africa, giving birth to all non-African populations. As genetic diversity continues to increase with time, so the greater genetic diversity within the much older African population can be better explained.

One group of the out-of-Africa migrants moved east, reaching India, Southeast Asia and finally Australia approximately 50 000 years ago.

Another group of out-of-Africa migrants moved to the Near East/Arabian Peninsula, and further split into two groups; one eventually reaching and settling in Europe about 45 000 years ago, and the other returning to the continent to settle in North Africa. The populations that settled on the Asian continent eventually reached Siberia. Approximately 15 000 – 20 000 years ago they crossed the Bering Strait, reaching the American continent for the first time.

Ancient DNA studies showed that when the modern humans travelled out-of-Africa, they crossed paths with other human groups, namely Neanderthals and Denisovans. Hence, the genome of current European and Asian populations has approximately 2.3% of Neanderthal input; and the Southeast Asian population can have up to 4% of Denisovan input in their genomes. Interestingly, the Sub-Saharan African population does not have any input of either Neanderthal or Denisovan in their genomes, as these groups were never present in Africa.

Given the origin and migration of our species, human populations have primarily been organised into three large ancestral groups: African (Sub-Saharan Africa), Asian (more precisely East Asia) and Eurasian (not only Europe, but related by ancestry, Southwest Asia, North Africa and to some extent Central Asia).

There are gradients of genetic diversity between the human populations – some DNA variants are more frequent in certain regions than in others. Thus, as we analyse millions of DNA variants at the same time, we acquire an excellent resolution in identifying the origin of an individual based on their specific genetic profile.

Q: I have read that breastmilk is good for the skin.

1. Can I apply my own breastmilk to my skin?

2. Can I apply my own breastmilk to my husband's skin?