types: First, that it is destroyed before taking possession of it, in which case the lease is rescinded without any disagreement that we are aware of, because the object of the contract perished before being possessed, resembling the situation if sold food perished before being possessed. Second, that it is destroyed immediately after taking possession of it, in which case the lease is also rescinded and the rent falls, according to the opinion of the majority of jurists, except for Abu Thawr, from whom it was reported that he said: The rent is established, because the object of the contract perished after being possessed, resembling sold goods. This is an error, because the object of the contract is the benefits, and its possession occurs by utilizing it or having the ability to utilize it, and that was not achieved, so it resembles its destruction before taking possession of the object. Third, that it is destroyed after some of the term has passed, in which case the lease is rescinded for the remainder of the term, but not for what has already passed, and the lessor is entitled to rent in proportion to the benefit obtained. Ahmad said, in the narration of Ibrahim ibn al-Harith: If one hires a specific camel and the camel dies, he pays in proportion to what he rode. This is because, as we have mentioned, the object of the contract is the benefits, and some of it perished before being possessed, so the contract is void regarding what perished but not regarding what was possessed, just as if one bought two heaps of food, possessed one, and the other perished before being possessed. Then we look: if the rent for the term is equal, he owes in proportion to what has passed; if half has passed, he owes half the rent, and if one-third has passed, he owes one-third, just as the price is divided among equal sold items. If it is different, such as a house whose rent in winter is higher than in summer, or land whose rent in summer is higher than in winter, or a house that has a season like the houses of Mecca, one returns to experts for its valuation, and the specified rent is apportioned according to the value of the benefit, like the division of the price among different items in a sale. The same applies if the rent is for covering a distance, such as a camel hired to carry something to a specific place, whether the parts are equal or different. This is the manifest position of al-Shafi'i.