Arabic Text
عن أبي خالدٍ حكيم بن حزَامٍ رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسولُ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم:
«الْبَيِّعَان بالخِيَارِ ما لم يَتَفَرَّقا، فإن صَدَقا وبيَّنا بُورِك لَهُما في بيعهِمَا، وإن كَذَبا وكَتَما مُحِقَتْ بركَةُ بَيْعِهِما». متفقٌ عليه.
Translation
Abu Khalid Hakim ibn Hizam, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
“The buyer and seller have the option [to cancel] so long as they have not separated. If they speak the truth and make things clear, they will be blessed in their sale. But if they lie and conceal, the blessing of their sale will be erased.”
1. Connection to the Chapter
This hadith is placed under truthfulness because its deepest concern is not trade itself, but the moral quality of honesty in trade. Imam al-Nawawi includes it here to show that sidq is not limited to personal speech, worship, or public declarations; it must also govern business, negotiation, and every exchange where trust is involved.
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, ties blessing to truth and loss of blessing to deception. That makes this hadith a practical lesson in sincerity: a person’s dealings reveal whether truthfulness is a real part of the heart or only a beautiful claim.
2. Key Concept Breakdown
البيّعان — the two parties to a sale; both seller and buyer carry moral responsibility.
بالخيار — having the choice; the deal is still open while they remain together.
ما لم يتفرقا — so long as they have not separated; the moment of finality has not yet arrived.
صدق — to speak truthfully; to be honest about the item, the price, the condition, and anything relevant.
بيّنا — to make things clear, to disclose, to remove ambiguity; this is stronger than merely “not lying.” It means actively opening the truth so the other person is not left in darkness.
بورك لهما — blessing is placed in their transaction; the exchange becomes fruitful, calm, and beneficial.
كذبا وكَتما — they lied and concealed; one corrupts speech, the other corrupts silence.
مُحِقَت بركة — the blessing is erased; the sale may still happen, but its inner goodness disappears.
3. Hadith Lessons
This hadith teaches that Islam does not measure a transaction by profit alone. A deal can be legally complete and still be spiritually ruined if it rests on concealment. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, makes barakah dependent on honesty, not on sharpness or cleverness.
The word بيّنا deserves special attention. It is not a weak command to “avoid falsehood.” It calls the seller and buyer to actively clarify what matters. That means disclosing defects, being honest about condition, not overstating quality, not hiding damage, not using half-truths, and not leaving the other person to discover the reality after it is too late. In other words, the believer is not merely forbidden from lying; he is required to make the truth visible.
This is what makes the hadith so morally serious. Deception in trade does not always come as an open lie. Sometimes it comes as silence about a flaw, a polished description that hides weakness, a vague answer that avoids disclosure, or pressure that prevents the other side from thinking clearly. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, cuts through all of that and teaches that clear honesty is the path to blessing.
It also teaches that both sides of the sale are responsible. The seller must not hide defects or exaggerate the item, and the buyer must not manipulate, misrepresent, or take advantage through dishonesty. Islam does not permit one side to win by morally weakening the other.
A deeper lesson is that barakah is not a decoration added after the deal. It is the real goodness that makes income peaceful, sufficient, and clean. Without it, a transaction may produce money but leave behind suspicion, regret, and inner loss. With it, even a modest sale can carry enduring benefit.
4. Special Reflections
This hadith is especially relevant in a world where people are trained to market, polish, and present everything at its best angle. Many modern forms of deception are not dramatic lies; they are careful omissions, softened truths, and selective disclosures. A seller may hide a flaw, exaggerate a benefit, or speak just enough to close the sale without truly informing the buyer.
The same disease can appear in smaller forms too. A used item may be sold with hidden defects. A service may be described in a way that sounds better than it is. A person may use emotional pressure to hurry a transaction before the other side can think properly. Sometimes the deception is not what is said, but what is intentionally left unsaid.
That is why بيّنا is such a powerful word. It represents moral transparency. It means that a believer does not merely avoid falsehood; he removes confusion. He allows the other person to see clearly before deciding. That is a high standard, but it is exactly the standard that preserves blessing.
5. Three Questions to Close With
- When I deal with people, do I make the truth clear, or do I leave others to discover it too late?
- Am I more concerned with closing the deal, or with preserving the barakah of what I earn?
- In the private details I usually hide, would my honesty still stand if Allah exposed everything?