Permissibility or Otherwise of Approaching Merchandise Long Before Other Merchants

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ لَا يَتَلَقَّى أَحَدُكُمْ تِجَارَةً خَارِجاً مِنَ الْمِصْرِ وَ لَا يَبِيعُ حَاضِرٌ لِبَادٍ وَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ يَرْزُقُ اللَّهُ بَعْضَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ‌[2].

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘You must not travel to meet the caravan of suppliers out of the city before other buyers. One must not buy for the ones who are not present. Allah grants su

قَالَ: لَا تَلَقَّ وَ لَا تَشْتَرِ مَا تُلُقِّيَ وَ لَا تَأْكُلْ مِنْهُ‌[3].

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), once said, ‘You must not travel to meet the caravan of suppliers out of the city before other buyers, you must not buy from those you meet in this way and you must not eat from items purchased in this way.’”

قُلْتُ لَهُ مَا حَدُّ التَّلَقِّي قَالَ رَوْحَةٌ[4].

“I once asked him (the Imam) (a.s.), ‘What is the limit of going out to meet a caravan of suppliers?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘It is a distance of one Rawhah (four Farasikh which is equal to six miles)”’

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ لَا تَلَقَّ فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ص نَهَى عَنِ التَّلَقِّي قُلْتُ وَ مَا حَدُّ التَّلَقِّي قَالَ مَا دُونَ غَدْوَةٍ أَوْ رَوْحَةٍ قُلْتُ وَ كَمِ الْغَدْوَةُ وَ الرَّوْحَةُ قَالَ أَرْبَعُ فَرَاسِخَ قَالَ ابْنُ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ وَ مَا فَوْقَ ذَلِكَ فَلَيْسَ بِتَلَقٍّ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), once said, ‘You must not travel to meet the caravan of suppliers out of the city before other buyers; the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, prohibited it.’ I then asked, ‘What are its limits?’ He (the Imam) replied,