A Jurisprudential and Legal Reflection on Article 326 of the Civil Code (Purchase of Usurped Property with Knowledge of Usurpation)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Seyed Hani Saberi ¹

Mohammad Hasan Haeri ²

Sayyed Mohammad Hadi Ghabooli Dorafshan ³

¹ Master's degree in Islamic Jurisprudence and Principles of Islamic Law, Department of Islamic Jurisprudence and Principles of Islamic Law, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

² Professor, Department of Islamic Jurisprudence and Principles of Islamic Law, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

³ Associate Professor, Department of Islamic Jurisprudence and Principles of Islamic Law, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

10.22067/jfiqh.2024.84903.1675

Abstract

According to Article 326 of the Civil Code, if a person aware of the usurpation purchases property from a usurper (ghāṣib), they may refer to the seller (bāyiʿ) in order to recover the price (saman). However, according to the well-known view of Imami jurists, such a purchaser has no right of recourse against the usurper (ghāṣib). The apparent meaning of the aforementioned Article indicates the legislator’s support for a purchaser who knowingly acquires usurped property, and this approach is in contrast with considerations of justice and the spirit of legislation. The famous position of jurists, who maintain that a purchaser with knowledge of usurpation cannot claim return of the purchase price is itself contrary to fairness and justice in certain hypothetical cases. The purchaser’s consent to payment of the price, the Rule of Assumption of Risk (qāʿidi-yi iqdām), the non-applicability of the rule of liability by possession (qāʿidi-yi ʿalā al-yad), and relinquishment of property are among the arguments advanced to deny the knowledgeable purchaser any right of recourse against the usurping seller. Conversely, supporters of allowing such a purchaser to seek recourse against the usurper invoke considerations such as the absence of legally valid ownership, the invalidity of the transaction, the applicability of the rule of beneficence (qāʿidi-yi iḥsān), and analogy with a void sale (bayʿ-i fāsid). The present study uses a descriptive–analytical method and undertakes a careful evaluation of the arguments advanced by both proponents and opponents and concludes that if a purchaser buys property with knowledge of its usurpation but without the intention of collaboration in sin and wrongdoing, they may seek recourse against the usurper in the event of loss of the purchase price. Otherwise, he or she will have no right of recourse against the unauthorized seller (bāyiʿ-i fużūlī).

Keywords

usurper

Civil Code

Article 326

The Famous Jurists

knowledge of usurpation

Subjects

• Civil jurisprudence

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