Q: Do I have to pay zakaat on money in my pension and provident fund?

Q: A young Mufti (scholar) said to calculate zakaat based on gold. Now he changed his ruling and says to give it based on silver. So, based on gold, the zakat was 3000$. Today when he told the people to do it based on silver, todays silver price was 500$. So what must the people do on paid zakaat, count what is paid on gold as okay and from here on pay of silver?

Q: Are there any jobs running without interest involvement? All companies have bank accounts and deal with banks in this modern age.

Q: Please advise if it is permissible for a muslim business to remain open during the Jumuah Salaah. The reason for remaining open, as stated by the owner, is that the business is generally very busy at that time and the business is run by the non-muslim manager during the time of Jumuah.

Q: Is it permissible to follow an Imaam whose trousers is below his ankles and will the Salaah be valid?

Q: A courier company offers its services for a certain amount (e.g. R50). However, they state that if you wish to have the item insured, the charge is so much more (e.g. R50 more – total R100 if you want it insured). We are unaware if they are insuring with a third party. Is it permissible to take this insurance?

Q: I am a PhD, Electronics Engineering, student in Torino, Italy. I have a question regarding chicken meat. There is a slaughter house near our city where Arab Muslim use to slaughter chickens. He slaughters the chicken by hand. Usually he has to slaughter approximately 7,500 chickens in 6 hours. He use to say Takbeer randomly, and not on each individual chicken. He says that it is quite difficult for him to say takbeer on each chicken. We had read in one of Mufti Taqi Usmani Sahib's (db) book that according to Imam Shaafaee (Rehmat Ullah Alaih), it is sunnah to read takbeer during slaughtering. This is the only slaughter house in our knowledge where there is no machine slaughtering of chicken. Now my question is that, if person is slaughtering so many chickens, is it a MUST for him to pass takbeer on each individual. Is it possible for us to eat that chicken if that person is slaughtering correctly according to Fiqh Shafaee?

Q: What is the Islamic etiquette with regards to answering the door when someone knocks. Some people don't answer the door or delay for quite some time before answering the door for no reason at all. In some cases if the person is eating or reading Qur'an, etc, he doesn't answer the door or delays unnecessarily. The person doesn't even announce to the knocker informing him that he has heard him. Is this not inconveniencing the visitors? Please explain the correct conduct and etiquette.

Q: If a man is performing salaah and a woman comes and stands next to him, but she is not in salaah, she is merely standing next to him, does this invalidate the salaah? Is the ruling same for individual salaah as well as jamaat salaah? Furthermore, is there a difference in the masala if the woman is a disbeliever?

Q: What is the ruling regarding birthdays? Our muslims greet one another on this day and feel insulted if one does not greet them. Another issue is regarding birthday cakes, gifts and parties. Please advise.