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Is money acquired from smuggling permissible goods, in order to avoid customs between two Arab countries, considered unlawful (haram)?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Smuggling is unlawful (haram) in Islamic law due to the severe damage it inflicts upon the state, individuals, and the economy, such as the stagnation of local goods, the spread of unemployment, and the entry of damaged and prohibited goods like alcohol and narcotics. Furthermore, it involves injustice and hardship for legitimate shop owners who pay customs duties. The Prophet ﷺ forbade "talaqqi al-rukban" (meeting riders [outside the market to buy their goods before they reach the market]) due to its harm to the market. Thus, it is even more imperative to prohibit smuggling due to its general harm. Money acquired through smuggling is subject to confiscation and destruction, and its owner is subject to imprisonment.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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