Ruling on Buying and Selling Instruments of Shirk
Source: Fatāwā Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
Question:
What is the ruling on buying and selling instruments of shirk?
Answer:
The buying and selling of items that are used for shirk is harām and impermissible. For example:
◈ Selling idols
◈ Selling sheets for shrines
◈ Selling books based on shirk, etc.
This falls under sin and cooperation in shirk.
Allah ﷻ says:
﴿وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَىٰ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ﴾
(Al-Mā’idah: 2)
"Help one another in righteousness and piety, and do not help one another in sin and transgression."
This verse is such a general principle that any matter proven to be sinful or prohibited, assisting in it in any way is impermissible. Selling prohibited and shirk-related items is a form of cooperation; hence, it is harām.
❀ Imām Ibn Baṭṭāl رحمه الله (d. 449H) said:
أجمعت الأمة على أنه لا يجوز بيع الميتة والأصنام، لأنه لا يحل الانتفاع بهما.
"The Ummah has unanimously agreed that it is not permissible to sell carrion and idols, because benefiting from them is not permissible."
(Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 6/360)
