Business and Dealings

Encouraging people towards justice and righteousness in a democratic country

Q:

1. Is a Muslim sinful staying under a democracy in South Africa which promotes so much of wrong and atrocities against Deen and Allah?

2. What is the verdict of democracy in the light of Quraan and Sunnah?

3. Should Muslims speak out against the harms of democracy. If so then how?

4. Allah says in the Quraan that complete authority is only for Allah so is it permissible for us to keep quiet against democracy which promotes man's laws and man created legislation?

5. In countries like Pakistan who have permitted riba which is directly against the commands of Allah, is that equal to Kufr?

6. The people of democracy such as NATO want the restriction of Islam. They don't mind if Muslims are living but the moment someone speaks about establishing Islam then they are physically prepared to wage war with them as we have seen in Afghanistan. Hence, is democracy considered as a tool of Shaytaan considering the fact they don't want Islam to spread? Afghanistan has attempted to establish Islam and when America lost the war, they began placing restrictions and sanctions.

7. We are living in a democracy, should we be speaking about the harms of it? If yes, please advise how should we speak out against it?

8. Which books and resources can we refer to, to speak against democracy.

Selling items using the odd pricing strategy and not giving change

Q: There's a trend among large retailers of using a marketing strategy called odd pricing, eg. $4.99, instead of $5. This is based on the psychological trickery of making a price more appealing. Muslim informal traders have now adopted this same strategy.

Firstly: Is this allowed, considering the origin and deceitful nature.

Secondly: These Muslim traders accept the full amount of $5. Unlike the large retailers, who give your change, the Muslim traders offer no change to the customer. This price is sometimes $199, and when accepting $200, no change is offered. Is this permissible? Surely, this is a form of stealing. At the very least, trickery.

When called out, they offer 'Urf as an excuse, saying this is the general usage in a community. However, the retailers who use this strategy gives the customer his due change. So it does not equate to the same.

Printing personal work using the office printer

Q: I used to print my personal stuff from the office printer as everyone else also did. It is okay to print some amount but I took it too far and printed too much and now I feel guilty. Can I ask my boss if I can print personal things but actually the permission is for things I previously printed or should I confess? I also did this in my previous job. I want to repent properly.