The object of sale turns out less or more than the stated measure

Question

Question: One ‘Abd al-Rahman sold a piece of cloth of twenty gaz (a unit of length, about a yard, ≈ 0.9 m) for one rupee four annas (a coin worth 1/16 of a rupee). The cloth turned out to be nineteen and three-quarter gaz. The buyer did not pay one rupee four annas, but pays after deducting the price of four girah (a unit of length, 1/16 of a gaz, ≈ 5.7 cm) — he pays “3 quarter anna”(?). ‘Abd al-Rahman tells the buyer: “Do not deduct the price of the four girah,” but the buyer did deduct it.

Answer

If twenty gaz of cloth were sold, and a price of Re 1 4 annas (۴عہ) was stated for the whole, and no price per gaz was stated, and the transaction was concluded by offer and acceptance (ijab and qabul), and after measuring it became known that it was somewhat less than twenty gaz, for example nineteen and three-quarter gaz, then the buyer has no right to deduct from the price;…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.