Question:
as salamo alaikom respected mufti, kindly explain what is BAIY-UL EINAH? In our Shafie Madhab what is the hukm of this kind of bay’? jazakumullahu khairah ahsanal jaza.
Country: Philippines
Answer:
Wa alaykum salam wa rahmatuLlahi wa barakatuHu,
Bay’ al-‘inah is defined by Imam Rafi’i in al-Sharh al-Kabir v. 8, p. 231 and Imam Nawawi in Rawdah v. 3, p. 417-18 as,
أن يبيع غيره شيئا بثمن مؤجل ويسلمه إليه ثم يشتريه قبل قبض الثمن بأقل من ذلك نقدا
“That one sells another something with a deferred payment and hands over the article to him; then, he purchases it, before taking possession of the payment, for less than that in cash.”
This contract is not permissible according to Imams Abu Hanifah and Ahmad.
While in the Shafi’i Madhhab, it is makruh. Imam Nawawi stated this in Rawdah v. 3, p. 421; followed by Ibn al-Muqri in Rawd al-Talib along with Shaykh al-Islam’s commentary v. 2, p. 41; and likewise Muzajjad in al-‘Ubab al-Muhit v. 2, p. 36.
And Allah knows best.
Shafiifiqh.com Fatwa Dept.