Sunan Abi Dawud

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: A townsman must not sell for a man from the desert, even if he is his brother or father. Abu Dawud said: Anas b. Malik said: It was said: A townsman must not sell for a man from the desert. This phrase carries a broad meaning. It means that the (the townsman) must not sell anything for him or buy anything for him.

That a bedouin told him that he brought a milch she-camel in the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He alighted with Talhah ibn Ubaydullah (and wanted to sell his milch animal to him). He said: The Prophet (ﷺ) forbade a townsman to sell for a man from the desert. But go to the market and see who buys from you. consult me thereafter, and then I shall ask you (to sell) or forbid you.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: A townsman must not sell for a man from the desert ; and leave people alone, Allah will give them provision from one another.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Do not go out to meet riders to conduct business with them ; none of you must buy in opposition to one another; and do not tie up the udders of camels and sheep, for he who buys them after that has been done has two courses open to him after milking them: he may keep them if he is pleased with them, or he may return them along with a sa' of dates is he is displeased with them.

The Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: If anyone buys sheep whose udders have been tied up, he has option for three days: he may return it if he desires with a sa' of any grain, not (necessarily) wheat.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: If anyone buys sheep or goat whose udders have been tied up and he milked it, he may keep it if he is pleased with it, or he may return it if he is displeased with it. There is one sa' of dates (which he must give to the seller) for milking it.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone buys a sheep whose udders have been tied up, he has option for three days (for decision). If he returns it, he should return with it wheat equal to its milk or double of it.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: No one withholds goods till their price rises but a sinner. I said to Sa'id (b. al-Musayyab): You withhold goods till their price rises. He said: Ma'mar used to withhold goods till their price rose. Abu Dawud said: I asked Ahmad (b. Hanbal): What is hoarding (hukrah) ? He replied: That on which people live. Abu Dawud said: Al-Auza'i said: A muhtakir (one who hoards) is one who withholds supply of goods in the market.

Hoarding does not apply to dried dates. Ibn al-Muthanna said that he (Yahya b. Fayyad) reported on the authority of al-Hasan. We (Ibn al-Muthanna) said to him (Yahya): Do not say: "on the authority of al-Hasan." Abu Dawud said: This tradition according to us is false. Abu Dawud said: Sa'id b. al-Musayyab used to hoard kernel, fodder, and seeds. Abu Dawud said: I heard Ahmad b. Yunus say: I asked Sufyan about hoarding fodder. He replied: They (the people in the past) disapproved of hoarding. I asked Abu Bakr b. 'Ayyash (about it). He replied: Hoard it.

On the authority of his father, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade to break the coins of the Muslims current among them except for some defect.

A man came and said: Messenger of Allah, fix prices. He said: (No), but I shall pray. Again the man came and said: Messenger of Allah, fix prices. He said: It is but Allah Who makes the prices low and high. I hope that when I meet Allah, none of you has any claim on me for doing wrong regarding blood or property.

The people said: Messenger of Allah , prices have shot up, so fix prices for us. Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Allah is the one Who fixes prices, Who withholds, gives lavishly and provides, and I hope that when I meet Allah, none of you will have any claim on me for an injustice regarding blood or property.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed a man who was selling grain. He asked him: How are you selling? He informed him. Revelation them came down to him saying: "Put your hand into it." So he put his hand into it, and felt that it was damp. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then said: "He who deceives has nothing to do with us."

Sufyan disapproved of the interpretation of the phrase "has nothing to do with us" as "not like us".

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Each one of the two parties in a business has an option (to annul it) against the other party so long as they have not separated, except in a conditional bargain.

"Or one of them tells the other: "Exercise the right."

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Both parties in a business transaction have a right to annul it so long as they have not separated unless it is a bargain with the option to annul is attached to it; and it is not permissible for one of them to separate from the other for fear that one may demand that the bargain be rescinded.

We fought one of our battle, and encamped at a certain place. One of our companions sold a horse for a slave. After that they remained there for the rest of day and night. When the next morning came, they prepared themselves for departure. The buyer of the horse began to saddle it, but the seller was ashamed (of the transaction). He went to the man (buyer) and asked him to annul the transaction. The man refused to hand it over (the horse) to him. He said: AbuBarzah, the companion of the Prophet (ﷺ), is to decide between me and you. They went to AbuBarzah in the corner of the army. They related this story to him. He said: Do you agree that I make a decision between you on the basis of the decision of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Both parties in a business transaction have an option (right) to annul it so long as they have not separated. Hisham to Hassan said that Jamil said in his version: "I do not think that you separated."

When Abu Zur'ah made a business transaction with a man, he gave him the right of option. He then would tell him: Give me the right of option (to annul the bargain). He said: I heard AbuHurayrah say: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Two people must separate only by mutual consent.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Both parties in a business transaction have a right of option (to annul it) so long as they are not separated ; and if they tell the truth and make everything clear, they will be blessed in their transaction, but it they conceal anything and lie, the blessing on their transaction will be blotted out. Abu Dawud said: A similar tradition has also been transmitted by Sa'id b. Abi 'Arubah and Hammad. As regards with Hammam, he said in his version: Until they separate or exercise the right of option (to annul the transaction), saying the words of option three times.