Hadith 40

Mishkat al-Masabih

Book 11: Business Transactions Agreed upon

Chapter 3

Conditional Bargains* - Section 1

باب الخيار - الفصل الأول

Translator's Note: * The word used is khiyar which means "choice”. That does not seem a very suitable word in English to indicate the subject of the chapter, as it is rather vague, and so I have taken the liberty of using a more explanatory phrase. The chapter deals with the kind of transaction where either party has in certain circumstances the right to annul it. "Option” would have been a good translation, but I wish to use this as part of the translation of shuf'a in Chapter 12.
Agreed upon
Mishkat al-Masabih 2801
عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «الْمُتَبَايِعَانِ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا بِالْخِيَارِ عَلَى صَاحِبِهِ مَا لَمْ يَتَّفَرَقَا إِلَّا بيع الْخِيَار» وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ لِمُسْلِمٍ: «إِذَا تَبَايَعَ الْمُتَبَايِعَانِ فَكُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا بِالْخِيَارِ مِنْ بَيْعِهِ مَا لَمْ يَتَفَرَّقَا أَوْ يَكُونَ بَيْعُهُمَا عَنْ خِيَارٍ فَإِذَا كانَ بيعُهما عَن خيارٍ فقد وَجَبَ» وَفَى رِوَايَةٍ لِلتِّرْمِذِيِّ: «الْبَيِّعَانِ بِالْخِيَارِ مَا لَمْ يَتَفَرَّقَا أَوْ يَخْتَارَا» . وَفِي الْمُتَّفَقِ عَلَيْهِ:
" أَوْ يَقُولَ أَحَدُهُمَا لِصَاحِبِهِ: اخْتَرْ «بَدَلَ» أَوْ يختارا "
Ibn 'Umar reported God's Messenger as saying, "Both parties in a business transaction have a right to annul it so long as they have not separated, except in transactions which have been made subject to the right of the parties to annul them.” The version by Bukhari and Muslim has "or one of them tells the other to exercise his right” instead of "or exercise the right.” (Bukhari and Muslim.) A version by Muslim says, "Both parties in a business transaction have a right to annul the bargain so long as they have not separated, or when their bargain has attached to it the right to annul it, for when such a condition has been made it remains valid.” A version by Tirmidhi says, "The two parties in a business transaction have a right to annul it so long as they have not separated, or exercise the right.”