What is the ruling on working in limousine taxis?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Limousine taxis, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : The limousine taxis that have recently appeared among us.
The Shaykh : What are they called?
The questioner : Limousine taxis, meaning there are two aspects to the question. The first is that they condition the driver to pay them three thousand riyals per month, which is mandatory, and then he takes his salary from the surplus, i.e., whatever exceeds the three thousand.
The Shaykh : What is the answer if he does not reach the amount that is his salary?
The questioner: I do not know.
The Shaykh : I have no idea, I will state my opinion.
The questioner : Please.
The Shaykh : If they condition him to submit a certain amount to the company, and the company does not ask whether he profited or lost, and he is the client, then this is gambling. But if they set him a fixed salary, and if he earns more, it belongs to the company, and if he earns less, he does not pay the company anything, then this is permissible, is that clear?
The questioner : It is clear.
Another questioner : In the matter I mentioned, they give the driver one thousand five hundred riyals every month, and he must bring in two hundred and fifty riyals every day. If he brings in more than two hundred and fifty riyals, it is for him; he gives two hundred and fifty to the company. If he brings in less, he starts compensating from the money he takes every month to complete the two hundred and fifty and give it to the company.
The Shaykh : If it comes in less than what?
Another questioner : If it comes in less than two hundred and fifty, he completes the two hundred and fifty from his monthly salary and gives it to the company, which is deducted from him. And if he brings in more than two hundred and fifty, he takes it for himself.
The Shaykh : The opposite of this question.
Another questioner : It is like this: the work is monthly, and this is daily.
The Shaykh : No, that is not what is meant by "daily." Repeat the question.
The questioner : If the money is less than two hundred and fifty daily, they deduct from him. If he brings in two hundred in a day, they deduct the fifty.
The Shaykh : So the loss is at the driver's expense, and the profit and surplus are for him.
The questioner : According to his effort, meaning.
The Shaykh : No, but this has no relation to effort, because many customers may come, or none may come at all. I am thinking about this. In any transaction, should we include this?
The questioner : Is this a profit-sharing partnership, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : No, a profit-sharing partnership is when the car is from the company and the work is from him, and the matter ends there, then they split the profit, or something similar. This is not like that. This has a fixed amount: whatever exceeds this is for you, and whatever falls short of this is upon you. It appears, and Allah knows best, that it is not prescribed, because it contains gambling, it contains risk, it contains hazard. Allah knows best. It appears so.
The questioner : A third scenario: he pays fifty riyals, he pays fifty riyals in the name of the company... but he pays fifty riyals daily in the name of the company.
The Shaykh : Meaning he rents it from the company for fifty riyals?
The questioner : No, he rents the name.
The Shaykh : The name
The questioner : He rents the company's name for fifty riyals, and the car is his property.
The Shaykh : Meaning like renting the name of a guarantor, so to speak.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, this is from the widespread affliction. If this rental does not impose a cost on the lessor, and there is no harm from it if the lessee behaves in an inappropriate manner, then it is not permissible to take anything in exchange for this name, absolutely not.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : The limousine taxis that have recently appeared among us.
The Shaykh : What are they called?
The questioner : Limousine taxis, meaning there are two aspects to the question. The first is that they condition the driver to pay them three thousand riyals per month, which is mandatory, and then he takes his salary from the surplus, i.e., whatever exceeds the three thousand.
The Shaykh : What is the answer if he does not reach the amount that is his salary?
The questioner: I do not know.
The Shaykh : I have no idea, I will state my opinion.
The questioner : Please.
The Shaykh : If they condition him to submit a certain amount to the company, and the company does not ask whether he profited or lost, and he is the client, then this is gambling. But if they set him a fixed salary, and if he earns more, it belongs to the company, and if he earns less, he does not pay the company anything, then this is permissible, is that clear?
The questioner : It is clear.
Another questioner : In the matter I mentioned, they give the driver one thousand five hundred riyals every month, and he must bring in two hundred and fifty riyals every day. If he brings in more than two hundred and fifty riyals, it is for him; he gives two hundred and fifty to the company. If he brings in less, he starts compensating from the money he takes every month to complete the two hundred and fifty and give it to the company.
The Shaykh : If it comes in less than what?
Another questioner : If it comes in less than two hundred and fifty, he completes the two hundred and fifty from his monthly salary and gives it to the company, which is deducted from him. And if he brings in more than two hundred and fifty, he takes it for himself.
The Shaykh : The opposite of this question.
Another questioner : It is like this: the work is monthly, and this is daily.
The Shaykh : No, that is not what is meant by "daily." Repeat the question.
The questioner : If the money is less than two hundred and fifty daily, they deduct from him. If he brings in two hundred in a day, they deduct the fifty.
The Shaykh : So the loss is at the driver's expense, and the profit and surplus are for him.
The questioner : According to his effort, meaning.
The Shaykh : No, but this has no relation to effort, because many customers may come, or none may come at all. I am thinking about this. In any transaction, should we include this?
The questioner : Is this a profit-sharing partnership, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : No, a profit-sharing partnership is when the car is from the company and the work is from him, and the matter ends there, then they split the profit, or something similar. This is not like that. This has a fixed amount: whatever exceeds this is for you, and whatever falls short of this is upon you. It appears, and Allah knows best, that it is not prescribed, because it contains gambling, it contains risk, it contains hazard. Allah knows best. It appears so.
The questioner : A third scenario: he pays fifty riyals, he pays fifty riyals in the name of the company... but he pays fifty riyals daily in the name of the company.
The Shaykh : Meaning he rents it from the company for fifty riyals?
The questioner : No, he rents the name.
The Shaykh : The name
The questioner : He rents the company's name for fifty riyals, and the car is his property.
The Shaykh : Meaning like renting the name of a guarantor, so to speak.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, this is from the widespread affliction. If this rental does not impose a cost on the lessor, and there is no harm from it if the lessee behaves in an inappropriate manner, then it is not permissible to take anything in exchange for this name, absolutely not.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.