Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (29/305)

He—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked:

Among the brokers in a caravanserai are three who buy from one another on each other’s behalf, then raise their bids and divide the profit. Is this permissible?

He replied:

Praise be to Allah. An auctioneer acting as the seller’s agent in calling for bids may not enter into partnership with a bidder without the seller’s knowledge, for he would then effectively be bidding and buying himself. This is a betrayal of the seller. When someone acts in this way, no one is obliged to outbid him, and he does not faithfully serve the seller’s interests in seeking higher bids and concluding the auction.

If a group colludes in this, they deserve a severe discretionary punishment that deters them and others like them from such dishonesty. Their punishment may include barring them from conducting auctions until their repentance becomes evident. Allah knows best.

وَسُئِلَ - رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ -: عَنْ سَمَاسِرَةٍ فِي فُنْدُقٍ مِنْ جُمْلَتِهِمْ ثَلَاثَةٌ يَشْتَرُونَ مِنْ يَدِ بَعْضِهِمْ لِبَعْضِ ثُمَّ إنَّهُمْ يَزِيدُونَ فِي الشِّرَاءِ وَيُقَسِّمُونَ الْفَائِدَةَ، فَهَلْ يَجُوزُ ذَلِكَ؟ . فَأَجَابَ: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، لَا يَجُوزُ لِلدَّلَّالِ - الَّذِي هُوَ وَكِيلُ الْبَائِعِ فِي الْمُنَادَاةِ - أَنْ يَكُونَ شَرِيكًا لِمَنْ يَزِيدُ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمِ الْبَائِعِ؛ فَإِنَّ هَذَا يَكُونُ هُوَ الَّذِي يَزِيدُ وَيَشْتَرِي فِي الْمَعْنَى. وَهَذَا خِيَانَةٌ لِلْبَائِعِ وَمَنْ عَمِلَ مِثْلَ هَذَا لَمْ يَجِبْ أَنْ يَزِيدَ أَحَدٌ عَلَيْهِ وَلَمْ يَنْصَحْ الْبَائِعُ فِي طَلَبِ الزِّيَادَةِ وَإِنْهَاءِ الْمُنَادَاةِ. وَإِذَا تَوَاطَأَ جَمَاعَةٌ عَلَى ذَلِكَ فَإِنَّهُمْ يَسْتَحِقُّونَ التَّعْزِيرَ الْبَلِيغَ الَّذِي يَرْدَعُهُمْ وَأَمْثَالَهُمْ عَنْ مِثْلِ هَذِهِ الْخِيَانَةِ وَمِنْ تَعْزِيرِهِمْ أَنْ يُمْنَعُوا مِنْ الْمُنَادَاةِ، حَتَّى تَظْهَرَ تَوْبَتُهُمْ. وَاَللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ.