His statement, “or for more than its price as a stratagem,” means: if the seller who sold it on a disclosed-cost basis had purchased it for more than its price as a stratagem.

For example, one man is owed one hundred riyals by another, but the debtor keeps delaying payment: whenever the creditor comes to him, he says, “Wait.” Then, one day, the creditor buys from him an item worth eighty for one hundred. Once he has bought it, the buyer—that is, the creditor—says to the seller—the debtor who had been delaying him—“Then let this be set off against the debt.” This purchase, therefore, was not made out of any desire for the item; rather, it was a stratagem to recover his right. If another man then comes and says, “Sell me this item,” and he replies, “I will sell it to you at cost, for one hundred,” and it subsequently becomes clear that he purchased it for one hundred as a stratagem to recover his debt from this delaying debtor, although it was worth eighty, then the buyer has the option.

The same applies if he purchased it for more than its price as a favor. That is, the one who sold it on a disclosed-cost basis bought this item from a friend, although it was not worth one hundred, but he bought it for one hundred because he was his friend. Or he bought it for one hundred because he considered the man poor and said, “I will increase the price as a favor to him and to console him.” Then this buyer sells it on a disclosed-cost basis and says, “Its price is one hundred.” We then say to the buyer who purchased it on a disclosed-cost basis: you have the option if it becomes clear that it exceeded its price because of this favor. This is because, when a person grants someone a favor, he does not mind adding two, three, or ten riyals; and likewise, when he sells to him, he does not mind deducting two, three, or ten riyals.

It says in al-Rawḍ: “or because of a personal consideration” (1), meaning, the one who sold it