Question: And what about his taking what is called khulū rajul (key money)?

Answer: That simply means receiving compensation for the remainder of the lease term, and there is no harm in it, for that right belongs to him. Thus, if the two parties agree on compensation for the balance of the term and he then vacates the land for the purchaser, there is no objection, because the right is theirs to settle as they wish.

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The Unlawfulness of Constricting the Muslims

Question: One of the merchants in our area, when he senses that the price of a certain commodity is starting to rise, buys up the entire stock available in the market and then raises the price even further, controlling it completely. What is the ruling on this practice, and is the profit he earns in this way lawful or forbidden?

Answer: There is no doubt that someone who puts the Muslims in hardship over goods they need—by purchasing all such goods in the marketplace and forcing people to buy from him at an inflated price under his control—is acting impermissibly. This must be stopped, and the authorities are obliged to restrain him from it. If the matter is as the questioner has described, then it is incumbent upon those in authority to prevent him.

However, if the goods in question are luxuries that people do not truly need, or if there is another market where alternative goods are available and people can obtain them elsewhere without undue difficulty, then this is not forbidden. Even so, it is unfitting for a Muslim to cause people distress and place them in hardship.

Question: But if the commodity is a staple food on which people depend, and someone hoards it in this manner, what is the ruling on the money he earns through such a practice?