What advice did Imam Sadiq (a.s.) give to businessmen? From tolerance with customers to avoiding usury

From Imam Sadiq's point of view, the blessing of business is not only in more profit; Tolerating a repentant customer, avoiding usury and lies, and respecting people's rights are the principles that connect business with justice and ethics.

According to the Missionary Thought and Culture Base, from the perspective of Imam Sadiq (AS), business is not only limited to profit and economic prosperity, but honesty, fairness and respect for people's rights are the main pillars of an ethical transaction. The recommendation to accept the cancellation of the transaction from the regretful customer, to make it easy in the transaction, to avoid lying and swearing, to avoid riba and to strictly observe the scales and scales, are part of the teachings of this imam about the moral responsibility of businessmen. Teachings that emphasize the link between economic prosperity, social justice and the preservation of human dignity.

Imam Sadiq's emphasis on ethics in business

According to Shafqna's narration, in the teachings of Imam Sadiq (a.s.), economic ethics is not only limited to complying with the apparent rules of transactions, but also how to treat the other party, paying attention to his conditions and trying to solve the problems of others is also important. Based on this, tolerance with a repentant customer, untying the work of grieving people, helping to form a family and freeing a person from bondage have been introduced as behaviors that receive God's attention and forgiveness.

In the book "Mizan-ul-Hikma", volume two, narrations of Imam Sadiq (a.s.) have been narrated about business etiquette and the moral responsibilities of economic activists, which emphasize the importance of fairness, tolerance and respect for people's rights in economic relations.

Divine reward for accepting the termination of the transaction

One of the points emphasized in the narrations of Imam Sadiq (a.s.) is accepting the request of a person who regrets his decision after making a transaction and wants to cancel it.

In a narration from Imam Sadiq (a.s.), it is said: "There are four people whom God will pay attention to on the Day of Resurrection: the one who accepts the request to cancel the transaction from the one who has regretted, or removes the grief of a sad person, or frees a slave, or gives a wife to a single woman."

It is also narrated from him in another narration: "If a Muslim regrets a transaction and requests cancellation, and the Muslim on the other side of the transaction accepts the cancellation request, God will forgive his mistakes on the Day of Resurrection."

These narrations show that in Imam Sadiq's view, paying attention to the situation of the other party and being flexible in the transaction is beyond a mere business behavior and can be a manifestation of empathy and moral responsibility.

Recommendations of Imam Sadiq (AS) to economic activists

Imam Sadiq (a.s.) in a recommendation addressed to businessmen, states a set of principles for business, which includes seeking goodness from God before starting economic activity, upholding fairness, avoiding usury, and protecting the rights of customers.

"O community of merchants! Before starting a business, ask for God's blessing and seek God's blessing by making it easy in the transaction, approach the buyers, adorn yourself with the ornament of tolerance, avoid swearing, avoid lying, be afraid of oppression and injustice, treat the oppressed with fairness and justice and do not be around usury, and complete the measure and scale and do not withhold anything from the people's right and do not try to corrupt the land (society).

The concepts presented in this narrative draw an ethical framework for economic activity. Based on this, the businessman should avoid lies and unnecessary oaths to attract customers, be tolerant and easy-going in dealing with buyers, and avoid any oppression, abuse and violation of other people's rights.

Also, avoiding usury, strictly observing the measure and scale, and refraining from short selling, are other axes of this recommendation; The principles that remind the responsibility of economic operators towards customers and society.

ethical business; Linking profitability with social justice

The sum of these narrations shows that in the teachings of Imam Sadiq (a.s.), economic success is not only measured by the amount of income and profit from the transaction, but the way of earning money and how to treat people is also important.

Accepting the cancellation request from a regretful customer, respecting fairness, avoiding deception and underselling and respecting the rights of buyers, all indicate the need to pay attention to the human aspect of business. In such an attitude, economic activity has moral value when, in addition to providing individual benefits, it also helps to strengthen public trust, spread justice, and preserve human dignity.

Based on this, the teachings of Imam Sadiq (a.s.) about business can be considered as a reminder of the principle that success in business is not only dependent on increasing profits, but honesty, tolerance and respect for people's rights also play a role in the formation of healthy and stable economic relations.