Fatwa ID: 08765

Written by Maulana Mohammed Aabu Saeed Miah

Question:

Is drop shipping halal in Islam. If so what is the ruling with regards to Shopify?

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

Earning a halal income is mandatory, as are the five-time salawat. Dropshipping is where a person sells an item which he does not own himself. After one receives the order, they then order it from someone else who delivers it to the customer. In Islam this is not allowed. This is not allowed because its selling an item which one doesn’t own. Restrictions of such acts have been given in the authentic hadeeth:

It was narrated that Hakim bin Hizam said:

“I asked the Prophet “O Messenger of Allah, a man may come to me and ask me to sell him something that I do not have. Can I sell it to him then go and buy it from the market?’ He said: ‘Do not sell what you do not have.” (Sunan an-Nasa’i 4613)

Regarding using Shopify, if the transactions are sharia compliant, there is no harm in using the platform.

References:

حَدَّثَنَا زِيَادُ بْنُ أَيُّوبَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا هُشَيْمٌ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بِشْرٍ، عَنْ يُوسُفَ بْنِ مَاهَكَ، عَنْ حَكِيمِ بْنِ حِزَامٍ، قَالَ سَأَلْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ يَأْتِينِي الرَّجُلُ فَيَسْأَلُنِي الْبَيْعَ لَيْسَ عِنْدِي أَبِيعُهُ مِنْهُ ثُمَّ أَبْتَاعُهُ لَهُ مِنَ السُّوقِ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏ “‏ لاَ تَبِعْ مَا لَيْسَ عِنْدَكَ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ 

(Sunan an-Nasa’i 4613)

Only Allah knows best.

Written by Maulana Mohammed Aabu Saeed Miah

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham