Buying and Selling: Ruling on Compensation for Property Sold Without Permission

Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Imam Khamenei

Buying and Selling: Ruling on Compensation for Property Sold Without Permission

English:

Question #1473:

A person sold the property of another person and spent the proceeds. After a very long time, he decided to compensate the owner. How should he go about compensating the owner, i.e. paying him the original amount, the current market price of the property, or its market price at the time of selling?

Answer #1473:

If, after the owner had sanctioned the very sale, he sanctioned the receipt of the money as well, the person who concluded the deal should pay the price plus inflation to the original owner. If the owner had rejected the sale, the seller should try his best to return the same property to its owner if possible. Otherwise, he should compensate the owner whether with a similar property or with its value. As based on caution, however, he must reach a settlement with the owner about the difference between the price at the time of payment and the price at the time of transaction.

-Imam Khamenei, Practical Laws of Islam, Importance and Conditions of Buying and Selling