Can I Take an Advance Payment for Custom Flower Bouquets?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

Is it permissible to accept payment for custom flower bouquets before purchasing the flowers from a wholesaler? Since flowers are perishable, I buy them on the day of delivery after receiving payment. Is this allowed in Islam?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

Yes, it is permissible to accept advance payment for custom flower arrangements, provided that certain conditions are fulfilled. This type of transaction is known in Islamic Law as Bay‘ al-Salam (Forward Buying)—a sale in which payment is made upfront for goods to be delivered later. Sacred Law permits this kind of sale under specific guidelines, which apply here as well.

To ensure your sale is valid and free of impermissible elements, the following conditions should be observed:

1. Full Payment Upfront – The price must be paid fully at the time of agreement.
2. Not a Specific Item – The goods must be a type or kind (not a particular item), with delivery promised later.
3. Clear Delivery Time & Place – A fixed delivery date is required, and the place must be specified if relevant.
4. Known Quantity – The goods must be measured by clear units (weight, volume, etc.).
5. Deliverable by Seller – The seller must be able to provide the goods when due.
6. Generally Available – The goods should be commonly found and not rare or uncertain in availability.
7. Clearly Described – All features that may affect value must be well defined to avoid dispute. [Keller, Reliance of the Traveller]

Extra Notes:

• Buyers can’t resell the goods before receiving them.
• No substitutes are allowed before the delivery date.
• Better-quality goods must be accepted; worse ones may be, but aren’t required. [Ibid.]

If these conditions are met, your transaction is valid and praiseworthy, allowing you to provide a service while observing Sacred Law. If, for any reason, these conditions cannot be met consistently—especially with the unpredictability of flower availability—you may want to explore structuring the transaction differently.

And Allah knows best.

[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town. He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.