can women recite anything they know from the Quran (from memory) during menses? b) should women say their zuhr prayers (on friday) after the Khutba

1. It is prohibited for women to read any portion of the Qur'aan while in menses, be it from memory or from Qur'aan. (Hidaaya part1 pg.64) 2. Jumu'ah Salaat is not Fardh on a woman. Women should read Dhuhr Salat during Jumu'ah time. (Ibid pg.169)
3. There is no Hadith prohibiting eating on a table except that it is said that Nabi (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) never ate on a table. In Tirmidhi, it is narrated that Nabi (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said that he never eats reclining. At the table and chair, one reclines on the backrest of the chair. The other aspect is that one must humble oneself at the time of eating and this is best expressed when sitting on the floor. Sitting on the floor is, after all, the Sunnat practice of Nabi (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam). Nabi (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) has shown us the humility we should display when eating. Eating with the fingers shows humbleness. We humble ourselves at the time of eating showing gratitude to Allah for the rizq he has provided for us.

and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

Mufti Ebrahim Desai