Salam, Istisna‘ and Advance Transactions

Salam is a forward sale with prescribed conditions including advance payment and specified goods. Istisna concerns commissioned manufacture and has its own Hanafi rules.

Salam is a special forward sale in which the buyer pays the agreed price in advance for goods described by precise specifications and delivered later. Its conditions prevent disputes about quantity, quality and delivery. Istisna is a manufacturing or construction contract in which a party commissions something to be made, and Hanafi law recognises distinctive rules for it. These are not interchangeable labels: the nature of the subject and payment arrangements must be understood.

In Hanafi fiqh, details and conditions matter. Identify the people involved, the property or duty, and the terms of the agreement. Then ask whether the rule is lawful and valid, and what could make the answer change. A general Qur'anic verse and a detailed Hanafi judgement have different roles. Do not treat a short school example as a ruling for every real-life contract.