Selling vegetables grown in plastic greenhouses before they reach the stage of ripeness.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : The other question is this: We have what is called there "greenhouses," or the common term we use is "plastic baths." Vegetables are planted under them, producing what is called tomatoes, cucumbers, and the like.
The Shaykh : Is this what you call it there?
The questioner : In Gaza, I mean.
The Shaykh : I mean, it is a condition that is not necessary; the world is like this everywhere.
The questioner : So a sale takes place, which we call a guarantee.
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
The questioner : The entire greenhouse is guaranteed for a certain amount. There are fruits that are visible, fruits that are still in the bud stage, and fruits that have not appeared yet, because the period lasts about six months. He takes it all at once, paying for example two thousand dinars, and takes it completely for six months. So a discussion arose between me and the brothers there regarding the hadith: "Do not sell it until its ripeness becomes apparent."
The Shaykh : Its ripeness.
The questioner : Until it turns yellow or red, and so on. We want clarification, because according to our understanding there, this hadith forbids taking only the first harvest, even though the harvests are consecutive.
Another questioner : What do you mean by harvests?
The questioner : The harvest that is...
The Shaykh : First of all, what do you mean by fruits, so that we can understand your statement about finally taking only one harvest? What do you mean by fruits?
The questioner : In this specific question, we mean by fruits the fruits of tomatoes and cucumbers...
The Shaykh : These are not fruits.
The questioner: May Allah reward you with good, yes.
The Shaykh : So what do you mean, only tomatoes?
The questioner : Now the question is about tomatoes.
The Shaykh : Ah, this is until its ripeness becomes apparent. Does its ripeness become apparent or not?
The questioner : The ripeness becomes apparent, but not all at once; it happens over the course of six months.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : So the ripeness of a group becomes apparent, and when that is harvested, the ripeness of another group begins.
The Shaykh : Good, this is actually a good issue, and its goodness is that it sharpens the mind and stimulates the stagnant intellect...
The questioner : What Allah willed, Blessed is Allah.
Another questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Yes. I am interested in the answer here, but clarification is necessary because, in fact, this is the first time such a question has been raised. Does this vegetable fall under what applies to the fruits mentioned in the hadith I just cited, namely his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Does this same reasoning apply to this vegetable?
The questioner : You mean calamities.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : It may apply, but they have medicines.
The Shaykh : What do they have?
The questioner : Medicines.
The Shaykh : Medicines.
The questioner : They spray these vegetables with them.
The Shaykh : Do they spray them before its ripeness becomes apparent, or before its defect appears, is that not so?
The questioner : We continue even after the ripeness becomes apparent; the spraying continues until the fruit is harvested, to protect it from pests.
The Shaykh : Okay, so you have not answered my question, even though I now understand the answer to be contrary to what you implied!
The questioner : Good, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh : I now understand that what applies to fruits does not apply to these!
The questioner : What I understand is that the fruits referred to are grapes, dates, and the like!
The Shaykh : That is correct.
The questioner : These do not need spraying, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : O Shaykh, do not deviate from the topic. My question was about those fruits about which the hadith was revealed, which can be afflicted with a defect, and therefore the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade selling them until their ripeness becomes apparent. Now, the question came to you from me: this vegetable, which you said is harvested in the first, second, and third harvests over the course of half a year.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Does what applies to those fruits apply to it? I understood from your answer first, yes, but when you mentioned that they continue to spray it with
The questioner : pesticides.
The Shaykh : To preserve it, this means that what was revealed about those fruits does not apply to these.
The questioner : The calamities I mean are the calamities that...
The Shaykh : Stay with me, stay with me, my brother, so that we do not lose the point. I said that you reached...
The questioner : ...from the sky, meaning from a lightning strike or something like that. Nothing prevents what prevents.
The Shaykh : This is an uncommon matter, uncommon, even in fruits.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Let alone being common in vegetables. I want the usual things.
The questioner : What I know from the practice there is that as long as they spray, what happens to [fruits] does not happen to them.
The Shaykh : This is the answer, as far as I have been informed...
The questioner : I just wanted to clarify.
The Shaykh : In that case, the answer is simple: it is permissible.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Is that clear?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Is this what you call it there?
The questioner : In Gaza, I mean.
The Shaykh : I mean, it is a condition that is not necessary; the world is like this everywhere.
The questioner : So a sale takes place, which we call a guarantee.
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
The questioner : The entire greenhouse is guaranteed for a certain amount. There are fruits that are visible, fruits that are still in the bud stage, and fruits that have not appeared yet, because the period lasts about six months. He takes it all at once, paying for example two thousand dinars, and takes it completely for six months. So a discussion arose between me and the brothers there regarding the hadith: "Do not sell it until its ripeness becomes apparent."
The Shaykh : Its ripeness.
The questioner : Until it turns yellow or red, and so on. We want clarification, because according to our understanding there, this hadith forbids taking only the first harvest, even though the harvests are consecutive.
Another questioner : What do you mean by harvests?
The questioner : The harvest that is...
The Shaykh : First of all, what do you mean by fruits, so that we can understand your statement about finally taking only one harvest? What do you mean by fruits?
The questioner : In this specific question, we mean by fruits the fruits of tomatoes and cucumbers...
The Shaykh : These are not fruits.
The questioner: May Allah reward you with good, yes.
The Shaykh : So what do you mean, only tomatoes?
The questioner : Now the question is about tomatoes.
The Shaykh : Ah, this is until its ripeness becomes apparent. Does its ripeness become apparent or not?
The questioner : The ripeness becomes apparent, but not all at once; it happens over the course of six months.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : So the ripeness of a group becomes apparent, and when that is harvested, the ripeness of another group begins.
The Shaykh : Good, this is actually a good issue, and its goodness is that it sharpens the mind and stimulates the stagnant intellect...
The questioner : What Allah willed, Blessed is Allah.
Another questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Yes. I am interested in the answer here, but clarification is necessary because, in fact, this is the first time such a question has been raised. Does this vegetable fall under what applies to the fruits mentioned in the hadith I just cited, namely his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
until its ripeness becomes apparent
حتى يبدو صلاحهThe questioner : You mean calamities.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : It may apply, but they have medicines.
The Shaykh : What do they have?
The questioner : Medicines.
The Shaykh : Medicines.
The questioner : They spray these vegetables with them.
The Shaykh : Do they spray them before its ripeness becomes apparent, or before its defect appears, is that not so?
The questioner : We continue even after the ripeness becomes apparent; the spraying continues until the fruit is harvested, to protect it from pests.
The Shaykh : Okay, so you have not answered my question, even though I now understand the answer to be contrary to what you implied!
The questioner : Good, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh : I now understand that what applies to fruits does not apply to these!
The questioner : What I understand is that the fruits referred to are grapes, dates, and the like!
The Shaykh : That is correct.
The questioner : These do not need spraying, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : O Shaykh, do not deviate from the topic. My question was about those fruits about which the hadith was revealed, which can be afflicted with a defect, and therefore the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade selling them until their ripeness becomes apparent. Now, the question came to you from me: this vegetable, which you said is harvested in the first, second, and third harvests over the course of half a year.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Does what applies to those fruits apply to it? I understood from your answer first, yes, but when you mentioned that they continue to spray it with
The questioner : pesticides.
The Shaykh : To preserve it, this means that what was revealed about those fruits does not apply to these.
The questioner : The calamities I mean are the calamities that...
The Shaykh : Stay with me, stay with me, my brother, so that we do not lose the point. I said that you reached...
The questioner : ...from the sky, meaning from a lightning strike or something like that. Nothing prevents what prevents.
The Shaykh : This is an uncommon matter, uncommon, even in fruits.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Let alone being common in vegetables. I want the usual things.
The questioner : What I know from the practice there is that as long as they spray, what happens to [fruits] does not happen to them.
The Shaykh : This is the answer, as far as I have been informed...
The questioner : I just wanted to clarify.
The Shaykh : In that case, the answer is simple: it is permissible.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Is that clear?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.