Is it Shariah-compliant to sell goods while they are in transit to me, before I take possession of them or pay their price, knowing that I do not bear responsibility for them in case they are stolen or damaged?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
It is permissible to purchase an absent commodity, and it remains under the seller's guarantee, unless the seller stipulates that the guarantee is on the buyer. It is not permissible to sell food before taking possession of it, by consensus. As for other commodities, there is disagreement. The majority prohibit their sale before possession, while the Malikis permit it. The criterion for the permissibility of selling a commodity is whether it has been taken possession of or not, not the payment of its price.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/86534
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 86534
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy