Ruling on selling an animal for an animal with a deferred payment

Question: Is it permissible to sell one sheep from the flock for two or three sheep, with the payment deferred for twenty years, for example, or more?


Answer: It is permissible—in the most correct of the scholars' opinions—to sell a specific, present animal for one or more animals with a known deferred payment—whether near or far, or in installments—provided that the price is defined by the characteristics that distinguish it, whether that animal is of the same species as the one being sold or a different one; because it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): . It was narrated by al-Hakim and al-Bayhaqi, and its narrators are trustworthy.