Business and Dealings

Working in the accounts department of a company that sells alcohol

Q: I am working in the accounts department of a company that has a chain of restaurants. In these restaurants, they also sell alcohol. I only work in the accounts department and I don’t sell alcohol, but I do upload invoices on to their system that have records of the alcohol sales. In this case, am I allowed to work at such a place? Will my earnings be halaal?

Vodacom Play Everyday promotion

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?

Permissible and impermissible tenants on one's property

Q: Is it permissible to leases one's premises to the following entities:

(1) A Muslim that sells electronics, including DVD movies and music CDs.

(2) A Muslim, male insurance broker.

(3) A Muslim, female accountant.

(4) A Muslim, female attorney.

(5) A non-Muslim, female General Practitioner (that will attend to both males and females.)

(6) A non-Muslim, female gynecologist.

(7) The offices of a non-Muslim government (including places like the Department of Home Affairs, Department of Labour, etc.)

(8) A Christian funeral parlor that, in addition to coffins, sells funeral plans.

(9) Two gays.

Helping students with their exam papers and homework

Q: We are working on internet from past 4 to 5 weeks. Our clients send us papers to solve when they are in the examination hall then they demand to solve that paper in a given time. This process is done through the phone. After solving questions we send them the answers and then they right it on their paper to pass the exam. They pay us for solving the paper. Is this sort of earning halaal? They also pay us for solving their homework. Is this sort of earning is halaal?

Taking a loan on interest

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.

Charging the customer under a wrong, misleading pretext

Q: I work at a company that sells wooden boards. Carpenters come to us with the measurements of the customer’s job, then we use a computer program to work out how many boards the customer will require. Sometimes, the customer only requires two boards but the carpenter asks us to charge him for three boards. The customer thinks that he needs three boards and is paying for three, whereas he only needs two and is only receiving two while the carpenter takes the money from us quietly for the third board. My boss says that we are not doing anything wrong because the carpenter is taking the money and we are not taking anything. Is this permissible?