Business and Dealings

Q: When our customers pay using credit cards, is it permissible for us to allow them to choose the “budget” option?

Q: My daughter is a small baby and doesn't have her teeth yet. Recently, someone sent some sweets for her as a present. However, due to her age, she cannot eat the sweets, and by the time she is old enough to eat them, the sweets will be expired. What should I do with the sweets? Is it permissible for me to eat them or give them to others?

Q: I am a car salesman. At times, people come to me and wish to purchase cars from me. However, since they do not have the finance, they want to buy the car through the bank financing the deal. Can I assist them through submitting the application and arranging the finance for them from the bank?

Q: What is futures and is it permissible?

Q: What is the ruling regarding selling a used item as a new item? There is a woman who sells only new clothing. However, she wore a certain dress for a few hours in a wedding and thereafter dry cleaned and sold the dress without telling the customer that the dress was used. Is this permissible? 

Q: How should interest money be disposed of?

1. Is tamleek (passing of ownership) necessary i.e. does it have to be given to an individual person or can it be given to madaaris or for digging of wells, etc.?

2. Can it be given to non Muslims?

3. How poor must a person be to give him interest money?

4. Can interest money be used to pay tax, fines, bank charges, etc.?

5. If a person has bank accounts at multiple banks, does he have to withdraw the interest from each bank separately or can he just give the amount in sadaqah from his cash on hand?

6. If a person is in debt, can he be given interest to help him settle his debts?

7. Is interest money regarded as dirty wealth for the recipient?

Q: A partnership was dissolved with one partner buying out the other partner. They agreed that the payment will be made over a period of one year in instalments. Does the partner who sold his share have any right in the profit which the business generates during this one year?

Q: If one wishes to buy gold coins or gold jewellery, then what are the conditions for the transaction to be valid? Are there any particular masaa’il related to this?

Q: I recently read an article which claims that it is permissible for a Muslim to take out a medical aid contract. The article explained that if a stipulated monthly fee is paid to the medical aid company in return for which they assume responsibility for the client’s hospitalization or medical expenses, it will be permissible.

The reason for this medical aid contract being permissible in Shari’ah is that it is regarded as an ijaarah contract (i.e. hiring of services) between the member and the medical aid scheme. The ijaarah works in this manner that the member pays a fixed and mutually agreed amount monthly, and in exchange, the scheme takes responsibility for his treatment and wellbeing.

The article also stated that the medical aid scheme can be compared to hiring the services of a barber and a wet nurse. In many villages of India, it is a common and well-known practice for a family to give the barber a stipulated amount of grain or cash at the time of harvest. In exchange, the barber takes responsibility to cut the hair of the family whenever they wish during the year. In this case, although the number of haircuts that he will give to the family is unknown, this ambiguity is tolerated and overlooked as it does not lead to any dispute.

Q: Is it permissible to have a different cash price and credit price for the same item? For example, if a customer buys an item upfront, he will pay R1500, but if he buys it in instalments, it will cost him R2000. Is this allowed in Islam?