Interest and Gambling

Q:

1. What is the status of permissibility with regard to student loans? Here in Australia, we have the option of paying back all or some of the loan, but it has some form of interest (indexing) applied to it. These loans are usually taken out by university students.

2. What about those who have already taken out a loan and do not wish to pay back? The Australian law requires a re-payment of the loan incrementally in the form of income tax, which only becomes mandatory if and when the debtor is earning above a minimum yearly salary.

Q: May I use interest money to pay airport taxes?

Q: If a person is in need of a car and he does not have the money to pay for it, can he buy it through bank finance?

Q: Can interest money be used to pay off traffic fines?

Q: We would like to know what's Mufti saabs commentary on FnB Islamic banking?

Q: I checked my bank statement and I realized that I consumed interest money unconsciously. What should I do to expiate it?

Q: Our company has a pension fund that has various portfolios options of which one is a shariah compliant option. The problem is that the fund is loosing so much on my money monthly. Do you continue loosing money or place it in a safe interest bearing portfolio?

Q: Sending this on behalf of someone: If I buy a property and the bank finances it and I pay a set amount plus interest every month to the bank, is it halaal or haraam?

Q: Vodacom (mobile service provider) introduced something called Play Everyday. It involves playing a game at a cost of R1, wherein you can win different sorts of prizes like airtime or mobile data. Whether you win or not is randomly calculated. Is this permissible or is it a form of gambling?

Q: Is it permissible to take out riba in order to avoid becoming homeless? I am a revert muslimah that quit college to avoid taking out more riba but I have yet to find a job and will soon be homeless since there is no family or friends I can stay with. My student loans were large enough to support me the entire semester with a part time job but since im not in school I have no job (it was a student job) and no more money. The Qur'an is very clear on riba but what else do I do? I already asked for money from my local musjid.