Is the `Iddah (waiting period) of the divorced effective from the time the divorce took place, or from the time of registering it at the court?
It is considered effective from the very moment her divorce took place, but not from the time of registering it at the court. And Allah Knows Best.
Is it incumbent on a family to provide for its old handicapped son and take care of him?
The family and relatives - e.g. brothers - of such a person are obliged to spend on him and take care of him if he didn`t have money of his own.
What is the Sharia (Islamic law) ruling on masturbation?
According to trustful physicians, masturbation is harmful to one`s health, and is forbidden according to the majority of Muslim scholars. Therefore, a Muslim should avoid all that which inflicts harm on him in the life of this world and the Hereafter.
A woman committed adultery with several men and gave birth to a baby. Who is the father?
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.
The adulterers must be punished as prescribed in Sharia for they have incurred the wrath of Almighty Allah. Therefore, they must hasten to make repentance and ask Allah for forgiveness. However, the child born out of this unlawful relation is attributed to the mother. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.