days passed, so Sayyidunā ꜤUthmān رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ went to him and said, “Why are you not taking payment for the land?” The man replied, “I feel I made a mistake. People are blaming me (e.g. saying I sold the land for too little).” Sayyidunā ꜤUthmān رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ said, “So, is this why you are not completing the transaction?” He said, “Yes.”

He responded, “You have a choice regarding the land and the money. If you wish, you may cancel the deal, or you can take the money. I heard the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم say,

اَدْخَلَ اللہُ رَجُلًا کَانَ سَہْلًا مُشْتَرِیًا وَ بَائِعًا

 Allah admits into Paradise a person who is easy-going in buying and selling.’”^[1]

How to attain Forgiveness on the Day of Judgement

سُبْحٰنَ اللہ! From this, we learn that a person who is not stubborn in buying and selling, but is lenient in dealings, is deserving of Paradise. اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه  Sayyidunā ꜤUthmān رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ was also easy-going in trade.

We should adopt this quality too, as almost everyone buys or sells something. We should conduct deals in a simple and fair manner. Some people are stubborn in nature; when buying, they are overly insistent and argue excessively to reduce the price. To a certain extent, negotiating is fine; in fact, asking for a discount is a Sunnah. However, being stubborn and argumentative is against good manners.

Similarly, some shopkeepers are strict and display signs such as “Sold goods cannot be returned”. There should be some flexibility in such matters. It is narrated from Sayyidunā Abū Hurairah رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ that the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم  said, “Whoever agrees with a Muslim to cancel a transaction (Iqālah), Allah will forgive his mistakes on the Day of Judgement.”^[2]