Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question Federal employees can enroll in a Spousal Survivor Pension Plan, distinct from a 401(k). Under this plan, the employer deducts 10% from the retiree’s monthly pension. In the event of the retiree’s death, the surviving spouse receives 50% of the retiree’s pension for the remainder of their life. However, […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question How can I navigate restrictions on cryptocurrency, forex, and commodities trading in a country where they are banned, while ensuring compliance with both Shari‘a and local laws? Answer In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. I hope you are in good health and faith. Thank you […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question Is it permissible to sell a distressed property at a higher price without owning it, and take the difference as profit while giving the seller their original asking price? Answer In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. I pray you are in good faith and health. […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question I’m a day trader, and I only trade Shari‘a-compliant stocks. I do not use leverage and only trade with my deposited amount. Additionally, I don’t hold positions overnight. However, I still need to use a margin account for day trading. The profits on my platform take T+1 to settle, […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question In my country, there’s a system called ƏDV, which allows people to scan purchase receipts and receive a small percentage of the amount spent as a Value Added Tax (VAT) refund. Some customers decline to take their receipts, so stores often collect and discard them—sometimes by throwing them away, […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question Can transferring stock to a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF), which sells the stock and issues a check to a Zakat-eligible organization, be used to fulfill my Zakat obligations? Also, when should I make the niyya (intention) for Zakat? Answer In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. May […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question I pay an evaluation fee to trade on a simulated forex account. I am granted a simulated funded account to trade CFDs if I reach the profit target. I do not incur any financial losses—the firm bears them. When I make a profit, I receive a payout, which is […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question I had to take out a loan to pay for new flooring. I had the money to cover the payment from my salary, but one of my parents withdrew funds from my bank account without my knowledge. This caused the flooring company’s direct debit to fail, and they are […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question A man invested in my cryptocurrency trading business, fully aware of the associated risks. We agreed to split any profits equally. There was no verbal or written agreement categorizing the investment as a loan or stipulating any obligation to repay it. During his lifetime, he accepted the incurred losses […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question I bought a council property with my dad as a joint tenant with a 66% discount from the seller. I paid the full purchase price. My dad did not contribute to the purchase. I intended to buy it to please my father, allow my siblings to live rent-free, and […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question I run a small business selling products on Amazon and am seeking guidance on how to calculate zakat for my merchandise and overall business situation. Currently, I have an existing product listed on Amazon, and additional inventory is on its way from China. I have only made a partial […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question A small portion of my pension was initially invested in impermissible funds. Can I purify this amount now by removing an equivalent sum from my savings or other investments? Or must I wait to access the pension before removing the amount? I began contributing to my pension several years […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question I intend to earn a livelihood by offering typing and design services through the Fiverr platform, which facilitates freelance work. Fiverr deducts a 20% commission from each payment I receive. For instance, if a client pays $5, Fiverr retains $1 as its service fee. Is it permissible to work […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question In 2007, a house inherited from the father was sold for $100,000. The younger son took $30,000 from the proceeds, whereas his rightful share was $20,000, meaning he took $10,000 more than he was entitled to. At the time, this excess amounted to 10% of the property’s total value. […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question What should a woman do if she owes zakat on her mahr and gold but can only pay in small monthly installments? Answer In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. Allah says, “Accept charity offerings from their wealth, cleansing them and making them grow thereby to […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question I’ve been in a complicated situation involving a Ponzi scheme and a credit card refund. I was scammed out of an initial investment of £88,000, but later received a refund of £112,287 from American Express, which included an excess of £24,608.53. I also received £43,000 from the scam over […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question The company offers a service for buying and selling gold online, with storage in a secure, collective vault. Customers can either buy and hold the gold, with free storage for holdings up to €10,000, or use the “GoldAvenuePay” e-wallet for instant transactions. All purchases are provided with a certificate […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question The service enables clients to purchase and store gold within a pooled vault system, wherein identical products are collectively stored to optimize space utilization. The gold bars are not assigned individual serial numbers; however, each unit is physically present and fully allocated to the respective client’s account. The provider […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question Person A gives $100 to Person B with the instruction to purchase a specific item for Person B’s own use. Person B then buys the item for himself using the $100. Afterward, Person A demands $200 from Person B as a condition for facilitating this purchase. Is this transaction […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question In Sweden, you pay a small monthly fee to an unemployment fund (A-kassa). If you lose your job, you can receive financial support for a limited period while actively seeking work. To qualify, you generally must have worked at least 60 hours per month for 6 of the last […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question In student housing abroad, some tenants under 18 must pay a third-party company to act as a guarantor if no parent is available. The company charges a fixed, non-refundable fee and assumes responsibility for unpaid rent. Is this payment permissible, or does it involve riba, gharar, or issues related […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question If someone unintentionally earns interest from an investment, can they donate it to charity, invest it, or use it to pay off debts? What is the difference between the profit rate and riba in Islamic banking? Answer In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. I pray […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question Between 2023 and 2024, I ran e-commerce ads for physical products—first as an affiliate (where I managed the store and ads, while a company handled delivery and cash-on-delivery payments), and later as a direct seller. I copied ad content, believing it to be accurate, but some ads—mainly those for […]

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr Question Many—if not all—Shariah-compliant ETFs and funds, such as MSCI Islamic ETFs, HSBC Islamic Funds, Wahed HLAL, and others, invest in companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta, and similar tech giants. These companies raise serious ethical concerns. Specifically, the companies mentioned are known to provide dedicated technology to Israel, which […]