Intention for joining the military was to serve one's religion

Q: I am an ex-military pilot. I was forced to leave the military by some high-ranking officials due to their ego. I never imagined my life away from jihad. I dreamt of getting martyred in the battlefield.

Please tell me how this will be compensated and what reward will there be for me on the Day of Judgement for my nine years of jihad. Will I be counted as a Ghazi or Shaheed, or none? Remember, my pure intention was to serve my religion and nothing else.

This setback has left me in complete depression and stress.

Reason for a woman marrying another man after the third talaaq

Q: I have been contemplating and reflecting a lot the past few months. We all know there is great Hikmah behind everything, Allah is The Most Wise... We would never be able to even comprehend His wisdom SubhanAllah.

I was pondering on something... When a man gives a woman the 3rd talaq, the woman becomes completely impermissible for him... She needs to marry another man, consummate that before and then she is able to go back to the former husband (this can't be planned out though).

As I said we would never be able to contemplate the wisdom of Allah. But I do ponder why that is... What is the reason for this SubhanAllah?

Is it so the woman can experience another marriage to someone else to see if he appreciates her etc? Is it a kind of punishment for the man for going so extreme to give a 3rd talaq. SubhanAllah I'm just pondering. I wish I knew the tafsir for this verse or if anyone has more knowledge on this please.

Hosting people at the time of janaazah, birth of a baby and Eid

Q: Pertaining to occasions of janazah:

1. Is it necessary for the house to feed visitors everyday?

2. Is it necessary for close family members to eat together for these days?

3. Has this become a bidah as I notice this is usually done for three days exactly and if people excuse themselves others wonder why. This becomes difficult on the house people who are already coping with a loss.

4. Is it better for another house to offer to host visitors from far away to make things easier for the bereaved? Which way would be the most advisable in this regard?

With regards to new babies:

1. Is it against shariah to invite others to come and see the baby?

2. If they have already expressed their desire to visit, would it be appropriate to suggest a certain date and time?

3. Is it against the spirit of entertaining visitors that one declines visitors for a certain number of days?

With regards to Eids:

What advice can Mufti Saheb give to the ladies - our eids have become very busy and strenuous between looking after the in-laws and trying to visit their own parents.

Are we making things difficult on ourselves by trying to please everyone?

Often Eid, instead of being an occasion of happiness is only about cleaning up and seeing to everyone else. Alot of women have no time to sit and eat a meal the whole day. Is it perhaps that we are complaining for nothing as many generations before us did much more, albeit with alot of dependence on maids and also grannies and sisters in-laws all chipping in to help with children, cooking etc.

How do we inculcate the spirit of hosting in us without neglecting our compulsory duties?

Meaning of the Hadith in praising Shaam

Q: The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) praised the people of Shaam and I have come across people from that region especially Syria who had dealings with the company I work for and they refused to pay money for the goods they were supplied with five years ago and come up with excuse after excuse. They have the ability to pay but they don't. Does the praise for people of Shaam apply to all times because clearly they contradict Islamic character. Kindly clarify.

Learning and understanding the Quraan

Q: I know that being a Hafiz-e-Quran has virtues, and there is a sahih hadith that says their parents will be crowned on the day of judgement. There is also a weak hadith that mentions they will intercede for ten relatives on the Day of Qiyamah. Despite this hadith being weak, Ulama have said that a Hafiz-e-Quran still has virtues and might intercede and they will go to Jannatul Firdaus.

I want to do hifz because I want Jannatul Firdaus, but I am 26 and struggle to memorize things. It is also very challenging to do hifz in today's busy schedule, where we work 9 to 5 or run businesses, and also have to pray five times a day and give time to family. In this case, what if we don't do hifz but instead learn essential Quranic Arabic words and grammar to understand the Qur'an in Arabic, and study reliable tafsir under a scholar like Tafsir Ibn Kathir or Bayan ul Quran?

Who has more virtues: a Hafiz-e-Quran or a person who is a non aalim but understands the Qur'an, knows what is written in it, is familiar with the seerah of Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam), and the stories of all the Prophets (qasas ul ambiyaa), and many other things? Can such a person who is not aalim and Hafiz but has the above mentioned knowledge go to Jannatul Firdaus and have virtues equal to a Hafiz-e-Quran or less or more? 

Disposing of hair, nails, placenta, etc. after childbirth

Q: I have been blessed with a bay boy in January 2024, Alhumdulillah! I have with me the belly button which fell from the baby's umbilical cord after a few days when the baby was born. I also have with me his hair which I had got shaved on the 7th day. So my question is:

1. I would like to bury this belly button so called (umbilical cord) and the hair of the baby in the graveyard as I think it would remain safe in the corner of the graveyard in the mud or can I bury it in the grave of my late father? Is is permissible to do this or not? As nowadays there are flats systems so one finds it difficult to get mud everywhere.

2. My family members are saying to drown it in the river as it will be safer there and not in the graveyard. They are saying that if there is a masjid and it has a ground or yard one can get it buried there.

What is the proper way to dispose these body parts like hair, nails, placenta etc. in your opinion?