Interest and Gambling

Using interest money to pay import duties

Q: Can interest money be used to pay the import duty, taxes, anti-dumping (AD), and countervailing duties (CVD) which a government levies on imported goods?

Anti-Dumping Duties (AD): "A protectionist tariff that a domestic government imposes on foreign imports that it believes are priced below fair market value...They come into play when a foreign company is selling an item significantly below the price at which it is being produced. The logic behind anti-dumping duties is to save domestic jobs, although critics argue that this leads to higher prices for domestic consumers and reduces the competitiveness of domestic companies producing similar goods." [http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/anti-dumping-duty.asp#ixzz3ZkRuXZqq]

Countervailing Duties (CVD): Countervailing duties (CVDs), also known as anti-subsidy duties, are trade import duties imposed under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules to neutralize the negative effects of subsidies. They are imposed after an investigation finds that a foreign country subsidizes its exports, injuring domestic producers in the importing country." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countervailing_duties]

Father insuring the son's car

Q: A young man gets a car from his father. The car is registered on the father's name though. The father takes out insurance on the car against the young man's wishes. The young man meets in an accident costing 50 000 for the panel beaters. Now he has to claim from insurance since that's what the father had been paying for etc. Later, the cars window gets broken, the young man wants to pay for it with his own money to avoid getting involved in haram insurance, the father gets it repaired with insurance. Through this the young man had to become involved in the transaction because he had to take the car in, get quotes etc, because it's his car, would his involvement in this respect be sinful? What should he have done otherwise

Taking a profit against a loan

Q: I need my cousin to invest 50 000 for a service that I offer which is finding clients for private electricity pay as you go meters. My cousin is asking me to pay him back with extra benefits (cash) which I think is above the loan amount. Is there a special deal we can make to meet his requirements because I really need this as capital or is borrowing from absa shariah loans a better way to go?

Gambling

Q: I used to play cricket but I want to ask that some of our team boys gamble on every match. I don't, but I want to know that is it good to play in such a match where two players are gambling? They don't demand any money from us. 

Paying interest due to late payment

Q: My question is regarding my university tution. I have paid the first semester fee which was 4000 euros, and events occurred just before the second semester began which led me to consider my place at the university institute I was in. I therefore spent the first few weeks of the second semester pondering over what to do next, before eventually deciding on staying. During that time, the deadline for second semester payments had passed and the university began charging late fees, and I was aware that this would be the case before the deadline; however I wasn't aware until after the deadline had passed that the charging of late fees was equivalent of riba. I will try and speak with someone at the university to Insha Allah reduce the fees to a normal price, but if  after speaking with an individual at the university and being refused my request, I paid the late fee, would I be sinful for doing so?

Charging an extra fee for late payment

Q: I go to university and the university have said that the fees for the second semester will be 4000 euros, and they announced a deadline by which the money had to be paid by, and they said that anyone wishing to pay the money after this period of time would have to pay 4000 euros and a small percentage of the original fee on top, and the extra fee that will be paid will increase every day after the deadline day. So for example, if I paid three days over the deadline the university would charge me 4003 euros and if I paid 7 days I would be charged 4007 euros and 8 days would be 4008 euros etc. If i was to pay after their deadline, would this considered to be riba, despite the fact that I am not borrowing money from a bank to pay the fee?