The default ruling for a sale is permissibility, whether immediate or deferred

Question:
May Allah reward you. Honorable Shaykh Salih, may Allah preserve you. In our time, sales have become very common, whether they are installment sales or deferred sales. What is the legal criterion in the Shari'ah for these sales?

Answer:
The default ruling for sales is permissibility. Allah the Exalted said: . The default ruling for all transactions is permissibility, except for what evidence indicates is prohibited. It is permissible to sell for an immediate price, and it is permissible to sell for a deferred price; both are the same. This is because it falls under the saying of Allah the Exalted: , and it falls under the default ruling that transactions are permissible except for what the Lawgiver has prohibited. So Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says: . This includes selling on credit. The debt may be the price of a sold item, it may be a loan, or it may be a forward sale (salam); this covers all of it. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) bought on credit, and he borrowed from the camels of the zakat. He died (peace and blessings be upon him) with his armor pledged to a Jew for food he had bought for his family. Yes.