Al-Ijarah (rent/lease/hire) contract has a number of terms and conditions in addition to the common terms and conditions that apply to all contracts. Al-Ijarah contract is more widely used nowadays than ever before, primarily due to the creation of large commercial enterprises since the dawn of the industrial revolution. As such, these terms and conditions should be common knowledge to all Muslims.

  1. The property rented or leased must be in a useable condition (i.e., the lessee should be able to use the property for its intended purpose). Similarly, in a hire contract, the employee must be able to perform the job required of him or her.
  2. Ijarah has to be for inconsumable goods.
  3. The lessee or the employee is not permitted to use the subject in a manner contrary to what is permitted by the contract. Specifically, the lessee or the employee is not allowed to inflict any harm on the subject of the contract.
  4. Ijarah contract cannot be made for a task that is a religious obligation. For example, it is prohibited to enter into an employment contract for leading the prayer of making the azaan. Ijarah is valid, however, for teaching the Qur’an or religious sciences, as well as secular subjects because these are not religious obligations.
  5.  If the two parties disagree on the value of the reimbursement or the rent/lease on the property, after the contract commences, the word of the lessor/employer is accepted under oath upto the time of disagreement. At that point the contract is then invalidated.
  6. The majority of the scholars say that the Ijarah contract does not end by the death of one of the two parties, as long as both parties can fulfill their end of the contract. The Hanafis, to the contrary, deem the contract invalidated with the death of one party.

Source: Abdelhaleem, 11-12.