Q: Can I perform Salaah if I have a little spray on my nail?

Q: I would like to know if my daughter from my first marriage and my brother in-law from my second marriage are haraam for each other? Can they get married? Just need clarification as to whether they are uncle and niece or not?

Q: In our country is it necessary to pay income tax. If one does not pay the tax from his salary or money, then will that money become haraam?

Q: I have attended many funeral gathering where I see that when the gents of the house carry the janaaza to take away for namaaz-e-janaaza, all the ladies gathered over there stand up. I want to know whether it is just a custom or this action has any relation to deen.

Q: I run a small Madrasah from home. Is it permissible for me take a once off non-refundable admission/registration fee?

Q: In beheshti zewar it is mentioned that for a lady to be the Imam with another lady muqtadi is makrooh-e-tahrimi. A hafiza wants to make her Khatam in taraweeh Salaah in Ramadan, but her dohr is not strong and she needs someone to correct her mistakes. Will it still be makrooh for her sibling to read with her and correct her mistakes?

Q: I'm sitting in iddah. May I please know whether I can dye my hair or go to a dentist?

Q: I would like to know if some Aalim gave a taweez and said put this in water and drink it and Allah Ta'ala will give you shifa, whether it is allowed in Islam to write taweez. If you can give me a reference from Qur'an or Sunnah about taweez.

Q: I wish to sell items via an online platform, BidorBuy. Buyers make payment directly to Bidorbuy. They then make the funds available to the Seller for payout. Bidorbuy takes a 1.5% cut of the sale as a commission. As a Seller, I am allowed to choose which payment methods I can make available for potential Buyers. Please advise on their permissibility (questions 1 - 6):

1. BobPay EFT BobPay EFT is available to Sellers provided they can receive payout requests into a South African bank account. Bidorbuy receives the EFT transfer from the Buyer and the Bidorbuy account of the Seller is then credited with this amount, minus the bank fees charged by Bidorbuy (currently set at 5% per transaction).

2. BobBucks BobBucks are Bidorbuy vouchers. Buyers are able to purchase items using BobBucks from Sellers who offer BobPay EFT. As far as Sellers are concerned, the BobBucks voucher credit will be treated in the same way as a BobPay EFT. The funds are credited to the Sellers' Bidorbuy account and they may request a payout. BobBucks will automatically be offered alongside BobPay EFT as a payment option. If Buyers purchase items valued at more than the BobBucks voucher, they will need to pay a top-up payment using other payment methods. If they purchase items valued at less than the BobBucks voucher, the 'change' will remain in their BobBucks account for them to use the next time they choose to.

3. BobPay Credit Card The BobPay Credit Card payment system allows Sellers to accept credit card payments from Buyers. Bidorbuy receives the credit card payment and the Bidorbuy account of the Seller is then credited with this amount, minus the bank fees charged by Bidorbuy (currently set at 5% per transaction). Sellers should note the risk of charge backs. The Seller ultimately takes the risk for reversal of the transaction in case the credit card was used fraudulently (a charge back can take place up to 180 days after the transaction).

4. Discovery Miles Buyers with Discovery Miles (which they earn with their Discovery Credit card) can shop on Bidorbuy and pay for items from Sellers that accept Discovery Miles.

5. PayLater PayLater facilitates loans up to R8000 through a third party registered credit provider. PayLater is only available to selected Sellers with a good track record on Bidorbuy. As soon as the Buyer's loan is approved, the funds will be matched to the relevant order in the Seller's Bidorbuy account.

6. Escrow service This involves using a trusted agent who keeps the money until the Buyer signals that the payment may be released to the Seller. Should there be any dispute, then the escrow company intervenes returning the money to the Buyer after the goods have been returned to the Seller, if applicable. This method is rather costly for Sellers and is occasionally used for high value transactions.

***

7. As a Seller, I have to request a payout of the money in my Bidorbuy account. May I withdraw money in this manner, it is the only option:

Payout Requests

In order to withdraw funds that Bidorbuy is holding in your Bidorbuy account, you are required to make a payout request from the Bidorbuy website. Users have 1 free payout in a calendar month, regardless of the amount requsted. Thereafter a R5.00 BobPay transfer fee will be charged for any payout amount under R3,000.00. For amounts over R3,000.00, no BobPay transfer fee will be charged. If a user has used their 1 free payout and requests another payout below R3,000.00, the R5.00 BobPay transfer fee will be charged. If a user has R5.00 in their account, the system will not process the payment if a BobPay transfer fee is applicable.

A user can also not request less than R5.00 as a payout.

Q: Please can you guide me as to whether the name zaara / zara is permissible. I believe it does not necessarily have to be an Arabic name so long as it has a good meaning and is kept by Muslims mostly.