What is the ruling on selling wheat or barley for double its price over a period of one year, knowing that its price is currently, for example, ten riyals and after one year twenty riyals? Is that considered riba?
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The questioner : What is the ruling on selling wheat or barley for double its price over a period of one year, knowing that its price is currently, for example, ten and after one year twenty? Is that considered riba or not?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. There is no doubt that riba is among the major sins, and that Allah has threatened those who commit it with a threat unlike any threat for any of the sins below disbelief, as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) stated. Allah the Exalted said regarding those who take riba:[Al-Baqarah 2:278-279] And He said: [Al-Baqarah 2:275-276] And He said: [Ali 'Imran 3:130-132] And it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Sunan Ibn Majah 2277Hasan (Darussalam) But we must know in what things riba occurs?
Riba occurs in six categories, which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) distinguished in his saying: So these six categories, if you sell something for its like, two things are required: equality and exchange before parting. For example, if you sell gold for gold, they must be equal in weight and the exchange must occur before parting. If you sell silver for silver, likewise, they must be equal in weight and the exchange must occur before parting. If you sell wheat for wheat, likewise, the exchange must occur before parting and there must be equality in measure. The same applies to barley, dates, and salt. However, if you sell one category for another, such as selling wheat for barley, there is no harm in difference in amount, meaning there is no harm if one is more than the other, but the exchange is required. So if you sell a sa' of wheat for two sa' of barley, it is permissible, but the exchange must occur before parting, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): Sahih Muslim 1587c And if you sell gold for silver with a difference in amount, there is no harm. So if you sell one thousand grams of gold for ten thousand grams of silver, there is no harm, provided the exchange occurs before parting. As for anything other than these six categories, there is no riba in them at all, except what is like them, such as corn which resembles barley or wheat, and grapes which resemble dates, and the like. The grapes referred to here are when they are raisins, because before that they are classified as fruit. And it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) that he approved the Companions when they arrived in Madinah and they were making forward sales in fruits for one or two years, so he said: Mishkat al-Masabih 2883 A forward sale (salam) is when the price is paid in advance and the item is delivered later, such as giving a farmer one thousand riyals for two thousand kilograms of dates after one year. Based on this, the answer to this question becomes clear: there is no harm for a person to sell wheat deferred for one year for cash dirhams, as the Companions did that in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and he approved them for it.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. There is no doubt that riba is among the major sins, and that Allah has threatened those who commit it with a threat unlike any threat for any of the sins below disbelief, as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) stated. Allah the Exalted said regarding those who take riba:
(278) O you who have believed, fear Allah and give up what remains [due to you] of interest, if you should be believers. (279) And if you do not, then be informed of a war [against you] from Allah and His Messenger. But if you repent, you may have your principal - [thus] you do no wrong, nor are you wronged.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَذَرُوا مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الرِّبَا إِنْ كُنتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ * فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا فَأْذَنُوا بِحَرْبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَإِنْ تُبْتُمْ فَلَكُمْ رُءُوسُ أَمْوَالِكُمْ لا تَظْلِمُونَ وَلا تُظْلَمُونَ(275) Those who consume interest cannot stand [on the Day of Resurrection] except as one stands who is being beaten by Satan into insanity. That is because they say, "Trade is [just] like interest." But Allah has permitted trade and has forbidden interest. So whoever has received an admonition from his Lord and desists may have what is past, and his affair rests with Allah. But whoever returns to [dealing in interest or usury] - those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide eternally therein. (276) Allah destroys interest and gives increase for charities. And Allah does not like every sinning disbeliever.
الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ الرِّبَا لا يَقُومُونَ إِلَّا كَمَا يَقُومُ الَّذِي يَتَخَبَّطُهُ الشَّيْطَانُ مِنَ الْمَسِّ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا إِنَّمَا الْبَيْعُ مِثْلُ الرِّبَا وَأَحَلَّ اللَّهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا فَمَنْ جَاءَهُ مَوْعِظَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ فَانتَهَى فَلَهُ مَا سَلَفَ وَأَمْرُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَمَنْ عَادَ فَأُوْلَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ * يَمْحَقُ اللَّهُ الرِّبَا وَيُرْبِي الصَّدَقَاتِ وَاللَّهُ لا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ كَفَّارٍ أَثِيمٍ(130) O you who have believed, do not consume usury, doubled and multiplied, but fear Allah that you may be successful. (131) And fear the Fire, which has been prepared for the disbelievers. (132) And obey Allah and the Messenger that you may obtain mercy.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لا تَأْكُلُوا الرِّبَا أَضْعَافًا مُضَاعَفَةً وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ * وَاتَّقُوا النَّارَ الَّتِي أُعِدَّتْ لِلْكَافِرِينَ * وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَthe one who consumes usury, the one who pays it, those who witness it and the one who writes it down
أنه لعن آكل الربا، وموكله، وشاهديه، وكاتبه، وقال: هم سواءRiba occurs in six categories, which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) distinguished in his saying:
Gold for gold, silver for silver, wheat for wheat, dates for dates, barley for barley, salt for salt, like for like, equal in amount, hand to hand. So whoever increases or asks for an increase has committed riba.
الذهب بالذهب، والفضة بالفضة، والبر بالبر، والتمر بالتمر، والشعير بالشعير، والملح بالملح، مثلاً بمثل، سواءً بسواء، يداً بيد، فمن زاد أو استزاد فقد أربىIf these classes differ, then sell as you wish if payment is made hand to hand.
فإذا اختلفت هذه الأصناف فبيعوا كيف شئتم إذا كان يداً بيدThose who pay in advance for anything must do so for a specified measure and weight with a specified time fixed.
من أسلف في شيء فليسلف في كيل معلوم، ووزن معلوم، إلى أجل معلومThe questioner : May Allah reward you with good.