Business and Dealings

Q: I feel uncomfortable about money I've received as a gift (as to whether zakaat was paid and what is the source). What should I do?

Q: My dad took a credit card back in Oman and told us that he is taking it for emergency purposes and told us that he will pay back the bill within 52 days as to avoid interest according to the bank. We lately moved back to Pakistan and used the entire credit card while coming and now we have the money but 52 days end on this 15th and we have kept the money but can't find any source. So If God forbids we can't pay back before the 15'th and the interest is charged and if we only repay the principle amount but not the interest, will we be punished? Is it haram?

Q: Am I allowed to go to learn Deen or Hajj or Tabligh or other Deeni purpose? The problem, I did a few things when I was a non-Muslim but after conversion, Alhamdulillah nothing.

When I was non-Muslim, I had no bad intention, and I needed a place to live. So I had a company through which I sold webpages, design, spam services and I decided to search for a flat and I found one flat and this was an advertisement of some real estate agent, (a system that owner of flat used the service of real estate agent to get clients). So the owner of this flat was a heart doctor, so I had some money but I didn't have the third part of the rent (first payment needs to be like 3x rent, I had only two parts, if I am correct) and because of deadline I had to fake one paper of payment, so they believed that I have paid  money will be received soon (like the next day) but next day this doctor was in another country for some thing, so there was no problem for me. I didn’t pay, and after I lived like three months I didn't pay no rent and no other costs. One reason was that my company wasn't doing well to pay it. So after the third month I just moved out and I left the key and I sent an sms so and so. For now I have not heard anything of them. Not from doctor and nor from the real estate agent.

My company ordered services from an accountant and when she finished the work, then I did not pay. Now she has not contacted me but when I contacted then she said yes I owe her like 1000€ and some interest.

Before Islam, in France 2 times + other time(s) for 2 times I got judgment and I spent like a few years in jail. (2-7 years for I got 3 + 2  years alhamdulillah bigger swallowed other smaller one.)

Anyway, the problem was I bought from a seller credit card, debit card data from all over the world. (how seller gets the data/info:

1. A person is working in some pub, hotel, restaurant etc. and when the client gives credit card he swipes it also from his personal card copier, so he copies the data without client knowing it. When worker makes copies of credit card with copy machine (like papers) so he just collect the copies and sells them. He just hacks and takes anything they want. All this is done while the person does not know he is stealing. So I buy this data, and I make credit cards by using this data which I bought, so I go and use it to buy computers, and other valuable electronics, pay hotels, restaurants, and rent a car and so on, like clothes and jewellery. As this credit card data that I bought was in another continent and I paid in France and the real person paid in his own country with the real credit card, then the bank refused to give money to the businesses of France and returned the money. So when I got the judgment, they say that I need to pay 18k€ to the bank of France for damages that I have done but when I payed some little amount of money then I got receipt that I have paid the hotel that I used.

All of this was done before I became Muslim. Doesn't Islam erase all my previous life things. I became Muslim in the jail so after I came out I started to pay but now I have no money, house of my own etc. Someone is offering me to go to a Madrasah for free, can I go? He is not giving me money, just a scholarship sort of thing.

Q: Six years ago I applied and received a student loan from Iqraa Trust. At this point in time I was not aware that majority of their funds received is Interest money from financial institutions. My questions are:

1. Have I committed a sin by accepting the student loan without knowing it is interest?

2. Can I repay the loan that they gave me using Interest money?

3. Will students who know that it is Interest money but accepts it as a student loan to be repaid back be sinful?

Make maaf for asking such a question, but after doing some research I found out that their is no Aalim on their board or who is associated with them that could guide me on this issue.

Q: I have a question regarding playing with marbles for takes. This means that the winner gets the marbles of the loser. Does this have any association with gambling? If so, is it permissible to play like that?

Q: A computer program is being sold for R100. A Hindu suggests that both of us will contribute R50 each, and then one of us will buy it. Hence, one person will buy it using the pooled funds. After the purchase, the program will be copied so we both have it individually. We therefore save R50 each. Is this type of 'partnership' permissible with a kaafir?

Q: Briefly, my dad and my uncle entered into a partnership, the business was for 60000, they only had to pay 12000 initially so they took out 6000 each and the balance 48000 because the shop had stock they would pay off by selling the goods in the shop, over some time my uncle took out his share of 6000 from the shop my father did not say anything, initially it was agreed one member of his family would stay with him on the shop, this went on for only a little while, less than a year and then none started turning up, my father was looking after the shop on his own, over period of 10 years the shop was not doing well, when I started helping my dad the wholesale business which it was initially was bad, I agreed with my father that we change the business and also terminate the so called partnership, I was new blood, we worked out capital in the business with the intention of paying off my uncle, this was in 2004 when my dad talked to him my uncle said don't worry well sort out, I more or less started from zero, bought hardware goods from another relative on credit and started changing the business into hardware, gradually alhamdulillah I started doing well, numerous times I called my uncle, so did my dad and my mum that we sort this matter out, my uncle always said, have I ever asked you for anything, do you think I will do injustice with u, don't worry well sort out, and always shrugged it off and I never forced him out of respect and his promise and also because over time he had become very very rich in his own businesses, over a period of 15 years neither my uncle nor his sons ever even entered the shop or asked anything or asked for dues etc. Even when I made a big loss which everyone in town got to know including them, they didn't even ask how and why, someone ran away with my money, even when I built buildings, bought cars, changed the name of the shop, not a single question alhamdulillah by the grace of Allah I started doing well, I and my younger brother and our wives worked day and night and Allah gave barakah and now all of a sudden my uncle has passed away and after all these years the sons are asking for a share, now the business is worth millions, my dad had retired more or less as soon as I changed the business from wholesale to hardware, everything that had gone well was with my brothers and my family effort and sweat, and by the will of Allah, not a single penny of input from my uncle or his sons, my mum phoned my uncle numerous times that we terminate the partnership, this was before I had started doing well and my uncle reply was the same, that why you worried, I won't take away anything from you etc, immediately after he suddenly passed away, the sons have come running for a share but didn't care about anything from 1978 to 2015, what do I do now, if they force me to give them half of everything I have which I did from my own effort and capital and Allah's will I will take my uncle to task on day of qiyamah because he did not tell his sons what he had told me, my mum and my dad. Please advise what I should do now?

Q: I am working in a private software company from the last 10 years and over the few years, my bonuses and some part of salary amounts are not received (approximately 6 lacs INR) from my Employer due to financial issues of the company. I trust my Employer and there are no issues there. However, it is difficult for my employer to pay me that much amount to me and as the current trend of company, if ever they have to pay, it will take at least 2-3 years for me to receive my money and that too in several installments, which will not be much use to me. So here is what I am planning. I wanted to ask my employer to buy a car for me (its current worth is 5.2 lacs). The employer can take it in form of EMI and can buy me the car, so that he can take care of paying monthly installments. But here, with EMI, the car amount will become 6 lacs (because of EMI, interests, etc).

1. Now if I take the car and consider that as payment for my 6 lacs amount, it looks like I have taken the interest, because my money went in buying the car as well as paying the interest amount. Is my understanding correct? Is there a way for me to execute the plan without me taking the interest?

2. Can I ask my employer to pay me remaining 80k (6 lacs - 5.2 lacs) separately. So even though the car costs 6 lacs (due to emi), the company takes care of the additional 80k. My money 5.2 lacs only goes towards the actual cost of the car and not towards interest. Is this correct way of asking company to take care of additional burden?

3. Is there any other alternative way?

Q: If a women whose husband is dead, has no son and nobody who can finance her needs, use the interest earned on the large sum of money deposited by her husband in a savings account during his lifetime? She has one daughter (separated from her husband) with her who also has nobody to earn for her. Can she also use the same interest money?

Q: What is the Islamic view on begging/borrowing money (for a short time) despite having money though the money he has is set for something which if he touches the money, he might not be able to use it for what it is intended for.