Book of Pledges

Chapter
On the Permissibility of Pledges during Travel and at Home

Mālik—may Allah have mercy on him—and the majority of scholars hold that pledges are permissible both during travel and at home. Allah—Blessed and Exalted—explicitly permitted them during travel, saying:

“If you are on a journey and cannot find a scribe, then let a pledge be taken into possession.” [al-Baqarah: 283]

The Sunnah also permits them at home, as established in authentic reports. These include the authentic narration transmitted by ‘Ā’ishah and others, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ bought food from a Jew on credit and pledged his coat of mail to him.”

It is also reported that “A man came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ demanding payment and spoke harshly to him. One of those present said to him, ‘How can you speak to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ like that?’ The Prophet said, ‘Leave him, for he is demanding what is rightfully his.’ Then he said to the man, ‘Go to so-and-so and ask him to sell us food on credit until something comes to us.’ But the Jew refused, saying, ‘I will not sell to him without a pledge.’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Take my coat of mail to him. By Allah, I am indeed trustworthy in heaven and trustworthy on earth.’”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ died while his coat of mail was still pledged to a Jew, although he was at home, not travelling.