Q: There is a girl whom I like very much and when my family met her family, my parents didn't like her family much because they don't follow parda. My parents said they don't like the girl but if I am persistent with the girl they don't have any problem. The girl is pious and committed to deen except that she doesn't wear burqa and wears all modern dresses like t-shirts and jeans. I tried explaining to her about the importance of hijab but she used to get irritated listening to it. I feel I will be able to convince her for hijab and parda in a long-term i.e. if we get married. So my questions are first, should I marry her or not? Second, if I marry her am I disobeying my parents?

Q: A partnership was dissolved with one partner buying out the other partner. They agreed that the payment will be made over a period of one year in instalments. Does the partner who sold his share have any right in the profit which the business generates during this one year?

Q: If one wishes to buy gold coins or gold jewellery, then what are the conditions for the transaction to be valid? Are there any particular masaa’il related to this?

Q: Why are we discouraged from taking the kuffaar as friends?

Q: What is the Islamic ruling on dating? Will there be any difference in the ruling if the boy and girl are engaged and intend to get married in the future?

Q: Is it obligatory for the husband to inform his wife before he returns home or can he return unexpectedly, without informing her? Will there be a difference in the ruling in the case where the husband was gone for just a few hours, and the case where he was gone for a prolonged period? Also, is there any Hadith in this regard?

Q: Muslim women are told that they should not leave their homes in order to work and that they are not allowed to interact freely with the opposite gender. Likewise, they are told that they should be obedient to their husbands. Does Islam not afford men and women equal rights, or are men superior to women in Islam?

Q: I want to know whether listening to contemporary nasheeds are ok or are they haraam?

Q: I recently read an article which claims that it is permissible for a Muslim to take out a medical aid contract. The article explained that if a stipulated monthly fee is paid to the medical aid company in return for which they assume responsibility for the client’s hospitalization or medical expenses, it will be permissible.

The reason for this medical aid contract being permissible in Shari’ah is that it is regarded as an ijaarah contract (i.e. hiring of services) between the member and the medical aid scheme. The ijaarah works in this manner that the member pays a fixed and mutually agreed amount monthly, and in exchange, the scheme takes responsibility for his treatment and wellbeing.

The article also stated that the medical aid scheme can be compared to hiring the services of a barber and a wet nurse. In many villages of India, it is a common and well-known practice for a family to give the barber a stipulated amount of grain or cash at the time of harvest. In exchange, the barber takes responsibility to cut the hair of the family whenever they wish during the year. In this case, although the number of haircuts that he will give to the family is unknown, this ambiguity is tolerated and overlooked as it does not lead to any dispute.

Q: Is it permissible to have a different cash price and credit price for the same item? For example, if a customer buys an item upfront, he will pay R1500, but if he buys it in instalments, it will cost him R2000. Is this allowed in Islam?