Business and Commerce in the Light of the Sunnah

Many forbidden actions are such that their negative impact is generally limited to the sinner. However, failing to act upon the laws of sharee‘ah in money matters, whether in earning one’s income, claiming rights from others, distributing inheritance, etc., have the negative impact of contaminating one’s wealth. When one acquires this contaminated wealth, then naturally this contaminated wealth impacts on everything else. The contaminated wealth impacts on all the actions of the person who uses it in the course of fulfilling his ‘ibaadaat. His salaah, hajj and ‘umrah as well as charity are all devoid of reward due to the contamination of the wealth. Even his du‘aas are rejected on account of the haraam. The contaminated wealth also negatively affects all those who are fed from it. The end result is nothing but misery in this world and greater misery in the Hereafter – may Allah Ta‘ala protect us all.

Therefore, utmost caution is necessary in all money matters. Especially in the world of business, due to the lack of Deeni knowledge, many basic laws are contravened, rendering the transaction impermissible. Many a person is thrilled with the massive “profit” he earned which often, due to the reality of the transaction, is nothing but interest. Such “profits” are the seeds of utter loss and total disaster, Allah Ta‘ala forbid.

The purpose of this book is to gain the correct mindset of Islam in all branches of Deen, and in particular, to bring ourselves back to the true spirit and the original course of Deen in regard to earning halaal and refraining from haraam.