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And your slaves! See that you feed them with such food as you eat yourselves, and
clothe them with the stuff you wear; and if they commit a fault which you are not
inclined to forgive, then part from them, for they are the servants of the Lord, and are
not to be harshly treated
O people! Listen to my words and understand the same. Know that all Muslims are
brothers unto one another. You are One Brotherhood. Nothing which belongs to
another is lawful unto his brother unless freely given out of good will. Guard
yourselves from committing injustice
Like this day of this month in this territory sacred and inviolable, God has made the
life and property and honor of each of you unto the other, until you meet your lord
Let him that is present tell it to him that is absent. Haply he that shall be told may
remember better than he who has heard it
Verily, I have fulfilled my mission. I have left that amongst you, a plain command,
the book of God, and manifest Ordinances which if you hold fast, you shall never go
astray
The Economic Life
The economic life of Islam is also based upon solid foundations and Divine
instructions. Earning one’ s living through decent labor is not only a duty but a great
virtue as well. Dependence of any able effortless person on somebody else for a
livelihood is a religious sin, a social stigma and disgraceful humility
A Muslim is enjoined by God to be self-supporting and to stay away from being a
liability on anybody. Islam respects all kinds of work for earning one’ s livelihood so
long as there is no indecency or wrong involved. With a clear conscience and due
respect from society the Muslim can roll up his sleeves and undertake any kind of
work available to provide for himself and his dependents. Prophet Muhammad is
reported as having said that it is far better for one even to take his rope, cut wood, pile
it up and sell it in order to eat and give charity than to beg others whether they give
him or not. According to Islam, the status of honest working men cannot be lowered
on account of the kind of work they are doing for a living. Yet the laboring workers
have no limited scope for improving their lots and raising their standards as high as
possible. They have equal opportunities at their disposal and enjoy freedom of
enterprise
Whatever the individual makes or earns through lawful means is his private
possession, which neither the State nor anybody else can justifiably claim. In return
for this right of private possession he has only to fulfill certain obligations to the
society and pay certain taxes to the State. When this is done, he has full rights to
protection by the State, and his freedom of enterprise is secure and guaranteed. Under
the Islamic system the menace of greedy capitalism and destructive communism
never arises. The enterprising individual is responsible for the prosperity of the State,
and the State in turn is responsible for the security of the individual. Class conflicts
are replaced by cooperation and harmony; fear and suspicion are remedied by mutual
security and confidence
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