He—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked:

Concerning ownership of an orchard containing different kinds of trees: some fruits begin to ripen early, such as apricots; others begin to ripen late, such as pomegranates; and others begin to ripen between these times, such as grapes, figs and fresh dates. You consider a sale valid only after the fruit begins to ripen. How, then, can one ensure compliance with Islamic law when the onset of ripening varies between early, late and intermediate times? If, for example, he sells the apricots when they begin to ripen, and you do not permit the sale of the grapes because they are still unripe at that time, with regard to what was not theirs—please give us your ruling.

He replied—may Allah be pleased with him:

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

This matter has two forms. The first is that a person takes on the orchard under contract, cultivating its land and watering its trees himself, like someone who leases land. The second is that he purchases only the fruit: the expense of watering and tending the orchard falls upon the seller, not the buyer. The buyer is entitled only to the fruit and bears none of these expenses.