Islam has a long history with business. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a trader himself and his wife, Khadijah (RA) was also runs business in trading. It shows that Islam is no stranger to business, not to mention that the spreading of Islam was mostly done by trader from all over the world. Something that had done by the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the past must be benefited, and we could follow it.
Here are some of the benefits of doing business in Islam:
1. Have More Time to Worship Allah SWT
Work to make a living is one form of worshiping, but we should not be immersed in working that we forget the main kind of worshiping Allah. If we do business, we can adjust our working hours and we could have more time to worship Allah SWT. The flexible schedule of a businessman is indeed benefited a lot.
Also read: Importance of Business in Islam
2. Have More Time to Spend with Family
Family always comes first in Islam, spending time with family to tie the bond is a very important thing in Islam.
“And those who break the covenant of Allah, after its ratification, and sever that which Allah has commanded to be joined (i.e. they sever the bond of kinship and are not good to their relatives) and work mischief in the land, on them is the curse, and for them is the unhappy home (i.e. Hell).” – Ar Rad (13:25)
3. Give Someone a Financial Freedom
A Muslim who runs business in Islam is someone who is financially independent. By doing business, someone has a better job than begging money.
As narrated by Az-Zubair bin Al-Awwam (RA), The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
“It is better for anyone of you to take a rope and bring a bundle of wood over his back and sell it, and Allah will save his face because of that, rather than to ask the people who may or may not give.”
Also read: Prohibitions of Begging in Islam Law
4. An Opportunity to Do Charity to Others
Doing charity is an obligation for every Muslim. Charity also has many benefits, not only for the one who receive the charity but also for a Muslim who do the charity. A business should be taken as an opportunity to do charity to fellow Muslims.
“A charity is due for every joint in each person on every day the sun comes up: to act justly between two people is a charity; to help a man with his mount, lifting him onto it or hoisting up his belongings onto it, is a charity; a good word is a charity; and removing a harmful thing from the road is a charity.” – Bukhari and Muslim
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5. Giving Feedback to the Society
One of the good benefits of doing business in Islam is giving the feedback to society. Since we are the one who runs the business, we have full control in it as well as how would we give charity from the profit. We can choose any organization to whom we will give the sadaqah and zakat from the business.
Also read: Benefits of Charity in Islam
6. Apply Some Good Morals to the Business
As a good Muslim, we have to apply some good morals to the business. It should be improved over time so that the business keep getting better and better, as well as our own character. Good morals should be in line with the main purpose of the business.
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7. Improving the Faith to Allah SWT
The business that we do should help us to improve the faith in Allah SWT.
“To those who believe and do acts of righteousness will surely go to paradise” – Al Baqara (2:23)
Also read: How to Improve Faith in Islam
8. Creating a Good Character
A person who runs business should be better and better over time since many virtues like wisdom and modesty should be exist in it.
9. Providing the Needs in Islam
Upon choosing the fields of business, a Muslim should considers the needs of ummah. As said by the Prophet (peace be upon him),
“One who gets up in the morning and his mind is not preoccupied with the matters of Muslims, is not one of them.”
Also read: Ways To Earn Good Deeds In Islam
10. Have Spare Times to Do Other Things
Since a businessman has plenty of free time, he will have many spare time to do other things.
Ethics in Business for Muslims
- Cause No Harm to Others
When a Muslim commits to do a business, he should bear one thing in mind: that his business cause no harm to others. Not only to fellow human but also to the environment and animals. Business should be done in a right way, not only aiming for financial benefits and pay no attention to everything else.
- Doing the Business Under the Name of Allah
All the business that done by a Muslim should improve his faith to Allah SWT. So that a Muslim must do his business under the name of Allah and with a good intention to seek for Allah’s pleasure. By starting the business with a good intention, a good result will be gained as well.
- Doing Business in Legal Fields Only
While selecting the field to do business, a Muslim should be careful and pay extra attention. There are certain areas of business that Allah forbids, such as trading khamr and other alcoholic drinks, selling pork, and riba.
So those are all the benefits of doing business in Islam. Business has always been a tradition in Islam and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has set the example of running business in the right way so that not only will we gain wealth but also blessings and pleasure from Allah SWT.