Trade

Q: Please can I have advice on the following. I have an accounting/bookkeeping practice and as a result I have many clients that ask me for assistance on insurance, retirement annuity and pension funds as well as other long term investments. With regards to this I have also been approached by a financial institute that would like to provide my clients with the following services:

- Business and or personal insurance

- Retirement annuity and pension funds

- Long term investments (Shariah and Non Shariah compliant)

- Medical aid

- Other services that will fall within similar categories

As a result of me referring my clients to the financial institution I will earn a referral fee initially once the client has signed up and in some instances the fee will also be earned in annuity (on going). Is this referral fee that I will be earning halaal or haram on these products? Will it be permissible on certain products such as the medical aids and the long term investments? Please could evidence be provided from the Quran and or Hadith.

Q: My question is,"I am a young person doing my job. I suffered from crises of income. My company's policy has been changed that each worker should have a smart phone to do whatsapp of any competeter activity in the market. While I don't have that phone and I don't have the payment power to purchase that cell phone on cash. So, I decided to purchase that on installment but some persons are making me tense that it is interest.(Sood). Please guide me is it sood?

Q: If a house is under the spell and effect of magic and jinn and if, for this reason, the houseowner wants to sell it out, hiding from the buyer the fact that magic and expecting a good rate from him, would it be permissible for him to do so?

Q: I have recently been thinking about investing in the sewage business. My plan was to purchase two sewage tankers (vehicles) and signing contract with companies that need removal of sewage. The work that I want to do would be completely legal and professional. However someone told me that sewage business is haram in Islam which is why I want to first ask before making any step as I don't want to earn from a Haram source.

Q: My Question is as follows. I want to start selling items on a website called etsy.com. It is a website were people can sell handmade items. The way it will work is that the website charges you a small fixed fee to list the item and then they take 3.5percent of the sale price once the item is sold. Also people can pay through paypal and they can pay with a credit card which means it they will be buying on account which will then be an interest transaction for them. Alot of people sell other items, some of which is haraam and alot of other stuff has to with other religions. It is permissible to sell through this website and would it be a wholesome way to earn a living or will it be better to find other avenues to sell goods?

Q: Can I buy any business property where the main business holder (who wants to sell his business now) took bank loan for his business?

Q: I earn money through marketing and selling health products online. Is this allowed in Islam?

Q: I'd like to buy and sell items which will be imported. I won't be importing bulk but rather will advertise an item and buy it once I have an order for that particular item. I will be charged about R285 to import. So if I buy an item that costs e.g. R300 my total will be R300+R285=R585. And i'll add a profit to it. e.g.R50 which will make the item R635. I'd like to know if this is permissible Islamically? And if I have 2 orders, each will pay R635 but since the order will go in at the same time I'll end up with more than R50 profit.

Q: I am a farmer and supply milk to shops. Almost all the other farmers sell their milk at a low price because they add water to the milk. The customers are aware of this as well. If I sell my milk without water, nobody will buy it because it will be more expensive than the milk with the water. If I inform my customers and mutually agree with them to add water to the milk, will it be permissible?

Q: I have purchased tomato sauce for resale; however, the tomato sauce is past the manufacturer’s best before date. I am in the food industry for the past 20 years and I know that the tomato sauce will not go bad by the date reflected by the manufacturer. In fact, the item is still good for another one year after the best before date. I wish to get the item tested by an independent food technologist and then adjust the date on the packaging to the date the independent food technologist recommends. Will it be permissible for me to adjust the date or will this fall under deception?