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As for fruit, those who recognize a right of pre-emption over it make no distinction between its being sold separately from the trees after signs of ripeness appear, or together with the trees after those signs appear or beforehand, provided pollination has taken place, according to Ibn al-Qāsim’s position. This is Mālik’s view in al-Mudawwana, based on juristic preference. He said, “I know of no scholar before me who held that pre-emption applies to it.” If, however, it is sold before pollination, no pre-emption applies to it, since no portion of the price is allocated to it. According to Ibn al-Qāsim, where the sale occurred before pollination, the pre-emptor takes the fruit, provided it has neither been harvested nor dried, by virtue of his entitlement to it, not through pre-emption. I have already detailed the ramifications of this issue in my explanation of this question and related matters in the Book of Defects, so there is no reason to repeat them. Success comes from Allah, who has no partner.
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Likewise, those who recognize pre-emption over crops make no distinction between their being sold separately from the land once their sale becomes lawful, or together with the land after they have sprouted or before they sprout. It has also been said that crops which have not yet sprouted are not subject to pre-emption at all, since no portion of the price is allocated to them, just like fruit that has not been pollinated. The correct view, however, is that a portion of the price is allocated to them and that pre-emption does apply to them, unlike fruit that has not been pollinated. Success comes from Allah.
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A difference of opinion concerning pre-emption over crops can be inferred from al-Mudawwana itself, since its exclusion of pre-emption is justified on the grounds that crops may not be sold until they dry. This reasoning entails that pre-emption must apply if they are sold before drying, according either to those scholars who permit such a sale or to those of our school who regard the contract, once concluded, as rendering the sale irreversible. It must also apply when the crops are sold together with the land. This is contrary to the explicit ruling in al-Mudawwana, but accords with the apparent meaning of Mālik’s statement in Ashhab’s transmitted reports: “Pre-emption applies to land and to everything the land produces.” Success comes from Allah Most High.