What is the ruling on purchasing goods and receiving others for free from some companies?
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The questioner : O Shaykh, peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy.
The Shaykh : And peace be upon you.
The questioner : I convey to you my greetings and those of the people of Kuwait; they send you their greetings very much, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Peace be upon you and upon them.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh. Some companies hold a festival for some of their goods.
The Shaykh : ...
The Shaykh : You buy one item and get the other for free. Is this permissible?
The Shaykh : I mean, they give prizes.
The questioner : You buy the same item and get the second one for free, exactly the same, while the other shops do not do this, meaning they break their market.
The Shaykh : I mean, they give prizes. I am asking you, for example, someone buys a pen and they give him another pen.
The questioner : The same one, for free.
The Shaykh : For free, so is it a reward or not?
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : If you sold the pen for ten and gave the second one for free, the two became ten, and the value of one is...
The student: Five.
The Shaykh : What is the value of one? Brother, what is the value of one?
The questioner : Approximately one dinar.
The Shaykh : Let us say ten, not a riyal or a dinar or anything.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : The value of the pen is five, do you understand?
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : This company gave him another pen worth five. What is the value of one pen?
The questioner : Five
The Shaykh : No.
The questioner : Ten.
The Shaykh : Not two and a half, two and a half. Are you confused?
The questioner : By Allah, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Okay, he gave him this pen for ten, and its value is ten. He gave him a similar pen for ten. What is the value of the two? The value of the two?
The questioner : Five dinars.
The Shaykh : Ten, each one is five.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : Did you get it? Do you understand now or not?
The questioner : I understand, I understand.
The Shaykh : Okay, you say that if they do this, they break the market for the others.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : Because people are selling the pen for ten, and this one sold two for ten, and this harms the markets. Some scholars say there is no harm, let him lower the price as he wishes, because he did not go to a person who stopped at his shop wanting to buy and said, “Come, I will give it to you cheaper than him.” This is open. And if the price drops to half, let the others drop the price to half; they are not prevented, do you understand?
The questioner : Do you understand?
The Shaykh : And some scholars say no, people must be equal or close in price so that some do not harm others, and so that enmity and hatred do not arise among people. In my view, the reference in this matter, since it is a matter of scholarly disagreement among jurists, is to refer to the one in authority, the prince or the governor, and he will determine what he wishes. However, if the matter is a gift that is disconnected, meaning only in the first sale, it means nothing has happened, because some people make a gift in the first sale, and when people turned to him, the prize stopped. This, if Allah wills, has nothing wrong with it.
The questioner : Okay, O Shaykh, if you buy the goods, you enter the draw.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : You buy these goods and enter the draw for a prize, a car.
The Shaykh : A share.
The questioner : A draw, a draw.
The Shaykh : Yes, there is no harm if the value is the value.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : And you are buying the item for a purpose, meaning like gas stations now, the price is one, and you are coming to buy gasoline, you must buy, so there is no harm. If the prize, the car, comes to you, praise be to Allah, because you are now either safe or winning. It does not fall under gambling. Yes, after that.
The Shaykh : And peace be upon you.
The questioner : I convey to you my greetings and those of the people of Kuwait; they send you their greetings very much, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Peace be upon you and upon them.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh. Some companies hold a festival for some of their goods.
The Shaykh : ...
The Shaykh : You buy one item and get the other for free. Is this permissible?
The Shaykh : I mean, they give prizes.
The questioner : You buy the same item and get the second one for free, exactly the same, while the other shops do not do this, meaning they break their market.
The Shaykh : I mean, they give prizes. I am asking you, for example, someone buys a pen and they give him another pen.
The questioner : The same one, for free.
The Shaykh : For free, so is it a reward or not?
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : If you sold the pen for ten and gave the second one for free, the two became ten, and the value of one is...
The student: Five.
The Shaykh : What is the value of one? Brother, what is the value of one?
The questioner : Approximately one dinar.
The Shaykh : Let us say ten, not a riyal or a dinar or anything.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : The value of the pen is five, do you understand?
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : This company gave him another pen worth five. What is the value of one pen?
The questioner : Five
The Shaykh : No.
The questioner : Ten.
The Shaykh : Not two and a half, two and a half. Are you confused?
The questioner : By Allah, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Okay, he gave him this pen for ten, and its value is ten. He gave him a similar pen for ten. What is the value of the two? The value of the two?
The questioner : Five dinars.
The Shaykh : Ten, each one is five.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : Did you get it? Do you understand now or not?
The questioner : I understand, I understand.
The Shaykh : Okay, you say that if they do this, they break the market for the others.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : Because people are selling the pen for ten, and this one sold two for ten, and this harms the markets. Some scholars say there is no harm, let him lower the price as he wishes, because he did not go to a person who stopped at his shop wanting to buy and said, “Come, I will give it to you cheaper than him.” This is open. And if the price drops to half, let the others drop the price to half; they are not prevented, do you understand?
The questioner : Do you understand?
The Shaykh : And some scholars say no, people must be equal or close in price so that some do not harm others, and so that enmity and hatred do not arise among people. In my view, the reference in this matter, since it is a matter of scholarly disagreement among jurists, is to refer to the one in authority, the prince or the governor, and he will determine what he wishes. However, if the matter is a gift that is disconnected, meaning only in the first sale, it means nothing has happened, because some people make a gift in the first sale, and when people turned to him, the prize stopped. This, if Allah wills, has nothing wrong with it.
The questioner : Okay, O Shaykh, if you buy the goods, you enter the draw.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : You buy these goods and enter the draw for a prize, a car.
The Shaykh : A share.
The questioner : A draw, a draw.
The Shaykh : Yes, there is no harm if the value is the value.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : And you are buying the item for a purpose, meaning like gas stations now, the price is one, and you are coming to buy gasoline, you must buy, so there is no harm. If the prize, the car, comes to you, praise be to Allah, because you are now either safe or winning. It does not fall under gambling. Yes, after that.