My maternal aunt`s son is living abroad; however, both our families have recited Al-Fatehah declaring our engagement. We have been engaged for three months, but the marriage contract wasn`t concluded because he couldn`t come to Jordan since my mother and brothers are abroad. Is it allowed that he sees my picture without Hijab knowing that the marriage contract will be concluded at the first opportunity?
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.
Betrothal is a promise to marry, so your betrothed is a stranger to you and isn`t permitted to look at you even through a picture. Once your marriage contract is concluded, you become husband and wife and he can look at you as much as he wants. Moreover, he may deputize his father to carry out the procedures of the marriage on his behalf. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.
Is it permissible to pay the expiation of an oath to a charitable party as it feeds the poor and needy such as Tkiyet Um Ali?
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.
There is no harm on authorizing someone to handle the expiation of another to the poor and needy, since Shafiee's jurists stated that authorizing someone for the purpose of distributing Zakah, expiation and vow is permissible as stated in [Mughni Al-Muhtajj, vol.3 pp.237]. At last, the intention of the person who intends to authorize someone else suffices in this regard. And Allah Knows Best.
Has Islam made it incumbent on us to give our children particular names?
No, it hasn`t, but it is desirable that we give them good names.
After our father had passed away, my brother and I stayed with our mother for twenty years and served her to the best of our effort. However, she asked our other brothers (3) to support her financially but they refused to pay her anything. As a result, she gave her share of the inheritance to me and my brother. What is the ruling of Sharia on this?
All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
It is recommended to give one`s children, males and females, equally. However, your mother is allowed to give one of them more than the others because he/she is needy or more dutiful to her than the others. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.
