Muwatta' Malik 31-1

Translation

Yahya related to me from Malik from a reliable source from Amr ibn Shuayb from his father from his father's father that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade transactions in which nonrefundable deposits were paid. Malik said, "That is, in our opinion, but Allah knows best, that for instance, a man buys a slave or slave-girl or rents an animal and then says to the person from whom he bought the slave or leased the animal, 'I will give you a dinar or a dirham or whatever on the condition that if I actually take the goods or ride what I have rented from you, then what I have given you already goes towards payment of the goods or hire of the animal. If I do not purchase the goods or hire the animal, then what I have given you is yours without liability on your part.' " Malik said, "According to the way of doing things with us there is nothing wrong in bartering an arabic speaking merchant slave for abyssinian slaves or any other type that are not his equal in eloquence, trading, shrewdness, and know-how. There is nothing wrong in bartering one slave like this for two or more other slaves with a stated delay in the terms if he is clearly different. If there is no appreciable difference between the slaves, two should not be bartered for one with a stated delay in the terms even if their racial type is different." Malik said, "There is nothing wrong in selling what has been bought in such a transaction before taking possession of all of it as long as you receive the price for it from some one other than the original owner." Malik said, "An addition to the price must not be made for a foetus in the womb of its mother when she is sold because that is gharar (an uncertain transaction). It is not known whether the child will be male or female, good-looking or ugly, normal or handicapped, alive or dead. All these things will affect the price." Malik said that in a transaction where a slave or slave-girl was bought for one hundred dinars with a stated credit period that if the seller regretted the sale there was nothing wrong in him asking the buyer to revoke it for ten dinars which he would pay him immediately or after a period and he would forgo his right to the hundred dinars which he was owed. Malik said, "However, if the buyer regrets and asks the seller to revoke the sale of a slave or slave-girl in consideration of which he will pay an extra ten dinars immediately or on credit terms, extended beyond the original term, that should not be done. It is disapproved of because it is as if, for instance, the seller is buying the one hundred dinars which is not yet due on a year's credit term before the year expires for a slave-girl and ten dinars to be paid immediately or on credit term longer than the year. This falls into the category of selling gold for gold when delayed terms enter into it." Malik said that it was not proper for a man to sell a slave-girl to another man for one hundred dinars on credit and then to buy her back for more than the original price or on a credit term longer than the original term for which he sold her. To understand why that was disapproved of in that case, the example of a man who sold a slave-girl on credit and then bought her back on a credit term longer than the original term was looked at. He might have sold her for thirty dinars with a month to pay and then buy her back for sixty dinars with a year or half a year to pay. The outcome would only be that his goods would have returned to him just like they were and the other party would have given him thirty dinars on a month's credit against sixty dinars on a year or half a year's credit. That was not to be done.

Notes

• قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَذلِكَ فِيمَا نُرَى وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ أَنْ يَشْتَرِيَ الرَّجُلُ الْعَبْدَ أَوِ الْوَلِيدَةَ أَوْ يَتَكَارَى الدَّابَّةَ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ لِلَّذِي اشْتَرَى مِنْهُ أَوْ تَكَارَى مِنْهُ أُعْطِيكَ دِينَاراً أَوْ دِرْهَماً أَوْ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذلِكَ أَوْ أَقَلَّ عَلَى أَنِّي إِنْ أَخَذْتُ السِّلْعَةَ أَوْ رَكِبْتُ مَا تَكَارَيْتُ مِنْكَ فَالَّذِي أَعْطَيْتُكَ هُوَ مِنْ ثَمَنِ السِّلْعَةِ أَوْ مِنْ كِرَاءِ الدَّابَّةِ وَإِنْ تَرَكْتُ ابْتِيَاعَ السِّلْعَةِ أَوْ كِرَاءَ الدَّابَّةِ فَمَا أَعْطَيْتُكَ لَكَ بَاطِلٌ بِغَيْرِ شَيْءٍ قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَالْأَمْرُ عِنْدَنَا أَنَّهُ لاَ بَأْسَ بِأَنْ يَبْتَاعَ الْعَبْدَ التَّاجِرَ الْفَصِيحَ بِالْأَعْبُدِ مِنَ الْحَبَشَةِ أَوْ مِنْ جِنْسٍ مِنَ الْأَجْنَاسِ لَيْسُوا مِثْلَهُ فِي الْفَصَاحَةِ وَلاَ فِي التِّجَارَةِ وَالنَّفَاذِ وَالْمَعْرِفَةِ لاَ بَأْسَ بِهذَا أَنْ يَشْتَرِيَ مِنْهُ الْعَبْدَ بِالْعَبْدَيْنِ أَوْ بِالْأَعْبُدِ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مَعْلُومٍ إِذَا اخْتَلَفَ فَبَانَ اخْتِلاَفُهُ فَإِنْ أَشْبَهَ بَعْضُ ذلِكَ بَعْضاً حَتَّى يَتَقَارَبَ فَلاَ تَأْخُذَنْ مِنْهُ اثْنَيْنِ بِوَاحِدٍ إِلَى أَجَلٍ وَإِنِ اخْتَلَفَتْ أَجْنَاسُهُمْ قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَلاَ بَأْسَ بِأَنْ تَبِيعَ مَا اشْتَرَيْتَ مِنْ ذلِكَ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَسْتَوْفِيَهُ إِذَا انْتَقَدْتَ ثَمَنَهُ مِنْ غَيْرِ صَاحِبِهِ الَّذِي اشْتَرَيْتَهُ مِنْهُ قَالَ مَالِكٌ لاَ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُسْتَثْنَى جَنِينٌ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ إِذَا بِيعَتْ لِأَنَّ ذلِكَ غَرَرٌ لاَ يُدْرَى أَذَكَرٌ هُوَ أَمْ 1 أُنْثَى أو حَسَنٌ 2 أَوْ قَبِيحٌ أَوْ نَاقِصٌ أَوْ تَامٌّ أَوْ حَيٌّ أَوْ مَيِّتٌ وَذلِكَ يَضَعُ مِنْ ثَمَنِهَا قَالَ مَالِكٌ فِي الرَّجُلِ يَبْتَاعُ الْعَبْدَ أَوِ الْوَلِيدَةَ بِمِائَةِ دِينَارٍ إِلَى أَجَلٍ ثُمَّ يَنْدَمُ الْبَائِعُ فَيَسْأَلُ الْمُبْتَاعَ أَنْ يُقِيلَهُ بِعَشَرَةِ دَنَانِيرَ يَدْفَعُهَا إِلَيْهِ نَقْداً أَوْ إِلَى أَجَلٍ وَيَمْحُو عَنْهُ الْمِائَةَ دِينَارٍ الَّتِي لَهُ قَالَ مَالِكٌ لاَ بَأْسَ بِذلِكَ وَإِنْ نَدِمَ الْمُبْتَاعُ فَسَأَلَ الْبَائِعَ أَنْ يُقِيلَهُ فِي الْجَارِيَةِ أَوِ الْعَبْدِ وَيَزِيدَهُ عَشَرَةَ دَنَانِيرَ نَقْداً أَوْ إِلَى أَجَلٍ أَبْعَدَ مِنَ الْأَجَلِ الَّذِي اشْتَرَى إِلَيْهِ الْعَبْدَ أَوِ الْوَلِيدَةَ فَإِنَّ ذلِكَ لاَ يَنْبَغِي وَإِنَّمَا كَرِهَ ذلِكَ لِأَنَّ الْبَائِعَ كَأَنَّهُ بَاعَ مِنْهُ مِائَةَ دِينَارٍ لَهُ إِلَى سَنَةٍ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَحِلَّ بِجَارِيَةٍ وَبِعَشَرَةِ دَنَانِيرَ نَقْداً أَوْ إِلَى أَجَلٍ أَبْعَدَ مِنَ السَّنَةِ فَدَخَلَ فِي ذلِكَ بَيْعُ الذَّهَبِ بِالذَّهَبِ إِلَى أَجَلٍ قَالَ مَالِكٌ فِي الرَّجُلِ يَبِيعُ مِنَ الرَّجُلِ الْجَارِيَةَ بِمِائَةِ دِينَارٍ إِلَى أَجَلٍ ثُمَّ يَشْتَرِيهَا بِأَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذلِكَ الثَّمَنِ الَّذِي بَاعَهَا بِهِ إِلَى أَبْعَدَ مِنْ ذلِكَ الْأَجَلِ الَّذِي بَاعَهَا إِلَيْهِ إِنَّ ذلِكَ لاَ يَصْلُحُ وَتَفْسِيرُ مَا كَرِهَ مِنْ ذلِكَ أَنْ يَبِيعَ الرَّجُلُ الْجَارِيَةَ إِلَى أَجَلٍ ثُمَّ يَبْتَاعُهَا إِلَى أَجَلٍ أَبْعَدَ مِنْهُ يَبِيعُهَا بِثَلاَثِينَ دِينَاراً إِلَى شَهْرٍ ثُمَّ يَبْتَاعُهَا بِسِتِّينَ دِينَاراً إِلَى سَنَةٍ أَوْ إِلَى نِصْفِ سَنَةٍ فَصَارَ إِنْ رَجَعَتْ إِلَيْهِ سِلْعَتُهُ بِعَيْنِهَا وَأَعْطَاهُ صَاحِبُهُ ثَلاَثِينَ دِينَاراً إِلَى شَهْرٍ بِسِتِّينَ دِينَاراً إِلَى سَنَةٍ أَوْ إِلَى نِصْفِ سَنَةٍ فَهذَا لاَ يَنْبَغِي

  machine translationMālik said: This, in our view, and God knows best, is where a man buys a slave or a slave girl, or hires an animal, and then says to the one from whom he bought or hired: "I will give you a dinar, or a dirham, or more than that or less, on the condition that if I take the item, or ride what I hired from you, then what I gave you is part of the price of the item or of the hire of the animal; and if I give up buying the item or hiring the animal, then what I gave you is yours, for nothing." Mālik said: The established practice with us is that there is no harm in buying an eloquent merchant slave with slaves from Abyssinia, or from some other kind, who are not like him in eloquence, trade, effectiveness and knowledge. There is no harm in this: that one buys from him one slave for two slaves or for several slaves, for a known term, when they differ and their difference is clear. But if some of them resemble others so that they are close, then do not take two for one on credit, even if their kinds differ. Mālik said: There is no harm in selling what you bought of that before you take full possession of it, provided you pay its price to someone other than the seller from whom you bought it. Mālik said: It is not proper to exclude a fetus in its mother's womb when she is sold, because that is uncertainty (gharar): it is not known whether it is male or female, handsome or ugly, deficient or complete, alive or dead, and that lowers her price. Mālik said, about a man who buys a slave or slave girl for a hundred dinars to a term, then the seller regrets it and asks the buyer to cancel the sale for ten dinars which he pays him, in cash or to a term, and he waives the hundred dinars owed to him: Mālik said: There is no harm in that. But if the buyer regrets and asks the seller to cancel the sale of the girl or slave and adds ten dinars in cash, or to a term further than the term for which he bought the slave or slave girl, that is not proper. He disliked it only because the seller is as if he sold him a hundred dinars owed to him in a year, before they were due, for a girl and ten dinars in cash or to a term beyond the year; so it involves the sale of gold for gold to a term. Mālik said, about a man who sells a girl to another for a hundred dinars to a term, then buys her back for more than the price at which he sold her, to a term further than the term to which he sold her: that is not valid. The explanation of what is disliked in that is that a man sells a girl to a term and then buys her back to a later term: he sells her for thirty dinars to a month, then buys her for sixty dinars to a year or to half a year. So the result is that his very item returns to him, and the other gives him thirty dinars at a month for sixty dinars at a year or half a year. This is not proper. Report a problem

Grades by grader

What scholars said about it

In their own words, as Hadith Unlocked records them. They are shown, not summarised into a grade.

• ابن عدي

  يقال إن مالكا سمع هذا الحديث من ابن لهيعة عن عمرو بن شعيب ولم يسمه لضعفه والحديث عن ابن لهيعة عن عمرو بن شعيب مشهور

  machine translationIt is said that Mālik heard this hadith from Ibn Lahīʿah, from ʿAmr b. Shuʿayb, and did not name him because of his weakness; and the hadith from Ibn Lahīʿah from ʿAmr b. Shuʿayb is well known. Report a problem

  in موطأ مالك, p. 1209
• ابن الملقن

  ومثل هذا لا يحتج به أصحابنا ولا الجمهور

  machine translationSuch a report is not used as evidence by our colleagues or by the majority. Report a problem

  in موطأ مالك, p. 1209
• Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī

  وفيه راو لم يسم

  machine translationIt contains a narrator who is not named. Report a problem

  in موطأ مالك, p. 1209
• Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr

  الأشبه أنه ابن لهيعة

  machine translationThe most likely is that he is Ibn Lahīʿah. Report a problem

  in موطأ مالك, p. 1209

Other narrations of this report

Sunan Ibn Majah 2192Musnad Ahmad 6723al-Sunan al-Kubra (al-Bayhaqi) 10985al-Sunan al-Kubra (al-Bayhaqi) 10986al-Sunan al-Kubra (al-Bayhaqi) 10987al-Sunan al-Kubra (al-Bayhaqi) 10988

Narrators

1. 1
   ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr b. al-ʿĀṣ

   One of the early Companions (sābiqūn), among those who narrated abundantly, and one of the jurist ʿAbdullāhs (al-ʿabādilah)d. 63 AH, or 65 AH, or 68 AH, or 69 AH; also said 67 AH, also said 73 AH, also said 77 AH
   عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِأحد السابقين ، المكثرين من الصحابة ، وأحد العبادلة الفقهاء
   عن
2. 2
   his father

   Truthful (ṣadūq); his hearing from his grandfather is established (thābit)d. between 81 and 90 AH
   أَبِيهِصدوق ، ثبت سماعه من جده
   عن
3. 3
   ʿAmr b. Shuʿayb

   truthful (ṣadūq)d. 118 AH
   عَمْرِو بْنِ شُعَيْبٍصدوق
   عن
4. 4
   al-Thiqah
   الثقة
   عن
5. 5
   Mālik b. Anas

   The jurist (al-faqīh), the Imam of the Abode of Migration (Imām Dār al-Hijrah), the head of the proficient masters, and the foremost among the meticulous.d. 178 AH, or 179 AH
   مَالِكٌالفقيه ، إمام دار الهجرة ، رأس المتقنين ، وكبير المتثبتين

Who each narrator was and how reliable, from hdith.com

Latin names and English verdicts with a dotted underline are machine translations, not reviewed.