The answer is that the scholars differ on this. Some say that it is not permissible, while others say that it is permissible.

Those who consider it permissible argue that the option period has ended, and neither party can rescind the contract. Thus, another person’s selling over his sale or purchasing over his purchase is as though it did not exist, because even if he wished to rescind, he would be unable to do so. This is the established position of the school.

The second view on this issue is that what occurs after the option period is like what occurs during it; that is, it is prohibited even after the option period has ended.

They support this view on the following grounds:

First: the general wording of the hadith: “None of you should sell over his brother’s sale” (1). This is general and contains no restriction.

Second: he may perhaps resort to some device in order to rescind the sale, such as claiming that there is a defect, or something similar that would enable him to rescind it.

Third: it leads to animosity between the original seller and the buyer, because the seller will say, “He has cheated me,” and will harbor resentment against him.

This view is the stronger one: selling over one’s brother’s sale is prohibited, whether it occurs during either of the two option periods or afterwards. However, if it occurs after a long period, there is nothing wrong with it. That is, if this took place a week or a month earlier, or something similar, and then someone comes and says, “I will give you the equivalent—