Renting a Shop to Someone Selling Musical Instruments or Other Prohibited Items

Author: Saudi Fatwa Committee (Lajnah Al-Da'imah)

Ruling on Renting a Shop for Prohibited Business​

It is not permissible to rent a shop to someone who intends to use it for activities involving haram (prohibited) goods, such as selling musical instruments, alcohol, cigarettes, or any other unlawful items. This prohibition is based on the principle that aiding in sin or transgression is forbidden in Islam.

Evidence from the Quran​

Allah commands:
"And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression."
[Surah Al-Ma'idah (5:2)]

Evidence from Hadith​

The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said:
"Allah has cursed alcohol, its drinker, its server, its presser, the one who transports it, the one to whom it is transported, its seller, its buyer, and the one who consumes its earnings."
[Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith 3674; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 3380]

This hadith emphasizes that those who facilitate or support sinful acts, such as selling prohibited items, share in the sin.

Reasoning and Principles​

1. Facilitating Sin is Prohibited:
   
   • Renting a shop for haram business makes the landlord a participant in sin by enabling the prohibited activity.
2. Shared Responsibility:
   
   • Just as those involved in producing, transporting, and selling haram goods are cursed, facilitating such activities through rental agreements is similarly impermissible.
3. Ethical Accountability:
   
   • A Muslim is required to ensure that their income and transactions are free from any involvement in sinful activities.

Conclusion​

Renting a shop to someone for prohibited activities, such as selling musical instruments or other haram items, is not permissible in Islam. Doing so constitutes cooperation in sin, which is clearly forbidden by the Quran and Hadith.