Posted by تَفنى اللَذاذَةُ مِمَّن نالَ صَفوَتَها*مِنَ الحَرامِ وَيَبقى الإِثمُ وَالعار
تبقي عَواقِب سوءٍ في مَغَبَّتِها*لا خَيرَ في لَذَةٍ مِن بَعدِها النارُ
The pleasure perishes from those who seek it from anything which is haram (forbidden) and the sin and disgrace will always remain. The bad consequences of bad deeds will also remain; there is no pleasure in a deed that leads to hellfire.
The above-revered sayings of Ameeer al Mumeneen SA give the best start to the topic, Business ethics. Ethics encompass a human being from every aspect of his life. Whether it’s dealing with family, treating people who come in his social circle, handling fellow companions, reporting seniors, sitting, walking, talking, and to sum up we can say it’s related to the ethical “modus vivendi” of living.
In this context, I want to enlist what I remembered from the advice and exhortations of Aqa Syedna Aali Qadr Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS.
1) In Surat, in one of His discourses, Aqa Maula TUS emphasized the ethical trade of diamonds and other noble gems. He TUS narrated that during ziyafats and other religious congregations Mumeneen used to offer expensive gems to Hazrat Aalia but sometimes it comes to our notice that the offered gems are not real. He TUS cited this example from his own experience. Syedna TUS advised that this type of cheating is totally illicit in Islam.
2) In another discourse, He TUS instructed architectures and constructors to use proper material for building any edifice. He TUS said that it’s very important to select the proper matter which should remain intact for a long time.
3) In His TUS first discourse after nas, Syedna TUS cited the example from His TUS personal experience that people offered Him TUS better return options upon investing in their firms. Before investing, He TUS sought approval from Aqa Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA, and Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA showed disapproval. People use to deceit or cheat, and fail to return the invested money.
Aqa Syedna Aali Qadr TUS always counsels, that Mumneen should refrain from dealing with anything which is forbidden in Islam. I request from the readers as well, to add the examples they heard from the counsels of Aqa Maula TUS in this regard.
Let’s move the discussion further; in the current era, we hear the news of deceit very often. Especially while trading online, people are deceived several times. In bank transactions, we are hearing of fraud cases. In each era, cheaters always explore new ways to make people fall into their trap. It is very important to relate each practice with Islamic teachings. If it’s according to Islam, then it should be adopted, else it should be disregarded.
Teachings of Islam
Islam has always forbidden and outlawed anything which is harmful to mankind. I will try to mention a few examples from Islamic jurisprudence.
1) Hoardings: the unnecessary accumulation of the goods to control the price in the market is forbidden in Islam. It is quite evident from the practice of the big investors that they sometimes purchase the whole goods from the source to manipulate their desired price in the market. And this spike ultimately affects the small trading partners.
2) No business on credit: Currently, the harm of dealing in credit is quite evident. But still, in the greed of longing for more turnovers in business, people use to deal in credit. And the most unethical part in dealing with credit is, the seller sells in more profit while dealing in credit as compared to cash, which is totally barred in Islam. The price in credit or cash should remain intact.
3) The product should be delivered as per agreement at the time of the deal: In today’s era, fraud is more often observed, when the product is purchased in an online mode. The size, color, brand, etc. are not sometimes clear due to the online window. The products are enhanced by the virtual tools available online which is also against ethics. So, the important point is a product delivered should be according to the product displayed.
These are a few traits that should be understood before starting any business.
If a person is working as an employee in a company, he also requires sticking to the SOPs and directives issued by the company or the organization. The first and foremost trait an employee should follow is loyalty and honesty. In this context we can take the enlightenment from the saintly life of Syedi Abdul Qadir Hakimuddin RA, He RA sought Rs.300 from Syedna Ismail Badruddin RA for the marriage of His son Faid ul Allah bhai. When the rituals of marriage were over, few rupees were left from the amount granted by Maulana RA. Syedi Hakimuddin RA sent the remainder amount to Syedna Ismail RA. Seeing the sanctity of Syedi Abdul Qadir Hakimuddin RA, Syedna RA appreciated the efforts of Syedi Hakimuddin RA and instructed us to follow the pious trait of Syedi Hakimuddin RA.
Seeking the enlightenment from the traits of Syedi Hakimuddin RA for ourselves, we can adapt the habit of returning the remaining amount of the sold goods even it is very little. We see the people who sometimes ignore returning the change when it’s diminutive.
Ethics are connected with religion.
This year in al Imtihaan al Shafahi, al Syed al Ajal shehzada Jafer al Sadiq bs has taken the discussion of business ethics to a different level. He cited one example that how abiding by religion becomes the reason for getting the trade. A group of Mumineen traders were invited to freeze the deal with the other party at a Hotel. Mumeneen were the host, and according to the proceedings the other party asked for liquor to be served. Mumeneen refused to serve their desired wish, knowing that this refusal could revoke the deal. However, on the contrary, they were astounded by the stringent religious traits of Mumeneen and offered the deal to them.
In the end, I want to emphasize that each and every organization should keep integrity and ethics on top of all. We see in the corporate world that they are nowadays conducting special seminars and training sessions to inculcate ethics in their organizations. Above all, people are attracted to trust in the company more than anything else. As Syedi Imaduddin saheb DM discussed a Mumin’s shop where people use to stand in queue if the shop is closed, trusting that they will get the best value for their price. May Allah Ta’ala always guide us to remain on the right track of ethics through out our lives. So that the whims of unethical conduct do not affect us.
