SHUAIB AS

Shuaib AS died shortly after Yusuf AS, and he lived in Egypt and died close to Mekah.

LESSONS LEARNT

The Honest Merchant

Cheating was a prevalent trait amongst the traders of Madyan. Nowadays, we indulge in a lot cheating, verbally and physically with each other. Apart from the obvious examples of fixing weights, it is common for merchants and traders to make warranties and guarantee on their goods, playing games with the language and terminology with the intention to confuse and cheat the customer, instead of being honest and transparent in their dealings.

This is not a casual wrongdoing, although many of us take it lightly. It is our obligation to be sincere, honest and truthful when dealing with each other, and be clear in our dealings with each other. Buyers should be allowed to clarify and are entitled to truthful answers. Sellers are not allowed to misrepresent.

Cheating, in whatever form, creates injustice. This extends to price manipulation, hoarding goods and controlling supply in order to gain a monopoly and oppress the buyers. The most honest way of selling something, is to disclose to the buyer the wholesale price, the expenses incurred and the profit that will be derived. It is on this data that buyers will decide whether to proceed. In reality, how many people carry on business this way?

According to the Prophet SAW, the honest merchant will be like a white hair on a black bull, and will be his companion in paradise. This shows how far and few between a truly honest merchant is. We have all been ripped off, and it could have been that we have also taken advantage and deprived our buyers of the full benefit of their purchase, whether by quality, quantity or price.

The honest merchant – who buys with ease and sells with ease – will have the blessings of Allah.

Neither buyer nor seller are allowed to oppress. For example, bargain hunters love to take advantage of the merchant, picking merchants who are desperate to make a sale and then oppressing and squeezing them until the merchant is backed into a corner, all for a few dollars that the seller can actually afford to pay. There are others, that once the goods are packed, will refuse to pay the full price and re-open the bargaining even when the terms have been agreed to. This kind of manipulative buying is also a form of cheating, and Allah will take away the good deed from the buyer. There is no good gesture in behaving this way.

Honest disclosure also applies in time of marriage. If you have a problem (for example, a physical flaw or a medical condition or disability) this must be disclosed fully before the marriage, and if the marriage proceeds on this basis, there will be barakah in it.

Why do we do injustice? It is because of our greed and stinginess. We want whatever we want, in any way we can. We forget our closet full of clothes, ignore our poorer relatives and those who are needy. How will we justify our excessive purchases to Allah when we neglect the needy ones around us?

It is similar with dealing with interest, it will eat and destroy us. If we fear Allah, Allah will make an opening for us. Allah puts barakah into every halal (lawful) transaction; with every pure and clean money comes Allah’s barakah, whereas all money which is tainted with haram earns the calamity of Allah in one way or another – through our health, marriage, children etc.

Watching the news

Natural disasters and catastrophes are increasing around us. If we watch the news through the eye of a Muslim, we should be worried. Look at the amount of earthquakes, floods and fires which are occurring.

To be arrogant, stubborn and deny, will not benefit us at all. We should listen to the power of Allah. Today, we have the power and sign of Allah. If it really strikes us, we should look at communities that are currently being wiped out. These are the signs for us to recognise His signs, and to remember Him. If we do not listen to the signs and respect it, our end will be the same exactly. This will be the promise of Allah.

We have to remember, it is always the sunnah (the custom and habit of Allah) the people who carry the truth are always a few. The majority is corrupt. We should not be deceived by the majority who have the dunia, the prestige and the status, and perform their evil actions with injustice. For example, today we see the rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer because the greed and selfishness of accumulation being above the duty to society and mankind. The bottom line, always, is that this few who are holding justice and the message, will be a small in number and status, meaning finance and rank in society, but they are the chosen ones to carry the message.

If you are of the chosen ones by Allah, don’t despair or rush the result, don’t even think about the result, but hold tight in the road. The ending is in the hand of Allah. Remember, the victory is to you to live the message, live for the message and die with the message. When the time gets tough, you have the weapon of du’a and trust in Allah and the promise of Allah. He is the only one can change condition, and He will never be changed, and His promise will never be changed (constitution).