I was in Syria (having) a circle (of friends). in which was Muslim b. Yasir. There came Abu'l-Ash'ath. He (the narrator) said that they (the friends) called him: Abu'l-Ash'ath, Abu'l-Ash'ath, and he sat down. I said to him: Narrate to our brother the hadith of Ubada b. Samit. He said: Yes. We went out on an expedition, Mu'awiya being the leader of the people, and we gained a lot of spoils of war. And there was one silver utensil in what we took as spoils. Mu'awiya ordered a person to sell it for payment to the people (soldiers). The people made haste in getting that. The news of (this state of affairs) reached 'Ubada b. Samit, and he stood up and said: I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) forbidding the sale of gold by gold, and silver by silver, and wheat by wheat, and barley by barley, and dates by dates, and salt by salt, except like for like and equal for equal. So he who made an addition or who accepted an addition (committed the sin of taking) interest. So the people returned what they had got. This reached Mu'awiya. and he stood up to deliver an address. He said: What is the matter with people that they narrate from the Messenger (ﷺ) such tradition which we did not hear though we saw him (the Holy Prophet) and lived in his company? Thereupon, Ubida b. Samit stood up and repeated that narration, and then said: We will definitely narrate what we heard from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) though it may be unpleasant to Mu'awiya (or he said: Even if it is against his will). I do not mind if I do not remain in his troop in the dark night. Hammad said this or something like this.
The Book of Musaqah - Sahih Muslim 1587a
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. This noble hadith from Sahih Muslim contains profound wisdom regarding the prohibition of riba (usury/interest) in Islamic commercial transactions. The narration establishes the foundational principles governing the exchange of specific commodities known as "ribawi items."
Contextual Analysis
The incident occurred during a military expedition led by Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him). The discovery of silver utensils among war spoils triggered a commercial transaction that required scholarly intervention. Ubada ibn Samit's courageous stance demonstrates the obligation of speaking truth to authority when religious principles are at stake.
Mu'awiya's initial reaction reflects the human tendency to question unfamiliar religious rulings, while Ubada's firm response illustrates the scholar's duty to convey Prophetic teachings regardless of political consequences. This exemplifies the proper relationship between political authority and religious scholarship in Islam.
Legal Rulings on Riba al-Fadl
The Prophet (ﷺ) prohibited six specific commodities from being traded unequally: gold for gold, silver for silver, wheat for wheat, barley for barley, dates for dates, and salt for salt. These must be exchanged hand-to-hand in equal quantities when trading the same type.
This prohibition, known as Riba al-Fadl, prevents hidden interest in barter transactions. The wisdom behind this ruling includes maintaining justice in exchange, preventing deception, and closing potential avenues to conventional interest (Riba al-Nasi'ah).
Scholarly Classification
Islamic jurists categorize these six commodities into two groups: monetary items (gold and silver) and food staples (wheat, barley, dates, salt). The ruling extends by analogy (qiyas) to similar items sharing the same effective cause ('illah).
For monetary items, the effective cause is being a medium of exchange. For food items, scholars differ whether the cause is being edible, storable, or measured by weight/volume. The Hanafi school includes all items sold by weight or measurement under these rules.
Practical Application
When exchanging identical ribawi items, three conditions must be met: same type, equal quantity, and immediate exchange (qabd). If items differ in type but share the same effective cause, they may be traded differently but must still be exchanged immediately.
The people's immediate compliance upon hearing the Prophetic prohibition demonstrates the early Muslim community's reverence for religious knowledge and their quickness to abandon unlawful gains, setting a timeless example for subsequent generations.