Some scholars said that analogy is valid here, because the objective is to meet a need.

The view that appears closest to me is that this is valid: if the need belongs to the owner of the fresh dates, there is no harm in it, since the objective is to meet a person’s need. It makes no difference whether he is the seller or the buyer.

If someone were to ask: Are ʿarāyā sales permissible with things other than date palms? For example, a person has raisins and wishes to purchase grapes with them to eat as fruit; is this permissible or not?

The answer is that the scholars differ over this. Some hold that it is permissible by analogy with dates. Raisins are a foodstuff, as stated in the hadith of Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, concerning zakat al-fitr: “At that time, our food consisted of dates, barley, raisins, and dried curd.” (1) Thus, they are a foodstuff. If a person needs grapes and has nothing but raisins, there is no harm in it, subject to the conditions we mentioned regarding the ʿariyya sale. This too is closer to what is correct than prohibition, and it was the view chosen by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, because the reason for which concession was granted in the ʿarāyā sale of dates is also present in the ʿarāyā sale of grapes. The same applies to anything similar that people need for enjoyment but for which they have no money.

The evidence prohibiting the sale of fresh dates for dried dates is that the Prophet ﷺ was asked about selling fresh dates for dried dates, and he said: “Does it diminish