Q: I would like to know if buying a box with the contents being unknown permissible or not. Example there are 5 closed boxes you cannot open before buying but the estimated value is R100 each. It can be worth more, it can be less. If the estimated value is R100 and it's on an auction platform, the bid can land upto R800 example or can cost you R100.
Is this permissible to buy?
Please note that each box will have something and none will be empty but it can be something with very low value.
A: Among the conditions for a sale to be valid is that the purchaser should have knowledge of the item/s he is purchasing before he purchases it.
If he purchases an item which he did not see, then upon seeing it, Shari'ah gives him the right to return it to the seller if he is not satisfied with it, provided it is in the same condition that he purchased it.
In this case, the purchaser is purchasing something which he has no knowledge of, as he is not informed of what is contained in the box. Hence, this type of transaction is against the Islamic teaching. However, despite this, if after purchasing the box, the purchaser is happy with the items in it, the sale will be valid and he can keep the items.
On the contrary, if after seeing the items, he is not happy with them, then according to Shariah, he has the right to cancel the sale, return the items to the seller and get a full refund.
And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
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