Goods that people are in need

Monopoly

Monopoly is to retain the goods that people are in need of especially foods and medicines so that the prices may be raised and then great wealth may be got in this way. In fact, this is a great injustice against people and especially the weak.

A monopolist by this doing and by being unkind to the people causes himself to be deprived of the mercy of Allah in this world and in the afterworld. In doing so he just acts selfishly.

Besides that selling monopolized goods itself is prohibited and its price is considered as ill-gotten property. This doing has been dispraised strongly by the Qur'an and the traditions.

About getting wealth unlawfully the Qur'an says,

“And whoever does this aggressively and unjustly, We will soon cast him into fire; and this is easy to Allah.” Qur'an, 4:30

The Prophet (s) has said, ‘Whoever keeps food for forty days intending that it may be expensive has disavowed Allah and Allah has disavowed him.’[1]

‘Whoever monopolizes foods for forty days and then gives them as charity it will be not accepted from him.’[2]

‘The worst of people is the monopolist; when Allah makes the prices become low, he becomes unhappy and when the prices become high, he becomes delighted.’[3]

‘The monopolists and the killers will be thrown into Hell at the same degree.’[4]

Imam Ali (s) has said, ‘Monopoly is one of the features of evildoers.’[5]

Being fond of the worldly life

It is naturally that man loves the worldly life if his love is reasonable and lawful because this will lead him to arrange the affairs of his and his family’s life in the best way. This love is something natural and required but if the love of this worldly life is out of greediness, fancies, desires and lusts and away from the moral principles and if it leads towards sins, unlawful desires and ill-gotten properties, it will be unreasonable and unlawful love that will cause to destroy one’s life and involve him into the eternal curse and torment.

What we see in the Qur’anic verses and the traditions that the love of the worldly life is dispraised or sometimes the worldly life itself is dispraised is the negative relation with the worldly life and the consequences of this negative relation such as collecting wealth unlawfully, injustice, oppression, treason and the likes.

The phrases mentioned in the Qur'an about dispraising the worldly life such as “provision of vanities”, “play and amusement”, “the enjoyment of this world is short” and others look at the worldly life as a cause of greediness, ignorance and inadvertence.

The hearts of the lovers of the worldly life are polluted with the material love which gives bitter fruits and bad morals besides that when man pays all his attention to this life, he will forget the afterlife and then he will lose it and deserve the wrath of Allah and then will be deprived of the Divine contentment and bliss eternally.

The heart of man is the throne and sanctum of Allah the Almighty and it should not be polluted with such kind of love which is the result of greediness and incitements of deviation.

One should live and make use of this life according to the Islamic teachings and instructions mentioned in the Qur'an and holy traditions.

From among these instructions is getting lawful money and spending it on the affairs of life and spending some of it in the way of Allah.

If one’s relation with this life is in this way, it will be pleased with by Allah and it will make one lead a good afterlife. But excessive love to this life with being inattentive to the afterlife make one mean in this life and in the afterlife.

The Prophet (s) has said, ‘If the love of the worldly life occupies one’s heart, one will be involved in three things; business whose tiredness will not end, poverty whose wealth will not be gained and a hope whose end will not be reached.’[6]

He has also said, ‘It is impossible to every heart loving the worldly life to get rid of greediness.’[7]

Ameerul Mo'mineen (s) has said, ‘He, who loves the worldly life, collects (wealth) to other than him.’ Such a man and due to his love to wealth and material properties will refrain from spending it in its lawful ways. He will keep on collecting monies until he dies and then all his properties will be for other than him.

Imam as-Sadiq (s) has said, ‘…whoever loves it (worldly life) it will make him proud, whoever admires it, it will make him stingy, whoever follows it, it will make him greedy, whoever praises it, it will make him hypocrite, whoever wants it, it will make him haughty and whoever trusts in it, it will make him inadvertent.’[8]

Treason

Treason is opposite to trustiness. If someone deals with the trusts of Allah and of other people without their permissions and causes damages to these trusts, he betrays the ones who have trusted him with these trusts.

 Treason is something very ugly and it is a satanic doing. It comes out of the soul that is prone to evil and it is one of the features of those who follows their desires away from the principles of religion and conscience.

Allah has talked in His Book about treason in many verses. He refers to several kinds of treason such as; treason of the eye (looking at women that is unlawful for one to look at), treason of self (slandering others, accusing them and destroying their prestige and so one betrays his self by losing the afterlife), treason of deposits (whether the divine deposits entrusted to man like bodily and mental abilities, the organs, the soul and others or the deposits of other people like properties and secrets) and treason in economical dealings, relations with people and others.

Allah has declared that He does not love the traitors:

“And if you fear treachery on the part of a people, then throw back to them on terms of equality; surely Allah does not love the treacherous.” Qur'an, 8:58

Since Allah hates treason, He orders the believers of trustiness and warns them of betraying Allah, His messenger and the people.

“O you who believe! Betray not Allah and His messenger, nor knowingly betray your trusts.” Qur'an, 8:27

The Prophet (s) has said,

‘He is not from us whoever betrays a Muslim in his family and properties.’[9]

‘Revealing the secret of your brother is treason so beware of that!’[10]

‘Do not betray who has betrayed you lest you become like him!’[11]

‘There are four things if one of which enters a house, it will be destroyed and will not be rebuilt with blessing; treason, stealing, drinking wine and adultery.’[12]

‘(people of) Deceit, treason and trickery will be in Hell’[13]

Ameerul Mo'mineen (s) has said, ‘Treason is evidence on the littleness of piety and faith.’[14]

Imam as-Sadiq (s) has said, ‘A believer is molded with every nature except treason and lying.’[15]

Drinking intoxicants

It is understood from the Islamic knowledge that the first one, who has made, drunk and spread wines between people, was Iblis.

I do not think that the great damage and loss that drinking wines causes are unknown by someone. Wine and every intoxicating drink attacks the mind and the mental power of man and gradually man turns into a vain creature.

Changing any blessing and gift that Allah has granted to man in order to continue his life and be bale to worship Allah and to serve people is a great treason to these great blessings. Drinking wine and any other intoxicant is a great treason, bad deed and heavy sin.

Islam has prohibited selling grapes, dates and any other blessing if the purpose is to make wine of them. The dealing on this is unlawful. This doing is one of the causes of deviation and it is a revolt against the orders of Allah the Almighty.

Making wine, carrying it, selling it, mediating in such prohibited dealings and any other activity concerning wine are all prohibited and they cause the wrath of Allah and lead man to the eternal torment in Hell on the Day of Resurrection.

“O you who believe! intoxicants and games of chance and (sacrificing to) stones set up and (dividing by) arrows are only an uncleanness of the Satan's work; shun it therefore that you may be successful. The Satan only desires to cause enmity and hatred to spring in your midst by means of intoxicants and games of chance, and to keep you off from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. Will you then desist.” Qur'an, 5:90-91

The Prophet (s) has said, ‘Do not believe a drunkard when he talks, do not marry him (your daughters) when he proposes to engagement, do not visit him when he becomes ill, do not entrust him with any trust and do not attend his funerals when he dies!’[16]

‘A drunkard will be resurrected from his grave written between his eyes; desperate of the mercy of Allah.’[17]

‘The wine is the mother of vices and it is the greatest of the major sins.’[18]

‘Allah has cursed the wine, its presser, its planter, its drinker, its cupbearer, its seller, its buyer, the eater of its price, its carrier and the one to whom it is carried.’[19]

‘Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day (the Day of Resurrection) let him not sit at a table at which wine is being drunk.’[20]

Al-Mufadhdhal has narrated, ‘Once I asked Abu Abdullah (as-Sadiq) (s), ‘Why has Allah prohibited wine?’

He said, ‘Allah has prohibited wine for its influence and corruption because it causes a drunkard tremor, takes his light away, destroy his magnanimity, makes him dare to commit sins, to shed blood, to commit adultery and he may commit sexual rape on his close relatives (daughters or sisters) unknowingly. Wine does not give its drinker except evils.’[21]

Cursing and abusing

Cursing, abusing and obscenity are outcomes of ignorance and impoliteness and they are away from human morals. They harm one’s dignity and faith.

The Qur'an has not permitted the believers to curse or abuse even the enemies of Allah. The traditions have prohibited cursing even the animals and material substances.

Allah has said,

“And do not abuse those whom they call upon besides Allah, lest exceeding the limits they should abuse Allah out of ignorance.” Qur'an, 6:108

The Prophet (s) has said, ‘Do not abuse people lest you cause enmity!’[22]

‘Abusing a Muslim is sinfulness, fighting him is disbelief and backbiting him is disobedience to Allah.’[23]

‘Do not abuse the Satan but pray Allah to protect you from his evil!’[24]

‘Do not curse the wind for it is ordered (by Allah) and do not abuse the mountains, the hours, the days or the night that you may sin and the abuse may return on you!’[25]