Selling items not in ownership
Question
I would like to know if we are alllowed to sell a product on a website even though I dont own the stock?
When the customer purchases the product I will then order the product from the supplier and then send it to the customer.
Are we allowed to sell stock that we do not own ?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
One of the basic conditions for the validity of a sale in Shariah is that the commodity must be in the physical or constructive possession of the seller.
Consider the following Hadith,
Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi Wasallam) explicitly prohibited that transaction wherein no possession of the item took place.
Therefore, is not permissible to sell an item that is not in one’s physical or constructive possession.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Huzaifah Deedat
Student Darul Iftaa
Lusaka, Zambia
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
References (Arabic / Urdu sources)
نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ سَلَفٍ وَبَيْعٍ، وَعَنْ شَرْطَيْنِ فِي بَيْعٍ، وَعَنْ بَيْعِ مَا لَمْ يُقْبَضْ، وَرِبْحِ مَا لَمْ يُضْمَنْ
المعجم الأوسط- دار الحرمين (2/ 154)
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ قَالَ: نا عَبْدُ الْقُدُّوسِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْحَبْحَابِيُّ قَالَ: نا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَاصِمٍ الْكِلَابِيُّ قَالَ: نا هَمَّامُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، عَنْ عَاصِمٍ الْأَحْوَلِ، وَابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ شُعَيْبٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ قَالَ: «نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ سَلَفٍ وَبَيْعٍ، وَعَنْ شَرْطَيْنِ فِي بَيْعٍ، وَعَنْ بَيْعِ مَا لَمْ يُقْبَضْ، وَرِبْحِ مَا لَمْ يُضْمَنْ»
لَمْ يَرْوِ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ عَنْ عَاصِمٍ إِلَّا هَمَّامٌ، تَفَرَّدَ بِهِ: عَمْرٌو "
- Answered by
- Huzaifah Deedat
- Checked & approved by
- Mufti Ebrahim Desai
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