Clean shaven Qaris from Egypt

Q: 

  1. Many imaams allowed a clean shaven qari from Egypt to recite in their masjid. Is this acceptable?
  2. Is this not tantamount to honoring a faasiq?
  3.  Some moulanas who are hanafis say the shafee mazhab does not emphasize the beard. Therefore we can allow a clean shaven qari to read the qiraat.
  4. One aalim say we must have unity. invite the modernists, barelvis, etc. - unity first.
  5. Some say we want to listen to the qu'aan, we are honoring the quraan not the qari?

Raffle ticket system for Donations

Q: I work for a fund-raising organisation called the RSL (Returned Services League). It is 100% charity based. We help Australian war veterans and their families. I work in the telephone marketing team which calls RSL members and asks for donations. We use a raffle ticket system where the donators purchase a $5 ticket which puts them in the draw for a house plus other prizes like gold or cash. All proceeds from the tickets go to charity and to run the organisation. Is this a type of gambling? Am I allowed to continue this job? 

Why are pictures of inanimate objects permissible?

Q: The ijma of scholars have permitted painting of tress, flowers etc which are considered as living and have also permitted painting of nature like mountains, rivers, sun, moon etc. Why do these things, not fall into the category of challenging Allah or painting like of his creation?

Is there any hadith to support the view that painting living things like trees, flowers, mountains, rivers etc permitted in Islam?
The reason why I am asking this is because I had a conversation with a non-muslim friend and provided an argument that painting living is like challenging the God, but I wasn’t able to answer, even trees, mountains, rivers, sun, moon are creation of God, then why the same logic isn’t applicable here.

Ilmul aadaat and Naqsh

Q: Is it permissible to practice the science of ilmul aadaat and Naqsh? This science utilizes powerful mathematics and numerology to express the various verses of Quran and Ruqyah Asshariah which are translated to numbers. These naqsh have benefited several people and are described in various books of amaliyaat.

Quran with edible ink mixed with zam zam and consumed

Q: My mother mashallah has written a complete Quran with edible ink (zafara) mixed with zam zam, before diluting the Quran in water and consuming it, we consulted some Mufti’s in our locality and they advised us not to do. We believe that the entire Quran is Shifa and Healing for believers as mentioned in Quran “We send down (stage by stage) in the Qur'an that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe”.

Please advise us whether we can soak the written Quran in water and use it for drinking with intentions of purifying ourselves, filling ourselves with noor, for cure against sins and blessings, to quench the thirst during our last breath and on the day of judgement..etc