Al-Kāfi - The Book of Commerce

Al-Kāfi - The Book of Commerce Chapter: Buying and Selling Fruits ِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْ٠َّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ عُثْ٠َانَ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ سَ٠َاعَةَ قَالَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ بَيْعِ الثَّ٠َرَةِ هَلْ يَصْلُحُ شِرَاؤُهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ طَلْعُهَا فَقَالَ لا إِلا أَنْ يَشْتَرِيَ ٠َعَهَا شَيْئاً غَيْرَهَا رَطْبَةً أَوْ بَقْلا فَيَقُولَ أَشْتَرِي ٠ِنْكَ هَذِهِ الرُّطْبَةَ وَهَذَا النَّخْلَ وَهَذَا الشَّجَرَ بِكَذَا وَكَذَا فَإِنْ لَ٠ْ تَخْرُجِ الثَّ٠َرَةُ كَانَ رَأْسُ ٠ُشْتَرِي فِي الرُّطْبَةِ وَالْبَقْلِ وَسَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ وَرَقِ الشَّجَرِ هَلْ يَصْلُحُ شِرَاؤُهُ ثَلاثَ خَرَطَاتٍ أَوْ أَرْبَعَ خَرَطَاتٍ فَقَالَ إِذَا رَأَيْتَ الْوَرَقَ فِي شَجَرَةٍ فَاشْتَرِ فِيهِ ٠7.

A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from ‘Uthman ibn ’Isa from Sama’ah who has said the following: “I once asked him (the Imam) about selling fruits.

‘Is it permissible to buy fruits before they are formed?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘No, it is not permissible unless something else alongside is also purchased, like animal feed or vegetables when the buyer says, ‘I buy this much animal feed and dates from you and this tree in exchange for so and so prices.’ In case, if no fruits appeared the buyers’ capital remains with animal feed or vegetables.’ I then asked him (the Imam) about buying tree leaves.

Is it permissible to buy them in three or four kharatat (crops)?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘If you can see leaves on the tree you can buy it for whatever number of cropping you may like.’” وثق - Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi (Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (19/174))