Does the deceased hear the supplications or recitations of those visiting his/her grave? And does making constant supplications for the deceased who didn`t adhere to performing the prescribed prayers ameliorate his/her affliction?
Praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds.
In principle, the dead hear the living since it has been rigorously authenticated that the Prophet (PBUH) ordered the bodies of the idolaters slain in the Battle of Badr to be buried. He then approached them and called them one by one and said: "Have you found what your Lord promised to be true for we have found what our Lord promised us to be true." Umar asked him: "O messenger of God! Why do you speak to lifeless bodies?" The Prophet (PBUH) replied: "By the One Who has sent me with the truth! You do not hear my words better than they do except that they cannot respond." [Agreed upon].
However, not all the deceased are in the same situation because Allah The Almighty Knows: "Before them is a Partition till the Day they are raised up." [Al-Mu`minun/100]. Moreover, supplication reaches the deceased. And Allah Knows Best..
Should I pick up the newspapers thrown at the street because they definitely contain sacred names?
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 Messenger of Allah (PBUH) says: "Be mindful of Allah and He will protect you." Part of this is protecting whatever contains the name of Allah. Therefore, if you see a paper containing Allah's name thrown in the street, then you should grab it and similar papers, then burn them in a clean place. Doing so is permissible because Othman (May Allah be pleased with him) has burnt copies of the Quran which didn`t match the main Mus-haf. However, you aren`t required to collect every paper in the street. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.
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 combining prayers at the Musala (Place for prayer) of a shopping center because of heavy rain, knowing that some people come from outside that center?
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
If there is hardship in going back to that Musala at the time of Asr or Isha` prayers, then it is permissible to combine prayers in twos only (Duhr with Asr and Maghrib with Isha`). Kindly consider calling us. And Allah Knows Best.
