The Principles of Islamic Trade
Like beliefs and worship, transactions are also an important aspect of religion. Just as details and rulings have been explained about beliefs and worship, similarly, Islamic law has also arranged to explain the details of transactions. The complete rulings of halal and haram, makruh and non-makruh, permissible and impure wealth are present in the Quran and Hadith. Like other details of the law, complete guidance has been given in it.
People who organize prayers and fasts; but do not worry about cleanliness of transactions and permissible and impermissible matters, they can never get close to Allah; therefore, their actions are deficient in the law. It is a pity that for a long time, the importance of the Shariah rulings related to transactions among Muslims has been erased from the hearts and religion has come to be considered only as beliefs and worship.
The concern for halal and haram has gradually disappeared and day by day, negligence is increasing due to which Muslims are lagging behind in economics and they are not getting sufficient progress in economics.
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Trade is the best way to earn a living
Trade is the best way to earn a living. If it is done according to the principles of Islam, then this trade will be profitable in the worldly sense and will also lead to a high position and great rewards in the hereafter.
Although trade is done for worldly gain and financial gain, it is the grace of God that if the perspective is changed a little and the traders think that it is God’s command to seek lawful livelihood and raise children with lawful money, fulfill the needs of their wives and parents; therefore, they are doing this business to pay the rights of their subordinates and help the poor and needy. And then that business is also done in the light of Islamic principles, then such trade has great virtues and such people have been given the good news of the company of the prophets and the righteous. On one occasion, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him) said:
التاجر الصدوق الأمین مع النبین والصدیقین والشھداء “ (سنن الترمذي، حدیث نمبر :۱۲۵۲)
“The merchant who adopts truth and trustworthiness in his trade will be with the prophets, the truthful, and the martyrs on the Day of Judgment.”
Another narration states:
التجار یحشرون یوم القیامة فجارًا إلّا من اتقی وَبَرَّ وصدق “ (المعجم الکبیر للطبراني، حدیث نمبر :۴۵۴۰ )
“Traders will be raised on the Day of Judgment as sinners and wicked; but those who deal with them with piety, truth and goodness will not be among them.”
In these two hadiths, two seemingly different states of traders have been described: in one, they are praised, and in the other, they are condemned. This is actually a description of different types of traders.
A trader who is good-intentioned and righteous, who intends to earn lawful income through trade, will have a good fate and will have a high position on the Day of Judgment based on his good intentions and righteousness. And those who trade in a way that deviates from Islamic principles, and whose only goal is to accumulate wealth without distinguishing between lawful and unlawful, by deceiving, lying, cheating, and robbing others, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) called such traders sinners and wicked, and their fate will also be with the wicked on the Day of Judgment.
Principles for successful and profitable trade in the light of the Quran and Hadith
Therefore, scholars and jurists have outlined a few principles for successful and profitable trade in the light of the Quran and Hadith. If trade is done in the light of these principles, there will be profit in this world and in the Hereafter, this trade will be a source of immense reward. This means that their trade will be included in religious activities. A trader should definitely keep these principles in mind while doing trade. For the benefit of the general public, these principles and regulations are being written in the following lines, numbered:
Always be truthful in order to promote business
(1) Always be truthful in order to promote business; those who promote their business by lying and swearing falsely, although they appear to gain temporarily, in reality, blessings are removed from such earnings and such business. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
فإن صدقا وبینا بورک لھما في بیعھما وإن کتما وکذبا محقت برکة بیعھما“ (صحیح بخاریحدیث نمبر : ۱۹۳۷)
If the buyer and seller are truthful and make the matter clear, their transaction will be blessed, and if both of them conceal something and lie, their transaction will be taken away from the blessing.”
Another narration states:
“Allah will speak to three people on the Day of Resurrection, and He will neither look at them nor admit them into Paradise, except one who swears falsely to promote his transaction.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 306)
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said on one occasion:
“Beware of swearing falsely to sell your property! This may seem to be a temporary advantage; But in the end, the blessing of the work is exhausted.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 4210)
These hadiths show that sellers of goods should be completely careful not to swear falsely and speak falsely. Relying on lies, deceiving the buyer, and cheating are major sins and causes great corruption, which Islam has strictly forbidden.
Avoid hiding the defects of the goods and deceiving the buyer
(2) Avoid hiding the defects of the goods and deceiving the buyer. Sometimes sellers of goods sell counterfeit goods as genuine and sometimes they hide the defects of the goods. In this way, they consider themselves clever, cunning and very wise when they sell goods. Remember! This is not wise. It is a very loss-making business. These people will be in loss both in this world and the Hereafter.
Once the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed by a pile of grain. He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) put his blessed hand in this pile and felt something wet on his fingers. He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked the grain seller, “What is this?” The shopkeeper said: O Messenger of Allah! It had rained on this pile. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Then why didn’t you put the wet grain on top so that people could see it? Whoever cheats has nothing to do with me.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 295)
The important principle of trade according to the Sharia is that no defect in the goods should be hidden, everything should be clearly stated. In this way, blessings from the unseen descend on the business and that business flourishes.
Be honest and truthful in business
(3) Always be honest and truthful in business. If the money is good, tell it as good and if it is bad, explain it as well. Never make your lawful earnings unlawful by giving bad money to someone or taking more profit than usual when forced. Haram livelihood is the root of all evils; therefore, earn a little, but try to obtain lawful and good money. Great virtues have been described in the hadith of the truthful and trustworthy merchant.
Do not reduce the measure and weight
(4) Do not reduce the measure and weight. In commercial matters or in general transactions, giving the rightful person less than his right is a cause of destruction and loss. The Quran has specifically given guidance to stay away from it, and has advised those who reduce the measure and weight to avoid the wrath of Allah.
﴿وَیْلٌ لِّلْمُطَفِّفِیْنَ oالَّذِیْنَ إِذَا اکْتَالُوْا عَلَی النَّاسِ یَسْتَوْفُوْنَ oوَإِذَا کَالُوْھُمْ أَوْ وَّزَنُوْھُمْ یُخْسِرُوْنَ o أَلَا یَظُنُّ أُولٰئِکَ أَنَّھُم مَّبْعُوْثُوْنَ oلِیَوْمٍ عَظِیْمٍ oیَوْمَ یَقُوْمُ النَّاسُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِیْنَ﴾ (المطففین : ۱ – ۶)
Woe to those who are stingy, whose condition is that when they take from people, they take in full, and when they make them pure, they give them less. Do these people not understand that they will be brought to justice on a great day, on the day when all people will stand before the Lord of the Worlds?
If someone’s right is due to them, they should take more than they deserve, and if someone else’s right is due to them, they should give less than they deserve, this is common sense and common thinking; but this thinking and this method are not correct, this method and style are un-Islamic and undesirable. For such people, God has threatened destruction and destruction. Obviously, there can be no good in the work for which God Almighty threatens destruction, it is evil and hateful in every way.
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him) has advised people to weigh with a bow instead of weighing less:
“Zin and rajh” (Tirmidhi, Hadith No. : 1353)
“When you weigh, then weigh more”
On another occasion he said:
“If you weigh, then weigh more” (Ibn Majah, Hadith No.: 2307)
“When you weigh, then weigh more”
Special care should be taken to fulfill the rights of Allah
(5) While doing business, special care should be taken to fulfill the rights of Allah, lest one become immersed in business and turn away from Allah. In such a business, Allah’s mercy can never be revealed.
Trade is certainly a good thing; but it should be done within its limits. Engaging in it more than necessary is destructive and causes loss. Therefore, scholars and researchers have written that whenever such an opportunity arises that there are economic demands on one side and religious demands on the other, a believer should abandon economic demands and run towards religious demands. If he does so, he will be successful in both worldly and hereafter.
Similarly, business people should keep their hands and feet busy with their business and keep their hearts and minds fixed on the remembrance of God. Their attention should be fixed on God at all times. Whenever the call to prayer is given, they should immediately rush to the mosque. While sitting down and walking, words of praise and glory of God should be coming out of their mouths.
The importance of livelihood should not deceive the believer into thinking that this is the greatest thing and the real problem of life; rather, they should consider God’s mercy and His reward in the hereafter as the real and greatest thing and should not be attached to the world under any circumstances.
The Companions used to trade, but whenever the right of Allah came to them, they would abandon trade and engage in fulfilling it. Hazrat Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) stated:
“The people used to pledge allegiance and trade, but when a right from the rights of Allah came to them, they did not entice them to trade or to sell from the remembrance of Allah until they turned to Allah.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Kitab Al-Bay’, Bab Al-Tajjadah fi al-Bur)
The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) used to buy and sell, and trade; but when they were faced with any of the rights of Allah, they could not stop trading and mentioning Allah until they fulfilled the right of Allah. The life of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) is worthy of imitation for us.
They were specially trained by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Their faith was so strong that nothing could prevail over the demands of faith. They did what their faith demanded. The world and its desires never polluted their hearts and minds. Surely, there are thousands of lessons hidden in their lives for us.
(Acknowledge the rights of the poor in your wealth. If you are a person with a sufficient amount, then calculate and pay Zakat. Even if you are not a person with a sufficient amount, continue to give something to the poor and needy in the name of God. Make a habit of giving charity. Do not deprive a beggar from your door, nor scold him or speak ill of him.
Who knows when Allah Almighty will accept the words that come out of his mouth. If that person is happy, supplications will come out of his mouth, and if he is not given, he will be angry and will pray badly. Therefore, it is better not to return empty-handed to anyone who comes to your door. Similarly, show your collective courage and sacrifice everything for the sake of religion by participating in religious institutions and national works through financial support.
Be gentle with buyers
(6) Always be gentle with buyers. Buyers can be trusted through good manners, good language and sweet words. When they trust you, they will come to you instead of other shops. At such times, it is obligatory on the business owner to be kind to them, to show good manners by giving them money at the least possible profit, to never cheat them, if they ever ask you for a loan, do not disappoint them according to your capacity, and do not use harsh language when demanding after giving a loan. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“May Allah have mercy on a man who is gentle and kind when buying and when making demands.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 2076)
“May Allah have mercy on the person who is gentle and kind when buying and when making demands.”
On one occasion, he also said:
“Whoever hopes that Allah will save him from the distress of the Day of Resurrection, let him not be in a state of hardship or Yaza’ (Sahih Muslim Hadith No. 4083)
“Whoever wishes that Allah will save him from the sorrow and hardship of the Day of Judgment, he should give the debtor time or remove the burden of the debt from him, that is, forgive him.”
If someone has taken a loan, he has been instructed to speak gently to him, who knows what trouble and distress he is in? It is Allah’s grace and favor that He has enabled us to lend to others, otherwise He could have made us needy too.
Do not trade in forbidden goods
(7) Do not trade in forbidden goods. It is also forbidden to trade or buy and sell goods that Islam has declared forbidden, such as alcohol, opium, heroin, etc. ․․․․․․ Similarly, lottery, gambling, prostitution, interest-bearing transactions, immoral films and audio-video cassettes, musical instruments, singing schools or academies, immoral novels, obscene literature and magazines, etc. are included in this prohibition. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“Indeed, Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) have forbidden the sale of alcohol, dead animals, pigs and idols.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 2236)
“Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) have forbidden the sale of alcohol, dead animals, pigs and idols.”
On another occasion, he said:
“Indeed, when Allah forbids something, He forbids its price.” (Sahih Ibn Hibban, Hadith No. 4938)
“Whatever Allah has forbidden, He has also forbidden its price.”
Although some things are mentioned in the aforementioned Hadith; But the same rule applies to all unlawful matters. Muslims should not make forbidden and unlawful things into property for sale. This would necessitate cooperation in sin and rebellion, which instead invites the wrath of God.
Summary
Believers should also conduct worldly trade according to Islamic principles and regulations! Because believers are bound by Islamic principles, if trade is conducted according to the principles stated in the light of the Quran and Hadith, it will be called Islamic trade and worldly activities will also be included in the sphere of thought of the Hereafter.
Today, let us examine our business. Are our trade, shops and economic activities in accordance with the stated principles? Today, every person’s desire is to accumulate wealth, whether it is through halal or haram means, due to which spirituality has disappeared from Muslim homes. Despite the abundance of wealth, there is no goodness and blessing in life and deeds. We are deprived of true peace and tranquility of heart. If you want the soul to grow and the heart to be at peace, and you love a life full of enjoyment, then adopt Islamic trade and at the same time never let this trade disappear from your minds, which is going to save you from the scorching fire of hell, because this success is real success and eternal luxury.
