Seller Must Disclose Defects in Goods, Otherwise Buyer Has Right to Cancel Sale
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
The word khiyarat (choices/options) is the plural of khiyar.
To request the option of either upholding or cancelling a sale. It has various types, such as Khiyar al-Majlis (option during the meeting) and Khiyar al-Shart (stipulated option), etc.
[Subul al-Salam: 3/1106, Nayl al-Awtar: 3/561]
➊ ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir (رضي الله عنه) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"المسلم أخوا المسلم لا يحل لمسلم باع من أخيه بيعا وفيه عيب إلا بينه"
"A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim; it is not permissible for a Muslim to sell to his brother something that has a defect except that he makes it clear."
[Saheeh: Irwa’ al-Ghalil: 1321, Ibn Majah: 2246, Kitab al-Tijarat: Bab man ba‘a ‘ayban falyubayyinhu, al-Hakim: 2/8, al-Tabarani al-Kabir: 17/317, Talkhis al-Habir: 3/22, Majma‘ al-Zawa’id: 4/80]
➋ Wathilah (رضي الله عنه) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"لا يحل لأحد أن يبيع شيئا إلا بين ما فيه ولا يحل لأحد يعلم ذلك إلا بينه"
"It is not permissible for anyone to sell anything without disclosing what is in it, and it is not permissible for anyone who knows of a defect to conceal it without clarification."
[Ahmad: 3/491, al-Hakim: 2/9–10, al-Bayhaqi: 5/320]
➌ ‘Adda’ ibn Khalid (رضي الله عنه) said:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ wrote a purchase contract for me stating:
"This is what Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, purchased from ‘Adda’ ibn Khalid — a sale of a Muslim to a Muslim — in which there is no defect, no deceit, no sinfulness, and no hidden malice."
[al-Bukhari (ta‘liqan) before Hadith no. 2079, Kitab al-Buyu‘: Bab idha bayyana al-bay‘an wa lam yaktuma wa nasaha, al-Tirmidhi: 1216, Ibn Majah: 2251]
➍ Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"من غشنا فليس منا"
"Whoever cheats us is not one of us."
[Muslim: 102, Kitab al-Iman: Bab qawl al-nabi "man ghashshana fa-laysa minna", Abu Dawud: 3452, al-Tirmidhi: 1315, Ibn Majah: 2224, Abu ‘Awanah: 1/57, Ahmad: 2/242, Ibn Mandah: 550, al-Bayhaqi: 5/320, al-Hakim: 2/908]
All these proofs confirm that selling a defective item without disclosing the defect is haram.
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
Linguistic Explanation
The word khiyarat (choices/options) is the plural of khiyar.
- From the root ikhtara, takhayyara (forms of iftial and tafa‘ul): to choose or select.
- From the root khayyara (form taf‘il): to give a choice.
[al-Qamus al-Muhit, p. 351; al-Munjid, p. 226]
Shari‘ah Definition
To request the option of either upholding or cancelling a sale. It has various types, such as Khiyar al-Majlis (option during the meeting) and Khiyar al-Shart (stipulated option), etc.
[Subul al-Salam: 3/1106, Nayl al-Awtar: 3/561]
Hadith Evidences
➊ ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir (رضي الله عنه) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"المسلم أخوا المسلم لا يحل لمسلم باع من أخيه بيعا وفيه عيب إلا بينه"
"A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim; it is not permissible for a Muslim to sell to his brother something that has a defect except that he makes it clear."
[Saheeh: Irwa’ al-Ghalil: 1321, Ibn Majah: 2246, Kitab al-Tijarat: Bab man ba‘a ‘ayban falyubayyinhu, al-Hakim: 2/8, al-Tabarani al-Kabir: 17/317, Talkhis al-Habir: 3/22, Majma‘ al-Zawa’id: 4/80]
➋ Wathilah (رضي الله عنه) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"لا يحل لأحد أن يبيع شيئا إلا بين ما فيه ولا يحل لأحد يعلم ذلك إلا بينه"
"It is not permissible for anyone to sell anything without disclosing what is in it, and it is not permissible for anyone who knows of a defect to conceal it without clarification."
[Ahmad: 3/491, al-Hakim: 2/9–10, al-Bayhaqi: 5/320]
➌ ‘Adda’ ibn Khalid (رضي الله عنه) said:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ wrote a purchase contract for me stating:
"This is what Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, purchased from ‘Adda’ ibn Khalid — a sale of a Muslim to a Muslim — in which there is no defect, no deceit, no sinfulness, and no hidden malice."
[al-Bukhari (ta‘liqan) before Hadith no. 2079, Kitab al-Buyu‘: Bab idha bayyana al-bay‘an wa lam yaktuma wa nasaha, al-Tirmidhi: 1216, Ibn Majah: 2251]
➍ Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"من غشنا فليس منا"
"Whoever cheats us is not one of us."
[Muslim: 102, Kitab al-Iman: Bab qawl al-nabi "man ghashshana fa-laysa minna", Abu Dawud: 3452, al-Tirmidhi: 1315, Ibn Majah: 2224, Abu ‘Awanah: 1/57, Ahmad: 2/242, Ibn Mandah: 550, al-Bayhaqi: 5/320, al-Hakim: 2/908]
Ruling Derived from the Evidence
All these proofs confirm that selling a defective item without disclosing the defect is haram.
- The buyer gains the right to cancel the sale due to the defect.
- If the buyer accepts the defect knowingly, the sale remains valid since mutual consent is the condition for validity.
- However, the seller will still be sinful for conducting a sale contrary to the Shari‘ah.
