“There is no person whom Allah has put in position of authority and he dies on the day he dies cheating those under his authority, but Allah will forbid paradise for him”

Perhaps, many do not know that fraudulent activities in whatever form attract stern punishment from Allah. Islam remains a complete way of life; thus, while it encourages halal ventures, it also abhors haram practices. The reality of our time is that in many facet of our endeavors, there are frauds.

Islam grants absolute freedom to traders provided they adhere to the code of lawfulness. It does not encourage the practice of Fraud in business transactions. Many resort to cheating because sometimes, a handful of traders operating in the market cannot sell in exorbitantly high price, so they tend to reduce the measurements which they believe is the easiest way of exploitation.

Islam condemns this act of intermediary Intervention. ” Woe to those that deal in fraud, those who, when they have to receive by measure from men exact full measure but when they have to give the measure to men they give less than due, do not think that they will be called to account”. QURAN; 83:1-5

Across the country, it is a known fact that customers pay more for every litre of petrol, diesel, and kerosene purchased at filling stations because often, the meters are tampered with. The findings suggest that for every 20 litres bought 2 litres are gone. Some profiteers will mix 5000 litres of water into a petroleum truck of 33000 litres. At market places, many grains sellers, will rather be happy to cheat their customers than be upright. Abu Huraira reported from the messenger of Allah who said: the two (seller and buyer) must not pay away except by mutual consent.

Strongly prohibited in Islam is the manipulation of weight and measures short measures; short measures are another form of deceit. Traders who make use of bottles, tins, plastic bowls etc are guilty. Six out of ten of these traders engage in these vices. Give just measure and weight nor withhold from the people the things that are their due. Quran 7/85

It is reported by Anas been Malik and Abdullah bin Zaid that the messenger of Allah prayed once: “O God! Bless the measures of the people of Madinah” (Mishkat).

Deceiving the buyers or customers and harming their interest by spurious or defective weights and measures has been strictly prohibited by Islam. Giving short measures was a common malaise plaguing the pre-Islamic days. The community of Prophet Shu’ayb was known for practicing it with impunity and they were destroyed for their persistence in deceit and disbelief in Allah and his Messenger. “And to the people of Midian We sent their brother Shu’aib. He said, “O my people! Worship Allah—you have no other God except Him. A clear proof has already come to you from your Lord. So give just measure and weight, do not defraud people of their property, nor spread corruption in the land after it has been set in order. This is for your own good, if you are true believers.

It was narrated from ‘Abd al-Rahman Ibn Shibl (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Merchants are the evildoers.” It was said: O messenger of Allah, has Allah not permitted buying and selling? He said: “Yes, but they speak and tell lies, and they swear oaths and sin (as a result).” [Narrated by Musnad Ahmad(3/428)

There is a pressing need to study and implement Islamic moral values in the pressing day business situation so that such cloth merchandise would stop using lesser tapes to short change cloth of what exactly one has paid for. These vices are not likely to result to wealth rather; it will be loss in the hereafter.

The prophet warns ‘There is no person whom Allah has put in a position of authority and he dies on the day he dies cheating those under his authority, but Allah will forbid Paradise for him.’ “This was narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim. Giving full Measure amounts to doing justice.