Doubt and suspicion are not deemed qadhf

Question: What is the ruling on a man who entertains doubts about his wife’s innocence concerning betrayal? Is the ruling of execution applied to him? And if he later becomes certain of her innocence and regrets his bad suspicion of her, what must he do?

Answer: Mere doubts and obsessive thoughts, so long as the person has not uttered anything, are not called qadhf (false accusation of adultery). Nevertheless, one must repel such doubts and misgivings and seek refuge with Allah from Satan. The default assumption regarding a Muslim woman is uprightness and trustworthiness. Therefore, mere suspicions, imaginings, and whisperings are from Satan; he must seek Allah’s protection from them. This is not qadhf. Qadhf only occurs when he verbalizes it and explicitly accuses her of fornication—that is qadhf. As for mere doubts and whisperings, he must abandon and reject them and seek refuge with Allah from them.

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Legal responsibility is lifted from the mentally impaired

Question: My mother—may Allah have mercy on her—suffered a severe illness before her death after a serious fall on her head, which caused mental impairment for a full year. Because of that she could not perform the obligatory fasts and prayers. Please advise me: must I make them up on her behalf, offer expiation (kaffarah), or carry out any other deed you recommend? May Allah preserve you and guide your steps.

Answer: If she was in the condition the questioner has described, namely that she was mentally impaired,