Is it Permissible to Have an Atheist as a Business Partner?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

I have a business with two people. I own 40%, he owns 40%, and another owns 10%. Our business is creating stories. Anyway, my co-worker, who also owns 40%, is Christian, is calm with faith, and open to my keeping the Quran and other essentials to the world; I created a fictional planet called “Qadr” after Lailat al-Qadr. Anyways, then there’s the other 10% that worries me. He is a raging atheist, and while he has stated that he has no intention of forcing it, past debates with him were heated. I can’t help but think if, even subconsciously, he would impose those values.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

It is permissible to have a business partner who is not a Muslim. The partnership with a non-Muslim should be conducted in the same way as with a Muslim partner. It is important to create a clear plan for the partnership, including sharing profits and losses, working professionally and with good conduct, and following the laws of the country.

Learn the Fiqh of Trade

The most important matter is to learn the fiqh of trade properly before getting into business, lest you fall into the haram. The scholars say, “It is not permissible to enter the marketplace in business, or even as a consumer unless one knows the halal and haram of trade.”

[Nahlawi, Al-Durar al-Mubaha]

I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.

Related 

• Running a Business Islamically – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani – YouTube
• Partnership Archives – SeekersGuidance

Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.