What are the categories of the livestock permissible for Udhiyah?
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
The Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) is not valid except from Al-An’am (livestock), which are: camels, cattle, and sheep/goats. Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "And for every nation We have appointed a rite [of sacrifice] that they may mention the name of Allah over what He has provided for them of beast-livestock." [Al-Hajj/34]
The best of them are camels, then cattle, then sheep/goats. A sacrifice of a camel or a cow avails for seven people. Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "We sacrificed with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the year of Al-Hudaybiyah a camel for seven and a cow for seven." [Narrated by Muslim] And Allah the Almighty knows best.
Is it permissible for a husband to stop his wife from visiting her family?
A husband shouldn`t stop his wife from visiting her family, and it is disliked for him to do so because such an act makes them harbor feelings of hatred against him.
Should a person feel pleased, or have a virtuous vision after offering Istikhara (guidance prayer) in order to do what he/she had offered it for?
The result of the Istikhaarah is not necessarily that a person sees something (in his dream), or feels pleased, but the most important result of the Istikhaarah is whether a person is enabled to do a given matter or not.
What is the ruling on swallowing phlegm while fasting?
If a fasting person intentionally swallows phlegm, their fast is invalid, as it is possible to avoid it.
However, if they swallow it unintentionally, their fast remains valid.
Phlegm is impure and should be avoided.
