Islamic Fatawa Regarding Women

A Muslim woman has questions that no general fiqh book answers well, because general fiqh books devote a chapter to what needs a volume. When the bleeding stops and restarts, is that menses or istihadah? Does she pray? Does she fast, and does she make it up? What is she owed by her husband, and what does she owe his mother? What does she inherit, and from whom?

This book answers more than 350 such questions, and it answers them with rulings issued by scholars whose authority is recognized — Shaykh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Baz, the late Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, together with Shaykh Muhammad bin Salih Al-Uthaymin, Shaykh Abdullah bin Abdur-Rahman Al-Jibreen and others.

What Is Covered

• Menses, postpartum bleeding and istihadah — the rulings that govern prayer, fasting, tawaf, recitation and intimacy, including the difficult borderline cases
• Purification — ghusl, wudu and the questions that arise around them
• Hijab and modesty — what must be covered, before whom, and in which settings
• Mixing with men — workplace, study, family gatherings and travel
• Marriage — the contract, the wali, conditions, and the rights of each spouse
• The household — duties toward a husband, in-laws and children
• Divorce — talaq, khul', 'iddah and what follows
• Inheritance — a woman's share and how it is calculated

Why the Question-and-Answer Form Works Here

Because these matters arise suddenly and need an answer the same day. A woman does not want a chapter on the fiqh of menstruation when the bleeding has been irregular for nine days and Ramadan starts tomorrow. She wants the case addressed. The format lets you find the situation that matches yours, read the ruling and read the evidence behind it.

That also makes it a practical reference for imams, teachers and da'wah workers, who are asked these questions constantly and are often the only person a woman feels able to ask.

Related Reading

• Menstruation and Postpartum Condition — a dedicated treatment of the purity rulings, in depth
• The Rights & Duties of Women — a short introduction to a woman's rights and obligations in Islam
• Islamic Dress Code for Women — the rulings of dress, covered separately