as long as they remain at the very place where the contract was made and have not yet parted, they both retain the option to rescind.

An illustration: one man sells another a car for ten thousand. So long as they are still in the place of contract and have not separated, they are both free to cancel: if the seller wishes, he may annul the sale; likewise, if the buyer wishes, he may annul it. This is part of Allah’s grace and His broad facilitation for His servants. When an item is still in someone else’s possession, it often takes on exaggerated value in a person’s eyes and he is eager to acquire it by any means. Once he has obtained it, however, his desire for it may wane, because he has now secured it. The Prophet ﷺ understood this, and therefore the Lawgiver granted the parties the option so that each could reflect calmly and give the matter due consideration.

Accordingly, as long as the two men—the seller and the buyer—have not separated, they both enjoy the option, even if a long time passes, even ten hours. If the sale took place at the start of the day and they remained together until midday, they would still have the right to rescind, on account of the Prophet’s general statement: “so long as they have not separated.” In the hadith of Ibn ʿUmar it is further stated: “or one of them grants the other the option,” meaning that one may say to the other, “The option is exclusively yours.” In that case the option belongs solely to that party and the other has none. They may also say together, “There is no option between us.”

Thus, four situations arise:

1. The option is affirmed for both parties, and this is the case in an unrestricted sale that carries no special stipulation; the right of option belongs to both the seller and the buyer, and each of them has the right to