Chapter II: Etiquette of Marriage
(2) It is an act of oppression if a merchant is caused loss. It is justice not to do loss to a Muslim. The general rule is : love for others what you love for yourself. This should be observed in four dealings — (1) not to praise one's thing. (2) not to conceal the defects of one's things form others. (3) not to conceal the weights and measures of a thing . (4) and not to cheat in respect of a price of a thing. (1) To say that a thing possesses a quality which it has not got is falsehood. If a buyer purchases a thing on the basis of that description, it will be an act of deceit. Account will be taken of every word uttered. God says : There is a guard over man of what one utters. The Prophet said : In false oath, there is much loss of commodities and there is less profit. The Prophet said :
God will not look on three persons on the Resurrection Day-^-a proud disobedient man, one who deals harshly after charity and one who sells things by oath.
NOT CONCEAL DEFECTS OF COMMODITIES
One who conceals defects is an oppressor, a deceit and a fraud. Deceit is unlawful. Once the prophet saw a man selling food stuffs and it pleased him. The Prophet then entered his hand unto the interior of the food stuffs and found moisture in them.
He asked him : Why there are wet things in them ? He said : Rain melted them. He said : Has not the rain fallen on the top of the crops ? The Prophet then said : He who defrauds us is not of us.
The Prophet took allegiance of Islam from Jarir and when he was about to go, he took promise from his that he should do good to the Muslim. Thereafter, whenever Jarir was present at the time of transaction of a thing, he disclosed the defects of it and gave him option to purchase. Some one said to him : You will not get profit
54 The Book of Wordly Usages Vol-II
by it. He said : I made promise to the Prophet that I shall seek good of every Muslim. The Prophet said : It is unlawful to sell a thing without disclosing its defects and one who knows it will commit sin if he does not give precaution to him.
A man had a cow. He milked his cow everyday and sold milk after mixing water therein. One day there was flood which drowned the cow. One of his sons said to him : The waters which you mixed with milk gathered together and washed away the cow by a strong current. The Prophet said : When the buyer and seller tell truth and wish good, blessing is given to their transaction. When they conceal and tell falsehood, blessing is withdrawn from them. There is in another Hadis : God hand remains upon two partners till they do not commit teachery to each other. When they commit breach of trust : He withdraws his hand from both.