Man Lā Yaḥḍuruh al-Faqīh

رُوِيَ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ إِنَّا نُخَالِطُ قَوْماً مِنْ أَهْلِ اَلسَّوَادِ وَ غَيْرِهِمْ فَنَبِيعُهُمْ وَ نَرْبَحُ عَلَيْهِمُ اَلْعَشَرَةَ اِثْنَيْ عَشَرَ وَ اَلْعَشَرَةَ ثَلاَثَةَ عَشَرَ وَ نُؤَخِّرُ ذَلِكَ فِيمَا بَيْنَنَا وَ بَيْنَهُمُ اَلسَّنَةَ وَ نَحْوَهَا فَيَكْتُبُ اَلرَّجُلُ لَنَا بِهَا عَلَى دَارِهِ أَوْ عَلَى أَرْضِهِ بِذَلِكَ اَلْمَالِ اَلَّذِي فِيهِ اَلْفَضْلُ اَلَّذِي أَخَذَ مِنَّا شِرًى بِأَنَّهُ قَدْ بَاعَهُ وَ أَخَذَ اَلثَّمَنَ فَنَعِدُهُ إِنْ هُوَ جَاءَ بِالْمَالِ فِي وَقْتٍ بَيْنَنَا وَ بَيْنَهُ أَنْ نَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِ اَلشِّرَاءَ وَ إِنْ جَاءَنَا اَلْوَقْتُ وَ لَمْ يَأْتِنَا بِالدَّرَاهِمِ فَهُوَ لَنَا فَمَا تَرَى فِي اَلشِّرَاءِ فَقَالَ "أَرَى أَنَّهُ لَكَ إِذَا لَمْ يَفْعَلْ وَ إِنْ جَاءَ بِالْمَالِ لِلْوَقْتِ فَتَرُدُّ عَلَيْهِ".

It is narrated from Sa'id ibn Yasar who said: I said to Abu Abdillah (a.s): "We deal with some people from the rural areas and others. We sell to them and make a profit - sometimes ten becomes twelve, and sometimes ten becomes thirteen. We allow them to defer payment for a year or so, and they provide us with a written guarantee secured by their house or land for the amount, including the added profit. We then agree that if they bring the payment within the specified time, we will cancel the sale and return the property to them. However, if the deadline passes and they do not bring the payment, the property becomes ours. What do you think about this transaction?" Imam (a.s) said: "I see that it is yours if they fail to meet the condition. But if they bring the payment within the agreed time, you must return the property to them."

وَ رَوَى إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ عَمَّارٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ: سَأَلَهُ رَجُلٌ وَ أَنَا عِنْدَهُ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مُسْلِمٌ اِحْتَاجَ إِلَى بَيْعِ دَارِهِ فَجَاءَ إِلَى أَخِيهِ فَقَالَ أَبِيعُكَ دَارِي هَذِهِ فَتَكُونُ لَكَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ تَكُونَ لِغَيْرِكَ عَلَى أَنْ تَشْتَرِطَ لِي إِنْ أَنَا جِئْتُكَ بِثَمَنِهَا إِلَى سَنَةٍ أَنْ تَرُدَّهَا عَلَيَّ فَقَالَ "لاَ بَأْسَ بِهَذَا إِنْ جَاءَ بِثَمَنِهَا إِلَى سَنَةٍ رَدَّهَا عَلَيْهِ" قُلْتُ فَإِنْ كَانَتْ فِيهَا غَلَّةٌ كَثِيرَةٌ فَأَخَذَ اَلْغَلَّةَ لِمَنْ تَكُونُ اَلْغَلَّةُ قَالَ "لِلْمُشْتَرِي أَ مَا تَرَى أَنَّهَا لَوِ اِحْتَرَقَتْ لَكَانَتْ مِنْ مَالِهِ".

Ishaq ibn Ammar narrated from Abu Abdillah (a.s): A man asked him while I was present, saying: "A Muslim man needed to sell his house, so he came to his brother and said: 'I will sell you my house. It is more beloved to me that it belongs to you than to someone else, on the condition that if I bring you its price within a year, you will return it to me.'" He (a.s) said: "There is no problem with this. If he brings its price within a year, he should return it to him." I asked: "What if the property yields a significant income during that time? Who does the income belong to?" He (a.s) said: "It belongs to the buyer. Do you not see that if it were to burn down, it would be his loss?"

قَالَ شَيْخُنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مَتَى عُدِّلَتِ الْقَبَالَةُ بَيْنَ رَجُلَيْنِ عِنْدَ رَجُلٍ إِلَى أَجَلٍ فَكَتَبَا بَيْنَهُمَا اتِّفَاقاً لِيَحْمِلَهُمَا عَلَيْهِ فَعَلَى الْعَدْلِ أَنْ يَعْمَلَ بِمَا فِي الِاتِّفَاقِ وَ لَا يَتَجَاوَزَهُ وَ لَا يَحِلُّ لَهُ أَنْ يُؤَخِّرَ رَدَّ ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابَ عَلَى مُسْتَحِقِّهِ فِي الْوَقْتِ الَّذِي يَسْتَوْجِبُهُ فِيهِ وَ سَمِعْتُهُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ مَشَايِخَنَا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ الِاتِّفَاقَاتِ لَا تُحْمَلُ عَلَى الْأَحْكَامِ لِأَنَّهَا إِنْ حُمِلَتْ عَلَى الْأَحْكَامِ بَطَلَتْ وَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ عِنْدَ شُرُوطِهِمْ فِيمَا وَافَقَ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَ وَ مَتَى جَاءَ مَنْ عَلَيْهِ الْمَالُ بِبَعْضِهِ فِي الْمَحَلِّ أَوْ قَبْلَهُ وَ حَلَّ الْأَجَلُ وَ لَمْ يَحْمِلْ تَمَامَهُ فَعَلَى الْعَدْلِ أَنْ يُصَحِّحَ الْمَقْبُوضَ مِنَ الْمَالِ عَلَى قَابِضِهِ بِالْإِشْهَادِ عَلَيْهِ إِنْ كَانَ مَلِيّاً وَ إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ مَلِيّاً فَبِالاسْتِيثَاقِ وَ إِنْ أَمَرَهُ بِرَدِّهِ عَلَى مَنْ قَبَضَهُ مِنْهُ كَانَ أَوْلَى وَ أَبْلَغَ وَ إِنْ ذُكِرَ فِي الِاتِّفَاقِ بَيْنَهُمَا غَيْرُ ذَلِكَ حَمَلَهُمَا عَلَيْهِ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى.

Our teacher, Muhammad ibn Al-Hasan (may Allah (swt) be pleased with him), said: Whenever a financial agreement (qabalah) is established between two men before a third party for a specified term, and they write an agreement between them to obligate themselves to abide by it, the intermediary must act according to the agreement and not exceed it. It is not permissible for him to delay returning that written agreement to its rightful owner at the time it is due. I also heard him (our teacher Muhammad ibn Al-Hasan), may Allah (swt) be pleased with him say: I heard our elders (may Allah (swt) be pleased with them) say that agreements are not treated as binding judgments (ahkam). If agreements were treated as judgments, they would be invalidated. Muslims are bound by their conditions as long as they conform to the Book of Allah (swt), the Mighty and Exalted. If the debtor brings part of the payment at the due time or before it, but does not pay the full amount, the intermediary must verify the amount received from the debtor by documenting it in the presence of witnesses - if the debtor is solvent. If the debtor is not solvent, then additional security should be required. If the intermediary instructs the return of the payment to the person from whom it was received, this would be preferable and more secure. If the agreement specifies terms different from this, the intermediary should enforce them, if Allah (swt) wills.