Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him), the trader
The Messenger (peace be upon him) grew up in Mecca (the main trading city in the Arabian Penninsula). The Messenger (peace be upon him) lived in such an environment and he often accompanied Quraishi caravans when he was between nine and twelve years old. He started to be a trader early in his life due to the environment he lived in, but he was different from other traders for many reasons:
The Messenger (peace be upon him) had a good reputation as a trader
Trustworthiness is a means for a trader to be successful and is the most important capital a trader should invest in his trade. Being both trustworthy and truthful is a sound basis for being successful in trade. The Messenger (peace be upon him) had these two characteristic traits. The Messenger (peace be upon him) was known for his truthfulness and trustworthiness before he started to receive revelation. His good reputation as a trader and that he was called the trustworthy one made Khadijah choose him to carry out trade for her and to later marry him (peace be upon him).
Intelligence and skills in trade
The Messenger was intelligent and was very skilled in trade. There is nothing that indicates this more than the trade he carried out with Khadijah’s money, which has been reported about the Messenger [when he entered Mecca to go to Khadijah with her money, sending her double or nearly double what she had given him]
[
The Prophet’s Biography by Al-Bayhaqi].
That is, the Messenger (peace be upon him) returned to Mecca after carrying out trade for Khadijah, bringing a great profit. There is no doubt that the markets the Messenger (peace be upon him) dealt with, eg. the Okaz market, were full of traders who were both older and more experienced than him. However, the Messenger (peace be upon him) had an insight into trade dealings and undertood the traders.
The story of how the Messenger (peace be upon him) dealt with the trader who cheated is well-known. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) related that, [related by Muslim].
Clearly, when he first saw the food, it looked as though it was of good quality and fresh, but after a careful examination, the Messenger (peace be upon him) found what was hidden. The Messenger (peace be upon him) put his noble hand into the pile of food and found it damp on one side, indicating that it was nearly rotten. He did not rely on only the state of the goods that were displayed, but checked and examined the goods to determine the quality of what was displayed and what was hidden.
The Messenger’s easiness when buying and selling
The Messenger (peace be upon him) used to be easy when buying and selling. Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) mentioned this point when he said, [related by Al-Bukhari]. So the Messenger (peace be upon him) took it from the father and gave it as a gift to the son for him to do what he wanted with it, due to his easy nature. The Messenger (peace be upon him) said, [related by Al-Bukhari].
The Messenger (peace be upon him) encouraged his followers to be easy when selling and buying. How does this trait affect the society?
The Messenger (peace be upon him) told his followers to be righteous and truthful, and to give charity
The Messenger (peace be upon him) told traders to be righteous and truthful, and to give charity when trading. The Messenger (peace be upon him) said, [related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
One day,< The Messenger (peace be upon him) went out to pray and saw people buying and selling. The Messenger said, ‘Oh traders.’ They raised their heads to look at him. The Messenger (peace be upon him) said, ‘The trader is resurrected on the Resurrection Day in a bad state, except those who fear Allah and are righteous and truthful’> [related by At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and At-Tabarani].
How can you take the Messenger (peace be upon him) as an example to follow?
- Be a trustworthy and truthful trader when selling and buying, as the Messenger (peace be upon him)
- Be easy when selling and buying, thereby following the Messenger’s example.
- Do not cheat or be deceitful, no matter how much profit and gain it might bring.
4. Beware of saying false oaths when buying and selling, as it makes the sale have n
5. Beware of reducing the value of the goods or raising the price, thereby abusing those who are in need. It is better to be gentle with the people and be easy with them.
6. Give much charity and help the poor and needy as this makes your possessions grow and blesses them.
7.Be an example of a trustworthy Muslim trader who is truthful, easy, gentle and generous, and be a trader who calls others to Allah (by your good example). Moreover, be one of those who follow the example of the best human.
Prophet Muhammad in...
