Question
Praise be to Allah.
Yes, it is permissible for a person to transport someone else
on his mount or in his car to a specific place in return for a fee that they
agree upon when making this deal.
It says in Fath al-Qadeer (9/83): It is permissible to
hire animals for riding and carrying goods, because it is a benefit that is
clearly defined and it is something common. End quote.
In al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah (1/302) it says: Renting
modern means of transportation. The earlier fuqaha’ did not explain the
ruling on hiring modern means of transportation such as cars, planes and
large ships, rather they discussed the hiring of animals, people and small
boats. But the rulings on hiring these things may be applied to modern means
of transportation. If there are debates in some cases, such as regarding the
situation of the passenger, these may be referred to what is customary.
There is no difference between one person and another with regard to hiring
cars or planes, unlike animals, because that may be affected by the size of
the passengers, whether they are heavy or not. With regard to the luggage
that a person brings with him, reference should be made to the conditions;
if there are no conditions then the reference point is what is customary. As
for the fee, whether that is for transporting people or goods, the reference
point is also the conditions, otherwise it is what is customary. End quote.
The fact that a person does not own a taxi licence does not
mean that it is not permissible for him to transport someone else in return
for payment, as stated above, because he is the owner of the vehicle and he
may make use of it by selling it, hiring it out and so on.
And Allaah knows
best.