Quran Garden

In today's Tafsir, Allah teaches us how to protect and grow our wealth.  It is especially important if you work in sales.  Let's begin.

Session 580

Chapter 4

Verse 29

a continuation

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 the phrase, "You who believe, do not wrongfully consume your wealth." In language, addressing a group with collective terms implies individual actions.  Let me explain: when a teacher says to his students, "Open your books to page fifteen," it does not mean that one student should open all his or her books to that page; instead, the correct meaning is for each student to open their own book to page fifteen.  Similarly, when race car drivers are instructed with: "Start your engines!" each driver should start the engine of his or her car.  Thus, "Do not wrongfully consume your wealth" means you should not wastefully spend your own money, do not overspend, and do not spend on illegitimate matters that would lead to ill consequences or punishment.

Another interpretation is that one should not unjustly consume the wealth of others.  Consider the example: A student says to a teacher, "My pen was here and it's now gone." The teacher says to the class: "Do not steal your pens!" Does this mean each shouldn't steal their own pen, or not steal from each other?  Here, "your wealth" means other people's wealth, specifically, within the Muslim community.  You should not unjustly take from others, unjustly charge exorbitant prices, or collect for a service you did not perform well.

Note that "Do not wrongfully consume your wealth" is not directed at a specific group, but all Muslims.  Why?  Because if you wrong your neighbor today, they may wrong you next week.  Taking from others unjustly encourages reciprocity, so protecting other people's wealth is the same as protecting your own.  Allah wants to create a cohesive Muslim community where you safeguard others' property as you safeguard your own.  If you violate this social contract, you open your wealth to abuse.

The term "consume" represents a recurrent daily action.  More specifically, the consumption of food.  Eating is the act we repeat two or three times a day, day in and day out.  Unlike clothing, which changes seasonally, eating is a daily requirement, making it the prime reason for many unjust actions.  One of the first things thieves do after a heist is to improve the quality and quantity of their meals: better cuts of meat, fancy desserts, and so on.  We even say in everyday language about a greedy person or a merchant, "He is a whale with an insatiable appetite."

God says, "You who believe, do not wrongfully consume your wealth."  Upon hearing this verse, some companions avoided eating at friends' homes.  God clarified: Hospitality and sharing are not unjust consumption.  He says in the 61st verse of chapter 24,

No blame will be attached to the blind, the lame, the sick.  Whether you eat in your own houses, or those of your fathers, your mothers, your brothers, your sisters, your paternal uncles, your paternal aunts, your maternal uncles, your maternal aunts, houses you have the keys for, or any of your friends' houses, you will not be blamed: you will not be blamed whether you eat in company or separately.

What constitutes "wrongfully"?  Taking property without a right is wrong; theft, embezzlement, bribery, and cheating also represent unjust consumption.  As we discussed earlier, corruption and the exploitation of others' labor discourage productive activity and grind the economy to a halt.  Perhaps the most unjust action is usury, where a wealthy lender, who has a surplus of wealth, demands repayment with added interest from the poor who have nothing.  In such societies, production falters as lenders and bankers seize money from the poor with little effort.  Usury robs society of wealth that could be allocated to legitimate endeavors and economic vitality.  Thus, "Do not wrongfully consume your wealth" urges every Muslim to avoid usury, theft, fraud, deceit, embezzlement, and bribery.  Gambling also falls under this category because games of chance challenge ethics, falsely presenting friendship and play while inciting competition and greed.

Some people consider God's command, "Do not wrongfully consume your wealth," as a restriction on their freedom.  We answer that you should not only look at the freedom God curtails, but the freedoms He protects.  Always welcome divine obligations and commandments with an open heart because they grant you ultimate freedom.  Take the example of theft.  When Allah made theft unlawful for you, He, in fact, protected your wealth.  How?  Because Allah commanded everyone else not to steal from you.  Similarly, when He commanded you against committing adultery, He also commanded everyone else to keep away from your family.

God says, "You who believe, do not wrongfully consume your wealth, but only by means of mutually agreed trade." Buying and selling are central to life, as they connect producers with consumers, whether in agriculture, industry, or services harmonizing them all through trade.  Trade by mutual consent refers to a reciprocal gain, where both the buyer and the seller benefit.

"Mutually agreed trade" also emphasizes honesty and satisfaction among all parties, underscoring that any gain acquired under false pretenses is considered Har?m. Are the transactions with your customers balanced and fair?  If not, please correct it immediately.  Just because you are a good salesman does not make cheating others acceptable.

Listen to the following Hadeeth.  Our beloved Muhammad said, "I am only human, and you bring your disputes to me.  Perhaps some of you are more eloquent than others, and I judge by what I hear.  Whoever, through my judgment, takes what is not rightfully his, it is only a piece of fire; he can take it or leave it."

Join us next week as we discuss the issue of suicide.  Please take a moment to like, subscribe, and share QuranGarden with your family and friends.