21ST January 2017
السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته
Question: Is it permissible to let my place to a Romanian Non-Muslim couple for them to open a Restaurant? They have informed me they will be selling Alcohol and I also assume there will be meat on the menu which will not be halal. Every customer will be served with food but not every customer will have a drink. Please clarify.
الجواب حامداً و مصلياً
In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer
In reference to your case scenario, Imām Abū Hanīfah rahimahullah permitted a Muslim living in a predominant Non-Muslim region (which still remains under Muslim sovereignty) to lease out a property to a non-Muslim who intends to sell unlawful items such as alcohol. His line of argument is that trading in alcohol is the act of the leaseholder which is permitted in their religion, thus severing the Muslim landlord’s connection from the Non-Muslim’s act. As he bears no liability of the lease holder’s actions, the Muslim owner’s monthly rental from such property is Halal as he is charging for the usufruct (manfa’ah) of the property. Contrarily, his prominent students, Imām Abū Yusuf rahimahullah and Imām Muhammad rahimahullah disallow it all together even to a non-Muslim because it is tantamount to assisting upon sin, which has been clearly prohibited in the Shari’ah.[1]
It must be remembered that Imām Abū Hanīfah’s rahimahullah ruling was issued in an Islamic state where there was no fear of widespread of fitna among Muslims if non-Muslims transacted it among themselves. Due to the widespread consumption of alcohol nowadays, it is not unjustified for scholars adopting the opinion of Imām Sāhib’s two students for discouraging Muslims leasing out a property in which alcohol is being sold,[2] yet, on the other hand, the Shari’ah does not intend to burden its people also and takes circumstances into consideration. As there is no clear consensus on this matter, in your case in particular, if they do intend to sell alcohol in their restaurant along with other unlawful meat then there is no harm in following Imām Abū Hanifah’s rahimahullah opinion of permissibility and the rent you receive will be lawful, regardless if majority of the income comes from the alcohol selling or not. Consider it that the monthly revenue is in exchange for leasing out a property and what they do is their individual business. This is the fatwa position otherwise the Taqwa position is to avoid it altogether in due consideration of his two student’s position.
[Allãh Knows Best]
Written by (Mufti) Abdul Waheed
Answer Attested by Shaykh Mufti Saiful Islam
JKN Fatawa Department
[1] Bahr Raiq, Kitāb al-Karahiyyah, p. 372 vol 8
قَالَ: – رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ – (وَإِجَارَةُ بَيْتٍ لِيُتَّخَذَ بَيْتَ نَارٍ أَوْ بِيعَةً أَوْ كَنِيسَةً أَوْ يُبَاعَ فِيهِ خَمْرٌ بِالسَّوَادِ) يَعْنِي جَازَ إجَارَةُ الْبَيْتِ لِكَافِرٍ لِيُتَّخَذُ مَعْبَدًا أَوْ بَيْتَ نَارٍ لِلْمَجُوسِ أَوْ يُبَاعَ فِيهِ خَمْرٌ فِي السَّوَادِ وَهَذَا قَوْلُ الْإِمَامِ وَقَالَا: يُكْرَهُ كُلُّ ذَلِكَ لِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى {وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى وَلا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ} [المائدة: 2] وَلَهُ أَنَّ الْإِجَارَةَ عَلَى مَنْفَعَةِ الْبَيْتِ وَلِهَذَا تَجِبُ الْأُجْرَةُ بِمُجَرَّدِ التَّسْلِيمِ وَلَا مَعْصِيَةَ فِيهِ وَإِنَّمَا الْمَعْصِيَةُ بِفِعْلِ الْمُسْتَأْجِرِ وَهُوَ مُخْتَارٌ فِيهِ فَقَطَعَ نِسْبَةَ ذَلِكَ إلَى الْمُؤَجِّرِ وَصَارَ كَبَيْعِ الْجَارِيَةِ لِمَنْ لَا يَسْتَبْرِئُهَا أَوْ يَأْتِيهَا فِي دُبُرِهَا أَوْ بَيْعِ الْغُلَامِ مِمَّنْ يَلُوطُ بِهِ وَالدَّلِيلُ عَلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لَوْ أَجَّرَهُ لِلسُّكْنَى جَازَ وَلَا بُدَّ فِيهِ مِنْ عِبَادَتِهِ وَإِنَّمَا قَيَّدَهُ بِالسَّوَادِ؛ لِأَنَّهُمْ لَا يُمَكَّنُونَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فِي الْأَمْصَارِ وَلَا يُمَكَّنُونَ مِنْ إظْهَارِ بَيْعِ الْخَمْرِ وَالْخِنْزِيرِ فِي الْأَمْصَارِ لِظُهُورِ شَعَائِرِ الْإِسْلَامِ فَلَا يُعَارَضُ بِظُهُورِ شَعَائِرِ الْكُفْرِ قَالُوا فِي هَذَا سَوَادُ الْكُوفَةِ؛ لِأَنَّ غَالِبَ أَهْلِهَا أَهْلُ ذِمَّةٍ، وَأَمَّا فِي غَيْرِهَا فِيهَا شَعَائِرُ الْإِسْلَامِ ظَاهِرَةٌ فَلَا يُمَكَّنُونَ فِيهَا فِي الْأَصَحِّ
Ibn Ābideen Shāmi, Kitāb al-Hazr wal Ibāhat, p. 562-3 vol 9
(وَ) جَازَ (إجَارَةُ بَيْتٍ بِسَوَادِ الْكُوفَةِ) أَيْ قُرَاهَا (لَا بِغَيْرِهَا عَلَى الْأَصَحِّ) وَأَمَّا الْأَمْصَارُ وَقُرَى غَيْرِ الْكُوفَةِ فَلَا يُمَكَّنُونَ لِظُهُورِ شِعَارِ الْإِسْلَامِ فِيهَا وَخُصَّ سَوَادُ الْكُوفَةِ، لِأَنَّ غَالِبَ أَهْلِهَا أَهْلُ الذِّمَّةِ (لِيُتَّخَذَ بَيْتَ نَارٍ أَوْ كَنِيسَةً أَوْ بِيعَةً أَوْ يُبَاعَ فِيهِ الْخَمْرُ) وَقَالَا لَا يَنْبَغِي ذَلِكَ لِأَنَّهُ إعَانَةٌ عَلَى الْمَعْصِيَةِ وَبِهِ قَالَتْ الثَّلَاثَةُ زَيْلَعِيٌّ
Fatawa Hindiyyah Kitabul Ijārah p. 509 vol 4
[الْبَابُ السَّادِس عَشَرَ فِي مَسَائِلِ الشُّيُوعِ فِي الْإِجَارَةِ]
إذَا اسْتَأْجَرَ الذِّمِّيُّ مِنْ الْمُسْلِمِ بَيْتًا لِيَبِيعَ فِيهِ الْخَمْرَ جَازَ عِنْدَ أَبِي حَنِيفَةَ – رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى – خِلَافًا لَهُمَا. كَذَا فِي الْمُضْمَرَاتِ
[2] Maulāna Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, Kitāb al-Fatāwa p. 402, vol 5