Selling Watercolor Papers and Paints and Advertising for Them

23-11-2020 | IslamWeb

Question:

I made some watercolor papers and paints and I do advertisement for a shop which sells similar items and stationaries.Now my question is if someone buys this items from me or if someone buys these from the shop after seeing my ads and uses the items for Haram kinds of arts,paintings or writings will I be sinful and my money will be haram for that? The shop gives me money for the advertisement.

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

The basic principle with regard to trade is that it is permissible. It is permissible to sell and advertise such items that can be used in either permissible or prohibited matters.

The probability that they could be used in a prohibited manner does not necessitate their prohibition. In case someone uses them in what is forbidden, then there is no sin on its seller or its advertiser, as long as he did not know that the buyer would use them in what is forbidden when he sold the items to him.

But if the seller knows before the sale that a specific person will use the items in what is forbidden, then it is not permissible to sell them to him, so that he will not help him in the disobedience of Allah.

Allah Knows best.