Buying on Credit

“I once said to abu al-Hassan (a.s.), ‘I like to travel to certain areas of the mountains.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘This year people will not be able to avoid difficult times.’ I then said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, if we sell to them goods on credit with deferred payment it is more profitable. He (the Imam) said, ‘Sell to them for one year deferred payment.’ I asked, ‘Can we defer payment for two years?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, you can do so.’ I then asked, ‘Can we defer payment for three years?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘No, you cannot do so.’”

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali (a.s.), in the case of a man who was ordered by certain persons to ask to sell to them a camel and they had agreed to pay more if it was on credit with deferred payment, and he asked to sell to them a camel and certain ones of them were with him, judged to bar him from charging them more over the cash price with deferred payment.’”

“About the case of a man who buys certain goods with deferred payment for an appointed time, abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘He cannot buy it in the manner of Murabahah (capital plus profit) without deferment for an appointed time which is agreed upon; and if he sells in the manner of Murabahah (capital plus profit) without informing the party, then the one who has bought is entitled for a deferment of similar duration.’”

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who sells goods on credit with deferred payment, then buys them from the party to whom he has sold. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not unlawful.’ I then asked, ‘Can I buy my own goods?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not your property, your cow or your sheep.’” Abu Ali al-Ash’ariy has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar from Safwan from Shu’ayb al- Haddad from Bashshar ibn Yasar from abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), a similar Hadith.