For the perfect guidance of every individual living in the universe, Allah, the Almighty, sent Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (peace be upon him), the mercy of the worlds, as the last of all, and placed the crown of leadership and prophet hood on his head until the Day of Judgment. It was announced that: O people living in the world! If you want to make your life better and more peaceful, then you have the best example in the blessed personality of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) (Al-Ahzab: 21). Seek guidance from him and make the eternal happiness and blessings of this world and the Hereafter your destiny.
It is as if in this announcement a general invitation has been given to every person living in the world that wherever you are, in whatever field you are, in whatever kind of guidance you want, at whatever time you want, you will not be disappointed, you will get complete guidance regarding what you want, the condition is that you are sincere in seeking, so be it! Be it a trader or a farmer, a partner or a Mudarib, a laborer or any hard worker, a mother or a father, a son or a daughter, a husband or a wife, a traveler or a resident, healthy or sick, a citizen or a villager, educated or illiterate; if he wants to be guided in his field, then there is a model for him in the blessed person of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
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In the aforementioned blessed verse, Allah Almighty has brought the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) before every person, saying: Look at this beloved of mine, you will get everything, obtain light for yourself and act upon it and become the beloved of Allah. In the interpretation of this verse in Tafseer Ibn Kathir, Allama Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) writes:
This verse has a very fundamental position in following the sayings, actions and circumstances of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
This is why the scholars of the Ummah have worked hard to fully explain every aspect of the holy life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) for the ease and convenience of the Ummah of Muhammad, and have written countless books; so that anyone who wants to see the blessed life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) related to his field can understand his teachings without any difficulty. Following the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is both the right of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) upon us, and a requirement of love, and it should also be completely clear that this right and requirement is not only for the first twelve days of the month of Rabi’ al-Awwal or the entire month; but for the entire life and every moment of life.
These lines are not intended to cover the entire life of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him); rather, they are intended to clarify the aspect of trade from his (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) good life. He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) adopted the profession of trade and maintained his life’s relationship with lawful sustenance. To understand this aspect of prophet hood, it is important to understand that the blessed life of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has two parts, one: before receiving prophethood and the other: after receiving prophethood. The first mentioned period is forty years and the second mentioned period is twenty-three years. This second part again has two parts, one: the Meccan period and the second: the Median period.
Economic Condition before Prophet Hood
The period of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) before his prophet hood was not a prosperous period in terms of finances and economy; but on the contrary, it is not correct to say that he (peace be upon him) was living a very miserable life; however, it was certain that he had the intention of working hard and fulfilling his own needs from his childhood.
Inheritance from the Father
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was born, his father’s shadow had already passed away from him, and no property was transferred to him as an inheritance from him. As the biographies of the Prophet (peace be upon him) describe, he only inherited five camels, a few goats, and a slave girl named “Umm Ayman” (this slave girl was also freed by the Prophet (peace be upon him) when he married Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her), i.e. at the age of twenty-five). Apart from this, he did not inherit anything else. See:
“Abdullah bin Abdul Muttalib left Umm Ayman and five of his daughters, meaning: eating the arak, and a piece of sheep, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) inherited that.” (Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra by Ibn Sa’d, Zikr al-Faatih Abdullah ibn Abdul Muttalib: 1/80)
The things received in inheritance were not capable of being sufficient for his support, which was the reason why the women who came from the rural areas and took the children for upbringing and training, none of them had any inclination towards him, saying that this is an orphan and a poor child, we will not be able to get any special compensation from his mother for raising him, and Hazrat Halimah Sa’diya (may Allah be pleased with her) had not even started the one that he (peace be upon him) had chosen; rather, when there was no other child left for them, then they thought, let’s take this orphan child instead of returning empty-handed.
Under the care of his grandfather and uncle
In these first two years, your grandfather Abdul Muttalib continued to take care of you, after two years your grandfather also left this world, after your grandfather passed away, your uncle Abu Talib took charge of your care, Abu Talib was your real uncle, who raised you with great passion and love and tried his best to fulfill your needs; therefore! When your uncle went to other cities for business, he would take his nephew with him.
Goat Herding
In Mecca, herding and trading were common ways of earning a living; therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) thought about his livelihood on his own at the beginning of his blessed life. Initially, he used to herd the goats of the people of Mecca for a wage, and later he also took up the profession of trading, and this was not a defect; rather, this is a clear proof of the greatness and humility of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him); because a person who herds goats develops perseverance, patience, tolerance and a soft heart; because herding goats is not a trivial task; rather, it is a task that requires a very alert and alert mind; because goats are very weak creatures, they are fast and agile, and to keep them under control, it is also necessary to be very agile.
The second thing is that if this animal is out of control, it is not possible to get angry at them, that is, they cannot even kill them due to anger; Because they are weak, those who herd sheep develop a lot of patience, which is why all the prophets (peace be upon them) herded sheep. Referring to this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“Allah did not send a prophet except one who herded sheep.” His companions asked: “And you?” He said: “Yes! I used to herd the sheep of the people of Mecca on Qararit.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Kitab Al-Ijarat, Chapter: Herding the Sheep on Qararit, Hadith No. 2262)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Every prophet that Allah sent must have herded sheep.” The companions asked: “O Messenger of Allah! Did you too?” He (peace be upon him) replied: “Yes! I also used to herd the sheep of the people of Mecca on Qararit.”
Similarly, once the Prophet (peace be upon him) went to the forest with his companions. The companions started to eat the berries, so he (peace be upon him) said: Eat the ones that are very black, they are more delicious. This is my experience from the time when I used to herd goats here in my childhood. (Sahih Ibn Hibban, Kitab al-Ijarah, Dhikr al-Ila’ ati min ‘ajlha Qal sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam al-‘Aswad al-Kabath: إنها عطيب من غهريها).
The First Journey to Syria
The Prophet (peace be upon him) made two journeys to Syria, the first: with his uncle; But he (peace be upon him) did not participate in this journey as a merchant; rather, his uncle had taken him along simply to gain commercial experience. It was during this journey that the famous story of the hermit of Bahira occurred, upon whose advice his uncle sent him (peace be upon him) back to Mecca for safety. (Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Dhikr Abu Talib and the Involvement of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) with him, and his departure with him to the Sham for the first time: 1/99).
Second Journey to Syria
And the second journey: The Prophet (peace be upon him) took the goods of Hazrat Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her) as a merchant and hired them. The story went something like this: When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was twenty-five years old, his uncle Abu Talib said, “O nephew! I am a person who has no wealth, the hardships of the times are increasing on us, the time for your people to travel to Syria is near, Khadija bint Khuwaylid sends her trade goods to others, you also carry her goods on a wage, you will get a reasonable remuneration from this, when Hazrat Khadija came to know about this conversation, she herself sent a message to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and called him, saying that I will give you double the remuneration that I give to others, on this Abu Talib told him (peace be upon him) that this is the provision that Allah has drawn towards you,
after which he (peace be upon him) set out for Syria with the caravan, Hazrat Khadija’s slave “Maysara” was also with him, when the caravan reached the Syrian city of Basra, there the monk Nestor recognized the signs of prophethood in the Prophet (peace be upon him) and predicted that he would be the prophet of the end of time.
Another important incident occurred when the Prophet (peace be upon him) had sold his merchandise and a conversation with a man escalated. He said, “Swear by Lat and Uzza.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “I have never sworn by them, and I turn away from them when I pass by them.” The man heard this and said, “What you said is true.” Then the man addressed Maysara and said, “This is a prophet, our friends will find him forbidden in their books.” By God, this is the same prophet. It is, whose attributes our scholars find written in books.
The third incident happened when Maysara saw that when it was very hot, two angels were shading the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Seeing all this, Maysara was very impressed with him (peace be upon him). When they returned at noon, Hazrat Khadija, sitting in her upper room, saw that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was riding on a camel, with two angels shading him. Hazrat Khadija and the women sitting with her were very surprised to see this scene. Then, when they heard from Maysara about the wonders of the journey, the many benefits, and the words of the Nestorian monk and the quarrelsome person, they were very impressed. Hazrat Khadija was a very far-sighted, stable, noble, honorable and very wealthy woman.
She sent a message of marriage to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and got married. At that time, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was twenty-five years old and Hazrat Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her) was forty years old. (Summary of the Major Classes, mentioning the departure of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to Syria for the second time, mentioning the marriage of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to Khadijah bint Khuwaylid: 1/107-109).
Two trips to Yemen
Among the commercial trips that the Prophet (peace be upon him) made on behalf of Hazrat Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her), there were two trips to Yemen. Imam Hakim (may Allah have mercy on him) has narrated in Al-Mustadrak:
Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her) hired two trips to Jurash for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), each trip with camels.” (Al-Mustadrak Ali Sahihayn, Kitab Ma’rifat As-Sahaba, Munhum Khadija bint Khuwaylid, Hadith No. 4834, 3/200)
That Hazrat Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her) sent the Prophet (peace be upon him) to Jerash (a place in Yemen) twice for trade in exchange for camels.
Travel to Bahrain
Before his prophet hood, there is also an indication that the Prophet (peace be upon him) traveled to Bahrain, as delegations from all the distant places of Arabia used to come to his service. Among the delegations was a delegation from Bahrain led by Abdul Qais. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked the people of the delegation about the conditions of each place in Bahrain, naming each one. The people asked in surprise, “O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)! You know the conditions of our country more than we do.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied, “Yes, I have traveled extensively in your country.” (See: Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, The Remaining Hadith of Abdul Qais’s Delegation, Hadith No. 15559, 24/327).
Praiseworthy Qualities of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in Trade Travels
By the twenty-fifth year of his blessed life, the Prophet (peace be upon him) had become so famous in trade travel due to his generous character, good dealings, honesty, truthfulness and loyalty that he was known among the people of God by the title of “Sadiq wa Amin”. People used to entrust their trusts to him with open confidence without hesitation. It was because of his qualities that Hazrat Khadija bin Khuwaylid (may Allah be pleased with her) was attracted to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and sent him a message of marriage.
Avoiding quarrels as a Merchant
Cleanliness of the affairs and avoiding quarrels play the most important role in the success of trade transactions and these qualities were present in the Prophet (peace be upon him) to the fullest extent; Thus, Hazrat Qais says that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to be my companion during the time of ignorance, and he (peace be upon him) was the best companion among companions, he did not fight or quarrel. (Al-Isabah fi Tameeez as-Sahaba, Al-Qaf Baadha Ilya, 5/471).
Avoiding Arguments and Repetition
One of the characteristics of a Muslim merchant is to avoid noise and unnecessary arguments and repetitions during transactions, and this great characteristic of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was also witnessed before the time of Prophethood; thus, Hazrat Abdullah bin As-Sa’ib (may Allah be pleased with him) says, I came to the service of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) started praising and mentioning me in front of him (peace be upon him), so the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: I know you better than them. I said: May my parents be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)! You are telling the truth, you were my companion during the time of ignorance, and what an excellent companion you were, for you neither argued nor quarrelled. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Kitab al-Adab, Chapter on the Dislike of Backbiting, Hadith No. 4838).
Fulfillment of promises
Keeping promises is considered a great virtue of a merchant. How was this characteristic of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)? It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Abi Hamsa (may Allah be pleased with him) that before receiving prophethood, I had a business transaction with him. Some of the price of the purchased item remained with me.
So I promised the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that I would come to this place tomorrow and pay you the remaining amount. Then I forgot and remembered it three days later. I went to this place and saw that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sitting there. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: O young man! You have hurt me. I have been waiting for you at this place for three days. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book of Literature, Chapter on the Set, Hadith No. 4998).
Economic Situation after Prophet Hood
Did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) do anything to earn a living after receiving the Prophet Hood? The unanimous opinion on this is that after his mission, he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) devoted his efforts and attention solely to the revival of the true religion. There is no evidence of any economic engagement from him (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) after his mission; however! Just like the guidance to other areas of religion, this area was also guided in a very clear and detailed manner. While those who successfully passed through this field were given great good news, the thieves, robbers and traitors of this field were also warned to return by making them listen to warnings.
If we examine the sayings of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), we will see a ratio of one to three between the rules of worship and the rules of business, i.e.: the rules related to worship will be one-fourth and the rules related to business will be three-fourths. Therefore, the most important book in the books of jurisprudence, “Hidayah”, should be looked at. Out of its four thick volumes, only one volume is about worship and three volumes are about business. This is how we can gauge the importance of the business sector.
