Do not envy one another, do not raise prices by overbidding against one another, do not hate one another, do not turn your backs on one another, and do not undercut one another in trade; and be, O slaves of Allah, our brothers
Narrator in the source: Abu Hurayrah reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah say:
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not envy one another, do not raise prices by overbidding against one another, do not hate one another, do not turn your backs on one another, and do not undercut one another in trade; and be, O slaves of Allah, our brothers. A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim; he does not wrong him, he does not fail him, and he does not despise him. Piety lies here," and he pointed to his chest three times. "It is enough evil for a person to look down upon his Muslim brother. All of a Muslim is inviolable to another Muslim: his blood, his property, and his honor."- Grade in the source
- Authentic
- Reported by
- Narrated by Muslim
- Source entry
- HadeethEnc · 4706 ↗
Original Arabic wording
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رضي الله عنه قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لَا تَحَاسَدُوا، وَلَا تَنَاجَشُوا، وَلَا تَبَاغَضُوا، وَلَا تَدَابَرُوا، وَلَا يَبِعْ بَعْضُكُمْ عَلَى بَيْعِ بَعْضٍ، وَكُونُوا عِبَادَ اللهِ إِخْوَانًا الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ، لَا يَظْلِمُهُ وَلَا يَخْذُلُهُ، وَلَا يَحْقِرُهُ التَّقْوَى هَاهُنَا» وَيُشِيرُ إِلَى صَدْرِهِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ «بِحَسْبِ امْرِئٍ مِنَ الشَّرِّ أَنْ يَحْقِرَ أَخَاهُ الْمُسْلِمَ، كُلُّ الْمُسْلِمِ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِ حَرَامٌ، دَمُهُ، وَمَالُهُ، وَعِرْضُهُ».Understand this hadith
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) advised the Muslim to be kind to his fellow Muslims and outlined some of the duties and etiquettes he is required to observe toward them, including the following: First advice: Do not envy one another by wishing others may lose the blessings they have. Second: Do not raise prices by overbidding against one another. By doing so, a person does not really want to buy the commodity, except to benefit the seller or harm the buyer. Third: Do not hate one another. It is the intention to cause harm, as opposed to love, unless hatred is for the sake of Allah Almighty, which is obligatory. Fourth: Do not turn your backs on each other, forsaking and abandoning one another. Fifth: Do not undercut one another in trade. It is when a person says to someone who bought a commodity: I have the like of it at a lower price or a higher-quality commodity at the same price. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave comprehensive advice, saying: Be like brothers, by abandoning the aforementioned prohibitions and showing cordiality, kindness, compassion, gentleness, and cooperation in goodness, while having pure hearts and sincerity in all conditions. The following are among the requirements of this brotherliness: Not to wrong his Muslim brother or transgress against him. Not to leave his Muslim brother to be wronged, failing to support him in a situation where he can help him and remove the injustice practiced against him. Not to belittle him or look down upon him with contempt and disdain; this stems from arrogance in the heart. Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) pointed out three times that piety lies in the heart, and whoever has piety in his heart, which entails good morals and fear and heedfulness of Allah, will not belittle a Muslim. Indeed, it is enough for him, as an evil trait and reprehensible manner, to belittle his fellow Muslim, for this results from arrogance in his heart. Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) affirmed the aforementioned, saying that all of a Muslim is inviolable to another Muslim: his blood: to attack him by killing, injuring, beating him, or the like; his property: to take any of his properties unjustly; and his honor: to malign him or his lineage.
Lessons from the hadith
- The Hadīth commands all that is entailed by faith-oriented brotherliness and prohibits all words and deeds that contradict it.
- The essence of piety is the knowledge of Allah and the fear and heedfulness of Him that lie in the heart. This piety leads to the performance of righteous deeds.
- Outward deviation indicates weakness of piety in the heart.
- Harming a Muslim in any way, by word or action, is prohibited.
- It is not part of envy that a Muslim wishes to be like someone else without hoping for the removal of the blessing from him. This is called "Ghibtah", and it is permissible and it prompts people to compete for good things.
- By nature, man dislikes being surpassed by others in any virtue. If he wishes for the removal of that virtue from another, it is the blameworthy envy. However, if he desires to compete for it, it is the permissible Ghibtah.
- A Muslim is not regarded to be undercutting his fellow Muslim in trade if he alerts the buyer that he has been grossly deceived in a certain transaction. In fact, this falls under sincere advice, provided that his intention is to advise his brother, the buyer, not to harm the seller, and actions depend on the intentions.
- A Muslim is not regarded to be undercutting his fellow Muslim in trade if the buyer and seller have not agreed and settled over a price.
- Hatred for the sake of Allah does not fall under the hatred prohibited in the Hadīth; rather, it is a duty and one of the firmest handholds of faith.
References (original Arabic)
صحيح مسلم (4/ 1986) (2564). التحفة الربانية في شرح الأربعين حديثًا النووية، لإسماعيل الأنصاري (ص79). شرح الأربعين النووية، لابن عثيمين (ص339). فتح القوي المتين في شرح الأربعين وتتمة الخمسين، النووي وابن رجب (ص118). الأحاديث الأربعون النووية وعليها الشرح الموجز المفيد، لعبد الله المحسن (ص67).