Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (9/173)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

Section

The pledgee may ride an animal that is suitable for riding and milk one that is suitable for milking, in proportion to its maintenance, without permission. If he spends on the pledged property without the pledgor’s permission when it was possible to obtain it, he may not recover the expense; but if obtaining permission was not possible, he may recover it.

His statement, “The pledgee may ride an animal that is suitable for riding and milk one that is suitable for milking, in proportion to its maintenance”: the pledgee—that is, the one to whom the debt is owed—may benefit in the manner mentioned: he may ride an animal suitable for riding and milk one suitable for milking, in proportion to its maintenance.

His statement, “in proportion to its maintenance,” qualifies both riding and milking; thus, it is governed by both verbs.

This means that if the pledged property is a rideable animal, such as a camel or donkey, the pledgee may ride it in proportion to its maintenance, whether he rides it within the town or while travelling, provided that travelling does not cause the animal harm. If it would harm the animal, he may not do so.

For example, suppose that this camel ridden by the pledgee could be hired out for ten days for one hundred, and that its maintenance amounts to one hundred. In that case, the cost of maintenance and the hire charge are equal, so he is entitled to nothing and owes nothing, because he rode it in proportion to its maintenance.

But if its hire charge exceeds its maintenance, he must pay the excess over the maintenance. Thus, if we suppose that its maintenance is fifty and its hire charge is one hundred, he must pay fifty. Otherwise, he would be wronging the pledgor; and if his debt were a loan, it would become a loan that brings benefit.

Conversely, if its maintenance is one hundred and its hire charge is fifty, he may recover the excess from the pledgor. Thus, where the maintenance is one hundred and the customary hire charge is fifty, he may demand from the pledgor the amount exceeding the hire charge, which is fifty. The same applies to animals that are milked, such as sheep and cattle.

فصلٌ وَلِلْمُرتَهِنِ أَنْ يَرْكَبَ مَا يُرْكَبُ وَيَحْلِبَ مَا يُحْلَبُ بِقَدْرِ نَفَقَتِهِ بِلَا إِذْنٍ، وَإِنْ أنْفَقَ عَلَى الرَّهْنِ بِغَيْرِ إِذْنِ الرَّاهِنِ مَعَ إِمْكَانِهِ لَمْ يَرْجِعْ وَإنْ تَعَذَّرَ رَجَعَ، قوله: «فصل: وللمرتهن أن يركب ما يركب ويحلب ما يحلب بقدر نفقته» للمرتهن أي: الذي له الدين أن ينتفع بما ذكر «أن يركب ما يركب ويحلب ما يحلب بقدر نفقته». وقوله: «بقدر نفقته» متعلقة بيركب ويحلب، فقد تنازعها عاملان. يعني إذا كان الرهن مما يركب من الحيوان من بعير، أو حمار فله أن يركبه بقدر النفقة، سواء ركبه في داخل البلد أو ركبه في سفر، بشرط ألا يكون عليه في السفر ضرر، فإن كان عليه ضرر فليس له ذلك. فيقال ـ مثلاً ـ: هذا البعير الذي يركبه المرتهن لو استأجره لمدة عشرة أيام لكانت الأجرة مائة، والنفقة قدرها مائة، حينئذٍ تساوت النفقة والأجرة، فلا شيء له وليس عليه شيء؛ لأنه ركب بقدر النفقة. فإذا كانت أجرته أكثر من النفقة، فلا بد أن يدفع ما زاد على النفقة، فإذا قدرنا أن نفقته خمسون، وأن أجرته مائة، فعليه أن يدفع خمسين؛ لأنه لو لم يفعل لكان ظالماً للراهن، وإذا كان دينه قرضاً صار دينه قرضاً جر نفعاً. ولو كان بالعكس، نفقته مائة وأجرته خمسون، فيرجع على الراهن بما زاد عليه، فالنفقة مائة، وأجرة مثله خمسون، فيطالب الراهنَ بما زاد على النفقة وهو خمسون، وكذلك يقال فيما يحلب كالشاة والبقرة.