(21) باب فِي السَّلَفِ
Muhammad or 'Abd Allah b. Mujahid said:
'Abd Allah b. Shaddad and Abu Burdah disputed over salaf (payment in advance). They sent me to Ibn Abi Awfa and I asked him (about it) and he replied: We used to pay in advance (salaf) during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Abu Bakr and 'Umar in wheat, barley, dates and raisins. Ibn Kathir added: "to those people who did not possess these things." The agreed version then goes: I then asked Ibn Abza who gave a similar reply.
Reference: Sunan Abi Dawud 3464
In-book reference: Book 24, Hadith 49
English translation: Book 23, Hadith 3457