Sahih Muslim

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Musa b. Abu Tamim with the same chain of transmitters.

My partner sold silver to be paid in the (Hajj) season or (in the days of) Hajj. He (my partner) came to me and informed me, and I said to him: Such transaction is not desirable. He said: I sold it in the market (on loan) but nobody objected to this. I went to al-Bara' b. 'Azib and asked him, and he said: Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) came to Medina and we made such transaction, whereupon he said: In case the payment is made on the spot, there is no harm in it, and in case (it is 'sold) on loan, it is usury. You better go to Zaid b. Arqam, for he is a greater trader than I; so I went to him and asked him, and he said like it.

I asked al-Bara' b. Azib about the exchange of (gold for silver or vice versa), whereupon he said: you better ask Zaid b. Arqam for he knows more than I. So I asked Zaid but he said: You better ask al-Bara' for he knows more than I. Then both of them said: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) forbade the sale of silver for gold when payment is to be made in future.

It is to be made on the spot. This is what I heard (from Allah's Messenger ﷺ.

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) prohibited us. The rest of the hadith is the same.

A necklace having gold and gems in it was brought to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in Khaibar and it was one of the spoils of war and was put to sale. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: The gold used in it should be separated, and then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) further said: (Sell) gold for gold with equal weight.

I bought on the day (of the Victory of Khaibar) a necklace for twelve dinars (gold coins). It was made of gold studded with gems. I separated (gold from gems) in it, and found (gold) of more (worth) than twelve dinars. I made a mention of it to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ), whereupon he said: It should not be sold unless it is separated.

A hadith like this is narrated on the authority of Sa'id b. Yazid with the same chain of transmitters.

We were in the company of Allah's Messenger ﷺ on the day (of the Victory of) Khaibar, and made transaction with the Jews for the 'uqiya of gold for the dinars or three (gold coins), whereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Do not sell gold for gold but for equal weight

We were along with Fadala b. Ubaid (Allah be pleased with him) in an expedition. There fell to my and my friend's lot a necklace made of gold, silver and jewels. I decided to buy that. I asked Fadala b. 'Ubaid, whereupon he said: Separate its gold and place it in one pan (of the balance) and place your gold in the other pan, and do not receive but equal for equal, for I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: He who believes in Allah and the Hereafter should not take but equal for equal.

Sell it, and then buy with it barley. The slave went away and he got a sa' (of barley) and a part of sa' over and above that. When he came to Ma'mar he informed him about that, whereupon Ma'mar said to him: Why did you do that? Go back and return that, and do not accept but weight, for weight, for I used to hear from Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) as saying: Wheat for wheat and like for like. He (one of the narrators) said: Our food in those days consisted of barley. It was said to him (Ma'mar) that (wheat) is not like that (barley). He replied: I am afraid these may not be similar

Are all the dates of Khaibar like this? He said: Allah's Messenger, it is not so. We buy one sa' of (fine quality of dates) for two sa's out of total output (including even the inferior quality of dates), whereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Don't do that, but like for like, or sell this (the inferior quality and receive the price) and then buy with the price of that, and that would make up the measure.

Are all the dates of Khaibar like this)? He said: No. We got one sa' (of fine dates) for two sa's (of inferior dates), and (similarly) two sa's for three sa's. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Don't do that rather sell the inferior quality of dates for dirhams (money), and then buy the superior quality with the help of dirhams.

Bilal (Allah be pleased with him) came with fine quality of dates. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to him: From where (you have brought them)? Bilal said: We had inferior quality of dates and I exchanged two sa's (of inferior quality) with one sa (of fine quality) as food for Allah's Apostle (ﷺ), whereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Woe! it is in fact usury; therefore, don't do that. But when you intend to buy dates (of superior quality), sell (the inferior quality) in a separate bargain and then buy (the superior quality). And in the hadith transmitted by Ibn Sahl there is no mention of" whereupon".

Dates were brought to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), and he said: These dates are not like our dates, whereupon a man said: We sold two sa's of our dates (in order to get) one sa', of these (fine dates), whereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: That is interest; so return (these dates of fine quality), and get your (inferior dates) ; then sell our dates (for money) and buy for us (with the help of money) such (fine dates).

We were given to eat, during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), dates of different qualities mixed together, and we used to sell two sa's of these for one sa, (of fine quality of dates). This reached Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), whereupon he said: There should be no exchange of two sa's of (inferior) dates for one sa (of fine dates) and two sa's of (inferior) wheat for one sa' of (fine) wheat. and one dirham for two dirharms.

I asked Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) about the conversion (of gold and silver for silver and gold). We said: Is it hand to hand exchange? I said: Yes. whereupon he said: There is no harm in it. I informed Abu Sa'id about it, telling him that I had asked Ibn 'Abbas about it and he said: Is it hand to hand exchange? I said: Yes, whereupon he said: There is no harm in it. He (the narrator) said, or he said like it: We will soon write to him, and he will not give you this fatwa (religious verdict). He said: By Allah, someone of the boy-servants of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) brought dates, but he refused to accept them (on the plea) that those did not seem to be of the dates of our land. He said: Something had happened to the dates of our land, or our dates. So I got these dates (in exchange by giving) excess (of the dates of our land), whereupon he said: You made an addition for getting the fine dates (in exchange) which tantamounts, to interest; don't do that (in future). Whenever you find some doubt (as regards the deteriorating quality of) your dates, sell them, and then buy the dates that you like.

I asked Ibn Umar and Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) about the conversion of gold with gold but they did not find any harm in that. I was sitting in the company of Abd Sa'id al-Khudri (Allah be pleased with him) and asked him about this exchange, and he said: Whatever is addition is an' interest. I refused to accept it on account of their statement (statement of Ibn 'Abbas and Ibn 'Umar). He said: I am not narrating to you except what I heard from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). There came to him the owner of a date-palm with one sa' of fine dates, and the dates of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) were of that colour. Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said to him: Where did you get these dates? I went with two sa's of (inferior dates) and bought one sa' of (these fine dates), for that is the prevailing price (of inferior dates) in the market and that is the price (of the fine quality of dates in the market), whereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Woe be upon you! You have dealt in interest, when you decide to do it (i. e. exchange superior quality of dates for inferior quality) ; so you should sell your dates for another commodity (or currency) and then with the help of that commodity buy the dates you like. Abu Sa'ad said: When dates are exchanged for dates (with different qualities) there is the possibility (of the element of) interest (creeping into that) or when gold is exchanged for gold having different qualities. I subsequently came to Ibn 'Umar and he forbade me (to do it), but I did not come to Ibn 'Abbas; (Allah be pleased with them). He (the narrator) said: Abu as-Sahba' narrated to me: He asked Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) in Mecca, and he too disapproved of it.

I heard Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (Allah be pleased with him) said: Dinar (gold) for gold and dirham for dirham can be (exchanged) with equal for equal; but he who gives more or demands more in fact deals in interest. I sald to him: Ibn 'Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) says otherwise, whereupon he said: I met Ibn 'Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) and said: Do you see what you say; have you heard it from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), or found it in the Book of Allah, the Glorious and Majestic? He said: I did not hear it from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). and I did not find it in the Book of Allah (Glorious and Majestic), but Usama b. Zaid narrated it to me that Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said: There can be an element of interest in credit.

Usama b. Zaid reported Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) as saying: There can be an element of interest in credit (when the payment is not equal).