Ramadan Reminder #10

Bismillah R Rahman r Rahim al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen wa salatu salam O Allah.

Muhammad Rasul Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, Steven Kaziranga, Sierra Nevada.

My brothers and sisters

crisis brings out

the best in some people, and the worst in some other people.

It's a matter of

it's something which tests and shows up people in the real light.

When everything is going good, then you know people are happy people are doing what whatever they're doing. But when the

going gets tough,

that's when the real metal of people comes out.

One of the, we are seeing this in we are seeing this today.

In this time of crisis,

in,

in this

in this Corona COVID-19 virus situation.

I have a sister, my sister works in

a very big hospital in New York, where conditions are very bad, with Corona COVID patients. And she is working in the COVID Ward, she was telling me that every day in her unit, five or six people are dying. But she says in that situation.

People who phone

the relatives of the patients who are in the intensive care units,

these relatives, when they form, she says they always, always, always before they ask about their relative.

They thank us, they praise us. And they tell us so many good things. And they say we are so grateful to you, you are in the frontline, you are fighting this thing you have put yourself in danger in order to help us and so on and so forth. And can you please tell me about my husband, my father, my brother, my sister, my mother, whoever is there. In the hospital, he said this is amazing. Not a single phone call comes from the families were obviously worried.

They don't know whether their their loved one will survive or whether they will die. Yet, when they phone, the first thing they do is they don't ask about the relative, the tank, the nurses, the tank, the staff who are working in the unit. Now what kind of character of people like this, think about that. Then she says that not only are they doing that, she says we are flooded with food, because these people are ordering food for us, for the nurses and for the hospital staff. So she said we get cheesecakes, and we get pizza and we get all kinds of things ordered by the relatives of people who are in the hospital. I imagine how beautiful is that, that people are, you know, going out of their

way to be nice to each other to appreciate and show their thanks and gratitude to the hospital staff who are working to help each other. So as I said, it's crisis brings out sometimes the best in people. Crisis also brings out the worst in people. Because one of the things which is happening, and very sadly, that is happening. It happened with in the US also it happened with a whole chain of stores on varies, you know, I'm ashamed to say that owned by an Indian guy

or an Indian family who was price gouging. And of course, here they don't take it lightly. They don't take it lined up. So there was when the stores were shut down. And now they can't they can't open their stores for a certain period of time. And they were also fined heavily.

But the point I'm making is that price gouging and hoarding is again, is one of the things that is happening. And sadly too sad to say this is happening in the poor countries. It is happening in India, it's happening in Nigeria and it's happening. These are the reports I'm getting that people are gouging prices. So the if so what people are saying is that there are some people or a lot of people who are donating money in order to feed poor people, she said but when those people go to the shops to buy food for prices of food, grains and essential oils have been jacked up by the shopkeepers, the house

evil and horrible is that

I want to tell you the view of Islam on this and I want you to take this message to those people, whether they're Muslim or Jew, go and tell them the message.

First and foremost the Kitab of Allah.

Were in Sorrento hold Allah Serrano della della della Lu he mentioned the story of of hood a salon of a salon and where

Allah subhanaw taala to the homie hood shrivel his harem said well yeah call me out we'll make ya'll miserable Chris what a NASA ashia home well ah so Phil Aldi Merci de Baca to la hora la come in control momineen mama Anna alikoum be hafeez

salir is

said to his people, all my people, give full measure and weigh justly, weigh properly and do not defraud people of their things, and do not act corruptly in the land making mischief. What remains with Allah subhanaw taala is better for you, if you are believers. Now, the point I want to make here is that

the crime for which the people of hold up people have salaries,

which are the home hold the crime for which they suffered a grievous punishment and they were destroyed, was price gouging was being deceitful in their transactions.

As soon as the resolution went a step ahead, to the level of SSR. And he said, when you were give more,

not only give correctly, but he said give both.

The basic fundamental principles of commerce in Islam is one to give just weight and measure, be just in your weighing and measuring hopefully, obviously weighing and measuring doesn't refer only to material products, which can be physically weight, weighing and measuring means the amount of hours you give to a particular work, you're getting a salary, are you working for the full salary? Are you doing your best in what you are doing? If you are volunteering, there is a big concept misconception in the minds of people that if they are doing volunteering, they think they can do it anyway know, when you are volunteering do even more because now you're working only for the sake of

Allah subhanaw taala. So to give Justin just wait and measure, number two, not to withhold from people, things that they are due that are due to them don't don't take things which are due to the people do not commit evil on the earth with the intention of doing mischief. And we contend with the profit that is left to us after Jews have been paid. So hoarding and price gouging are completely Haram in Islam.

In a Hadith, which is in Muslim Hamlet and also in Al Hakim, also, Lazarus Adam said, Whoever strives to increase the cost of products for people, allows manual data will see Tim in the center of the fire on the Day of Resurrection.

Which means whoever strives to increase the cost of products, meaning that there is a shortage, there is a crisis. People are in need of food and other things. Some of the bodies and I've said this doesn't apply only to food, but to anything which is essential.

People are the shopkeepers. Now the business people they hoard these things, they buy them cheap and they want to tell them to sell them at a at a higher profit. Rasulullah sallallahu Sallam said the one who does that Allah will sit him in the middle of the fire on the Day of Judgment. Mr. Otto Delano said that he heard Rasulullah sallallahu Sallam saying what an evil person is the one who withholds. If Allah causes the price to drop, he would be saddened and if he causes them to climb, he would be excited. And this is the Harrison by happy now, let me say what an evil person is that there is hoarding? And then is waiting if the price drops, he said and the price increases, which

means now he can sell it at a very high profit. And he's talking about now we talk about essential oils in times of need. This is not this doesn't apply to normal things in normal times essential oils in times of need. Now, Michelle said I'm sorry what an evil person that is over Natasha Delano reported that Soros said whoever hoards food away from the people, Allah subhanho wa Taala will afflict him with less

policy and poverty. And this isn't Suren, even imagine what the law says that the one who hoards and withholds especially food from the Muslims and from the people, Allah subhanho wa Taala will afflict this person with leprosy and with poverty.

reported abou mama radi Allahu wa salatu wa sallam said, Oh, I know Adam, if you spend the surplus, it will be better for you. And if you retain it, it will be evil for you. You will not be reprimanded for storing what is enough for your need, first of all spend on those who are your dependents. And this is in through MIDI, as well as in the other side of Omar Abdullah No, he reported that rasulillah salam said, He's talking about regeneratively to all people, he says, oh, son of other, if you spend the surplus, it is better for you. Meaning if you give it to people, charity spending is as good for you. If you return it, it will be evil for you. Meaning if you are

stingy, if you're holding goods and services, in times of need, then you are an evil person. And this will have an evil effect on you. You will not be reprimanded for storing what is enough for yourself so you can keep for what is enough for yourself. But more than that, if you keep it and thereby you're depriving others of things they need, like we saw here today, for example, people going not to diving in these days, people going into stores and panic buying right here in the West, they bought all the toilet paper, or whatever it is hand sanitizers, people buying you know, food and buying some food, buying some to store is fine. But you're emptying the store, you're taking

away everything so nobody else can get that. But that is bad. That is very, very evil. As soon as Rama strongly reprimanded this, and he said, If you buy enough for your need, that's fine. But and and then he said, first of all, spend on your dependence

and have been nice,

reported, he said when I was in the company, of the elites of the of the leaders of our fatherland who came there, and he said, Give glad tidings. Now he is he This is he's speaking sarcastically, he says, Give glad tidings to the hoarders of riches, that their brands would be branded that their backs would be branded so deeply, that the hot iron would come out of their sides, and when the backs of their necks will be branded, it will come out of their foreheads. He

went away and sat down and have been highest, says I asked people who is he? They said he is a Buddha. I went to him and I said to him, what is it that I heard from you, which you are saying about branding, people who are hoarding wealth? He said, I said nothing, but only that which I heard from Rasul Allah sallallahu sallam, I again said, What do you say about this gift and he's talking about a gift, he said, take it for today, it is a help but when it becomes a price of your religion, then abandon it is talking about somebody giving you something he says his price of religion, meaning that for that you are having to do something which is silly, but don't take it.

Islam prohibited

monopolistic practices and therefore a you know I don't want to go into the details of all of that that's a detailed discussion on on monopolies and,

and and so on, so forth.

According to Islam, a person who sacrifices his faith and loses the good pleasure of Allah subhanaw taala to make money has not done a good bargain. That's why the prime mission or interest for example, because interest destroys wealth, interest is where you are taking advantage of somebody and Allah subhanaw taala declared war on the person who is dealing in interest. That is why Islam also prohibits us from dealing in anything which is haram. Many people justify selling alcohol selling cigarettes selling pornographic magazines, selling pork products and so on. And they say no, but I'm not selling to Muslims. I am selling only to non Muslims. They will buy it anyway. They will

get it anyway. Let them buy it, let them get it. It is not your job to give it to them. As far as we are concerned. We are prohibited from dealing in anything which is haram and all of these things are haram cigarettes are Haram. Tickets are Haram. pornographic magazines are haram alcohol is haram pork products are haram sausages and pepperoni pizza and all of this stuff is haram. Do not deal with them. And if you are dealing with them in dealing in those products, then you are committing haram and you are giving your religion you are compromising your religion.

For the sake of money and this is something which also Lhasa bond does severely against

Islam also does not countenance cutthroat competition in Islam you are supposed to look after the people in the market which is your customer as well as your so called competitor, there is a beautiful story in the in the books of Syrah about this person from the banana D,

the Jewish tribe, who had their own market, this person went into the market and he went to a store which was owned by a Muslim by his army of resources Allah and he asked for a particular product, the product was there, he asked him what how much is that product demand said this is cost so much. So, this man said

to me, this store keeper the store owner says to this person from Verona De Palma, he was a Jewish tribe, he says to him, please do me a favor.

The same product is in that shop over there, he showed him a shop on the other end of the market, he said you see that that shop in the corner, he said that shop has the same product at the same price, please go and buy it from that man.

This man was surprised this customer was very surprised, you are sending me to your competitor, he said Why Why are you sending me that you have the product, the price is good, I am happy to buy it you're sending me there why

this person said is Muslim and he said to him, I have been in this market all day. Now, the time is going to close the market in a short while it will be evening and we shut the market down. He said I have been watching that man today for some reason he did not get any business nobody has come there. Now, if we if the market shuts down today, he will have nothing to take on. So you go and buy it from there What does it do for you the same product same price go by

this Jewish man he went to the to the other shop when it is there to his great surprise, he found that that man was from his own tribe. He was another Jewish guy. He was another Jewish guy. And he was from the same tribe and Rajiv.

So this man is the customer was very surprised that he bought the product. Then he came back to the shop of this Muslim guy, this abbiano salah

and he stood there when he came and stood there he found that there were some other people buying some things and he was selling because remember if your risk has been written by Allah subhanaw taala that on that day you will earn so much you can turn away whoever you like Allah will send it to you, it has to come to you because that has been written to written for you. If it is not written for you, you will not be able to earn it. If you earn it, you will lose it. It is not going to be with you. But if Allah has written it for you, then nobody can take it from you. Nobody can deny to you so this man's this was it. He sent away one customer loss and somebody else. Anyway he is he was

selling the stuff.

This person came and stood there. This shopkeeper he saw him but he was dealing with his customers. When the customers finished. He asked him he said What happened? You didn't get the thing. You answered Oh no, I got it. I got what you what I wanted, but I want something else, no

matter what. He said I want that which is in your heart where you sent me to one of my own people.

Not only is that man your competitor is not even from your religion. You are a Muslim. He's a Jewish man. You sent me to a Jewish man because you didn't want that Jewish man to go home hungry? What is it in your heart which made you do that?

I have come for that. Give me that.

So Allah Allah Wa Wa shadow nama masala, my brothers and sisters, this is the reason why our Catalano said it is not permissible for you to do business in the market of Medina, unless you learn the law and the sole, the principles and the manners of doing business in Masuda Sharif.

He said it is not permissible for you go and do business there until you learn how to do business here in this machine.

Now think about that. This is the beauty of this, of this wonderful religion of ours, that it has a prescription. For everything that we do. It teaches us how to live our life. And it teaches how to live that life in every aspect of their life. Nothing is left to left for us to guess.

In Islam, the buyer and the seller are expected to look after each other, not to destroy each other. This whole issue of you know kill the competition destroy them. The Havana hotevilla. This is not from Islam. This is not from Islam. This is why

The purely

aggressive capitalistic mentality has created. And this is the reason for so much of pain and suffering in the whole world. Because people are thinking like this, right? People are thinking like this, people are thinking of how you know what they can do, to corner wealth, to corner influence to corner products and so on. And they use times like this times where people are in need to make money out of the suffering of people.

Please understand, if you are holding, if you are gouging prices, if you are raising prices in order to make an extra profit, I'm not saying profit is haram profit is not Haram. But what if you were selling something for $10 yesterday, and today, you raise that price to $11 $12 $20. Because now the demand is more because people are in need, people need food and you are raising the prices of food products, then believe me you are eating fire, you are putting the fire of jam into your bellies. Because this is haram in Islam,

you have no right to do that.

Sell at a profit, no problem. I'm not saying give it free. I'm not saying sell at a loss, sell at a profit. But the normal profit that you used to make in normal times do not increase it Do not make it extra

in order to take advantage of people's need. Don't profit on people suffering.

So it's done therefore

prohibited us from dealing in anything which is haram and also prohibited us from dealing in products and and services by

by taking advantage of people's difficulty and people's need. Islam teaches us to take care of one another Islam teaches us to be responsible for one another, which means that if somebody is in need, we help them. Remember this is such a beautiful principle because, you know, at the end of the day, if you want your market to expand what must happen, people should be able to buy your products and services. That is why poverty poverty is like a cancer because poverty takes away people's buying power, if I'm selling something, and that sale is the means of my livelihood and my wealth, and I have a situation where my market cannot buy what I'm selling,

because they have no money that How will I become wealthy, I cannot become wealthy because I have no market my market is dead, because my market I am living in an environment which is full of poor people.

So I say to people,

empower people, create entrepreneurship, give charity support people, because that is good for you, you cannot make money unless people are wealthy unless people have the ability they have, they have extra income they have disposable income, which they can spend discretionary buying this is what means people have money have enough to eat and so on so forth, they have no extra money, which they would like to spend and that they will spend on whatever your product or service you're creating. But if you don't do that, and if you support a system which which which perpetuates poverty, which is what is happening in our world today, then you are going you are doing yourself a disfavor

because you are creating you're you're you're you're cutting out and you're destroying people's power to buy and if nobody can buy your products at the end of the day you will also starve

right? So poverty destroys

the destroys everybody is that that's why we can say it kills the it kills the patient himself and when a patient dies, the cancer also dies.

So, please do not profit from people's need to bring down your prices sell at your normal price. And if Allah gives us help people give give at a lower price. As I told you we have seen very good stories also the two families in Kerala which I saw who are buying products, masks and other things and giving them free they want to one person is selling something which was selling for 20 rupees for two rupees, may Allah bless them and Mashallah both of these are Muslim families. Muslims are doing it non Muslims are doing it that is bringing out the best in people, but also it is bringing out the worst in people and there are also Muslims are involved. There are Muslims involved in

holding the Muslims involved in price gouging. Please don't do that. You are playing with fire. You're eating the fire of Johanna weed coming It's coming into your belly because you are profiting from the need and the

pain and the suffering of people. Don't do that. Make stefarr make Toba if you have done it, return it to the Salalah harana will Karim Allah Allah He was happy to go