Prohibition of Selling Surplus Water and Fraudulent Transactions in Islam

Prohibition of Selling Excess Water and Engaging in Deceptive Transactions in Sharīʿah


Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori

1. Prohibition of Selling Excess Water​

① Ḥadīth of Iyās ibn ʿAbd رضي الله عنه:
«أن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم نهى عن بيع فضل الماء»
The Prophet ﷺ forbade the sale of surplus (excess) water.
(Saḥīḥ Ibn Mājah: 2007; Abū Dāwūd: 3478; al-Tirmidhī: 1271; al-Nasāʾī: 7/307; al-Bayhaqī: 6/15; Musnad Aḥmad: 2/132)


② Ḥadīth of Jābir رضي الله عنه:
The Prophet ﷺ forbade the sale of surplus water.
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1565; Ibn Mājah: 2477; Musnad Aḥmad: 3/356)


③ Ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه:
«لا يمنع فضل الماء ليمنع به فضل الكلأ»
Surplus water should not be withheld in order to prevent access to surplus pasture.


In another narration:
«لا يباع فضل الماء ليباع به الكلأ»
Surplus water should not be sold in order to sell pasture with it.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 2353; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1566)


Clarification regarding the Ḥadīth of Biʾr Rūmah (Well of Rūmah):
When the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Who will buy the Well of Rūmah and make its water available to the Muslims, and he will have Paradise?"
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 2778; al-Tirmidhī: 3699; al-Nasāʾī: 6/236)
ʿUthmān رضي الله عنه purchased it from a Jew who used to sell its water and then made it a waqf for the Muslims.


Reconciliation: This incident occurred in the early period of Islam; later, when the rules of salām and public rights were firmly established, selling surplus water was prohibited.
(Nayl al-Awṭār 3/514–515)


Note: The prohibition is only on selling surplus water. Selling the land or well itself is permissible.

2. Prohibition of Fraudulent (Gharar) Sales​

Definition: A sale whose outcome is unknown or uncertain, such as selling a runaway slave, a bird in the air, a fish in water, or an absent/unknown item.
(Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī 4/483)


① Ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه:
«أن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم نهى عن بيع الغرر»
The Prophet ﷺ forbade gharar (deceptive/uncertain) sales.
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1513; Abū Dāwūd: 3376; al-Tirmidhī: 1230; al-Nasāʾī: 7/262; Ibn Mājah: 2194; Musnad Aḥmad: 2/276)


② Ḥadīth of Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه:
Do not buy fish in the water, for it is gharar (deception).
(Weak – Ḍaʿīf al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr: 6231; Musnad Aḥmad: 1/388)


Imām al-Nawawī رحمه الله:
The prohibition of gharar is one of the great foundational principles of Kitāb al-Buyūʿ (Book of Sales) and covers countless scenarios, such as:

• Selling a runaway slave
• Selling something non-existent or unknown
• Selling something the seller cannot deliver
• Selling what the seller does not fully own
• Selling fish in a large body of water
• Selling milk in the udder
• Selling an unborn fetus
• Selling an unspecified portion from an unspecified pile of grain
• Selling one unspecified goat from a large flock

Every such sale is invalid due to unnecessary deception.
(Sharḥ Muslim 5/416)

3. Exception – Minor/Customary Uncertainty​

There is consensus (ijmāʿ) that transactions with minor and customary uncertainty are permissible, such as:

• Renting a house, animal, or garment for a month (whether the month is 29 or 30 days)
• Paying to enter a public bath (even though water usage differs from person to person)
  (Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī 4/483)

Conclusion:

• Surplus water – Selling it is prohibited; it is a public right.
• Gharar sales – Forbidden if uncertainty is major and avoidable.
• Minor customary gharar – ✔ Allowed by consensus.