Black Market and Islam

Moral:Whenever you get anything remember that although it may be from someone, Allah (SWT) has wished for you to have it. So not only should you thank the person who has given it to you (Jazakallah) but also thank Allah (Alhamdulillah).

The dependants of Imam Jafar Sadiq (AS) had increased in number; so had his expenses. Imam Jafar Sadiq (AS) decided to invest some money in trade to meet the increased expenses of the house. He arranged for an amount of thousand Dinars, which he gave to his slave named 'Musadif' directing him to proceed to Egypt and to invest the amount in business on behalf of Imam Jafar Sadiq (AS).
Musadif purchased some goods usually exported to Egypt, and joined a Caravan of traders, who were taking the same type of merchandise to Egypt.
When they reached near Egypt, they met another Caravan coming out of the City. They enquired about each other's affairs. During the course of conversation, they learnt that the goods, which Musadif and his friends were carrying, were not available in Egypt and were in great demand there. They became very happy at their good fortune. Indeed that was an article of common uses and people had to buy it at all costs.
The traders on hearing the good news decided to exploit the situation. They agreed together not to sell the goods at less than hundred percent profit.
They entered the city. The situation was same, as they had been told. As previously agreed, they created a black market, and did not sell the goods at less than double the cost.

Musadif returned to Medina with a net profit of one thousand Dinars. Happy as he was he went to Imam Jafar Sadiq (AS), and placed before him two bags, each containing one thousand Dinars. Imam Jafar Sadiq (AS) asked:
"What is this?"
"One of the two bags represents the capital you gave me, and the other one (which is equal to the capital) is the profit I have made."
"Certainly the profit is unexpectedly high. Tell me how could you make so much profit?" "The fact is when we learnt near Egypt that the merchandise we were carrying had become scarce there, we agreed not to sell the goods at less than double the cost; and we did accordingly."
"Glory is to God! You did such a work! You took oath to create a black market among the Muslims! You swore not to sell the goods at less than double the actual cost! No I don't want such business and such profit."
Then picking up one of the bags, he said, "This is my capital." He did not even touch the other one, and said that he did not want to have any connection with that.
Then Imam Jafar Sadiq (AS) said:"O Musadif! It is easier to fight with a sword than to earn the livelihood lawfully (Halal Rizq)."

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Muslims Migration to Habasha (Abyssinia)

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.
Muslims migrated to Abyssinia because of the sufferings and oppression they underwent from the polytheists in the early days of Da'wah (Islamic call).
When the Muslims migrated to Abyssinia, they found it was ruled by a just king who would not accept that anyone be oppressed in his land. His name was An-Najaashi. He received them well and treated them as honorable guests. Then he told them that they could go wherever they wished in his kingdom, and that they would enjoy peace and security wherever they went.

Actually, Muslims were badly treated in the early days of Islam by the polytheists. They were severely tortured and persecuted by the polytheists of Makkah. This obliged them to migrate secretly to Abyssinia. Their first migration was in the fifth year after the revelation of Islam. The author of The Sealed Nectar writes, "The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) knew that As'hama an-Najaashi was a just king who would not accept that anybody be oppressed in his country. Thus, he (the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) ) ordered the Muslims to migrate to Abyssinia fleeing away from temptations and terror. The first group included twelve men and four women. Their leader was 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan may Allaah be pleased with him who was accompanied by his wife Ruqayyah may Allaah be pleased with her the daughter of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ). In the second migration there were eighty-three men and ten or nine women."
Allaah Knows best.

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Lamentably Prayer (Story from Era of Muhammad PBUH)

Salah (Prayer) is the practice of formal worship in Islam. Its importance for Muslims is indicated by its status as one of the Five Pillars of Sunni Islam, of the Ten Practices of the Religion of Twelver Shiʿi Islam and of the seven pillars of Mustaʿlī Ismailis. Salah is a ritual worship, having prescribed conditions, a prescribed procedure, and prescribed times. Some of them are obligatory, with a few dispensations for those for whom it would be difficult. For those whom it is physically difficult they can perform Salah in a way suitable for them. To perform valid Salah, Muslims must be in a state of ritual purity, which is mainly achieved by ritual ablution, (wuḍūʾ), according to prescribed procedures.
Salah consists of the repetition of a unit called a rakʿah (pl. rakaʿāt) consisting of prescribed actions and words. The number of obligatory (fard) rakaʿāt varies from two to four according to the time of day or other circumstances (such as Friday congregational worship, which has two rakaʿāt). The minimal, obligatory rakaʿāt may be supplemented with acts that are optional but are considered meritorious.
For Muslims of the Sunni and Ismaili Mustaʿlī persuasions, obligatory salah is prescribed at five periods of the day. These are measured according to the movement of the sun. These are: near dawn (fajr), after midday has passed and the sun starts to tilt downwards / Noon (dhuhr or ẓuhr), in the afternoon (asr), just after sunset (maghrib) and around nightfall ('isha'). Under some circumstances ritual worship can be shortened or combined (according to prescribed procedures). In case a ritual worship is not performed at the right time, it must be performed later. Muslim doctrine permits ẓuhr (ظهر, "noon") and ʿaṣr (عصر, "afternoon") prayers to be performed in succession.

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Bandit and Sage (Effects of Advice)

The goal of the penal laws of the Quran in the case of theft is never to create a multitude of the handicapped. On the contrary, it is to create and make possible a situation wherein nobody is robbed off one's possessions. Indeed, the Lord Creator, who knows that to eliminate robbery and theft, poverty and hunger of the destitute must first be addressed, had Himself revealed the Quran. It was for this specific reason that the Quran had first provided for the instructions pertaining to the solution for poverty and hunger before it addressed the issue of theft and punishment for the crime.
The system of italicize in Islam was instituted to resolve the problems of the poor and the needy. The Islamic directive, in this regard, has been to take from the wealthy and to give to its rightful owners. Zakat is never a charity offered by the rich. On the contrary the Prophet had taught it to be right of the poor. Undoubtedly, the basic requirements of the poor in society will be accomplished if the Zakat system of Islam is effectively implemented. Indeed, this has been the lesson of history. Islamic history does put forward numerous instances where circumstances prevailed in which there were to be found none to accept Zakat in the societies where the system was implemented with rigour and efficiency. In the vision of Islam, if the hunger and poverty of the poor cannot be addressed fully eradicated even with the Zakat that is collected, the rulers are duty-bound to provide for them through other means.
It was thus that Islam alone, among the religions of the world, produced laws aimed at the elimination of poverty and became exemplary for all by way of going on to implement them as well. Islam, then, spoke of penal laws only after the removal of circumstances which actually rendered the crime imperative. It is never in a society wherein unemployment and poverty go hand in hand that the Quran calls for the execution of the stringent penal laws. The injunction of Islam has only been the amputation of the hands of the thieves who disrupt the peace of society even after conditions have become so favourable that there need not be thefts or robbery to gain food or the other most basic necessities of life.
Look at the robberies that are committed in India itself. Are they for the purpose of alleviating hunger? In fact, 99 percent of the robberies that do take place in India are nothing but the easy means that youngsters resort to in order to enjoy life . These are the people who loot and kill for the sake of getting new cars, for staying in luxury hotels and have for having numerous female companions. It is certain that if at least some of those young men who are proved guilty of such crimes, have their hands amputated, 90 percent of the crimes being committed could have been prevented. The question is whether we are prepared for such stringent measures.
Even in Islamic countries famine and starvation is possible. In such an event Islam does not permit the amputation of hands if a man were to commit theft. It was in the time of Caliph Umar (radiallahu anhu) that a thief, who was caught during a period of famine in the land, was let off on the premise that he had probably committed the theft under the pressing compulsion of hunger. Here we witness the humane face of Islam which pronounced punishments with the objective of making criminals non-existent and which had proved such a vision to be practicable as well.

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Lucidity and a Well (Pardon is Better Than Revenge)

When Bayazid was coming from his bath one morning during the Eid festival, someone unwittingly emptied a tray of ashes from a window upon his head. With his face and turban al bespattered, he rubbed his hands in gratitude and said, “I am in truth worthy of the fires of hell. Why should I be angered by a few ashes?”
The great do not regard themselves; look not for the godliness in a self-conceited man. Eminence does not consist in outward show and vaunting words, nor dignity in hauteur and pretension.
On the Day of Judgment thou wilt see in Paradise him who sought truth and rejected vain pretension.
He who is headstrong and obdurate falleth headlong; if thou desire greatness, abandon pride.
Patience under oppression
A story illustrating the noble-mindedness men
A dog bit the leg of a hermit with such violence that venom dropped from its teeth, and the poor man could not sleep all night through pain.
His little daughter chided him, saying, “Hast thou not teeth as well?”
The unfortunate parent wept and then smilingly replied, “Dear child! Although I was stronger than the dog, I restrained my anger. Should I receive a sword-blow on the head, I could not apply my teeth to the legs of a dog.”
One can revenge oneself upon the mean, but a man cannot act like a dog.

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Dervish And A Munificent (Take Care of All Humans)

What Islamic teachings tell us is that all human beings are equal in the eyes of the Creator as far as their status of human beings is considered. These teachings also tell us that we should likewise make no distinction between human beings while dealing with them as humans. In other words, Islam wants us not be arrogant because of our family, status, and abilities. The Qur'an says:
"O mankind! We created you from a single pair of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes that you might get to know one another. Surely the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is he who is the most righteous. Allah is All-Knowledgeable, All-Aware." (49:13)
However, that doesn't mean that people are not different from each other; it also doesn't mean that one individual cannot be better than another in some areas. The Almighty has created a lot of diversity in us. Had it not been there, the system of our world wouldn't have been able to function properly. We need different people with different interests and abilities to take care of the different obligations that our societies need to discharge them. Had everyone been alike, it wouldn't have been possible. The Qur'an says:
"It is We Who distribute the means of their livelihood in the life of this world, raising some in rank above others, so that one may take others into his service." (43:32)
Thus all humans are equal as humans. They are however different in their abilities. They are also different in the most significant criterion of piety, about which only God Almighty is the best judge. No human can claim superiority over a fellow human on the basis of family, race, status, or any other worldly criterion.

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Treatment of Prisoners and Enemies in Islam

Upon capture, the prisoners must be guarded and not ill-treated. Islamic law holds that the prisoners must be fed and clothed, either by the Islamic government or by the individual who has custody of the prisoner. This position is supported by the verse [Quran 76:8] of the Quran. The prisoners must be fed in a dignified manner, and must not be forced to beg for their subsistence.[Muhammad's early followers also considered it a principle to not separate prisoners from their relatives.
After the fighting is over, prisoners are to be released, with some prospect of survival, or ransomed. The freeing or ransoming of prisoners by Muslims themselves is highly recommended as a charitable act. The Qur'an also urges kindness to captives and recommends, their liberation by purchase or manumission. The freeing of captives is recommended both for the expiation of sins and as an act of simple benevolence.
Women and children
Muslim scholars hold that women and children prisoners of war cannot be killed under any circumstances, regardless of their faith,[18] but that they may be enslaved, freed or ransomed. Women who are neither freed nor ransomed by their people were to be kept in bondage and referred to as ma malakat aymanukum (slaves).
Men
There has been disagreement whether adult male prisoners of war may be executed. One traditional opinion holds that executing prisoners of war is strictly forbidden; this is the most-widely accepted view, and one upheld by the Hanafi madhab.
However, the opinion of the Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali and Jafari madhabs is that adult male prisoners of war may be executed. Conventionally, execution was conditional on the reasonable belief that male prisoners would pose a genuine and immediate threat to the Muslim community if allowed to live. The decision for an execution is to be made by the Muslim leader. This opinion was also upheld by the Muslim judge, Sa'id bin Jubair (665-714 AD) and 'Abu Yusuf Ya'qub a classical jurist from the Hanafi school of jurispudence.[3] El Fadl argues the reason Muslim jurists adopted this position was largely because it was consistent with the war practices of the Middle Ages.
Most contemporary Muslim scholars prohibit altogether the killing of prisoners and hold that this was the policy practiced by Prophet Muhammad. The 20th century Muslim scholar, Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi states that no prisoner should be "put to the sword" in accordance with a saying of Muhammad.
Yusuf Ali, another 20th century Muslim scholar, while commenting on verse [Quran 9:6], writes,
Even those the enemies of Islam, actively fighting against Islam, there may be individuals who may be in a position to require protection. Full asylum is to be given to them, and opportunities provided for hearing the Word of Allah...If they do not see their way to accept Islam, they will require double protection: (1) from the Islamic forces openly fighting against their people, and (2) from their own people, as they detached themselves from them. Both kinds of protection should be ensured for them, and they should be safely escorted to a place where they can be safe.
Maududi further states that Islam forbids torturing, especially by fire, and quotes Muhamad as saying, "Punishment by fire does not behoove anyone except the Master of the Fire [God].

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Close Argument (Kindness in Islam)

Nasiruddin was the slave of a king, and very fond of hunting. One day he came across a very pretty baby deer and picked it up and rode away. The mother deer saw Nasiruddin take her baby and followed him anxiously. Nasiruddin, pleased with the baby dear, was thinking about presenting it to his children to play with. After a time, he chanced to look back and saw the mother deer following him, her expression full of grief. He noticed too that she did not seem to care about her own safety. Moved to pity, Nasiruddin set the baby deer free. The mother deer nuzzled and licked her baby fondly and the two deer leapt happily away into the forest. But many times the mother deer looked back at Nasiruddin, as if to express her thanks.
That night Nasiruddin dreamt that the revered Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was addressing him: ‘Nasiruddin, your name has been entered in the list of Allah, and you will one day have a kingdom. But remember that when you are king you will also have many responsibilities. Just as you have shown mercy to the deer today, you should be merciful to all Allah’s creatures. You should not forget your people by falling into a life of luxury.’
This dream came true and Nasiruddin did become king, Amir Nasiruddin Subaktagin, father of Sultan Muhammad.
The moral of the story is that if we wish Allah to be merciful to us, we must be eager to show mercy to all the living creatures of the earth.
When a flower blooms, its colour and scent first touch the garden near it, and then spread. In the same way, a Muslim’s acts of human kindness should first touch those nearest to him, his family and his neighbours.

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