A Heartfelt Plea
Give Priority to Islam
Head of the Central Executive Committee of Dawat-e-Islami, Maulana Muhammad Imran Attari
Sayyidunā Abu al-Ḥasan Sarī al-Saqaṭī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه purchased 60 dinars worth of almonds and decided to sell them for 63 dinars. A trader asked him how much he was selling them for, to which he replied, “63 dinars.” Desiring goodness for others, the trader said, “The cost of almonds has gone up. Sell them to me for 90 dinars.” He said, “I promised my Lord that I will not take a profit greater than 3 dinars.” The trader replied, “I also promised my Lord that I will not deceive another Muslim brother. So I will only buy the almonds for 90 dinars.” So in this impasse, the trader was unwilling to buy the almonds for less than 90 dinars while Sayyidunā Abu al-Ḥasan Sarī al-Saqaṭī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه was not willing to sell them for more than 63.[1]
Did you hear how our pious predecessors رَحِمَهُمُ الـلّٰـهُ would trade with honour and dignity. They consistently worked for the Hereafter and wished goodness for their siblings in faith. In every situation, they observed Islamic teachings and prioritised Allah’s injunctions—for them, Allah’s pleasure was their true wealth. However, today we crave material gain more than anything else. As we move further away from Allah, forgetting our inevitable meeting with Him, we fall deeper into the abyss of unethical and haram business practices rooted in deceit, dishonesty, fraud, and usury.
Perhaps it was these unfortunate realities that compelled Sayyidunā Mālik ibn Dīnār رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه to remark:
السُّوْقُ مُکْثِرَۃٌ لِّلْمَالِ مُذْھِبَةٌ لِّلدِّیْنِ
“The marketplace increases wealth but diminishes faith.”[2]
The avarice for material wealth is so strong, Muslims seem to feel no remorse in deceiving each other, willing to risk their faith for a few pennies. The Prophet’s life teaches us to give preference to the life of the Hereafter and to remain steadfast on the teachings of Islam. The beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم often supplicated:
یَامُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوْب ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِیْ عَلٰی دِیْنِک
“O You who changes hearts! Make my heart firm on Your religion.”[3]
The beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said:
Reciting لَا اِلٰـهَ اِلَّا ا لـلّٰـهُ will continue to distance people from the wrath of Allah Almighty, until the people reach a point where their worldly life will be safeguarded, and they will no longer have concern for any loss in religion. Then they will say these words, and Allah Almighty will say: “You are liars.”[4]
The esteemed Follower, Sayyidunā Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه said:
Guard your faith, for your religion is your flesh and blood. If your faith is safe, your flesh and blood will be too. However, if this is not the case, and your faith does not remain intact, then we seek refuge in Allah Almighty from the unquenchable Fire, unhealing wounds, and endless torment and punishment.[5]
Muslims are expected to imbue all their dealings and aspects of life with the spirit of Islam. Sayyidunā Aḥmad ibn Ḥarb رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه said, “˹During the summer˺, people choose to sit in the shade over sitting under the ˹sweltering˺ sun but do not choose Paradise over Hell.”[6]
I urge all fellow believers and followers of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم! One day, the world will surely come to an end. It is only by giving priority to Islam and its teachings in daily matters that will afford us salvation in the Hereafter. Ask yourself; how does Islam guide you in this matter? What does your Lord, the Creator and Cherisher, say about this course of action? What has His beloved and final Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم taught us about this issue? What do the Ulema of Ahl al-Sunnah tell us about it? May Allah Almighty grant me and you the ability to implement this guidance.
اٰمِیْن بِجَاہِ النَّبِیِّ الْاَمِیْن صَلَّی اللہ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلہٖ وَسَلَّم
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