Theme: Muamalah Virtues
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (ï·º) said:
“By the One in Whose hand is my soul, if one of you were to take a rope and gather firewood on his back that would be better for him than coming to a man to whom Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has given of His bounty and asking him (for help). Which he may or may not give.”
(Sahih Bukhari No. 1470, Sahih Muslim No. 1042, Sunan An-Nasa’i No. 2588)
In this hadith, the Prophet ï·º makes mention of two distinct groups of people to draw a comparison between them. The former is the man who ‘gathers firewood on his back’ while the other is the man who scrounges for the bounty of Allah SWT.
The Prophet ï·º explains that the first man is one who strives for the abundance of provision and rizq and works diligently towards it, and is willing to struggle in order to reach his utmost potential. On the other hand, the second man is a man who is by default blessed with means and merely scrounge for more without much effort, which may or may not be given to him.
In addition to this, the Prophet ï·º swears by Allah SWT name and emphasises the former’s fadhl (merit) over the latter. This indicates that it is part of the sunnah to strive and work hard in pursuit of Allah’s bounties. It should be engrained in a Muslim trader’s identity to be hardworking, ambitious, and willing to struggle to attain their company or project goals. Laziness and waiting for miracles to happen should never be an option, and the belief that one should remain idle when tending to trade is not part of the religion.
In our current context, Muslim traders ought to improve and broaden their opportunities and horizons to strive for excellence. The emergence of more dedicated people in this sector will only lead to goodness and better economic status for our Ummah. To do so, let us make this hadith a principle that we uphold and work towards as we progress further.
