What is the ruling of Islamic Law on Making up Prayers Missed before Reaching Puberty?
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Among the conditions for accountability for one's actions in the Hereafter is taklīf (religious legal responsibility) — meaning, possessing sound reason and having reached puberty. The signs of puberty are: nocturnal emission, menstruation, or reaching the age of fifteen [lunar years].
Whoever missed prayers before reaching puberty is not obligated to make them up, since taklīf did not yet apply to him at that time. Our master, the Prophet ﷺ, said: "The pen has been lifted from three: from the child until he reaches puberty, from the sleeping person until he wakes, and from the insane person until he regains sanity." [Related by Abū Dāwūd]
The method for making up missed prayers and fasts has already been explained in Fatwa No.
2705, and Fatwa No.
876. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.
Is a woman`s prayer considered invalid if non-Mahrams (marriageable men) saw her offering it?
A woman`s prayer isn`t invalidated if non-Mahrams saw her offering it, but she had better pray in isolation.
What is the ruling on giving the expiation of an oath (Kaffarat al-Yamin) to a charity that feeds the poor?
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is allowed for a Muslim to appoint a proxy (agent) to distribute the expiation (Kaffarah) on their behalf. Our jurists have explicitly stated the permissibility of delegation (Tawkil) in the distribution of Zakat, Kaffarah, and vows (Nadr).
It is stated in Mughni al-Muhtaj (Vol.3/P.237): 'One has the right to pay the Zakat of their wealth personally... and they also have the right to delegate it.' And Allah the Exalted knows best.
What is the Islamic ruling on smearing the head of the newborn with the blood of the `Aqiqah?
All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is disliked (makrūh) to smear the head of the newborn with the blood of the 'aqīqah, as this is a practice that belongs to the customs of the pre-Islamic era of ignorance (Jāhiliyyah). What is Sunnah instead is to anoint the newborn's head with saffron or another pleasant fragrance. And Allah Almighty knows best.