Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (11/68)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

the second call to prayer on Friday, “I have given you this pen as a voluntary gift,” that is permissible. But if you said, “I have given you this pen on condition that you give me five riyals,” it is not permissible, because it is a sale.

“A gift of an unknown item is not valid, except when knowledge of it is unattainable. It is concluded by offer, acceptance, and conduct indicating it, and becomes binding when possession is taken with the donor’s permission—except for that which is already in the possession of the recipient …”

His statement, “A gift of an unknown item is not valid,” means that it is not valid to give an unknown item as a gift. It does not mean that it is invalid only where consideration has been stipulated. Thus, if someone has a runaway camel and says to another, “I have given you my runaway camel,” it is invalid, because it is unknown and cannot be delivered. Or if he says, “I have given you the dirhams in this bag,” it is invalid because they are unknown. This is the established position of the school, adopted by the author—may Allah have mercy on him.

The second view—and it is the correct one—is that it is valid to give an unknown item as a gift. This is because a gift is a voluntary contract: the recipient either gains something or remains unharmed. It is therefore not like gambling, which revolves between loss and gain; rather, it revolves between gain and safety. If you give someone an unknown item and he accepts it, he suffers no harm: either he receives something he wants, which is the desired outcome, or he receives something he does not want, in which case he suffers no harm.

His statement, “except when knowledge of it is unattainable,” means that such a gift is valid. An example is where one person’s property becomes mixed with another’s in such a way that its quantity is unknown and it cannot be individually distinguished. He may then say, “I have given you my property that has become mixed with yours.” This is an unknown item whose precise identification is unattainable. According to the established position of the school, it is valid because necessity calls for it.

The correct view, however, is that the gift of an unknown item is valid, whether knowledge of it is unattainable or not.

الأذان الثاني يوم الجمعة: أعطيتك هذا القلم تبرعاً فإنه يجوز، ولو قلت: أعطيتك هذا القلم بشرط أن تعطيني خمسة ريالات فلا يجوز؛ لأنه بيع. وَلَا يَصِحُّ مَجْهُولاً، إِلاَّ مَا تَعَذَّرَ عِلْمُهُ وَتَنْعَقِدُ بالإِيجَابِ وَالقَبُولِ وَالمُعَاطَاةِ الدَّالَّةِ عَلَيْهَا وَتَلْزَمُ بِالقَبْضِ بِإِذْنِ وَاهِبٍ، إِلاَّ مَا كَانَ فِي يَدِ مُتَّهِبٍ، ...... قوله: «ولا يصح مجهولاً» يعني لا يصح أن يهب شيئاً مجهولاً، وليس المراد لا يصح مجهولاً فيما شرط فيه العوض، وعلى هذا فلو أن شخصاً له جَمَلٌ شارد، وقال لآخر: وهبتك جملي الشارد، فإنه لا يجوز؛ لأنه مجهول وغير مقدور عليه فلا يصح، أو قال: وهبتك ما في هذا الكيس من الدراهم، فإنه لا يصح؛ لأنه مجهول، وهذا الذي ذهب إليه المؤلف ﵀ هو المذهب. والقول الثاني وهو الصواب: أنه يصح أن يهب المجهول؛ وذلك لأن الهبة عقد تبرع، والإنسان فيها إما غانم وإما سالم، فليس هذا من باب الميسر الدائر بين غرم وغنم، بل بين غنم وسلامة، فإذا وهبته شيئاً مجهولاً وقبل فلا ضرر عليه؛ لأنه إما أن يحصل على شيء يريده، أو شيء لا يريده، فإن حصل على شيء يريده فهذا هو المطلوب، وإلا فلا ضرر عليه. قوله: «إلا ما تعذر علمه» فتصح هبته، مثل أن يختلط ماله بمال شخص على وجه لا يُدرى عن كميته، ولا يتميز بعينه، فيقول: وهبتك مالي الذي اختلط في مالك، فهذا مجهول يتعذر علمه، فعلى المذهب يصح لدعاء الضرورة لذلك. والصواب: أنه يصح هبة المجهول، سواء تعذر علمه أم لم يتعذر.