On the Etiquettes of Buying and Selling

Just as in our country, the mango-crop is, often, sold much before it is ready, in Medina and other cultivable parts of Arabia, too, the crops of dates or grapes were sold before the fruit had begun to mature, and, likewise, the standing crops of grain were sold before the grain had ripened. The holy Prophet forbade it because it was quite possible that, after the transaction, the crop was destroyed owing to a natural calamity, like a squall or hailstorm, and the poor buyer was put to serious loss. A quarrel could, moreover, arise, in such a situation, between the buyer and the seller over the payment of dues. Hence, the holy Prophet has enjoined on his followers not to be a party to such deals.