What is the religious ruling on a commercial system based on a merchant's contract with a farmer to buy a crop at a specified price, often lower than its value upon maturity, whether that is before planting, or before maturity, or if the seller does not own the crop but buys it for the contracting party, and is storing grains and agricultural crops for nearly a year to raise the price permissible by Islamic law?

If the sale involves crops described by their characteristics (i.e., not specific, existing items), it is a permissible Salam (forward) sale, provided its conditions are met. However, if a merchant and a farmer agree to purchase the fruit of a specific tree, it is not permissible until the fruit's ripeness becomes apparent. For information on the ruling concerning the storage of grains and agricultural crops, please refer to Fatwa no. 13797.