Interest and Gambling

Q: Is an income benefit/provider insurance policy allowed whereby one will receive an income if disabled and cannot work. At the age of retirement the policy will lapse with no benefit.

Q: An online store offers a discount, say 10%, if the buyer pays using a credit card. The discount is not available if the buyer pays using other means such as a debit card. Following are the questions:

1. Is it jaiz to avail this discount?

2. If it is not jaiz to avail this discount then what should the buyer do in case he has already availed this discount in the past?

3. If the only mode of payment offered by the store is credit card and a discount is being offered on a specific card, say VISA, then will it be jaiz to make payment using this credit card?

Q: I want to apply to study in Canada and for this purpose I need a GIC certificate. A GIC is an account which I will open in a Canadian bank to show that I can bear their living expenses. When I go to Canada, they will refund me my funds within a given period of time along with interest. As a Muslim, interest is completely prohibited in Islam. What should I do?

Q: My bank credits me every quarterly with interest money in my account. What can I do with this amount? Can I donate it to any Islamic madrasa? If not, can you please tell me about this issue.

Q: Please can you assist with the following questions?

1. I have a *hajj account* as well as a *cheque account* with Al Baraka bank. The amount grows as per the profits the bank makes. Is this acceptable according to shariat? Should I cancel all growth and just keep the amount as is?

2. I have opened up an account with FNB shariat compliant for my son. He was given a lot of gifts Alhamdulillah, therefore we have kept all his monetary wealth in an FNB shariat compliant account. The amount in the account will grow. Is this acceptable? Should I rather ask the bank to stop all growth and let the amount stay as is?

3. Do I have to pay zakaat considering the wealth in my hajj account also? 

Q: My question is about gambling. In my country, we have something called Big Sweep.

How to play:
1. Buy a ticket at $3 each.
2. Draws on every first Wednesday of each month at 6pm.

Results:
If your ticket number matches any of the 133 winning seven-digit numbers drawn, you win a prize of at least $1,000 and up to $2.3 million. If the last two digits of your ticket number match any of the nine winning two-digit numbers drawn, you win $6.

Is this considered gambling? Many of my Muslim friends are playing. 

Q: Where can I spend bank interest money, cashbacks, etc.? Can I donate this money to charity?

Q: My question is about the UK student loans. I took out the loan to go to university not knowing back then that it was haraam. The UK student finance does't require you to pay anything back until you earn above a certain amount. However it does start taking interest from day one of the loan being given. I have now started a job and will have to pay back the loan which is taken out of my salary every month. 

My question is whether it is better for me to try and save up and get rid of the loan as soon as possible or is it ok if I continue paying as it is as the loan gets wiped off after 30 years. Either way I am paying interest.

The first option means I get rid off my debt as soon as possible, whilst the second one means that I may end up not even paying back as much as I borrowed as the loan gets woed out after 30 years. Whilst pursuing the second option I would contribute more to charirty inshaAllah. I need advise on which path is better.

Q: Person A has a bond on his home (home loan). Person B has interest money. Can person B give this interest money to person A to pay off his bond.

Q: A few months ago, a technology company that makes and profits off smartphones and other devices (Apple) partnered with a US bank to offer a credit card.

The bank is responsible for all of the banking aspects, and the credit card is like any other one from a consumer perspective, offering cashbacks and rewards for certain purchases. However, these rewards are decided by the technology company, not the bank, such as discounts when purchasing that company's own products.

Given the the card is offered by a technology company, it's possible that the company pays for the difference instead of the bank. This would mean that unlike traditional cards, this one may not be paying for the discounts using interest earnings. Would using the benefits of this credit card be permissible?