Chapter: When the Agent and the Principal Disagree

If the agent and the principal differ, so that the agent says, “You told me to sell it for ten,” while the principal replies, “For fifteen,” the principal’s word is accepted—unless he claims something clearly abnormal, a price for which such goods are never sold.

Likewise, if the agent contends, “You authorized me to sell on deferred payment,” and the principal denies it, the principal’s statement prevails.

If the principal did authorize a credit sale but they dispute the term— the agent asserting, “Two months,” and the principal, “One month”—Mālik holds that the word of the person so commanded, i.e., the agent, is to be believed.

Should the agent say, “You instructed me to buy for one thousand,” while the principal insists, “I told you five hundred,” the principal’s word is again decisive.