Selling Unlawful Products

Selling Unlawful Products

AUTHOR:	Shaikh Saalih Al-Fawzaan
SOURCE:	His book "Al-Buyoo' al-Munhee 'anhaa" (pg. 12-15)
PRODUCED BY:	Al-Ibaanah.com

2. And from the forbidden types of business is: Selling a forbidden commodity. This is because when Allaah makes something forbidden, He also makes taking money for it forbidden, such as when someone sells something that is forbidden to be sold. Allaah’s Messenger (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) forbade that dead animals, khamr (i.e. wine), swine and statues be sold So whoever sells dead animals, i.e. meat for which no prescribed Zakaat was given, then he has sold a dead animal and earned unlawful money.

This goes the same for selling khamr. What is meant by the word khamr is everything that intoxicates, based on the Prophet’s saying: “Every intoxicant is khamr and every kind of khamr is Haraam (unlawful).” And he (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) cursed ten people with regard to khamr, as is recorded in the authentic hadeeth: “Verily Allaah cursed khamr – the one who produces it and the one for whom it is produced, the one who sells it and the one who buys it, the one who drinks it and the one who earns from the sale of it, the one who carries it and the one who it is carried to, and the one who serves it.” Reported by At-Tirmidhee and Ibn Maajah.

Khamr is every type of intoxicant regardless of whether it is called khamr or alcoholic beverages or liquor or wine or whiskey. It doesn’t matter if it is called by any of these or other names – changing the name does not change the fact that it is khamr. It has been reported in a hadeeth that ”There will come a people during the Last Days that will call khamr by another name and drink it.”

Also, what is worse than this is selling narcotics, such as hasheesh and opium, as well as other types of drugs, which are being dealt out to the people in these days. So the one who sells it and deals it is a criminal in the eyes of the Muslims and in the eyes of the whole world. This is because drugs kill people, so it is like a destructive weapon.

Therefore, anyone who sells drugs or distributes it or assists in its distribution – all of them fall under the curse of Allaah’s Messenger (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). And taking money from it is from the wickedest of acts and the most detestable of gains. Furthermore, the one who deals drugs deserves to be executed because he is one of those who cause mischief in the land.

The same goes for selling cigarettes and qaat (leaves that are chewed in Arabian lands). Cigarettes are harmful and they cause diseases to occur. In fact, all of the characteristics of khubth(wickedness) are gathered together in cigarettes. There is no benefit in smoking in any way whatsoever. Its harms are many. The one with the worst kind of breath, the most despicable appearance and the most burdensome to accompany out of all people is the one who smokes cigarettes. If he sits next to you or he rides next to you in a car or on a plane, you feel constricted by the smoke he makes and its foul stench. The odor coming from his mouth is bad enough when he breathes in your face, so how much more so if he were to smoke in your presence and the cigarette smoke were to float in your face! The matter would be worse.

So smoking is wicked from all perspectives and there isn’t any benefit found in it. Therefore, it is forbidden without any hesitation or doubt. It is unlawful to smoke based on several perspectives, not just one.

When one smokes, he throws money away and he wastes time. Cigarettes disfigure the face, blacken the lips and stain the teeth. As for the diseases that are caused by it, then they are many.

Many people have been afflicted by it and yet they take it lightly and as something trivial. This is even to the point that some are suffering from its effects even though they never smoked and they hate smoking. However, they sold it to people because they loved to make money any way they could. But these people don’t know that this type of business spoils all of their earnings, because some of them mix the money they make from it with their business and so they spoil it, since (doing this) is forbidden and disobedience (to Allaah).

Sustenance is not to be sought from Allaah through disobeying Him. Rather, sustenance and provision are to be sought from Allaah by way of obeying Him. Whatever Allaah has ordained for you from rizq (sustenance) will surely come to you. If you seek after it while being obedient to Allaah (in all that He commands and prohibits), He will facilitate it for you and bless your wealth.