Government

Q: Can mufti saheb provide guidance on the following two questions regarding taking part in democratic elections: 

​1. Is voting in a democratic election regarded as a religious obligation (such as Amr bil Ma'ruf wa Nahy anil Munkar), and is it correct to cite Surah Ali imran (3:110) as a proof for the permissibility or necessity of voting? ​

2. From a Fiqhi perspective, is a vote regarded as a form of shahadah (testimony) where the voter bears witness before Allah Ta'ala regarding the candidate's character and eligibility of leadership?

Q: Could a parliament (not elected, more similar to China) exist in a caliphate as a structured form of shura or would enforcing shura be against the sharia?

Q: If the state forcibly buys out housing in the city center from residents and evicts them to the outskirts in order to build new luxury buildings on that land and then sell them to new buyers, is such a transaction considered nāfidh (legally effective)? 

Is the work of a real estate agent selling these apartments lawful? Is the purchase of these apartments by new residents lawful, or does the sin and illegality rest only on the developer who organized all of this and promoted his interests among government officials (obviously through bribes)?

Q: Most countries today have set the legal minimum age of marriage at 18 or higher. In light of the hadith commanding obedience to those in authority so long as it is not in disobedience to Allah, does this mean that we as Muslims are required to follow these laws regarding marriage age? What is the opinion of majority scholars?

Q: Taking the current situation of the Muslims in Palestine into consideration, should we be boycotting items like Coke, etc.?

Q: My friend's mother was a victim of domestic abuse. She separated from her ex husband and applied for benefits in UK. In UK, you have to tell the state if you have any property abroad. She has a house and land abroad but she did not mention it to benefits at that time maybe due to distress or confusion, etc. 

Anyways, now after a few years she has realized she did not give the correct info to benefits. She was told if she reports herself to state then she will get her benefits cut or she may not get benefits for 3 years. She may end up going to prison and will have to return some or all the money she took from state. 

She cares for 2 disabled children and she also herself is ill. If her benefits stop, she will be in great hardship. 

She is thinking of taking her part of inheritance from the home and land and donating it. Would that suffice? 

Is it ok if she doesn't tell the state about her mistake because if she does then the consequences are too dire? 

Can she continue to claim benefits on false info? If she can't claim, she will end up in very hard circumstances. 

Her son also claims benefits and he also never told the state about this but he said he will only inherit property and land after his mother passes away. So he has no right over that property. So he does not have to declare that. Is his take correct? 

What should this family do in this situation?

Q: I have a question regarding the government sassa grant.

I have a stable job alhamdulillah, my wife is a housewife and we are not zakaatable alhamdulillah.

Can I receive the grant for my child?

Q: I am a housewife/stay at home mother. 

My husband is doing his aalim studies and does not work, thus he does not have a set income. However, he is not zakaatable and neither am I. 

Is it permissible for us to apply for the Sassa Grant which is R370 per month?

Q: Is it permissible for a person to get a child grant from the government for each of his children. This person is not poor, rather he has an average income.

The reason why he's doubting this is that the child grant is for children whose parents are earning less than R4000. However, he is earning more than that.