Miscellaneous

Q: I have a question regarding hijab. I am a student in college and because of the commute to and from my college, I live on campus. However, I can’t afford the cost of living in a single room, and so I share a room with another person. This year, I was able to find a Muslim girl to live with, but I wasn’t so lucky with my roommate for next year. I wanted to get a suite with 5 of my other Muslim friends, but we weren’t able to get one because there weren’t enough 6-person suites, so we had to break up. This left me to decide between rooming with a friend who is a non practicing Muslim and a non Muslim friend. For this, I thought the living situation would be the same with both of them. They’re great people, so I thought about who I would feel most comfortable with as a person and a Muslim. Thus I decided to choose my non Muslim friend as my roommate for next year.

My concern now is with hijab. I know that it’s obligatory and I love it’s meaning and it’s significance and I love educating other people about it. What I’m not really clear on however, is whether or not I can take it off in the presence of all women. My mom used to tell me that you can take it off only in a room full of girls. This is also common knowledge among majority of the Muslimah. But for quite some time, my mom has been telling me that you can only take it off when with other Muslim girls or women. Not in front of non Muslim girls or women. I even researched for myself and found this too. But I also found that it doesn’t really matter when thinking logically. A corrupt/non practicing Muslim is just the same as a non Muslim. Thus, if and only if you trust the person can you not wear hijab in front of these types of women.

Considering that I’ll be living with a non Muslim young woman for 8 months (each semester is 4 months), I wanted to directly ask a scholar so that I can be clear on this concept for the sake of my own knowledge and doing the right thing.

Q: Is it permissible to learn kung fu for fitness, self defence and other legal extreme purposes, without reciting any thing, only to learn that art (strictly with out any chants etc.) Could you please tell me? If not then with what niyyat we can learn these kind of things like yoga, exercises (strictly without any chanting for only permissible and clear intention).

Q: 

1. Are video's and taking pictures a sin of kufr or shirk?

2. I was saying to myself that if videos and pictures are permissible, is that kufr?

3. Is it kufr to ask such a question?

4. Is my nikah valid?

Q: Is watching a movie shirk?

Q: How do I know if I have forgiven someone? I had slept forgiving someone but after waking up, I again felt bad about that person, though I didn't have any bad feeling or hatred that night.

Q: Do you know Mohammed Sheikh Mukhtar.

Q: From my childhood I was disobedient to Allah Ta'ala. I have committed so many major sins. I feel no regrets for the sins I have committed. I have spent all my life in committing sins and I never cared about Allah Ta'ala. But now I want to change for the better. Will Allah accept me? Can I become a good slave keeping in mind my dark past?

Q: Is it permissible for me to take the contraceptive pill for a short term period (6 months) only, for the use of fixing my acne issues. My intention is just to take it to fix my medical problem (acne). I have tried every other form of medication to help with my acne and nothing seems to work. This is my last resort.

Q: In the laws of slavery, a man could enjoy relations with his slave. What would happen in the case of both a mother and daughter being his slave?

Q: My age is 27 years and I am not married. When I was born I was not circumcised. Recently when I went to the doctor for circumcision, the doctor told me that I do not need circumcision as there is no foreskin over the head of my private part. In medical terms this condition is called aposthia, which is rare, in this case there is no foreskin naturally to be removed. When my private part is flaccid, the skin doesn't cover my private part head and also doesn't cover when its erect. But there is very little foreskin which, when I pull then when my private part is flaccid it retracts back. My private part looks like it is naturally circumcised but in actual fact its not. I am curious to know whether I still need a surgery to remove more skin or its just fine and I do not need to undergo a surgery. Will I commit a sin if I do not undergo circumcision? What does Islam say about natural circumcision?