Fatwa ID: 05951

Answered by: Maulana Mohammed Dilwar Hussain

Question:

Person A has something to sell. Person B offered to sell on his behalf. Person A accepted the offer and handed person B the item. When person B went to sell the item, he was robbed. Question: is person B dhaamin/liable for the stolen item?

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

Answer:

There is a Fiqhi principle; that it is not permissible for anyone to transact in the property of another without their permission. If one does so, without the owner’s permission and the item gets destroyed (or in this case stolen) then this person will be liable for the damage or loss. [Al-Qawaidu Al-Fiqhiyah: page 99] [1]

As person B had the owner’s (person A’s) permission to conduct the sale on behalf of person A, he now cannot be held liable for the loss incurred unless the loss occurred due to gross negligence on the part of person B.

Only Allah knows best.

Written by Maulana Mohammed Dilwar Hussain

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

[1]لا يجوز لأحد أن يتصرف في ملك الغير بلا إذنه.

التصرف في ملك الغير إما فعليّا (وهو الإستهلاك) بأخذ أو إعطاء فهذا يعتبر (بلا إذن) تعديا، والمتصرف في حكم الغاصب، فهو ضامن للضرر.