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Would selling televisions render my earnings unlawful?

Answered as per Shafi'i Fiqh by Qibla.com

Answered by Shaykh Amjad Rasheed

I work in a commercial store where they sell things that have no Shariah-recognized benefit, such as radios and televisions. Are my earnings lawful (halal)?

Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

It is clear that such appliances can be used in lawful and unlawful ways. Anything that is such can be sold, and the earnings from such sales will be lawful.

The exception is when the seller knows [with certainty] that this buyer will use such items in an unlawful manner. In such a case, it would not be permitted to sell such items, because it would entail assisting them in sin and such earnings would be unlawful.

When one is uncertain of the buyer’s intention, it is permitted to sell such appliances and the earnings are lawful.

It is best for a Muslim to avoid selling televisions in the first place, because of the obvious harms it entails, even if there may be some odd benefits.

Amjad Rasheed

(Translated by Faraz Rabbani, edited by Hamza Karamali)

السؤال الخامس عشر : أعمل في محل تجاري يبيع أشياء لا فائدة فيها شرعاً كالراديو والتلفاز ، فهل كسبي حلال ؟ الجواب : لا يخفى أن هذه الأجهزة تستخدم في الحلال والحرام ، وما كان كذلك جاز بيعه والكسب منه حلال إلا إن علم البائعُ أن المشتري يريد استعماله في الحرام فيحرم بيعه إياه وإلا صار معاوناً له على المعصية ، وكسبه منه حرام ، و إن شك في قصد المشتري جاز له بيعه وكسبه حلال . والأولى بالمسلم التنزه عن بيع التلفاز أصلاً لما لا يخفى ما فيه من الفساد ، وإن كان فيه شيء ما مفيد ، والله أعلم . 

This answer was indexed from Qibla.com, which used to have a repository of Islamic Q&A answered by various scholars. The website is no longer in existence. It has now been transformed into a learning portal with paid Islamic course offering under the brand of Kiflayn.

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