What is the ruling on renting out a shop in which the tenant sells tobacco?
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The questioner : He says: Honorable Shaykh, I hope you will give a detailed answer to this question, so that Allah may benefit those who are present and those to whom this tape is conveyed. The question is: What is the ruling on renting out a shop in which the tenant sells tobacco? Do you think the people of the neighborhood should boycott it and buy from those who do not sell it, so that he is deterred from that action? And what is your advice to those who sell tobacco, especially in this noble month?
The Shaykh : Renting out shops to those who engage in forbidden activities within them is forbidden. The rent that comes to him is forbidden. An example of this is a man who rents a shop to a person to shave people's beards, meaning he rents it to a barber who shaves beards; the rent here is forbidden and the earnings are forbidden. Or he rents a person a shop to sell tobacco in; that is also forbidden, the rent is forbidden and the contract is forbidden. Or he rents a person a shop to sell obscene, corrupt magazines; the lease is forbidden and the earnings are forbidden. This is the rule. As for if he rents it to a person on the condition that he sells something lawful in it, but he sells something forbidden without your knowledge, the contract is valid. But if the term ends and you want to renew the contract, do not renew the contract with him as long as he is selling forbidden items in this shop. As for boycotting the grocery stores that sell tobacco or obscene newspapers whose sale is forbidden, it is undoubtedly good.
Because it will yield two great fruits. The first fruit is that people will turn to the honest grocery stores that are free from selling these things. The second is that the profit and gain of these grocery stores that sell these things will decrease, and consequently, either they will go bankrupt and close their doors, or they will repent to Allah and stop selling these things.
And both are two great benefits. What is the first benefit? People turning to the honest, sound grocery stores. And the second is reducing the profit of these grocery stores that sell these forbidden things until they are forced to do one of two things: either close and go bankrupt, or repent from the forbidden things. So boycotting these grocery stores is good. And if a person intends by it to remove what is wrong, it becomes an act of worship by which he draws near to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, especially in this blessed month.
The Shaykh : Renting out shops to those who engage in forbidden activities within them is forbidden. The rent that comes to him is forbidden. An example of this is a man who rents a shop to a person to shave people's beards, meaning he rents it to a barber who shaves beards; the rent here is forbidden and the earnings are forbidden. Or he rents a person a shop to sell tobacco in; that is also forbidden, the rent is forbidden and the contract is forbidden. Or he rents a person a shop to sell obscene, corrupt magazines; the lease is forbidden and the earnings are forbidden. This is the rule. As for if he rents it to a person on the condition that he sells something lawful in it, but he sells something forbidden without your knowledge, the contract is valid. But if the term ends and you want to renew the contract, do not renew the contract with him as long as he is selling forbidden items in this shop. As for boycotting the grocery stores that sell tobacco or obscene newspapers whose sale is forbidden, it is undoubtedly good.
Because it will yield two great fruits. The first fruit is that people will turn to the honest grocery stores that are free from selling these things. The second is that the profit and gain of these grocery stores that sell these things will decrease, and consequently, either they will go bankrupt and close their doors, or they will repent to Allah and stop selling these things.
And both are two great benefits. What is the first benefit? People turning to the honest, sound grocery stores. And the second is reducing the profit of these grocery stores that sell these forbidden things until they are forced to do one of two things: either close and go bankrupt, or repent from the forbidden things. So boycotting these grocery stores is good. And if a person intends by it to remove what is wrong, it becomes an act of worship by which he draws near to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, especially in this blessed month.
Source
اللقاءات الرمضانية لعام 1413هـ - 2 — binothaimeen.net (55:22)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.