The Etiquette of Earning and Livelihood
Volume 2: Customs
This document analyzes the fundamental principles of Adab al-Kasb wa'l-Ma'ash (The Etiquette of Earning and Livelihood), presenting the religious and moral framework for a Muslim to obtain lawful earnings. The study is structured around five main axes: the merit of earning, the legal soundness of commercial relations, the establishment of justice, the concept of ihsān (benevolence) in trade, and safeguarding the merchant's spiritual life. The central argument is that the world is the field of the Hereafter, and lawful commerce is not merely a means of livelihood but also a form of worship and a kind of jihād. While encouraging the individual to work in order to escape beggary, provide for family, and benefit society, the document details the ways to avoid greed, deceit, and injustice.
Summary
This document analyzes the fundamental principles of Adab al-Kasb wa'l-Ma'ash (The Etiquette of Earning and Livelihood), presenting the religious and moral framework for a Muslim to obtain lawful earnings.
Sections
1. The Spiritual Rank of Work and Earning
The document defines work in the world as preparation and a ladder for the Hereafter. People are divided into three classes with regard to earning:
- Those who are ruined: Those who occupy themselves only with worldly livelihood and forget the Hereafter.
- Those who are saved: Those who withdraw entirely from worldly affairs because of their preoccupation with the Hereafter.
- Those who follow the middle path (the rank of iqtiṣād): Those who carry on worldly affairs while keeping the Hereafter in mind.
Important Observation: The fatigue endured in earning from what is lawful is regarded as expiation for certain sins. An honest merchant will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection together with the truthful (ṣiddīqūn) and the martyrs.
2. The Obligation of Legal Knowledge in Commercial Relations
Every Muslim engaged in trade is described as obliged (farḍ) to learn the knowledge of the work he performs. This knowledge prevents one from falling, even unknowingly, into interest (ribā) or invalid contracts.
- Six Fundamental Contracts: Sale (bayʿ), Interest (ribā), Salam, Hire (rental/service), Partnership, and Sharecropping (qirāḍ).
- ʿUmar's Approach: By forbidding those without knowledge to buy and sell in the marketplace, he warned that the ignorant would inevitably fall into what is forbidden, even if unwillingly.
3. Justice in Trade and Avoiding Wrongdoing
Justice in trade is not merely complying with legal rules, but not harming others. Wrongdoing is examined in two categories:
| Type of Wrong | Definition and Examples | | :--- | :--- | | General Harm | Iḥtikār (Hoarding): Withholding foodstuffs in expectation of high prices. Counterfeit Coin: Putting invalid currency into circulation. Because such acts harm the entire community, their sin is great. | | Particular Harm | Excessive praise of goods: Presenting nonexistent qualities as if they existed. Concealing defects: Hiding the faults of goods from the customer. Deceit in measure and weight: Weighing short or measuring incorrectly. |
4. The Concept of *Ihsān* (Benevolence) in Trade
Ihsān is going beyond justice to benefit the other party. This is regarded as the "profit" of trade, and is realized through the following six points: 1. Reasonable Profit: Avoiding exorbitant profit and not deceiving the buyer. 2. Leniency toward the Weak: Not calculating small profits when buying goods from poor or weak sellers. 3. Ease in Collection: Granting respite when collecting what is owed, or forgoing part of it. 4. Paying Debts Well: Repaying a debt before its due date, or in better quality than owed. 5. Canceling Contracts (ikāla): Accepting the request of one who regrets a transaction. 6. Supporting the Poor: Giving goods to the needy on credit and forgiving the debt when they have no means to pay.
5. The Merchant's Religious Scrupulousness (*Taqwā*)
Seven points of sensitivity are identified so that the merchant does not lose his Hereafter amid worldly preoccupation:
- Intention: Earning lawfully in order to avoid beggary and serve Muslims.
- Farḍ al-kifāya: Engaging in crafts the community needs (manufacturing, tailoring, etc.).
- Time Management: Ensuring the worldly market does not obstruct the market of the Hereafter (prayer and remembrance).
- Remembrance: Continuing to remember God amid the noise of shops and markets.
- Restraining Greed: Avoiding being the first to enter and the last to leave the market.
- Avoiding Doubtful Matters: Staying away not only from what is forbidden, but from every transaction whose lawfulness is doubtful.
- Murāqaba: Taking a conscientious and religious account each evening of the day's transactions.
---
Key concepts
- *Muvahhid*
- One who believes in God's oneness and truth.
- *Iḥtikār*
- Stockpiling foodstuffs and not releasing them to the market in expectation of high prices (hoarding).
- *Ihsān*
- The rank of benevolence in trade, such as giving more than one's due or being content with less than what one is owed.
- Counterfeit Coin
- False or deceptive currency that contains no precious metal (gold/silver) or is of low fineness.
- *Bayʿ*
- Sale, commercial contract.
- *Ribā*
- Interest; an excess that yields unjust gain.
- *Salam*
- A contract in which the price is paid in advance and the goods are to be delivered later.
- *Ghamūs* Oath
- A knowingly false oath that plunges a person into sin.
- Farḍ al-kifāya
- Social and religious duties from which others are relieved when some Muslims perform them.
Study questions
What are the three calamities that befall a person who falls into poverty?
His religion weakens, weakness appears in his mind, and his muruwwa (human dignity/honor) departs.
What does "*najash*" mean in trade, and what is its ruling?
Raising the price to provoke the customer when one is not the buyer; it was forbidden by the Prophet.
Which four groups is it more excellent for to abandon earning (not to work)?
Worshippers, people of mukāshafa, scholars who serve the community religiously, and administrators occupied with public affairs (if their needs are met from endowment or treasury funds).
What is the merit of remembering God among the heedless in the marketplace?
It is like a fighter who battles behind those fleeing from the enemy, or like one alive among the dead.
Which crafts have been associated with persons of "weak judgment" (*ʿaql*), and why?
Weavers, cotton workers, wool spinners, and teachers. The reason is their constant interaction with women and children.
Lecture sections
- Business Ethics
- The Virtue of Trade
- Hoarding in Trade
- Concealing Defects in Goods
- Iḥsān in Trade
- Accounting for the Afterlife in Trade