Discussing the same practice of the blessed companions رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُم, Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ, in His sacred book the Holy Quran, has stated:

رِجَالٌ  ۙ   لَّا   تُلۡہِیۡہِمۡ   تِجَارَۃٌ   وَّ  لَا بَیۡعٌ   عَنۡ   ذِ کۡرِ   اللہِ   وَ  اِقَامِ  الصَّلٰو ۃِ    وَ  اِیۡتَآءِ  الزَّکٰوۃِ ۪ۙ

Translation from Kanz-ul-Iman: By men whom neither trade nor business diverts from the remembrance of Allah and performing of Salah and paying of the Zakah. (Part 18, Surah An-Noor, verse 37)

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ood رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ saw that those working in the market used to leave their (business) goods as they heard the Azan and went for Salah. Upon this he رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ said, Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ has revealed the verse, ‘رِجَالٌ لَّا تُلۡهِيۡهِمۡ’ in favour of these people. (Al-Mu’jam-ul-Kabeer, vol. 9, pp. 222, Hadees 9079)

Dear Islamic brothers! Just ponder over beauty of Islam in the past, when Muslims were the embodiments of piety & abstinence. People used to trade for Halal earnings by abstaining from dishonesty and deception etc. Therefore, following in the footsteps of our pious predecessors we too should do trade as per Shar’i principles. In the light of the blessed Hadees, let’s analyse what the principles of commerce are and what the attributes of a successful businessman should be in Islam.

How should a trader be?

Sayyiduna Mu’aaz Bin Jabal رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ has narrated that the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said: Undoubtedly the most purified earning is of those businessmen who do not tell a lie when they speak, do not act deceitfully when they are entrusted with something, do not break a promise when they make one; when they buy something they do not find faults with it, when they sell something, they do not praise it excessively, when they have to pay somebody something, they do not become lazy in paying it and when somebody has to pay them something, they do not become strict in its collection. (Shu’ab-ul-Iman, vol. 4, pp. 221, Hadees 4854)