Commercial Transactions (Kitab Al-Buyu)

Narrated Qays ibn AbuGharazah: In the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) we used to be called brokers, but the Prophet (ﷺ) came upon us one day, and called us by a better name than that, saying: O company of merchants, unprofitable speech and swearing takes place in business dealings, so mix it with sadaqah (alms).

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Qais b. Abi Gharazah through a different chain of narrators to the same effect. This version has: "Lying and swearing have a place on i." 'Abd Allah al-Zuhri said: "Unprofitable speech and lying."

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: A man seized his debtor who owed ten dinars to him. He said to him: I swear by Allah, I shall not leave you until you pay off (my debt) to me or bring a surety. The Prophet (ﷺ) stood as a surety for him. He then brought as much (money) as he promised. The Prophet (ﷺ) asked: From where did you acquire this gold? He replied: From a mine. He said: We have no need of it; there is no good in it. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) paid (the debt) on his behalf.

Narrated Al-Nu'man b. Bashir: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: What is lawful is clear and what is unlawful is clear, but between them are certain doubtful things. I give you an example for this. Allah has a preserve, and Allah's preserve is the things He has declared unlawful. He who pastures (his animals) round the preserve will soon fall into it. He who falls into doubtful things will soon be courageous.

Narrated Al-Nu'man b. Bashir: I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: But between them are certain doubtful things which many people do not recognize. He who guards against doubtful things keeps his religion and his honor blameless, but he who falls into doubtful things falls into what is unlawful.

Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: A time is certainly coming to mankind when only the receiver of usury will remain, and if he does not receive it, some of its vapour will reach him. Ibn Isa said: Some of its dust will reach him.

Asim ibn Kulayb quoted his father's authority for the following statement by one of the Ansar: We went out with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to a funeral, and I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) at the grave giving this instruction to the grave-digger: Make it wide on the side of his feet, and make it wide on the side of his head. When he came back, he was received by a man who conveyed an invitation from a woman. So he came (to her), to it food was brought, and he put his hand (i.e. took a morsel in his hand); the people did the same and they ate. Our fathers noticed that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was moving a morsel around his mouth. He then said: I find the flesh of a sheep which has been taken without its owner's permission. The woman sent a message to say: Messenger of Allah, I sent (someone) to an-Naqi' to have a sheep bought for me, but there was none; so I sent (a message) to my neighbour who had bought a sheep, asking him to send it to me for the price (he had paid), but he could not be found. I, therefore, sent (a message) to his wife and she sent it to me. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Give this food to the prisoners.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) cursed the one who accepted usury, the one who paid it, the witness to it, and the one who recorded it.

Narrated Sulaiman b. 'Amr: On the authority of his father: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say in the Farewell Pilgrimage: "Lo, all claims to usury of the pre-Islamic period have been abolished. You shall have your capital sums, deal not unjustly and you shall not be dealt with unjustly. Lo, all claims for blood-vengeance belonging to the pre-Islamic period have been abolished. The first of those murdered among us whose blood-vengeance I remit is al-Harith ibn AbdulMuttalib, who suckled among Banu Layth and killed by Hudhayl." He then said: O Allah, have I conveyed the message? They said: Yes, saying it three times. He then said: O Allah, be witness, saying it three times.

Narrated Abu Hurairah: I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: Swearing produces a ready sale for a commodity but blots out the blessing. The narrator Ibn al-Sarh said: "for earning". He also narrated this tradition from Sa'id b. al-Musayyab on the authority of Abu Hurairah from the Prophet (ﷺ).

Narrated Suwayd ibn Qays: I and Makhrafah al-Abdi imported some garments from Hajar, and brought them to Mecca. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to us walking, and after he had bargained with us for some trousers, we sold them to him. There was a man who was weighing for payment. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him: Weigh out and give overweight.

The tradition mentioned above (No. 3330) has also been transmitted by AbuSafwan ibn Umayrah through a different chain of narrators. This version has: Abu Safwan said: I came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) at Mecca before his immigration. He then narrated the rest of the tradition, but he did not mention the words "who was weighing for payment".Abu Dawud sad: Qais also transmitted it as Sufyan said: The version of Sufyan is authoritative.

Narrated Ibn Abi Rizmah: I heard my father say: A man said to Shu'bah: Sufyan opposed you (i.e. narrated a tradition which differs from your version). He replied: You racked my mind. I have been told that Yahya b. Ma'in said: If anyone opposes Sufyan, the version of Sufyan will be acceptable.

Shu'bah said: The memory of Sufyan was stronger than mine.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: (The standard) weight is the weight of the people of Mecca, and the (standard) measure is the measure of the people of Medina.Abu Dawud said: Al-Firyabi and Abu Ahmad have also transmitted from Sufyan in a similar way, and he (Ibn Dukain) agreed with them on the text. The version of Abu Ahmad has: "from Ibn 'Abbas" instead of Ibn 'Umar. It has also been transmitted by al-Walid b. Muslim from Hanzalah. This version has: "the weight of Medina and the measure of Mecca."Abu Dawud said: There is a variation in the text of the version of this tradition narrated by Malik b. Dinar from 'Ata' from the Prophet (ﷺ).

Narrated Samurah: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) addressed us and said: Is here any one of such and such tribe present? But no one replied. He again asked: Is here any one of such and such tribe present? But no one replied. He again asked: Is here any one of such and such tribe? Then a man stood and said: I am (here), Messenger of Allah. He said: What prevented you from replying the first two times? I wish to tell you something good. Your companion has been detained (from entering Paradise) on account of his debt. Then I saw him that he paid off all his debt on his behalf and there remained no one to demand from him anything.Abu Dawud said: The name of the narrator Sam'an is Sam'an b. Mushannaj.

Narrated AbuMusa al-Ash'ari: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: After the grave sins which Allah has prohibited the greatest sin is that a man dies while he has debt due from him and does not leave anything to pay it off, and meets Him with it.

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would not say funeral prayer over a person who died while the debt was due from him. A dead Muslim was brought to him and he asked: Is there any debt due from him? They (the people) said: Yes, two dirhams. He said: Pray yourselves over your companion. Then AbuQatadah al-Ansari said: I shall pay them, Messenger of Allah. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then prayed over him. When Allah granted conquests to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), he said: I am nearer to every believer than himself, so if anyone (dies and) leaves a debt, I shall be responsible for paying it; and if anyone leaves property, it goes to his heirs.

A similar tradition has also been transmitted by Ibn 'Abbas though a different chain of narrators. This version says: "He (the Prophet) purchased a calf from a caravan, but he had no money with him. He then sold it with some profit and gave the profit in charity to the poor and widows of Banu 'Abd al-Muttalib. He then said: I shall not buy anything after this but only when I have money with me.

Narrated Abu Hurairah: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Delay in payment (of debt) by a rich man is injunctive, but when one of you is referred to a wealthy man, he should accept the reference.

Narrated Abu Rafi': The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) borrowed a young camel, and when the camels of the sadaqah (alms) came to him, he ordered me to pay the man his young camel. I said: I find only an excellent camel in its seventh year. So the Prophet (ﷺ) said: Give it to him, for the best person is he who discharges his debt in the best manner.

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah: The Prophet (ﷺ) owed me a debt and gave me something extra when he paid it.

Narrated 'Umar: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Gold for gold is interest unless both hand over on the spot ; wheat for wheat is interest unless both hand over on the spot ; dates for dates is interest unless both hand over on the spot ; barley for barley is interest unless both hand over on the spot.

Narrated Ubadah ibn as-Samit: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Gold is to be paid for with gold, raw and coined, silver with silver, raw and coined (in equal weight), wheat with wheat in equal measure, barley with barley in equal measure, dates with dates in equal measure, salt by salt with equal measure; if anyone gives more or asks more, he has dealt in usury. But there is no harm in selling gold for silver and silver (for gold), in unequal weight, payment being made on the spot. Do not sell them if they are to be paid for later. There is no harm in selling wheat for barley and barley (for wheat) in unequal measure, payment being made on the spot. If the payment is to be made later, then do not sell them.Abu Dawud said: This tradition has also been transmitted by Sa'id b. Abi 'Arubah, Hisham al-Dastawa'i and Qatadah from Muslim b. Yasar through his chain.

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by 'Ubadah b. al-Samit through a different chain of transmitters with some alternation. This version adds: "He said: If these classes differ, sell as you wish if payment is made on the spot."

Narrated Fudalah ibn Ubayd: The Prophet (ﷺ) was brought a necklace in which there were gold and pearls. (The narrators AbuBakr and (Ahmad) Ibn Mani' said: The pearls were set with gold in it, and a man bought it for nine or seven dinars.) The Prophet (ﷺ) said: (It must not be sold) till the contents are considered separately. The narrator said: He returned it till the contents were considered separately. The narrator Ibn Asa said: By this I intended trade.Abu Dawud said: The word hijarah (stone) was recorded in his note-book before, but he changed it and narrated tijarah (trade).

Narrated Fudalah bin 'Ubaid: At the battle of Khaibar I bought a necklace in which there were gold and pearls for twelve dinars. I separated them and found that its worth was more than twelve dinars. So I mentioned that to the Prophet (ﷺ) who said: It must not be sold till the contents are considered separately.

Narrated Fudalah bin 'Ubaid: We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) at the battle of Khaibar. We were selling to the Jews one uqiyah of gold for one dinar. The narrators other than Qutaibah said: "for two or three dinars." Then both the versions agreed. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Do not sell gold except with equal weight.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: I used to sell camels at al-Baqi for dinars and take dirhams for them, and sell for dirhams and take dinars for them. I would take these for these and give these for these. I went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who was in the house of Hafsah. I said: Messenger of Allah , take it easy, I shall ask you (a question): I sell camels at al-Baqi'. I sell (them) for dinars and take dirhams and I sell for dirhams and take dinars. I take these for these, and give these for these. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then said: There is no harm in taking them at the current rate so long as you do not separate leaving something to be settled.

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Simak (b. Harb) with a different chain of narrators and to the same effect. The first version is more perfect. It does not mention the words "at the current rate".