The Book of Commerce
Comprehensive Heading on Goods That Are Lawful to Exchange in Transactions and Those Unlawful to Exchange
9- بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَسْبَاطٍ عَنْ أَبِي مَخْلَدٍ السَّرَّاجِ قَالَ كُنْتُ عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) إِذْ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ مُعَتِّبٌ فَقَالَ رَجُلانِ بِالْبَابِ فَقَالَ أَدْخِلْهُمَا فَدَخَلا فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا إِنِّي رَجُلٌ سَرَّاجٌ أَبِيعُ جُلُودَ النَّمِرِ فَقَالَ مَدْبُوغَةٌ هِيَ قَالَ نَعَمْ قَالَ لَيْسَ بِهِ بَأْسٌ.
9. Certain persons of our people have narrated from A number of our people have narrated from abu Mukhallad al-Sarraj who has said the following: “I once was with abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), when Mu‘attib came in and said, There are two people at the door.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Bring them inside.’ They came inside and one of them said, ‘I am a saddle maker and I sell skins of tigers.’ He (the Imam) asked, ‘Are they (skins) tanned?’ He replied, ‘Yes, they are tanned.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not unlawful.’”
10- مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ الصَّيْقَلِ قَالَ كَتَبْتُ إِلَيْهِ قَوَائِمُ السُّيُوفِ الَّتِي تُسَمَّى السَّفَنَ أَتَّخِذُهَا مِنْ جُلُودِ السَّمَكِ فَهَلْ يَجُوزُ الْعَمَلُ لَهَا وَلَسْنَا نَأْكُلُ لُحُومَهَا فَكَتَبَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) لا بَأْسَ.
10. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn ‘Isa from abu al-Qasim al-Sayqal who has said the following: “I once wrote to him (the Imam) (a.s.), and asked, ‘There is a certain sheathing of swords called al-Safan (sandpaper) which is from skin of fish; if it is permissible to work with and we do not eat its meat.’ He (the Imam) wrote back, ‘It is not unlawful.’”
The Book of Commerce
Buying Stolen Goods and Cheating
1- عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ وَأَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ جَمِيعاً عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَحَدَهُمَا (عَلَيْهِما السَّلام) عَنْ شِرَاءِ الْخِيَانَةِ وَالسَّرِقَةِ فَقَالَ لا إِلا أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدِ اخْتَلَطَ مَعَهُ غَيْرُهُ فَأَمَّا السَّرِقَةُ بِعَيْنِهَا فَلا إِلا أَنْ تَكُونَ مِنْ مَتَاعِ السُّلْطَانِ فَلا بَأْسَ بِذَلِكَ.
1. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad and Ahmad ibn Muhammad all from ibn Mahbub from abu Ayyub from abu Basir who has said the following: “I once asked one of the two Imam, (abu Ja’far or abu ‘Abd Allah), ‘Alayhim al-Salam, about buying goods from cheating and stealing. He (the Imam) said, ‘No, it is not lawful unless it is mixed with other goods. The very substance of stolen goods cannot be purchased unless it is of the properties of the sultan in which case it is not unlawful.’”
2- ابْنُ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ سَالِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ مِنَّا يَشْتَرِي مِنَ السُّلْطَانِ مِنْ إِبِلِ الصَّدَقَةِ وَغَنَمِ الصَّدَقَةِ وَهُوَ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُمْ يَأْخُذُونَ مِنْهُمْ أَكْثَرَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ الَّذِي يَجِبُ عَلَيْهِمْ قَالَ فَقَالَ مَا الإبِلُ وَالْغَنَمُ إِلا مِثْلَ الْحِنْطَةِ وَالشَّعِيرِ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ لا بَأْسَ بِهِ حَتَّى تَعْرِفَ الْحَرَامَ بِعَيْنِهِ قِيلَ لَهُ فَمَا تَرَى فِي مُصَدِّقٍ يَجِيئُنَا فَيَأْخُذُ صَدَقَاتِ أَغْنَامِنَا فَنَقُولُ بِعْنَاهَا فَيَبِيعُنَاهَا فَمَا تَرَى فِي شِرَائِهَا مِنْهُ قَالَ إِنْ كَانَ قَدْ أَخَذَهَا وَعَزَلَهَا فَلا بَأْسَ قِيلَ لَهُ فَمَا تَرَى فِي الْحِنْطَةِ وَالشَّعِيرِ يَجِيئُنَا الْقَاسِمُ فَيَقْسِمُ لَنَا حَظَّنَا وَيَأْخُذُ حَظَّهُ فَيَعْزِلُهُ بِكَيْلٍ فَمَا تَرَى فِي شِرَاءِ ذَلِكَ الطَّعَامِ مِنْهُ فَقَالَ إِنْ كَانَ قَبَضَهُ بِكَيْلٍ وَأَنْتُمْ حُضُورُ ذَلِكَ الْكَيْلِ فَلا بَأْسَ بِشِرَاهُ مِنْهُ بِغَيْرِ كَيْلٍ.
2. Ibn Mahbub has narrated from Hisham ibn Salim from abu ‘Ubayd who has said the following: “I once asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about the case of one of our men who bought from the sultan of the camels of charity and sheep of charity and he knew that they took more than what is rightly due on them. He (the Imam) said, ‘Camels and sheep are just like wheat and barley and other goods. It is not unlawful unless he recognizes the very substance of what is unlawful.’ It was asked, ‘What do you say about the charity collectors who come to us, collect the charity from our sheep, then we ask them to sell them to us and they sell them? What do you say about buying from them? He (the Imam) said, ‘If he has taken them away, then it is not unlawful.’ It was asked, ‘What do you say about wheat and barley which the charity collector takes from us with his measurement and keeps it to one side: if we buy such foodstuff from him?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘If he has taken possession with a certain measurement, then it is not unlawful to buy from him without measuring.”
3- مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ أَبَانٍ عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ قَالَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَشْتَرِي مِنَ الْعَامِلِ وَهُوَ يَظْلِمُ قَالَ يَشْتَرِي مِنْهُ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ ظَلَمَ فِيهِ أَحَداً.
3. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Hassan ibn Ali from Aban from Ishaq ibn ‘Ammar who has said the following: “This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who bought from a charity collector who committed injustice. He (the Imam) said, ‘He can buy from him unless he learns that he has done injustice in collecting those goods.’”
4- مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنِ النَّضْرِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ عَنْ جَرَّاحٍ الْمَدَائِنِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ لا يَصْلُحُ شِرَاءُ السَّرِقَةِ وَالْخِيَانَةِ إِذَا عُرِفَتْ.
4. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from al-Nadr ibn Suwayd from al-Qasim ibn Sulayman from Jarrah al-Mada’iniy who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Buying and selling of goods obtained by cheating and stealing are not valid and not lawful.’”
5- مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ جَمِيلِ بْنِ صَالِحٍ قَالَ أَرَادُوا بَيْعَ تَمْرِ عَيْنِ أَبِي زِيَادٍ فَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَشْتَرِيَهُ ثُمَّ قُلْتُ حَتَّى أَسْتَأْمِرَ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فَأَمَرْتُ مُعَاذاً فَسَأَلَهُ فَقَالَ قُلْ لَهُ يَشْتَرِيهِ فَإِنَّهُ إِنْ لَمْ يَشْتَرِهِ اشْتَرَاهُ غَيْرُهُ.
5. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Jamil ibn Salih who has said the following: “They wanted to sell the dates of ‘ Ayn of abu Ziyad (name of a place with farms that belonged to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.)), and I wanted to buy it but then I decided to ask permission from abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), so I asked Mu‘adh and he asked him (the Imam) about it and he (the Imam) said, ‘He can buy it because if he does not buy it someone else will buy it.’”
6- الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ النَّهْدِيِّ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي نَجْرَانَ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ مَنِ اشْتَرَى سَرِقَةً وَهُوَ يَعْلَمُ فَقَدْ شَرِكَ فِي عَارِهَا وَإِثْمِهَا.
6. Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from al-Nahdiy from ibn abu Najran from certain persons of his people who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Whoever buys stolen goods when he knows it, he shares its shame and sin.’”
7- عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ صَالِحِ بْنِ السِّنْدِيِّ عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ أَبِي الْعَلاءِ عَنْ أَبِي عُمَرَ السَّرَّاجِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فِي الرَّجُلِ يُوجَدُ عِنْدَهُ السَّرِقَةُ قَالَ هُوَ غَارِمٌ إِذَا لَمْ يَأْتِ عَلَى بَائِعِهَا بِشُهُودٍ.
7. Ali has narrated from Salih al-Sindiy from Ja‘far ibn Bashir from al-Husayn ibn abu al-‘Ala’ from abu ‘Umar al-Sarraj who has said the following: “About the case of a man with whom stolen goods were found, abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘He is held responsible unless he presents testimony against the seller such as witnesses.”’
The Book of Commerce
Buying Food from a People through Coercion
1- مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ عُقْبَةَ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ مُوسَى عَنْ بُرَيْدٍ وَمُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ مَنِ اشْتَرَى طَعَامَ قَوْمٍ وَهُمْ لَهُ كَارِهُونَ قُصَّ لَهُمْ مِنْ لَحْمِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ.
1. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Hassan ibn Ali from Ali ibn ‘Uqbah from al-Husayn ibn Musa from Burayd and Muhammad ibn Muslim who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If one buys the foodstuff of a people who dislike such purchase, on the Day of Judgment it will be recovered for them from his flesh.’”
