Is the 'Umrah performed by the questioner as a child, before showing signs of puberty, valid, considering her practice of masturbation and her ignorance of the rulings of ghusl (ritual bath) and wudu' (ablution)? And does the third 'Umrah, which she intended to be a make-up for the 'Umrah of a menstruating woman, suffice for the 'Umrah she performed as a child? And must the three days of fasting for expiation of the prohibitions of ihram be observed before or after cutting the hair? And what is the ruling on trimming nails or applying perfume during fasting, and does that invalidate the fast?

The answer encompassed three matters:

1. The first 'Umrah (before puberty): It is valid. Ghusl was not obligatory because no semen was discharged. And omitting istinshaq (sniffing water into the nose) during ablution does not invalidate it according to the majority of scholars. Also, not observing the sequence in ablution does not invalidate it according to some scholars. 2. The second 'Umrah (after puberty, and circumambulating while menstruating): It was not completed, and the woman remained in a state of ihram. The third 'Umrah was not contracted because it was a continuation of the second 'Umrah, so the circumambulation of the third 'Umrah served as the circumambulation for the second 'Umrah. Prohibitions committed out of ignorance: There is no fidyah (expiation) for prohibitions related to luxury (wearing tailored clothes, using perfume), but there is fidyah for prohibitions related to destruction (shaving, clipping nails). 3. Undoing ihram and fidyah: The woman undoes her ihram by cutting some hair (about the length of a fingertip). The fidyah fasting can be done before or after cutting the hair, and at any time and place. Using perfume and clipping nails during the fidyah fasting: There is no issue if it is after cutting the hair, but it incurs fidyah if it is before, and the fasting is valid in all cases.