I work for a company, and I book airline tickets for the employees when the company asks me to do so. Booking is done on the company’s account, and sometimes I book tickets for employees to travel at their own expense. These bookings are done through a website which gives points for every booking; these points can be turned into money that can be used for any subsequent booking. Is it permissible for me to use these points? If it is not permissible, then how should I dispose of these points in the case of those for whom the company pays for tickets, and others who travel at their own expense, when it is difficult to differentiate between them?
He books airline tickets for his company and colleagues and gets points as a reward; who do the points belong to?
Question: 309274
Answer
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and his family.
The one who is entrusted by his company or colleagues to book tickets for their travel is acting as their proxy in that regard. The basic principle is that whatever a proxy earns or receives as gifts belongs to the one who appointed him as his proxy.
It says in Kashshaf al-Qina‘ (3/447): … or the one who appointed him as a proxy said: Buy me a sheep for a dinar, and the proxy bought two sheep with that dinar, each of which is worth one dinar, or the proxy bought a sheep worth a dinar for less than that. In this case the transaction is valid, and the additional amount belongs to the one who appointed him, because of the hadith of ‘Urwah ibn al-Ja‘d, according to which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) once sent him with a dinar to buy a sacrificial animal (udhiyah) – or a sheep, as he said on one occasion – for him, and he bought two for him, then he sold one for a dinar and brought the other sheep to him, so he prayed for barakah (blessing) for him and said that if he bought dust, he would make a profit from it.
According to another report, he said: This is your dinar and this is your sheep. [The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “How did you do that?” So he told him what he had done. Narrated by Ahmad.
That is because he did what he was given permission to do and more. The same would apply if he bought two sheep, each of which was worth a dinar. End quote.
Based on that, these points that can be turned into money belong to the company and the employees, and they can reach an agreement that the company will give its share to the employees, or vice versa, or whatever division they wish. They can also give them to you.
You have the right to do the booking for the employees in return for something, and it is permissible for these points to be what you get in return for that, if they are known, meaning that the number of points for each booking is known, and their monetary value is also known.
And Allah knows best.
Source:
Islam Q&A
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