—that is, on the basis of an interpretive judgment—unless he had ruled in favor of a man on the basis of a temporary-marriage contract, or had pronounced three divorces in a single utterance and ruled that the woman could be taken back without an intervening husband. Such a ruling is rejected, and the one who issued it is subject to punishment and exemplary chastisement.

Among matters relating to transactions are fraud in merchandise and deception concerning prices. He must denounce and prevent such practices and discipline those responsible according to the circumstances.

If this fraud involves deceiving the buyer by concealing the defect from him, it is the most serious form of fraud in terms of prohibition; it must be denounced more emphatically, and the disciplinary action taken against it must be harsher. If it is not concealed from the buyer, it is a lesser sin and calls for milder denunciation. The official should consider the buyer’s purpose in purchasing it. If he bought it in order to resell it, denunciation is directed at the seller for committing the fraud and at the buyer for purchasing it, since he might sell it to someone unaware of the fraud. But if he bought it for his own use, the buyer is no longer subject to denunciation, and the seller alone is liable.

The same applies to deception concerning prices. Aḥmad said, in the narration of Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad, concerning a man who bought one thousand dirhams with dinars, some of which were sound, some counterfeit, and some adulterated: “He bought what was unlawful and sold what was unlawful.”