According to the Hanbali school of thought (mazhab), monetization (or in Arabic “tawarruq“) is the process of purchasing a commodity for a deferred price and selling it to a third party for a spot price in pursuit of cash. For example, a person may purchase a ton of copper for $7,300 on a deferred basis (3 months) and sell it to a party other than the original seller for $7,100. As such, this person obtains a cash amount of $7,100, which has to be paid off after three months in addition to $200. The majority of fuqaha (jumhur) agree that monetization or tawarruq is a shari’a-compatible transaction, especially if it actually involves three parties (a seller, a buyer/reseller, and a third party buyer). Some fuqaha (e.g., Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim considered it illegal because in their opinion it is a harmful transaction and might be used as a hilah (legal trick or ruse).
June 17, 2023
