such transactions, enough profit to sustain them without imposing undue hardship on the public. If prices are imposed on them without their consent at a level that leaves them no profit, this leads to market disruption, the concealment of food supplies, and the loss of people’s wealth.”

I say:

This, then, is the matter over which the scholars disagreed.

But if people refuse to sell what they are obliged to sell, they are ordered to fulfil their obligation and punished for failing to do so. Likewise, if someone who is obliged to sell at the prevailing market price refuses to sell except at a higher price, he is undoubtedly ordered to fulfil his obligation and punished for failing to do so.

Whoever prohibits price regulation unconditionally, citing the words of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him,

“Allah is the One who sets prices, withholds, and grants abundance, and I certainly hope to meet Allah with none of you holding a claim against me for any injustice involving blood or property,”

has erred. This concerns a particular case; it is not a statement of general application. Nothing in it indicates that anyone had refused to make a sale or perform work that was obligatory upon him, or had demanded more than the customary compensation for it.

It is well known that if an owner offers an item for sale in the customary manner, but people seek to outbid one another for it and thus drive up its price, no price is to be fixed for them. As we have mentioned, most of the food sold in Medina was brought in from elsewhere, though some produce grown there might also be sold. The only crop grown there was