some versions of the hadith state without qualification that “he forbade the leasing of farmland,” the definite article refers to the form of leasing familiar among them. When the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, told them, “Do not lease farmland,” he meant only the form of leasing they knew, as they themselves understood his words—and they knew best what he intended. This is also clarified by the report that “he permitted forms of leasing other than that.” A comparable case is the prohibition of muzābana and similar transactions, which accompanied this prohibition.

Although wording may be unqualified in itself, when addressed to a particular person—for example, in answer to a question or following an account of certain circumstances—it is often qualified by the circumstances of the person addressed. For instance, if a patient tells a physician that he has a fever, and the physician tells him, “Do not eat fatty foods,” it is understood that the prohibition is qualified by that condition.

This is because unqualified wording is understood to refer to an established referent, or to what the circumstances call for, even if the expression is indefinite. Thus, when one of two parties to a sale says, “I sell it to you for ten dirhams,” the wording is unqualified, yet it refers only to the kind of dirhams customarily used.

If, then, the people addressed customarily used the term “leasing” only for the arrangement they practised, and were subsequently addressed using that term, it would refer only to what they knew. This is an instance of restriction of meaning through customary usage. Similarly, if the word “animal” is conventionally understood among them to mean a horse or a hoofed animal, and someone says, “Do not bring me an animal,” that unqualified expression would refer only to that meaning. The prohibition issued by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was qualified