Yunus reports: I asked Shaykh Abu al-Zinad about the aforementioned narrations regarding selling fruit before it ripens. He narrated the statement of ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, Sayyiduna Sahl ibn Huthmah, and Sayyiduna Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with them): Previously, people used to make deals for fruit before it ripened. When the time came to harvest the fruit and those demanding it arrived, the buyer would say: The fruit has been afflicted by such-and-such disease, it has become spoiled. In this way, disputes would arise among them over such matters. When such cases became frequent before the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised them, saying:“Do not sell fruit until it has ripened.”The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said this because disputes and cases had increased. These are the words of the narrator named Abu al-Dardā. Shaykh Abu Dawud (may Allah have mercy on him) says: These words, that the fruit has been afflicted by disease, or has been afflicted by ‘tashām’.