• Cautions traders against artificial inflation, creating difficulties for people
As Ramadan 2024 fasting begins today (Monday, March 11), the National Missioner of Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Imam AbdulRahman Ahmad has called on the Nigerian Muslims to be conscious of Allah, saying whoever believes and fears Him will be shielded by the Almighty from the current socioeconomic downturn facing the country.
Imam Ahmad made the call in an interview with Muslim News on Sunday, March 10, saying the best preparation for Ramadan and other acts of worship in Islam is the consciousness of Allah.
The eloquent scholar noted that whoever believes in Allah and is conscious of Him will be shielded from difficulties, even in the face of the economic downturn and high costs of food stuff.
“Preparation for Ramadan does not start a day or two before Ramadan. It actually starts in the month of Rajab or more precisely the beginning of the month of Sha’aban. And when we talk of preparation, the best preparation, from spiritual point of view, is the consciousness of Allah.
“The best way to prepare, especially for acts of ibaadat, whether it is Hajj, Ramadan, Prayer (Salat) or Zakat, is by checking yourself and in your own way, measuring your consciousness of Allah (taqwa). This is very fundamental, and it means that you are doing an act of worship to seek the pleasure of Allah and His rewards. It is not for any other reason. This should be the “mindset” of every sincere Muslim.
“You are performing the act of worship with the intention to worship Allah and seek His reward and pleasure. what will make you It is only sincere devotion and obedience to His injunctions that will attract the pleasure of Allah and not sharp business practices.
Allah has said in the Qur’an: “Whoever is conscious of Allah, He will make way out for such a person, and He will enrich him from where he least expects. Whoever relies on Allah, Allah will be sufficient for such a person. Allah can always get whatever He wants done. Allah has made definite provisions for everyone”. So, this is the mindset of a Muslim from the spiritual point of view.
The first thing is purifying one’s intention to worship Allah alone through the act of worship.
“The second is to fast in accordance with the guidance of the Prophet (SAW).
“It is the responsibility of man to worship Allah. And it is the duty of Allah to shield such a person from hellfire in the hereafter and hardship in the life of this world. This is the spiritual requirement preparing for Ramadan. There are many other other physical aspects of preparation for Ramadan such as physical, emotional and intellectual.
“It is important for us to realise that Allah’s blessings cannot be earned by creating difficulties for people,” he noted.
Cautions traders against artificial inflation
Sheikh Ahmad warned traders who are taking advantage of the current economy challenges by unnecessarily inflating prices of goods and commodities, saying that Allah’s blessings cannot be earned by intentionally creating difficulties for people.
Sheikh Ahmad urged them to rather be among those who will make life easy for the masses, especially the fasting Muslims by reducing prices of good and services, noting they would earn Allah’s blessings by doing so.
He said, if they refuse, Allah will provide a way out for those who are truly conscious of Him to be comfortable.
“Whether they increase prices or hoard goods, our conviction is that Allah will always give look upon His people with mercy. Whoever is conscious of Allah will be shielded from hardship,” he noted.
“However, that does not imply that Islam permits these actions (price inflation and hoarding of goods). Those who are doing these are probably not aware that there is something we call barakah (Allah’s blessings). Barakah is not the quantity of money, and it is not the money you make by creating difficulty for people. That can never give you quality or peace of mind.
“Why don’t you be among those who facilitate ease in the worship of Allah for people rather than making it difficult for them? If you refuse to make things easy for people, their Creator Allah will provide a way out for them that will make them comfortable in spite of your intention to make it difficult. So it is very important to know that what will give you profit, in the real sense of it, is to make things easy for people who want to worship Allah by fasting.”
Encourages price slash, sales and bonanza.
Sheikh Ahmad encouraged the implementation of business strategies that seek to bring ease to fasting Muslims in the holy month, including bonanza, promo, among others.
He said, “Of course, in other places, this is the month they do sales and they do bonanza in order to make things easier. This is just like they do end of the year sales, they do promo like buy one get one free! And this is the way to secure blessings. These are the people we should copy, especially for Muslims who are traders who sell food items and other things.
“Ramadan is a period where we should promote this. We can look at this model for our businesses, specifically out of love and obedience to Allah (SWT). Even if they do not distribute free food; if they do this, it will not only increase their sales, but also their barakah,” he added.
