Gharar
Gharar is excessive uncertainty or ambiguity in a contract — about its subject matter, price, or terms. Islamic law treats significant gharar as a concern in trade. A small, unavoidable degree of uncertainty is usually distinguished from gharar serious enough to affect a contract's validity.
Often appears in
See the term in context
Is it permissible to sell gharar in some cases, and what are these cases?
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, prohibited gharar (ambiguous/risky) sales because they involve injustice, animosity, and consuming wealth falsely. Gharar includes selling something non-existent,…
Is it permissible to open a commercial shop that necessitates commercial insurance, which is forbidden due to gharar (excessive uncertainty), if insurance is mandatory in a country like France and cooperative insurance is unavailable? And is this considered one of the necessities of people that permits gharar, taking into account situations such as having another source of income that is uncertain or unstable, or if the investment is to fulfill the Muslims' need for halal food or for Hajj?
It is impermissible to engage in commercial insurance due to the presence of usury (riba), uncertainty (gharar), gambling (maysir), harm (darar), and the unlawful consumption of wealth. However, if a Muslim is compelled…
Does the ruling against the impermissibility of selling live animals by weight—due to gharar (uncertainty/deception)—apply to selling fruits with seeds, such as dates and mangoes?
There is no problem or significant gharar (deception/uncertainty) in selling dates and similar fruits that contain pits or seeds. No one has ever stipulated that the pits must be removed for the sale to be permissible.…
Questions that use it
Is it permissible to deal with free or paid service companies — such as email, website, and internet services — that promise specific storage spaces or speeds, knowing that these companies cannot provide these services to all subscribers simultaneously, which makes their promises include a form of gharar (ambiguity/uncertainty)?
Is it permissible to purchase a discount voucher for a certain amount to benefit from a larger discount on a particular item, given that there is no gharar (excessive uncertainty/deception) involved?
Is it permissible to subscribe to a service that provides a monthly box containing various types of makeup, undefined in advance, or does that fall under selling based on gharar (unspecified or uncertain transactions)?