Discount card from the Chamber of Commerce
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Fatwa ( 19114 )
Praise be to Allah alone, and may peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. After that: The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed what was sent to His Eminence the Grand Mufti from the questioner: His Excellency the Secretary General of the Industrial and Commercial Chamber of Qassim, and referred to the Committee by the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars, with number (3678) and date 5/7/1417 AH. The questioner asked a question, the text of which is as follows:
We have marketed a discount card in cooperation with one of the institutions to serve business men in the region. We have reviewed fatwas that prohibit dealing with this type of card. We wanted to clarify everything related to this card so that the situation is clear to Your Eminence regarding it. The Industrial and Commercial Chamber of the Qassim region has agreed with one of the institutions to issue an annual discount card for 100 riyals for members of the Chamber, and 150 riyals for non-members. The Chamber’s share of this is 20% net, and the rest goes to the institution. The institution is to agree with commercial establishments on a specific discount and issue a guide including all participants in the discount, from hotels, commercial shops, restaurants, pharmacies, and clinics, specifying the discount rate, and free check-up cards at some clinics, without the issuing institution bearing any financial burden as a result of the discount for the buyer. It is known that some institutions give the discount from the basic listed price. The institution markets the cards and does everything necessary to deliver the card to the beneficiary after its issuance, along with the comprehensive guide for the institutions. It is known
that the source of the card—the Chamber and the institution—suffers no harm from those who bear the discount rate, as they desire to gain the largest number of customers. Also, the owner of the institution participating in the discount is interested in having its name announced in this guide and having the cardholder visit it among other shops to benefit from the discount, as a type of advertising. The card’s duration is one year, and it is renewed for the same fee for those who wish to continue. The goal is to serve the members of the Chamber in the Qassim region and provide them with other distinguished services, as well as providing services to the Chamber’s friends, who are non-members, along with their benefit from the information center at the Chamber and providing them with any information upon request. However, the uptake of the Chamber’s card will not occur unless they find services in it, such as discounts from some of the shops participating in the discount. It is known that freedom is absolute regarding subscribing to the card or subscribing by the institutions participating in the discount, which are advertised in the guide issued to members. This is different from the advertising in the guide for establishments that wish to advertise on a page or more for an advertising fee. Therefore, we hope Your Eminence will issue a fatwa on the permissibility of this card or not. In the case of the impermissibility of this action, we request from Your Eminence
to guide us to the permissible method, as we have marketed this card and issued some cards to the beneficiaries, and the guide has been printed for that purpose. Given the importance of this matter and that it is in the process of implementation, we request your kindness in looking into it and deciding on it quickly.
After the Committee’s study of the inquiry, it responded as follows: It is not permissible to deal with the aforementioned discount card, either by issuing it or by subscribing to it, for several reasons, among which are: First: It contains excessive uncertainty and risk; because paying the amount in exchange for obtaining it is, in reality, a payment without a corresponding return, since its validity may expire before the holder uses it, or its use may not correspond to the fees paid for it, and this involves excessive uncertainty and risk. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, says:[An-Nisa 4:29] . Second: It contains usury; because the issuer’s granting of a discount to the holder in the case where the store owner refuses to offer a discount is the forbidden usury, and the discount here may exceed the card issuance fee, and facts have proven that this has occurred, resulting in a loss for the issuer.
Third: It has negative effects, among which are: stirring up enmity and hatred between the owners of shops participating in the discount and those not participating, by the selling of the discounted goods and the stagnation of other goods of those who did not participate in the (Discount Guide). Fourth: And among its effects is also: encouraging the holder to indulge in purchasing, in exchange for boasting about carrying it and being deceived by the advertising behind it. In this is the depletion of his savings and an increase in consumption and extravagance. The card, in its reality, results in the growth and increase of expenses, not in saving and increased savings. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
Praise be to Allah alone, and may peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. After that: The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed what was sent to His Eminence the Grand Mufti from the questioner: His Excellency the Secretary General of the Industrial and Commercial Chamber of Qassim, and referred to the Committee by the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars, with number (3678) and date 5/7/1417 AH. The questioner asked a question, the text of which is as follows:
We have marketed a discount card in cooperation with one of the institutions to serve business men in the region. We have reviewed fatwas that prohibit dealing with this type of card. We wanted to clarify everything related to this card so that the situation is clear to Your Eminence regarding it. The Industrial and Commercial Chamber of the Qassim region has agreed with one of the institutions to issue an annual discount card for 100 riyals for members of the Chamber, and 150 riyals for non-members. The Chamber’s share of this is 20% net, and the rest goes to the institution. The institution is to agree with commercial establishments on a specific discount and issue a guide including all participants in the discount, from hotels, commercial shops, restaurants, pharmacies, and clinics, specifying the discount rate, and free check-up cards at some clinics, without the issuing institution bearing any financial burden as a result of the discount for the buyer. It is known that some institutions give the discount from the basic listed price. The institution markets the cards and does everything necessary to deliver the card to the beneficiary after its issuance, along with the comprehensive guide for the institutions. It is known
that the source of the card—the Chamber and the institution—suffers no harm from those who bear the discount rate, as they desire to gain the largest number of customers. Also, the owner of the institution participating in the discount is interested in having its name announced in this guide and having the cardholder visit it among other shops to benefit from the discount, as a type of advertising. The card’s duration is one year, and it is renewed for the same fee for those who wish to continue. The goal is to serve the members of the Chamber in the Qassim region and provide them with other distinguished services, as well as providing services to the Chamber’s friends, who are non-members, along with their benefit from the information center at the Chamber and providing them with any information upon request. However, the uptake of the Chamber’s card will not occur unless they find services in it, such as discounts from some of the shops participating in the discount. It is known that freedom is absolute regarding subscribing to the card or subscribing by the institutions participating in the discount, which are advertised in the guide issued to members. This is different from the advertising in the guide for establishments that wish to advertise on a page or more for an advertising fee. Therefore, we hope Your Eminence will issue a fatwa on the permissibility of this card or not. In the case of the impermissibility of this action, we request from Your Eminence
to guide us to the permissible method, as we have marketed this card and issued some cards to the beneficiaries, and the guide has been printed for that purpose. Given the importance of this matter and that it is in the process of implementation, we request your kindness in looking into it and deciding on it quickly.
After the Committee’s study of the inquiry, it responded as follows: It is not permissible to deal with the aforementioned discount card, either by issuing it or by subscribing to it, for several reasons, among which are: First: It contains excessive uncertainty and risk; because paying the amount in exchange for obtaining it is, in reality, a payment without a corresponding return, since its validity may expire before the holder uses it, or its use may not correspond to the fees paid for it, and this involves excessive uncertainty and risk. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, says:
O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لاَ تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِThird: It has negative effects, among which are: stirring up enmity and hatred between the owners of shops participating in the discount and those not participating, by the selling of the discounted goods and the stagnation of other goods of those who did not participate in the (Discount Guide). Fourth: And among its effects is also: encouraging the holder to indulge in purchasing, in exchange for boasting about carrying it and being deceived by the advertising behind it. In this is the depletion of his savings and an increase in consumption and extravagance. The card, in its reality, results in the growth and increase of expenses, not in saving and increased savings. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.