‘A businessman who is truthful and trustworthy, at the Day of Judgment he will be in the company of Prophets”
Islam which condemns every kind of injustice and exploitation in human relations, wants its followers to conduct business in a sublime spirit of justice tempered with human kindness. The conduct of the seller in a transaction should be characterized not only by Insaf (justice) but also by Ehsan (Magnanimity). Trading and business in Islam has been identified as the second best profession after agriculture and Prophet Mohammad PBUM himself has been engaged in trading. But, the unkind attitude, dishonesty, and cheating, by unscrupulous persons associated with this noble profession made this infamous. As usual, the celebration of Ramadan is accompanied by a rise in costs. No doubt, during this sacred month of Ramadan, consumption habits have undergone a slight modification with an improvement of the contents of the foodstuffs and the introduction of a new dish that ultimately affects market prices. Studying the abrupt price rise of any commodity through the prism of trade and commerce, we notice that factors like supply, demand, and consumption have a direct impact on the selling price of any product. But, there is another approach to studying the same subject which is through the prism of morality or business ethics. Our Islam has candidly formulated the rules and regulations of business ethics. Unfortunately, those rules and regulations have been generally ignored by greedy businessmen while doing their business. Let us take a thorough view of our local market right now, we are witnessing the abrupt rise of essential commodities at the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan. The prices of vegetables, poultry, and fish have also been recorded unexpectedly. Shopkeepers in the same market sell the same item at different costs. They are ignoring the rate list prescribed by the Government. As usual, they are playing a blame game. The wholesalers and retailers blamed each other for gaining excessive profit. Not only that, but they also issued contradictory statements over the price hike of essential commodities in the market. This moral bankruptcy leads us to nowhere. Let us change this greedy attitude. What personally astonishes me is when I witness a shopkeeper selling the essentials at high rates to another Muslim brother and claiming himself as the true Muslim, observing fast, sharing the first row in the Masjid, and paying Zakat for the same earnings! This kind of attitude reflects nothing but his hypocritical nature. Unreasonable price hikes of the essentials in the market are causing untold suffering of common people, particularly those from lower strata of our society who can’t afford to buy the things at high rates. Though, the government has taken several initiatives to keep the price-controlled. For instance, leveling of fine, and sealing of shops. Despite these measures, a high price rise is still a matter of great concern. It is not practicable possible for the administration to depute an official everywhere. Therefore, there is a need to bring moral stability to society so that every entity in the system will work within moral limits. In this regard, our teachers, and religious preachers can play a pivotal role. Let me recall here the famous tradition of our beloved prophet in which he stated the importance and respect for this profession. He says ‘A businessman who is truthful and trustworthy, at the Day of Judgment he will be in the company of Prophets”

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