Surah Hud (Hud) 11 : 84

Overview (Verses 84 - 86)

Faith and Fair Trading

“And to Madyan We sent their brother Shu`ayb. He said: ‘My people! Worship God alone. You have no deity other than Him.’” (Verse 84) Submission to God alone is the first article of faith as well as the first rule of life and the first principle of law and human transactions. It is the principle without which faith, worship or human dealings cannot take their proper shape.

“Do not give short measure and weight. I see you now in a happy state, yet I dread lest suffering befall you on a fateful day which will encompass all. My people, always give full measure and weight, in all fairness, and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs, and do not spread corruption on earth by wicked actions. That which rests with God is better for you, if you truly believe. I am not your keeper.” (Verses 84-86) The main issue here is honesty and justice, which comes second only to the issue of faith and submission to God. In other words, it is the issue of the law which governs business dealings on the basis of faith. The people of Madyan, whose country was an enclave of land lying between Hijaz and Syria, used to give short measure and weight, thus wronging other people in respect of what was rightfully theirs. That is, they used to give other people less than the value of their goods. Their misconduct reflected badly on their integrity and honour and showed that they were far from clean both externally and at heart. Their geographical position meant that they were able to control the trade route of the caravans moving between the north and the south of Arabia. This enabled them to dictate unfair terms on other peoples’ trade.

Here we see the link between believing in God’s oneness and submission to Him alone on the one hand, and honesty, fair trading, honourable transactions and combating all kinds of cheating and stealing, whether perpetrated by individuals or governments, on the other. This relationship appears to be a safeguard ensuring a better human life, justice and peace among people. It is the only safeguard based on fearing God and seeking His pleasure. Hence, it has a very solid foundation which cannot be influenced by special interests or personal desires.

In the Islamic view, business dealings, and morality generally, must have a solid basis which is not influenced by changeable factors. Thus Islam differs fundamentally with all other social and moral theories devised by human beings and governed by their differing bents of thought and their temporary interest.

When business dealings and morality have such a solid basis, they are not influenced by immediate or material interests or by differing environments with different factors and considerations. Hence, rules of morality and those that govern human dealings are not subject to whether people are nomadic, agrarian or industrialized. Such changeable factors lose their influence on the moral concepts of society or the moral values which govern business transactions when the basis of legislation for all spheres of life is divine law. Then the essential basis of morality is to seek God’s pleasure, hoping to win His reward and avoid His punishment. All that is advanced by human-made theories and doctrines about morality being the product of the economic situation and the social conditions prevailing in a particular society become meaningless in the light of Islamic moral theory.

“Do not give short measure and weight. I see you now in a happy state.” (Verse 84) God has given you ample provision for your sustenance, so you have no need to indulge in vile practices to add to your riches. You will not become poor if you give full measure and weight and give people what is rightfully theirs. Your happy state is indeed threatened by your cheating practices and your unlawful earnings. “Yet I dread lest suffering befall you on a fateful day which will encompass all.” (Verse 84) This may come on the Day of Judgement, or it may indeed occur in this life when your cheating practices yield their bitter fruits and rebound on your society and your trade. People will then suffer injustice brought about by some of them against others.

Shu`ayb repeats his advice positively after having expressed it in the form of a prohibition. “My people, always give full measure and weight, in all fairness.” (Verse 85)

To give full measure and weight is more expressive than not falling short on both of them. It is closer to giving others more than their due. Different forms of expression have different connotations and leave different effects. The effect of giving full measure and full weight is much more kindly than that of not falling short.

“Do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs.” (Verse 85) This is much more general than what is valued according to measure and weight. It stresses the fair evaluation of everything which belongs to others, whether this evaluation is in weight, measure, price or otherwise. It also includes material as well as moral evaluations. It may be said to further encompass actions and personal qualities. The Arabic term used here includes both the material and the abstract.

When people suffer maltreatment in respect of what rightfully belongs to them, this gives rise to bitterness, grudges and despair. Such feelings can only ruin society and destroy social links as they adversely affect consciences and hearts. They leave no room for anything good in life.

“Do not spread corruption on earth by wicked actions.” (Verse 85) They must not willingly seek to spread corruption because it rebounds on them. Instead, their hearts should awaken to something far better and far more rewarding than their stained earnings: “That which rests with God is better for you, if truly believe.” (Verse 86) What is with God is far better and lasts much longer. At the outset, Shu`ayb called on his people to worship God alone. He reminds them of this here, when he mentions their lasting reward which they will receive from God if they respond to his call, and follow his advice in their business dealings. After all, his advice is part of that faith.

Having called on them to believe in God alone, he leaves them to Him, declaring that he cannot influence their destiny, and is not their guardian. He is not responsible for preventing them from error and is not answerable for their erroneous practices, should they choose to indulge in them. His task is to convey his message to them, which he has done: “I am not your keeper.” (Verse 86) This expression awakens the addressees to the gravity of the matter and to their heavy responsibility. It puts them face to face with what awaits them in the end, when they will have no guardian or intermediary.