Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 2187
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ أَبِي بِشْرٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ يُوسُفَ بْنَ مَاهَكَ، يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ حَكِيمِ بْنِ حِزَامٍ، قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ الرَّجُلُ يَسْأَلُنِي الْبَيْعَ وَلَيْسَ عِنْدِي أَفَأَبِيعُهُ قَالَ " لاَ تَبِعْ مَا لَيْسَ عِنْدَكَ " .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us; Muhammad ibn Jafar narrated to us; Shuʿbah narrated to us, from Abu Bishr, who said: I heard Yusuf ibn Mahak relate from Hakim ibn Hizam, who said: I asked, “Messenger of Allah, a man asks me to sell him something that I do not have. Should I sell it to him?” He said: “Do not sell what you do not have.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ الرَّجُلُ يَسْأَلُنِي الْبَيْعَ وَلَيْسَ عِنْدِي أَفَأَبِيعُهُ قَالَ " لاَ تَبِعْ مَا لَيْسَ عِنْدَكَ " .
The question describes a requested sale of something not in Hakim’s possession; the wording does not state whether he owns it elsewhere.
Does “something that I do not have” avoid over-interpreting ownership?