The invitation to treat and Mu'atah in online contracts

When dealing with an offer, it is crucial to determine whether a “statement” amounts to an “offer” or a mere “invitation to treat.” Even though “offer” and “acceptance” are among the basic elements of any binding contract, both [English] common law and Islamic law have their own views on what consti...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Razali, Siti Salwani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The International Institute of Islamic Thought 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:http://irep.iium.edu.my/6562/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/6562/1/AJISS_article.pdf
_version_ 1848776688873242624
author Razali, Siti Salwani
author_facet Razali, Siti Salwani
author_sort Razali, Siti Salwani
building IIUM Repository
collection Online Access
description When dealing with an offer, it is crucial to determine whether a “statement” amounts to an “offer” or a mere “invitation to treat.” Even though “offer” and “acceptance” are among the basic elements of any binding contract, both [English] common law and Islamic law have their own views on what constitutes an invitation to treat. This paper focuses on the invitation to treat and mu`atah as specified in Islamic law. The following points will be discussed: (1) how the invitation to treat can be considered a valid contract, although common law has ruled it invalid because a mere invitation to treat does not constitute an offer; (2) a comparison of their differences in the context of online or cyber transactions. Several Qur’anic verses, hadiths, and opinions from Muslim and non-Muslim scholars will be presented, and specific cases will be referenced; and (3) providing a better understanding of both principles and an analysis of some critical issues, especially with regard to the invitation to treat.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T14:34:04Z
format Article
id iium-6562
institution International Islamic University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
language English
last_indexed 2025-11-14T14:34:04Z
publishDate 2009
publisher The International Institute of Islamic Thought
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling iium-65622011-11-21T18:03:17Z http://irep.iium.edu.my/6562/ The invitation to treat and Mu'atah in online contracts Razali, Siti Salwani KBP1 Islamic law.Shariah.Fiqh When dealing with an offer, it is crucial to determine whether a “statement” amounts to an “offer” or a mere “invitation to treat.” Even though “offer” and “acceptance” are among the basic elements of any binding contract, both [English] common law and Islamic law have their own views on what constitutes an invitation to treat. This paper focuses on the invitation to treat and mu`atah as specified in Islamic law. The following points will be discussed: (1) how the invitation to treat can be considered a valid contract, although common law has ruled it invalid because a mere invitation to treat does not constitute an offer; (2) a comparison of their differences in the context of online or cyber transactions. Several Qur’anic verses, hadiths, and opinions from Muslim and non-Muslim scholars will be presented, and specific cases will be referenced; and (3) providing a better understanding of both principles and an analysis of some critical issues, especially with regard to the invitation to treat. The International Institute of Islamic Thought 2009 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/6562/1/AJISS_article.pdf Razali, Siti Salwani (2009) The invitation to treat and Mu'atah in online contracts. The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences (AJISS), 26 (2). pp. 79-101. ISSN 0742-6763 http://www.amss.org/AJISS/AJISSMissionStatement.aspx
spellingShingle KBP1 Islamic law.Shariah.Fiqh
Razali, Siti Salwani
The invitation to treat and Mu'atah in online contracts
title The invitation to treat and Mu'atah in online contracts
title_full The invitation to treat and Mu'atah in online contracts
title_fullStr The invitation to treat and Mu'atah in online contracts
title_full_unstemmed The invitation to treat and Mu'atah in online contracts
title_short The invitation to treat and Mu'atah in online contracts
title_sort invitation to treat and mu'atah in online contracts
topic KBP1 Islamic law.Shariah.Fiqh
url http://irep.iium.edu.my/6562/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/6562/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/6562/1/AJISS_article.pdf