Reading qasr salaah at home

Q: I am staying in a hostel and doing my 1st year college. When I come home for the weekend, I offer salaah as a musaafir by offering 2 rakaats zuhr, 2 rakaats asr, 3 rakaats maghrib and 2 rakaats isha. My house is 177 km away from the hostel. Is it right? How many km should it be for me to be a musaafir?

Participating in the funeral rights of Ismaili family members

Q: I have converted to being a Muslim from an Ismaili (Ismailee) sect and Alhumdulillah, my wife and my children have also converted. I can't thank Allah Ta'ala enough for His guidance and mercy! However, unfortunately none of the other members of my family have accepted the truth. My parents, my sister, my in-laws, and my aunts and uncles are still following the Ismaili sect.

My question is about attending the funeral of these members. Especially attending the funeral of my parents. I know I can't step foot into their place of worship, so what am I to do? Should I stand outside while they do their activity, to give a shoulder to my parents and accompany them to the burial grounds and then leave? Can I take part in the naaaz-e-janaazah? This is something that is of great concern to me and I want to make sure I do the right thing.

Commencing salaah with Surah Fatiha

Q: I read in tafseer Ibn kathir that Surah Fateha has seven verses in it and there are some Hadith also there in that tafseer from two sahihs that Bismillahir rahman nir Raheem is a first verse of Surah Fateha. There are only seven verses in Surah Fateha. Now, I saw in Sahih Bukhari Narrated From Anas bin Malik (radhiyallahu anhu): Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wasallam), Abu Bakr (radhiyallahu anhu) and 'Umar (radhiyallahu anhu) used to start the prayer with "Alhamdulillahi rabbil aala min" Vol-1,book 12, number 710. ( Sahih Bukhari-- characteristics of prayer). Now, what should we start the prayer with?

Marrying a non-Muslim

Q: A Muslim brother is asking whether it is permissible to make nikaah to a non-Muslim (Hindu/Tamil). He is very keen on doing it the right way although the girl at the moment is not ready to read shahada. She is pregnant with his child and is willing to allow the child, when born, to be a practicing Muslim. What is the ruling for this brother?