that which Allah had not authorized. O Allah, enable us to regard as lawful what You have made lawful, as forbidden what You have forbidden, and as religion what You have prescribed.

The ruler must take measures to prohibit unlawful transactions and punish those who engage in them, including fraud. Muslim related in his Sahīh (1), on the authority of Abū Hurayra—may Allah be pleased with him—that the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—passed by a pile of food and inserted his hand into it. His fingers felt moisture (2) [A/Q 71], so he asked, “What is this, seller of the food?!” The man replied, “It was caught in the rain, O Messenger of Allah.” He said, “Why did you not put it on top of the food so that people could see it? Whoever cheats is not of me.” Another version states (3): “Whoever cheats us is not one of us.”

Fraud is a comprehensive term for every case in which a seller presents goods as being different from what they are within. An example is those who make the visible part of foodstuffs—such as fruits, grains, and the like—look attractive while placing inferior produce inside. They practice the same deception with livestock, as when the milk of camels and sheep is left to accumulate in their udders. This consists of allowing milk to collect in an animal’s udder for two or three days and then selling it, so that the buyer believes it yields that amount of milk every day. The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—said: “Do not leave milk to accumulate in the udders of camels and sheep. Whoever buys one after that may, once he has milked it, choose between two courses: if he is satisfied with it, he may keep it; but if he is dissatisfied, he may return it together with one sā of dates.” Al-Bukhārī and Muslim recorded it in their Sahīh collections (4).

Another example is reddening the face of a female slave, dyeing her hair black, and curling it.