If a Muslim living in non-Muslim country rents his shop to someone and the lessee business is mostly permissible but he sells some prohibited articles then the fault in this arrangement is born by the lessee alone.

Letting a Shop to a Person Selling Some Forbidden Articles

Similar Questions

• Letting a shop for grocery or another business that includes selling some forbidden goods.

The Issue

A Muslim living in a non-Muslim country may rent a shop to someone to start a business. However, some aspects of this business may be forbidden in Islam. For example, the owner of a petrol station may lease out the shop that is part of the station to someone who runs a grocery business, and this lessee may sell tobacco, lottery tickets and similar forbidden articles.

Ruling

Decision 13 of the fifth convention of the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America, held in Manama, Bahrain in 1428 AH, 2007 makes clear that there is nothing to prohibit leasing a shop to someone whose business is mostly in permissible articles, even though some articles he sells are forbidden in Islam.

Evidence

The contract of the lease is to carry out a permissible activity that brings benefit. The fault in this arrangement is born by the lessee alone.

Sources

• Decisions by the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America.

• Khalid Abd al-Qadir, Fiqh al-Aqaliyyat al-Muslimah.