#325: Ruling on Hoarding of Goods

QUESTION

ON KEEPING GOODS FOR RESALE AT TIMES OF SCARCITY

” Asslamualaikum ya admin What is the ruling on buying farm produce when it’s cheap for resale when it’s expected to be expensive. What if the purchase is from a different place. It’s urgent pls.”

ANSWER

Wa alaykum Salām Warahmatullāh Wabarakātuh.

Alhamdulillāh.
This is not of the acts that are referred to as _Ihtikār_ in the Sharī’a which is a sinful form of Hoarding.

Basically, for Hoarding to be referred to as Harām in the Sharī’a, it must meet the following conditions:

1. It must be of those goods that are a necessity and without which people’s lives are adversely affected

2. That the good was purchased by the hoarder with money or trade. What it means is that if he were to possess it by way of inheritance or by way of gifting, it is the position of the Majority that this would not ammount to Hoarding. This was mentioned by the Imams of the four schools.

3. That he purchased it at a time when the good is expensive so as to increase its price. They hold that if he were to purchase it at a time in which it is cheap, that wouldn’t amount to Harām. This was mentioned by the Stalwarts of the Mālikī, Shāfi’ī and Hanbali Schools.

4. That his hoarding of that good actually affects people and makes things difficult for them. This is agreed upon among the Imams. Only some of the Mālikī Scholars disagreed with this.

The great Imām Ibn Hajar Al-Haythami – rahimahullāh – expounded on hoarding in his corpus ‘Az-Zawājir ‘An Iqtirāfi Al-Kabā’ir’

As you have said, if the good was purchased from other lands, there is nothing Harām in it as long as it doesn’t meet the conditions mentioned above.

For further reading, you may refer to the Shāfi’ī master piece Mughnīyu Al-Muhtāj

Bārakallāhu fīkum
Jazākumullāhu Khayran

18th Safar 1439AH

📚 IslamNode