Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (15/512)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

for ten thousand riyals, and went to the notary. It was the notary’s practice not to draw up a document until the price had been received, lest the matter remain unresolved. So the seller said, “Write that I sold it and received the price in full.” The notary then wrote it.

A week or ten days later, the seller came to the buyer and said, “Give me the payment.” He replied, “Wait.” After some time, he came again and said, “Give me the payment.” He replied, “Wait.” He went away and waited; then, after some time, he came again and said, “Give me the payment.” When the delay became lengthy, he came to him and said, “Give me the ten-thousand-riyal price of the house.” The buyer replied—may Allah protect us—“What are you saying? Do you challenge the integrity of the notary?!” The man was dumbfounded, for he had acknowledged receiving the price in a document issued by a notary—that is, by an official authority—and so he was at a loss as to what to do.

He said, “Come with me before a judge, or before some upright and righteous person, and swear before them that you paid it to me.” He has the right to demand that the buyer swear. But when he asked him to take the oath, the buyer said, “How can I swear about something when I hold a document from the notary stating that you received the price? If I were to swear that you received the price, they would say, ‘This man is mad: he is swearing to something already established, which needs no oath!’”

He replied, “Yes, I acknowledged that I had received the price out of trust in you, and in order that we might complete the transaction and transfer the title. But now, I have not received it, so swear.” If the buyer refuses to swear, the judge returns the oath to the seller and says, “Swear that you did not receive the price.” If he swears, the buyer is required to pay the price. But if you do not swear, we shall not rule in your favor.

Had it not been customary for a person to acknowledge receipt when he has not in fact received it, we would never accept your retraction at all, because this is a retraction from an acknowledgment concerning another person’s right, and such a retraction is not accepted.

بعشرة آلاف ريال وذهب إلى كاتب العدل، وكان من عادة كاتب العدل ألا يكتب حتى يكون الثمن قد استلم؛ لئلا تبقى المسألة معلقة، فقال البائع: اكتب أنني بعت وقبضت الثمن كاملاً فكتب كاتب العدل، ثم بعد أسبوع أو عشرة أيام جاء البائع إلى المشتري وقال: أعطني القيمة، قال: انتظر، وبعد مدة جاء وقال: أعطني القيمة، قال: انتظر، ذهب وانتظر، وبعد مدة جاء قال: أعطني القيمة، فلما طالت المدة جاء إليه وقال: أعطني ثمن البيت عشرة آلاف، قال ـ أعوذ بالله ـ: ما تقول بهذا الصك، أتقدح بكاتب العدل؟! فبُهت الرجل؛ لأنه أقر بأنه استلم الثمن، ومن كاتب عدل ـ أي: من جهة مسؤولة ـ فسقط في يده، ماذا يصنع؟ قال: تعال أنا وأنت والقاضي، أو أحد الناس من أهل الخير والصلاح، احلف عندهم أنك أقبضتني، فله الحق أن يحلفه، فلما طلب تحليفه وقال: كيف أحلف على شيء وبيدي وثيقة من كاتب العدل أنك قابض الثمن، لو أحلف أنك قابض الثمن قالوا: هذا إنسان مجنون، يحلف على شيء ثابت لا يحتاج أن يحلف عليه!! قال: نعم، أنا أقررت بأنني قبضت الثمن ثقة بك، ولأجل أن ننهي المعاملة والإفراغ، والآن ما قبضت، فاحلف، فإذا أبى أن يحلف، فالقاضي يرد اليمين على البائع، ويقول: احلف أنك لم تقبض الثمن، فإذا حلف ألزم المشتري أن يدفع الثمن، وإن لم تحلف فإننا لا نحكم لك، ولولا أن العادة جرت بأن الإنسان يقر وهو ما قَبَضَ، لم نقبل رجوعك إطلاقاً؛ لأن هذا رجوع عن إقرار لآدمي، والرجوع عن الإقرار لآدمي غير مقبول.