The Ruling on Competition Among Merchants in Sales
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
Regarding some companies, there is competition between them. For example, they offer: if you buy two cartons of milk, you get the third one for free. Is there any benefit in this kind of competition?
The Shaykh:
Leaving it alone is safer, because this may lead to enmity and fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). Leaving it alone is safer.
The questioner:
As for the buyer, should he buy from them?
The Shaykh:
He should refrain from buying from them and not care. He buys what he needs and does not care about the extra. Yes.
The presenter:
The extra is a gift from Allah. It comes, meaning...
The Shaykh:
My dear, my brother.
The questioner:
He does not want this thing. That is, instead of taking two cartons, he takes three, and he needs his need. He takes what he takes, whether the carton is available or not. But when he sees the carton, it encourages him to take more from both types. There is no innocence or known harm in it.
The Shaykh:
He says: If you are satisfied with the dispute between them and the people, because there is competition among the sellers, among the neighbors, they compete, and enmity arises between them.
The presenter:
And it is for the benefit of the weak, the poor, generally, from these companies.
The Shaykh:
May Allah reward him. Allah knows best. Whoever misleads you, bow to him? The situation has tied me to the door of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). May Allah pardon.
Regarding some companies, there is competition between them. For example, they offer: if you buy two cartons of milk, you get the third one for free. Is there any benefit in this kind of competition?
The Shaykh:
Leaving it alone is safer, because this may lead to enmity and fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). Leaving it alone is safer.
The questioner:
As for the buyer, should he buy from them?
The Shaykh:
He should refrain from buying from them and not care. He buys what he needs and does not care about the extra. Yes.
The presenter:
The extra is a gift from Allah. It comes, meaning...
The Shaykh:
My dear, my brother.
The questioner:
He does not want this thing. That is, instead of taking two cartons, he takes three, and he needs his need. He takes what he takes, whether the carton is available or not. But when he sees the carton, it encourages him to take more from both types. There is no innocence or known harm in it.
The Shaykh:
He says: If you are satisfied with the dispute between them and the people, because there is competition among the sellers, among the neighbors, they compete, and enmity arises between them.
The presenter:
And it is for the benefit of the weak, the poor, generally, from these companies.
The Shaykh:
May Allah reward him. Allah knows best. Whoever misleads you, bow to him? The situation has tied me to the door of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). May Allah pardon.
Source
شرح بلوغ المرام [ ابن باز ] [ الشرح الجديد ]، تتمة باب شروطه وما نهي عنه منه — islamhouse.com (2:52)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.