16
Al-Shāfiʿī’s chief proof is the Prophetic prohibition on a man’s selling what he does not yet possess. The Mālikīs, however, restrict that prohibition to cases in which he sells for himself, not when he sells on behalf of someone else.
They explain: The prohibition was revealed in connection with Ḥakīm ibn Ḥizām—his story is well known—for he used to sell for himself goods that were not in his possession.
The root of the disagreement is the famous methodological question: when a prohibition is issued on account of a specific incident, is its scope confined to that incident, or does it apply generally?
These, then, are the underlying principles of the present section. In substance the discussion could have been subsumed under Part One, yet the technical discipline of jurisprudence calls for treating it separately. Having spoken of it in accordance with our aim, we now move on to Section Three, which addresses the general rules governing valid sales.
SECTION THREE
General Rulings for Valid Sales
The issues in this section that are closely linked to transmitted evidence are confined to four overarching statements:
- The rulings that apply when a defect is found in the goods sold.
- Liability (ḍamān) in sales—specifically, the point at which it passes from the seller’s estate to the buyer’s.
- Identifying the things that are deemed to accompany the item sold, being present in it at the time of sale, and those that do not accompany it.
- Disputes between the two contracting parties, although that topic properly belongs in the Book of Adjudication. Likewise, the questions of pre-emption (shufʿah) and claims of prior entitlement (istiḥqāq) are ancillary rulings of sale, but custom has allotted each a separate treatise.
THE FIRST STATEMENT
(This statement comprises two chapters)
Chapter One: The rulings that govern defects in an unconditional sale.
Chapter Two: The rulings that govern defects when the parties have stipulated immunity from liability.
CHAPTER ONE
Rulings Concerning Defects in an Unconditional Sale
The textual basis for rescinding a sale on account of a defect is the Almighty’s saying, “unless it be a trade conducted by mutual consent among you” (al-Nisāʾ 4:29), together with the celebrated ḥadīth of the muṣarrāh.
Now, when a defect exists, the situation must be one of two: it arises in a contract that entails the right of rescission, or in a contract that does not. If it arises in a contract that does entail rescission, one must further ask whether the defect is of a kind that calls for a ruling or not. Should it be a defect that does call for a ruling, the goods may either have undergone alteration after the sale or remained unchanged. If no alteration has occurred, what is the ruling? If an alteration has occurred, how many kinds of alteration are there, and what ruling attaches to each?
Accordingly, the foundational discussions encompassed by this chapter amount to five sub-sections.
وَعُمْدَةُ الشَّافِعِيِّ:
النَّهْيُ الْوَارِدُ عَنْ بَيْعِ الرَّجُلِ مَا لَيْسَ عِنْدَهُ، وَالْمَالِكِيَّةُ تَحْمِلُهُ عَلَى بَيْعِهِ لِنَفْسِهِ لَا لِغَيْرِهِ،
قَالُوا:
وَالدَّلِيلُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ أَنَّ النَّهْيَ إِنَّمَا وَرَدَ فِي حَكِيمِ بْنِ حِزَامٍ، وَقَضِيَّتُهُ مَشْهُورَةٌ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَبِيعُ لِنَفْسِهِ مَا لَيْسَ عِنْدَهُ.
وَسَبَبُ الْخِلَافِ الْمَسْأَلَةُ المَشْهُورَةُ، هَلْ إِذَا وَرَدَ النَّهْيُ عَلَى سَبَبٍ حُمِلَ عَلَى سَبَبِهِ أَوْ يَعُمُّ؟ فَهَذِهِ هِيَ أُصُولُ هَذَا الْقِسْمِ، وَبِالْجُمْلَةِ فَالنَّظَرُ فِي هَذَا الْقِسْمِ هُوَ مُنْطَوقٌ بِالْقُوَّةِ فِي الْجُزْءِ الْأَوَّلِ، وَلَكِنَّ النَّظَرَ الصِّنَاعِيَّ الْفِقْهِيَّ يَقْتَضِي أَنْ يُفْرَدَ بِالتَّكَلُّمِ فِيهِ. وَإِذْ قَدْ تَكَلَّمْنَا فِي هَذَا الْجُزْءِ بِحَسَبِ غَرَضِنَا فَلْنَصِرْ إِلَى الْقِسْمِ الثَّالِثِ، وَهُوَ الْقَوْلُ فِي الْأَحْكَامِ الْعَامَّةِ لِلْبُيُوعِ الصَّحِيحَةِ.
[الْقِسْمُ الثَّالِثُ فِي الْأَحْكَامِ الْعَامَّةِ لِلْبُيُوعِ الصَّحِيحَةِ]
[الْجُمْلَةُ الْأُولَى فِي أَحْكَامِ وُجُودِ الْعَيْبِ فِي الْمَبِيعَاتِ]
[الْبَابُ الْأَوَّلُ فِي أَحْكَامِ الْعُيُوبِ فِي الْبَيْعِ الْمُطْلَقِ]
الْقِسْمُ الثَّالِثُ:
فِي الْأَحْكَامِ الْعَامَّةِ لِلْبُيُوعِ الصَّحِيحَةِ
وَهَذَا الْقِسْمُ تَنْحَصِرُ أُصُولُهُ الَّتِي لَهَا تَعَلُّقٌ قَرِيبٌ بِالْمَسْمُوعِ فِي أَرْبَعِ جُمَلٍ:
الْجُمْلَةُ الْأُولَى: فِي أَحْكَامِ وُجُودِ الْعَيْبِ فِي الْمَبِيعَاتِ.
وَالْجُمْلَةُ الثَّانِيَةُ:
فِي الضَّمَانِ فِي الْمَبِيعَاتِ مَتَى يَنْتَقِلُ مِنْ مِلْكِ الْبَائِعِ إِلَى مِلْكِ الْمُشْتَرِي.
وَالثَّالِثَةُ:
فِي مَعْرِفَةِ الْأَشْيَاءِ الَّتِي تَتْبَعُ الْمَبِيعَ مِمَّا هِيَ مَوْجُودَةٌ فِيهِ فِي حِينِ الْبَيْعِ مِنَ الَّتِي لَا تَتْبَعُهُ.
وَالرَّابِعَةُ:
فِي اخْتِلَافِ الْمُتَبَايِعَيْنِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ الْأَلْيَقُ بِهِ كِتَابَ الْأَقْضِيَةِ. وَكَذَلِكَ أَيْضًا مِنْ أَبْوَابِ أَحْكَامِ الْبُيُوعِ الِاسْتِحْقَاقُ، وَكَذَلِكَ الشُّفْعَةُ هِيَ أَيْضًا مِنَ الْأَحْكَامِ الطَّارِئَةِ عَلَيْهِ، لَكِنْ جَرَتِ الْعَادَةُ أَنْ يُفْرَدَ لَهَا كِتَابٌ.
الْجُمْلَةُ الْأُولَى وَهَذِهِ الْجُمْلَةُ فِيهَا بَابَانِ:
الْبَابُ الْأَوَّلُ: فِي أَحْكَامِ وُجُودِ الْعُيُوبِ فِي الْبَيْعِ الْمُطْلَقِ.
وَالْبَابُ الثَّانِي:
فِي أَحْكَامِهِمَا فِي الْبَيْعِ بِشَرْطِ الْبَرَاءَةِ.
الْبَابُ الْأَوَّلُ فِي أَحْكَامِ الْعُيُوبِ فِي الْبَيْعِ الْمُطْلَقِ وَالْأَصْلُ فِي وُجُودِ الرَّدِّ بِالْعَيْبِ قَوْله تَعَالَى:
{إِلا أَنْ تَكُونَ تِجَارَةً عَنْ تَرَاضٍ مِنْكُمْ}
[النساء: ٢٩]
، وَحَدِيثُ الْمُصَرَّاةِ الْمَشْهُورُ.
وَلَمَّا كَانَ الْقَائِمُ بِالْعَيْبِ لَا يَخْلُو أَنْ يَقُومَ فِي عَقْدٍ يُوجِبُ الرَّدَّ، أَوْ يَقُومَ فِي عَقْدٍ لَا يُوجِبُ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ إِذَا قَامَ فِي عَقْدٍ يُوجِبُ الرَّدَّ، فَلَا يَخْلُو أَيْضًا أَنْ يَقُومَ بِعَيْبٍ يُوجِبُ حُكْمًا، أَوْ لَا يُوجِبُهُ، ثُمَّ إِنْ قَامَ بِعَيْبٍ يُوجِبُ حُكْمًا فَلَا يَخْلُو الْمَبِيعُ أَيْضًا أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدْ حَدَثَ فِيهِ تَغَيُّرٌ بَعْدَ الْبَيْعِ، أَوْ لَا يَكُونُ، فَإِنْ كَانَ لَمْ يَحْدُثْ فَمَا حُكْمُهُ؟ وَإِنْ كَانَ حَدَثَ فِيهِ فَكَمْ أَصْنَافُ التَّغْيِيرَاتِ وَمَا حُكْمُهَا؟
كَانَتِ الْفُصُولُ الْمُحِيطَةُ بِأُصُولِ هَذَا الْبَابِ خَمْسَةٌ: