Yahya related to me from Malik that Yazid ibn Abdullah ibn Qusayt saw Said ibn al-Musayyab sell gold counterpoising for gold. He poured his gold into one pan of the scales, and the man with whom he was counterpoising put his gold in the other pan of the scale and when the tongue of the scales was balanced, they took and gave. Malik said, "According to the way things are done among us there is no harm in selling gold for gold, and silver for silver by counterpoising weight, even if 11 dinars are taken for 10 dinars hand to hand, when the weight of gold is equal, coin for coin, even if the number is different. Dirhams in such a situation are treated the same way as dinars." Malik said, "If, when counterpoising gold for gold or silver for silver, there is a difference of weight, one party should not give the other the value of the difference in silver or something else. Such a transaction is ugly and a means to usury because if one of the parties were permitted to take the difference for a separate price, it could be as if he had bought it separately, so he would be permitted. Then it would be possible for him to ask for many times the value of the difference in order to permit the completion of the transaction between the two parties. Malik said, "If he had really been sold the difference without anything else with it, he would not have taken it for a tenth of the price for which he took it in order to put a 'legal front' on the transaction. This leads to allowing what is forbidden . The matter is forbidden." Malik said that it was not good when counterpoising to give good old gold coins and put along with them unminted gold in exchange for worn kufic gold, which was unpopular and to then treat the exchange as like for like. Malik said, "The commentary on why that is disapproved is that the owner of the good gold uses the excellence of his old gold coins as an excuse to throw in the unminted gold with it. Had it not been for the superiority of his (good) gold over the gold of the other party, the other party would not have counterpoised the unminted gold for his kufic gold, and the deal would have been refused. "It is like a man wanting to buy three sa of ajwa dried dates for two sa and a mudd of kabis dates, and on being told that it was not good, then offering two sa of kabis and a sa of poor dates desiring to make the sale possible. That is not good because the owner of the ajwa should not give him a sa of ajwa for a sa of poor dates. He would only give him that because of the excellence of kabis dates. "Or it is like a man asking some one to sell him three sa of white wheat for two and a half sa of Syrian wheat, and being told that it was not good except like for like, and so offering two sa of wheat and one sa of barley intending to make the sale possible between them. That is not good because no one would have given a sa of barley for a sa of white wheat had that sa been by itself. It was only given because of the excellence of Syrian wheat over the white wheat. This is not good. It is the same as the case of the unminted gold." Malik said, "Where gold, silver and food, things which should only be sold like for like, are concerned, something disliked and of poor quality should not be put with something good and desirable in order to make the sale possible and to make a bad situation halal. When something of desirable quality is put with something of poor quality and it is only included so that its excellence in quality is noticed, something is being sold which if it had been sold on its own, would not have been accepted and to which the buyer would not have paid any attention. It is only accepted by the buyer because of the superiority of what comes with it over his own goods. Transactions involving gold, silver, or food, must not have anything of this description enter into them. If the owner of the poor quality goods wants to sell them, he sells them on their own, and does not put anything with them. There is no harm if it is like that."  

أَنَّهُ رَأَى سَعِيدَ بْنَ الْمُسَيَّبِ يُرَاطِلُ الذَّهَبَ بِالذَّهَبِ فَيُفْرِغُ ذَهَبَهُ فِي كِفَّةِ الْمِيزَانِ وَيُفْرِغُ صَاحِبُهُ الَّذِي يُرَاطِلُهُ ذَهَبَهُ فِي كِفَّةِ الْمِيزَانِ الأُخْرَى فَإِذَا اعْتَدَلَ لِسَانُ الْمِيزَانِ أَخَذَ وَأَعْطَى قَالَ مَالِكٌ الأَمْرُ عِنْدَنَا فِي بَيْعِ الذَّهَبِ بِالذَّهَبِ وَالْوَرِقِ بِالْوَرِقِ مُرَاطَلَةً أَنَّهُ لاَ بَأْسَ بِذَلِكَ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ دِينَارًا بِعَشَرَةِ دَنَانِيرَ يَدًا بِيَدٍ إِذَا كَانَ وَزْنُ الذَّهَبَيْنِ سَوَاءً عَيْنًا بِعَيْنٍ وَإِنْ تَفَاضَلَ الْعَدَدُ وَالدَّرَاهِمُ أَيْضًا فِي ذَلِكَ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الدَّنَانِيرِ قَالَ مَالِكٌ مَنْ رَاطَلَ ذَهَبًا بِذَهَبٍ أَوْ وَرِقًا بِوَرِقٍ فَكَانَ بَيْنَ الذَّهَبَيْنِ فَضْلُ مِثْقَالٍ فَأَعْطَى صَاحِبَهُ قِيمَتَهُ مِنَ الْوَرِقِ أَوْ مِنْ غَيْرِهَا فَلاَ يَأْخُذُهُ فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ قَبِيحٌ وَذَرِيعَةٌ إِلَى الرِّبَا لأَنَّهُ إِذَا جَازَ لَهُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ الْمِثْقَالَ بِقِيمَتِهِ حَتَّى كَأَنَّهُ اشْتَرَاهُ عَلَى حِدَتِهِ جَازَ لَهُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ الْمِثْقَالَ بِقِيمَتِهِ مِرَارًا لأَنْ يُجِيزَ ذَلِكَ الْبَيْعَ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ صَاحِبِهِ قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُ بَاعَهُ ذَلِكَ الْمِثْقَالَ مُفْرَدًا لَيْسَ مَعَهُ غَيْرُهُ لَمْ يَأْخُذْهُ بِعُشْرِ الثَّمَنِ الَّذِي أَخَذَهُ بِهِ لأَنْ يُجَوِّزَ لَهُ الْبَيْعَ فَذَلِكَ الذَّرِيعَةُ إِلَى إِحْلاَلِ الْحَرَامِ وَالأَمْرُ الْمَنْهِيُّ عَنْهُ قَالَ مَالِكٌ فِي الرَّجُلِ يُرَاطِلُ الرَّجُلَ وَيُعْطِيهِ الذَّهَبَ الْعُتُقَ الْجِيَادَ وَيَجْعَلُ مَعَهَا تِبْرًا ذَهَبًا غَيْرَ جَيِّدَةٍ وَيَأْخُذُ مِنْ صَاحِبِهِ ذَهَبًا كُوفِيَّةً مُقَطَّعَةً وَتِلْكَ الْكُوفِيَّةُ مَكْرُوهَةٌ عِنْدَ النَّاسِ فَيَتَبَايَعَانِ ذَلِكَ مِثْلاً بِمِثْلٍ إِنَّ ذَلِكَ لاَ يَصْلُحُ قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَتَفْسِيرُ مَا كُرِهَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ صَاحِبَ الذَّهَبِ الْجِيَادِ أَخَذَ فَضْلَ عُيُونِ ذَهَبِهِ فِي التِّبْرِ الَّذِي طَرَحَ مَعَ ذَهَبِهِ وَلَوْلاَ فَضْلُ ذَهَبِهِ عَلَى ذَهَبِ صَاحِبِهِ لَمْ يُرَاطِلْهُ صَاحِبُهُ بِتِبْرِهِ ذَلِكَ إِلَى ذَهَبِهِ الْكُوفِيَّةِ فَامْتَنَعَ وَإِنَّمَا مَثَلُ ذَلِكَ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَبْتَاعَ ثَلاَثَةَ أَصْوُعٍ مِنْ تَمْرٍ عَجْوَةٍ بِصَاعَيْنِ وَمُدٍّ مِنْ تَمْرٍ كَبِيسٍ فَقِيلَ لَهُ هَذَا لاَ يَصْلُحُ فَجَعَلَ صَاعَيْنِ مِنْ كَبِيسٍ وَصَاعًا مِنْ حَشَفٍ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُجِيزَ بِذَلِكَ بَيْعَهُ فَذَلِكَ لاَ يَصْلُحُ لأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ صَاحِبُ الْعَجْوَةِ لِيُعْطِيَهُ صَاعًا مِنَ الْعَجْوَةِ بِصَاعٍ مِنْ حَشَفٍ وَلَكِنَّهُ إِنَّمَا أَعْطَاهُ ذَلِكَ لِفَضْلِ الْكَبِيسِ أَوْ أَنْ يَقُولَ الرَّجُلُ لِلرَّجُلِ بِعْنِي ثَلاَثَةَ أَصْوُعٍ مِنَ الْبَيْضَاءِ بِصَاعَيْنِ وَنِصْفٍ مِنْ حِنْطَةٍ شَامِيَّةٍ فَيَقُولُ هَذَا لاَ يَصْلُحُ إِلاَّ مِثْلاً بِمِثْلٍ فَيَجْعَلُ صَاعَيْنِ مِنْ حِنْطَةٍ شَامِيَّةٍ وَصَاعًا مِنْ شَعِيرٍ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُجِيزَ بِذَلِكَ الْبَيْعَ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فَهَذَا لاَ يَصْلُحُ لأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُعْطِيَهُ بِصَاعٍ مِنْ شَعِيرٍ صَاعًا مِنْ حِنْطَةٍ بَيْضَاءَ لَوْ كَانَ ذَلِكَ الصَّاعُ مُفْرَدًا وَإِنَّمَا أَعْطَاهُ إِيَّاهُ لِفَضْلِ الشَّامِيَّةِ عَلَى الْبَيْضَاءِ فَهَذَا لاَ يَصْلُحُ وَهُوَ مِثْلُ مَا وَصَفْنَا مِنَ التِّبْرِ قَالَ مَالِكٌ فَكُلُّ شَىْءٍ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ وَالْوَرِقِ وَالطَّعَامِ كُلِّهِ الَّذِي لاَ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُبَاعَ إِلاَّ مِثْلاً بِمِثْلٍ فَلاَ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُجْعَلَ مَعَ الصِّنْفِ الْجَيِّدِ مِنَ الْمَرْغُوبِ فِيهِ الشَّىْءُ الرَّدِيءُ الْمَسْخُوطُ لِيُجَازَ الْبَيْعُ وَلِيُسْتَحَلَّ بِذَلِكَ مَا نُهِيَ عَنْهُ مِنَ الأَمْرِ الَّذِي لاَ يَصْلُحُ إِذَا جُعِلَ ذَلِكَ مَعَ الصِّنْفِ الْمَرْغُوبِ فِيهِ وَإِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ صَاحِبُ ذَلِكَ أَنْ يُدْرِكَ بِذَلِكَ فَضْلَ جَوْدَةِ مَا يَبِيعُ فَيُعْطِيَ الشَّىْءَ الَّذِي لَوْ أَعْطَاهُ وَحْدَهُ لَمْ يَقْبَلْهُ صَاحِبُهُ وَلَمْ يَهْمُمْ بِذَلِكَ وَإِنَّمَا يَقْبَلُهُ مِنْ أَجْلِ الَّذِي يَأْخُذُ مَعَهُ لِفَضْلِ سِلْعَةِ صَاحِبِهِ عَلَى سِلْعَتِهِ فَلاَ يَنْبَغِي لِشَىْءٍ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ وَالْوَرِقِ وَالطَّعَامِ أَنْ يَدْخُلَهُ شَىْءٌ مِنْ هَذِهِ الصِّفَةِ فَإِنْ أَرَادَ صَاحِبُ الطَّعَامِ الرَّدِيءِ أَنْ يَبِيعَهُ بِغَيْرِهِ فَلْيَبِعْهُ عَلَى حِدَتِهِ وَلاَ يَجْعَلْ مَعَ ذَلِكَ شَيْئًا فَلاَ بَأْسَ بِهِ إِذَا كَانَ كَذَلِكَ  

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar said that there was no harm in a man making an advance to another man for food, with a set description and price until a set date, as long as it was not in crops, or dates which had not begun to ripen. Malik said, "The way of doing things among us concerning someone who makes an advance for foodstuffs at a known rate until a stated date, and the date arrives and he finds that there is not enough of what he was sold with the seller to fulfill his order, and so he revokes the sale, is that he must only take back the silver, gold, or price which he paid exactly. He does not buy anything else from the man for the same price until he has got back what he paid. That is because if he took something else besides the price which he paid him or exchanged it for goods other than the goods which he bought from him, it would be selling food before getting delivery of it." Malik said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade selling food before getting delivery of it." Malik said that it was not good if the buyer regretted his purchase and asked the seller to revoke the sale for him and he would not press him immediately for what he had paid. The people of knowledge forbade that. That was because when the food was made ready for the buyer by the seller, the buyer deferred his due from the seller in order that he might revoke the sale for him. That was the sale of food with delayed terms before taking delivery of the food. Malik said, "The explanation of that is that when the date of delivery comes and the buyer dislikes the food, the seller takes by it money to be paid later and so it is not revocation. Revocation is that in which neither the buyer nor the seller is increased. When increase occurs by deferment of payment for a time period, or by anything which increases one of them over the other or anything which gives one of them profit, it is not revocation. When either of them do that, revocation becomes a sale. There is an indulgence for revocation, partnership, and transfer, as long as i ncrease, decrease, or deferment does not come into them. If increase, decrease, or deferment comes into it, it becomes a sale. Whatever makes a sale halal makes it halal and whatever makes a sale haram makes it haram." Malik said, "If someone pays in advance for Syrian wheat, there is no harm if he takes a load after the term falls due." Malik said, "It is the same with whoever advances for any kind of thing. There is no harm in him taking better than whatever he has made an advance for or worse than it after the agreed delivery date. The explanation of that is that if, for instance, a man advances for a certain weight of wheat. There is no harm if he decides to take some barley or Syrian wheat. If he has made an advance for good dates, there is no harm if he decides to take poor quality dates. If he paid in advance for red raisins, there is no harm if he takes black ones, when it happens after the agreed delivery date, and when the measure of what he takes is like the measure of what he paid for in advance."  

بِأَنْ يُسَلِّفَ الرَّجُلُ الرَّجُلَ فِي الطَّعَامِ الْمَوْصُوفِ بِسِعْرٍ مَعْلُومٍ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي زَرْعٍ لَمْ يَبْدُ صَلاَحُهُ أَوْ تَمْرٍ لَمْ يَبْدُ صَلاَحُهُ قَالَ مَالِكٌ الأَمْرُ عِنْدَنَا فِيمَنْ سَلَّفَ فِي طَعَامٍ بِسِعْرٍ مَعْلُومٍ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى فَحَلَّ الأَجَلُ فَلَمْ يَجِدِ الْمُبْتَاعُ عِنْدَ الْبَائِعِ وَفَاءً مِمَّا ابْتَاعَ مِنْهُ فَأَقَالَهُ فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ مِنْهُ إِلاَّ وَرِقَهُ أَوْ ذَهَبَهُ أَوِ الثَّمَنَ الَّذِي دَفَعَ إِلَيْهِ بِعَيْنِهِ وَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَشْتَرِي مِنْهُ بِذَلِكَ الثَّمَنِ شَيْئًا حَتَّى يَقْبِضَهُ مِنْهُ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ إِذَا أَخَذَ غَيْرَ الثَّمَنِ الَّذِي دَفَعَ إِلَيْهِ أَوْ صَرَفَهُ فِي سِلْعَةٍ غَيْرِ الطَّعَامِ الَّذِي ابْتَاعَ مِنْهُ فَهُوَ بَيْعُ الطَّعَامِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُسْتَوْفَى قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَقَدْ نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ بَيْعِ الطَّعَامِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُسْتَوْفَى قَالَ مَالِكٌ فَإِنْ نَدِمَ الْمُشْتَرِي فَقَالَ لِلْبَائِعِ أَقِلْنِي وَأُنْظِرُكَ بِالثَّمَنِ الَّذِي دَفَعْتُ إِلَيْكَ فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ لاَ يَصْلُحُ وَأَهْلُ الْعِلْمِ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ لَمَّا حَلَّ الطَّعَامُ لِلْمُشْتَرِي عَلَى الْبَائِعِ أَخَّرَ عَنْهُ حَقَّهُ عَلَى أَنْ يُقِيلَهُ فَكَانَ ذَلِكَ بَيْعَ الطَّعَامِ إِلَى أَجَلٍ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُسْتَوْفَى قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَتَفْسِيرُ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ الْمُشْتَرِيَ حِينَ حَلَّ الأَجَلُ وَكَرِهَ الطَّعَامَ أَخَذَ بِهِ دِينَارًا إِلَى أَجَلٍ وَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ بِالإِقَالَةِ وَإِنَّمَا الإِقَالَةُ مَا لَمْ يَزْدَدْ فِيهِ الْبَائِعُ وَلاَ الْمُشْتَرِي فَإِذَا وَقَعَتْ فِيهِ الزِّيَادَةُ بِنَسِيئَةٍ إِلَى أَجَلٍ أَوْ بِشَىْءٍ يَزْدَادُهُ أَحَدُهُمَا عَلَى صَاحِبِهِ أَوْ بِشَىْءٍ يَنْتَفِعُ بِهِ أَحَدُهُمَا فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ لَيْسَ بِالإِقَالَةِ وَإِنَّمَا تَصِيرُ الإِقَالَةُ إِذَا فَعَلاَ ذَلِكَ بَيْعًا وَإِنَّمَا أُرْخِصَ فِي الإِقَالَةِ وَالشِّرْكِ وَالتَّوْلِيَةِ مَا لَمْ يَدْخُلْ شَيْئًا مِنْ ذَلِكَ زِيَادَةٌ أَوْ نُقْصَانٌ أَوْ نَظِرَةٌ فَإِنْ دَخَلَ ذَلِكَ زِيَادَةٌ أَوْ نُقْصَانٌ أَوْ نَظِرَةٌ صَارَ بَيْعًا يُحِلُّهُ مَا يُحِلُّ الْبَيْعَ وَيُحَرِّمُهُ مَا يُحَرِّمُ الْبَيْعَ قَالَ مَالِكٌ مَنْ سَلَّفَ فِي حِنْطَةٍ شَامِيَّةٍ فَلاَ بَأْسَ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ مَحْمُولَةً بَعْدَ مَحِلِّ الأَجَلِ قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَكَذَلِكَ مَنْ سَلَّفَ فِي صِنْفٍ مِنَ الأَصْنَافِ فَلاَ بَأْسَ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ خَيْرًا مِمَّا سَلَّفَ فِيهِ أَوْ أَدْنَى بَعْدَ مَحِلِّ الأَجَلِ وَتَفْسِيرُ ذَلِكَ أَنْ يُسَلِّفَ الرَّجُلُ فِي حِنْطَةٍ مَحْمُولَةٍ فَلاَ بَأْسَ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ شَعِيرًا أَوْ شَامِيَّةً وَإِنْ سَلَّفَ فِي تَمْرٍ عَجْوَةٍ فَلاَ بَأْسَ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ صَيْحَانِيًّا أَوْ جَمْعًا وَإِنْ سَلَّفَ فِي زَبِيبٍ أَحْمَرَ فَلاَ بَأْسَ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ أَسْوَدَ إِذَا كَانَ ذَلِكَ كُلُّهُ بَعْدَ مَحِلِّ الأَجَلِ إِذَا كَانَتْ مَكِيلَةُ ذَلِكَ سَوَاءً بِمِثْلِ كَيْلِ مَا سَلَّفَ فِيهِ