The amount of lawful profit in trade
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Your Eminence, he asks about the amount of lawful profit in trade, and whether it is permissible for a person to buy a commodity for fifty and sell it for eighty, or more, for example? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
That is not a fixed limit. Rather, it is permissible to have a large or small profit, except when the commodities are available in the market at known, fixed prices. In that case, one should not deceive people by claiming that the commodities are not available, when in fact they are available at such and such prices. However, if he wants to take a higher profit, there is no harm, provided he informs people of the existing prices. As for when the prices are not available or fixed, he sells at whatever price he wishes, even if the profit is thirty percent above the base price of fifty, or fifty percent, or the like; there is no fixed limit. He has not found a condition in the Shari'ah that limits the sale for profit. However, the believer is lenient with his brothers and lenient with the Muslims, and is content with a small profit, unless circumstances change, such as the commodities changing or the market prices rising due to a decrease in supply or other reasons. In that case, he sells as people sell, and there is no harm, and the profit increases. As for going against the people or deceiving the weak and the poor by selling to them at a high price, that is not permissible. He should guide people to the known prices and sell as people sell, unless he makes it clear to the buyer that the price among people is such and such, and that he will not sell his commodity for less than such and such. If the buyer buys it with full knowledge, because the place of prostration is far away, for example, or for some other reason, there is no harm, because the matter was made clear to him. May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
Your Eminence, he asks about the amount of lawful profit in trade, and whether it is permissible for a person to buy a commodity for fifty and sell it for eighty, or more, for example? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
That is not a fixed limit. Rather, it is permissible to have a large or small profit, except when the commodities are available in the market at known, fixed prices. In that case, one should not deceive people by claiming that the commodities are not available, when in fact they are available at such and such prices. However, if he wants to take a higher profit, there is no harm, provided he informs people of the existing prices. As for when the prices are not available or fixed, he sells at whatever price he wishes, even if the profit is thirty percent above the base price of fifty, or fifty percent, or the like; there is no fixed limit. He has not found a condition in the Shari'ah that limits the sale for profit. However, the believer is lenient with his brothers and lenient with the Muslims, and is content with a small profit, unless circumstances change, such as the commodities changing or the market prices rising due to a decrease in supply or other reasons. In that case, he sells as people sell, and there is no harm, and the profit increases. As for going against the people or deceiving the weak and the poor by selling to them at a high price, that is not permissible. He should guide people to the known prices and sell as people sell, unless he makes it clear to the buyer that the price among people is such and such, and that he will not sell his commodity for less than such and such. If the buyer buys it with full knowledge, because the place of prostration is far away, for example, or for some other reason, there is no harm, because the matter was made clear to him. May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ ابن باز Alsheikh Binbaz»، 8328 - مقدار الربح الشرعي في التجارة - نور على الدرب — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.