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Session Details
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| Guest Name |
Dr. Monzer Kahf
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| Profession |
Scholar in Islamic Economics & Financial Expert
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| Subject |
On Financial Issues
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| Date |
Wednesday,Oct 7 ,2009
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Time |
Makkah
From...
14:00...To...
15:30
GMT
From... 11:00...To...12:30
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Host
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| Answer |
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Brothers and sisters, the session has already started. You can submit your questions. Please, make your questions short and clear so as to help us answer all your questions.
Yours,
Islam Online Fatwa Editing Desk.
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SSI
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| Question |
Salam, I am spending a lot of money on a pair of glasses. I've been offered a sort of insurance for £30 per year; if I break them, a replacement will be provided. Is this form of insurance permissible?
Jazaka Allah khairan
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Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear Br./Sr.
In my opinion all insurances are permissible as long as they are not interest based and the object of insurance is also permissible. This is the view of the Late Sheikh Mustafa Zarka. Accordingly, this insurance is permissible.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Jawwad
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Assalaamu Alaykum
My priority is Allah's pleasure and the Hereafter and I would like to have best advice on the following situation. My family does not follow Islam properly including my father. He does not care much about halal and haram issues in his business. Allah (SWT) granted my guidance and gave me courage and motivation to follow Islam wholeheartedly. Currently, I am in the middle of my BSc degree (as an external student) from a UK's university. The main concern with me right now is regarding my living plus education expenses. I am being provided by my father both for study and living and this creates uneasiness to me. His system of working is in chaos and seems far away from Shari`ah. Is it permissible for me to continue and complete my education until BSc (almost 2 years left) or do I have to get independent immediately leaving his system of life? Is it true that my dependence on my father at this level is not justified according to Shari`ah since one might argue that I am already 21 years old and according to Shari`ah the obligatory dependence age is quite less that this. In today world, people normally attain bachelor level at least for a decent entry to practical life of their own. Since the World education system is not derived from Qur'an and Sunnah, is it still permissible for me to complete my graduation? I am really confused. Kindly give me the best advice taking Allah's pleasure and the Hereafter as the first priority. I have read opinions of some scholars that with regard to acquiring the money in the haram way is only for the one who earns it. Given that there are other opinions to this as well, it really makes me uneasy. I want to be on the absolute safe side. Although I desire to complete my education but I do not want to step outside the boundaries of halal. Kindly also take into account that my father gets frustrated when I talk to him about leaving the education here but Allah comes first. Please help me with the best response (May Allah reward you all)
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Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Whatever I advise you will not be absolute because there are no absolutes in opinionated matters. Therefore what you need is to question your own attitude about it! This is where we start. Second, if the Haram income of your father is shameful or does not make a difference, for instance if he runs a brothel house for prostitutes, you better leave his money and go on your own work and get education later. IF he runs a textile business but he does not observe the exact Shari`ah rules, that is a different matter, then whatever violation he does is his own problem and you, his wife and other dependents can use whatever he provides them to any normal satisfaction including higher education.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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idris
- United Kingdom
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| Profession |
sales
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| Question |
Please tell me is a blow job (kissing or sucking of the penis allowed in a marriage relationship)?
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Please ask it in a general session.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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| Name |
Walid
- Egypt
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| Profession |
working in petroleum sector
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| Question |
Asalam alikum wa rahmato Allah
My question is in the most critical issue facing all Muslims in all Muslim countries, which is the banks and Islamic banks? Please, state the detailed difference between them and give us a perfect start answer, whether to deal with the Islamic ones or not?
Jazak Allah khir
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Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
The key to the answer is to understand a basic fact: Shari'ah does not prohibit financing, it only prohibits interest-based financing.
Financing is a very recognized business in Shari'ah. There is a myth that financing can either be interest loan or risk taking mudarabah. That is incorrect.
Islamic financing can be either on sale basis like murabahah or lease basis or venture capital basis such as musharakah or mudarabah.
Conventional banks give loan on interest. Islamic banks sell goods, lease assets or share in ventures. That is the difference. The rate may be fixed in Islamic banks because the Prophet, (PBUH) said that in leasing you must fix the rate at the time of contract. Also, in sale financing the rate of prophet of the Islamic banks must be fixed and determined at the time of contract. Some people think that if Islamic banks charge similar rates to interest rates then the contract is not Shari'ah compliant, this is incorrect. The rate can be exactly the same but the contract is sale based as in murabahah. For more details please make some reading or take a course.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Hussein
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Can one work in a bank that collects interest on loan in order to gain banking experience that may be used in an interest-free Islamic bank whenever it is set up? Secondly, can a person that lives with Christian relative observe Tahajjud in a room even though pictures were hang or displayed in that room?
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Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Working in a bank is permissible provided that one does not handle interest loans or any other prohibition. Nowadays, if the objective is learning and gaining experience there are many other opportunities in Islamic banks and similar institutions to do that.
The second question should be addressed to a general session.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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M.S
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As-Salamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh:
The question I am asking is: What is money according to what has been revealed in the Qur'an and what are the allowable forms of money according to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)? Are Central banks Halal or if money is only allowed to be of the forms allowed by Almighty Allah and his Messenger, then is a central bank necessary? It is money that determines the types of economies and economic structures a nation and the world will have. In the world, we have the central bank that loans money to the governments in the world. Because of that we have the idea of being indebted. Every currency that is in the economy comes from either the governments owing money to the Central Bank or private citizens owing money to the neighborhood bank. As was mentioned before, money in the system comes either from the printing press or from the computer keyboard. That is why we have inflation, too much money in the system and the prices have to be increased because the sellers of merchandise see all the excess money and they increase prices in order that they may have some of it. The fundamental point is that the money is added to what there already is, and it is owed plus interest, leading to the necessity to print or type more money. What is the Islamic system of money, is what I am asking about, and if you would grant me the barakah, what are the 'nuts and bolts' of the Islamic system of money and economics?
May Allah confer His mercy upon you!
Was-Salamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
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Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Money can be in any form, paper, electronic, pieces of hide or metals. There is nothing in our Shari'ah that requires money to be in any form. It is what a society decides.
Besides, money does not determine the economic activity in a country, it affects it but the main determinants are the human beings that use resources around them wisely or not.
Central banks are needed for many reasons, mainly supervising banks and being a bank of the government, the fact that our money is paper that can be printed easily is not the cause of inflation.
One of Its more common causes is the behavior of government/central banks of printing money unwisely but there are many countries in the world that contain the printing machines in a very wise way. Having central banks and commercial banks does not mean they have to be interest-based. As we have commercial Islamic banks a central bank can also be Islamic.
I suggest that you read a few academic books on Banking and finance and on Islamic banking to acquaint yourself with this area.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Sumera
- Saudi Arabia
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Financial Analyst
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I have seen that, in practice, the payment schedules of loans even in Islamic finance modes, such as tawarruq or murabaha, are totally same as the conventional loan schedules. Isn’t the payment schedule supposed to be not fixed in an Islamic finance?
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Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Tawarruq is Riba, it is not permissible. The OIC Fiqh Academy studied it in details in its last (19th) meeting where it met in Sharja and decreed it completely Riba and in violation of Shari'ah. Murabaha rather has to have a definite payment schedule because it is a sale and in a sale you must know amounts and date of payment in advance. What needs to be understood clearly is that Shari'ah is not against finance, it is only against interest-based finance. Other forms of finance are perfectly permissible. Namely: finance through sale, lease or venture capital.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Faraz
- China
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Student
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Asslamu Alaikum
Just something I am unable to understand, obviously due to lack of my knowledge. I request you and Allah to forgive me if I say something wrong. It is said that our earth or universe is created in 6 days. I think Allah can make it in 6 seconds. Why it is six days, this much long time?
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Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Please ask this question to a general session. But also who said that the length of those 6 days is the same like our days?? Think of them as days that we do not know anything about and that Allah also says in the Qur'an that if He want a thing, He tell it to be and it is.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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| Name |
Sumera
- Saudi Arabia
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Financial Analyst
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Sir,
I am an investment banker.
From my observation regarding commercial banking I have seen that for purchase transaction of the car through an Islamic bank, the amount of the total payment to the bank usually exceeds much more than the original price of the car + current interest rates. The question is that the ‘claimed mark-up’ over the price of the car doesn’t look reasonable even if the administration charges are taken into account. Moreover, on what basis is it a Halal transaction?
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Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear Sr. Sumera
It is Islamic if it abides by the [principle of buy, take delivery and sell and if it is not exploitative.]
Unfortunately, most Islamic banks know that their customers do not like to go to other interest based institutions. This make them exploit their captive clients. Islamic banks that do this are doing wrong and a violation of Shari'ah. But of course, you need to recognize that there are Islamic banks that are competitive in their markets. Those do not exploit their customers. You also need to realize that in a competitive market, providers try to cut edges in many areas. If you find an Islamic provider within the range of the market, it should be OK, as it does not have to be the absolute lowest!
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Muhammad
- Qatar
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Engineer
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Assalam alaikum Dr.
I will highly appreciate for your time and efforts for below issue.
My sister aged 46 and her husband aged 54 have been lived in Qatar since 30 years. They have been very God fearing and pious throughout their life. Last year, they returned back to their Country after retirement. There, her husband was occupied in a fitna with some young girl aged 22 who apparently did for magic to control him and occupy his property (this is our assumption and Allah knows the best). The husband became just mad in girl’s love and often had severe fights with his wife. Then he came to know that he cannot marry that girl as she was her nephew’s daughter. This made him more depressed. He was in a state that he could not forget the girl neither could he marry her now. He was also a patient of high blood pressure and diabetes. Whenever he had a fight with her wife his blood pressure went on very high and he began speaking rubbish. At times, he was admitted to hospital for emergency treatment for his blood pressure, diabetes and high tension. In fitna of this girl, he even started neglecting Salah and some acts of worship as well. Sometimes, he said some things which were against the Islamic teachings even. For example, he told his wife not to do zikr of Allah and rather read the girl’s name instead. In summary, he was just as mad as we read the stories of Laila Majnoon. At times, he told his wife and even his brother in law that he and that girl was in one room and he undressed her and then described a detailed process of intercourse etc. No body ever saw him including his wife that he ever did zina with that girl. I feel it was all his imagination just, as no normal person tells a detailed story of zina he did, to his wife and wife’s family. He used to just recall that girl, making some poetry and then always starts fighting with her wife. He also did many things which no normal man can do. Once he withdrew a huge amount of money (2.2 million) from his retirement fund and was about to give all to that girl on his 22nd birthday. We are told by some scholars that he seems to be under affect of Magic done by girl’s mother to capture his fortune. So the summary was, he was completely mad in “so called” love of the girl, either by magic or some thing else. He very often had big fights with his wife where he often shouted and went out of his mind.
Once, during fight, the husband gave one divorce in anger few months back. And he regretted that this was not his intention to give talaq but he could not control himself in a row of anger upon his wife. This happens second time and he was again very regretful and said that he did something out of his intension. On third time, his wife tells, he was just insane, shouting, throwing things but she could not exactly remember if she heard the “divorce” word or not . On this third time, he, after fight with her wife, also called on telephone some people from his family and said he had given talaq to his wife. But in the first and second times, the story of talaq was just between husband and wife. Now, he is fully ashamed on what he did and wants to recover himself from the fitna. He acknowledges that he is entrapped in a sin unwillingly and he wants to get out of it and reverts back to his previous life. As he is also a patient, he thinks, his wife can help him a lot to improve.
He want to ask, is these divorces valid in such a case or not? Even when I speak with him he becomes so much angry and says many rubbish things to me which later he says sorry. Please guide us regarding if any talaqs have been placed or not.
Best regards and jazak Allah khairan
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Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear Br. Muhammad
I suggest that you should address this matter to a Specialist in Islamic family law, that is not my area. From my point of view it seems that these three times all of count.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Hana
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I am a teaching assistant in UK, in a primarily Christian school. In Year 9, the students draw portraits of a famous person or family member as part of the curriculum. Prior to their final piece, the students draw different facial features, plants, fruit & vegetables and feathers, leaves & seed pods. Recently, one Islamic boy told us he is not allowed to draw anything living, including leaves etc. We have found him some alternative work, including drawing an industrial landscape, but we were wondering if anyone had any advice on some other things he could draw. Is he able to draw a mosque or would that be considered offensive? I'm sorry for seeming ignorant, but we don't want to upset him or his family and would like some advice before we continue setting his work. Thank you for your time and help.
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Please address it to a general session
Allah Almighty knows best.
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| Name |
Walid Egypt
- Egypt
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in petroleum sector
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Asslam alaikum wa rahmato Allah
I got a straight question asking about the Islamic banks? Is there what they call Islamic bank? If so, is it permissible to deal with it by putting in money and take the interest with no prohibition in it?
Jazak Allah khir
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Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
There are Islamic banks in at least 75 countries in the world. Egypt has two at least and may be more. It is permissible to deposit with them and to take profit. They do not give interest. There is a big difference between interest and profit.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Muslim
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As-Salamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh:
Can you please define with maximum precision what musharakah and mudarabah are and if they can be combined in the same transaction? What, if it is a partnership, is done with the profits that the bank obtains from the transaction that the partner is entitled to?
Thanks a lot.
Was-Salamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
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Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Musharakah is putting financial and managerial resources together and the profit is shared at any agreeable ratio. Mudarabah is when one party puts money and the other manages it on a share of the profit.
They can be combined in a sense of having 3 partners one by work, one by fund and the other by work and fund together.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Mohammad
- United States
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Single
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I am friend to my Muslim neighbor and I knew through our conversations that she is unhappy with her husband. For months, I have helped her in anyway but now we find ourselves falling in love. How can I help them and keep our feelings from going any further?
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Check it with a social council and with a general session of Fatwa. I think you made a very grave mistake in reaching this stage with a married woman. Get out of it and have some others help and move out of the area.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Muslima
- Canada
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Assalamu alaikom,
I have read in many fatwas that it is not permissible to open a checking account in a bank that deals with interest. But we live in the west and most jobs here require having a bank account because the paycheck is directly deposited there. I myself have graduated and haven't bothered looking for a job (although I really want to) because I fear from dealing with haram. I know that necessity makes it permissible but I am not sure whether my case falls within that necessity. I am 23 years old and I still live in my parent's home. My father spends on us, but I feel that it has started affecting me psychologically because I see most young people at my age working and spending on themselves. So I really hope to hear some advice on this issue and thank you in advance.
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Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Opening a checking account and working in many jobs in Canada are absolutely permissible. I think that these kinds of Fatawa that some people issue do not look at the reality of the world today and think that anything which is not familiar to them in their closed environment is Haram. Canada is full of Halal jobs. Just if any interest comes to you from a bank or any other depository financial institution should be given to Muslim charity.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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atef
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Assalam-u-Alaiklum! My question is regarding the Nikah Over the phone. Our Nikah was performed as given below. I have been told this was the wrong method and we need to re-do it. Please guide us (In sha' Allah). I was in USA in a gathering with my sister & her family, my wife in Pakistan with her family and my Father/brother. Maulana Sahib performed the Nikah over the phone, my father signed the Nikah Naama (paper Forms for Nikah) as being my Wakeel. But the dilemma is that I never gave him my consent (verbally or written and I was not aware of this requirement) to appoint him as my Wakeel. Also, Maulana Sahib asked me (I'jaab & Qabool) over the phone and not my Wakeel was present there in the gathering in Pakistan. Now, if I understand correctly, we missed two important rules there: 1. Appointing my Wakeel by written consent 2. Being physically present in the same gathering when doing Ijab and Qabol, alternative should have been that my Wakeel did the Ijab/Qabol (Not me). Please keep in mind that in Pakistan, we do have this Column where a Wakeel can sign on behalf of me that he accepts this girl as my wife etc., etc. My wife is from my Khala's home so we all know each other quite well and there is no doubt about the identity of person on the other end of the phone in USA/Pakistan.
Jazakumullah Khairan for your answer,
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Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
This is a general question. Please address it to a general session.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Editor
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Brothers and sisters, we are so sorry for not answering all your questions because the time is over. We apologize for any inconvenience. Do keep in touch. Join us in coming sessions.
Yours,
Islam Online Fatwa Editing Desk.
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| All Fatwas published on this website (Islamonline.net) represent the juristic views and opinions of eminent scholars and Muftis. They do not necessarily form a juristic approach upheld by this website. Click here to read Full Disclaimer. |
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