Chapter on Sales

"If you purchase goods that require measuring or weighing, do not sell them until you take possession of them - unless you appoint someone to take possession on your behalf. However, if the goods do not require measuring or weighing, then you may sell them immediately."

I asked him about a man who owed a kurr (a measure) of food and then purchased a kurr from another man. He said to the seller, "Go and take your right (measure) from the food I owe." Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in that."

"If, on the day he purchased it, they agreed on a fixed price, then that price applies. But if no price was fixed, then it is sold at the price of the day it is taken." Imam (as) also said about a man who had two types of the same food, priced equally, but one was better than the other, and he mixed them together and sold them at one price: "It is not permissible for him to do that, as it deceives the Muslims, unless he makes it clear (to the buyer)."

I asked Abu Abdillah (as) about a man who purchases food, and its price changes before he takes possession of it. Imam (as) said: "I prefer that he honors the agreement (at the original price), just as he would have taken the benefit if there had been an increase in value."

"It is not permissible for a man to sell using a measure other than the standard measure of the city."

"Do not take it from him until he sells it and gives you the payment." Muhammad said: "May Allah (swt) humble me! He initially gave me a concession, but when I questioned further, he imposed a stricter rule upon me."

I asked Abu Abdillah (as) about a man who buys food and finds it more suitable and marketable if he moistens it, without intending to increase its weight. Imam (as) said: "If it cannot be preserved or sold without doing that, and there is no intention of increasing its weight, then there is no harm. But if the purpose is to deceive the Muslims, then it is not permissible."

I asked Abu Abdillah (as) about a group of people who board a ship to purchase food. They negotiate the price, and one of them buys it. Then the others request portions of the food from him, and he provides it to them while the seller handles the weighing and receives the payment. Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in this. I do not see it as anything other than them sharing in the purchase." I said: "The seller calls a measurer to weigh it for us, and we have laborers who check the measurement, but sometimes it is slightly more or less." Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in it, as long as the error is not significant."

I asked Abu Abdillah (as): "I buy food on deferred payment until a specified time, and then merchants request to buy it from me before I take possession of it." Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in selling it on deferred payment, as you purchased it, but you are not allowed to hand it over or take possession of it before you actually receive it." I asked: "Once I take possession of it, may I be your ransom, can I then hand it over using its measured amount?" Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in that if they are satisfied with it." Imam (as) also said: "Any food you purchase from a field (baydar) or a district (tassuj), and then Allah (swt) causes it to perish, the buyer is only entitled to his principal amount. But if he purchases food with a general description and does not specify a village or location, then the seller is obligated to deliver it." I further asked Abu Abdillah (as): "I buy food from a man and then sell it to another man before measuring it, saying to him, 'Send your agent to witness its measurement when I take possession of it.'" Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in that."

"This is not permissible unless it is measured." Imam (as) further said: "Any food for which a specific measurement has been stipulated cannot be sold without measuring it. Such sales, based on estimation, are disapproved in the case of food."

Hadith.3782 - Abd Al-Rahman ibn Abi Abdillah asked Abu Abdillah (as) about a man who buys food and then sells it back to the same seller based on the original measurement, trusting him regarding the quantity. Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in this, but do not sell it until you measure it."

I asked Abu Abdillah (as) about the excess that may result from measuring or weighing. Imam (as) said: "If there is no deliberate excess (beyond fairness), then there is no harm."

Hadith.3784 - Jamil asked Abu Abdillah (as) about a man who buys straw from a threshing floor, each load (kurr) for a specified price, and takes possession of the straw but sells it before measuring the grain. Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in that."

I asked Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) about a man who purchased food specifically from a village. Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in that. If the food is delivered, it belongs to him. But if it is not delivered, then it remains a debt upon the seller."

I asked Abu Abdillah (as): "We buy food from ships, and then we measure it, sometimes finding an excess." Imam (as) said: "And perhaps it might sometimes be less for you?" I said: "Yes." Imam (as) said: "If it is less, do they compensate you?" I said: "No." Imam (as) said: "Then there is no harm."

I asked him about a man who buys fruits and then sells them before taking possession of them. Imam (as) said: "There is no harm if he finds profit in them; let him sell." Imam (as) was asked about purchasing palm trees, grapevines, and fruits for three or four years. Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in it, as you may say, 'If it does not yield in this year, it will yield in the next.' But if you buy it for one year, do not purchase it until the fruit has matured." Imam (as) was also asked about a man who buys specific fruits from a piece of land, and then all the fruits of that land are destroyed. Imam (as) said: "They disputed this matter before the Messenger of Allah (swt) (peace be upon him and his family), and they would continue to argue about it. So when he saw that they would not stop disputing, he forbade that sale until the fruit matures. However, he did not prohibit it entirely; rather, he forbade it due to their disputes."

"There is no harm in it." It was mentioned that one of his servants was sitting with him, and the servant said: "He indeed sells and excludes certain measures (Awsaq)" - referring to Abu Abdillah (as). Imam (as) then looked at him and did not disapprove of what he had said.

I asked him about selling fruits-whether it is permissible to buy them before their buds appear. Imam (as) said: "No, except if he buys something along with it, like fresh greens or vegetables, and says: 'I am buying these greens, this palm tree, and this tree for such and such price.' If the fruit does not emerge, the buyer's capital will be in the greens and vegetables." Imam (as) was also asked about buying tree leaves, whether it is permissible to buy them for three or four harvests. Imam (as) said: "If you see the leaves on the tree, then buy as many harvests as you wish."

I asked Abu Abdillah (as) about a man who bought an orchard that contained palm trees and other trees, some of which had already borne fruit and others had not yet borne fruit. Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in it if there are trees that have already borne fruit."

I asked Abu Al-Hasan (as): Is it permissible to sell palm trees when they have borne fruit? Imam (as) said: "It is not permissible to sell them until they ripen." I said: What is meant by ripening, may I be your ransom? Imam (as) said: "When they turn red or yellow."

I asked Abu Abdullah (as): I give a man twenty dinars and say to him, "If your fruit reaches a certain value, it is mine for that price. If I agree, I will take it, and if I dislike it, I will leave it." Imam (as) said: "Can you not give it to him without making any condition?" I said: May I be your ransom! What if he does not specify anything, but Allah (swt) knows his intention? Imam (as) said: "It is not permissible if that is his intention."

I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a man who says to another man, "I will buy merchandise for you, and the profit will be shared between me and you." Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in it."

I said to Abu Abdullah (as): We purchase merchandise on credit, and a man comes and asks, "For how much was it valued for you?" I reply, "It was valued at such and such," and then I sell it to him at a profit. Imam (as) said: "If you sell it on a profit basis (Murabaha), then he is entitled to the same credit period as you." I became distressed and said: "We are ruined!" Imam (as) asked: "Why?" I said: "Because the goods I sell on a Murabaha basis are purchased from me, and if I deduct from the principal amount to state its valuation, it would cause difficulty." When Imam (as) saw what troubled me, Imam (as) said: "Shall I not open for you a door that will bring you ease?" I said: "Indeed, please do!" Imam (as) said: "Say, 'It cost me such and such, and I sell it to you for such and such,' and do not mention the word 'profit' (Ribh)."

I asked Abu Al-Hasan (as) about a man who said to another man: "I will buy merchandise from you, provided that you give me such and such profit on each piece of cloth I purchase from you." The man, however, buys the merchandise for others and says, "Grant me a profit because I am buying from you." Imam (as) disliked this arrangement.

Hadith.3796 - Bashshar ibn Yasar narrated: I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a man who sells merchandise for deferred payment (on credit). Can he buy it back from the one to whom he sold it? Imam (as) replied: "Yes, there is no problem with it." I then asked him: "Can I buy back my own merchandise?" Imam (as) replied: "It is not your merchandise, nor your cattle, nor your sheep."

"If he desires the profit, then he must make the garment binding upon himself (as a confirmed purchase) and should not intend in his heart to return the garment to its owner if it is returned to him."

I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a group of people who buy Herawi, Karawi, Marwazi, or Quhi bundles of clothes. A man among them purchases ten garments, stipulating a condition that each garment is worth five dirhams, or less, or more. Imam (as) said: "I do not like this type of sale. What if he does not find any choice among them except five garments, and the rest are all the same?" Then Isma'il, his son, said to him: "They have stipulated that he must take ten garments from them." Abu Abdullah (as) repeatedly responded: "He has only stipulated with them to take the best among them. What if he only finds five that are suitable, and the rest are all the same?" Then Imam (as) said: "I do not like this type of sale."

"There is no harm in that, but he should not sell it to them as a murabaha (profit-sharing agreement)."

"We will take it at dah dawazdah (a price of twelve)." Imam (as) asked: "And how much does that amount to?" They replied: "For every ten thousand, two thousand more." Imam (as) said: "Then I will sell you these goods for twelve thousand."

"No, not until he clarifies to the buyer that he merely appraised it."

I said to them, "I will give you its price that I sold it to you for." They replied: "No, rather we will take its value from you." I mentioned this matter to Abu Abdullah (as), and Imam (as) said: "They are obligated to that."

"If the garment is still intact as it was, he can return it to its owner and take back the price. But if he has sewn the garment, dyed it, or cut it, then he shall return the value of the defect."

I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a man who buys goods that do not require measurement by volume or weight. Is it permissible for him to sell them at a profit before taking possession of them and to collect his profit? The Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in that as long as the goods do not require measurement by volume or weight. However, if he takes possession of them, it is better and safer for him."

I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a group of people who bought cloth and jointly owned it without dividing it among themselves. Is it permissible for any one of them to sell his share of the cloth before taking possession of it? The Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in that." Then Imam (as) added: "This is not like food because food is measured by volume."

I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a man who bought a garment and then returned it to its seller, but the seller refused to cancel the sale except with a reduction in price. The Imam (as) said: "It is not permissible for him to take it back at a reduced price. If he was unaware and took it back, then sold it for more than its original price, he must return the extra amount to the first seller."

I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about selling yarn in exchange for woven clothes, where the yarn weighs more than the clothes. The Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in it."

"There is no harm in paying a broker's fee. He only buys for people day after day for a specified amount. He is just like a hired worker."

Hadith.3809 - He said: I asked Imam (as) about a broker who buys for a fee. Money is handed over to him, and it is stipulated that whatever he buys, the buyer has the option to take what he likes and leave what he dislikes. The broker then goes and makes the purchase, and upon returning with the goods, he says, "Take what you are satisfied with and leave what you dislike." Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in that."

I heard Abu Abdullah (as) say: A group of captives from Yemen were brought to the Messenger of Allah (swt) (peace be upon him and his family). When they reached Al-Juhfa, their provisions ran out, so they sold a young girl whose mother was with them. When they arrived before the Messenger of Allah (swt) (peace be upon him and his family), He (sw) heard the girl crying and asked: "What is this?" They replied: "O Messenger of Allah (swt), we needed provisions, so we sold her daughter." The Messenger of Allah (swt) (peace be upon him and his family) then sent someone to bring her back and said: "Sell them both together or keep them both together."

Hadith.3811 - Sama'ah asked Abu Abdullah (as) about two slave brothers, whether they can be separated, and about a woman and her child, whether they can be separated. Imam (as) replied: "No, it is forbidden, except if they themselves desire it."

"There is no harm in this."

Hadith.3813 - Imam (as) said regarding a man who bought an animal but did not have its price, so he went to one of his companions and said: "O so-and-so, pay on my behalf, and the profit will be shared between me and you." The companion paid on his behalf, but the animal died. Imam (as) said: "The price is upon both of them because if there had been a profit, it would have been shared between them."

Hadith.3814 - Imam (as) said regarding a man who sells a slave and stipulates upon the buyer to give him something: "It is permissible."

"Whoever sells a slave, and the slave has wealth, the wealth belongs to the seller unless the buyer stipulates otherwise. The Messenger of Allah (swt) (peace be upon him and his family) commanded this."

"I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a man who buys a slave, who does the wealth of the slave belong to?" Imam (as) replied: "If the seller knew that the slave had wealth, then it belongs to the buyer. However, if the seller was unaware, then it belongs to the seller."

Hadith.3817 - Zurara narrated: "I said to Abu Abdullah (as): A man buys a slave along with his wealth. Imam (as) replied: 'There is no harm in it.' I asked: 'What if the wealth of the slave is greater than the price he was purchased for?' Imam (as) replied: 'There is no harm in it.'

"I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about purchasing a slave from the People of the Book (Ahl al-Dhimma)." Imam (as) replied: "If they acknowledge ownership of the slave, then buy and marry."

"I asked Imam (as) about a man who buys a bondwoman, then has relations with her, and later discovers that she is pregnant." Imam (as) replied: "He must return her and also return something along with her."

Hadith.3820 - In the narration of Abdul-Malik ibn Amr from Abu Abdillah (as): "He must return her and also return half a tenth of her price if she is pregnant."

Hadith.3821 - In the narration of Muhammad ibn Muslim from Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as): "He must return her and provide her with clothing."

Hadith.3822 - Muhammad ibn Maythar narrates from Abu Abdullah (as): "Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) would not return a bondwoman due to a defect if she had been intimate, but he would claim compensation for the value of the defect. Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) used to say, 'I seek refuge in Allah (swt) from making her a source of payment.'"

Hadith.3823 - Ishaq ibn Ammar narrates: I said to Abu Ibrahim (Imam Musa ibn Jafar Al-Kadhim (as)): 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 (as) 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 (as) said: "Yes, he is liable for the loss just as he shares in the profit."

Hadith.3824 - Hamzah ibn Humran narrates: I said to Abu Abdullah (as): I enter the market intending to buy a bondwoman, but she claims that she is free. The Imam (as) replied: "Buy her unless she has evidence (to prove her claim of freedom)."

Hadith.3825 - Al-Is ibn al-Qasim asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a slave who claimed that he was free but did not provide any evidence for his claim. The Imam (as) replied: "Yes, you may buy him."

"Commander of the Faithful (as) 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 (as) 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."

"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."

"There is no problem with that."

"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."

I asked Imam (as) 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 (as) said: 'No, unless it is something like these small coins (al-wadaḥiyyah), which are commonly accepted, just as we accept them by count.'"

Hadith.3831 - Samaah asked him about purchasing milk while it is still in the udders. Imam (as) 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."

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 (as) said: "If you know that at least one of these sources will yield income, then you may purchase and accept responsibility for it."

"It is not permissible for him unless he purchases something else along with him and says, 'I purchase from you this item and your slave for such and such amount.' If he is unable to obtain the slave, then the payment he made will apply to what he has purchased from him."

I asked Abu Abdillah (as) about a man who owes me loads of goods measured by a specific scale, but he sends me loads that are less than the specified measurement I am owed. Can I take them without measuring precisely (mujazafah)? Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in it." He said: I also asked Imam (as) about a man who owes another person a hundred kur of dates and owns date palms. He comes to him and says, "Give me these date palms in place of what you owe me." It was as if Imam (as) disliked it. He said: I asked Imam (as) about two men who jointly own date palms, and one of them says to the other, "Choose, either you take this date palm for such and such a specified measure and give me half of this measure, whether it increases or decreases, or I will take it under the same terms." Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in it."

I asked Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) about a man who purchased straw from a threshing floor before it was threshed, each load of straw for a specified amount, and he took the straw and sold it before the grain was measured. Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in it."

I said to Abu Abdillah (as), "I purchase one hundred containers of oil, and I inspect one or two containers and weigh them, then take the rest based on that measurement." Imam (as) said: "There is no harm."

I asked Imam (as) about a man who has a debt and holds collateral along with it, can he purchase it? Imam (as) said: "Yes."

"Any food for which a specific measure has been stipulated cannot be sold without measurement."

I had two sacks of musk-one was moist, and the other was dry. I started with the moist one and sold it. Then I took the dry one to sell, but I found that I was not offered the price it was worth, and they would not pay me more than the price of the moist musk. So I asked Imam (as) about that, whether it was permissible for me to mix them. Imam (as) said: "No, unless you inform them." He said: "So I mixed them and then informed them." Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in it if you inform them."

I asked Abu Abdillah (as) about a child born out of wedlock, can he be sold, purchased, and employed as a servant? Imam (as) said: "Yes." I said: "Can he be married?" Imam (as) said: "Yes, but do not seek her offspring."

Hadith.3841 - Sama'ah asked him about purchasing stolen or embezzled goods. Imam (as) said: "If you know that it is so, then no, unless it is something you are buying from the authorities."

I asked Abu Abdillah (as) about a partnership in which a man is given wealth and instructed to take it to a specific land, but he disobeys and takes it to another land, and the wealth is lost. Imam (as) said: "He is liable. However, if it is safe and profits are made, then the profit is to be shared between them."

"Whoever guarantees a trader is entitled only to the principal amount and has no share in the profit."

I said to Abu Abdillah (as), "A man gave another man one thousand dirhams in a partnership, and he unknowingly purchased his father with it." Imam (as) said: "He should be valued, and if his value exceeds by even one dirham, he shall be freed and shall work to repay the man's wealth."

"It is not permissible until he first takes possession of it from him."

Hadith.3846 - Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said: "Whatever the partner spends during his travel is taken from the joint capital. However, when he returns to his town, whatever he spends is from his own share."

Hadith.3847 - Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) used to say: "Whoever dies while holding partnership capital, if he specifies it before his death and says, 'This belongs to so-and-so,' then it is his. However, if he dies without mentioning it, it will be treated like the property of other creditors."

"There is no harm in it if they agree to this condition, but if the condition contradicts the Book of Allah (swt), it must be referred back to the Book of Allah (swt), the Mighty and Glorious."

I heard Abu Abdillah (as) say, "It is not proper for any of you to enter into a partnership with a Dhimmi, nor to entrust him with goods, nor to deposit a trust with him, nor to establish a close friendship with him."

I asked Abu Abdillah (as) about a man who owns sheep that produce a large quantity of milk every day. What do you say about purchasing five hundred ritls of milk for a specified amount of dirhams, taking a certain amount from it each day until he fulfills what he purchased? Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in this and similar transactions."

I said to Abu Abdillah (as), "I bargained with a man over a bondwoman, and he sold her to me based on my judgment. I took possession of her on that basis, then I sent him one thousand dirhams and said to him, 'Here are one thousand dirhams based on my judgment over you.' But he refused to accept them from me, and I had already touched her before sending him the payment." Imam (as) said: "I see that the bondwoman should be appraised at a fair value. If her value is more than what you sent him, then you must pay him the difference. However, if her value is less than what you sent him, then the surplus belongs to him." I said: "May I be your ransom, what if I find a defect in her after having touched her?" Imam (as) said: "You do not have the right to return her, but you are entitled to claim the difference between her value when healthy and her value with the defect from him."

I purchased a bondwoman for Abu Abdillah (as). When I was about to pay them, I said: "I will try to get a discount from them." Imam (as) said: "No, indeed the Messenger of Allah (swt) (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) forbade seeking a discount after the deal has been concluded."

I said to Abu Abdillah (as), "What do you say about a man who buys the wool of one hundred sheep and what is in their wombs in terms of pregnancy for such-and-such amount of dirhams?" Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in that. If there is no pregnancy in their wombs, then his capital is in the wool."

I asked Abu Abdillah (as) about a man who purchases shares from butchers before the shares are distributed. Imam (as) said: "If he purchases a share, then he has the option to accept or reject it when it is distributed."

I said to Abu Abdillah (as), "What do you say about a man who gifts his slave one thousand dirhams, or more or less, and says to him, 'Release me from my beating you, or from everything I have done to you, or from the fear and intimidation I caused you?' So the slave releases him and declares him free from blame, desiring what he has been given. Then, later, the master finds the dirhams that he gave the slave in a place where the slave had kept them and takes them. Is it lawful for him?" Imam (as) said: "No." I said: "Is not the slave and his wealth the property of his master?" Imam (as) said: "This is not one of those cases." Then Imam (as) said: "Tell him to return the money to the slave, for it is not lawful for him. He gave it to the slave as a ransom for himself to avoid punishment and retribution on the Day of Judgment." I said: "Does the slave have to pay zakat on it if a year passes over it?" Imam (as) said: "No, unless he invests it in trade. And a slave is not given anything from zakat."

I said to Abu Abdillah (as), "A man purchases goods from another man and then asks for them as a gift after the purchase, without compelling him." Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in it."

I brought a bondwoman to Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) to offer her for sale. Imam (as) began to bargain with me, and I bargained with Him (as), and then I sold her to Him (as). He (as) finalized the deal by taking possession through my hand. I said: "May I be your ransom, I was only bargaining with you (as) to see whether bargaining is permissible or not. I then said: 'I have reduced the price for you by ten dinars.'" Imam (as) said: "Far from it! Should this not have been done before finalizing the deal? Have you not heard the saying of the Messenger of Allah (swt) (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): 'Reducing the price after finalization is forbidden?'"

"Nine-tenths of sustenance is in trade."

Samurah ibn Jundab had a date-palm tree in the garden of a man from the Ansar, and the house of the Ansari had the pathway leading to the garden. Samurah would come and enter without seeking permission. The Ansari said to him: "You come and enter while we are in a state that we dislike you seeing us in. When you come, seek permission so that we may prepare ourselves, and then we will permit you to enter." Samurah replied: "I will not do so. It is my property, and I will enter it without seeking permission." The Ansari then went to the Messenger of Allah (swt) (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and complained to him and informed him of the situation. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) sent for Samurah, and he came. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said to him: "Seek permission before entering." Samurah refused and said the same as he had said to the Ansari. The Messenger of Allah (swt) (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) offered to buy the tree from him for a price, but he refused. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) kept increasing the offer, but Samurah refused to sell. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) saw this, He (sw) said to him: "You will have a date-palm tree in Paradise." Yet Samurah refused to accept this as well. Then the Messenger of Allah (swt) (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) ordered the Ansari to uproot the tree and throw it to him and said: "There should be no harm and no causing of harm."

I asked Imam (as) about a man who gives grain to a miller and agrees with him to receive ten measures of flour for every ten measures of grain. Imam (as) said: "No." I then asked: "What about a man who gives sesame seeds to an oil presser and guarantees to receive a specified amount of oil for each measure?" Imam (as) said: "No."