Sunan Abi Dawud

In the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) we used to be called brokers, but the Prophet (ﷺ) came upon us one day, and called us by a better name than that, saying: O company of merchants, unprofitable speech and swearing takes place in business dealings, so mix it with sadaqah (alms).

"Lying and swearing have a place on i." 'Abd Allah al-Zuhri said: "Unprofitable speech and lying."

A man seized his debtor who owed ten dinars to him. He said to him: I swear by Allah, I shall not leave you until you pay off (my debt) to me or bring a surety. The Prophet (ﷺ) stood as a surety for him. He then brought as much (money) as he promised. The Prophet (ﷺ) asked: From where did you acquire this gold? He replied: From a mine. He said: We have no need of it; there is no good in it. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) paid (the debt) on his behalf.

I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: What is lawful is clear and what is unlawful is clear, but between them are certain doubtful things. I give you an example for this. Allah has a preserve, and Allah's preserve is the things He has declared unlawful. He who pastures (his animals) round the preserve will soon fall into it. He who falls into doubtful things will soon be courageous.

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: But between them are certain doubtful things which many people do not recognize. He who guards against doubtful things keeps his religion and his honor blameless, but he who falls into doubtful things falls into what is unlawful.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: A time is certainly coming to mankind when only the receiver of usury will remain, and if he does not receive it, some of its vapour will reach him. Ibn Isa said: Some of its dust will reach him.

We went out with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to a funeral, and I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) at the grave giving this instruction to the grave-digger: Make it wide on the side of his feet, and make it wide on the side of his head. When he came back, he was received by a man who conveyed an invitation from a woman. So he came (to her), to it food was brought, and he put his hand (i.e. took a morsel in his hand); the people did the same and they ate. Our fathers noticed that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was moving a morsel around his mouth. He then said: I find the flesh of a sheep which has been taken without its owner's permission. The woman sent a message to say: Messenger of Allah, I sent (someone) to an-Naqi' to have a sheep bought for me, but there was none; so I sent (a message) to my neighbour who had bought a sheep, asking him to send it to me for the price (he had paid), but he could not be found. I, therefore, sent (a message) to his wife and she sent it to me. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Give this food to the prisoners.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) cursed the one who accepted usury, the one who paid it, the witness to it, and the one who recorded it.

On the authority of his father: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say in the Farewell Pilgrimage: "Lo, all claims to usury of the pre-Islamic period have been abolished. You shall have your capital sums, deal not unjustly and you shall not be dealt with unjustly. Lo, all claims for blood-vengeance belonging to the pre-Islamic period have been abolished. The first of those murdered among us whose blood-vengeance I remit is al-Harith ibn AbdulMuttalib, who suckled among Banu Layth and killed by Hudhayl." He then said: O Allah, have I conveyed the message? They said: Yes, saying it three times. He then said: O Allah, be witness, saying it three times.

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: Swearing produces a ready sale for a commodity but blots out the blessing. The narrator Ibn al-Sarh said: "for earning". He also narrated this tradition from Sa'id b. al-Musayyab on the authority of Abu Hurairah from the Prophet (ﷺ).

I and Makhrafah al-Abdi imported some garments from Hajar, and brought them to Mecca. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to us walking, and after he had bargained with us for some trousers, we sold them to him. There was a man who was weighing for payment. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him: Weigh out and give overweight.

Abu Safwan said: I came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) at Mecca before his immigration. He then narrated the rest of the tradition, but he did not mention the words "who was weighing for payment". Abu Dawud sad: Qais also transmitted it as Sufyan said: The version of Sufyan is authoritative.

I heard my father say: A man said to Shu'bah: Sufyan opposed you (i.e. narrated a tradition which differs from your version). He replied: You racked my mind. I have been told that Yahya b. Ma'in said: If anyone opposes Sufyan, the version of Sufyan will be acceptable.

The memory of Sufyan was stronger than mine.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: (The standard) weight is the weight of the people of Mecca, and the (standard) measure is the measure of the people of Medina. Abu Dawud said: Al-Firyabi and Abu Ahmad have also transmitted from Sufyan in a similar way, and he (Ibn Dukain) agreed with them on the text. The version of Abu Ahmad has: "from Ibn 'Abbas" instead of Ibn 'Umar. It has also been transmitted by al-Walid b. Muslim from Hanzalah. This version has: "the weight of Medina and the measure of Mecca." Abu Dawud said: There is a variation in the text of the version of this tradition narrated by Malik b. Dinar from 'Ata' from the Prophet (ﷺ).

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) addressed us and said: Is here any one of such and such tribe present? But no one replied. He again asked: Is here any one of such and such tribe present? But no one replied. He again asked: Is here any one of such and such tribe? Then a man stood and said: I am (here), Messenger of Allah. He said: What prevented you from replying the first two times? I wish to tell you something good. Your companion has been detained (from entering Paradise) on account of his debt. Then I saw him that he paid off all his debt on his behalf and there remained no one to demand from him anything. Abu Dawud said: The name of the narrator Sam'an is Sam'an b. Mushannaj.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: After the grave sins which Allah has prohibited the greatest sin is that a man dies while he has debt due from him and does not leave anything to pay it off, and meets Him with it.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would not say funeral prayer over a person who died while the debt was due from him. A dead Muslim was brought to him and he asked: Is there any debt due from him? They (the people) said: Yes, two dirhams. He said: Pray yourselves over your companion. Then AbuQatadah al-Ansari said: I shall pay them, Messenger of Allah. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then prayed over him. When Allah granted conquests to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), he said: I am nearer to every believer than himself, so if anyone (dies and) leaves a debt, I shall be responsible for paying it; and if anyone leaves property, it goes to his heirs.

"He (the Prophet) purchased a calf from a caravan, but he had no money with him. He then sold it with some profit and gave the profit in charity to the poor and widows of Banu 'Abd al-Muttalib. He then said: I shall not buy anything after this but only when I have money with me.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Delay in payment (of debt) by a rich man is injunctive, but when one of you is referred to a wealthy man, he should accept the reference.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) borrowed a young camel, and when the camels of the sadaqah (alms) came to him, he ordered me to pay the man his young camel. I said: I find only an excellent camel in its seventh year. So the Prophet (ﷺ) said: Give it to him, for the best person is he who discharges his debt in the best manner.

The Prophet (ﷺ) owed me a debt and gave me something extra when he paid it.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Gold for gold is interest unless both hand over on the spot ; wheat for wheat is interest unless both hand over on the spot ; dates for dates is interest unless both hand over on the spot ; barley for barley is interest unless both hand over on the spot.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Gold is to be paid for with gold, raw and coined, silver with silver, raw and coined (in equal weight), wheat with wheat in equal measure, barley with barley in equal measure, dates with dates in equal measure, salt by salt with equal measure; if anyone gives more or asks more, he has dealt in usury. But there is no harm in selling gold for silver and silver (for gold), in unequal weight, payment being made on the spot. Do not sell them if they are to be paid for later. There is no harm in selling wheat for barley and barley (for wheat) in unequal measure, payment being made on the spot. If the payment is to be made later, then do not sell them. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has also been transmitted by Sa'id b. Abi 'Arubah, Hisham al-Dastawa'i and Qatadah from Muslim b. Yasar through his chain.

"He said: If these classes differ, sell as you wish if payment is made on the spot."

The Prophet (ﷺ) was brought a necklace in which there were gold and pearls. (The narrators AbuBakr and (Ahmad) Ibn Mani' said: The pearls were set with gold in it, and a man bought it for nine or seven dinars.) The Prophet (ﷺ) said: (It must not be sold) till the contents are considered separately. The narrator said: He returned it till the contents were considered separately. The narrator Ibn Asa said: By this I intended trade. Abu Dawud said: The word hijarah (stone) was recorded in his note-book before, but he changed it and narrated tijarah (trade).

At the battle of Khaibar I bought a necklace in which there were gold and pearls for twelve dinars. I separated them and found that its worth was more than twelve dinars. So I mentioned that to the Prophet (ﷺ) who said: It must not be sold till the contents are considered separately.

We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) at the battle of Khaibar. We were selling to the Jews one uqiyah of gold for one dinar. The narrators other than Qutaibah said: "for two or three dinars." Then both the versions agreed. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Do not sell gold except with equal weight.

I used to sell camels at al-Baqi for dinars and take dirhams for them, and sell for dirhams and take dinars for them. I would take these for these and give these for these. I went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who was in the house of Hafsah. I said: Messenger of Allah , take it easy, I shall ask you (a question): I sell camels at al-Baqi'. I sell (them) for dinars and take dirhams and I sell for dirhams and take dinars. I take these for these, and give these for these. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then said: There is no harm in taking them at the current rate so long as you do not separate leaving something to be settled.

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Simak (b. Harb) with a different chain of narrators and to the same effect. The first version is more perfect. It does not mention the words "at the current rate".

The Prophet (ﷺ) forbade selling animals for animals when payment was to be made at a later date.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded him to equip an army, but the camels were insufficient. So he commanded him to keep back the young camels of sadaqah, and he was taking a camel to be replaced by two when the camels of sadaqah came.

The Prophet (ﷺ) bought a slave for two slaves.

Which of them is better? He replied: Soft and white kind of wheat. So he forbade him from it and said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (sawa) say, when he was asked about buying dry dates for fresh. The Messenger of Allah (sawa) said: Are fresh dates diminished when they become dry? The (the people) replied: Yes. So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade that. Abu Dawud said: A similar tradition has also been transmitted by Isma'il b. Umayyah.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade to sell fresh dates for dry dates when payment is made at a later date. Abu Dawud said: The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Sa'd (b. Abi Waqqas) from the Prophet (ﷺ) through a different chain of narrators in a similar way.

The Prophet (ﷺ) forbade the sale of fruits on the tree for fruits by measure, and sale of grapes for raisins by measure, and sale of harvest for wheat by measure.

The Prophet (ﷺ) gave license for the sale of 'araya for dried dates and fresh dates.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade the sale of fruits for dried dates, but gave license regarding the 'araya for its sale on the basis of a calculation of their amount. But those who buy them can eat them when fresh.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) gave license regarding the sale of 'araya when the amount was less then five wasqs or five wasqs. Dawud b. al-Husain was doubtful. Abu Dawud said: The tradition by Jabir indicates up to four wasqs.

'Ariyyah means that a man gives another man a palm-tree on loan, or it means that reserves one or two palm-trees from his property for his personal use, then he sells for dried dates.

'Araya means that a man lends another man some palm-trees, but he (the owner) feels inconvenient that the man looks after the trees (by frequent visits). He (the borrower) sells them (to the owner) by calculation.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade the sale of fruits till they were clearly in good condition, forbidding it both to the seller and to the buyer.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade selling palm-trees till the dates began to ripen, and ears of corn till they were white and were safe from blight, forbidding it both to the buyer and to the seller.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade to sell spoils of war till they are appointed, and to sell palm trees till they are safe from every blight, and a man praying without tying belt.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade the sale of fruits until they are ripened (tushqihah). He was asked: What do you mean by their ripening (ishqah)? He replied: They become red or yellow, and they are eaten.

The Prophet (ﷺ) forbade the sale of grapes till they became black and the sale of grain till it had become hard.

I asked Abu Zinad about the sale of fruits before they were clearly in good condition, and what was said about it. He replied: Urwah ibn az-Zubayr reports a tradition from Sahl ibn Abi Hathmah on the authority of Zayd ibn Thabit who said: The people used to sell fruits before they were clearly in good condition. When the people cut off the fruits, and were demanded to pay the price, the buyer said: The fruits have been smitten by duman, qusham and murad fruit diseases on which they used to dispute. When their disputes which were brought to the Prophet (ﷺ) increased, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to them as an advice: No, do not sell fruits till they are in good condition, due to a large number of their disputes and differences.

The Prophet (ﷺ) forbade the sale of fruits till they were clearly in good condition , and (ordered that) they should not be sold but for dinar or dirham except Araya.

The Prophet (ﷺ) forbade selling fruits years ahead, and commanded that unforeseen loss be remitted in respect of what is affected by blight. Abu Dawud said: The attribution of the tradition regarding the effect of blight is one-third of the produce to the Prophet (ﷺ) is not correct. This is the opinion of the people of Medina.

The Prophet (ﷺ) forbade sale of fruits for a number of years. One of the two narrators (Abu al-Zubair and Sa'id b. Mina') mentioned the words "sale for years" (bai' al-sinin instead of al-mu'awamah).