Seller’s Statement Preferred When Dispute Arises in a Sale

When the Seller and Buyer Disagree Regarding the Sale, the Seller’s Statement Will Be Accepted


Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori

Hadith Evidence​

➊ Narration of Ibn Mas‘ud (رضي الله عنه):
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:


"إذا اختلف البيعان وليس بينهما بينة فالقول ما يقول صاحب السلعة أو يترادان"
"When two parties to a sale disagree and there is no evidence between them, the statement of the owner of the goods (i.e., the seller) will be accepted, or they may mutually cancel the sale."


In Sunan Ibn Majah, it is reported:


"والمبيع قائم بعينه"
"And the sold item is still in its original state."


If neither party has proof, then the seller’s statement will be valid, or both may annul the sale.


In Sunan al-Daraqutni, it is narrated:


"إذا اختلف البيـعـان والبيع مستهلك فالقول قول البائع"
"When two parties to a sale differ and the goods have been consumed (destroyed), then the seller’s statement will be accepted."

Incident with Abu ‘Ubaydah​

In Musnad Ahmad, it is reported that Abu ‘Ubaydah said:


Two men came to him who had engaged in a transaction. One claimed he purchased it for a certain price, and the other claimed he sold it for a different price. Abu ‘Ubaydah said that a similar case was brought to Ibn Mas‘ud (رضي الله عنه):


"فأمر بالبائع أن يستحلف ثم يخير المبتاع إن شاء أخذ وإن شاء ترك"
"He ordered that the seller take an oath, then gave the buyer the choice: if he wished, he could proceed with the purchase, or if he wished, he could leave it."


Authenticity references:
[Saheeh Abu Dawud: 2997, Saheeh Ibn Majah: 1779, Abu Dawud: 3511, Kitab al-Buyu‘: Bab idha ikhtalaf al-bay‘an wal-mabi‘ qaim, al-Nasa’i: 7/302, Ibn Majah: 2186, al-Daraqutni: 3/20, al-Hakim: 2/45, al-Bayhaqi: 5/332, al-Silsilah al-Saheehah: 798, Irwa’ al-Ghalil: 1322–1323]

Weakness of the "wal-bay‘ mustahlik" Version​

The version containing "والبيع مستهلك" has been declared munqati‘ (disconnected) by:

• Imam Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (رحمه الله)
• Imam Ibn Hazm (رحمه الله)
• Imam al-San‘ani (رحمه الله) declared it weak.
  References: [Nayl al-Awtar: 3/607, Ma‘alim al-Sunan: 3/151, Subul al-Salam: 3/1045]

Juristic Analysis​

From the above Ahadith, it is established that:

• Whenever the seller and buyer disagree, the seller’s statement — supported by an oath — will be accepted (as in the Hadith of Abu ‘Ubaydah).
• The buyer must provide proof, regardless of whether the seller is technically the claimant or not.

Some scholars state that the above Hadith is specific to the general Hadith:


"البينة على المدعى واليمين على من أنكر"
"Evidence is upon the claimant, and an oath is upon the one who denies."
[al-Tirmidhi: 1341, al-Daraqutni: 4/218]


Others state there is a ‘Amm-Khaas (general-specific) relationship between the two.

Reconciling the Ahadith​

Rather than giving preference to one Hadith over the other, both can be reconciled:

• If the seller is the claimant, he must provide proof.
• However, in reality, the goods originally belong to the seller. The buyer’s claim is: “He sold it to me for such-and-such price,” which the seller denies, demanding a higher price.
• This makes the buyer the claimant, so he must provide proof, while the seller (as the denier) takes an oath.

Thus, the Ahadith do not contradict each other, and this is the strongest position.
References: [Nayl al-Awtar: 3/609, Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi: 4/554, Subul al-Salam: 3/1045]

Views of the Jurists​

• Malik, al-Shafi‘i, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani: The seller takes an oath, and the buyer is given the choice to proceed or cancel, whether the goods are still present or destroyed (per Imam al-Shafi‘i).
• al-Nakha‘i, al-Thawri, al-Awza‘i, Abu Yusuf: If the goods are destroyed, the buyer’s statement is preferred, supported by his oath.

References for detailed study: [Qafu al-Athar: 3/950, ‘Awn al-Ma‘bud: 7/479, al-Umm: 3/85, al-Hawi: 5/296, Bada’i‘ al-Sana’i‘: 7/243, al-Mabsut: 13/30, Bidayat al-Mujtahid: 2/149, al-Insaf: 4/447]