Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

A young doctor, new in his profession, charges 50 bucks as consultation fee. Another doctor with more than 15 years of experience, charges 100 bucks for the same. Yet another senior doctor, who is specialised in that particular disease, demands a consultation fee of 200 bucks.

Who among them is/are sinner(s) from the religious point of view?

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

How much can doctor charge

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: …..Who among them is/are sinner(s) from the religious point of view?

Under normal circumstances, a trader or a professional is well within his rights to ask whatever he/she thinks is appropriate for his products or services offered; and the buyer of the product or the service has the right to either accept their offer or decline it and seek to fulfill his need elsewhere.

Thus in the particular example which you have stated where one junior doctor seeks $50 to render his services, while another seeks $100 and still another $200….each amongst them are well within their rights to offer their services at whatever rate they believe is appropriate for their services…..it is entirely upto the person seeking the service to decide and determine which amongst them is most appropriate or affordable to him.

Thus to answer your question directly, under normal circumstances, none of the three doctors would be in the wrong or be committing a sin simply because there is a difference in the rate sought by them for their services.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan