Is it permissible to give my zakat to my grandson who is studying at university, while I am living abroad and my money is in my home country? Also, is it permissible to assign my father the responsibility of distributing the zakat to the people in my home country?
It is permissible to give zakat to a son whom his father is supporting if he is an adult and in good health, because his father is not obligated to support him, making him one of the poor among the Muslims. However, the student who may receive zakat is one who is diligent in seeking beneficial knowledge for the Muslims and is religious. Zakat should be paid in the country where the money is located, and appointing your father to distribute the zakat in the country where the money is is the correct approach. And Allah Knows Best.
What is the ruling on reciting verses of the Holy Quran on water, then drinking it?
It is permissible to recite Quran on water, then drink it as a kind of treatment since the Quran heals. Allah, The Almighty, Says (What means): "We send down (stage by stage) in the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe: to the unjust it causes nothing but loss after loss." [Al-Isra`/82].
I swear that I will leave the religion of Allah if I return to smoking" and then returned to smoking. What is the ruling?
Whoever conditions disbelief on something and intends to disbelieve if it happens, he becomes a disbeliever immediately. Therefore, you must pronounce the two testimonies of faith (Shahada) and reconcile with your wife if she is in her waiting period (Iddah). It is recommended to consult the Department of Fatwa for further guidance. And Allah Knows Best.
My mother is 70 years old and wishes to perform Hajj and Umrah, as she has never done so before. However, she also takes care of my ill father and is afraid of falling ill herself. What should she do?
If this is the obligatory Hajj – meaning she has not previously performed Hajj or Umrah – then it is permissible for her to go even without her husband's approval. However, she must travel with a Mahram (a male guardian) or a trustworthy group of women, and she should leave someone to care for her husband and attend to his needs. And Allah Knows Best.
