His statement: “If he brings it before it falls due, and there is no harm to him in taking possession of it, he must accept it.” The word maḥillihi, with the ḥāʾ pronounced with kasrah, means its becoming due; whereas maḥall, with the ḥāʾ pronounced with fatḥah, means a place or location. That is, if he brings it before it becomes due. Thus, if we suppose that it falls due in Ramadan, but he brings it to him in Rajab, he must accept it. However, the author stipulates one condition: that taking possession of it must not cause him harm.

The one who may be harmed is the muslam—the buyer in a salam contract. For example, if he paid him dirhams in advance for dates to be delivered in Ramadan, but the seller brings him the dates in Rajab, he has brought them before they fall due. The muslam says, “I will not accept them,” while the muslam ilayh—the seller obliged to make delivery—says, “You must accept them, because this has become established as a debt upon me. The deferment was a concession to me, and I have waived that concession, so you must take them.”

The muslam replies, “Dates are now plentiful on the market, whereas dates are in demand in Ramadan, when people need them for breaking the fast. Their price is presently low, so this harms me.” In this case, the muslam may refuse to take possession of them, because he would be harmed.

Likewise, if unrest arises in the town before the due date—for example, the due date is in Ramadan, but unrest occurs in Rajab—and the muslam ilayh brings the goods specified in the salam contract, the muslam may say, “I will not accept them. The town is presently unsafe, and I fear that they may be seized and taken away. I will accept them only in Ramadan.” Is he then required to take possession of them?

The answer is no, because he would be harmed. Thus, if the muslam ilayh brings the goods stipulated in the contract before they fall due, the muslam must accept them, unless doing so causes him harm.