taking possession of it, for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade the sale of foodstuffs until they have been received. Likewise, it is impermissible to assign the salam liability to a third party, because a ḥawāla is valid only when the debt is firmly established, whereas the salam obligation remains susceptible to cancellation.

Another ruling: if, at the due date, the contracted commodity cannot be found—such as when one prepays for fruit and the trees fail to bear that year—the buyer in the salam (rabb al-salam) may either wait until the commodity becomes available and then demand delivery, or annul the contract and reclaim the principal he advanced. Once the contract is dissolved, the price must be returned; if the very coins he paid are no longer intact, their equivalent must be repaid. Allah knows best.

The permissibility of this transaction is a mark of the Islamic law’s ease and generosity, for it facilitates people’s affairs and secures their interests while remaining free from usury and every other prohibition. All praise belongs to Allah for His facilitation.