Business and Dealings

eBucks

Q: I have an Islamic account with FNB and I receive ebucks for every time I swipe my card or buy things online. Please advise if I would be able to use these ebucks?

Debit cards

Q: I want your fatwa regarding the use of debit card. I understand that using credit card incurs interest when the withdrawn amount exceeds the amount in the person's account with the bank as the overdraft provided by the bank is charged with interest. However, the use of debit card withdraws amount only upto the amount present in the persons bank account and therefore no overdraft facility is provided. This means no interest is charged. I therefore want to ask, is the use of debit card lawful as per islamic principles and allowed? The amount payed on the issuence and renewal of the card is the cost of the use of the card facility as per my knowledge and does not involve interest. Please provide me a clear answer.

Giving someone money to buy drugs

Q: I regret to inform you that my younger brother is a drug addict from many years. His wife has also left him because of this. He has a 14 year old daughter and my mother is taking care of him. We have tried many times to treat him for drug addiction but he again starts taking drugs. He says that he cannot even move without drugs. My mother is suffering very much seeing his condition. She cannot see him dying in front of her eyes. She has to give him money for drugs and she feels that we should also give him money for drugs otherwise he would die. My question is, can I give him money for drugs or is it a sin? Please answer me as I am in a dilemma.

Permissible employment

Q: Is a govt job halal? Govt takes a loan and gives the employees salary from those money. Is it true? How to consume 100% halal food? When we go to others house as mehman and married to someone whose house is not that concern what should I do in that case?

Investing in companies

Q: I am by profession a freelancer and also a teacher. In the current situation I have observed that giving education has emerged as an industry to earn hefty amounts. There are different cases that I have observed. Academies just know to snatch fee in different ways. I have aim to provide free quality education. But my problem is that I cant support all at a once. For that I have come across an asset management company. Where our individual investments are invested in various other company's stock, shares, debentures, debt securities. They disburse the payments in case they earn the profits. These companies have policy to stand equally responsible in terms of losses. As for profits are concerned we are not given a fixed percentage, instead proprtionate to profits. I am wandering whether to invest in such companies in order to support the poor students. I am bit confused that if these companies invest in such activities where they will generate interest income. Whether i can use these profits or income for the betterment of poor students. So that they may avail the opportunities in education. I want to provide them a platform where their dreams may come true.

Please guide me whether I can invest in such company and can utilise that amount just for the sake of spreading education. And give them relief from such academies, who are just cutting their pockets. Please help me in achieving my goal.

Taking a job where one is comfortable

Q: I have a Shaikh who I meet whenever at my masjid.He has been helping me to find a job at the masjid for about a year. Three days  days ago, I met with him, he introduced me to two sisters to see if they are able to help me to do something in the masjid. I was interested to work as an Islamic teacher or as an assistant. However, the sister who I was interacting with mostly wasn't telling me clear-cut if I am hired and gave me paper works that are meant for a person who is hired. On Thursday, I went back to ask if I am hired and if I'm not hired, why they gave me these paper works? The other sister who is the school principal of this particular branch of our masjid was not being straight with me either. She was telling me that every company in America, they will give these paper works that ask for your income tax, bank information, and etc. However, in America, companies can only hand out these papers to employees who are hired for the job. She also told me that masjids are not a good place to find a job. My question is this, should I inform my Sheikh about this issue?

Investing with a partner that deals in interest

Q: We live in a non Muslim country. I have a business in which we take a plot, then develop the building and then sell. Usually it is a partnership deal. I do it with my partner who is a non Muslim. For e.g. he invests 50% of money. I invest 50%. The money he invests is of riba (interest). Since he is a non Muslim, his major part of earnings are giving money on interest to people. So he gets 50% of profit of our business, I get 50%. Since in the investment his 50% invested money is of riba, will it be permissible for me to work with him or not?