Types of “Two Sales in One Transaction” (Bay‘atayn fī Bay‘ah) and Its Application on Installment Purchases
Source: Aḥkām wa Masā’il, Issues of Buying and Selling, Vol. 1, p. 371
How many forms can the ḥadīth «نَهٰی عَنْ بَيْعَتَيْنِ فِی بَيْعَةٍ» (“He forbade two sales in one transaction”) take, and how does this apply to goods purchased on installments?
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ‘alā Rasūlillāh, ammā ba‘d!
① First ḥadīth:
«نَهَی عَنْ بَيْعَتَيْنِ فِيْ بَيْعَةٍ»
Meaning: “The Prophet ﷺ forbade two sales in one transaction.”
② Second ḥadīth:
«مَنْ بَاعَ بَيْعتَيْنِ فِيْ بَيْعَةٍ فَلَهُ أَوْکَسُهُمَا أَوِ الرِّبَا»
(Abū Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Buyū‘, Bāb fī man bā‘a bay‘atayn fī bay‘ah)
Translation:
“Whoever conducts two sales in one transaction, then he is entitled only to the lower of the two prices, or else it is ribā (usury).”
This ḥadīth explicitly applies to goods purchased on installments, especially when the total installment price is higher than the cash price.
Any transaction in which the installment price is set higher than the cash price, and both are treated as one sale, falls under the prohibition of this ḥadīth. Such a transaction becomes impermissible because of the risk of ribā or deception.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
Source: Aḥkām wa Masā’il, Issues of Buying and Selling, Vol. 1, p. 371
❖ Question:
How many forms can the ḥadīth «نَهٰی عَنْ بَيْعَتَيْنِ فِی بَيْعَةٍ» (“He forbade two sales in one transaction”) take, and how does this apply to goods purchased on installments?
❖ Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ‘alā Rasūlillāh, ammā ba‘d!
✔ Relevant Aḥādīth:
① First ḥadīth:
«نَهَی عَنْ بَيْعَتَيْنِ فِيْ بَيْعَةٍ»
Meaning: “The Prophet ﷺ forbade two sales in one transaction.”
② Second ḥadīth:
«مَنْ بَاعَ بَيْعتَيْنِ فِيْ بَيْعَةٍ فَلَهُ أَوْکَسُهُمَا أَوِ الرِّبَا»
(Abū Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Buyū‘, Bāb fī man bā‘a bay‘atayn fī bay‘ah)
Translation:
“Whoever conducts two sales in one transaction, then he is entitled only to the lower of the two prices, or else it is ribā (usury).”
✔ Application on Installment Purchases:
This ḥadīth explicitly applies to goods purchased on installments, especially when the total installment price is higher than the cash price.
- If an item is sold such that the cash price is one figure and the installment price is another figure, and both options are offered in a single sale without specifying which one applies, this falls under “two sales in one transaction.”
❖ Conclusion:
Any transaction in which the installment price is set higher than the cash price, and both are treated as one sale, falls under the prohibition of this ḥadīth. Such a transaction becomes impermissible because of the risk of ribā or deception.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
