Business and Dealings

Q: I have 2 questions and please give me a satisfactory answer:

1. I am a teacher in Muscat and I need a car. I can't pay full price so decided to go to bank meethaq which is an Islamic bank as I don't want to pay interest. The car is of 9000 rials and they will finance up to 80% of the amount and I will pay 20% of it as  down payment. 20% of 9000 is 1800. So we have 7200 left and they lease it for 5 years but if I calculate the instalment, its 120 rial but they told me that it will be 140 rial and said that its the devaluation 3.3% we are charging which is allowed in Islam and is murabaha in Islam. So please tell me is it halaal or haraam?
2. I went to honda motors and they said that they have car of 9000 rials. I will pay 10% and the rest they will pay and they charge interest but its like buying furniture on instalments. They say that its profit for them. So please clear my doubts and need a quick reply

Q: I would like to find out if I enter a weight loss competition, can I do so, there is a fee to join? The winner will receive a portion of the fees collected.

Q: I'm born Muslim but never practised. I knew haram from halal but it meant nothing to me, which I really regret a lot now. My question is: I used to work as a flight attendant/cabin crew in a airline before, I used to have some flights where we served alcohol. "I quit a year ago" and started to searching for a halaal job and now I have a job, got married and some how make ends meet by the grace of Allah. Now when I need money for the rent and stuff out of the blue, after one whole year, I got a cheque from the same company for my final due payment. The cheque is pretty sweet but I don't know if its a blessing from Allah or a test. I'm going crazy behind this, and to top it up, I got to explain all this to my wife. please tell me what to do?

PS: The cheque is in two half's one part is where I served alcohol and the other where I did not. The benefits are combined though.

Q: Is it permissible to work as a wedding photographer? This will include taking photos of the bride, groom, guests, etc.

Q: What is the shar`ee ruling on eBucks points earned through the bank?

Q: I am a Muslim working with a non-Muslim in an exhibition show. He is selling antiques which relate to all religions e.g. Buddha statues, Christian crosses, items decorated with the names of Allah Ta'ala, etc.  My job is loading, unloading and security, and I keep these things in a showcase. Is my job with this man halaal or haraam?

Q: If a Muslim joins the Police Force or even Community Police Forums and other crime fighting groups within the law with the intention to eliminate fitnah, will there be any reward for it if he is killed while doing so? Will he become shahid?

Q: My question is about bank interest. If a person is receiving interest from a bank, can he use this interest for a poor girl's marriage?

Q: I would like to know if it would be Jaiz-correct to use interest-Riba money to pay for eTolls in Guateng.

The points to consider are the following :

1) There are no new roads that were built. These were all existing roads that have been improved by SANRAL.

2) The roads improvement were also done as part of the infrastructure improvement deal for the 2010 world-cup.

3) The alternative routes are not in a good condition and in most cases are not even suitable to be used as alternative routes to and fro from travel destinations.

4) The government already imposes high taxes and specific road taxes via the road levy that are paid via the price of fuel.

5) The consumer-citizen was not correctly consulted by the state to impose such fees on roads (via vote or poll) and the legislation was pushed through very aggressively by the ruling party and those that benefit financially from the eToll income.

6) The majority of the income from eToll leaves the country and is paid to a company in Europe.

7) The improvement of the roads has benefited movement of traffic in some areas, and eased congestion at some peak times.

8) The roads are more safe to drive on and are better lit up in certain areas at night.

As this is a current hot debate in our area, your URGENT attention and response thereof would be most highly appreciated.

Q: I work in an organisation named JKEDI which is an entrepreneurship development institute and its mission is to make youth self employed so that they attain financial independence as its very difficult to get a government job here and the unemployment rate is alarming. JKEDI trains entrepreneurs, offers business development services and provides them finance for starting their business by linking them to banks where they are charged interest and give loans directly also. I am working there as a trainer. I want to know whether my job is halaal or haraam. And in  case its haram, can I continue working here till I get another job or I should quit?