Aqaaid

Q: Someone sent me a page telling about the weirdest shows, the description of the show read that: 'A 2009 Turkish reality show where an imam, a Greek Orthodox priest, a Buddhist monk and a rabbi compete to convert atheists to their respective religion. Anyone who was persuaded to change their religion won a pilgrimage to the spiritual home of their new belief system – so a bit like Take Me Out but with less Fernando's and more, you know, Mecca.' Is this description blasphemous? Please tell me so I may report it to cyber crime authorities thank you.

Q: I had an art project on the Mexican day of the dead festival and painted canvases that I think are haram. I painted two girls and one of them represented life and the other one represented death. One of them was with glowing eyes and I wrote in my art book that it shows birth and that she has life in her or something like that. The other one had two hands reaching out to her and I painted this because in the Mexican day of the dead festival they call out to spirits which is shirk. I also wrote that she could be depicted as a soul keeper but I didn't know about shirk at the time and I think about what I did until recently I realised how bad this is.

I even wrote stuff like these girls are like guardians of heaven and earth like a metaphor but I didn't believe in any of this. I also wrote how one of the girls in the canvas her soul is either going back to her too it was for my art project and I did it last year but I found my art book and these canvases and I ripped them up. I have one more canvas left and this canvas I named it "spirit lurer" which I don't know if this is shirk or not? If it is shirk, shall I get rid of the canvas or is it allowed to be painted over the skulls of the painting and what if I leave the face of the girl on there and turn the painting into a girl in a jungle and not holding the skull? Because the canvas is still linked to day of the dead but what if I get rid of the day of the dead element? I got rid of the other two canvases of the girls but this canvas i didn't get rid of yet because i didn't think it was shirk since i only named it "spirit lurer" but i thought maybe i can change the name of the painting. in the painting its only of a girl holding a skull unlike the other paintings.

Q: Can we eat Easter eggs at other times besides the time of Easter?

Q: An act that's sunnah. When one started it, it was done with the niyyah of sunnah. After years you become accustomed to it, it becomes a habit like dusting the bed or reading certain duaas or eating with the right hand, etc. Will you still get the thawaab of practicing a sunnnah or will the niyyah be have to made every time you do an action? Some aalima said that one won't get rewarded without the intention.

Q: What is the ruling with regards to selling items related to Easter such as Easter eggs and other similar items like hot cross buns, etc.?

Q: Is it permissible to listen to Islamic radio stations?

Q: I live in the west, and every now and then, some Christian or Jew knocks on the door to give out pamphlets that promote their religion or an event related to their religion. I normally refuse the pamphlet but sometimes they put it in my hand, in which case I say ok and throw it out after I close the door. The people who give this stuff to me know I am a Muslim as I wear the niqab. Does my taking the pamphlet constitute kufr? Am I obliged to refute their religion to them right then and there at the door? If I don't, is that kufr?

Q: Is going to an astrologer permissible in Islam to know one's future ?

Q: Is seeing faalnama (fortune telling) from Quran sharif Ayat right or wrong.

Q: What is the best basic hanafi fiqh book with basic masa'il? I bought Nur al Idah and Maraqy ul Falah but was told that they are for people who are actually going into fiqh but they may not be the best for basic beginners. I had Taleemul Haq but it has many masa'il in the non ijma view and some are wrong.