Nikaah & Marriage Issues

Q: My husband, three children and I live in a town where there are no proper mosques. I have been trying to convince him to move to a place where my children can regularly go to mosque and learn the Quraan. I have been trying for the past fifteen years but he refuses to move. I am very worried for my children as they are surrounded by non-muslim friends. My husband plans to take the children back home to visit every 2/3 years and says that they can pick up the culture from there. What does Islam say about this?

Q: A few months ago after I had returned from a journey to my home, my mother touched me with her both hands on my face and she was crying as she missed me. She touched me 2-3 times and I felt strange and did my best to stop the feeling which might constitute hurmat musaharah. The feeling and notions stopped after few seconds but the private part reached its limit. This all happend within 15-20 seconds and my mother stopped touching me on my cheeks. Does hurmat take place? My parents are of liberal mindset and I'll have to face problems after announcing this. Should I keep quiet? Or reveal this to them?

Q: I just came to the US and I want to get married next year when my daddy goes to Africa, but I would not be there because I will be in school by that time. Is it permitted for the man to meet my parents and get married to me when I am not there?

Q: Are 1st cousins and all cousins known as non mahrams or mahrams? I have a feeling that they are non mahrams because anyone whom you can marry are non mahrams. 

Q: Can I please know if we wish to do an engagement in Islam, what is the proper way to do it. Also, is partition between men and women necessary in events and functions?.

Q: My friend offered for me to be his second wife. Before agreeing, I would like to know about the rights of a second wife. How does it differ from the rights of the first wife? He told me that he will not live with me and have more children with me because he already has three children. I'm very young and I also want to build a full-fledged family by have children and that my husband could be with me and support me. He lives very far from me, and if we make nikah, it will not change anything. He will still live with his first wife and does not want to have more children.

So I wanted to ask you, what is the difference between the rights of the second wife from the first wife? Can he live far from me and see me only 1-2 times a week for only 1-2 hours, is it correct?

Q: My husband believes that because I’m from Europe, not an Arab and a Muslim convert I should be working. We moved to Europe recently from the Middle East and my husband told me “survive by yourself”, meaning he would not pay any longer for my extras like clothes, cosmetics, books, etc. It hurt me deeply and since then I never asked him for anything. He said sorry but after that I’m not able to accept any money from him and I refused anything he wishes to buy for me. I answer by “God bless you for offering but no thank you”. I really feel terrible to accept anything from him and at the same time I do not work which makes me feel sad.

Q: I wanted to ask if a daughter or daughter in law saw their father or dather in laws inner part in a video which got viral on social media, does it constitute hurmat-e-musaharah?

Q: There is a Syed family who adopted a son whose parents are non-Muslims. The adopted son is a good practicing Muslim and he has good character as well. The family wants to marry him with a Syed zadi. Is it possible or not?