Thus the noble verse and the prophetic report together show that deferment is a prerequisite for salam and that the term must be fixed in a manner known to both parties.

Condition 5: The commodity must customarily be available at the time the term falls due so that delivery can be effected then. If the item is not usually obtainable at that time, the salam is invalid—for example, contracting for fresh dates or grapes to be delivered in winter.

Condition 6: The entire price, precisely quantified, must be received in the very session in which the contract is concluded, for the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever enters into a salam transaction must pay in a known measure …,” meaning that he must hand over the price immediately. Imam al-Shafi‘i (d. 204 AH) said: “The word salam does not apply unless he gives what he advanced before he and the seller part company; if the price is not taken possession of in the session, the transaction becomes a sale of one debt for another, and that is impermissible.”

Condition 7: The salam commodity must not be a specific, identified object; rather, it must remain a liability in the seller’s debt. Consequently, salam is invalid for a particular house or a particular tree, because the specific item might perish before delivery and the objective would be lost. Delivery and fulfillment of the salam commodity take place at the location where the contract was concluded, provided that place is suitable. If it is unsuitable—such as when the contract was made in the open desert or at sea—the place of delivery must be specified. Whatever location the two parties agree upon is valid; but if they disagree, we revert to the place where the contract was made, so long as it is fit for delivery as mentioned earlier.

Among the rulings of salam is that it is not permissible to sell the salam commodity before