Fatwa: # 19747
Category: Financial Transactions
Country: South Africa
Date: 4th February 2012

Title

Purchasing an item on discount by lying to the retailer?

Question

Please consider the following: Zaid buys some item from Amr, whilst lying to him that he is buying it for a madrasah in order to get a discount. So he is given a discount and pays 600 instead of 800.

Thereafter, Bakr buys the same item from Zaid for the cost of 600.  Now Bake feels guilty.  Was it permissible for Bakr to buy the item? Can he use it for himself?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh. 

If Zaid purchased the item from Amr, Zaid is the owner of the item.  Subsequently, if Bakr purchased the same item from Zaid, that transaction is valid and Bakr will be the new owner of the item.[i] 

If Zaid deceives Amr, he has committed a sin for which he must make tawbah.  However that deception does not invalidate his deal with Amr or with Bakr.     

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Mawlana Faraz Ibn Adam,
Student Darul Iftaa
Leicester, United Kingdom 

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net


[i]  الاختيار لتعليل المختلر

الْبَيْعُ يَنْعَقِدُ بِالْإِيجَابِ وَالْقَبُولِ بِلَفْظَيِ الْمَاضِي كَقَوْلِهِ: بِعْتُ وَاشْتَرَيْتُ وَبِكُلِّ لَفْظٍ يَدُلُّ عَلَى مَعْنَاهُمَا وَبِالتَّعَاطِي (ج 2 ص 4 دار الكتب العلمية)

 

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