to obtain money through a lawful means. In our present time, a loan is generally difficult to obtain, especially from merchants—except for whomever Allah wills. A salam sale, likewise, is uncommon, and people generally do not know much about it. Salam is the payment of the price in advance while delivery of the item sold is deferred. That is, I come to someone and say: “I need twenty thousand riyals. Give me twenty thousand riyals, and in exchange, after one year, I will give you a car of such-and-such specifications, or I will give you wheat or rice,” describing it precisely. This is called salam, and it is also called salaf. It is permissible, for the Companions would enter into such transactions concerning fruits for one or two years. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever pays in advance for something should do so for a specified measure, a specified weight, and a specified term.” (1)

The second condition is that he have a clear and genuine need for it.

The third condition is that the commodity be in the seller’s possession. If it is not in the seller’s possession, then he has sold something for which he has not assumed liability. If the Prophet ﷺ forbade the sale of commodities at the place where they were purchased until the merchant had transferred them to his own premises, (2) then this case is even more deserving of prohibition, since the commodity is not in his possession. If these three conditions are met, then I hope there is no harm in it, for a person may sometimes be compelled to engage in such transactions.