What is the Du`a (supplication) of Istikhara (guidance prayer)?
O Allah, I consult You as You are All-Knowing and I appeal to You to give me power as You are Omnipotent, I ask You for Your great favor, for You have power and I do not, and You know all of the hidden matters. O Allah! If you know that this matter (then he should mention it) is good for me in my religion, my livelihood, and for my life in the Hereafter, or he said: "for my present and future life" then make it (easy) for me. And if you know that this matter is not good for me in my religion, my livelihood and my life in the Hereafter, or he said: "for my present and future life" then keep it away from me and take me away from it and choose what is good for me wherever it is and please me with it."
Is the woman who do breastfeeding permitted to break the fast during Ramadan?
It is permissible for pregnant and breastfeeding women to break their fast during Ramadan if they fear harm to themselves or their child. However, they must make up for the missed fasts. If the fast is broken out of concern for the fetus or the baby, expiation (Fidya) is also required along with making up the missed fasts. The expiation involves feeding one needy person with an amount equivalent to a Mudd of food (approximately 600 grams of wheat or rice) for each day of missed fasts. If the fast is broken out of concern for the woman's own health, only making up missed fasts is obligatory. And Allah Knows Best.
Does the wife have the right to stop her husband from visiting some of his relatives because their meetings involve religious violations?
Couples should advise one another in kindness, and the wife can stop her husband from committing sin by resorting to a kind and tactful approach.
Is it permissible for a financially capable woman to pay the Zakat to her sons or one of them?
It is permissible for a mother to give her children from zakat if they are eligible to receive it, even though she is obligated to provide for them. This is based on the saying of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) regarding Zainab, the wife of Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with them): "Your husband and your children are more deserving of your charity" [Al-Bukhari]. And Allah Knows Best.
