Question:
Would it be mandatory for the butcher to state the cost of the animal of Qurbani and the service cost he is charging his client/customer individually or is he allowed to simply say, ‘This is how much your Qurbani is for’ without specifying for the customer the exact cost for each?
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The Answer:
It is not necessary to specifically state the handling and agency fee by a butcher separate to the price of the animal. A butcher may offer his services in lieu of one total sum inclusive of the purchase price of the animal and the agency fee.
The Fiqh (jurisprudence of the answer)
1) Jahālah (ambiguity) of the agency fee does not result in argumentation. Thus, the ambiguity is minimal and excusable.
2) The customary practice in UK is the quotation of a single price which is all-inclusive.
3) The consent of the orderer to the all-inclusive price is tacit approval of the individual price of the agency fee and animal purchase price.
4) It is not necessary to disclose the individual prices of items paid for in a package.
And Allah Ta’ālā Alone Knows Best
Mufti Faraz Adam al-Mahmudi,
www.darulfiqh.com
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