Is specifying the location for fulfillment (*iqa' al-Iifa'*) a condition for the validity of a Salam contract?
Chapter on Guaranteed Salaf (Advance Payment) for a Specified Term
Al-Mughni
Book of Sales
Primary text
Specifying the location for fulfillment is not a condition for validity. This view is narrated from Ahmad, Ishaq, and a group of Hadith scholars, and it is the position of Abu Yusuf and Muhammad, and one of the two opinions of Al-Shafi'i. The evidence is the Prophet's statement: 'Whoever enters into a Salam, let him do so for a known measure, or a known weight, for a known term,' which did not mention a location, indicating its non-necessity. Another relevant Hadith involves a Jew contracting with the Prophet (peace be upon him) who stipulated a specific wall, and the Prophet replied, 'Not from the wall of so-and-so, but a named measure, to a named term,' omitting the location.
Supporting text
Al-Thawri stipulated the necessity of mentioning the place of fulfillment, which is the second position of Al-Shafi'i. Al-Awza'i stated it is disliked because possession is due upon maturity, and the location is unknown at the time of the contract, necessitating specification to avoid ambiguity. Abu Hanifa and some Shafi'i scholars stated that if transporting the item incurs expense, specification is obligatory; otherwise, it is not, as transporting an item without expense does not affect the primary objective in the same way.