Trader Companions
Sayyiduna Abdullah Bin Umar رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُما
Part 13
Bilal Husayn Attari
Sayyiduna Abdullah b. Umar b. al-Khattab رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ was a not only a seasoned jurist, unmatched ascetic, and ardent lover of the Sunnah who narrated approximately 1630 Hadith, but a successful tradesman whose business ethics were shaped by the values of Islam. (Tabaqat Ibn-e-Sa’d, vol. 4, p. 111; Ajmal Tarjamah Akmal, p. 52; Faizan-e-Farooq-e-A’zam, vol. 1, p. 85)
As a skilled businessman, he was involved in several types of financial markets:
1. Camels: He رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ would sell camels in a market that later became the famous al-Baqi Cemetery of Madinah. (Musnad Abi Dawood-lil-Tayalisi, p. 255, Hadith 1868; Lam’aat Al-Tanqih, vol. 5, p. 573, under the Hadith 2871).
2. Importing foreign goods: For example, during the reign of his father, Sayyiduna Umar al-Farooq رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ, he and his brother Sayyiduna Ubaydullah b. Umar رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُم, returned from Iraq with goods which they sold in Madinah Munawwarah, (Muwattta Imam Malik, vol. 2, p. 213, Raqm 1434).
3. Buying and selling grain.
4. Partnerships: Sayyiduna Zuhrah b. Ma’bad رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه, the grandson of the trader companion Sayyiduna Abdullah b. Hisham[1] رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ states that, ‘My grandfather would take me to the marketplace and buy grains from there. Sayyiduna Ibn-e-Umar and Sayyiduna Ibn al-Zubayr رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُم would meet him and say: ‘Make us partners in your business, for the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم made prayed for blessings for you.’ So, he would include them also,’ (Bukhari, vol. 2, p. 145, Hadith 2501-2502; Usd-ul-Ghaabah, vol. 3, p. 421).
5. Silent Partnership (Mudarabah)[2].
6. Money exchange[3]: He رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ was also involved in this type of trade, (Musannaf Ibn-e-Abi Shaybah, vol. 11, p. 474, Hadith 22950).
Interestingly, he narrates a large quantity of hadith about trade laws and ethics because he regularly consulted the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم to ensure his businesses were conforming to Islamic regulations.
[1] The one for whom the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم made Du’a for blessings and goodness in his childhood.
[2] A business partnership in which one party, the rabb-ul-mal, invests capital and the other, the mudarib, invests labour, (Bahar-e-Shari’at, vol. 3, p. 1)
[3] This is essentially the trading of currency for currency. It may involve commodity money which has intrinsic value, such as gold and silver, or fiat money, such as contemporary coins and banknotes. (Bahar-e-Shari’at, vol. 2, p. 14)
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