The Epistle on Legal Theory

Obligations Expressed in General Terms

١٢٩ 129 Obligations Expressed in General Terms gold, other than in like amounts, and gold for silver in which one party pays immediately and the other delays delivery, and others of a similar nature even though transacting in such items is not risky and there is nothing of which the seller and buyer are improperly unaware. So Prophetic Practice indicated that God (sublime His praise), in the passages from the Qurʾan discussed above, intended to make lawful those sales that He did not outlaw, apart from those that He outlawed using the words of His Prophet. Then, God’s Emissary has instituted practices concerning sales transactions other than these, such as: A slave is sold and the seller conceals a defect from the buyer; the buyer may return the slave and keep any subsequently arising profits in exchange for bearing the risk of loss. Another case involves selling someone a slave who has his own property; in that case the slave’s property belongs to the seller unless the buyer makes its transfer a condition of the sale. Another case involves the sale of date palms the fruit on which has been pollinated; in such a case, the fruit belongs to the seller unless the buyer makes it a condition of the sale. People are bound to adhere to these rulings because God has made it binding on them to comply with the commands of God’s Emissary. Obligations Expressed in General Terms God (blessed and exalted) said: «Prayer is a prescription at fixed times for the believers»199 and «Perform the prayer and pay alms.»200 He also said to His Prophet: «Take alms from their possessions by which you might purify them and make them clean.»201 And He said: «It is the people’s duty to God to make the Pilgrimage to the Sacred House—for those able to do so.»202 Al-Shāfiʿī said: God confirmed the obligations to pray, give alms, and perform the Pilgrimage in His Book, and He clarified how to perform those obligations using the words of His Prophet. God’s Emissary let it be known that the number of obligatory prayers was five, and that the number of bowings 210 211 ١٣٠ 130  j a# bV ½KM  de L f0ó F  '¥  p ½    
  ¡  
™ 
½KM  žŸ g˜  ×ã1!@˜ · :‹Œ  Ž #   ´ DE
™ 
7   g˜  Ùuf Ò 2ªg˜
× ¯    ´ DE . ŽI
§  N 2O ! ù ú û  –œ     œ! ´
    #` a®œ  œ¿ Å ] ^´ #     $&I
UV  !  œ Èuf  01 d±  
Ì  
  ¡   5  ï
 ! iDE ¨K•uf
– à : +,  )` a K•uf Ÿ 
 x I    
™23 4–“”  Z
Ä8"v w #k l m n o  ™  $&g¬
  ¡   => Iǜ   DE
´ # uf›œ  œ
 ¡‡ OˆÃ :  Ú   .  
I
§  N 2O !
g  N 2O !  d¢Í Ò 2ª
  ¡    

–Æ Ü!  0  DEÁ¦ß‡ Oˆ¸ 
™23 4–“”  ¡¢f–“”   IUV #   ¡¢f›œ £ g 1 ufƒïAB  à
$%&v w   
I  ß   .{£ 
žŸDE F
q  C DE L q1£ /´ [L
µL ß N 2O L 
L I  L‚1 C# DE F ì C  R    L¡¢f L›œ C
Z LÄ8 L  Ò 2ª L
™DE [L tuf L–“” b R  LŽ L #  }
™23 4–“” b  
  ¡    [ z{ äå 
Ì  DE¿ Å ] ^  Ì    p»¥ #k l m n o  - .DE
V ÉԔDE² :  Ú   g˜
×
¯  DE 
pDEtufIԔ b     ¡¢f–“”DE
Z
µ
ß   DEì    ÈuQuf
Ÿ  [ z{  œ  [ z{ d±  DEÁ !  p ½    DE ÉԔ    DE !@˜  *` a b     ¡¢f–“”  x 
IŠ i!  $&g •uf  g¬ »¥ #   Ì   g˜
×
¯  DE
  ¡  
™23 4–“” b   ô ufIœ !$&I
JK
MŸ .$%&v wDE - .
gK1
ô  õ s  I ¦§   DE     0ó'¥   $&–œ  œ 
 x y Q
gK     œ  Z#Ä8  "
 ¡† #      œ Èuf
žŸ$& Ì  
 ¡† #     de
f–œ öïË #    $%&  '() * +, žŸ Q v w #   01 
 x y DEG˜ bV  p ½     $&g † Ž Ò 2ª  x 
q€ i
™23 4–“” b    œ
r   $&– à : ~c  - .DE
V ´³¦ îQv w d±  
Ì   
– 78 #   œ $&
–Æ 
 ¡† #  uf›œ $&  Ì   .{£  W
X L  L¶œ£  
žŸ L DE L
q   F  L z{ R  LŽ L  Ò 2ª L DE L d±  / L
– L
ÆK C M R L 
L – L ã1 C# DE F ì C  R  F  L z{ R   L ¡E L N 2OL DE}  [ z{ äå DE
q   Èuf   "DE ´
µ §K F M N 2O  x 
q€ i de
f–šuf   g˜
×
¯  DE
  ¡   g˜
× šuf–“”
bV Ž Ò 2ªufƒ(© 2ªg˜
bV23 4–“”  ´€ i #   Ì   g¬23  4–“”    !@˜  *` a b   - .
Ì   #   Ì   ™ É1 #   Ì  £ k l m n o23 4žŸ  [ z{ d±  DEÁ ! g¬23  4–“”     ´¦§    - .
Ì   #   - ê  ë Èuf   Pí N 2Og¬23  4–“”      p ½     - .
Ì   #   - ê  ë   Pí̇ OˆM¬ g¬23  4–“”     ÉԔ     - .
Ì   #   - ê  ë :d±  
Ì   .{£ /žŸ L  Ñ C 7 Ò 22ÏF WX C DE L# £   L  v w L W L    }  0  DE ² :‹Œ 
™23 4–“”
  ¡   d±    Q
žŸ Ž # de  f–
¯   Èuf   "DE :d±  
Ì   .£ –“”
bV #  Èuf   Pí N 2O .  0  DE ² : ~c 
™23 4–“” g˜
× ¯  
p  N 2O "
 x
  

žŸ ü k l m n o  
 x q ã    ¡¢f›œ  [ z{ d±    Q
žŸ Ž # de  f–
¯   Èuf   " Ž #  $&
–Æ  DEV #    
– ¯   L ¦ C
îQ L èuf L  Ì   L  j aC WX L#k l m n oR 
 L ¡   C...