Nasai

(1) In this narration, Imam al-Nasa’i rahimahullah has two teachers: one is Ishaq ibn Ibrahim and the other is Muhammad ibn Isma’il. The wording of the narration as mentioned here is from his teacher Ishaq (ibn Rahwayh). The wording narrated by the other teacher, Muhammad ibn Isma’il (ibn ‘Ulayyah), is somewhat different from this.

(2) In Arabia, there was no formal government such that only one standard of weight and measure would be in use; rather, various weights and measures were prevalent. When the rulings of zakah, ‘ushr, expiations (kafarat), and other necessities were revealed in the Shari‘ah, it became necessary to specify weights and measures. The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam had also established an organized government, so from an administrative perspective as well, it was necessary to specify standards for weights and measures. Therefore, he officially and religiously designated the weights of the people of Makkah and the measures of the people of Madinah. In that era, weights were generally for gold, silver, and other metals, while measures were used for grains. The people of Madinah were landowners; there was an abundance of grain there, so he established the measures—namely, the mudd, sa‘, and wasq, etc.—that were prevalent in Madinah. Among the people of Makkah, ten dirhams were equivalent in weight to seven dinars, and a dinar was four and a half mashas. Now, in matters such as zakah and blood money (diyah), this weight would be considered authoritative, and in ‘ushr, sadaqat al-fitr, and expiations, the mudd and sa‘ of the people of Madinah would be authoritative. The sa‘ of the people of Madinah would be authoritative. The sa‘ of the people of Madinah was equivalent to four mudds. In weight, this was equal to 3/51 ratl. Mudd and sa‘ were vessels in which they would measure grain and dates by filling them. Nowadays, grain and dates are weighed, so there has arisen a difference regarding the weight of mudd and sa‘. In any case, the weight of items placed in the same vessel cannot be identical; rather, each has its own distinct weight—for example: water, milk, mercury, syrup, dates, wheat, sugar, etc., each has its own separate weight. Dirhams, dinars, and mudd and sa‘ continued to change even later. Various governments made increases and decreases according to their own calculations, but in the Shari‘ah, only the dirham, dinar, and mudd and sa‘ from the time of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam will be authoritative in weight and measure. For example, the sa‘ of Kufa was larger than the sa‘ of Madinah, but in matters such as sadaqat al-fitr, the sa‘ of Madinah will be used.

English Translation:

Measures and weights are always subject to change; they do not remain the same. The mudd, sa’ (sā‘), dirham, and mithqal have also varied in size over time. It is evident that the measure and weight considered valid in the Shari’ah are only those that existed during the time of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). In his era, the sa’ was equivalent to four mudd, and one mudd, in terms of weight, was one and one-third ratl (1 1/3 ratl). Similarly, the sa’ was five and one-third ratl (5 1/3 ratl). And one ratl was equal to ninety mithqal. In this respect, the details of the weight of the sa’ have already been mentioned in hadith 2515, which comes to approximately two and a half kilograms. Later on, the mudd and sa’ were made larger. The mudd, instead of being 1 1/3 ratl, was made 2 1/3 ratl. Likewise, the sa’ became eight ratl. The Hanafis adopted this sa’, even though it is not the Prophetic sa’. This is why, when Imam Abu Yusuf (rahimahullah) went to Madinah Munawwarah and had a discussion with Imam Malik (rahimahullah) on this matter, he retracted from his own school of thought, because Imam Malik (rahimahullah) brought him the sa’ from various houses in Madinah Munawwarah dating back to the time of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), and they were all equal to each other. The people of Madinah had inherited these sa’ from their forefathers. And this is the correct sa’. The majority of the scholars hold this view. Imam Abu Yusuf said that if my teacher, Imam Abu Hanifah (rahimahullah), had seen this sa’, he too would have accepted it. Thus, the Hanafi sa’ is not the Shar’i (legally prescribed) sa’, therefore, for ‘ushr (obligatory agricultural charity) and Sadaqat al-Fitr, only the Madinan sa’ will be considered valid, not the Hanafi sa’ which was introduced later.

Benefits and Issues:
In the case of obligatory religious payments (such as zakat and fitrah, etc.), the weight standard of the people of Makkah is considered authoritative.
And for determining the quantity of items, the system of measurement using the mudd and sa’ of the people of Madinah came into existence.
This practice is an extremely important and fundamental necessity of trade.
From the names of the measuring units in different regions, it can be inferred that the basic unit for measurement was made from natural objects.
In the Indian subcontinent, the system of tola, chhatank, and seer was prevalent, whose basic unit was the ratti.
This is the red-colored seed of a plant.
Now, the system that is prevalent in most parts of the world,
that is, kilogram—the gram refers to a chickpea seed,
which was initially considered the basic unit. The British system of ounce and pound is based on the grain,
which refers to a grain, especially of corn.
For measurement, the foot or hand, etc., was made the basis.
It is obvious that the weight of every corn or chickpea seed cannot be identical.
Through practice, this minimum quantity was definitively determined,
and in this way, standardized weights for measuring came into existence.
The process of practice or frequent usage plays the most important role in the completion of the system of measurement.
Since Madinah was an agricultural city,
where transactions were conducted by measure or volume,
the practice of Madinah solidified this system.
Therefore, in measurement, the standards of the people of Madinah were made the fundamental criterion.
Makkah was a center of trade for all kinds of goods, including valuable items.
Transactions of gold, silver, fragrant spices, etc., were conducted by weight.
The practice of Makkah solidified the system of weight.
Therefore, in matters of weight, the practice of Makkah was made the standard.