Receiving a Share of the Profit for One’s Work

Question: Two people entered into a venture, each holding fifty percent. One of them wishes to devote himself fully to management, assisted by hired staff. May he, with his partner’s consent, draw a monthly salary, or is that impermissible and he must instead take a percentage of the profits in return for handling the administrative duties?

Answer: If two or more persons undertake a commercial enterprise and one of the partners carries out the work in return for remuneration, there is no objection to his receiving, for that work, a share of the profit greater than the shares of the other partners, provided they have all agreed to this arrangement. In other words, it is permissible for him to work and to take, in exchange for his labour, a proportion of the profits that exceeds his partners’ shares.

Question: What if, instead of a share of the profit, he takes a fixed monthly salary, regardless of profit or loss?

Answer: According to the texts of the jurists that I have consulted, he should receive, in return for his work, a share of the profit.

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Raising the Price of a Commodity

Question: I own a shop, and certain goods have prices set by the state, yet I sell them for more than that. Is this permissible, even though their purchase cost has—