Chapter: On al-musarrat (the animal withheld from milking to deceive), and other related matters.
Al-tasriya is the collecting of milk in the udder. It is said: 'Sarra al-sha'ah' (he withheld milk in the sheep), and 'sara al-laban fi dar' al-sha'ah' (he withheld the milk in the sheep's udder), using both the shaddah (emphasis) and without it. It is also said: 'Sara al-ma' fi al-hawd' (he retained the water in the basin), 'sara al-ta'am fi fihi' (he kept the food in his mouth), and 'sara al-ma' fi zahrihi' when he refrains from intercourse. Abu 'Ubayd recited the following verse:
She saw a youth who had retained in his spinal column The water of youth, the vigor of his prime.
Water is called 'saran' and 'sarin' when its stagnation lasts. Al-Bukhari said: The origin of 'tasriya' is the containment of water; it is said: 'Sarraytu al-ma'a' (I contained the water). Al-musarrah is also called 'al-muhaffalah'. It is derived from 'al-jam'' (gathering/collecting), and from this are social gatherings called 'mahafil'. Tasriya is prohibited if one intends by it to deceive the buyer, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "Do not practice tasriya," and his saying: "Whoever deceives us is not of us."
(1) In Manuscript M: "Abu 'Ubaydah". The rajaz poem is found in 'Gharib al-Hadith' by Abu 'Ubayd 2/241, and 'Al-Lisan' (entry S-R-Y). It is by al-Aghlab al-'Ijli, who lived during both the Jahiliyyah and Islamic periods; he was killed at Nihawand, and he was the first to liken the rajaz meter to the qasida and lengthen it. See 'Al-Shi'r wa al-Shu'ara' by Ibn Qutaybah 2/413. (2) In Manuscript M: "Ra'aytu ghulaman" (I saw a youth). It is also narrated: "Rubba ghulamin". See 'Al-Lisan'. (3) Recorded by al-Bukhari in 'The Chapter on the Prohibition for the Seller not to Withhold Milk in Camels, Cows, and Sheep...' and 'The Chapter: If he wishes, he returns the musarrah along with a sa' of dates', from 'Kitab al-Buyu'' (Book of Sales). Sahih al-Bukhari 3/92, 93. Also by Muslim in 'The Chapter on the Prohibition of a Man Selling Over the Sale of His Brother...' and 'The Chapter on the Ruling of Selling al-Musarrah', from 'Kitab al-Buyu''. Sahih Muslim 3/1155, 1158, 1159. Also by Abu Dawud in 'The Chapter on Someone Who Bought a Musarrah and Disliked It', from 'Kitab al-Buyu''. Sunan Abi Dawud 2/242. Also by al-Nasa'i in 'The Chapter on the Prohibition of al-Musarrah', from 'Kitab al-Buyu''. Al-Mujtaba 7/223. Also by Imam Malik in 'The Chapter on What is Prohibited Regarding Bargaining and Buying', from 'Kitab al-Buyu''. Al-Muwatta 2/683, 684. Also by Imam Ahmad in 'Al-Musnad' 2/242, 417, 460, 465.
