Is the sale of wool while still attached to the animal permissible?
Chapter on Selling the Musarrah (Animal with milk retained in udder)
Al-Mughni
Book of Sales
Primary text
There is a difference in narration regarding the permissibility of selling wool while it is still on the animal's back. One narration states that such a sale is not permissible because the wool is considered connected to the animal, and thus its sale cannot be separated, similar to the limbs of the animal.
Supporting text
Another narration permits this sale on the condition that the wool is shorn immediately. This is permissible because the wool is a known quantity that can be delivered, similar to wet dates (rutab) that have been purchased. This differs from selling the animal's limbs, which cannot be delivered while keeping the animal safe.