Salam and Istisna

SALAM
This mode of financing can be used by the
modern banks and financial institutions
especially to finance the agricultural
sector.
In Salam, the seller undertakes to supply
specific goods to the buyer at a future date
in exchange of an advanced price fully
paid at spot.
The price is in cash but the supply of
purchased goods is deferred.

Purpose of use
To meet the need of small farmers
who need money to grow their crops
and to feed their family up to the
time of harvest.
When Allah declared Riba haram, the
farmers could not take usurious
loans. Therefore Holy Prophet
allowed them to sell their agricultural
products in advance.

 To meet the need of traders for import and

export business.
Under Salam, it is allowed for them that they
sell the goods in advance so that after
receiving their cash price, they can easily
undertake the aforesaid business.
Salam is beneficial to the seller because he
receives the price in advance and it is
beneficial to the buyer also because normally
the price in Salam is lower than the price in
spot sales.

Conditions of Salam
1. It is necessary for the validity of Salam that
the buyer pays the price in full to the seller at
the time of effecting the sale. In the absence
of full payment, it will be tantamount to sale
of a debt against a debt, which is expressly
prohibited by the Holy Prophet . Moreover the
basic wisdom for allowing Salam is to fulfill
the instant need of the seller. If its not paid
in full, the basic purpose will not be achieved.

 2. Only those goods can be sold through a Salam

contract in which the quantity and quality can be
exactly specified eg. precious stones cannot be sold
on the basis of Salam because each stone differ in
quality, size, weight and their exact specification is
not possible.
3. Salam cannot be effected on a particular
commodity or on a product of a particular field or
farm eg. Supply of wheat of a particular field or the
fruit of a particular tree since there is a possibility
that the crop is destroyed before delivery and given
such possibility, the delivery remains uncertain.

 4. All details in respect to quality of goods

sold must be expressly specified leaving
no ambiguity, which may lead to a
dispute.
5. It is necessary that the quantity of the
commodity is agreed upon in absolute
terms. It should be measured or weighed
in its usual measure only, meaning what is
normally weighed cannot be quantified
and vice versa.

 6. The exact date and place of delivery

must be specified in the contract.
7. Salam cannot be effected in respect of
things, which must be delivered at spot.
8. The commodity for Salam contract
should remain in the market right from
the day of contract up to the date of
delivery or at least till the date of
delivery.

 9. The time of delivery should be at least fifteen

days or one month from the date of agreement.
Price in Salam is generally lower than the price in
spot sale. The period should be long enough to
affect prices. But Hanafi Fiqh did not specify any
minimum period for the validity of Salam. It is all
right to have an earlier date of delivery if the seller
consents to it.
10. Since price in Salam is generally lower than the
price in spot sale; the difference in the two prices
may be a valid profit for the Bank.

 11. A security in the form of a

guarantee, mortgage or hypothecation
may be required for a Salam in order
to ensure that the seller delivers.
12. The seller at the time of delivery
delivers commodities and not money
to the buyer who would have to
establish a special cell for dealing in
commodities.

Benefits
1. After purchasing a commodity by way of
Salam, the financial institution can sell it
through a parallel contract of Salam for the
same date of delivery. The period of Salam in
the second parallel contract is shorter and the
price is higher than the first contract. The
difference between the two prices shall be the
profit earned by the institution. The shorter the
period of Salam, the higher the price and the
greater the profit. In this way institutions can
manage their short term financing portfolios.

 The institution can obtain a promise to

purchase from a third party. This
promise should be unilateral from the
expected buyer. The buyer does not
have to pay the price in advance.
When the institution receives the
commodity, it can sell it at a predetermined price to a third party
according to the terms of the promise.

Parallel Salam
1. In an arrangement of parallel Salam there must be two

different and independent contracts; one where the bank is a

buyer and the other in which it is a seller. The two contracts
cannot be tied up and performance of one should not be
contingent on the other. For example, if A has purchased from
B 1000 bags of wheat by way of Salam to be delivered on 31
December, A can contract a parallel Salam with C to deliver to
him 1000 bags of wheat on 31 December. But while contracting
Parallel Salam with C, the delivery of wheat to C cannot be
conditioned with taking delivery from B. Therefore, even if B
did not deliver wheat on 31 December, A is duty bound to
deliver 1000 bags of wheat to C. He can seek whatever
recourse he has against B, but he cannot rid himself from his
liability to deliver wheat to C. Similarly, if B has delivered
defective goods, which do not conform to the agreed
specifications, A is still obligated to deliver the goods to C
according to the specifications agreed with him.

 2. A Salam arrangement cannot be used as a buy back

facility where the seller in the first contract is also the
purchaser in the second. Even if the purchaser in the
second contract is a separate legal entity, but owned
by the seller in the first contract; it would not
tantamount to a valid parallel Salam agreement. For
example, A has purchased 1000 bags of wheat by way
of Salam from B - a joint stock company. B has a
subsidiary C, which is a separate legal entity but is
fully owned by B. A cannot contract the parallel
Salam with C. However, if C is not wholly owned by
B, A can contract parallel Salam with it, even if some
share-holders are common between B and C.

ISTISNA
Istisna is a sale transaction where a
commodity is transacted before it comes into
existence. It is an order to a manufacturer to
manufacture a specific commodity for the
purchaser. The manufacturer uses his own
material to manufacture the required goods.
In Istisna, price must be fixed with consent
of all parties involved. All other necessary
specifications of the commodity must also be
fully settled.

Cancellation of contract
After giving prior notice, either party
can cancel the contract before the
manufacturing party has begun its
work. Once the work starts, the
contract cannot be cancelled
unilaterally.

Difference between Istisna and

Salam

Time of delivery
It is not necessary in Istisna that the
time of delivery is fixed.
However, the purchaser may fix a
maximum time for delivery which
means that if the manufacturer
delays the delivery after the
appointed time, he will not be bound
to accept the goods and to pay the
price.

 In order to ensure that the goods will be delivered

within the specified period, some modern agreements
of this nature contain a penal clause to the effect that
in case the manufacturer delays the delivery after the
appointed time, he shall be liable to a penalty which
shall be calculated on daily basis. Can such a penal
clause be inserted in a contract of Istisna according to
Shariah? Although the classical jurists seem to be silent
about this question while they discuss the contract of
Istisna, yet they have allowed a similar condition in the
case of Ijarah. They say that if a person hires the
services of a person to tailor his clothes, the fee may
be variable according to the time of delivery. The hirer
may say that he will pay Rs. 100/- in case the tailor
prepares the clothes within one day and Rs. 80/- in
case he prepares them after two days.

 On the same analogy, the price in

Istisna may be tied up with the time
of delivery, and it will be permissible
if it is agreed between the parties
that in the case of delay in delivery,
the price shall be reduced by a
specified amount per day.

Istisna as a mode of
financing
Istisna may be used to provide financing for
house financing. If the client owns a land and
seeks financing for the construction of a house,
the financier may undertake to construct the
house on the basis of an Istisna. If the client
does not own the land and wants to purchase
that too, the financier can provide him with a
constructed house on a specified piece of land.
The financier does not have to construct the
house himself. He can either enter into a parallel
Istisna with a third party or hire the services of a

 contractor (other than the client). He must calculate his

cost and fix the price of Istisna with his client that
allows him to make a reasonable profit over his cost.
The payment of installments by the client may start
right from the day when the contract of Istisna is
signed by the parties. In order to secure the payment
of installments, the title deeds of the house or land, or
any other property of the client may be kept by the
financier as a security until the last installment is paid
by the client. The financier will be responsible to strictly
conform to the specifications in the agreement for the
construction of the house. The cost of correcting any
discrepancy would have to be borne by him.

 Istisna may also be used for similar projects

like installation of an air conditioner plant in the
clients factory, building a bridge or a highway.
The modern BOT (buy, operate and transfer)
agreements may be formalized through an
Istisna agreement as well. So, if the
government wants to build a highway, it may
enter into an Istisna contract with the builder.
The price of Istisna maybe the right of the
builder to operate the highway and collect tolls
for a specific period.

Uses of Istisna

House financing
Financing of plant / factory / building.
Booking of apartments
BOT arrangements
Construction of buildings and plants.