Chapter: Options

They are of several types. The first is the option of the session.

His statement: “Chapter: Options.”

An option is a verbal noun; its verb is ikhtāra (to choose). We do not say that it is a verbal noun proper, because the verbal noun of ikhtāra is ikhtiyār (choosing). Any word that conveys the meaning of a verbal noun but does not contain the letters of its verb is called a verbal-noun substitute, such as kalām (speech), a substitute for taklīm (speaking); salām (greeting), a substitute for taslīm (greeting); and subḥān (glorification), a substitute for tasbīḥ (glorifying), and so on.

An option is choosing the better of two alternatives. Thus, it is said, “He chose,” meaning that, in his view, he took the better of the two alternatives. Although some say that it means seeking the better of the two alternatives, our definition—taking the better of the two alternatives—is preferable, because there may not be one who seeks and something sought.

Here, an option means choosing between the better of two courses: ratifying the sale or rescinding it, whether this right belongs to the seller or the buyer.

His statement: “They are of several types,” meaning seven types. These types have been limited to seven on the basis of examination and induction; that is, the scholars examined the texts concerning options and found that they do not extend beyond seven. Or, they considered that the options addressed in this chapter could be confined to seven, even though there are other cases involving an option that are not mentioned in this chapter. Among them is the final issue in the preceding section, which was not mentioned in the chapter on options.