The Ruling on Deception in Sales

Question:
Another person asks, saying: I have children who work in the biscuit business, and they are partners. They put thirty-five biscuits in the box, but when the buyer comes, they say there are fifty in it, and so do all the biscuit sellers. What is your opinion, Your Eminence, on that?

Answer:
This is deception, betrayal, and lying. He puts thirty-five in the box and tells the buyer there are fifty, or forty. This is forbidden and an evil act. He must repent to Allah and give in charity an amount equivalent to what he took from people’s money, because this is deception. It is obligatory for him to state the truth about what is in the box: if there are ten, he says ten; if there are forty, he says forty. He does not add to the number. This is what is obligatory for him.
If he adds to the number, he has lied, erred, and deceived the Muslims. He must repent to Allah, and he must return the excess to its owner if he knows who it is. If he does not know who it is, he must give the excess he took without right in charity. May Allah guide them all, and may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions.