{"id":6686,"date":"2022-05-31T19:54:26","date_gmt":"2022-05-31T19:54:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifg.local\/articles\/black-friday-2020-the-muslim-guide\/"},"modified":"2023-09-21T10:04:24","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T10:04:24","slug":"black-friday-2020-the-muslim-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.islamicfinanceguru.com\/articles\/black-friday-2020-the-muslim-guide","title":{"rendered":"Black Friday 2020 – the Muslim guide – IslamicFinanceGuru"},"content":{"rendered":"

The day after Thanksgiving in the United States marks a day of retail frenzy. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In a nutshell we\u2019re talking about all the big retailers \u2013 both online and offline \u2013 discounting their prices. This trend has now spread to other parts of the world. <\/span><\/p>\n

In this article we\u2019ll be discussing a few key points:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Does the data suggest Black Friday is actually cheaper?<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. What should your approach to Black Friday be, particularly as a Muslim.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Is 2020 a year in which we are morally bound to spend more to help retailers out?<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. We share 3 genuinely good deals from having scoured the web.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Some Islamic etiquette reminders and fiqh trivia including whether it\u2019s permissi<\/span>ble to outbid somebody for something you really<\/em> want.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The data behind Black Friday deals \u2013 cheaper or not?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    I can almost guarantee that you\u2019ve had this conversation with someone this week. Some people are adamant that Black Friday is a con. Retailers simply inflate prices in the run-up to Black Friday and then put them down. Others will swear by some bargain Black Friday deal they got.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The truth is, the jury is out on this one.<\/span><\/p>\n

    In the blue corner<\/strong>, we have the naysayers. They won\u2019t accept that Black Friday is a genuinely good sale. This year, the prominent publication Which? has concluded, in the words of our (in)famous US leader, that <\/span>Black Friday is fake news<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Based on extensive research they carried out in 2019, here\u2019s a summary of their conclusions:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u201cThe vast majority of products in the Black Friday 2019 sales had been the same price or cheaper on at least one occasion in the six months before or after the sale, including 85% that were the same price or less before the day\u201d.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

    \u201cWhile it\u2019s normal for product prices to fall over time, we were surprised to find that 85% of those in our analysis were actually the same or even cheaper than their Black Friday price in the six months before the sale.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

    \u201cJust three of the products in our analysis \u2013 1% \u2013 were at their cheapest price on Black Friday itself.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

    \u201cWhen we split our findings down by retailer, we found that at least 90% of the products we looked at in Currys\u2019 and John Lewis\u2019s Black Friday sales had been the same price or cheaper in the six months before.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

    \u201cWe also found that 100% of products at AO.com, Argos, Currys and John Lewis were cheaper or the same price after Black Friday.\u201d
    <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

    You can read the full Which? report here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    IFG conclusion:<\/strong> we love data and we just can\u2019t argue with the data here. That\u2019s not to say you can\u2019t get a great Black Friday deal, but as a rule you definitely shouldn\u2019t feel pressured to buy something on Black Friday for fear that it won\u2019t get back to that price. Very rarely is that the case.<\/p>\n

    What should a Muslim\u2019s approach be?<\/h2>\n

    No Friday can be black for a Muslim ( \ud83d\ude09 ).<\/p>\n

    In all seriousness though, there\u2019s some really important points to bear in mind.<\/p>\n

    Firstly<\/strong>, from a pure personal finance approach, you should not spend on a whim<\/strong>. This sounds basic but it\u2019s worth a reminder. Just ask yourself if you really need what you\u2019re buying. If you can afford to buy things based on desire rather than need, then just ask yourself if this is really genuinely good value. You shouldn\u2019t see Black Friday as an \u201cexcuse\u201d to go crazy.<\/p>\n

    Secondly<\/strong>, Friday is an auspicious day. I don\u2019t want to play religion police but we obviously shouldn\u2019t spend all day shopping (even if it\u2019s online). The Prophet (saw) said:<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe parts of land dearest to Allah are its mosques, and the parts most hateful to Allah are markets.\u201d (Sahih Muslim 671)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

    We live in an online world and marketplaces had their own culture in the time of the Prophet which are very different to now \u2013 but it is still well worth noting this. We can probably be doing much more productive things on a Friday that will generate a greater return. Just remember to have your balance that\u2019s all.<\/p>\n

    IFG conclusion:<\/strong> if you\u2019ve been in the market for a particular item for a little while and you know for sure that you can get a great deal, then sure go for it. But don\u2019t just spend for the sake of it. And remember that there are much more important things you can be doing with your time.<\/p>\n

    But wait, is this year not different? Should we not spend at shops as a form of charity?<\/h2>\n

    There\u2019s an interesting argument here. Given the year we have had, should we not view spending on Black Friday almost as a form of charity? Sure, the vaccine is around the corner, but companies across the spectrum have been hit hard in a huge way.<\/p>\n

    I was shocked this week when I saw news of British Airways literally selling off the china<\/a> in a bid to get some cash in the coffers.<\/p>\n

    My thoughts on this are that we must always remember firstly our financial duties at home and to those around us. If you want a reminder of that, check out our article about what Islam says about finances in a marriage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    But assuming you do have the surplus cash and you genuinely feel that you can contribute a difference to the economy by spending a little more than usual, I think there is merit to that argument.<\/p>\n

    I believe that if you want to do this in a benevolent<\/strong> way, then consider buying gift cards. This, in many ways, is a bit like giving a loan to a company. You won\u2019t be reducing from their inventory (which they can sell to someone else and take the money) but you\u2019ll get your money\u2019s worth a bit later down the line (when the economy has hopefully picked up).<\/p>\n

    This is a particularly good way of doing things if you are keen to support a friend or family member\u2019s business. If you know someone who\u2019s struggled who will not take money from you or where it\u2019s inappropriate, buying a gift card for their store from them is a great balance.<\/p>\n

    As for whether you should prioritise big businesses or small businesses, I am pretty ambivalent. In this sort of crisis, everyone has been hit hard. We\u2019ve been big stores go under too so just go with what your conscience tells you if you do want to deploy this particular strategy.<\/p>\n

    3 genuinely good deals<\/h2>\n

    Despite the conclusion earlier that Black Friday isn\u2019t all that, there\u2019s no doubt some great deals to be had. We\u2019ve scoured the web and asked around within our team to flush out some legit good deals. Here they are:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. 160gb data (plus unlimited calls & texts) with EE \u2013 \u00a314. This is one where you\u2019ll have to phone them and say you\u2019ve heard about this deal. But one of our own team has done this and successfully got it. It\u2019s a standard \u00a320 deal on their website but they should apply a \u00a36 discount if phone them.<\/li>\n
    2. 2nd gen Ring doorbel \u2013 \u00a359 here<\/a>.<\/li>\n
    3. LG AI DD V3 F4V310SNE 10.5 kg Washing Machine \u2013 Graphite \/ White + 5 Year Guarantee \u00a3359.10 with code @ Currys<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      One helpful tip is to use CamelCamelCamel<\/a> to check the historic prices of something on Amazon.<\/p>\n

      Fiqh Trivia<\/h2>\n

      We love a bit of a fiqhi conundrum here at IFG. Black Friday presents a couple of interesting ones.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Can you take something out of someone\u2019s trolley if you can\u2019t find stock on the shelf?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        On one hand the person who has the item in his or her trolley doesn\u2019t own the item. The trolley is just a loose notion of belonging. By (English) law, it belongs to the store until such time as the person has checked out with the item and paid for it.<\/p>\n

        The rules under English law on ownership mean that taking something out of someone\u2019s trolley isn\u2019t against the law. It\u2019s bad darts, certainly. But as long as you\u2019re not committing another crime (such as assault or threatening) then there\u2019s nothing against you taking something out of someone\u2019s trolley.<\/p>\n

        Islam, however, places a lot of credence on the spirit of the law and not just the form of the law. A brief examination of Hadith relating to transactions makes it clear that Allah encourages peace, fairness, tranquility etc when it comes to economic activity.<\/p>\n

        So under English law you can technically do it but you need to avoid straying into disputes so best to avoid. And under Islam, you definitely can\u2019t do this because the very basis of Islamic transactional law is to minimise disputes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Of course, it\u2019s a different story with the online world! Perhaps we should do a fiqhi discussion about the permissibility creating bots that buy high-demand items next time ;).<\/p>\n

        2. Is it permissible to outbid someone else when competing to buy something?<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u201cAbu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allah\u2019s Messenger (may peace be upon him) forbade the (people) meeting the caravan (for entering into business transaction with them), and the selling of goods by a townsman on behalf of a man of the desert, and seeking by a woman the divorce of her sister (from her husband), and outbidding (against one another), and tying up the udders (of animals), and buying of (things) in opposition to one\u2019s brother.\u201d <\/strong><\/em>(Sahih Muslim, Book 10, Number 3621).<\/p>\n

        The Hadith is pretty clear. You can\u2019t try to steal someone else\u2019s deal once they\u2019ve agreed with somebody. Again, this goes back to the point about how Islam encourages peace and fairness in economic activity.<\/p>\n

        (P.S if you like thinking about these sorts of fiqhi questions, you should join our lessons where we are studying the Majallah text with Mufti Faraz Adam. Here\u2019s the link<\/a>).<\/p>\n

        Conclusion<\/h2>\n

        So there we have it folks! Conclusions:<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Black Friday isn\u2019t all that. But you can get some good deals. Then again, you can always get good deals if you look hard enough.<\/li>\n
        2. You might want to think about spending in stores this year almost as a form of charity to support businesses of all sizes. Particularly if you are buying gift cards.<\/li>\n
        3. As Muslims, we shouldn\u2019t go too crazy wasting a Friday shopping. But if you\u2019ve been looking for something in particular for a while and you know it\u2019s cheaper now, go for it.<\/li>\n
        4. You can\u2019t nick something out of someone\u2019s trolley if there\u2019s none left on the shelf and you can\u2019t outbid someone once they\u2019ve agreed a deal.<\/li>\n
        5. But can you create a bot that buys high-demand for you in the online world (thus stopping other people)? We\u2019ll save that discussion for another time!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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