What is the difference in meaning between Allah's names al-Rahman and al-Rahim?
 

What is the Islamic ruling on the issue of imitating the kuffaar in their customs and dealings? What are the guidelines concerning that in Islamic sharee'ah? Is every imitation of the actions of the kuffaar regarded as a haraam kind of imitation, knowing that there are many things that the kaafirs do that are not haraam and are not condemned by sharee'ah, where the one who does them does not do them merely to imitate the kuffaar, but because he thinks those things are good, as Ibn Mas'ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "What the Muslims think is good is good before Allah"?  
Please advise us, may Allah honour you, and please give me a detailed answer and explain to me the guidelines on this matter.

How should we call people to Islam?

Is divorce issued by a civil court valid?

What are the Virtues of the Day of Arafaah?

What is the ruling on one who delays Hajj for no reason when he has the means and is able to do it?

I am one of those who send blessings upon the Prophet between 50 and 100 times a day, according to circumstances. I say: “Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammadin wa aali Muhammad (O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad).” There are some people who tell me that my sending blessings upon the Messenger of Allah is lacking. Can you tell us – may Allah reward you with good – what is the ideal way to send blessings upon the master of mankind, and is the way I am doing it really lacking?

I used to be very sinful, my most beloved hobby was to sin. I used to take drugs (hashish, pills, and wine) and I used also to commit adultry.
By Allah’s grace, I repented from the sin of adultry before marriage but the sin of taking drugs remained. It was because of the bad companions I had. Then one of my cousins died, he was of similar age to me. But he was not married, I thought about my situationand that someone who is younger than me has passed away, and we were comitting the same sin togeather, taking drugs.  
Allah has guided me by His grace, so I gave up all sins, I even broke the satellite dish. My life has changed 180 degrees. I became charitable, pray, call people for good and denounce evil, distribute tapes and booklets and attend lectures.
The problem:

I face criticism, starting from family, mother and sisters, that I am strict. They want to listen to songs and watch series on television. If I advise them and say that what they are doing is haram they say: “why is istighfaar (seeking Allah’s forgiveness) prescribed?, If you do not want to listen to songs and watch television then leave, we want to watch and listen” the same problem happens at work as well, I have left home more than one time, my wife stays with them, I take her with me when I leave, but they ask me to let her stay with them. I refuse and my wife feels embarrassed and fears her situation causes any problems. But when I leave her with them, she sits far from TV and from where they sit.  Sometimes I hear my mother making du’aa against me saying: “I wish Allah did not guide you, you made us restless” I seek refuge with Allah from what she says.

My problem at work is, that I work in a military sector, all colleagues are bad, the religious ones are only three, there are six bearded brothers. They get over so many things, the rest of them take hashish and drugs, flirt women and majority are of course smokers.

They all agreed on insulting me, whenever I sit with them, they remind me of my past. They mock the bearded brothers, slander them and describe them as (liers and terrorists) and I feel jealous for them and say: “you are slandering your brothers, they are muslims, you should not mock the beard because it is sunnah to keep it”. Sheikh, they gave me bad reputaion, they always critisize the bearded brothers, they never mention anything good about them.

Is letting my beard grow, abiding by sharia, enjoining good and denouncing evil in this time a crime that I have to pay for, or become immoral like them?
Even my boss, he says: “you bearded men, I will put you under the misoscope, I will not forgive any mistake you do”

I have tried some solutions:
Firstly: I asked to move to another administration, but my request will take some time.
Secondly: I cut my relationship with everyone insulted me by a word or an action. This helped limit the problem. But I do not like this way, as people became careful when they deal with me and fear that anything they say may be disliked by me. So they dislike me and make others dislike me as well.
I wish you provide me with the suitable solution for my problem because I became really tired of it.

I am a muslim by birth and I recently got married to a girl who had reverted to Islam. i am from india and many muslims here are very backward in their practices etc.. She was continously asking me questions about my relatives and why muslims are so backward etc.. I lost my temper and I am ashamed to say that in my anger I told her that I was sorry that I was a muslim. I immediately realised my mistake but I said what I said. I am terribly ashamed of myself for saying such a thing. Does this make me a apostate (kafir). I am a muslim and i truly believe in islam in all its glory. I am ashamed and sorry for what I said. Am i a kafir. Do i have to say the shahadah again? Is my nikah nullified as she is still a muslim. Do i have to do the nikah again. Please answer at the earliest. I am really sorry for beingsuch a bad muslim.

There is a Quran out which is called "Quran pen reader 9" which helps you better your tajweed and you can listen to different reciters and when you press the Quran with the pen they give it says it out loud the verse you have pressed and you can pick different reciters so you can remember it and correct your tajweed and the Quran it self has interactive buttons on the side like e.g tafsir of the ayah ,which qari you want to chose ,change the level of volume and pick which language you want etc
I wanted to know do I still read this Quran like a normal Quran and will I get the same reward of reading this then a normal one were this one helps me correct my mistakes and makes me understand the Quran more and it is the full Quran with just it being interactive and I was thinking will this be a sort of bidah? But theres more benefit in this as I have mensioned everything this does for the improvement of understand and correct my tajweed and knowledge in the Quran ?