Business and Dealings

Q: I have just engaged in seaport clearing agency insha Allah with the aim of observing Shariah and sunnah. But I'm faced with the following questions.

1. Short payment to the government custom duty is common. Is it allowed? Short payment is paying for HONDA 1999 instead of 2003. Majority are involved in this  even the custom officers overlook this.  Contracting the clearing out makes the case worse as they will hide the short payment.

2. Also in the clearing offices people pay some amount that are already normal things over there but are without receipt. Are we allowed to
pay such money when we don't have options and its already their system. eg vehicle examnation officer will not leave his office unless such amount is paid. No special treatment will be given for ones job except that its their norm.

3. Police on the way also ask for money even after you have correct papers. Can we give them money?

Q: Me and my brother take care of my uncle's family and their daily needs. My question is I get some interest from the banks on my savings. Can I use that money for managing their expenses? If yes then do I need to make some niyyah or something ?

Q: I live in India. I am a hotelier completed years diploma in 2001. Since then have been working in hotels. Alhumdulilah I have been careful not to work in any hotel which has a bar. At 2008 I gave up working at hotels and at present I teach in a culinary institute teaching front office / house keeping / environment. At the same time I also got the opportunity to be  consultant for upcoming projects (hotels/resorts). As a policy I have
Been choosy not to be involved in any hotel or resort having bar. At present I am a consultant for a resort owned by a Muslim in kerala/india, it
Does not have a bar at the same time clients very often bring their own liquor and they consume. As well group travellers who come for corporate
Meetings they too set up bar counters and consume liquor as a group. The Resort employees end up serving them and helping them to set up bar counter. The resort does not charge anything for setting up the bar or lending the Staff members. In some rare cases the clients send resort employees to fetch liquor from outside. Again the resort does not charge the client. My role normaly is to spend four full day time in the resort morning 10 a.M. To 05 A.M. and four evenings from for average of 3 hours. I streamline the operations of the resort and recruit employees and train them. I use this money from the resort to pay back the loan taken from a friend for my sisters marriage. Can you advice whether I should do it or stop as per Shar'ia?

Q: I wanted to ask a question about the job of research analyst in a stock brokerage firm or mutual fund. My degree major is finance so I want to know if working as a research analyst for any stock market company is halaal? Basically, the job is to do research on companies, look at their financial statements and analyse their performance and then give a recommendation on whether to buy the stock or sell it. I understand that investing in Shari'ah compliant stocks are allowed but I won't be investing. I'll just be researching and giving opinions. Also, I won't be researching on banks and insurance companies whose business is unlawful. So is this job halaal?

Q: Is it haram to pay interest is one is forced to? For example if the government charges you a tax penalty and includes interest in it, is it haram
for you to pay it? What if you're writing a check on someone else's behalf, is it haram for you to write it?

Q: Interest is considered to be a strong haraam and a grave sin, but isn't interest needed as a fundamental basis for starting a bank and being able to
hand out loans?

Q: Although bribes are prohibited in Islam the situation in my country is such that the government officials depend on bribes without which our work does not get done and we suffer the consciences of the work not getting done. In other words it is a ZULM on us from which we have no escape. Under these circumstances can one utilise interest money to overcome this situation. Please advice.

Q: I have made my life insurance for which I paid 100000 RS for 5 years but someone told me that it is against sharia to get insurance. Birla sun life insurance company have put my money in investment and my fund value is 565000 RS. I want to take my money out from the insurance company now my question is that profit of 65000 is valid and if it is not valid then can I take it from the insurance company and give to help my Muslim brother? If I pay it to my cousin who needs to get her kitchen done, can she use that money to build the kitchen?

Q: I live in Taif, KSA.  Please tell me if what I did was Halal or Haram. I was having a strong headache, so I went to a cafe to get coffee. I drink coffee without milk. The restaurant person made it very strong. When I left the place, I realised that it was too strong to be able to be taken. Next, I wanted to sit somewhere and drink it close by as it was hot and the sun was beating on the head. I was also hungry. So, I went to a local sandwich shop 2 shops away from the coffee. I ordered a sandwich and sat down trying to drink coffee but it was too strong. So, I paid for the sandwich and sat down eating it as I was hungry at that time. The owner made the sandwich and went inside the premises to prepare for the evening meals. The assistant was cleaning the tables, chairs etc. When I finished the sandwich, I asked the assistant for the owner. He said he is inside and asked me if he could be of assistance. I told him, that since the coffee is very strong, I need a few drops of milk to make it easy for me to drink it. So, he fetched me a tin of condensed milk- almost about to finish with may be just very little left inside. He told me to use it. I did it, and then he said if its finished throw it away. But, after a while, I thought if the owner comes to know about it, of course, I don't think he will mind, but how much compliant would he be with the assistant's action? I thought of telling the owner and pay him a riyal more for the milk, but then it occurred to me that if I did so, may be the assistant's image might get damaged in the eyes of the owner that he does things without his permission (though the quantity of the milk in the tin was very less and perhaps the owner might have done the same thing as the assistant) and he might loose his job. So, I finished my cup of coffee and came back home, confused, that was the coffee that I drank haram? Please tell me what to do and how to explain the owner?

Q: The other day, I ordered a pizza online, and paid with my mother's visa debit card. My mother allowed me to use it. I didn't have enough money in my own visa debt card to pay for it online, so I asked her for hers, but gave her the money back in cash on the same day. The day after I was on the pizza company's website, and I learnt that when one orders online, they have to have the owner of the payment card present when the pizza is delivered. They then must show their own payment card as proof as the below term states (taken from their website): "The owner of the card used for payment must present this card on receiving the order. Card payments are secure". I didn't know I had to do this until it was too late, and the transaction was complete. When the pizza arrived, all the delivery driver said was "you ordered online" for which I replied, "yes".  I thanked him, and that was that.  He didn't ask me for proof of payment. So I paid for the pizza, and it came to the right address, and I confirmed that I ordered online when I was asked by the driver. The only thing I didn't know, was that one must show payment card upon delivery of the item. Our beloved Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) taught us to honour conditions, so that is why I am concerned here. In this situation, what is required of me? Was this transaction still valid?