like cupping. Ahmad said, in the narration of Ibn al-Qasim: He should not take anything. It was said to him: Is it not like the cupper who is given payment even though it is forbidden? He replied: It has not reached us that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gave anything in such a case, as it has reached us regarding the cupper. Its aspect is that that for which the taking of payment is forbidden, the acceptance of a gift is also forbidden, such as the dowry of a prostitute and the fee of a soothsayer. Al-Qadi said: This is the requirement of logical reasoning, but its requirement was abandoned in the case of the cupper, so it remains in other cases according to the requirement of analogy. What we have mentioned is easier for the people and more consistent with analogy, and the statement of Ahmad is interpreted as an act of piety, not as a prohibition.
762 - Issue: He said: (And Najsh [artificially inflating prices] is forbidden. It is for a person to increase the price of an item while he is not a buyer for it.)
Najsh is when one who does not intend to buy the item increases its price so that the prospective buyer may follow his lead, thinking that he would not have increased the price for this amount unless it was worth it, thus being deceived by that. This is forbidden and is a form of deception. Al-Bukhari (1) said: The Najish (the one who practices Najsh) is a consumer of usury and a traitor; it is a deceptive act that is invalid and not permissible. Ibn Umar narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade Najsh. From Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Do not intercept riders [to trade with them before they reach the market], do not let some of you outbid others, do not practice Najsh, and do not let a city dweller sell for a bedouin." Both were agreed upon (2). This is because it involves deluding the buyer and cheating him.
(1) Meaning, reporting from Ibn Abi Awfa. See the following extraction. (2) The first: Recorded by al-Bukhari, in: Chapter on Najsh and he who said that such a sale is not permitted, from the Book of Sales, and in: Chapter on what is disliked of Najsh, from the Book of Legal Stratagems. Sahih al-Bukhari 3/91, 9/31. And Muslim, in: Chapter on the prohibition of a man selling over the sale of his brother..., from the Book of Sales. Sahih Muslim 3/1156. It was also recorded by al-Nasa'i, in: Chapter on Najsh, from the Book of Sales. Al-Mujtaba 7/227. And Ibn Majah, in: Chapter on what has been said regarding the prohibition of Najsh, from the Book of Trade. Sunan Ibn Majah 2/734. And Imam Malik, in: Chapter on what is forbidden of bargaining and sales, from the Book of Sales. Al-Muwatta 2/684. And Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 2/7, 63, 108, 156, 319. The second: Recorded by al-Bukhari, in: Chapter on the prohibition for the seller not to leave camels or cattle unmilked..., from the Book of Sales. Sahih al-Bukhari 3/92. And Muslim, in: Chapter on the prohibition of a man selling over the sale of his brother..., from the Book of Sales. Sahih Muslim 3/1155. It was also recorded by Abu Dawud, in: Chapter on one who buys a Musarrah [an animal left unmilked to deceive] and dislikes it, from the Book of Sales. Sunan Abi Dawud 2/242.
