Trade The Qur'an and the Hadith of the Prophet (peace be on him) urge Muslims to engage in trade and commerce, and to undertake journeys for what the Qur'an refers to as "seeking the bounty of Allah." In fact, Allah mentions those who travel for the purpose of trade side by side with those who fight in His cause: ...Others travel through the land, seeking the bounty of Allah, and still others fight in the cause of Allah.... (73:20)Allah mentions merchant ships, which are the principal means of transporting goods throughout the world, as one of His favors to mankind, encouraging people to engage in exports and imports. He says: ...And thou sees the ships in it (the ocean), cleaving the waves, that you may seek of His bounty and that you may be thankful. (35:12)In other places He describes the winds, associating them with the movement of ships: And among His signs is that He sends the winds as heralds of good tidings and in order that you may taste His mercy, and that the ships may sail by His command and that you may seek of His bounty, and in order that you may be thankful. (30:46)The Qur'an mentions this at other places as a reminder of Allah's power and wisdom: Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, and in the ships which sail upon the ocean with what is of benefit to mankind...are signs.... (2:164) And among His signs are the ships on the sea, like mountains. (42:32)Allah reminds the people of Makkah that He caused their city to become a commercial center of the Arabian peninsula: ...And have We not established for them a secure sanctuary, to which is brought produce of all kinds, provision from Ourselves...? (28:57) Thus was answered Abraham's prayer: Our Lord! Verily, I have settled some of my progeny in a valley without cultivation by Thy Sacred House, Our Lord, in order that they may establish salat. Then incline the hearts of some of the people with love toward them, and provide them with fruits in order that they may be grateful. (14:37)Allah counted it as His favor upon the Quraish that He facilitated for them their two commercial journeys each year, the journey to Yemen in winter and to Syria in summer; they traveled in security because of their guardianship of the House (Ka'aba). Accordingly, they should show their gratitude to the Lord of the House by acknowledging and worshipping Him alone: For the security of the Quraish, their security in journeying by winter and summer, let them worship the Lord of this House, Who provides them with food against hunger and makes them safe against fear. (106:1-4)Islam has provided a great opportunity for international trade each year. The annual Hajj season brings together at one place millions of Muslims from all over the world: ...They will come to thee (Makkah) on foot and on every (kind of) lean camel; they will come from every deep ravine, in order that they may witness the benefits (provided) for them and celebrate the name of Allah.... (22:27-28)Commercial activity is unquestionably one of these benefits. Al-Bukhari reported that the Muslims were reluctant to do business during the hajj, fearing that this might compromise the sincerity of their intentions or the purity of their worship. The verses of the Qur'an were then revealed, stating clearly and distinctly that It is no sin for youto seek the bounty of your Lord (during the hajj).... (2:198) The Qur'an lauds those who go to the mosques often, glorifying their Lord morning and evening: Men whom neither business nor sale can divert from the remembrance of Allah, nor from regularity in salat or from giving zakat.... (24:37)In the view of Islam, the true believers are not those who remain in the mosques, nor the mystics or recluses in their places of retreat. The true Believers are men of action, whose distinguishing characteristic is that the affairs of the busy world do not make them forget their obligations to their Creator. These are some of the teachings of the Qur'an concerning trade and commerce. The Prophet (peace be on him), by his words and deeds, delineated the rules of trade, encouraging, indeed, urging the Muslims to engage in it. Among some of his sayings are the following: "An honest and trustworthy merchant will be with the martyrs on the Day of Resurrection." (Reported by Ibn Majah and al-Hakim, who classified it as "sound.") "An honest and trustworthy merchant will be with the prophets, the truthful, and the martyrs." (Reported by al-Hakim and al-Tirmidhi, with good transmitters.) It is not surprising that the Prophet (peace be on him) held the status of an honest merchant to be equal to that of a soldier or a martyr in the cause of Allah. His evaluation is confirmed by the experiences of life, since striving in the cause of Allah is not limited to the battlefield but extends to the economic front as well.The Prophet (peace be on him) promised merchants a high status with Allah and a great reward in the Hereafter. We observe that the motivating force behind much trading activity is greed and profit-making by any means; "Money makes money" and "Business begets business" are the motives of much trading activity. Any merchant who remains within the bounds of honesty and fair-dealing in such an atmosphere is a fighter against his desires, meriting the status of a warrior in the cause of Allah. The lure of business is great, and it can turn a businessman's attention exclusively to numbers, counting his capital and the profits of his business. Even during the Prophet's own lifetime the following incident occurred: while the Prophet (peace be on him) was addressing a gathering, the news came that a caravan of merchandise had arrived. The people rushed out, leaving the Prophet (peace be on him) behind, upon which Allah Ta'ala admonished them: But when they see some business or amusement, they disperse to it and leave thee standing. Say: 'What is with Allah is better than amusement and than business; and Allah is the best of providers.' (62:11)Accordingly, a person who, in a vortex of commercial activity, can remain steadfast, with the fear of Allah in his heart and the mention of Him on his lips, most certainly deserves to be in the company of the favored of Allah: the prophets, the witnesses to the truth, and the martyrs in His cause. The example of the Prophet (peace be on him) in relation to business and trade is sufficient in itself. On the other hand he was eager to nurture the spiritual aspect; thus, he built the mosque in Madinah on the foundation of piety and seeking the pleasure of Allah, as a gathering place for worship, as a university for teaching and learning, as the headquarters for the call toward Islam, and as the seat of the government. On the other hand, he was equally eager to develop the economic aspect; thus, he established an Islamic marketplace in which the Jews had not the authority they had previously possessed in the marketplace of Banu Qaynqa'. The Prophet (peace be on him) himself organized the rules of business dealing, explaining and teaching its various aspects. There was to be no cheating nor misrepresentation, nor hoarding, nor undercutting, and the like. These topics will form the subject of our discussion under the heading of "Human Affairs" in the chapter entitled "The Halal and the Haram in the Daily Life of Muslims." Among the Companions of the Prophet (peace be n him) we find skilled traders as well as craftsmen, farmers, and every other kind of professional person and worker. In their midst was the Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) to whom the Speech of Allah came down, who was visited by Jibril, the Trustworthy Spirit, bringing the revelations from Allah, and who guided the people by the Light of these heavenly messages. Each of the Companions loved this noble Messenger (peace be on him) from the depths of his being; he wished nothing more than to be in his company and disliked nothing more than being parted from him. Yet we find that each of them was busy with his work, this one journeying over the earth on a business trip, that one working in his palm-grove and farm, and yet another busy with his craft. Anyone who missed any part of the teaching of the Messenger (peace be on him) asked his friends about whatever he could, and the Prophet told those who listened to him to pass on his instructions to those who were absent. Among his Companions, the Helpers (Ansar, or people of Madinah) were, by and large, farmers and growers of date-palms, while the majority of the Immigrants from Makkah (Muhajireen) were engaged in trade and business. Here is 'Abdur Rahman ibn 'Auf, the Muhajir, and here is Sa'd ibn al-Rabi', the Ansar, who were made brothers-in-Allah by the Prophet (peace be on him) when the Muslims of Makkah migrated to Madinah. S'ad offered 'Abdur Rahman half of his property, one of his two houses, and asked him to choose one of his two wives so that he might divorce her. This noble sacrifice was gratefully declined by a noble excuse. "May Allah bless you in your wealth and your family,'' said 'Abdur Rahman to Sa'd. "I have no need for them. Only tell me which market has the most trading activity." "The Bani Qaynqa' Market," said Sa'd. 'Abdur Rahman went to the market with some cheese and butter, and spent the day buying and selling. He continued his trading activity until he became one of the wealthiest men among the Muslims, leaving behind a huge estate when he died. And here is Abu Bakr al-Siddiq who was a trader. Even on the day on which he was elected caliph by the Muslims, he had been planning to go to the market. And here is 'Umar, who said about himself, "Going to the market kept me from listening to the hadith of Allah's Messenger (peace be on him)." And here are also 'Uthman and great many others who were engaged in trade and commerce.
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