Sunan Ibn Majah
The Chapters on Business Transactions
كتاب التجارات
Chapter 8
الأَجْرِ عَلَى تَعْلِيمِ الْقُرْآنِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
ʿAli ibn Muhammad and Muhammad ibn Ismaʿil narrated to us; they said: Wakiʿ narrated to us; Mughirah ibn Ziyad al-Mawsili narrated to us, from ʿUbadah ibn Nusayy, from al-Aswad ibn Thaʿlabah, from ʿUbadah ibn al-Samit, who said: ‘I taught some people from the People of the Suffah the Qur’an and writing, and one of them gave me a bow. I said, “It is not much of a possession, and I use it to shoot in the way of Allah.”’ I asked the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) about it, and he said, ‘If it would please you to be encircled with a ring of fire, then accept it.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
قَالَ عَلَّمْتُ نَاسًا مِنْ أَهْلِ الصُّفَّةِ الْقُرْآنَ وَالْكِتَابَةَ فَأَهْدَى إِلَىَّ رَجُلٌ مِنْهُمْ قَوْسًا فَقُلْتُ لَيْسَتْ بِمَالٍ وَأَرْمِي عَنْهَا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَسَأَلْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ عَنْهَا فَقَالَ " إِنْ سَرَّكَ أَنْ تُطَوَّقَ بِهَا طَوْقًا مِنْ نَارٍ فَاقْبَلْهَا " .
ليست بمال is literally ‘it is not wealth/property’; the speaker may mean the bow is of little material value, and he notes that he uses it in Allah’s path. The Prophet’s response warns of a ring/collar of fire.
Does ‘not much of a possession’ preserve the speaker’s characterization of the bow without dismissing the recipient’s gift?
قَالَ عَلَّمْتُ نَاسًا مِنْ أَهْلِ الصُّفَّةِ الْقُرْآنَ وَالْكِتَابَةَ فَأَهْدَى إِلَىَّ رَجُلٌ مِنْهُمْ قَوْسًا فَقُلْتُ لَيْسَتْ بِمَالٍ وَأَرْمِي عَنْهَا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَسَأَلْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ عَنْهَا فَقَالَ " إِنْ سَرَّكَ أَنْ تُطَوَّقَ بِهَا طَوْقًا مِنْ نَارٍ فَاقْبَلْهَا " .
تطوق بها طوقًا من نار literally depicts being encircled with a ring/collar of fire as a consequence of accepting the bow.
Does ‘be encircled with a ring of fire’ preserve the warning’s image without softening it?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Sahl ibn Abi Sahl narrated to us; Yahya ibn Saʿid narrated to us, from Thawr ibn Yazid; Khalid ibn Maʿdan narrated to us; ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Salm informed me, from ʿAtiyyah al-Kalaʿi, from Ubayy ibn Kaʿb, who said: ‘I taught a man the Qur’an, and he gave me a bow as a gift. I mentioned this to the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace), and he said, “If you take it, you will have taken a bow of fire.”’ So I returned it.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
قَالَ عَلَّمْتُ رَجُلاً الْقُرْآنَ فَأَهْدَى إِلَىَّ قَوْسًا فَذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَقَالَ " إِنْ أَخَذْتَهَا أَخَذْتَ قَوْسًا مِنْ نَارٍ " .
إِنْ أَخَذْتَهَا أَخَذْتَ قَوْسًا مِنْ نَارٍ literally says ‘if you take it, you have taken a bow of fire’; the report frames the gift as a severe warning.
Does ‘a bow of fire’ preserve the metaphor literally and retain the conditional warning?
Chapter 9
النَّهْىِ عَنْ ثَمَنِ الْكَلْبِ، وَمَهْرِ الْبَغِيِّ، وَحُلْوَانِ الْكَاهِنِ، وَعَسْبِ الْفَحْلِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hisham ibn Ammar and Muhammad ibn al-Sabbah narrated to us. They said: Sufyan ibn Uyaynah narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from Abu Bakr ibn Abd al-Rahman, from Abu Masud, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the price of a dog, the earnings of a prostitute, and the payment given to a soothsayer.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ نَهَى عَنْ ثَمَنِ الْكَلْبِ وَمَهْرِ الْبَغِيِّ وَحُلْوَانِ الْكَاهِنِ .
The Arabic names three prohibited payments; rendered حُلْوَانِ الْكَاهِنِ as payment given to a soothsayer and مَهْرِ الْبَغِيِّ as earnings of a prostitute.
Does this rendering preserve the legal sense of the three named payments?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ali ibn Muhammad and Muhammad ibn Tarif narrated to us. They said: Muhammad ibn Fudayl narrated to us; al-Aʿmash narrated to us, from Abu Hazim, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the price of a dog and the fee for a stallion’s stud service.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
قَالَ نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ عَنْ ثَمَنِ الْكَلْبِ وَعَسْبِ الْفَحْلِ.
ʿAsb al-faḥl refers to payment for a male animal’s stud service; the text does not specify an animal species.
Is “fee for a stallion’s stud service” sufficiently accurate and natural here?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hisham ibn Ammar narrated to us; al-Walid narrated to us; Ibn Lahiʿah informed us, from Abu al-Zubayr, from Jabir, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the price of a cat.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
قَالَ نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ عَنْ ثَمَنِ السِّنَّوْرِ .
Al-sinnawr generally refers to a cat; the report gives no further qualification.
Does “cat” accurately convey the animal meant by al-sinnawr here?
Chapter 10
كَسْبِ الْحَجَّامِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Abi Umar al-Adani narrated to us; Sufyan ibn Uyaynah narrated to us, from Ibn Tawus, from his father, from Ibn Abbas, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) underwent cupping and paid the cupper his fee. Ibn Majah said: Ibn Abi Umar alone transmitted this report.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ احْتَجَمَ وَأَعْطَاهُ أَجْرَهُ .
The text describes cupping and says the Prophet gave the practitioner his wage.
Does “paid the cupper his fee” preserve the action and payment clearly?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Amr ibn Ali Abu Hafs al-Sayrafi narrated to us; Abu Dawud narrated to us. (A second chain:) Muhammad ibn Abadah al-Wasiti narrated to us; Yazid ibn Harun narrated to us. Both said: Warqa narrated to us, from Abd al-Ala, from Abu Jamila, from Ali, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) underwent cupping and instructed me, so I paid the cupper his fee.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
قَالَ احْتَجَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ وَأَمَرَنِي فَأَعْطَيْتُ الْحَجَّامَ أَجْرَهُ .
The Prophet instructed Ali, who then paid the cupper; the wording does not specify the exact form of the instruction.
Does “instructed me, so I paid” preserve the sequence without adding detail?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abd al-Hamid ibn Bayan al-Wasiti narrated to us; Khalid ibn Abd Allah narrated to us, from Yunus, from Ibn Sirin, from Anas ibn Malik, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) underwent cupping and paid the cupper his fee.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ احْتَجَمَ وَأَعْطَى الْحَجَّامَ أَجْرَهُ .
The cupper’s payment is stated without further context.
Does “paid the cupper his fee” convey the wording clearly?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hisham ibn Ammar narrated to us; Yahya ibn Hamzah narrated to us; al-Awzai narrated to me, from al-Zuhri, from Abu Bakr ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham, from Abu Masud Uqbah ibn Amr, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade earnings from cupping.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَمْرٍو قَالَ نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ عَنْ كَسْبِ الْحَجَّامِ .
The report says the Prophet forbade kasb al-hajjam, the cupper’s earnings; the wording does not qualify the prohibition or state an exception.
Should “earnings from cupping” be read as a general prohibition in this report?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us; Shababah ibn Sawwar narrated to us, from Ibn Abi Dhib, from al-Zuhri, from Haram ibn Muhaysah, from his father, that he asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about a cupper’s earnings. He forbade it. When the man mentioned his need, he said: “Use it to feed your working camels.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ عَنْ كَسْبِ الْحَجَّامِ فَنَهَاهُ عَنْهُ فَذَكَرَ لَهُ الْحَاجَةَ فَقَالَ " اعْلِفْهُ نَوَاضِحَكَ " .
Nawāḍiḥ refers to camels used for drawing water or other work; the pronoun in the command refers back to the earnings.
Does “working camels” convey the function of nawāḍiḥ sufficiently?
Chapter 11
مَا لاَ يَحِلُّ بَيْعُهُ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Isa ibn Hammad al-Misri informed us; al-Layth ibn Sad informed us, from Yazid ibn Abi Habib, who said: Ata ibn Abi Rabah said, “I heard Jabir ibn Abd Allah say: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the year of the Conquest, while he was in Mecca: ‘Allah and His Messenger have forbidden the sale of wine, carrion, swine, and idols.’ He was asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, what about the fat of carrion? It is used to grease ships and hides, and people use it as lamp fuel.’ He said, ‘No; they are forbidden.’ Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘May Allah condemn the Jews. Allah forbade them animal fat, but they melted it down, sold it, and consumed its price.’”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
ثُمَّ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " قَاتَلَ اللَّهُ الْيَهُودَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ حَرَّمَ عَلَيْهِمُ الشُّحُومَ فَأَجْمَلُوهُ ثُمَّ بَاعُوهُ فَأَكَلُوا ثَمَنَهُ " .
فأجملوه is rendered here as melting the forbidden fat down before selling it; the report emphasizes that they processed it and sold it despite the prohibition.
Does “melted it down” capture the processing described by فأجملوه in this wording?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Said al-Qattan narrated to us; Hashim ibn al-Qasim narrated to us; Abu Jafar al-Razi narrated to us, from Asim, from Abu al-Muhallab, from Ubayd Allah al-Ifriqi, from Abu Umamah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the sale and purchase of singing women, their earnings, and consuming the prices paid for them.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
قَالَ نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ عَنْ بَيْعِ الْمُغَنِّيَاتِ وَعَنْ شِرَائِهِنَّ وَعَنْ كَسْبِهِنَّ وَعَنْ أَكْلِ أَثْمَانِهِنَّ .
Al-mughanniyat literally means female singers; in this legal context it may refer especially to enslaved singing women. The Arabic enumerates selling them, buying them, their earnings, and consuming their sale prices.
Should the historical legal referent be made explicit as enslaved singing women, or retained literally as “singing women”?
Chapter 12
مَا جَاءَ فِي النَّهْىِ عَنِ الْمُنَابَذَةِ، وَالْمُلاَمَسَةِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us; Abdullah ibn Numayr narrated to us, and Abu Usamah [narrated] from Ubayd Allah ibn Umar, from Khubayb ibn Abd al-Rahman, from Hafs ibn Asim, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade two kinds of sale: mulamasah (a sale concluded by touching) and munabadha (a sale concluded by throwing).
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
قَالَ نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ عَنْ بَيْعَتَيْنِ عَنِ الْمُلاَمَسَةِ وَالْمُنَابَذَةِ .
Mulamasah and munabadha name pre-Islamic sale practices whose precise procedures vary in explanation; parenthetical glosses summarize their common sense.
Are these concise glosses adequate for the two named sale forms?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah and Sahl ibn Abi Sahl narrated to us. They said: Sufyan ibn Uyaynah narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from Ata ibn Yazid al-Laythi, from Abu Said al-Khudri, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade mulamasah and munabadha. Sahl added: Sufyan said, “Mulamasah is when a man touches an object with his hand without seeing it. Munabadha is when one says, ‘Throw to me what you have, and I will throw to you what I have.’”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
زَادَ سَهْلٌ قَالَ سُفْيَانُ الْمُلاَمَسَةُ أَنْ يَلْمِسَ الرَّجُلُ الشَّىْءَ بِيَدِهِ وَلاَ يَرَاهُ وَالْمُنَابَذَةُ أَنْ يَقُولَ أَلْقِ إِلَىَّ مَا مَعَكَ وَأُلْقِي إِلَيْكَ مَا مَعِي .
The source itself defines the two transactions here: touching an unseen object, and exchanging by throwing what each party has.
Does the translation preserve the narrator’s explicit definitions and their sequence?
Chapter 13
لاَ يَبِيعُ الرَّجُلُ عَلَى بَيْعِ أَخِيهِ وَلاَ يَسُومُ عَلَى سَوْمِهِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Suwayd ibn Said narrated to us; Malik ibn Anas narrated to us, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “None of you should make a sale over another’s sale.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَالَ " لاَ يَبِيعُ بَعْضُكُمْ عَلَى بَيْعِ بَعْضٍ " .
The phrase prohibits interfering with a sale already being negotiated or concluded; it is rendered closely to the Arabic wording.
Does “make a sale over another’s sale” clearly convey the prohibition?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hisham ibn Ammar narrated to us; Sufyan narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from Said ibn al-Musayyab, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: “A man must not make a sale over his brother’s sale, nor bid over his brother’s bid.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَالَ " لاَ يَبِيعُ الرَّجُلُ عَلَى بَيْعِ أَخِيهِ وَلاَ يَسُومُ عَلَى سَوْمِ أَخِيهِ " .
The second prohibition concerns offering a higher bid during another buyer’s negotiation.
Does “bid over his brother’s bid” express the second prohibition clearly?
Chapter 14
مَا جَاءَ فِي النَّهْىِ عَنِ النَّجْشِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
I read to Musab ibn Abd Allah al-Zubayri, from Malik. (A second chain:) Abu Hudhafah narrated to us; Malik ibn Anas narrated to us, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade najsh (bidding up a price deceptively).
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ نَهَى عَنِ النَّجْشِ .
Najsh is deceptive bidding intended to raise a price, without a genuine intention to buy.
Does the brief gloss adequately convey najsh in this report?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hisham ibn Ammar and Sahl ibn Abi Sahl narrated to us. They said: Sufyan narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from Said, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: “Do not engage in deceptive bidding.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَالَ " لاَ تَنَاجَشُوا " .
The prohibition uses the verb form of najsh, deceptive bidding to inflate a price.
Does “deceptive bidding” convey the term naturally in this concise report?
Chapter 15
النَّهْىِ أَنْ يَبِيعَ حَاضِرٌ لِبَادٍ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us; Sufyan ibn Uyaynah narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from Said ibn al-Musayyab, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A town-dweller must not sell on behalf of a Bedouin.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَالَ " لاَ يَبِيعُ حَاضِرٌ لِبَادٍ " .
The phrase refers to a town resident acting as an intermediary seller for a Bedouin who has brought goods to market.
Does “sell on behalf of” make the intermediary role clear without adding detail?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hisham ibn Ammar narrated to us; Sufyan ibn Uyaynah narrated to us, from Abu al-Zubayr, from Jabir ibn Abd Allah, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A town-dweller must not sell on behalf of a Bedouin. Leave people to one another; Allah will provide for some of them through others.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَالَ " لاَ يَبِيعُ حَاضِرٌ لِبَادٍ دَعُوا النَّاسَ يَرْزُقُ اللَّهُ بَعْضَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ " .
The closing phrase literally says “Allah provides some of them through others,” referring to people’s mutual dealings.
Does “Leave people to one another” convey دعوا الناس in this market context?