Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (8/361)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

the kind of debt commonly understood by ordinary people. Thus, any price that has not been specified is a debt.

His statement, “is compelled,” is in the passive voice, and the one who compels is the judge (the ruler). Accordingly, we say: If each of the two refuses to hand over what he has, and the price is unspecified, they go to the judge. He says to the seller, “Hand over the item sold,” and the buyer is told, “Hand over the price.” There is no need to appoint a trustworthy intermediary to receive from them both. This is the difference between this issue and the first issue.

The reason for the difference between them is that, in the second case, the price is owed by the buyer personally, whereas in the first case the seller’s right is attached to the specific price itself, because it was specified for him. That is why, in the first case, we said: A trustworthy intermediary is appointed to receive from them both, then he delivers the item sold and then the price. Here, however, we said: The seller is compelled.

If he says, “How can you compel me? Appoint a trustworthy intermediary. If I hand over the item sold now, I fear that the buyer will flee. Why, then, do you compel me without appointing an intermediary to receive from both him and me, after which the buyer hands it over and delivers it to me?”

The answer is: We have two rights. In the first case, the right is attached to the specific consideration itself. But now, in the second case, your right is owed by him personally, so there is no need for us to appoint a trustworthy intermediary. Therefore, hand over the item sold to him now, and he will hand over the price to you. If he says, “I fear that if I hand over the item sold to him, he will flee,” we say: If he flees, he can be pursued, if Allah wills.

His statement, “And if it is absent but within the town, he is restrained from disposing of the item sold and the rest of his property until he produces it”: in the phrase “if it is,” the pronoun refers to the price.

His statement, “absent but within the town,” means that it is not with him at the session, but

هو الدَّين الذي يعرفه العامة، فكل ما لم يعين من ثمن، فهو دين. وقوله: «أجبر» مبني لما لم يسم فاعله، والمجبِر القاضي (الحاكم)، وعلى هذا نقول: إذا أبى كل واحد منهما أن يسلم ما بيده، والثمن غير معين يذهبان إلى الحاكم، فيقول للبائع: سلم المبيع، ويقال للمشتري: سلم الثمن، ولا حاجة إلى نصب عدل يقبض منهما، وهذا هو الفرق بين هذه المسألة والمسألة الأولى. ووجه الفرق بينهما، أن الثمن في الثانية تعلق بذمة المشتري، وأما في الأولى فحق البائع تعلق بعين الثمن؛ لأنه قد عين له، ولهذا قلنا في الأولى: يُنْصَبُ عدل يقبض منهما، ثم يسلم المبيع ثم الثمن، أما هنا فقلنا: يجبر البائع. فإذا قال: كيف تجبرونني؟ انصبوا عدلاً أنا الآن إذا سلمت المبيع أخشى أن يهرب المشتري، فلماذا تجبرونني ولا تنصبوا عدلاً يقبض مني ومنه، ثم يسلم المشتري ويسلمني؟ الجواب: عندنا حقان، الحق في المسألة الأولى تعلق بعين العوض، أما الآن فحقك في المسألة الثانية تعلق بذمته فلا حاجة أن ننصب عدلاً، فسَلِّمْه المبيع الآن وهو يسلمك الثمن، فإذا قال: أخشى إذا سلمته المبيع أن يهرب، قلنا: إذا هرب، فهو مدرك إن شاء الله. قوله: «وإن كان غائباً في البلد حجر عليه في المبيع وبقية ماله حتى يحضره» «إن كان» الضمير يعود على الثمن. وقوله: «غائباً في البلد» أي: ليس معه في المجلس، لكنه