Muwatta
Malik

موطأ مالك

02

Purity

كتاب الطهارة

 

Chapter 30: Bleeding as if Menstruating

Muwatta Malik 137

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from his father that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ said, "Fatima bint Abu Hubaysh said, ' Messenger of Allah , I never become pure - am I permitted to pray?' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'That is a vein, not menstruation. So when your period approaches, leave off from the prayer, and when its grip leaves, wash the blood from yourself and pray.' "
حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ قَالَتْ فَاطِمَةُ بِنْتُ أَبِي حُبَيْشٍ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي لاَ أَطْهُرُ أَفَأَدَعُ الصَّلاَةَ فَقَالَ لَهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ إِنَّمَا ذَلِكِ عِرْقٌ وَلَيْسَتْ بِالْحَيْضَةِ فَإِذَا أَقْبَلَتِ الْحَيْضَةُ فَاتْرُكِي الصَّلاَةَ فَإِذَا ذَهَبَ قَدْرُهَا فَاغْسِلِي الدَّمَ عَنْكِ وَصَلِّي ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Chapter 13: Muzabana and Muhaqala

Muwatta Malik 1372

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Abdullah ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade muzabana. Muzabana was selling fresh dates for dried dates by measure, and selling grapes for raisins by measure.
حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَهَى عَنِ الْمُزَابَنَةِ وَالْمُزَابَنَةُ بَيْعُ الثَّمَرِ بِالتَّمْرِ كَيْلاً وَبَيْعُ الْكَرْمِ بِالزَّبِيبِ كَيْلاً ‏.‏

Muwatta Malik 1374

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Said ibn al- Musayyab that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade muzabana and muhaqala. Muzabana was selling fresh dates for dried dates. Muhaqala was buying unharvested wheat in exchange for threshed wheat and renting land in exchange for wheat. Ibn Shihab added that he had asked Said ibn al-Musayyab about renting land for gold and silver. He said, "There is no harm in it." Malik said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade muzabana. The explanation of muzabana is that it is buying something whose number, weight and measure is not known with something whose number, weight or measure is known, for instance, if a man has a stack of food whose measure is not known, either of wheat, dates, or whatever food, or the man has goods of wheat, date kernels, herbs, safflower, cotton, flax, silk, and does not know its measure or weight or number and then a buyer approaches him and proposes that he weigh or measure or count the goods, but, before he does, he specifies a certain weight, or measure, or number and guarantees to pay the price for that amount, agreeing that whatever falls short of that amount is a loss against him and whatever is in excess of that amount is a gain for him. That is not a sale. It is taking risks and it is an uncertain transaction. It falls into the category of gambling because he is not buying something from him for something definite which he pays. Everything which resembles this is also forbidden." Malik said that another example of that was, for instance, a man proposing to another man, "You have cloth. I will guarantee you from this cloth of yours so many hooded cloaks, the measureof each cloak to be such-and-such, (naming a measurement). Whatever loss there is, is against me and I will fulfill you the specified amount and whatever excess there is, is mine." Or perhaps the man proposed, "I will guarantee you from this cloth of yours so many shirts, the measurement of each shirt to be such-and-such, and whatever loss there is, is against me and I will fulfill the specified amount and whatever excess there is, is mine." Or perhaps a man proposed to a man who had cattle or camel hides, "I will cut up these hides of yours into sandals on a pattern I will show you. Whatever falls short of a hundred pairs, I will make up its loss and whatever is over is mine because I guaranteed you." Another example was that a man say to a man who had ben-nuts, "I will press these nuts of yours. Whatever falls short of such-and-such a weight by the pound, I will make it up, and whatever is more than that is mine." Malik said that all this and whatever else was like it or resembled it was in the category of muzabana, which was neither good nor permitted. It was also the same case for a man to say to a man, who had fodder leaves, date kernels, cotton, flax, herbs or safflower, "I will buy these leaves from you in exchange for such-and-such a sa, (indicating leaves which are pounded like his leaves) . . or these date kernels for such-and-such a sa of kernels like them, and the like of that in the case of safflower, cotton, flax and herbs." Malik said, "All this is what we have described of muzabana."
وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَهَى عَنِ الْمُزَابَنَةِ وَالْمُحَاقَلَةِ وَالْمُزَابَنَةُ اشْتِرَاءُ الثَّمَرِ بِالتَّمْرِ وَالْمُحَاقَلَةُ اشْتِرَاءُ الزَّرْعِ بِالْحِنْطَةِ وَاسْتِكْرَاءُ الأَرْضِ بِالْحِنْطَةِ ‏.‏ قَالَ ابْنُ شِهَابٍ فَسَأَلْتُ سَعِيدَ بْنَ الْمُسَيَّبِ عَنِ اسْتِكْرَاءِ الأَرْضِ بِالذَّهَبِ وَالْوَرِقِ فَقَالَ لاَ بَأْسَ بِذَلِكَ ‏.‏ قَالَ مَالِكٌ نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنِ الْمُزَابَنَةِ وَتَفْسِيرُ الْمُزَابَنَةِ أَنَّ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ مِنَ الْجِزَافِ الَّذِي لاَ يُعْلَمُ كَيْلُهُ وَلاَ وَزْنُهُ وَلاَ عَدَدُهُ ابْتِيعَ بِشَىْءٍ مُسَمًّى مِنَ الْكَيْلِ أَوِ الْوَزْنِ أَوِ الْعَدَدِ وَذَلِكَ أَنْ يَقُولَ الرَّجُلُ لِلرَّجُلِ يَكُونُ لَهُ الطَّعَامُ الْمُصَبَّرُ الَّذِي لاَ يُعْلَمُ كَيْلُهُ مِنَ الْحِنْطَةِ أَوِ التَّمْرِ أَوْ مَا أَشْبَهَ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الأَطْعِمَةِ أَوْ يَكُونُ لِلرَّجُلِ السِّلْعَةُ مِنَ الْحِنْطَةِ أَوِ النَّوَى أَوِ الْقَضْبِ أَوِ الْعُصْفُرِ أَوِ الْكُرْسُفِ أَوِ الْكَتَّانِ أَوِ الْقَزِّ أَوْ مَا أَشْبَهَ ذَلِكَ مِنَ السِّلَعِ لاَ يُعْلَمُ كَيْلُ شَىْءٍ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَلاَ وَزْنُهُ وَلاَ عَدَدُهُ فَيَقُولُ الرَّجُلُ لِرَبِّ تِلْكَ السِّلْعَةِ كِلْ سِلْعَتَكَ هَذِهِ أَوْ مُرْ مَنْ يَكِيلُهَا أَوْ زِنْ مِنْ ذَلِكَ مَا يُوزَنُ أَوْ عُدَّ مِنْ ذَلِكَ مَا كَانَ يُعَدُّ فَمَا نَقَصَ عَنْ كَيْلِ كَذَا وَكَذَا صَاعًا - لِتَسْمِيَةٍ يُسَمِّيهَا - أَوْ وَزْنِ كَذَا وَكَذَا رِطْلاً أَوْ عَدَدِ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَمَا نَقَصَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَعَلَىَّ غُرْمُهُ لَكَ حَتَّى أُوفِيَكَ تِلْكَ التَّسْمِيَةَ فَمَا زَادَ عَلَى تِلْكَ التَّسْمِيَةِ فَهُوَ لِي أَضْمَنُ مَا نَقَصَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ عَلَى أَنْ يَكُونَ لِي مَا زَادَ ‏.‏ فَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ بَيْعًا وَلَكِنَّهُ الْمُخَاطَرَةُ وَالْغَرَرُ وَالْقِمَارُ يَدْخُلُ هَذَا لأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَشْتَرِ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا بِشَىْءٍ أَخْرَجَهُ وَلَكِنَّهُ ضَمِنَ لَهُ مَا سُمِّيَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الْكَيْلِ أَوِ الْوَزْنِ أَوِ الْعَدَدِ عَلَى أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ مَا زَادَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ فَإِنْ نَقَصَتْ تِلْكَ السِّلْعَةُ عَنْ تِلْكَ التَّسْمِيَةِ أَخَذَ مِنْ مَالِ صَاحِبِهِ مَا نَقَصَ بِغَيْرِ ثَمَنٍ وَلاَ هِبَةٍ طَيِّبَةٍ بِهَا نَفْسُهُ فَهَذَا يُشْبِهُ الْقِمَارَ وَمَا كَانَ مِثْلَ هَذَا مِنَ الأَشْيَاءِ فَذَلِكَ يَدْخُلُهُ ‏.‏ قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَمِنْ ذَلِكَ أَيْضًا أَنْ يَقُولَ الرَّجُلُ لِلرَّجُلِ لَهُ الثَّوْبُ أَضْمَنُ لَكَ مِنْ ثَوْبِكَ هَذَا كَذَا وَكَذَا ظِهَارَةَ قَلَنْسُوَةٍ قَدْرُ كُلِّ ظِهَارَةٍ كَذَا وَكَذَا - لِشَىْءٍ يُسَمِّيهِ - فَمَا نَقَصَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَعَلَىَّ غُرْمُهُ حَتَّى أُوفِيَكَ وَمَا زَادَ فَلِي ‏.‏ أَوْ أَنْ يَقُولَ الرَّجُلُ لِلرَّجُلِ أَضْمَنُ لَكَ مِنْ ثِيَابِكَ هَذِي كَذَا وَكَذَا قَمِيصًا ذَرْعُ كُلِّ قَمِيصٍ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَمَا نَقَصَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَعَلَىَّ غُرْمُهُ وَمَا زَادَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ فَلِي ‏.‏ أَوْ أَنْ يَقُولُ الرَّجُلُ لِلرَّجُلِ لَهُ الْجُلُودُ مِنْ جُلُودِ الْبَقَرِ أَوِ الإِبِلِ أُقَطِّعُ جُلُودَكَ هَذِهِ نِعَالاً عَلَى إِمَامٍ يُرِيهِ إِيَّاهُ ‏.‏ فَمَا نَقَصَ مِنْ مِائَةِ زَوْجٍ فَعَلَىَّ غُرْمُهُ وَمَا زَادَ فَهُوَ لِي بِمَا ضَمِنْتُ لَكَ ‏.‏ وَمِمَّا يُشْبِهُ ذَلِكَ أَنْ يَقُولَ الرَّجُلُ لِلرَّجُلِ عِنْدَهُ حَبُّ الْبَانِ اعْصُرْ حَبَّكَ هَذَا فَمَا نَقَصَ مِنْ كَذَا وَكَذَا رِطْلاً فَعَلَىَّ أَنْ أُعْطِيَكَهُ وَمَا زَادَ فَهُوَ لِي ‏.‏ فَهَذَا كُلُّهُ وَمَا أَشْبَهَهُ مِنَ الأَشْيَاءِ أَوْ ضَارَعَهُ مِنَ الْمُزَابَنَةِ الَّتِي لاَ تَصْلُحُ وَلاَ تَجُوزُ ‏.‏ وَكَذَلِكَ - أَيْضًا - إِذَا قَالَ الرَّجُلُ لِلرَّجُلِ لَهُ الْخَبَطُ أَوِ النَّوَى أَوِ الْكُرْسُفُ أَوِ الْكَتَّانُ أَوِ الْقَضْبُ أَوِ الْعُصْفُرُ أَبْتَاعُ مِنْكَ هَذَا الْخَبَطَ بِكَذَا وَكَذَا صَاعًا مِنْ خَبَطٍ يُخْبَطُ مِثْلَ خَبَطِهِ أَوْ هَذَا النَّوَى بِكَذَا وَكَذَا صَاعًا مِنْ نَوًى مِثْلِهِ وَفِي الْعُصْفُرِ وَالْكُرْسُفِ وَالْكَتَّانِ وَالْقَضْبِ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ ‏.‏ فَهَذَا كُلُّهُ يَرْجِعُ إِلَى مَا وَصَفْنَا مِنَ الْمُزَابَنَةِ ‏.‏

Muwatta Malik 1373

Yahya related to me from Malik from Da'ud ibn al-Husayn from Abu Sufyan, the mawla of Ibn Abi Ahmad, from Abu Said al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade muzabana and muhaqala. Muzabana was selling fresh dates for dried dates while they were still on the trees. Muhaqala was renting land in exchange for wheat.
وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ دَاوُدَ بْنِ الْحُصَيْنِ، عَنْ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ، مَوْلَى ابْنِ أَبِي أَحْمَدَ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَهَى عَنِ الْمُزَابَنَةِ وَالْمُحَاقَلَةِ وَالْمُزَابَنَةُ اشْتِرَاءُ الثَّمَرِ بِالتَّمْرِ فِي رُءُوسِ النَّخْلِ وَالْمُحَاقَلَةُ كِرَاءُ الأَرْضِ بِالْحِنْطَةِ ‏.‏

Chapter 16: Selling Gold for Silver, Minted and Unminted

Muwatta Malik 1378

Yahya related to me from Malik from Musa ibn Abi Tamim from Abu'l Hubab Said ibn Yasar from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "A dinar for a dinar, a dirham for a dirham, no excess between the two."
وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ أَبِي تَمِيمٍ، عَنْ أَبِي الْحُبَابِ، سَعِيدِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ الدِّينَارُ بِالدِّينَارِ وَالدِّرْهَمُ بِالدِّرْهَمِ لاَ فَضْلَ بَيْنَهُمَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Muwatta Malik 1377

Yahya related to me from Malik that Yahya ibn Said said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ordered the two Sads to sell a vessel made of either gold or silver from the booty. They either sold each three units of weight for four units of weight of coins or each four units of weight for three units of weight or coins. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to them, 'You have taken usury, so return it.' "
حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ أَمَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم السَّعْدَيْنِ أَنْ يَبِيعَا آنِيَةً مِنَ الْمَغَانِمِ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ أَوْ فِضَّةٍ فَبَاعَا كُلَّ ثَلاَثَةٍ بِأَرْبَعَةٍ عَيْنًا أَوْ كُلَّ أَرْبَعَةٍ بِثَلاَثَةٍ عَيْنًا فَقَالَ لَهُمَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ أَرْبَيْتُمَا فَرُدَّا

Muwatta Malik 1379

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Abu Said al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Do not sell gold for gold except like for like and do not increase one part over another part. Do not sell silver for silver, except like for like and do not increase one part over another part. Do not sell some of it which is not there for some of it which is."
وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ لاَ تَبِيعُوا الذَّهَبَ بِالذَّهَبِ إِلاَّ مِثْلاً بِمِثْلٍ وَلاَ تُشِفُّوا بَعْضَهَا عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَلاَ تَبِيعُوا الْوَرِقَ بِالْوَرِقِ إِلاَّ مِثْلاً بِمِثْلٍ وَلاَ تُشِفُّوا بَعْضَهَا عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَلاَ تَبِيعُوا مِنْهَا شَيْئًا غَائِبًا بِنَاجِزٍ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Chapter 12: What is Not Recommended in the Sale of Dates

Muwatta Malik 1370

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abd al-Hamid ibn Suhayl ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf from Said ibn al-Musayyab from Abu Said al- Khudri and from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ appointed a man as an agent in Khaybar, and he brought him some excellent dates. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to him, "Are all the dates of Khaybar like this?" He said,"No. By Allah, Messenger of Allah! We take a sa of this kind for two sa or two sa for three." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Do not do that. Sell the assorted ones for dirhams and then buy the good ones with the dirhams."
وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ بْنِ سُهَيْلِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَوْفٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم اسْتَعْمَلَ رَجُلاً عَلَى خَيْبَرَ فَجَاءَهُ بِتَمْرٍ جَنِيبٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ أَكُلُّ تَمْرِ خَيْبَرَ هَكَذَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ لاَ وَاللَّهِ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّا لَنَأْخُذُ الصَّاعَ مِنْ هَذَا بِالصَّاعَيْنِ وَالصَّاعَيْنِ بِالثَّلاَثَةِ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ لاَ تَفْعَلْ بِعِ الْجَمْعَ بِالدَّرَاهِمِ ثُمَّ ابْتَعْ بِالدَّرَاهِمِ جَنِيبًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Muwatta Malik 1371

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Yazid that Zayd ibn Ayyash told him that he had once asked Sad ibn Abi Waqqas about selling white wheat for a type of good barley. Sad asked him which was the better and when he told him the white wheat, he forbade the transaction. Sad said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ being asked about selling dried dates for fresh dates, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'Do the dates diminish in size when they become dry?' When he was told that they did, he forbade that."
وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ، أَنَّ زَيْدًا أَبَا عَيَّاشٍ، أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّهُ، سَأَلَ سَعْدَ بْنَ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ عَنِ الْبَيْضَاءِ، بِالسُّلْتِ فَقَالَ لَهُ سَعْدٌ أَيَّتُهُمَا أَفْضَلُ قَالَ الْبَيْضَاءُ ‏.‏ فَنَهَاهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ ‏.‏ وَقَالَ سَعْدٌ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُسْأَلُ عَنِ اشْتِرَاءِ التَّمْرِ بِالرُّطَبِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ أَيَنْقُصُ الرُّطَبُ إِذَا يَبِسَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالُوا نَعَمْ ‏.‏ فَنَهَى عَنْ ذَلِكَ ‏.‏

Chapter 15: Selling Fruit

Muwatta Malik 1376

Malik said, "The generally agreed on way of doing things among us is that someone who buys some fruit, fresh or dry, should not resell it until he gets full possession of it. He should not barter things of the same type, except hand to hand. Whatever can be made into dry fruit to be stored and eaten, should not be bartered for its own kind, except hand to hand, like for like, when it is the same kind of fruit. In the case of two different kinds of fruit, there is no harm in bartering two of one kind for one of another, hand to hand on the spot. It is not good to set delayed terms. As for produce which is not dried and stored but is eaten fresh like water melon, cucumber, melon, carrots, citron, medlars, pomegranates, and soon, which when dried no longer counts as fruit, and is not a thing which is stored up as is fruit, I think that it is quite proper to barter such things two for one of the same variety hand to hand. If no term enters into it, there is no harm in it."

Chapter 14: General Remarks about Selling Produce at its Source

Muwatta Malik 1375

Malik said, "There is no harm in buying dates from specified trees or a specified orchard or buying milk from specified sheep when the buyer starts to take them as soon as he has payed the price. That is like buying oil from a container. A man buys some of it for a dinar or two and gives his gold and stipulates that it be measured out for him. There is no harm in that. If the container breaks and the oil is wasted, the buyer has his gold back and there is no transaction between them." Malik said, "There is no harm in everything which is taken right away as it is, like fresh milk and fresh picked dates which the buyer can take on a day-to-day basis. If the supply runs out before the buyer has what he has paid for in full, the seller gives him back the portion of the gold that is owed to him, or else the buyer takes other goods from him to the value of what he is owed and which they mutually agree about. The buyer should stay with the seller until he has taken it. It is disapproved of for the seller to leave because the transaction would then come into the forbidden category of a debt for a debt. If a stated time period for payment or delivery enters into the transaction, it is also disapproved. Delay and deferment are not permitted in it, and are only acceptable when it is standard practice on definite terms by which the seller guarantees it to the buyer, but this is not to be from one specific orchard or from any specific ewes." Malik was asked about a man who bought an orchard from another man in which there were various types of palm-trees - excellent ajwa palms, good kabis palms, adhq palms and othertypes. The seller kept aside from the sale the produce of a certain palm of his choice. Malik said, "That is not good because if he does that, and keeps aside, for instance, dates of the ajwa variety whose yield would be 15 sa, and he picks the dates of the kabis in their place, and the yield of their dates is 10 sa or he picks the ajwa which yield 15 sa and leaves the kabis which yield 10 sa, it is as if he bought the ajwa for the kabis making allowances for their difference of quality. This is the same as if a man dealing with a man who has heaps of dates before him - a heap of 15 sa of ajwa, a heap of 10 sa of kabis, and a heap of 12 sa of cadhq, gives the owner of the dates a dinar to let him choose and take whichever of the heaps he likes." Malik said, "That is not good." Malik was asked what a man who bought fresh dates from the owner of an orchard and advanced him a dinar was entitled to if the crop was spoilt. Malik said, "The buyer makes a reckoning with the owner of the orchard and takes what is due to him of the dinar. If the buyer has taken two-thirds of a dinar's worth of dates, he gets back the third of a dinar which is owed him. If the buyer has taken three-quarters of a dinar's worth of dates, then he gets back the quarter which is owed to him, or they come to a mutual agreement, and the buyer takes what is owed him from his dinar from the owner of the orchard in something else of his choosing. If, for instance, he prefers to take dry dates or some other goods, he takes them according to what is due. If he takes dry dates or some other goods, he should stay with him until he has been paid in full." Malik said, "This is the same situation as hiring out a specified riding-camel or hiring out a slave tailor, carpenter or some other kind of worker or letting a house and taking payment in advance for the hire of the slave or the rent of the house or camel. Then an accident happens to what has been hired resulting in death or something else. The owner of the camel, slave or house returns what remains of the rent of the camel, the hire of the slave or the rent of the house to the one who advanced him the money, and the owner reckons what will settle that up in full. If, for instance, he has provided half of what the man paid for, he returns the remaining half of what he advanced, or according to whatever amount is due." Malik said, "Paying in advance for something which is on hand is only good when the buyer takes possession of what he has paid for as soon as he hands over the gold, whether it be slave, camel, or house, or in the case of dates, he starts to pick them as soon as he has paid the money." It is not good that there be any deferment or credit in such a transaction. Malik said, "An example illustrating what is disapproved of in this situation is that, for instance, a man may say that he will pay someone in advance for the use of his camel to ride in the hajj, and the hajj is still some time off, or he may say something similar to that about a slave or a house. When he does that, he only pays the money in advance on the understanding that if he finds the camel to be sound at the time the hire is due to begin, he will take it by virtue of what he has already paid. If an accident, or death, or something happens to the camel, then he will get his money back and the money he paid in advance will be considered as a loan." Malik said, "This is distinct from someone who takes immediate possession of what he rents or hires, so that it does not fall into the category of 'uncertainty,' or disapproved payment in advance. That is following a common practice. An example of that is that a man buys a slave, or slave-girl, and takes possession of them and pays their price. If something happens to them within the period of the year indemnification contract, he takes his gold back from the one from whom he bought it. There is no harm in that. This is the precedent of the sunnah in the matter of selling slaves." Malik said, "Someone who rents a specified slave, or hires a specified camel, for a future date, at which time he will take possession of the camel or slave, has not acted properly because he did not take possession of what he rented or hired, nor is he advancing a loan which the person is responsible to pay back."