• raṭbah: the term denotes something soft, fresh, and tender; its plural is raṭāb. Here it means, “Do not purchase livestock,” because any creature endowed with life is liable to perish.
• baṭn masīl: with a fatḥah on the bāʾ and a sukun on the ṭāʾ; the reference is to the beds of valleys and the channels through which flood-waters run, for there the capital is exposed to being swept away or ruined.

Takeaways from the ḥadith:
1 – The report establishes the principle of the muḍārabah partnership and confirms that it is a permissible contract, for it accords with the rules of lawful commercial dealings.
2 – It shows that either of the two partners may lay down conditions for the other that bring a benefit to himself or to the partnership and its contract.
3 – It proves that such stipulations are valid and binding; were they not so, there would be no point in making them.
4 – Any clause agreed upon by two contracting parties must not conflict with the Book of Allah or the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Should it conflict with them, it is invalid, even if there were a hundred such clauses.
5 – The default assumption is that a contract contains no stipulations, for nothing enters a contract unless it is explicitly mentioned and required; therefore, the burden of proof rests with whoever claims the existence of a condition.
6 – Among the legitimate, enforceable stipulations is for the owner of the capital to require the agent not to commit the funds to a trade in which loss is feared or which demands extra cost and effort—for example, buying livestock—or to forbid him from transporting it through dangerous seas or along routes where highwaymen are feared, and to oblige him to show added care and protection, such as not stopping in the beds of flood-valleys, for there is a prohibition against settling in valley floors because of the sudden danger of drowning.
7 – Another valid stipulation is that, if the owner orders the agent to avoid hazards while working with the capital, he may further say: “Should you overstep the limits or fall short by violating those conditions …”