The silent trade
المبايعة من غير مشاهدة
The dumb-barter of the gold land opposite Sijilmasa beyond the great river: goods left ashore are found flanked by columns of gold — take the gold and leave the goods, take back your goods, or leave both asking more — a custom famous in the Maghrib and matched, al-Mas'udi notes, by a nation of farthest Khurasan on a great river 1.
At a glance
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Overview
Al-Masudi describes a transaction that takes place without seeing or speaking, in the land of gold near Sijilmasa in the Maghrib, beyond the great river. 2
The merchants leave their goods on the shore and then depart. They find, beside each lot of goods, pillars of gold. If the owner of the goods wishes, he takes the gold and leaves the goods; if he wishes, he takes his goods and leaves the gold; and if he wants more, he leaves both the gold and the goods. 2
He mentions that a people at the far edge of Khurasan, bordering the land of the Turks, trade in this way on a great river. 2
People and things also explored
Al-Madina Souq, Aleppo· Bazaar of Tabriz· Khan el-Khalili· Al-Hamidiyah Souq· Souq Waqif· Elephant's sweat (musth perfume)· The economic condition of the Arabs before Islam· Tayyib (purity and lawfulness)
Sources
- Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi, p. 556
- Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi, p.556
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The silent trade”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/mubayaa-bila-mushahada/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.