Question 2031: I have an online sales business where I first take an order and agree on a price, and then I buy that item from a colleague or from the market and sell it to the person who ordered it.
Answer
Is this transaction valid?
✅ Answer: Note the following hadiths:
1 عَنْ صَفْوَانَ عَنِ ابْنِ سِنَانٍ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْداللَّهِ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ یَأْتِینِی یُرِیدُ مِنِّی طَعَاماً أَوْ بَیْعاً نَسِیئاً وَ لَیْسَ عِنْدِی أَ یَصْلُحُ أَنْ أَبِیعَهُ إِیَّاهُ وَ أَقْطَعَ لَهُ سِعْرَهُ ثُمَّ أَشْتَرِیَهُ مِنْ مَکَانٍ آخَرَ فَأَدْفَعَهُ إِلَیْهِ قَالَ لَا بَأْسَ.
📚 Al-Tahdhib, Vol. 7, p. 49
Ibn Sinan said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about a person who comes to me seeking food or goods on credit while I do not have them—should I sell it to him, fix the price, and then purchase it from another location and deliver it to him? The Imam said: There is no problem with that!
2 عَنْ عَبْداللَّهِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ أَبِی عَبْداللَّهِ قَالَ: لَا بَأْسَ بِأَنْ تَبِیعَ الرَّجُلَ الْمَتَاعَ لَیْسَ عِنْدَکَ تُسَاوِمُهُ ثُمَّ تَشْتَرِی لَهُ نَحْوَ الَّذِی طَلَبَ ثُمَّ تُوجِبُهُ عَلَی نَفْسِکَ ثُمَّ تَبِیعُهُ مِنْهُ بَعْدُ.
📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 5, p. 201
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: There is no problem with selling an item you do not have to a person; you agree on the price with him, then you buy for him exactly what he requested, finalize the sale for yourself, and then sell it to him!
3 رَوَی مُعَاوِیَةُ بْنُ عَمَّارٍ عَنْ أَبِی عَبْداللَّهِ علیه السلام قَالَ قُلْتُ لَهُ یَجِیئُنِی الرَّجُلُ یَطْلُبُ بَیْعَ الْحَرِیرِ مِنِّی وَ لَیْسَ عِنْدِی مِنْهُ شَیْءٌ فَیُقَاوِلُنِی وَ أُقَاوِلُهُ فِی الرِّبْحِ وَ الْأَجَلِ حَتَّی نَجْتَمِعَ عَلَی شَیْءٍ ثُمَّ أَذْهَبُ فَأَشْتَرِی لَهُ وَ أَدْعُوهُ إِلَیْهِ فَقَالَ أَ رَأَیْتَ إِنْ وَجَدَ بَیْعاً هُوَ أَحَبُّ إِلَیْهِ مِمَّا عِنْدَکَ أَ یَسْتَطِیعُ أَنْ یَنْصَرِفَ إِلَیْهِ وَ یَدَعَکَ أَوْ وَجَدْتَ أَنْتَ ذَلِکَ أَ تَسْتَطِیعُ أَنْ تَنْصَرِفَ عَنْهُ وَ تَدَعَهُ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ لَا بَأْسَ
📚 Al-Faqih, Vol. 3, p. 282
Muawiyah ibn Ammar said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): A person comes to me and requests to buy silk, but I have none in my possession. So we discuss and negotiate the profit and the timeframe until we reach an agreement. Then I go and buy it for him and invite him to take it. The Imam said: Tell me, if he finds a product or a deal that he likes more than what you have, can he go for that and leave you? Or if you find [a better deal], can you turn away from him and leave him? I said: Yes! He said: There is no problem with that!
4 عن عبدالرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ الْحَجَّاجِ قال: قُلْتُ لِأَبِی عبداللَّهِ الرَّجُلُ یَجِیئُنِی یَطْلُبُ الْمَتَاعَ فَأُقَاوِلُهُ عَلَی الرِّبْحِ ثُمَّ أَشْتَرِیهِ فَأَبِیعُهُ مِنْهُ فَقَالَ أَ لَیْسَ إِنْ شَاءَ أَخَذَ و إِنْ شَاءَ تَرَکَ قُلْتُ بَلَی قَالَ فَلَا بَأْسَ بِهِ... إلي أن قال إِنَّ أَبِی کَانَ یَقُولُ لَا بَأْسَ بِبَیْعِ کُلِّ مَتَاعٍ کُنْتَ تَجِدُهُ فِی الْوَقْتِ الَّذِی بِعْتَهُ فِیهِ.
📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 5, p. 200
Abdurrahman ibn Hajjaj said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): A person comes to me seeking a commodity. So I negotiate (and agree) with him on the amount of profit, then I purchase that commodity and sell it to him. The Imam said: Is it not the case that if he wishes, he takes the item, and if he wishes, he leaves it? I said: Yes! He said: There is no problem with that! ...until he said: My father used to say: There is no problem with the sale of any commodity that can be found at the time of its sale!
✅ According to the above hadiths and others, a seller can take an order for a commodity they do not possess, agree on the price and conditions with the buyer, and then purchase it and sell it to the person who ordered it.
However, it must be noted that in this type of sale, after the seller prepares the item and brings it to the customer, the customer is not obligated to buy it and can decline, and the seller is also free in selling that item to the person who ordered it and can choose not to sell it to them.
Therefore, the buyer and seller should proceed with awareness of this matter so that no problems arise for them.
✅ This matter is different from 'Bay' al-Salaf' (Forward Sale).
✅ The proof in answering jurisprudential questions is the relevant verses and hadiths; the concluding explanations are not proof and are merely to assist understanding and are subject to critique!
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْر