What is the ruling on smoking?
All Perfect Praise is due to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds
Smoking is forbidden (Haram) since it is harmful to one`s health as confirmed by trustful physicians, and Islam has forbidden taking anything that causes harm. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "There should be neither harm nor reciprocated harm." [Ibn Majah and Ahmad]. And Allah Knows Best.
Is it permissible for a Muslim to escort his deceased disbelieving relative to his final resting place?
It is permissible provided that he doesn`t walk behind non-Islamic symbols, rather he should walk in front of them.
It was found out that a man divorced his wife for the third time in 2005, but they continued cohabiting as man and wife. However, when they realized that what they were doing was unlawful, they came the Iftaa` Department in 2009 and were told that they can`t be together. What is the position of Sharia on this couple?
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.
Her Iddah* period starts after the third divorce. As for the continued cohabitation, it is unlawful because being ignorant about the rulings of Sharia while in Dar Al-Islam* is no valid excuse. If a baby came as the fruit of this unlawful consummation of marriage, then a judge of Sharia has the final say in this regard because lineage is a serious matter. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.
* ʿIddah: a specified period of time that must elapse before a Muslim widow or divorcee may legitimately remarry. The Qurʾān (2:228) prescribes that a menstruating woman have three monthly periods before contracting a new marriage; the required delay for a nonmenstruating woman is three lunar months.
* Dar Al-Islam: designates a territory where Muslims are free to practice their religion, though this often implies the implementation of Islamic law, whereas Dar al-Harb represents those lands ruled by non-believers
What is the ruling on singing and listening to it while accompanied and unaccompanied by musical instruments?
Singing and listening to it unaccompanied by musical instruments is permissible as long as it isn`t practiced as a profession and is done by a man to other men, or a woman to other women with maintaining that no temptations are involved. The words of the song should be Islamic, and if temptation was likely to happen, then the singing becomes definitely forbidden. Temptation here means: whatever leads to committing a sin. In Islamic Sharia, singing accompanied by musical instruments such as the lute and the like is forbidden, and listening to it as well. The reason behind that is the fact that the musical instrument itself is forbidden. However, striking the tambourine and singing Islamic songs are permissible in weddings, circumcisions and the like.
