Buying and Selling Fruits

7. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from ‘Uthman ibn ’Isa from Sama’ah who has said the following: “I once asked him (the Imam) about selling fruits. ‘Is it permissible to buy fruits before they are formed?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘No, it is not permissible unless something else alongside is also purchased, like animal feed or vegetables when the buyer says, ‘I buy this much animal feed and dates from you and this tree in exchange for so and so prices.’ In case, if no fruits appeared the buyers’ capital remains with animal feed or vegetables.’ I then asked him (the Imam) about buying tree leaves. Is it permissible to buy them in three or four kharatat (crops)?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘If you can see leaves on the tree you can buy it for whatever number of cropping you may like.’”