have rescinded the contract with respect to half of it,” then we return fifty dirhams to him. But if he says, “I have rescinded the whole contract,” then the full one hundred must be returned. If the seller has spent the payment and nothing of it remains with him, the author says that he takes its substitute: an equivalent in the case of a fungible item, and its value in the case of a non-fungible item.
Sixth: The payment must be received in full, with its amount and description known, before the parties separate. If he receives part of it and they then separate, the contract is invalid with respect to the remainder. If he enters into a salam contract for one type of goods with two delivery dates, or the reverse, it is valid provided that he specifies each type, its price, and the portion assigned to each delivery date.
His statement, “Sixth: that he receive the payment in full”: the subject is the seller. This is derived from the Prophet’s statement, peace and blessings be upon him: “Whoever pays in advance for something, let him pay in advance” (1). This indicates that the payment must be received in full. It is also indicated by reason: if the payment is not made in advance, it may be delayed, in which case the harm falls upon the seller. He gives the buyer a lower price than he gives other people in return for receiving the payment in advance; so if the payment is delayed, he loses twice. The first loss occurs when he sells for eight what is worth ten, and the second when receipt of the payment is delayed and he is unable to benefit from it. Moreover, it is called salam and salaf, both of which are derived from the idea of advance payment. If it is deferred, this contradicts the very meaning from which the term is derived. Thus, this condition is established by reason, wording, and textual evidence.
His statement, “with its amount known”: this relates to quantity.
His statement, “and its description”: this relates to quality. That is, the payment must be received in full, with both its amount and description known. It is not sufficient for him to say, “I enter into a salam contract with you using this specified item for such-and-such,” whereas if you were to say, “I sell you this specified item,” it would be valid even if its description were unknown. In a salam contract, however, its description must be known—that is, it must be something that can be precisely defined by description. This is so that, if fulfillment becomes impossible, recourse may be made to this payment whose amount and description are known; for if it is not precisely defined by description, the matter remains unknown.