Business and Dealings

Detergent leaking after placing the bottle in one's trolley

Q: Recently, while in a supermarket, I picked up a bottle of detergent and placed it in my trolley to purchase it.

A few minutes later, I saw that the bottle was leaking as the lid had not been screwed on completely. Approximately one quarter of the liquid had leaked out.

I left the bottle on the shelf, paid for my other items and left. It thereafter occurred to me that when I had picked up the detergent with the intention of purchase, I became liable for it. However, either the manufacturer or supermarket had not screwed the lid on correctly, and that was not my fault.

Am I responsible for the item? Should I return to the store and compensate them for it?

Holding the customer liable for breaking an item

Q: I own a shop that sells ornaments, glassware, crockery, etc.

Often, customers pick up items to examine them and then drop them accidentally, causing them to break.

Similarly, customers sometimes place items in their trolley to purchase, but then drop another item on top of the first item, causing it to become damaged. The customer then says that they don't want the item because it's damaged.

In the above two situations, can I hold the customer liable for the item and charge him for it?

Taking a longer maternity leave

Q: I am a college teacher. My winter break started from 23 Dec 2018 to 18 Feb 2019. I delivered a baby girl on 26th Dec 2018, just three days after the start of the winter break. I am entitled to 6 months maternity leave.

Can I submit the said leave after my winter vacation is over so that I will get 6 months more with my baby? The leave rules in our state mention that maternity leave can be availed a little before delivery or after delivery. Is it wrong if I show my delivery date a month later in my documents?

Earning from an item one purchased with haraam money

Q: I used to make money by promoting un-Islamic cartoons. I used that money to buy a laptop. From that laptop I learned and make applications/ programs. Now I get a lot of money from the apps I made. My income now is halaal insha-Allah, but the problem is, my laptop was bought with haraam money.

What is the status of my income now? What about the knowledge I got when using the laptop? Is the money I generated, and the apps I made, all haraam? How do I repent and cleanse my profit/income?