There is a car dealership, and their method of selling is as follows: The customer pays the full price of the car, the car is registered in their name, and another contract is written in which the company commits to refunding the full price of the car to the customer after one year from the purchase date. What is the Islamic ruling on this transaction?
As for purchasing the car, paying its price, and owning it, this is a valid sale with no issue. However, the condition of refunding the price — whether the car is returned to the seller or not — is an invalid condition that nullifies the entire contract. Therefore, this transaction is invalid and not permissible. And Allah Knows Best.
Is it permissible to combine and shorten prayers at home before traveling?
It is impermissible to combine and shorten prayers at home before traveling because a person is called a traveler once he/she departs the borders of his/her country, and offering prayer that way was originally intended to exempt a traveler. And Allah Knows Best.
Is prayer mandatory on a dying person who goes through a state of unconsciousness, then wakes up?
If he wakes up and was conscious, then he should pray the way/manner he could, but if he wasn't, then he is exempted from obligatory prayer as Allah Says in this regard (What means): "On no soul doth God Place a burden greater than it can bear." [Al-Baqarah/286].
It was found out that a man divorced his wife for the third time in 2005, but they continued cohabiting as man and wife. However, when they realized that what they were doing was unlawful, they came the Iftaa` Department in 2009 and were told that they can`t be together. What is the position of Sharia on this couple?
All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
Her Iddah* period starts after the third divorce. As for the continued cohabitation, it is unlawful because being ignorant about the rulings of Sharia while in Dar Al-Islam* is no valid excuse. If a baby came as the fruit of this unlawful consummation of marriage, then a judge of Sharia has the final say in this regard because lineage is a serious matter. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.
* ʿIddah: a specified period of time that must elapse before a Muslim widow or divorcee may legitimately remarry. The Qurʾān (Sura,2/verse,228) prescribes that a menstruating woman have three monthly periods before contracting a new marriage; the required delay for a nonmenstruating woman is three lunar months.
* Dar Al-Islam: designates a territory where Muslims are free to practice their religion, though this often implies the implementation of Islamic law, whereas Dar al-Harb represents those lands ruled by non-believers
