Renting out a portion of a property in exchange of a service

Q: There is space for 4 tenants on a property. Is it permissible to rent out portion A of the property to a garden company, with the rental due being a service, e.g. the tenant of the area A will tend to the initial landscaping and then gardening of the entire property long term, as long as they occupy the area A as a tenant.

There will be no rental payments due apart from the gardening service they will offer. In essence, is ijaarah permissible in exchange of a service rather than money?

A: Yes, it is permissible. However, to avoid any future misunderstandings, it will be important that the services for each month be clearly defined.

And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

ومنها أن تكون الأجرة معلومة ومنها أن لا تكون الأجرة منفعة هي من جنس المعقود عليه كإجارة السكنى بالسكنى والخدمة بالخدمة (الفتاوى الهندية 4/411)

وإن كانت الأجرة من خلاف الجنس جاز كإجارة السكنى بالخدمة والخدمة بالركوب ونحو ذلك (بدائع الصنائع في ترتيب الشرائع 4/194)

Answered by:

Mufti Zakaria Makada

Checked & Approved:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)