Book of Livelihood
Chapter on Sales
وَ رُوِيَ عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ رَجُلٌ يَدُلُّ اَلرَّجُلَ عَلَى اَلسِّلْعَةِ وَ يَقُولُ اِشْتَرِهَا وَ لِيَ نِصْفُهَا فَيَشْتَرِيهَا اَلرَّجُلُ وَ يَنْقُدُ مِنْ مَالِهِ قَالَ لَهُ نِصْفُ اَلرِّبْحِ قُلْتُ فَإِنْ وُضِعَ لَحِقَهُ مِنَ اَلْوَضِيعَةِ شَيْءٌ فَقَالَ "نَعَمْ عَلَيْهِ اَلْوَضِيعَةُ كَمَا يَأْخُذُ اَلرِّبْحَ".
Ishaq ibn Ammar narrates: I said to Abu Ibrahim (Imam Musa ibn Jafar Al-Kadhim (a.s)): A man directs another man to a commodity and says, 'Buy it, and half of it will be mine.' The man buys it and pays from his own money. The Imam (a.s) replied: "He is entitled to half the profit." I asked: "What if there is a loss; does he also bear part of the loss?" The Imam (a.s) said: "Yes, he is liable for the loss just as he shares in the profit."
وَ رُوِيَ عَنْ حَمْزَةَ بْنِ حُمْرَانَ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ أَدْخُلُ اَلسُّوقَ أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَشْتَرِيَ جَارِيَةً فَتَقُولُ إِنِّي حُرَّةٌ قَالَ "اِشْتَرِهَا إِلاَّ أَنْ تَكُونَ لَهَا بَيِّنَةٌ".
Hamzah ibn Humran narrates: I said to Abu Abdullah (a.s): I enter the market intending to buy a bondwoman, but she claims that she is free. The Imam (a.s) replied: "Buy her unless she has evidence (to prove her claim of freedom)."
وَ سَأَلَهُ اَلْعِيصُ بْنُ اَلْقَاسِمِ: عَنْ مَمْلُوكٍ اِدَّعَى أَنَّهُ حُرٌّ وَ لَمْ يَأْتِ بِبَيِّنَةٍ عَلَى ذَلِكَ أَشْتَرِيهِ قَالَ "نَعَمْ".
Al-Is ibn al-Qasim asked Abu Abdullah (a.s) about a slave who claimed that he was free but did not provide any evidence for his claim. The Imam (a.s) replied: "Yes, you may buy him."
وَ رَوَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ قَيْسٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ: "قَضَى أَمِيرُ اَلْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ فِي وَلِيدَةٍ بَاعَهَا اِبْنُ سَيِّدِهَا وَ أَبُوهُ غَائِبٌ فَتَسَرَّاهَا اَلَّذِي اِشْتَرَاهَا فَوَلَدَتْ مِنْهُ غُلاَماً ثُمَّ جَاءَ سَيِّدُهَا اَلْأَوَّلُ يُخَاصِمُ سَيِّدَهَا اَلْآخَرَ فَقَالَ وَلِيدَتِي بَاعَهَا اِبْنِي بِغَيْرِ إِذْنِي قَالَ "اَلْحُكْمُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ وَلِيدَتَهُ وَ اِبْنَهَا" فَيُنَاشِدَهُ اَلَّذِي اِشْتَرَاهَا فَقَالَ لَهُ "خُذِ اِبْنَهُ اَلَّذِي بَاعَكَ وَ تَقُولُ لاَ وَ اَللَّهِ لاَ أُرْسِلُ اِبْنَكَ حَتَّى تُرْسِلَ اِبْنِي" فَلَمَّا رَأَى ذَلِكَ سَيِّدُ اَلْوَلِيدَةِ أَجَازَ بَيْعَ اِبْنِهِ ".
Muhammad ibn Qays narrated from Abu Jafar Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (a.s) who said: "Commander of the Faithful (a.s) ruled concerning a female slave who was sold by the son of her master while her master was absent. The buyer took her as a concubine, and she bore him a son. Later, her original master returned and disputed with the buyer, claiming: 'She is my slave, and my son sold her without my permission.' The Imam (a.s) said: 'The ruling is that the master may reclaim both his female slave and her son.' The buyer pleaded with him, saying: 'Take your son who sold her to me, but I will not release your son until you release mine.' When the master of the female slave saw this, he accepted and approved the sale conducted by his son."
وَ رُوِيَ عَنِ اِبْنِ سِنَانٍ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: فِي اَلرَّجُلِ يَشْتَرِي اَلْغُلاَمَ أَوِ اَلْجَارِيَةَ وَ لَهُ أَخٌ أَوْ أُخْتٌ أَوْ أَبٌ أَوْ أُمٌّ بِمِصْرٍ مِنَ اَلْأَمْصَارِ قَالَ "لاَ يُخْرِجُهُ مِنْ مِصْرٍ إِلَى مِصْرٍ آخَرَ إِنْ كَانَ صَغِيراً وَ لاَ يَشْتَرِيهِ فَإِنْ كَانَتْ لَهُ أُمٌّ فَطَابَتْ نَفْسُهَا وَ نَفْسُهُ فَاشْتَرِهِ إِنْ شِئْتَ".
Ibn Sinan narrated that Abu Abdullah (a.s) said: "Regarding a man who buys a male or female slave, and the slave has a brother, sister, father, or mother in one of the cities, he should not take the slave out of that city to another city if the slave is young, nor should he buy him. However, if the slave has a mother and both she and the slave are content with the sale, then he may buy the slave if he wishes."
وَ رَوَى حَمَّادٌ عَنِ اَلْحَلَبِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ عَنِ اَلْجَوْزِ لاَ نَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ نَعُدَّهُ فَيُكَالُ بِمِكْيَالٍ ثُمَّ يُعَدُّ مَا فِيهِ ثُمَّ يُكَالُ مَا بَقِيَ عَلَى حِسَابِ ذَلِكَ مِنَ اَلْعَدَدِ قَالَ "لاَ بَأْسَ بِهِ".
Hammad narrated from Al-Halabi, from Abu Abdullah (a.s): He was asked about walnuts that cannot be counted individually, so they are measured with a container and then counted based on the amount in that container. Afterward, the remaining quantity is measured according to that count. Imam (a.s) said: "There is no problem with that."
وَ رَوَى اَلْحَلَبِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ: "مَا كَانَ مِنْ طَعَامٍ سَمَّيْتَ فِيهِ كَيْلاً فَلاَ يَصْلُحُ بَيْعُهُ مُجَازَفَةً هَذَا مِمَّا يُكْرَهُ مِنْ بَيْعِ اَلطَّعَامِ".
Al-Halabi narrated from Abu Abdullah (a.s): "Any food for which a specific measure has been stated cannot be sold by estimation. This is among the practices that are disliked in selling food."
وَ رَوَى عَبْدُ اَلرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ اَلْحَجَّاجِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ اَلرَّجُلِ يَشْتَرِي اَلْمَبِيعَ بِالدِّرْهَمِ وَ هُوَ يَنْقُصُ اَلْحَبَّةَ وَ نَحْوَ ذَلِكَ أَ يُعْطِيهِ اَلَّذِي يَشْتَرِي مِنْهُ وَ لاَ يُعْلِمُهُ أَنَّهُ يَنْقُصُ قَالَ "لاَ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ مِثْلَ هَذِهِ اَلْوَضَاحِيَّةِ يَجُوزُ، كَمَا يَجُوزُ عِنْدَنَا عَدَداً".
Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Hajjaj narrated from Abu Abdullah (a.s): "I asked Imam (a.s) about a man who purchases a commodity with a dirham, and the dirham is deficient by a fraction, such as a grain or the like. Should he give it to the seller without informing him that it is deficient?" Imam (a.s) said: 'No, unless it is something like these small coins (al-wadaḥiyyah), which are commonly accepted, just as we accept them by count.'"
وَ سَأَلَهُ سَمَاعَةُ: عَنِ اَللَّبَنِ يُشْتَرَى وَ هُوَ فِي اَلضُّرُوعِ فَقَالَ "لاَ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَحْلُبَ لَكَ مِنْهُ سُكُرُّجَةً فَتَقُولُ أَشْتَرِي مِنْكَ هَذَا اَللَّبَنَ اَلَّذِي فِي اَلسُّكُرُّجَةِ وَ مَا فِي ضُرُوعِهَا بِثَمَنٍ مُسَمًّى فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي اَلضُّرُوعِ شَيْءٌ كَانَ فِيمَا فِي اَلسُّكُرُّجَةِ".
Samaah asked him about purchasing milk while it is still in the udders. Imam (a.s) said: "No, unless he milks some of it into a small vessel (sukurjah) for you, and then you say, 'I purchase from you this milk that is in the vessel and what is in its udders for a specified price.' If there is nothing in the udders, then the sale applies to what is in the vessel."
وَ رَوَى أَبَانٌ عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ اَلْفَضْلِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ اَلرَّجُلِ يَتَقَبَّلُ خَرَاجَ اَلرِّجَالِ وَ جِزْيَةَ رُءُوسِهِمْ وَ خَرَاجَ اَلنَّخْلِ وَ اَلشَّجَرِ وَ اَلْآجَامِ وَ اَلْمَصَايِدِ وَ اَلسَّمَكِ وَ اَلطَّيْرِ وَ هُوَ لاَ يَدْرِي لَعَلَّ هَذَا لاَ يَكُونُ أَبَداً أَوْ يَكُونُ أَ يَشْتَرِيهِ وَ فِي أَيِّ زَمَانٍ يَشْتَرِيهِ وَ يَتَقَبَّلُ مِنْهُ فَقَالَ "إِذَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ مِنْ ذَلِكَ شَيْئاً وَاحِداً قَدْ أَدْرَكَ فَاشْتَرِهِ وَ تَقَبَّلْ بِهِ".
Aban narrated from Ismail ibn al-Fadl, who reported from Abu Abdillah (a.s): I asked him about a man who accepts responsibility for the payment of poll tax (jizyah) for individuals, the land tax (kharaj) for palm trees, crops, forests, hunting grounds, fish, and birds, while he does not know whether any of these will produce revenue or not. Can he purchase and accept responsibility for it, and at what time should he make such a purchase and agreement? Imam (a.s) said: "If you know that at least one of these sources will yield income, then you may purchase and accept responsibility for it."
