Sunday, 5 April 2026 (17 Shawwal 1447 AH)
Question: A man works for a merchant. The merchant deems it permissible to sell an item for more than its current day’s cash price due to deferment of payment (i.e., on credit), while the worker believes that to be prohibited. In this case, may the man work in this business or not?
Answer — and Allah is the One who grants success: The jurists of the school have said that an agent may not act except in matters deemed permissible by both himself and the principal. The person mentioned in the question is a private hireling, and a private hireling in sales and purchases resembles an agent.
The proof that what is mentioned is impermissible is what is known in Islam: that a Muslim is obliged to refrain from what Allah has forbidden him. However, the hireling may work in sales other than that kind, and he is not required to forbid it; it is also permissible for him to be present when it occurs.
Source: Min Thimār al-ʿIlm wa al-Ḥikmah vol.2