Fatwa ID: 09068
Answered by Mufti Sakib Shadman
Question:
What is the ruling on purchasing a business in which a small percentage of the sales are haram?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Your concern for matters of Halāl and Harām is commendable and is a clear sign of Taqwā (consciousness of Allah Taʿālā).
Firstly, if the business is such that the Harām elements are core to the business, meaning they cannot be separated from the Halāl elements, then it will not be permissible to purchase that business. For example, if you must continue conducting occasional interest-based transactions after purchase of the business, and there is no way to avoid this, it will be impermissible to purchase the business.
Another example is if the business is a tobacco store that also sells some Halāl products, and even though most of the revenue comes from Halāl items, the sale of tobacco is an essential part of the business and cannot be avoided after purchase, then purchasing such a business would be Harām.
However, if the business is a general store where tobacco is sold only as a side item, and after purchasing the business you are not required to continue selling tobacco, then it will be permissible to purchase such a business. In this case, once you take ownership, you must immediately remove the Harām products from your stock, and it will NOT be permissible for you to sell them. [2, 3]
In summary, it is permissible to purchase a business in which a small percentage of sales are Harām [4] only if those Harām elements are not essential to the business and can be completely removed. After purchasing the business, you must eliminate the Harām elements immediately and ensure that all future transactions are strictly Halāl.
Only Allah ﷻ knows best.
Written by Mufti Sakib Shadman
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
[1]
فإنه إذا لم يميز الحلال من الحرام، ربما يقع في الحرام.
Al-Masbūk ʿalā Minḥat al-Sulūk fī Sharḥ Tuḥfat al-Mulūk, Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, n.d., p. 272. Accessed via al-Maktabah al-Shāmilah – 02-05-26.
[2]
(وتعاونوا على البر والتقوى ولا تعاونوا على الإثم والعدوان)
(Surah Ma’idah, verse 2)
[3]
سد الذرائع المُفْضِية إلى الحرام (٣) أحد أرباع الدين.
Iʿlām al-Muwaqqiʿīn ʿan Rabb al-ʿĀlamīn, ed. Mashhūr Ḥasan, Dār Ibn al-Jawzī, n.d. (Vol. 1), p. 66. Accessed via al-Maktabah al-Shāmilah – 02-05-26.
[4]
(الْبَابُ الثَّانِي عَشَرَ فِي الْهَدَايَا وَالضِّيَافَاتِ) أَهْدَى إلَى رَجُلٍ شَيْئًا أَوْ أَضَافَهُ إنْ كَانَ غَالِبُ مَالِهِ مِنْ الْحَلَالِ فَلَا بَأْسَ إلَّا أَنْ يَعْلَمَ بِأَنَّهُ
حَرَامٌ، فَإِنْ كَانَ الْغَالِبُ هُوَ الْحَرَامَ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ لَا يَقْبَلَ الْهَدِيَّةَ، وَلَا يَأْكُلَ الطَّعَامَ إلَّا أَنْ يُخْبِرَهُ بِأَنَّهُ حَلَالٌ وَرِثْتُهُ أَوْ اسْتَقْرَضْتُهُ مِنْ
رَجُلٍ، كَذَا فِي الْيَنَابِيعِ.
Al-Fatāwā al-ʿĀlamgīriyyah (al-Fatāwā al-Hindiyyah), Dār al-Fikr, n.d. (Vol. 4), p. 342.
Accessed via al-Maktabah al-Shāmilah – 02-05-26.