Manufacturing is where a person requests another to manufacture for Him a vessel, a car or anything that is included in industry. Contracting manufacturing is allowed and proved in the Sunnah. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) requested the manufacture of a seal (the ring used for a seal or a stamp). Anas said that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) manufactured a ring. Bukhari reported from Ibn Masoud who said that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) manufactured a ring of gold. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) also requested the manufacture of the minbar (pulpit). Bukhari reported that Sahl said that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sent to a woman to and said: “Order your servant, the carpenter, to make me some board to sit on.” Bukhari narrated: “People used to manufacture at the time of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), and He kept silent about this,” so his silence and action is his (pbuh) agreement regarding manufacturing. The agreement and the action of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) are divine evidences like his sayings. The matter contracted for manufacturing is the manufactured thing such as the seal, pulpit, cupboard, car and the like. From this angle, manufacturing is a form of selling not hiring. However, if someone were to bring the raw material to the manufacturer and ask Him to manufacture a particular thing, then this would be a form of hiring.

Industry, by itself is an important pillar of the economic life in any nation and to any people in any society. Industry drive, in the past, was limited to the manual factory alone. When man started using steam to move machines, mechanical factories started to gradually replace the manual ones. When the new inventions came about a great revolution in industry occurred, thus production increased beyond expectation, and the mechanised factory became one of the pillars of economic life.

Rules pertaining to the mechanised and manual factories are rules of partnership, hiring, selling and foreign trade. With regard to establishing the factory, it could be by an individual property, which happens rarely, but is more generally by the property of many individuals who share in establishing it. Therefore, the rules of Islamic companies apply upon it. However, with respect to the work in the factory whether in management, manufacturing or other than these, the rules of hiring apply to it. With regard to the distribution of its production, the rules of selling and foreign trade apply to it. In this way, cheating, fraud and monopoly are prevented, as is the fixing of prices, as well as the other rules of selling. With regard to making orders for the production of the factory, whether little or great, before it is made, the rules of manufacturing apply to it. Shar’a has to be consulted regarding whether the client is obliged or not of what was manufactured for him.