Valid & Invalid transactions

Round Tripping

Q: Many businesses today engage in something called “round tripping”. What they do is purchase goods, thereafter they mark the goods for export and claim the vat back, while the actual goods are not exported but are instead sold locally.

From my understanding, in the process, there are lies spoken (lying to suppliers by saying that the goods are going over the border), bribes are given (a payment is made to border officials and revenue officials to stamp documents and release payments from the revenue services) and corruption is taking place. Is this practice allowed in Islam and is it permissible for us to purchase from these businesses?

Reselling an item at a higher price

Q: My husband is working in a private Afghan company that stores oil for America. Sometimes the Americans ask my husband for some goods like paint, furniture or other things. My husband asks the price from the shopkeeper and buys the goods then gives the goods with an increased price to the Americans.

For example, the furniture price is 300 dollars and my husband gives the price as 500 dollars, even the Americans know the real price but they accept the price that my husband gives.

I told my husband that this money is haram but he says that I am not their employee, I work for another company. They ask me to buy goods for them and I give them a quotation then they buy it. This is business. I don't directly tell them that I increased the price but they know. They accept it because they trust me and they need one person to do their work for them since they can't directly buy those things. I spend my time and effort for them in getting those things so the money is not haram. Kindly tell me whether the money my husband charges them is haram or halal. 

Selling animals to an abattoir that pays according to the weight of the animal after slaughter

Q: Is it permissible for a Muslim farmer to sell his animals to an abattoir that will pay him only after they slaughter and skin etc.? Nowadays, most abattoirs first slaughter the animal. They then grade the meat and accordingly pay the price on the hook. The price per kg is fixed e.g. A grade R40/kg, B grade R30/kg, C grade R20/kg. Is this sale permissible due to the price of the animal being unknown at the time of the sale? Will the ruling change if both parties are willing and agree, and generally this doesn’t lead to any problems as this has become the norm in dealing with abattoirs? If not, is there a way to make the sale valid such as the farmer making the abattoir his representative or leaving the animals by the abattoir and making them responsible without concluding the sale? How would it work out in the situation where the abattoir is non-Muslim owned?

Deceiving people in business

Q: My aunt gave me a business idea that firstly I should sell food with good fillings like I should sell pizza with some good amount of filling and as soon as people would start buying it more, then at that time I should use less fillings for the pizza. Is this considered fraud, even though I didn't appreciate her or said that her idea is right. So is my aunt doing fraud - sin?

Earning by deceiving people through fake websites

Q: I am an Internet marketer I have been working since 4-5 years as a marketer. Let me explain to you what kind of work I do? Also, I want to know if its income is haram or halal.

First thing, I buy a domain, I pay for hosting and create a site, its actually a fake site which contain content like Free Super Market Coupon, Free Movie Tickets, Free Airline tickets. What my site says to visitors is that they will get a coupon if they share the site with friends. Actually they never win a coupon, its a fake site created by me, when they share the site, they get redirected to an offer page, which has an image of a coupon on the back and tells the user to register or fill in a survey to get the coupon. When they fill in the survey or register with that offer I get a lead like $1 - $2 for each user. When the user shares the site with someone or if a visitor shares the site with their friends and they also visit the same site, they also share it, so my site goes viral. I want to know whether earning like this is haram or halal? 

Muslim newspaper publishing adverts of stores that sell haraam products

Q: I am a publisher of magazines and have now entered into newspaper publishing. There are businesses that wish to have their adverts appear in our publications e.g. haraam butcheries, supermarkets advertising alcohol and the people that claim to “bring back lost love” and other claims to the supernatural. Am I allowed to publish these kinds of adverts?

Ownership of a property that was registered under someone else's name

Q: My father purchased 10 shops in our country while he was in USA. Due to his trouble travelling back to have it registered in his name he told his father to have it recorded on his name and he would transfer it once he comes back. Few years passed and the father passed away. After that there were family issues and they transferred the owner ship from the fathers name to his brothers named. Now when his status is good to travel and his family has grown Alhumdulilah, he wants the property back onto his name. Now all the brothers and sisters are saying that it is their father's property as it was under his name. My father has proof of payment and everything but yes, unfortunately the property was under his father's name and not his name. He always mentioned to his father that one day I will have it under my name but never could. Now, can he ask for the property back as he is the one who purchased it.