Working in a shop that sells agarwood and incense; the shop owner, when he brings in the agarwood, finds it dirty, so he cleans it and paints it with a color resembling black to change its appearance.
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The questioner : He works in a shop that sells agarwood and incense. The owner of this shop, O honorable Shaykh, says that when he brings in the agarwood, it is dirty and has dust on it. The shop owner cleans the agarwood and paints it with a color resembling black so that the color changes and the smell changes. I tell him that this is forbidden, and he says to me, "It is none of your business." Is this forbidden or permissible? And is my working for him also permissible or forbidden? I ask for guidance and advice. May you be rewarded.
The Shaykh : The advice here is directed to the shop owner and to the questioner. As for the shop owner, his cleaning of the agarwood that he brings in and removing the dirt from it is permissible and there is no blame on him, because he has not added a quality to the agarwood to make it more appealing; rather, he has removed a defect that makes it less appealing. There is no blame on a person for cleaning his merchandise of dust and whatever it has become contaminated with.
As for adding something else to it that increases its value, that is forbidden for him and not permissible, and it is a form of deception. Let a person choose between being clear in his selling and buying, explaining things, or being among those from whom the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disavowed himself, in his saying:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1315Sahih (Darussalam) Let the shop owner and others who deceive and trick people know that what they earn in this way is forbidden for them and unlawful, and that if they give it in charity, it will not be accepted from them, and if they spend it, it will not be blessed for them, and if they leave it, it will be their provision for the Fire. So they should fear Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and be in their transactions dealing with clarity and truth. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 1532a This ruling includes sellers and those who hire and others who deal with one another. So whoever deals with clarity and truth, Allah will bless his transaction, and whoever deals with lying and concealment, Allah will remove the blessing from his transaction.
So my advice again to the shop owner is to fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and to know that one dirham earned in a lawful way, and let him know that one dirham earned through a lawful means is better than a thousand dirhams earned through a forbidden means.
As for the worker, the worker is to be thanked for his advice to the shop owner and for his courage in advising him. And so it is obligatory for every Muslim to be an advisor to his brother, even if he is higher in rank, because advice does not depend on one person over another, but whoever is able to do it, it is obligatory upon him.
And he is not required to leave the job, but he may remain in it. However, he tells the customer who wants to buy from this painted agarwood, "This agarwood is painted with what blackened it and improved it," so that he is absolved of his responsibility and the shop owner is absolved of his responsibility. This is not considered betrayal of the shop owner, but it is from the category of fulfilling the trust, which means preventing the shop owner from consuming wealth unjustly. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. This is a listener to the program who sent a message inquiring about the authenticity of a hadith. The listener here did not mention the name. He says:
The Shaykh : The advice here is directed to the shop owner and to the questioner. As for the shop owner, his cleaning of the agarwood that he brings in and removing the dirt from it is permissible and there is no blame on him, because he has not added a quality to the agarwood to make it more appealing; rather, he has removed a defect that makes it less appealing. There is no blame on a person for cleaning his merchandise of dust and whatever it has become contaminated with.
As for adding something else to it that increases its value, that is forbidden for him and not permissible, and it is a form of deception. Let a person choose between being clear in his selling and buying, explaining things, or being among those from whom the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disavowed himself, in his saying:
Whoever cheats, he is not one of us.
من غش فليس مناBoth parties in a business transaction have the right to annul it so long as they have not separated; and if they speak the truth and make everything clear they will be blessed in their transaction; but if they tell a lie and conceal anything the blessing on their transaction will be blotted out.
البيّعان بالخيار: فإن صدقا وبيّنا بورك لهما في بيعهما، وإن كذبا وكتما محِقت بركة بيعهماSo my advice again to the shop owner is to fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and to know that one dirham earned in a lawful way, and let him know that one dirham earned through a lawful means is better than a thousand dirhams earned through a forbidden means.
As for the worker, the worker is to be thanked for his advice to the shop owner and for his courage in advising him. And so it is obligatory for every Muslim to be an advisor to his brother, even if he is higher in rank, because advice does not depend on one person over another, but whoever is able to do it, it is obligatory upon him.
And he is not required to leave the job, but he may remain in it. However, he tells the customer who wants to buy from this painted agarwood, "This agarwood is painted with what blackened it and improved it," so that he is absolved of his responsibility and the shop owner is absolved of his responsibility. This is not considered betrayal of the shop owner, but it is from the category of fulfilling the trust, which means preventing the shop owner from consuming wealth unjustly. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. This is a listener to the program who sent a message inquiring about the authenticity of a hadith. The listener here did not mention the name. He says: