Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Here , most “3-star hotels” are zina joints. All have bars, and almost all have at least one night club, usually 3 or more of them. Almost all are used by prostitutes, with full knowledge of security personnel and concierge, and most probably the owner as well. If a buyer is interested in purchasing a generic 3-star hotel (not any specific one), and a seller is willing to sell his establishment, is it permissible for someone to act as a middle man in such a transaction and earn commission from it?
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
There are two main issues: a) Validity of the transaction, and whether the earnings themselves would be halal; b) Whether the transactions are permitted and whether the earnings are tainted.
Given that the ownership of a hotel is not per se sinful, its sale it permitted and it is permitted to be an agent or intermediary for such a sale. However, if there is a high likelihood that it will be a place of sin (as opposed to a place where incidental sin may take place), then it would be disliked to get involved in such a transaction, and scrupulousness would entail avoiding it when reasonably possible.
Faraz Rabbani
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