Definition of Gharar – What is the Meaning of the word Gharar in Islam?
Gharar is an Arabic word which means a high
level of uncertainty and risk in monetary transactions. An unambiguous sale. A transaction where the outcome is unknown. Gharar transactions are high risk and hazardous transactions such as insurance. What is Gharar (Uncertainty) in Islam? – (Read This First!)
Gharar means uncertainty. In Islamic finance
gharar is seen as a deceptive practice. Where someone is either buying or selling something that is unknown. Any transaction where the price and/or receivables of the item/service is not known in full at the point of sale is gharar (uncertain/unknown). Examples of Gharar
Examples of Gharar include;
If someone sells you a can of food that does not have a label and so you are uncertain what you are buying. This is Gharar (uncertainty). If someone sells you crops that have not yet harvested. If someone tried to sell you fish in the sea that has not been caught or an animal that has not yet been born. Selling milk that is still in the udders of the animal and not yet extracted out. Futures and Options Contracts Types of Gharar
There are two types of Gharar:
Gharar Yasir (light or minor uncertainty) Gharar Fahish (excessive or major
uncertainty). Both forms of gharar are not haram. Gharar
Fahish is the haram kind of Gharar. Gharar
Yasir is under the halal class of Gharar. What is Gharar Fahish (Major or Excessive Gharar)? Gharar Fahish (excessive gharar) is an excessive amount of uncertainty or ambiguity. The amount of uncertainty is so high that the sharia considers it unjust and predatory. Gharar Fahish is therefore prohibited (haram) in Islam. What is Gharar Yasir (Minor or Light Gharar)? – The Halal type of Gharar!
Gharar Yasir (light or minor gharar) is a trivial
amount of uncertainty that is present in all transactions. The amount of uncertainty is so small that the sharia considers it negligible. Gharar Yasir is therefore NOT haram. It is just mild or moderate uncertainty that cannot be avoided. Why is Gharar Haram (Prohibited) in Islam? – Explained!
Gharar is haram (prohibited) in Islam to prevent
injustice and deceit. Any transaction where the outcome is not known can lead to disputes and injustice. Islamic finance is built on the premise of openness, certainty and justice. Gharar (uncertainty) defies the very purpose of Islamic finance. The effects of gharar may not be seen straight away. But they can have a huge impact on a person’s finances in the future. This is why one of the foundational premises in Islamic economics is the prohibition of Gharar. What is the difference between Riba (Interest) and Gharar (Uncertainty)?
The main difference between Riba and Gharar
is that Riba (interest) is an increase added on the exchange of money for money transactions. While Gharar (uncertainty) is where someone is either buying or selling something that is uncertain/unknown. This is the distinction between riba and
gharar. Both these types of transactions are
prohibited (haram) elements in Islamic finance. Conclusion
Gharar (uncertainty) is one of the prohibited
elements in Islamic finance. The other two being riba (interest) and qimar/maysir (gambling). These three together form the unholy trinity of Islamic Finance. It is haram (prohibited) for a Muslim to deal in transactions of Gharar Fahish (major uncertainty). It is halal (permissible) to deal in transactions of Gharar Yasir (minor gharar). And Allah the Most Wise and Most Knowledgeable knows best.