and the living, particularly in transactions for which calling witnesses is not customary. Requiring proof in such cases departs from recognized standards of justice. And Allah knows best.

He was asked:

A man acts on behalf of an amir in collecting his money. Is he entitled to the established agency fee of one tenth of what he collects—one hundred dirhams for every thousand? May he take this during the amir’s lifetime and after his death, with or without his permission?

He answered:

Praise be to Allah, Lord of all worlds. If the amir appointed him as his agent in return for one tenth, or appointed him without specifying terms in the customary manner that conventionally entitles him to one tenth, then he is entitled to it. His entitlement to one tenth rests on either an express verbal stipulation or one established by custom.

Such hiring is comparable to leasing land for cultivation in return for a share of its crop. This is the issue known as “qafīz al-tahhān” (the miller’s measure). Anyone who attributes to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the report that “he forbade qafīz al-tahhān” is mistaken. Collecting money in return for an undivided share of it is permissible according to the stronger of the two scholarly opinions.

If he worked for him on the understanding that he would receive compensation, but its amount was not specified, he is likewise entitled to the customary fee for comparable work. If anything is due to him from the amir, he may