Ahmad 4096

Its isnad is sahih. The first part of it, concerning the sale of "muhaffalat," is mawquf, while the second, concerning the prohibition of intercepting merchandise before it reaches the market, is marfu.Bukhari related it likewise, 2094, from Musaddad, from Mutamir bin Sulayman Taymi, from his father, from Abu Uthman Nahdi. Hafiz said, most narrators related it from Mutamir bin Sulayman as mawquf, and Ismaili narrated it through Abdullah bin Muaz from Mutamir as marfu, and mentioned that raising it to marfu status was a mistake. Most of the companions of Sulayman related it from him as it appears here, the hadith about the muhaffalah being mawquf from the words of Ibn Masud, and the hadith about the prohibition of intercepting merchandise being marfu. Abu Khalid Ahmar differed from them regarding Sulayman Taymi, relating it with this isnad as marfu, which Ismaili narrated, and he likewise indicated that this was an error.In Ibn Majah 2:17 there is another hadith, through the route of Jabir Jafi, from Abu Duha, from Masruq, from Ibn Masud, as marfu, "The sale of muhaffalat is deception, and deception is not lawful for a Muslim." This will come again at 4125. It is a daif hadith due to the weakness of Jabir Jafi.As for the second part of this hadith, concerning the prohibition of intercepting merchandise, Muslim, Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah also related it, as noted in Dhakhair 4775, and in Ibn Majah 8:2. See also Muntaqa 2945.Muhaffalah, with the fa doubled and vowelled with a fatha, Ibn Athir said, refers to a ewe, cow, or she-camel that its owner refrains from milking for several days until its milk accumulates in its udder. When the buyer milks it, he supposes it to be abundant in milk and so raises its price, but afterward it becomes clear to him that its milk has decreased compared to the days when it was left to accumulate. It is called muhaffalah because the milk was gathered, hufila, in its udder, meaning collected. It is also called musarrah. See my edition of Shafii's Risalah, 1658-1664.