The Majlis Archive

Finance - Banking - Business The Majlis Vol 21 No 02, p.3

Is it permissible to sell church skirts?

Question

Is it permissible to sell church skirts? These are skirts used specifically for worshipping in church.

Answer

Selling 'church' skirts is like selling grapes. If the grapes are procured for the purposes of selling to a winery, then it will not be permissible. However, if a winery comes to a market and purchases grapes, it will be permissible to sell the grapes to him. What the customers do with the products is not the liability of the seller. Similarly, if a person sells a knife being aware that the customer is purchasing it to commit murder, then it will not be permissible to sell the knife to him. This rule applies to all permissible products, e.g. batteries, radios, malt, brown sugar, etc.

It is permissible to sell timber to anyone. But it is not permissible to enter into a contract to sell timber to an entity which will use the timber to make crosses, or television sets for example.

The same rule applies to the church skirts. If the skirts are made specifically for church use, and are not used for normal wear, then it will not be permissible to stock and sell them since this would be I'aanat alal ma'siyat (to aid in sin and transgression). However, if the skirts are for general wear, not specifically for church wear, then such skirts may be sold to anyone even to church people. But it will then too not be permissible to specially supply a church organization with such skirts. And Allah knows best.

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The Majlis Vol 21 No 02
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Appears under Questions and Answers (approximate).

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