Prohibition of Selling Milk in the Udder, a Fleeing Slave, Unripe Fruits, and Similar Transactions in Sharīʿah
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
① Ḥadīth of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī رضي الله عنه:
The Prophet ﷺ forbade:
(Weak – Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl: 1293; Ibn Mājah: 2196; Dāraquṭnī: 3/15; Musnad Aḥmad: 3/42; al-Bayhaqī: 5/338)
Imām al-Bayhaqī رحمه الله said: Even though the narration is weak, all these sales fall under the category of fraudulent transactions, which the Prophet ﷺ prohibited in authentic aḥādīth.
② Ḥadīth of Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما:
«نهي النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم عن بيع المغانم حتى تقسم»
The Prophet ﷺ forbade the sale of war booty before it is distributed.
(Ṣaḥīḥ – al-Nasāʾī: 7/301, ḥadīth 4330)
③ Ḥadīth of Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما:
The Prophet ﷺ forbade:
(Some weakness in marfūʿ form, but strong as a mawqūf report from Ibn ʿAbbās – Bulūgh al-Marām: 775; al-Nawawī and Ibn Ḥajar graded it authentic mawqūf.)
④ Ḥadīth of Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما:
«أن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم نهي عن بيع الثمار حتى يبدو صلاحها»
The Prophet ﷺ forbade selling fruits until their goodness (ripeness) becomes evident.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 2194; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1534)
Conclusion:
All these sales are prohibited in Sharīʿah because they involve gharar (excessive uncertainty) and potential injustice:
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
1. Ḥadīth Evidence on Prohibited Sales
① Ḥadīth of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī رضي الله عنه:
The Prophet ﷺ forbade:
- Buying what is in the wombs of livestock before birth,
- Selling milk in the udders before milking,
- Buying a runaway slave,
- Buying spoils of war before distribution.
(Weak – Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl: 1293; Ibn Mājah: 2196; Dāraquṭnī: 3/15; Musnad Aḥmad: 3/42; al-Bayhaqī: 5/338)
Imām al-Bayhaqī رحمه الله said: Even though the narration is weak, all these sales fall under the category of fraudulent transactions, which the Prophet ﷺ prohibited in authentic aḥādīth.
② Ḥadīth of Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما:
«نهي النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم عن بيع المغانم حتى تقسم»
The Prophet ﷺ forbade the sale of war booty before it is distributed.
(Ṣaḥīḥ – al-Nasāʾī: 7/301, ḥadīth 4330)
③ Ḥadīth of Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما:
The Prophet ﷺ forbade:
- Selling fruits before they ripen and are ready to eat,
- Selling wool on the back of an animal,
- Selling milk in the udder.
(Some weakness in marfūʿ form, but strong as a mawqūf report from Ibn ʿAbbās – Bulūgh al-Marām: 775; al-Nawawī and Ibn Ḥajar graded it authentic mawqūf.)
④ Ḥadīth of Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما:
«أن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم نهي عن بيع الثمار حتى يبدو صلاحها»
The Prophet ﷺ forbade selling fruits until their goodness (ripeness) becomes evident.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 2194; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1534)
2. Scholarly Consensus and Reasoning
- Milk in the udder – prohibited by ijmāʿ (consensus) due to uncertainty and potential injustice.
(Al-Muḥallā 8/394; Mawsūʿat al-Ijmāʿ 1/176) - Runaway slave – sale invalid because delivery to the buyer is not guaranteed.
(Subul al-Salām 3/1102) - Spoils of war before distribution – prohibited because ownership is not yet established for any individual.
(Nayl al-Awṭār 3/519) - Unripe fruits – prohibited by consensus to avoid loss and dispute. (Ḥanafīs allow with conditions)
(Mawsūʿat al-Ijmāʿ 1/198; Fatḥ al-Bārī 4/394) - Wool on the back of an animal and ghee in milk – prohibited due to ignorance and fraud.
(Nayl al-Awṭār 3/520; al-Baḥr al-Zakhkhār 3/321; al-Majmūʿ 9/327; Badāʾiʿ al-Ṣanāʾiʿ 5/148)
Conclusion:All these sales are prohibited in Sharīʿah because they involve gharar (excessive uncertainty) and potential injustice:
- Milk in the udder –
Ḥarām - Runaway slave – Ḥarām
- Spoils of war before distribution – Ḥarām
- Fruits before ripeness – Ḥarām
- Wool on the back – Ḥarām
- Ghee in milk – Ḥarām
