Merging a Partnership

Q: Please advise in the following matter. 

Preamble:

1. Zaid, Amr and Khalid are equal partners in COMPANY A i.e. each one is a shareholder of 1/3 of COMPANY A.

2. Zaid and Amr are partners in COMPANY B. Zaid owns 75% and Amr 25%

3. Both companies have their own assets and liabilities including debtors and creditors

4. Zaid, Amr and Khalid have agreed to merge COMPANY A and B.

5. The agreement has been that in the new merged company “COMPANY AB” the shareholdings will be as follows:

a) Khalid 10%
b) Amr 27%
c) The balance of 63% will be owned by Zaid

6. When the merger takes place, then Zaid, the majority shareholder, wants to simultaneously sell 30% of his portion to his three sons in equal proportions for a nominal sum (R100 per 10%). Thus, each of his three sons will also own 10% each of COMPANY AB. Consequently, Zaid will only own 33% of COMPANY AB.

Questions:

1. What is the correct procedure to give effect to the merger, keeping in mind that both are major running companies?

2. How does Zaid sell off his shares to his sons and incorporate them into COMPANY AB?

3. How will the creditors and debtors be handled in both instances: (a) In merging COMPANY A and COMPANY B. (b) When Zaid sells off 10% each to three sons for a nominal value of R100 per share?

4. If, at the time of entering into the partnership, the condition was made that a partner should accept liability of a certain portion of the previous companies’ debts together with his capital investment, will this be permissible in Shari’ah?

Facilitating interest-bearing loans

Q: I work in an organisation which is an entrepreneurship development institute. The organisation trains entrepreneurs, offers business development services and provides them finance for starting their business by linking them to banks where they are charged interest and give loans directly also. I am working there as a coordinator responsible for the preparation of entrepreneur’s project reports which cover all the aspects including financials of the business. In simple words, entrepreneurs are given loans for business and I prepare their project reports without which they can’t get a loan facility as it is considered to be an essential document for securing finance. I want to know whether my job is halaal or haraam, and in case it’s haraam, can I continue working here till I get another job or should I quit immediately?

Selling bricks which one does not own

Q: If I don’t have stock in my business, can I sell the goods? For example, a client comes and purchases a load of bricks and wants it delivered to his house. He pays us for the bricks and delivery, and though we don’t have it in stock, we accept the money. We then collect the bricks from the brick manufacturer and deliver it directly to the client’s house. Is this permissible?

Working out the price of the car after ascertaining how the client wishes to pay

Q: I am a car dealer. I am not involved in finance. However, I accept different forms of payment, such as cash, EFT and via a card machine. Is it permissible for me to decide the price of a vehicle depending on the customer’s form of payment? The bank charges me 3,25% (for a credit card) and 1,75% (for a debit card) of the total amount if the card machine is used. Can I add this percentage onto the original price of the vehicle? If so, does it have to be the exact amount the bank charges me or can I round off or add to the amount as I desire?