Permissible and impermissible items of trade

Giving secular tuition and selling secular textbooks and notes

Q:

1. Is it correct to give tuition to students studying at secular universities? It would involve a male giving tuition to other males only.

2. Is it correct to sell the notes, past papers and textbooks etc. for certain subjects at secular universities?

3. Is it correct to sell the notes, past papers and textbooks etc. for certain subjects at secular correspondence universities (like Unisa)?

All three questions above relate to permissible subjects viz., mathematics, accounting and computer programming.

Selling items which are not declared

Q: I buy burqas from south africa to sell it back in my country. Not in a shop but personally. Now the law at the airport in my country is that if we bring any types of items for sale we should declare it and pay a tax on it (if they allow us to take it back from them). If i do not declare as such and sell them will the income that i will receive halaal?

The ruling pertaining to things which are halaal and haraam

Q: Please advise if the sale of the following is permissible and the income halaal:

1. Recipe books that contain some recipes with haraam items listed as ingredients, like pork or wine.

2. Medical books that contain some haraam treatments/methods. For example, in addition to all permissible things, a book with a chapter on yoga.

3. Books on topics like "Productivity","Leadership Skills", "Having a better life", "How to raise children" etc. written by kuffar and with their ideologies.

4. Sporting equipment like cricket bats, soccer-balls, surfboards, table-tennis tables, dart boards etc.

5. Items with the flag of a non-Muslim country on it. For example, a cell phone cover, a key ring, a sandal etc.

6. Purely futile and useless items, like decorative vases, expensive ornaments, doilies etc.

7. A person points out that many Deobandi Masaajid have TV's installed for Salaah times and notices. He says that when such high ranking 'Ulama have allowed TV's to be put up in the Masjid, and we do not see any other Ulama objecting to it (and also Ulama continue giving bayaans and having programs at such Masaajid) then it is therefore permissible for one to sell TV's. He adds that if Masjid funds can be used to buy a TV to put up in a Masjid, then why can't he sell TV's as the dual purpose of the TV is now clear with its incorporation in even the Masjid. Is this correct?

Pet food

Q: I have a supermarket and I am a retailer of basic food and groceries. I would like to know if it is permissible for me to sell any pet food (dogs and cats) as none of the variants (tin or dry) are halaal certified. Also as a pet owner, is it permissible for me to store and feed my pets these meals (dry or in a can)?

Selling coffins

Q:

1) Is it permissible for a Muslim to sell coffins to:

a. Muslims?

b. Non-muslims?

2) The following categories of Muqtadis are present for a Jamaat Salaat:

•Mature males
•Immature males
•Mature females
•Immature females

What will be the order in which the sufoof (rows)  are arranged?