It was found out that a man divorced his wife for the third time in 2005, but they continued cohabiting as man and wife. However, when they realized that what they were doing was unlawful, they came the Iftaa` Department in 2009 and were told that they can`t be together. What is the position of Sharia on this couple?
All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
Her Iddah* period starts after the third divorce. As for the continued cohabitation, it is unlawful because being ignorant about the rulings of Sharia while in Dar Al-Islam* is no valid excuse. If a baby came as the fruit of this unlawful consummation of marriage, then a judge of Sharia has the final say in this regard because lineage is a serious matter. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.
* ʿIddah: a specified period of time that must elapse before a Muslim widow or divorcee may legitimately remarry. The Qurʾān (Sura,2/verse,228) prescribes that a menstruating woman have three monthly periods before contracting a new marriage; the required delay for a nonmenstruating woman is three lunar months.
* Dar Al-Islam: designates a territory where Muslims are free to practice their religion, though this often implies the implementation of Islamic law, whereas Dar al-Harb represents those lands ruled by non-believers
Is it permissible for the father to give the Zakat of his money to his poor married son?
It is permissible for the father to give part of the Zakat to his poor son, if the latter was sound and healthy, because in this case the father isn't obliged to spend on his young son, even though; he is considered one of the Muslims poor. And Allah Knows Best.
How many Rak`ahs (unit of prayer) are offered in Witr prayer?
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds Witr (an odd number prayer performed between Isha`a and Fajr) is offered with a minimum of one Rak`ah, and a maximum of eleven, but offering three Rak`ahs is the minimum of its complete form. And Allah Knows Best.
What is the ruling on having a second congregational prayer in the mosque?
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 It is disliked to have a second congregational prayer in the mosque which isn`t visited by travelers like the neighborhood`s mosque, and which has an appointed Imam, save with the latter`s permission. Nevertheless, if the mosque is visited by travelers, it is permissible to have a second and a third congregational prayer, whether it has an appointed Imam or not, or whether he permits that or not. And Allah Knows Best.
