Is prayer nullified by having thoughts while performing it?
Prayer isn`t nullified by having thoughts while performing it, provided that the praying person offers all of its pillars and meets all of its conditions. However, the reward decreases significantly in the absence of reverence since a praying person is rewarded according to the attentiveness of his/her heart during prayer.
Should one fulfill his vow of donating an animal to the poor and needy with one sheep although he had repeated the vow several times?
Each vow has to be fulfilled, and repeating the words of the same vow for confirmation renders its fulfillment obligatory as one vow. As for multiple vows, they have to be fulfilled as well.
My mother inherited a share from my late father`s and brother`s property; however, the inheritance, a piece of land, wasn`t divided amongst the eligible heirs because it was hard to sell. While alive, she used say that she wanted these shares to be distributed amongst the poor and needy. What is the ruling of Sharia on this?
All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and may His Peace and Blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all of his family and companions.
This is a will, so we have to consider the estate she had left behind. If the piece of land, which she had willed, equals one third and less of her estate, then the will must be executed. But, if it is more than one third, then one third must be executed and the rest of the estate, if the heirs agreed, is to be executed as part of her will as well. However, if the heirs haven`t approved of that, then what remains, excluding that one third, must be divided amongst them according to the Islamic rules of inheritance. Moreover, we recommend that you pay a visit to the Iftaa` Department to make things clearer for you. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.
A man break his fast once during Ramadan and he already have an expiation of fasting for two consecutive months. He fasted for a month and passed away. Is it permissible for his sons to fast the remaining month equally?
Fasting for expiation must be performed consecutively. I advise his children to feed sixty poor people, giving each one half a kilogram of rice or its monetary equivalent. This is because if a living person is unable to fast, they are required to feed sixty poor people, and death constitutes an inability. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.
