business and Islamic law~

Greed and faith can never co-exist in the human heart

Source: An-Nasa’i, on the Authority of Abu Hurayrah

I am in love with my faith, Islam and could not think of living without my faith! Life and faith is the biggest gift Allah the Exalted could endow upon a person!! How thankful we should be, as Muslims.

Do you know that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world? In Europe, France has the biggest reverts to Islam! Most of the people who adorn the burqa are indeed Muslim reverts! Subhanallah :) (Thanks to my lil' sis for this fact! Hehe~)

I cannot think of living my life without syariat and Islamic law. Rasulullah's influence is so wide that it made a seismic impact on even European law!

In business, there are also laws and rules. Some people need excess money to live happily, for me, the love and support from my family, friends and especially Allah Almighty would suffice . Greed is something that is despised largely by Allah.

This notion has been widely reiterated by numerous Hadith Qudsi.

On the authority of Jabir ibn Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, who narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “Guard yourself from oppression, for oppression will be darkness on the Day of Resurrection. Guard yourself from greed, for greed destroyed those before you. It caused them to shed blood and to make lawful what was unlawful.”

[Sahih Muslim, Book of Righteousness, #6576, Sahih-authentic]

and

Narrated Hakim bin Hizam:

I asked the Prophet (for some money) and he gave me, and then again I asked him and he gave me, and then again I asked him and he gave me and he then said, "This wealth is (like) green and sweet (fruit), and whoever takes it without greed, Allah will bless it for him, but whoever takes it with greed, Allah will not bless it for him, and he will be like the one who eats but is never satisfied. And the upper (giving) hand is better than the lower (taking) hand."

I also stumbled across a very beautiful article on greed at Imam Reza's website:

One of the vices which degrade man and make him world-worshipper is greed. Many times it so happens that man, due to greed, sells out his personality and his religion also and makes himself disgraceful in the society.

In this discussion, first of all, let us understand what is greed?

Secondly, what are its signs?

Thirdly, what are its individual, social collective and spiritual harms.

Fourthly, what is its remedy?

1 – Greed: means to keep an eye on others wealth. This in itself is a branch of worldly love. So many are people who do not have enough bread to eat and yet they never look at the wealth of others, and like the proverb, keep their cheek rosy by slapping it. Also there are millionaires and are still greedy. In this matter we read in narrations:

No richness can equal the content or needlessness of the heart.

In another hadith we read: Keep away from greed as greed is sure poverty

2 – Signs of Greed: Man talks flatteringly with the wealthy and the powerful and lowers himself before them and sometimes he presents himself as a slave and as asserted by the Amirul Mo-mineen (a.s.): Greed is a permanent slavery or a greedy man is bound by disgrace

3 – Harms of Greed: Greed lowers the value of man in the sight of God and in the society. How disgraceful it is for a man for whom the Lord Almighty has used names like or vicegregent.

Or says about him: And surely we have honoured the children of Adam.

Makes himself downgraded and looks greedily at the wealth or status of others. Society knows such persons and people do not give any respect to them. They are like mosquitoes being swept away in the direction of the wind. In the words of Amirul Mo-mineen (a.s.): No thing destroys religion like novice and no thing corrupts human personality like greed

Contrary to it there are also some people who are not wealthy from the worldly viewpoint and yet they are respected by the society as the society knows that they do not entertain any tined of greed and that they represent the type who, in the words of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.): If anybody wants to become the richest man he should pay more attention to what is in the hand of God and not what is in the possession of other

Imam Sadiq (a.s.) also says: One who rests content at what God has provided for him is the richest of all men

Greediness is of no value from the religious point of view. Here we draw your attention to some hadiths about it:

A: Saadaan says: I asked Imam Sadiq (a.s.): What strengthens the Faith of man? He replied: Piety. And what drives man out of religion? He said: Greed.

B: And Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said: Be pious and save yourselves from showing yourselves as needy and know that the one who lowers himself before the officer of a tyrant king or in front of his opponent in the matter of religion for seeking mater at benefits of this transient world, God makes him valueless in the eyes of the society and considers him as His enemy.

C: Amirul Mo-mineen (a.s.) has, reportedly, said: One who approached a wealthy man just for the sake of his wealth and thereby, gives him respect loses two-third of his religion

4 – Cure for this Dreadful Illness: Man should look at its harms. He should notice where did greed lead the people who fell pray to a greed for status or lust for riches. Man must also read history and ponder over it and take note that people like Ibne Saad or ulemas who were greedy approached the courts of kings and consequently fell in the eyes of the society. In this way man can easily remove this dirty vice from himself.

One should also think deeply into the might of the Lord of the worlds only one God and believe that He has power over everything.

He must not show his needs to anyone except only one God until he becomes needless except that of Almighty Allah and frees himself from the slavery of any human being and reaches perfection of spirit.

Source: www.imamreza.net

The only time a human is supposed to be greedy is when he makes du'a to Allah for His Blessings!

In Islam, as we have learned in the most basic level of Pendidikan Islam and even in SPM (hehe..) when a buyer already commits a confirmation or an agreement with the seller, the rezeki is already constituted as the hak of the very seller. Maybe in the endeavour of chasing worldy affluence, one tend to forget.

Here is an analogy my sister conjured up:

In a souk, there are two apple merchants. Merchant A is more established and had a bigger shop as opposed to Merchant B who had just recently inaugurated his business.

A man came to the souk and went to Merchant A. Merchant A relentlessly tried to sell the apples to the man, the man constantly refused to purchase from Merchant A.

The kind man subsequently browsed the apples at Merchant B, and fell in love with the kindness and affability of Merchant B. Perhaps Merchant B is the better marketer than Merchant A, Wallahualam. The kind man immediately feels like purchasing the apples from Merchant B. He also thought of asking Merchant B to supply the apples to his restaurant.

"Merchant B, I would like to purchase 10 apples from you. I would also love it if you could supply apples monthly to my restaurant in the city."

"Alhamdulillah," says Merchant B. "I shall take the apples for you and I will supply the apples monthly to your restaurant."

Merchant B and the man shook hands on the agreement.

What you witness here is an agreement or an akad. When the seller and the buyer has reached a mutual agreement, it is constituted as an akad and the seller already has his rights on the business. The business is now the right or hak of that very seller, and other sellers who want to snatch the business is doing something haram by Islamic law. (Courtesy of my brother, the Fiqah Ustaz! Hehe..)

While Merchant B went to prepare the apples for the kind man, Merchant A went to the kind man and started badmouthing Merchant B.

"Why would you purchase the apples from Merchant B? Look at his cheap clothes and his small shop. Mine is so much bigger than his shop. Merchant B might not be as good as I am, that is why his shop is not as big mine! I am a much more established seller. Why would you jeapordise your money with such a feeble seller?"

The kind man got scared and immediately switched his business due to Merchant A's poisonous words.

What Merchant A is doing is haram according to Islamic law.

This is a reminder to me and also everybody who is dabbling in business ;) You might acquire money when you commit something haram, but Allah is always just in His doing!

I might want to be successful in my business, but I promise to Allah that I will never ever let greed outshadow my faith and make me commit unlawful and haram things just for the sake of money! :) When a person commits something haram and the money is haram, the food and things that they feed their children is haram too. Maybe people overlooked that fact.

Ya Allah, please protect my family and I from greed that leads to doing haram things Ya Allah, Amine.

I know patience will bring me so much further in life and I shall attain many hasanah while greed and excessive love of duny will only attract Allah's wrath. (Naudzubillahiminzalik)

Do you know that in Quran, patience is referred to as Sabrun Jameel, which means beautiful patience. In order for one to be beautiful, she has to be patient :)

Insha Allah, ~Ameen~