Q: I work for an engineering consulting firm. Our fees are mainly derived from consulting services for clients.

The firm is owned in a trust with the employees being the shareholders. The employees are allocated ‘shares’ based on their length of service and seniority in the firm. The employees do not buy any shares when entering into the firm, and neither do they sell any shares when leaving. Rather, the shares are merely allocated to them for the duration of their employment.

Every six months, a portion of surplus cash is allocated as profit and distributed amongst the employees according to their allocation of shares. The amount will be dependant on the performance of the company and the cash balance available at the time of allocation. No other bonus/13th cheque is paid. This profit share is over and above the regular salary that each employee receives.

Is this type of employment contract permissible?

Q: I own a gym and I am also a qualified fitness trainer. I have kept my facility segregated i.e. I have different timings for ladies and gents. However, people frequently ask me why I have kept it segregated. What should I tell them?

Also, I have a question regarding training my clients. Someone contacted me and requested me to provide training services in their home for their elderly parents as his parents are very sick and old and can't come to my gym. What is the ruling regarding training the opposite gender? Is there a separate ruling for women who are elderly? Is there a separate ruling if the husband of the old woman is present or not?  

Q: Is it considered Sadaqatul Jaariya if I purchase a Quraan audio reciter device and whenever anyone listens to the Quraan from this device during my lifetime and after my death I will get thawaab?

Q: I’ve recently received a message saying that Quraan reading groups are not permissible in Islaam.

About 2 years ago I asked a few of my female relatives and friends if they’d like to join me in a Quraan group. We each get 2 weeks to read a para. If someone cannot manage that week we wait for them or assist them. If people find that they no longer want to be on the group they are welcome to enter and leave freely. This is purely administrated in Whatsapp and not together in person.

We have all come together with the sole purpose of reading Quraan more regularly for the pleasure of Allah and nothing else. The group acts more as a reminder to read Quraan and not forcing people to read as it is entirely up to each member.

As the group started many members found it helpful as the reminders assisted them in making time in their daily lives where as some people had previously not read Quraan throughout the year except for Ramadaan.

Being part of the group has helped me and many others form love for reading Quraan regularly.

Please advise if it will be possible for us to continue reading our para every 2 weeks as a group with these reminders. If we need to make any changes to how we run the group then that can be done ‎إن شاء الله‎‎ Our intention is solely for the pleasure of Allah.

Q: If someone commits sodomy with his cousin brother (his mother's brother's son ). Will this nullify his parents marriage?

Q: Should a masbooq stand up for completing his missed rakaah after the imaam has done the first salaam, or should he wait for the imaam to also complete the second salaam?

Q: I missed the first rakaah in a jamaat salaah. When the imaam said salaam to the right, I mistakenly also made salaam, but I did not do salaam to the left. Did I have to do sajdah sahw after completing my missed rakaah because of this mistake?

Q: Kindly advise me on a suitable Islamic name. At least 3 names for a baby girl and at least 3 names for a baby boy.

Q: If a husband says to his wife, "How can I live without you?" to express his love for his wife, is there any problem?

Q: When you follow the imam in zuhr and asr salaah, and the silent rakaats of the other salaah, what must we read?