Charging the customer under a wrong, misleading pretext

Q: I work at a company that sells wooden boards. Carpenters come to us with the measurements of the customer’s job, then we use a computer program to work out how many boards the customer will require. Sometimes, the customer only requires two boards but the carpenter asks us to charge him for three boards. The customer thinks that he needs three boards and is paying for three, whereas he only needs two and is only receiving two while the carpenter takes the money from us quietly for the third board. My boss says that we are not doing anything wrong because the carpenter is taking the money and we are not taking anything. Is this permissible?

A: This is not permissible. You are deceiving and cheating the customer by charging him for what he did not purchase. Hence, the money you have charged him for the third board which you did not sell to him is not halaal

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

عن أبي هريرة أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال من حمل علينا السلاح فليس منا ومن غشنا فليس منا (صحيح مسلم رقم 101)

عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما قال سمعت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول لكل غادر لواء ينصب بغدرته يوم القيامة (صحيح البخاري، الرقم: 3188)

Answered by:

Mufti Zakaria Makada

Checked & Approved:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)