Mutual Settlement

أَحَدُهُمَا لِصَاحِبِهِ أَعْطِنِي رَأْسَ الْمَالِ وَ لَكَ الرِّبْحُ وَ عَلَيْكَ التَّوَى فَقَالَ لَا بَأْسَ إِذَا اشْتَرَطَا[2] فَإِذَا كَانَ شَرْطٌ يُخَالِفُ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ فَهُوَ رَدٌّ إِلَى كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ.

"This is about the two men who had a business partnership with a certain amount of asset in which they made a certain amount of profit, there, however, was a loan against that asset which both had to pay. One of them asked the other to give him the capital in exchange for the profit and payment of loan. The Imam said,

فِي رَجُلَيْنِ كَانَ لِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا طَعَامٌ عِنْدَ صَاحِبِهِ وَ لَا يَدْرِي كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا كَمْ لَهُ عِنْدَ صَاحِبِهِ فَقَالَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا لِصَاحِبِهِ لَكَ مَا عِنْدَكَ‌[3] وَ لِي مَا عِنْدِي قَالَ لَا بَأْسَ بِذَلِكَ إِذَا تَرَاضَيَا وَ طَابَتْ أَنْفُسُهُمَا.

“About two men who each had a certain amount of grain in the possession of the other but no one of them knew how much was the amount, and each one of them had said to the other one, ‘You can have whatever amount of grain is with you and I will have the amount which is with me,’ one of the two Imam, (abu Ja’far or abu ‘

سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَكُونُ لَهُ عَلَى الرَّجُلِ دَيْنٌ فَيَقُولُ لَهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ‌ يَحِلَّ الْأَجَلُ عَجِّلْ لِيَ النِّصْفَ مِنْ حَقِّي عَلَى أن أَضَعَ عَنْكَ النِّصْفَ أَ يَحِلُّ ذَلِكَ لِوَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا قَالَ نَعَمْ‌[1].

“I once asked the Imam (a.s.), about the case of a man to whom another man owed a certain amount of loan who before the due date asked the borrower to pay him half of the loan so he then might cancel the other half in favor of the borrower. He (the Imam) said, ‘Such settlement is lawful.”

سُئِلَ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَكُونُ لَهُ دَيْنٌ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى فَيَأْتِيهِ غَرِيمُهُ فَيَقُولُ انْقُدْنِي كَذَا وَ كَذَا وَ أَضَعُ عَنْكَ بَقِيَّتَهُ أَوْ يَقُولُ انْقُدْنِي بَعْضَهُ وَ أَمُدُّ لَكَ فِي الْأَجَلِ فِيمَا بَقِيَ عَلَيْكَ قَالَ لَا أَرَى بِهِ بَأْساً إِنَّهُ لَمْ يَزْدَدْ عَلَى رَأْسِ مَالِهِ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- فَلَكُمْ رُؤُسُ أَمْوالِكُمْ لا تَظْلِمُونَ وَ لا تُظْلَمُونَ‌[2].

“I once asked the Imam about one who before due date of payment, asked a man who owed him a certain amount, to pay him a certain amount and he might write off the rest or extend the due date for payment in his favor. He (the Imam) said, ‘I do not see any offense in such deal as long as he does not increase his capital.

الصُّلْحُ جَائِزٌ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Settlement by means of mutual agreement is permissible for people.’”

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي الْحَسَنِ ع يَهُودِيٌّ أَوْ نَصْرَانِيٌّ كَانَتْ لَهُ عِنْدِي أَرْبَعَةُ آلَافِ دِرْهَمٍ فَهَلَكَ أَ يَجُوزُ لِي أَنْ أُصَالِحَ وَرَثَتَهُ وَ لَا أُعْلِمَهُمْ كَمْ كَانَ فَقَالَ لَا حَتَّى تُخْبِرَهُمْ‌[3].

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.). ‘There are four thousand dirhams of a Jew or a Christian and he has died. Is it permissible to reach a settlement about it with his heirs without informing them of the amount?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘No, until you inform them of the amount.’”

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنْ رَجُلٍ ضَمَّنَ عَلَى رَجُلٍ ضَمَاناً ثُمَّ صَالَحَ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ لَيْسَ لَهُ إِلَّا الَّذِي صَالَحَ عَلَيْهِ.

’He can only have the actual amount the man owes to him.”’

إِذَا كَانَ لِرَجُلٍ عَلَى رَجُلٍ دَيْنٌ فَمَطَلَهُ حَتَّى مَاتَ ثُمَّ صَالَحَ وَرَثَتَهُ عَلَى شَيْ‌ءٍ فَالَّذِي أَخَذَتْهُ الْوَرَثَةُ لَهُمْ وَ مَا بَقِيَ فَلِلْمَيِّتِ- حَتَّى يَسْتَوْفِيَهُ مِنْهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ وَ إِنْ هُوَ لَمْ يُصَالِحْهُمْ عَلَى شَيْ‌ءٍ حَتَّى مَاتَ وَ لَمْ يَقْضِ عَنْهُ فَهُوَ كُلُّهُ لِلْمَيِّتِ يَأْخُذُهُ بِهِ.

“Abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ’If one owes a certain amount of debts to another person and he delays payment until the creditor dies and then he reaches a settlement with such person’s heirs whatever they receive belongs to them and the remaining belongs to the deceased who will acquire from him in the next life; b