What is the ruling on someone who embraced Islam secretly for fear of their family, and how can they practice the rituals of their religion? Does a Muslim's duty towards their companion end if the latter refuses to convert to Islam? Does verse 29 of Surat Ash-Shura indicate the existence of other life in the universe?

As for the first question: Entry into Islam is by uttering the two testimonies of faith [Shahadatain], along with believing in their meaning, and learning the pillars of faith and the acts of the heart, such as love, awe, and reliance on Allah. As for the apparent pillars of Islam, such as prayer, they can be performed secretly when there is fear of harm, and one performs as much of them as one is able.

As for the second question: The possibility of creatures [dawāb] existing in the heavens is plausible, and it cannot be definitively affirmed or denied. Scholars have differed in interpreting the verse {And whatever He has dispersed therein of creatures [dābba]}: Some have limited it to the earth only, while others have held that "creatures" may include angels or other living beings in the heavens, based on the linguistic connotation of the word, or on the possibility of intelligent beings existing on other planets. Some later commentators and astronomers have conveyed what indicates that planets may be inhabited by living beings.