Hoarding (ihtikar)

Question

Question: A certain person’s only source of income is that he buys up and stores onions, garlic, potatoes, wheat and the like, and when these goods become expensive, he then sells them. Is it right to do this?

Answer

If these goods are available in abundance in the town, and no hardship arises from this person’s buying, and later on, when the season is over, he sells them at a higher price — and higher only to a bearable degree — then there is no sin in it, and his income is lawful.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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