Can Money Gained From Interest Be Used To Pay Taxes?

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Question:

Assalamu ‘Alaykum.
Is it better to leave interest from a non-Islamic bank (leaving it increases the bank’s profits) or to take it and give it away? Can one use interest to pay taxes in a non-Islamic country?

Answer:

Wa ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.

I pray you are well.

It is best to ask the bank to stop giving you interest, as accepting it is haram if they can’t close your account. They should set up a current account that doesn’t accrue interest.

The interest money is haram for you. You cannot benefit from it. The way to get rid of it is by giving it to the poor or to a project that will benefit the public. You can’t use it for personal benefit, which includes paying taxes.

Take these small steps to shun interest. You may find it brings a lot of good and baraka into your life. At the very least, it will keep you from being at war with Allah.
May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim

 

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History, he moved to Damascus in 2007, where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital. He was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.

 

 

Does a Woman Need Her Father’s or Husband’s Permission To Work, Even From Home?

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Question: I came across several narrations that a woman must not step out unless in need and with father or husband’s permission. Can women leave home without a need, even if the father/husband permits? What are the positions of Shafi’i and Hanafi madhab? Do women need the father’s or husband’s permission if to work from home?

Answer:

Assalamu alaykum,
Thank you for your question. Leaving home is generally understood as a basic human need that a woman should fulfill with conditions, as explained in these excellent answers by a Shafi’i scholar and Hanafi scholar. Please read them fully.
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/general-counsel/can-woman-leave-house/
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/general-counsel/women-unlawful-gazes-and-leaving-the-house/

Mutual understanding

A woman should have a mutual understanding with her guardian (father or husband) about how much she goes out and what is considered crossing the limits. Every home functions differently, and optimally, a happy agreement should be reached by both parties on this subject. I have seen men who leave all the outside tasks to their over-worked wives and other men who don’t give their wives enough opportunity to get a break from home. Both are extreme. Balance is key, and this is the way of the Prophet. May Allah bless him and grant him peace.

Working

The same principle applies to having a job. A woman may only work with her guardian’s permission, which also comes down to mutual understanding and balance. Does he insist that she works when she doesn’t want to? Does he refuse to let her work when she wants to? A happy medium, a moderate way, is the best way, and I pray that all families can find this balance that will bring peace and tranquility to their home, always prioritizing Allah’s pleasure.

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, Tafseer, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.

Is It Permissible To Use Selling Tactics To Convince Customers To Buy Something?

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Question: I would like to know if using psychological tactics to sell things is haram. For example, one tactic is “bonding” people to an idea by painting a picture of them using the product already and having a good time to increase the mental pressure to buy the product. Another tactic is lowering your voice, so it sounds like what you’re telling them is a secret. I don’t want to deceive, and I want to sell.

Answer:

Assalamu alaykum,

Thank you for your question.

Transactions

It is permissible to use these selling tactics as long as you are not lying and you fulfill the five conditions of a valid sales transaction:

“Five conditions must exist in any article transacted. It must: (a) be pure (0: in itself, or if affected with filth, it must be capable of being purified by washing); (b) be useful; (c) be deliverable (0: by the seller to the buyer, meaning that the buyer can take possession of it); (d) be the property of the seller or the person whom the seller has been authorized to represent; (e) and be determinately known (ma’lum) (0: to the buyer and seller, as to which particular thing it is, how much it is, and what kind it is, to protect against chance or risk (gharar), because of the hadith related by Muslim that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) forbade the transaction of whatever involves chance or risk). (…)“ [The Reliance of the Traveller, k2.1]

Sell how you wish

If you wish to be a salesman who is honest, upright, forthright, and has good character, you can choose to do that. You will become known as such among the people, and you will have blessings and success from it by Allah’s grace. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, told us, “The heaviest thing which will be put on the believer’s scale (on the Day of Resurrection) will be a good character.” [Abu Dawud & Tirmidhi]

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next, and may you find your trade with Allah to be the most profitable of all.

Shazia Ahmad

Can I consume food purchased with interest funds?

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Dear questioner,
Thank you for your important question.
May Allah, Most High, reward you for your desire to increase in knowledge.
It is permissible to consume food purchased by someone whose majority of their wealth is made up of permissible funds, even if some of it is interest-bearing wealth.
If the majority of their wealth is interest-based, then it is not permissible to eat this food.
(Ibn Abidin; al-Radd al-Muhtar)
Keep in mind the words of the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), “A body nourished with haram will not enter Paradise.”
(Tirmidhi, al-Sunan)
Also, see:
And Allah alone knows best,
[Ustadh] Omar Popal
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Should I marry a police officer?

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Dear questioner,
Thank you for your important question.
May Allah, Most High, reward you for your desire to increase in knowledge.
Getting married is a major step in life. All major and even minor steps in life should be taken with two procedures; seeking council from creation and seeking guidance from Allah, Most High. These two procedures are known as Istishara and Istikhara.
In your particular case, consult yourself. Is the fact that your potential husband is a police officer something you are okay with? If the answer is yes, then continue to ask about this individual and seek guidance from Allah, Most High, through the prayer of seeking guidance.
If the answer is no, then let the potential spouse know about your sentiment. One should never go into a relationship with a red light. A red light is something that you are absolutely not comfortable with.
Many people go into marriage assuming that their partner will eventually change. This is an assumption that could prove detrimental later down the road.
Please see these answers for more details on choosing a spouse:
And Allah alone knows best,
[Ustadh] Omar Popal
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Is it permissible to run a cannabis clinic?

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Dear questioner,
Thank you for your important question.
May Allah, Most High, reward you for your desire to increase in knowledge.
As for using recreational marijuana, it is impermissible and prohibited.
As for using medical marijuana, it is permissible with the following conditions:
  1. A qualified physician that is a pious Muslim informs the patient that the medicine can effectively treat the illness, based on the high likelihood of near certainty.
  2. No lawful alternative medicine is available or sufficiently effective;
(c) It is used only for the need, and no more.
Please see:
As for selling recreational marijuana, it is impermissible and prohibited. This is due to the principle: “That which is prohibited from using is prohibited from selling.”
As for selling medical marijuana through a legal dispensary, this is a new issue that needs more clarity and research.
At the moment, we would say that it is impermissible. This is due to the absence and unclarity of many of the conditions required in consuming medical marijuana. Here are some considerations:
The majority of the customers and physicians are not Muslim (i.e., they do not follow Islamic guidelines.) A condition for consuming medical marijuana is that the physician who writes the prescription must be a pious Muslim or (in the absence of a pious Muslim) an upright physician who appreciates the Sacred Law’s importance.
The customer may have alternative options which are lawful. In this case, it would be impermissible to sell to this individual.
Many individuals are obtaining medical marijuana cards that allow them to purchase it well beyond their need. In this case, it would also be prohibited to sell.
(Ibn Abidin, al-Hashiya/ Zuhayli, Qawaid al-Fiqhiyya)
And Allah alone knows best,
[Ustadh] Omar Popal
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Which career is best for me?

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Dear questioner,
Thank you for your important question.
May Allah, Most High, reward you for your desire to increase in knowledge.
Choice fatigue is a normal part of life that is a result of having multiple options. We should be grateful to Allah, Most High, for the ability to choose a line of work that suits us best.
Our advice is that you should not allow this choice to be a stress in your life but rather see it as a great opportunity. Either choice you take will; God Willing will lead you to a good career.
The simple way to choose a career is to first chart out what your interests are. Then, select a few of those options to pursue seriously. Once you have limited the choices, you should seek the counsel of Allah, Most High, and the counsel of anyone you trust or those who are working in the field(s) you are interested in.
Seeking the counsel of Allah, Most High, is done by praying the prayer of seeking guidance along with reflecting over which career will lead you to please your Creator the most.
Wherever you end up, know that it was destined for you and that there is no problem with changing careers if need be. At the end of the day, this is all a worldly matter. The true matter is one of the hereafter.
Be sure to pick a career that will allow you to balance between your Religious practice and workload.
If you still find yourself feeling confused, be sure to consult local scholars.
And Allah alone knows best,
[Ustadh] Omar Popal
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Is Investing in the Stock Exchange Halal?

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Question:

Is investing in the Stock Exchange halal?

Answer:
Wa ‘alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.

I pray you are well.

The investment industry is riddled with practices that do not comply with Islamic Finance ethics. This ranges from gambling to interest. Many practices, such as hedging, are questionable at best.

The detriment of earning one’s income from such means is clear, and the lack of baraka is also palpable. The recent fiasco with GameStop is a clear example of this.

Investing in the stock exchange is only permissible when certain conditions are met. You can find them in this answer. Otherwise, it is better to look for an alternative means of earning an income. Trust me, you will be much safer this way on the Day of Judgement.

May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat

 

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.

Is Trading in Stocks Based on Speculation Permissible?

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Question:

Is trading in stocks based on speculation permissible?

Answer:

Wa ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.

I pray you are well.

What you have described is a permissible scenario. The speculation is just judgements on whether one should invest in something or not. These decisions are fine as long as the actual investment is halal and no other impermissible practices are involved.

I urge you to take our “Money Matters” course. Knowing the fiqh of finance can protect one from many impermissible scenarios when trading.

May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat

 

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.

Is It Permissible To Work as an Embryologist?

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Question:
Is it permissible to work as an embryologist?
Answer:
Dear questioner,
Thank you for your important question.
May Allah, Most High reward you for your desire to increase in knowledge.
The field of Islamic Bio-Ethics is one that is still evolving and expanding.
Working as an embryologist to help married Muslim couples dealing with IVF is not only permissible but an act of service to the community. The IVF treatment in reference is one that involves the sperm of the husband and egg of the wife.
However, helping anyone who is not married in accordance with the Sacred Law to conceive children is impermissible.
This is similar to the Prophetic Tradition discussing alcohol, wherein the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) says:
“Wine is cursed from ten angles: The wine itself, the one who squeezes it (the grapes, etc), the one for whom it is squeezed, the one who sells it, the one who buys it, the one who carries it, the one to whom it is carried, the one who consumes its price, the one who drinks it and the one who pours it.”
[Ibn Maja, al-Sunan]
Helping conceive children out of wedlock is absolutely impermissible, even if you are only aiding by way of forming the embryo.
Ask Allah, Most High to help you find an alternative job wherein you can use your skillset in a manner that pleases him.
Pray the ‘Prayer of Need’ and seek out the advice of other practicing Muslims in the medical field.
And Allah alone knows best,
[Ustadh] Omar Popal
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani