The sale contract is originally binding. So once the contract by the offer and acceptance between the seller and the purchaser was completed, and the meetings of sale finished, then the sale contract becomes binding and the two sides have to execute it. But because the contract of transaction must be completed in a manner which eliminates disputes amongst the people, Shar’a made it prohibited for the people to deceive in trading, and it made the one who deceives sinful whether He was the seller or the purchaser, and whether deception was in the commodity or the currency; all of this is prohibited (Haram), since deceit could occur from the seller or from the purchaser.

The deceit of the seller regarding the commodity is by hiding the defect from the purchaser, while He knows about it; or by covering the defect from the purchaser in a way which implies to the purchaser that there is no defect, or by covering the commodity in a way which shows that it is good. Deceit by the purchaser in the price is by counterfeiting the currency or by concealing a forgery while He was aware of it. The price (of the commodity) could vary according to the sold (commodity) because of the deceit in it; and the purchaser may be encouraged to buy a commodity because of the deceit in it. Such deceit, in all its types, is Haram according to what Abu Hurairah narrated from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), who said: “Do not tie the udder of the camels and sheep, and whoever purchased it after doing that, He has the choice after He milked it either to hold it if He liked it or to return it back together with a sa’a (a cubic measure) of dates.” And also due to what Ibn Majah narrated from Abu Hurairah, who said that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Whoever bought a camel or a sheep with a tied udder, He has the choice to return it within three days together with a sa’a of dates or wheat” (which represents the price of the milk He has gained). Al-Bazzar narrated from Anas from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) that He prohibited the selling of animals that are left not milked. So these Ahadith are clear in forbidding the tying of the udders of camels and sheep, and forbidding the selling of an animal after it was left unmilked till its udder became large to presume that it is a dairy cattle, because this is deceit and is prohibited (Haram). Similarly, any action that covers the defect or hides it is considered deception and is prohibited, whether it was in the commodity, or the currency, because it is fraud. A Muslim is not allowed to deceive in the commodity or the currency. Rather He has to show the defect in the commodity, and explain the forgery in the currency. He is not allowed to deceive in the commodity so as to circulate it or to sell it with a higher price. Nor is He allowed to deceive in the currency so that it would be accepted as a price of a commodity. This is because the prohibition of the Prophet (pbuh) regarding that was decisive. Ibn Majah narrated from `Uqbah ibn `Amir from the Prophet (pbuh) that He said: “The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim, and it is not allowed for a Muslim to buy a faulty thing from his brother without Him being shown that fault.” Bukhari narrated also from Hakeem ibn Hizam from the Prophet (pbuh), that He (pbuh) said: “The two traders (the seller and the purchaser) have the choice (to conclude or cancel the deal) before they departed (from each other). If they were honest and explained (the commodity and the currency), their sale will be blessed. But if they hid (the defect) and lied (to each other) the blessing of their sale will be eradicated.” The Prophet (pbuh) also said: “No one of us is allowed to deceive”, as narrated by Ibn Majah and Abu Dawud from Abu Hurairah. And whoever earned something through deceit and cheating would not (legally) possess it, because deceit is not one of the means of ownership, rather it is of the prohibited means, and thus it (the thing obtained by deception) is a prohibited and illegal (Suht) property. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Any (human) flesh that grows from illegal (suht) property will not enter paradise, then the Hellfire deserves it more”, narrated by Ahmad from Jabir ibn Abdullah. If fraud occurred, whether in the commodity or the currency, then the cheated person has the choice either to dissolve the contract or to carry it out, without more options. So if the purchaser wished to keep the defective commodity and take the indemnity i.e. the difference in the prices of the not defected and defected commodities, He has no right to do so, because the Prophet (pbuh) did not allow the taking of the indemnity; rather He gave the choice between two matters: “If He wished He could keep (the commodity) or return it back”, as narrated by Bukhari from Abu Hurairah.

It is not a condition that the salesman knew about the fraud or the defect (in the commodity) for the choice to be made. Rather, the choice is given to the cheated person once the fraud was proved, whether the salesman knew about it or not. This is because the Ahadith are general (in their sense) and because the reality of the sale is that it happened with that which was forbidden. This is in contrast with deceit (Ghubn), which is proven once it is known. This is because if He was not aware (of the deceit) then He would not really be deceiver unless the right of the deceived is proven. For example, when the market price decreases while the salesman is unaware of that when He sells (a commodity) but then realises that He has sold it for a price which is more than it is worth. This example is not considered deceit, and the purchaser is not given the choice, because the salesman is not considered as a deceiver when He was not aware of the fall in price.