How is Laylat al-Qadr observed?
Laylat al-Qadr is observed through various acts of worship and obedience, including:
● Performing obligatory, Sunnah, and voluntary prayers
● Reciting the Quran
● Increasing remembrance (dhikr) of Allah
● Giving charity
● Performing I‘tikaf
● Inviting others to Allah
It is also Sunnah to increase in supplication and humbly beseeching Him, Glorified and Exalted be He.
Which is superior: The Udhiyah (Sacrificial Offering) or giving its value in Charity (Sadaqah)?
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
Performing the Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) is superior to giving its monetary value as charity (Sadaqah) to the poor and needy. This is because the Udhiyah is one of the manifest symbols of the religion. Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "That [is so]. And whoever honors the symbols of Allah - indeed, it is from the piety of hearts." [Al-Hajj/32]. This is further supported by the explicit and authentic Hadiths regarding its virtue, and the fact that the Prophet ﷺ and the Rightly Guided Caliphs after him consistently performed the sacrifice. And Allah the Exalted knows best.
Is washing the private part after urinating (Istinjaa`) a condition, and is it done with water and soap, or with water only?
Istinjaa` is obligatory for removing impurity, and it can be done with toilet paper, or a stone, or water. It is preferable to do Istinjaa` first with paper, or stone, or the like, then to wash the private part with water until making sure that the impurity has been removed. Using soap is not a condition, but there is no harm in doing so provided that it is washed off with water. It is also permissible to use either water, or paper if impurity is removed by any.
Is it obligatory for someone traveling by plane in the afternoon during Ramadan to fast?
Anyone who intends to travel after dawn must begin the day fasting and continue with the intention of completing their fast, as fasting was obligatory upon them before traveling.
However, if they experience unbearable hardship after starting their journey, they are permitted to break their fast due to that hardship, not merely because of travel. In such a case, they must make up for the missed fast later.