After a month and a half from the end of postpartum bleeding, my wife occasionally finds a small amount of blood, and she is breastfeeding. What is this blood, and should she fast and pray when she experiences it?
This is postpartum bleeding, so she should not fast or pray until she sees the signs of purity, unless it exceeds sixty days, as the maximum duration for postpartum bleeding is sixty days, and the majority of women experience forty days. If it exceeds sixty days, it is considered irregular bleeding (Istihada). It would be advisable to consult a doctor after the sixty days. And Allah Knows Best.
What is the ruling on not fulfilling a vow?
A vow is a commitment towards Allah, The Almighty, and so, it should be observed as much as possible, and it is impermissible to take it lightly. Allah, The Exalted, Says –in commending the believers (What means): "(Because) they perform the vow and fear a day whereof the evil is wide-spreading." [Al-Insan/7].
I am an author, and I have books stored with me. Is it permissible to pay my zakat in the form of books containing beneficial knowledge for poor students, such as chemistry and mathematics, or religious books that spread Islamic sciences?
Zakat on wealth must be paid in cash from the wealth itself. Therefore, you should pay your zakat in monetary form so that the poor can purchase what they need. And Allah Knows Best.
An Imam stood to offer a fifth Rak`ah in a four-Rak`ah prayer, and he was reminded to sit by those behind him, but he wouldn`t listen. What is the ruling on those who followed his lead knowingly and intentionally?
If the Imam stood to offer a fifth Rak`ah, those praying behind him shouldn`t have approved of that, and the prayer of those who did is considered null and void.
