Cutting off lights and water from a tenant until overdue rent is paid
Q: Can I cut off lights and water from a tenant until overdue rent is paid?
Business and Dealings
Slowing down one's meter if one is being overcharged
Q: Exorbitant prices are being charged for water and electricity. Many times we are overcharged due to power surges and air flow through the water meter causing the meters to reflect higher than the actual usage. There are ways of slowing down the meter causing it to reflect less than the actual usage. Will it be permissible to adopt such methods?
Paying a tenant to move out to avoid further losses
Q: I have a tenant who is several months in arrears. In order to get the tenant out and avoid further losses, I tell the tenant that if you find another premises and move out within a month, I will pay you R5000. Is such an agreement permissible?
Purchasing a vehicle with a warranty
Q: I wish to purchase a second hand vehicle from a dealer. All vehicles are sold with warranty. Vehicle is selling for 100k. However, it is mentioned that the price of the vehicle is R85000 and the price of the warranty is R15000 but the vehicle cannot be purchased without the warranty. Will such a purchase be permissible?
Confirming with the supplier the payment term for early payment discount
Q: I was receiving a 2.5% early payment discount. I contacted my Sales Representative and explained regarding the 2,5% discount not being allowed for me and to amend my pricing structure.
1. I wanted to know if I should continue to make payment deducting that amount and then paying it over to the poor or some other institute that takes interest monies while my pricing structure is being amended?
Holding the log book of a car as collateral
Q: Can I hold the log book of a car as collateral until I receive full payment?
Handling haraam products in one's work
Q: I would like for a detailed explanation to hand to my manager.
I started working for a company and they asked me the other day if I could help set up for a meeting. I said sure but I’m not touching the food as it was meat etc. bought from woolies which is haraam. They said okay that’s fine but I said I would put the fruit in the bowl because I’m allowed to eat that and it’s not haraam.
After the meeting was over I was called in by my manager and she said that it’s my job to do it so isn’t there another way, but I don’t want to touch this haraam food because I never have and I don’t want to compromise my religion.
Also an important thing to note is that there are two Muslim ladies at the work and they do not wear hijab, they allow the men to touch and hug them and they touch this haraam meat and just wash their hands after but I do not do this and don’t want to do it. So I think they probably think I’m being a snob and trying to get out of doing my job but that is not the case.
Please can you give me a detailed explanation so that I can provide them with the proper reasonings so I don’t ever have to touch the haraam meat even with the gloves.
Islamic profit share of an Islamic FNB cheque account
Q: I have a Islamic FNB cheque account that comes with an Islamic pocket savings account that gives me an Islamic profit share every month.
1. Is this Islamic profit share halaal?
2. I use this Islamic pocket savings account to store my money and to keep it safe, and every month I transfer what money I need for the month into my main account from it, so if anyone steals my card they can only steal that month's money and not all of my money, and this also helps me budget my money. If the profit share from this account is haram, do I have to close down my main account (the pocket savings account is tied to it), or must I not have any money in the pocket savings account and leave it empty, or can I just not use the Islamic profit share but keep all my money in the pocket savings account?
3. If the Islamic profit share is haraam but I can keep the account but just not use the profit, can I use the profit share to pay taxes?
Bypassing the estate agent when purchasing a property
Q: Is it permissible to bypass an estate agent in purchasing a property?
Example, I see a property for sale on their website/see their board outside the property. I then go directly to the seller and do a private deal with them, to avoid getting the estate agent involved and to avoid paying them commission. Is this permissible?
Selling a leather jacket made from pig skin
Q: If a person owned a leather jacket and found out it was made from pig skin, can that jacket be sold to a non-Muslim and the funds be used to purchase another item?