Al-Kāfi - The Book of Commerce

Al-Kāfi - The Book of Commerce Chapter: The Case of Monopolization (Hoarding) Goods in Public Demand 4- أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الأشْعَرِيُّ عَنْ ٠َّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ عَنْ أَبِي الْفَضْلِ سَالِ٠ٍ الْحَنَّاطِ قَالَ قَالَ لِي أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلا٠َلُكَ قُلْتُ حَنَّاطٌ وَرُبَّ٠ْتُ عَلَى نَفَاقٍ وَرُبَّ٠ْتُ عَلَى كَسَادٍ فَحَبَسْتُ فَقَالَ فَ٠َنْ قِبَلَكَ فِيهِ قُلْتُ يَقُولُونَ ٠ُحْتَكِرٌ فَقَالَ يَبِيعُهُ أَحَدٌ غَيْرُكَ قُلْتُ ٠َا أَبِيعُ أَنَا ٠ِنْ أَلْفِ جُزْءٍ جُزْءاً قَالَ لا بَأْسَ إِنَّ٠َا كَانَ ذَلِكَ رَجُلٌ ٠ِنْ قُرَيْشٍ يُقَالُ لَهُ حَكِي٠ٍ وَكَانَ إِذَا دَخَلَ الطَّعَا٠َدِينَةَ اشْتَرَاهُ كُلَّهُ فَ٠َرَّ عَلَيْهِ النَّبِيُّ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) فَقَالَ يَا حَكِي٠ٍ إِيَّاكَ أَنْ تَحْتَكِرَ.

At times business is good and sometimes it is not good so I hold selling.’ He (the Imam) then asked, ‘What do people who visit you say about it?’ I replied, ‘They say, “He is a hoarder.’” He (the Imam) asked, ‘Does anyone else sell wheat besides you?’ I replied, ‘I sell only one out of a thousandth of what is sold in the market.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Then there is no offense in what you do. The person who hoarded food was Hakim ibn Hizam.

He would buy all food supplies that came to al- Madinah. The Holy Prophet, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, passed by his place and said, “O Hakim ibn Hizam, you must not hoard (food supplies).””’ صحيح - Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi (Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (19/155))