What is the ruling on setting a profit margin in the cement trade, especially if selling at the high market price harms the citizen, and selling at a lower price might lead to animosities and losses for the nascent business?

There is no specific limit for profit in trade in Islam. Rather, it is determined by the mutual consent of the seller and the buyer, as Allah the Almighty says: ﴿O YOU WHO BELIEVE! DO NOT DEVOUR YOUR WEALTH AMONG YOURSELVES UNLAWFULLY, BUT RATHER BY TRADE MUTUALLY AGREED UPON BY YOU﴾ [An-Nisa: 29]. The Sunnah has clarified the permissibility of a hundred percent profit, as in the Hadith of Urwah ibn Al-Ja'd, and Zubayr's sale of Al-Ghabah for more than nine times its value. However, it is necessary to avoid unlawful profit, such as profiting from the sale of prohibited items or through deception and fraud. There is no harm in selling goods at market price, and it is preferable to show mercy to the weak.