Liability for Safe Deposit and Borrowing

صَاحِبُ الْوَدِيعَةِ وَ الْبِضَاعَةِ مُؤْتَمَنَانِ وَ قَالَ إِذَا هَلَكَتِ الْعَارِيَّةُ عِنْدَ الْمُسْتَعِيرِ لَمْ يَضْمَنْهُ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدِ اشْتُرِطَ عَلَيْهِ وَ قَالَ فِي حَدِيثٍ آخَرَ إِذَا كَانَ مُسْلِماً عَدْلًا فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ ضَمَانٌ.

“About the case of a man who claims that Wadi‘ah (safe deposit) were entrusted assets, abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If a borrowed item is destroyed with the borrower he is not held liable unless it is stipulated.”’ In another Hadith it is said that if the borrower is a just Muslim he is not held liable.

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ لَا يَضْمَنُ الْعَارِيَّةَ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدِ اشْتَرَطَ فِيهَا ضَمَاناً إِلَّا الدَّنَانِيرَ فَإِنَّهَا مَضْمُونَةٌ وَ إِنْ لَمْ يَشْتَرِطْ فِيهَا ضَمَاناً.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘A borrower is not held liable for the item borrowed unless it is stipulated, except dinar which brings liability even if there is no stipulation.’”

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع الْعَارِيَّةُ مَضْمُونَةٌ فَقَالَ جَمِيعُ مَا اسْتَعَرْتَهُ فَتَوِيَ فَلَا يَلْزَمُكَ [مَا] تَوَاهُ إِلَّا الذَّهَبُ وَ الْفِضَّةُ فَإِنَّهُمَا يَلْزَمَانِ إِلَّا أَنْ يُشْتَرَطَ عَلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ مَتَى مَا تَوِيَ لَمْ يَلْزَمْكَ تَوَاهُ وَ كَذَلِكَ جَمِيعُ مَا اسْتَعَرْتَ فَاشْتُرِطَ عَلَيْكَ لَزِمَكَ وَ الذَّهَبُ وَ الْفِضَّةُ لَازِمٌ لَكَ وَ إِنْ لَمْ يُشْتَرَطْ عَلَيْكَ.

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the borrowed item; if the borrower was held liable for it. He (the Imam) said, ‘If whatever you borrow is destroyed, you are not held liable except gold and silver; which bring liability unless it is stipulated that even on being destroyed you are not

سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْعَارِيَّةِ يَسْتَعِيرُهَا الْإِنْسَانُ فَتَهْلِكُ أَوْ تُسْرَقُ فَقَالَ إِذَا كَانَ أَمِيناً فَلَا غُرْمَ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ وَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الَّذِي يَسْتَبْضِعُ الْمَالَ‌[1] فَيَهْلِكُ أَوْ يُسْرَقُ أَ عَلَى صَاحِبِهِ ضَمَانٌ فَقَالَ لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ غُرْمٌ بَعْدَ أَنْ يَكُونَ الرَّجُلُ أَمِيناً.

“I once asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about a borrowed item; if it was destroyed or was stolen. He (the Imam) said, ‘If the borrower is trustworthy he is not held liable.’ I then asked him (the Imam) about the case of a man who gave certain amount of assets to another person to use in business in which the worker had no sha

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنِ الْعَارِيَّةِ فَقَالَ لَا غُرْمَ عَلَى مُسْتَعِيرِ عَارِيَّةٍ إِذَا هَلَكَتْ إِذَا كَانَ مَأْمُوناً.

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a borrowed item. He (the Imam) said, ‘The borrower has no liability if the item is destroyed if he is trustworthy.’”

فِي رَجُلٍ اسْتَعَارَ ثَوْباً ثُمَّ عَمَدَ إِلَيْهِ فَرَهَنَهُ فَجَاءَ أَهْلُ الْمَتَاعِ إِلَى مَتَاعِهِمْ قَالَ يَأْخُذُونَ مَتَاعَهُمْ.

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who borrowed clothes, then left it as al-Rahn (security deposit) with someone; then the owner came to take it. He (the Imam) said, ‘They can take their asset.’”

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع- عَنْ وَدِيعَةِ الذَّهَبِ وَ الْفِضَّةِ قَالَ فَقَالَ كُلُّمَا كَانَ مِنْ وَدِيعَةٍ وَ لَمْ تَكُنْ مَضْمُونَةً لَا تَلْزَمُ‌[2].

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the Wadi‘ah (safe deposit) of gold and silver. He (the Imam) said, ‘Whatever of Wadi ‘ah (safe deposit) for which liability is not stipulated does not make one liable.”’

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ ع عَنْ رَجُلٍ اسْتَوْدَعَ رَجُلًا أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ فَضَاعَتْ فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ كَانَتْ عِنْدِي وَدِيعَةً وَ قَالَ الْآخَرُ إِنَّمَا كَانَتْ عَلَيْكَ قَرْضاً قَالَ الْمَالُ لَازِمٌ لَهُ إِلَّا أَنْ يُقِيمَ الْبَيِّنَةَ أَنَّهَا كَانَتْ وَدِيعَةً.

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about the case of a man who borrowed one thousand dirham and it was lost and he said that it was Wadi ‘ah (safe deposit) with him and the other said that it was a debt on him. He (the Imam) said, ‘He is responsible for it unless he presents proof that it was Wadi ‘ah (safe deposit).”

كَتَبْتُ إِلَى أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ ع رَجُلٌ دَفَعَ إِلَى رَجُلٍ وَدِيعَةً فَوَضَعَهَا فِي مَنْزِلِ جَارِهِ فَضَاعَتْ فَهَلْ يَجِبُ عَلَيْهِ إِذَا خَالَفَ أَمْرَهُ وَ أَخْرَجَهَا مِنْ مِلْكِهِ فَوَقَّعَ ع هُوَ ضَامِنٌ لَهَا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ.

‘He is responsible for it, by the will of Allah.’”

سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ‌ بَعَثَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص إِلَى صَفْوَانَ بْنِ أُمَيَّةَ فَاسْتَعَارَ مِنْهُ سَبْعِينَ دِرْعاً بِأَطْرَاقِهَا[1] قَالَ فَقَالَ أَ غَصْباً يَا مُحَمَّدُ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ص بَلْ عَارِيَّةٌ مَضْمُونَةٌ.

“I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, sent a message to Safwan ibn ‘Umayyah asking him to borrow seventy pieces of coats of arms with their helmets. He asked, ‘Is it forcibly, O Muhammad?’ T