Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 2284
حَدَّثَنَا هَنَّادُ بْنُ السَّرِيِّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الأَحْوَصِ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنِ النَّجْرَانِيِّ، قَالَ قُلْتُ لِعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ أُسْلِمُ فِي نَخْلٍ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُطْلِعَ قَالَ لاَ . قُلْتُ لِمَ قَالَ إِنَّ رَجُلاً أَسْلَمَ فِي حَدِيقَةِ نَخْلٍ فِي عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُطْلِعَ النَّخْلُ فَلَمْ يُطْلِعِ النَّخْلُ شَيْئًا ذَلِكَ الْعَامَ فَقَالَ الْمُشْتَرِي هُوَ لِي حَتَّى يُطْلِعَ . وَقَالَ الْبَائِعُ إِنَّمَا بِعْتُكَ النَّخْلَ هَذِهِ السَّنَةَ . فَاخْتَصَمَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَقَالَ لِلْبَائِعِ " أَخَذَ مِنْ نَخْلِكَ شَيْئًا " . قَالَ لاَ . قَالَ " فَبِمَ تَسْتَحِلُّ مَالَهُ ارْدُدْ عَلَيْهِ مَا أَخَذْتَ مِنْهُ وَلاَ تُسْلِمُوا فِي نَخْلٍ حَتَّى يَبْدُوَ صَلاَحُهُ " .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
A man from Najran said: I asked ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar, ‘May I pay in advance for dates still on the palms before they begin to bear?’ He said, ‘No.’ I asked why, and he said: ‘In the time of the Messenger of Allah, a man paid in advance for the crop of a palm garden before the trees bore fruit. That year they produced nothing. The buyer said, “It belongs to me until the trees bear fruit.” The seller said, “I sold you only the palms’ crop for this year.” They brought their dispute to the Messenger of Allah. He asked the seller, “Did he receive anything from your palms?” He said, “No.” The Prophet said, “How can you deem his wealth lawful for yourself? Return to him what you took from him, and do not pay in advance for palm crops until their soundness becomes apparent.”’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The dispute concerns a forward payment tied to a particular palm garden’s crop, which failed that year. ‘Until their soundness becomes apparent’ translates the wording about the palms’ صلاح, the point at which the crop’s condition is evident.
قَالَ قُلْتُ لِعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ أُسْلِمُ فِي نَخْلٍ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُطْلِعَ قَالَ لاَ .
The opening uses the technical forward-sale verb with ‘palms’ as the subject matter; the later story clarifies that it concerns a specified garden’s crop.
Does ‘pay in advance for dates still on the palms’ capture the transaction being asked about?
قَالَ " فَبِمَ تَسْتَحِلُّ مَالَهُ ارْدُدْ عَلَيْهِ مَا أَخَذْتَ مِنْهُ وَلاَ تُسْلِمُوا فِي نَخْلٍ حَتَّى يَبْدُوَ صَلاَحُهُ " .
The phrase ‘until their soundness becomes apparent’ uses the technical term ṣalāḥ and does not further define which visible sign is meant.
What observable sign of ripeness or soundness is intended here?