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His company makes a trick to reduce customs duty costs

Question

Assalamu Alaikum Sheikh.. I have some doubts to clear. You have helped me clarify my doubts so far. May Allah reward you for that. Now my question is regarding business. 1- I have started a logistics company. So i am recruiting two of my friends, one is a christian and one is a hindu. Both belongs to poor family, both of them having debt of around Qatar riyal 85000. Both are hardworking and well educated at the same time. Am I doing wrong by recruiting non muslims? 2-In this business, what we do is that we transport goods from Dubai to Doha. We collect products from many companies and when we reach the customs we show it as a single company. This is is the usual way this business takes place. When we show it as a single company only Qr 500 or so must be paid in the customs. But we take separate money from all the different companies like Qr200 from each company. Is this haraam and these companies know that we charge it this way.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

In your question you mentioned three points and their answers are as follows:

1- Hiring non-Muslims is not prohibited in principle as Abu Bakr  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him hired a non-Muslim guide in the Migration journey, who was ‘Abdullaah ibn Urayqit, and the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) did not object him for doing that. However, it is more appropriate for the employer to be keen that his employees be Muslims.

2- Taking money from companies as a fee for permissible work while these companies know this; is permissible.

3- What you mentioned regarding considering the goods of different companies as goods for one single company with regard to the customs duty costs; is permissible provided it does not involve cheating with regards to the applied laws which regulate the entry of goods.

Allaah Knows best.

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