The Case of Change of Prices of Certain Merchandise before Delivery

“About the case of a man who buys food for a few dirham of which he takes one-half and leaves the other half. Thereafter he comes back when prices have risen or have fallen down, Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If on the day of purchase he prices them and determines the amount then such price is what it is, but if he has taken a certain amount and has left the rest without pricing he must pay the price of the day that he takes whatever it is.”’

“About the case of a man who buys food, every kur (a certain amount) for a certain price, then prices rise or fall when he has measured only a certain part, and the owner of food refuses to deliver to him the rest, abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If on the day of purchase he has priced the food and that the food is his, then the remaining food is also his; but if he had only bought without any condition then only what he has paid for is his.’”

“Muhammad ibn al-Hassan once wrote to abu Muhammad (a.s.), asking, ‘A man has hired another man to work and build a structure for another person and he gives the worker food, cotton and other things; then the prices of food and cotton rise or fall and change from the day he gave him, if he can count on him with the price of the day of delivery or the price of the day of finalizing the account. He (the Imam) signed the answer, ‘He must pay according to the prices of the day he set mutual conditions (prices, work and so on) if Allah so wills.’ He (the Imam) (a.s.), about the question of goods that one receives and pays food for it without determining prices which then change, signed the answer, ‘Prices are that of the day he has given the food.’”