Business and Dealings

Mechanic fixing beer trucks

Q: I'm a Muslim and I work in a truck company. I'm responsible for all the mechanics in the trucks. Now we started working with a beer company called Heineken in Mozambique. I don't drink and I don't like to be involved with alcohol. I'm the one responsible for all trucks to be on the road.

My question is, is that job permissible for me?

Restaurant charging the customer a plate sharing fee

Q: In some restaurants, if a person orders a dish and wishes to share it with someone else at his table (e.g. a husband and wife order a dish and both wish to share it instead of ordering separate dishes), the restaurant will charge the second person a ‘plate sharing fee’. If the second person does not pay this fee, they will not be allowed to share in the dish of the first person. In Islam, is it permissible to charge a plate sharing fee?

Istisnaa sale

Q: Can you work for a shop which shows their clients samples of blinds and thereafter they acquire it for them? I don't think the shop owners understand that it is not permissible for one to sell something which one does not possess.

Restraint of trade agreement

Q: I would like to know if a restraint of trade agreement is permissible in an Islamic sale.

Example: I am selling my cellphone business to Zaid. In the sale agreement a clause is added that I, the seller, is not allowed to trade in the same field of business for a stipulated period (e.g. 5 years). Will such a clause be permissible? If not will the adding of such a clause nullify the entire sale? Or will the clause be impermissible and the rest of the sale be correct?

Specializing in computer vision

Q: I am a computer science PhD and I want to specialize in Computer Vision. Please allow me to explain what this does with examples:

1. Self-driving cars use computer vision techniques to "perceive" the surroundings and make decisions (avoid passengers, avoid trees, recognize road sighs, etc.)

2. Security camera uses computer vision for smart, precise facial recognition (not the blurry survey cams)

While these seem to be permissible, it is important to know that this technique is built upon (especially for self-driving cars):

- use camera/sensor to gather data (mostly images/photos/other data) --> cleanly visualize the image by rebuilding the images in 3D--> construct math model for the images --> provide instruction for next move.

As you can see, in order for it to work researchers and engineers must take photos with cameras on car. They also need to build 3D models in computer of human, cars, animals, trees, etc. It is well-known that takings photos, making images, and 3D images of human beings is haraam (not permissible), even though the technology (computer vision) is extremely useful, even for Muslims and Muslim countries (the applications are too many to be named).

Can I study this field and work in this field?