Ethical Living: Preventing Harm

In the Name of Allah; the Merciful, the Compassionate.

In the 2008 food price spike consumers all over the world saw prices rise dramatically. In the UK, for example, some items increased by more than 40%. In the 12 month period before the price spike, wheat increased by 130% and rice by 74%. In other countries around the world, such as Yemen, Senegal, Pakistan, Somalia, Indonesia, India, Egypt and Bangladesh there were mass riots regarding the price of food. Since 2008 there have been more price spikes, such as in 2011. These price spikes harm people, in particular the poor who can not afford large increases in food costs.

There are many reasons why the price of food spikes. One major factor of price spikes is the role of speculation, which is predicting, buying and selling food that does not exist. In other words future harvests are bought and sold, while their actual harvest has not taken place. This process is forbidden in Islam, and is demonstrated in the following narrations:

Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade Muhaqala (reported by four different narration collections. Muhaqala is selling unharvested grain for a harvested grain. In this case, something unknown (unharvested wheat) is being sold for something known (harvested wheat). Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that Allah’s Messenger (may Allah honour his mention and protect him from all evil) forbade Muhaqala, reported by al Bukhari.

Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Do not buy the fish in the water, for it involved uncertainty.” Reported by Ahmed, although he states this is a saying of a Companion, not the Prophet. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Allah’s Messenger forbade selling fruit until it becomes ripe, or the selling of fur which is on the back, or milk which is in the udder. Reported by Tabarani, it too may be the saying of a Companion. 

All of these narrations indicate that buying and selling processes that are based upon uncertainty and/or unknown future gains, are not allowed. In contemporary terminology we call this speculative trading, and it is this which is one of the major causes of food price spikes. Islam has forbidden this type of transaction.

A second reason for price spikes, is that of hoarding goods for the sake of seeking higher prices. In this case, a person knows that during a certain time the market price of a good is low so they hide the goods they have, keeping them until there is a shortage and selling for a high price. Due note, this is different from planning and ensuring that supplies will last over the long-term. An example of this long-term planning can be found in amongst the Prophets of the past. This case is different in that the intention is to hide needed goods to secure high prices, whereas the intention of the other is to ensure that the people have sufficient goods. The hiding and boarding of goods is not permitted, as is shown in this narration:

Ma’mar ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “None withholds goods till the price rises but a sinner.” Recorded by Muslim.

Living ethically means that we also seek to prevent harm from happening, in the moment and in the future. In this case, certain business practices are harming global populations both in the present and their action are harming others in the future. Islam does not allow for this kind of action and seeks to prevent harm before is comes, a harm prevention model. Let us take this example and ensure that we seek to prevent harm from occurring in all other spheres of life.

Ethical Living: Business

In the Name of Allah; the Merciful, the Compassionate.


Sometimes when we think about living an ethical life, what comes to mind are the things we do outside of the workplace. However, being the means through which we receive our income and a place wherein we spend a significant amount of our time in the day, living ethically while at work and while doing business should also be of primary concern.

Of primary importance in the life of a Muslim is being honest, and this includes while one is engaging in business. On one occasion the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked what type of earning was the best, one of the answers given included: every business transaction which is free from cheating and deception”, recorded by al Bazzar. Another narration reads:

Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: A man told Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that he was being deceived in business transactions, and he replied: “When you make a purchase say ‘Deceiving is not allowed.’” Recorded in al Bukhari and Muslim.

Deception and cheating, however, are not limited to stealing and the like. It also includes purposely not disclosing all the information regarding a certain product. Not doing so, is also considered a form of deception and is not permitted. The following Prophetic narration provides a concrete example of this:

Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: Allah’s Messenger (may Allah honour his mention and protect him from all evil) once came upon a heap of grain, and when he put his hand inside it, his fingers felt dampness. He asked: “What is this, O’ owner of the grain?” He replied: “Rain had fallen on it, O’ Allah’s Messenger.” He said: “Why did you not put it on the top of the foodstuff so that people might see it? Whoever cheats has nothing to do with me.” Reported by Muslim.

As we work towards being more ethical in our living, there are core values that drive our actions. Honesty is one of those core values, and its manifestation in all aspects of our lives will significantly improve the way we live, the way we do business, the relationships we have in this life and the relationship with have with the Lord.

Ethical Living: Caring

In the Name of Allah; the Merciful, the Compassionate.


Being an ethical person requires that one care about others. The care and compassion one has for others inspires and drives many other types of action, such as giving time and money to support those in need. This particular post will focus on care in the family, and future posts may deal with individual, community and global perspectives on this subject.

Care may manifest itself in many forms, and it may take place in complex socio-cultural environments. It may also be misunderstood. For example, a person might think that an important part of being a caring person would be to give away as much wealth as possible in charity. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, provided important context when making this decision - in particular that one must consider the needs of others, in this case one's family and the impact such a decision would have on them, before going ahead.

Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: I said, “Oh Allah’s Messenger, I have wealth and no one to inherit from me except my one daughter. Shall I give two-thirds of my property in charity?” He replied: “No.” I said: “Shall I give half in charity?” He replied: “No.” I said: “Shall I give a third of it in charity?” He replied: “You may give a third in charity, which is still a lot. To leave your heirs rich is better than to leave them poor and begging from people.” Narrated in al Bukhari and Muslim.

In other situations the Prophet (may Allah honour his mention and protect him from all evil) had to counter social and cultural norms that would harm. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) interacted with the historical and cultural landscape that influenced those around him. At that time, members of Jewish community would not eat with a woman while she was menstruating. The Prophet (may Allah honour his mention and protect him from all evil) rejected this and said that one should do everything one normally does with women, with the exception of intercourse (reported in Muslim).

To demonstrate the care he had, and to set the example, peace and blessings be upon him, for his family and his wives he would groom himself before entering a home; today we groom ourselves when going out but the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is that we ought to beautiful ourselves for our loved ones. This demonstrates the care we have for them. Other times, when leaving the home to go to prayer the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would kiss his wife – as reported by his wife Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her).

Ethical Living: Simplicity

In the Name of Allah; the Merciful, the Compassionate.


The complexity and busy nature of life can often distort the truly important things. We might get caught up with schedules, meetings and one too many to-dos. And, as a result we might lose focus of the most important parts of life. One way to help oneself re-focus, or maintain focus, is to simplify. Turn off one of the many screens around us for an extra moment, or even try to reduce the amount of them you have. Free up some time in your schedule for family and exercise. Try to take a moment to be outdoors. You could quite easily combine all three.

Muslims are not commanded to live like ascetics and there is nothing wrong with being wealthy. That being said, Muslims are directed to not be extravagant, excessive or wasteful. And, in many ways the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) set an example of a simple life. When he passed away he left behind very few possessions, and his home was a very simple one. In some regards simplicity is directly advocated for, such as in the following narrations:

Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I was not commanded to build beautified mosques. Reported by abu Dawud. This narration relates to the practice of other communities that used to overdue their beautification, design and ornamentation.

Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (may Allah honour his mention and protect him from evil) said: Do not be extravagant in shrouding, for it will quickly decay. Reported by abu Dawud.

Complexity may not be noticed until we take a meaningful step back and analyze our lives. Often times they are cluttered with unnecessary and unbeneficial things. Those things that keep us busy might not be as important as we think and a bout of simplicity can re-align our thinking on what is most important, and hence where our time ought to be spent.