Quran Garden

Curious about how Islam and trade connect in the Quran? Today, we explore Quranic wisdom, which teaches us about Halal earnings, fair business practices, how to stimulate economic growth, and combat corruption. This Tafsir is ideal for all Muslims, particularly those in business and government. Let's begin!

Session 579

 Chapter 4

 Verse 29

You who believe, do not wrongfully consume your wealth, but only by means of mutually agreed trade. Do not kill yourselves, for God is merciful to you. (Chapter 4: Verse 29)

Let's start with, "You who believe." When God wants to draw His creation's attention to believing in Him, He directs them to ponder the universe and its incredible wonders. As you study the creation, from insects to planets, animals, atoms, and chemistry, you are reassured that such precision and beauty could only result from an Omnipotent, All-Knowing, Wise Creator. Once you reach this conviction, you are ready to receive the commands of "do this" and "don't do that" with an open heart.

Thus, before assigning you with any obligation, Allah reminds you of the foundation of your relationship with Him and begins the command with, "You who believe." Allah did not force you to be a believer; you willingly embraced Islam through contemplation, choice, and thought, and accepted the commitments that come with it.

Now, let your faith in Allah serve as the basis for all His commands. When asked to "do this" or "avoid this," you should not question, "Why should I?" "I do not understand," or "this does not make sense to me." Instead, remember that the Lord you believe in is the wise, capable God who does not benefit from your obedience; the benefits are all yours.

Allah is just. He is fair to believers with commandments and prohibitions as they willingly accepted faith and trust Him with their affairs. He is also fair to the disbelievers by not commanding them, but inviting them to contemplate all the marvellous creation and warning of the consequences of their actions.

Here, I would like to draw your attention to a critical matter: it is true that your faith in Allah is entirely voluntary. However, once you declare "There is no God but God and Muhammad is His messenger," you should accept Islam as a whole. You cannot pick and choose. Sadly, when you ask some Muslims: Why don't you pay your zakat? Or why don't you go to the Hajj? They are quick to quote the Quran: "there is no compulsion in religion." (from Chapter 2:Verse 256) We answer that the proper meaning of the Aya is that there is no compulsion in selecting or entering into religion. However, once you voluntarily declare your belief in Allah, you must abide by all the rules of Islam.

If you are a disbeliever, you are free to drink alcohol as you wish. But if you are a believer and you drink wine, you have overstepped God's limits, and there are consequences. A Muslim should pay his or her Zakat as God ordered, whether comfortable with that or not. If you regard Allah as the only deity worthy of worship, the Wise, Capable Creator, then trust His authority over you. When confronted with an order or prohibition, resolve any doubt in your mind by saying, "I am a believer, and this came from my Lord."

In the previous verses of Surah An-Nisaa, Allah addresses matters that ensure a pure and virtuous lineage. Now, Allah discusses wealth, central to maintaining life. Wealth, which is the fruit of one's labor, is categorized into primary and secondary. Primary wealth is all that can directly benefit you, such as food, drink, clothing, and land. Money is secondary wealth because it does not directly benefit you –you cannot eat it or live in it-, but it facilitates acquiring necessities.

Allah commands, "You who believe, do not wrongfully consume your wealth" because He wants to safeguard your labor and wealth. Why? Protecting wealth encourages activity and economic growth. On the other hand, if your work is exploited, unprotected, or unrewarded, progress halts as workers put in the absolute minimum effort needed to keep their job. Without proportional rewards, effort diminishes. In free societies, if individuals innovate and work hard, they enjoy riches, and, more importantly, many more people benefit from a growing economy.

Consider the example of a person with substantial savings stored in a safe. He would think, 'Why don't I invest this money, build an apartment building, and earn rental income every month?' Does this person intend to benefit society? No, it's primarily self-interest. However, building apartments is excellent for many people. Before this man earns a single rental penny, he would have to hire an architect, engineers, a project manager, many laborers, carpenters, blacksmiths, plumbers, and others. Impoverished members of society will benefit from this man's money before he does.

Allah distributes talents among people; each has his or her unique skill. They may not all be ambitious with big plans, but with just a few inventors and strategists, many people prosper. God says,

Is it, then, they who allocate the mercy of your Lord?! We have allocated their livelihood among them in the worldly life and raised some of them above others in rank so that some of them may take others into service: But the mercy of your Lord is better than anything they amass. (43:32)

Hence, within the bounds of God's law, your hard work enriches you and naturally supports society. It is crucial to guard this dynamic, ensuring that wealth is generated, protected, and flows through legitimate channels. If you do not reward lawful earnings and punish ill-gotten wealth, corruption spreads and progress comes to a halt, negatively affecting everyone. Muslim leaders must nurture and encourage the efforts of entrepreneurs, as the whole community will benefit, even if their motivation is purely self-interest.

However, my advice to any Muslim businessman or woman is not to focus only on yourself. Why? Because while you may get rich, you will forfeit valuable rewards from Allah. If you work with God in mind and make efforts to employ the poor, you will gain both the fruits of your labor and a reward from Allah.

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