Better Business Dealings

Aayat number 282 of Surah Baqarah, is the longest verse in the Holy Quran, and consists of 21 sentences. “Aayat’ does not necessarily mean sentence; instead, one verse may consist of several sentences, as is the case with verse 282. Some verses of the Holy Quran contain only one sentence, whilst others have more than one.

Our focus here is the meanings conveyed to us by Allah Azza Wa Jall in verse 282 of Al-Baqarah. This aayat was revealed to teach Muslims how to conduct their business dealings and thus provide for greater harmony. There is no gainsaying that poor dealings lead to poor communication, and that in turn leads to break up of unity. Whilst it is clear that the causes of our failure to unite are not only found in bad business dealings, poor dealings can certainly be identified as at least one of the main causes for mutual discord.


To make it easy for readers, we will list hereunder the guidelines mentioned by Allah Ta’ala in verse 282, without going into the full translation of this aayat,
1. When doing a deal on credit, write it down. The word used in the aayat is dayn which means buying goods and paying for them later or paying for them in instalments.
2. If need be, solicit the help of a scribe or accountant to assist in recording the transaction.
3. The scribe or accountant should not refrain from fulfilling this responsibility when asked to do so. It has, thus, been made imperative upon him to record the deal between two parties if they request his assistance.
4. The scribe should write what is dictated and conveyed to him by the debtor (the one owing the money). But he (the debtor) should fear Allah and not cheat by dictating an amount less than what he actually owes.
5. If the debtor is ill or frail and cannot dictate, then he should appoint his representative to dictate the terms of the deal. The representative should be just in this matter.
6. Two witnesses should be present at this deal. Ideally the witnesses should be two adult (baaligh) males.. However, if two men are not available then one adult male and two adult females will suffice.
7. The witnesses must be people of integrity and reliability.
8. The witnesses should not refuse to witness a deal when asked to do so.
9. People should not be lethargic or complacent to write down even the smallest transaction.
10. If the deal is cash then there is no need to put it into writing.
11. However, we are encouraged to have witnesses for all transactions.
12. Witnesses and scribes are not to be intimidated or threatened in any way. This is an act of transgression.
13. Taqwa or God-fearing should be dominant when doing any deal. This will ensure honesty and fairness.