Selling goods close to expiry through price promotions

A question on selling goods close to their expiry date at a discount without telling buyers why, which Egypt's Dar al-Ifta permitted on conditions. ¹

The questioner asked about selling goods nearing their expiry date through promotional price cuts, without disclosing to buyers that the approaching expiry is the reason for the discount. ¹

Dar al-Ifta answered that this is permitted if the goods are sound, fit for consumption and free of anything harmful to the consumer's health, with the expiry date left printed on them, neither altered nor obscured. ¹ It said that if any of these conditions is missing the sale is forbidden and the buyer has the option to return the goods. ¹ It based this on the principle that sales are permissible so long as there is full mutual consent and no fraud or concealment, noting that the Malikis required the seller to disclose how old the goods are and how long he has held them. ¹

Egypt's Dar al-Ifta published this fatwa on its site as no. 9006, dated 25 May 2026, among the fatwas of Grand Mufti Nazir Ayyad. ¹ The museum records this text as a historical document attributed to the body or scholar that issued it; it issues no ruling of its own.