Is prayer nullified by having thoughts while performing it?
Prayer isn`t nullified by having thoughts while performing it, provided that the praying person offers all of its pillars and meets all of its conditions. However, the reward decreases significantly in the absence of reverence since a praying person is rewarded according to the attentiveness of his/her heart during prayer.
What is the ruling on using bank cards such as Visa and MasterCard?
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds, and may His Peace and Blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upo all of his family and comapnions It is permissible to use such cards in accordance with the following conditions: 1- The issuing body does not stipulate collecting interest upon late payments. 2- The merchant does not increase the price of the goods due to an increase in the commission collected from him by the card issuer. 3- The purchased item(s) should not be gold, silver or currency in case the card is not covered. And Allah Knows Best.
Generally speaking, I`m dutiful to my mother and opt for obeying her. However, she chose a certain girl to be my future wife, but I`m not pleased with her choice although that girl comes from a good family and enjoys good character. Should I obey my mother or choose another girl that lives up to my expectations?
Praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds.
One must obey their parents in whatever is in compliance with the teachings of Sharia and within one`s capacity. However, you aren`t to blame for not marrying that girl, but it is better that you tell your mother about that and it is preferable that you perform Istikharah prayer. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.
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.
