Interest and Gambling

Q: I wrote a poem describing a scene of nature that I submitted to a large (non-Muslim) poetry competition. I came second place and have won R500. My poem will also be published in a poetry collection that will be distributed. There was no entrance fee for this competition. (1) Is the money I have won permissible? (2) Is it correct for me to get into these things - albeit not seriously and only occasionally - for perhaps some part-time income etc.? This would include writing poems, short essays, descriptive passages on nature, the rain, the environment, the effects of pollution and similar topics. Maybe these topics have some Deeni benefit and are not futile. I do not know. I think I am quite good in writing on these things as well. Please help me and correct my understanding.

Q: Is Islamic banking across GCC correct? they are referring to profit rate for car loan etc. Is this the same as interest? Am I safe to purchase a car through Islamic banking profit rate that they are referring. Bank says it is as per Shari'ah. Please help to sort this doubt as I am about to purchase a car and since I cannot afford full payment, I am preferring Islamic banking. Will I be in danger?

Q: If I received interest money in my bank account and didn't get rid of it and spent it without thinking. Can I make amends by giving some money (closest to the amount of interest I may have got, can't be sure) to charity without the intention of reward?

Q: I have an account in which I am receiving interest based on available balance every month. Every month, I separate this amount and set it aside without using it. Recently, I have been charged a municipality fine. Can I pay this fine from this interest amount?

Q: I bought a car in India by bank finance 8 month ago. Now I realised that it is haram and I have no money to pay off the loan at once and now I want to sell the car but the bank does not allow me to sell the car (because the owner is still the bank) until I pay off the loan. But (secretly) if I sell the car under the condition that when I pay off the loan I will transfer the registration to the customer in writing and now the customer has to give the instalments monthly to me for the next 6 years 4 month (but the bank take it automatically from my account from my salary because the bank does not know him). Then will I be relieved from interest (because the car is in my name and I am still involved in it).

Q: I recently had an accident and the insurance of the person responsible is paying me for the repair of my car. The amount that they are paying is according to the quote I gave them which I got from the panel beaters. I did not ask the panel beater to inflate his quote. If I now manage to get the panel beater to reduce his price, can I keep the extra money or do I have to return it to the insurance company?

Q: There is a soccer tournament taking place in a neighbouring town, and up to 8 teams are invited to participate. Each team has to pay an 'affiliation/entry' fee of R2800 in order to participate. The winning team receives prize money of R4500. The team that comes out 2nd receives R2000. The rest of the teams do not receive any money. Apart from all the other contentious issues (such as the covering of the satr, intermingling of genders etc), is the way in which this event is structured permissible?

Q: I need to open a current account at a conventional bank. This particular type of current account comes with a R2000 funeral cover. Whilst this R2000 will be ignored by my family when I die, can I still open this type of account?

Q: I would like to find out regarding Medical Aid, is it permissible ? If so what type of Medical aids are permissible? Are there any alternatives if not permissible?

Q: If I loan someone money, for example, I loan someone R10 and we agree that they will pay me R15 in 10 months time, R5 more than what I loaned them, is that extra money considered interest?