His statement, “No fruit may be sold before its ripeness becomes evident”: no fruit may be sold until it has become fit for use. To illustrate this with the date palm: it is not permissible to sell the fruit of a date palm until its ripeness becomes evident, though it is permissible to sell the palm itself before the ripeness of its fruit becomes evident.

Thus, his final statement concerning fruit is that it may not be sold before its ripeness becomes evident. So what constitutes its ripeness?

Its ripeness is indicated when it turns red or yellow. The evidence for this is that the Prophet ﷺ “forbade the sale of fruits until their ripeness becomes evident; he forbade both the seller and the buyer.” (1) Anas was asked, “What is meant by the fruit’s ripeness becoming evident?” He replied, “When it turns red or yellow.” (2)

This is textual evidence. There is also a rational basis: if fruit is sold before its ripeness becomes evident, it is not fit to eat and is liable to blight and spoilage. If this occurs, a dispute arises between the seller and the buyer. The Sacred Law eliminates everything that causes dispute, hostility, and division.

Therefore, if someone sells the fruit of a date palm while it is still green and has not begun to change colour, the sale is invalid, because the prohibition pertains to the sale contract itself. Every prohibition that relates to an act—whether an act of worship or a transaction—entails invalidity. Thus, in this case, the sale is invalid: the fruit belongs to the seller, and the price belongs to the buyer.

Issue: If the ripeness of a single fruit on the date palm becomes evident, is it permissible to sell it?