Discussion of the hadith: (The prohibition of two sales in one sale).
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The Shaykh : I do not wish to lengthen the answer either, but I also wish to give an example of a narrator who is not a Companion, but a Successor. You undoubtedly hear a hadith today where the majority of scholars of knowledge are far from understanding the hadith. I do not say they understood it correctly, for it is correct; rather, I say they understood the hadith contrary to the understanding of the narrator from the Companion. I mean, this understanding from this Companion, from this narrator from the Companion, is the correct one.
What is the hadith? It is the hadith of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited two sales in one sale, two sales in one sale. The merchants of the end times will fall into contradicting this hadith and what is in its meaning. Perhaps our brothers, whom the call to the truth, the Book and the Sunnah, and upon the methodology of the righteous predecessors, has gathered with us, listen now to the righteous predecessors. Ibn Mas'ud says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited two sales in one sale. The narrator of this hadith from Ibn Mas'ud was asked: What are two sales in one sale? He said: "That you say: I sell you this for such-and-such cash, and for such-and-such deferred." This is today's installment sale, but the names differ. In my knowledge, and Allah knows best, the installment sale came to us from the lands of disbelief and misguidance when these lands were colonized. The installment sale. There was selling on credit in the past, but organized installment selling by what is called? By checks and the like. This is the merchandise of the disbelieving Europeans. He prohibited two sales in one sale. Sammak ibn Harb, the narrator of this hadith from Ibn Mas'ud, was asked: What are two sales in one sale? He said: "That you say: I sell you this for such-and-such cash," for example, one hundred cash, and one hundred and five dinars deferred. The Messenger (peace be upon him) prohibited this. If we want to interpret the hadith other than this interpretation, and this is known from some of the later scholars, we say to them first: "The narrator of the hadith knows best what he narrated, more than others." How is this? Does it enter the mind of a student of knowledge, a true student of knowledge, that the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when they heard the hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and suppose one of them...
- May Allah have mercy on you - suppose one of them heard the hadith and did not understand its meaning, its implication, and its jurisprudence. Would he not turn to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) with a question, or would he keep that ignorance in himself and narrate the hadith without clarifying it from him? I think I am the first to believe that this is impossible for a Companion to hear the hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and not understand its apparent implication, and then not ask the Messenger (peace be upon him). This is impossible.
So it is said that what we said about the Companion applies to the one who received this hadith from the Companion. Here, Sammak ibn Harb heard the hadith from Ibn Mas'ud. The same previous question: Do you think that Sammak ibn Harb, the Successor, when he heard the hadith from Ibn Mas'ud, "He prohibited two sales in one sale," did not understand it? He is one of two people: either he understood it, or he did not understand it. If he understood it, there is no need for the question. If he did not understand it, he asks, just as the Companion does, and so on. So when we hear the Successor narrating this hadith from the Companion, and the Successor is asked: What is the meaning of this hadith? He says: That you sell this thing for such-and-such cash and such-and-such deferred. This is how the hadith should be understood. The narrator knows best what he narrated, more than others.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : If the matter is so.
What is the hadith? It is the hadith of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited two sales in one sale, two sales in one sale. The merchants of the end times will fall into contradicting this hadith and what is in its meaning. Perhaps our brothers, whom the call to the truth, the Book and the Sunnah, and upon the methodology of the righteous predecessors, has gathered with us, listen now to the righteous predecessors. Ibn Mas'ud says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited two sales in one sale. The narrator of this hadith from Ibn Mas'ud was asked: What are two sales in one sale? He said: "That you say: I sell you this for such-and-such cash, and for such-and-such deferred." This is today's installment sale, but the names differ. In my knowledge, and Allah knows best, the installment sale came to us from the lands of disbelief and misguidance when these lands were colonized. The installment sale. There was selling on credit in the past, but organized installment selling by what is called? By checks and the like. This is the merchandise of the disbelieving Europeans. He prohibited two sales in one sale. Sammak ibn Harb, the narrator of this hadith from Ibn Mas'ud, was asked: What are two sales in one sale? He said: "That you say: I sell you this for such-and-such cash," for example, one hundred cash, and one hundred and five dinars deferred. The Messenger (peace be upon him) prohibited this. If we want to interpret the hadith other than this interpretation, and this is known from some of the later scholars, we say to them first: "The narrator of the hadith knows best what he narrated, more than others." How is this? Does it enter the mind of a student of knowledge, a true student of knowledge, that the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when they heard the hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and suppose one of them...
- May Allah have mercy on you - suppose one of them heard the hadith and did not understand its meaning, its implication, and its jurisprudence. Would he not turn to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) with a question, or would he keep that ignorance in himself and narrate the hadith without clarifying it from him? I think I am the first to believe that this is impossible for a Companion to hear the hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and not understand its apparent implication, and then not ask the Messenger (peace be upon him). This is impossible.
So it is said that what we said about the Companion applies to the one who received this hadith from the Companion. Here, Sammak ibn Harb heard the hadith from Ibn Mas'ud. The same previous question: Do you think that Sammak ibn Harb, the Successor, when he heard the hadith from Ibn Mas'ud, "He prohibited two sales in one sale," did not understand it? He is one of two people: either he understood it, or he did not understand it. If he understood it, there is no need for the question. If he did not understand it, he asks, just as the Companion does, and so on. So when we hear the Successor narrating this hadith from the Companion, and the Successor is asked: What is the meaning of this hadith? He says: That you sell this thing for such-and-such cash and such-and-such deferred. This is how the hadith should be understood. The narrator knows best what he narrated, more than others.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : If the matter is so.