1. Special Podcast for Newcomers
Wealth is just one of the many advantages of commerce. Beyond that, you will experience unparalleled personal growth in life. Experts even consider commerce a multifaceted driver of personal and social development.
2. Special Article for Newcomers
3. Arad Branding Policy Council Meeting
⏰ 16 Minutes
4. How to Ensure Our Success is Not Temporary
⏰ 62 Minutes
5. Arad Branding’s International Offices in Pakistan, Niger, and Somalia
⏰ 3 Minutes
Form for Utilizing the Capacity of International Offices
6. Representative of Niger in Iran
⏰ 1 Minute
7. Arad Visual Documentation
⏰ 2 Minutes
Send documents to T.me/Arad102
8. Tajikistan Representative in Arad Branding Supply Factories
⏰ 1 Minute
9. Rotational Trading Strategy
Two verses in the Book of God highlight trade as an exception compared to other dealings.
One of these verses was discussed yesterday, where God says:
"O ye who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities: But let there be amongst you Traffic and trade by mutual good-will." Surah An-Nisa, Ayah 29
In the same verse, God immediately adds:
"Nor kill [or destroy] yourselves: for verily Allah hath been to you Most Merciful!"
Here, God exempts commerce as a legitimate means of consuming wealth, emphasizing that wealth must not be consumed unjustly except through trade conducted with mutual consent.
Another verse where God makes an exception for trade is the one we discussed a few days ago regarding loans.
We noted that whenever money is exchanged between two parties, it must be documented, with a scribe and two witnesses involved.
Interestingly, God emphasizes that this documentation and witness requirement applies even to the smallest amounts, as stated:
"And do not be [too] weary to write it, whether it is small or large, for its [specified] term." Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayah 282
God then explains the reason for this documentation.
"That is more just in the sight of Allah and stronger as evidence and more likely to prevent doubt between you."
Immediately after this, God makes an exception for a particular type of commerce, saying:
"Except when it is an immediate transaction which you conduct among yourselves. For [then] there is no blame upon you if you do not write it."
Focus on the word "tudīrūnahā".
The "hā" at the end refers to trade, which is feminine in Arabic.
The "t" at the beginning indicates the present tense, addressing the audience.
Does this word remind you of anything?
You might not guess correctly, but well done if you did!
Yes, it’s related to the word "circle" (dā’irah).
What does rotational trading mean?
It means a trade that comes back to the person.
I have personally heard in Mr. Shabani's podcasts that he has often said when setting a price, you should give a reasonable price.
This is a term among traders, meaning a price at which the trade occurs.
The exact meaning of satisfaction is the same.
You made a trade with a customer.
You want to know if they were satisfied with the trade or not.
How can we tell?
This customer will make another purchase next time.
Will they buy from you again?
If yes, it means they were satisfied with their previous purchase and are willing to engage in rotational trade with you again.
The word "willing " means paying in cash. Arad has repeatedly reminded its traders to not send goods until you have received payment.
This is the same as "immediate transaction."
To remember this, tell yourself, "They must be ready to pay first."
And if they complete their rotational trade with you, it becomes "immediate transaction which you conduct among yourselves."
But if this same customer makes their next purchase from someone else, what does it mean?
It means they were not satisfied with the trade they had with you, or their satisfaction with others was greater.
Because satisfaction is a relative matter.
Now the question is: Has God made satisfaction in trade or its rotational nature obligatory, so that neglecting it would make the previous trade unlawful?
No.
Because when God wants to declare something unlawful or threaten punishment for it, He does so with a prohibitive action. Whereas satisfaction in trade or the rotational nature of trade is a recommendation, saying, "O trader, if you want your trade to become stronger, be mindful of this."
How can I tell how much I’ve acted upon what God has commanded?
It’s very simple.
Look at which of your customers are older.
For example, Arad has traders who have been with them since the early days when branding was introduced, and are still with them today.
This is the same as satisfaction.
You should also look around and see how many of the customers you had when you started your business still buy from you.
For example, if you have been trading for three years and you notice that none of your customers from the first year are left, and only customers from the second and third years are still with you, it shows that you didn’t really follow the principles of satisfaction and rotational trade in the first year.
So, don’t trouble yourself too much trying to figure out whether they are satisfied or not.
Because satisfaction is a heart matter, and only God knows what is in people’s hearts. Even if you go and ask them, "Are you satisfied?" the answer you get won’t be the real one.
How often has it happened to you that you went to a restaurant, and they served you food that you were not satisfied with at all? When you were about to leave, they asked you, 'Was the food to your liking?' and you said 'Yes,' even though it wasn’t to your liking at all.
Or the opposite—when you enjoyed the food but thought, 'If I say it was to my liking, they’ll become overconfident, so I’ll say it wasn’t as great as before.'
So even by asking, you won’t get the correct answer.
Secondly, I emphasize repeatedly that a trader is a king and the customer is a queen.
It’s unbecoming for a king to lower himself and ask the queen, 'Were you satisfied with me?' as if she holds a higher position than him.
There’s no need to ask.
If she’s satisfied, she’ll buy again.
When you see she hasn’t bought again, it means she wasn’t satisfied, or you didn’t achieve the level of relative satisfaction she desired. This is where follow-ups can help.
10. And do not kill one another.
Isn’t it strange that the phrase ‘Nor kill [or destroy] yourselves’ appears right after the mention of trade in this verse?
Muhammad Muslim narrates from Imam Baqir and Muhammad ibn Ali from Imam Sadiq, peace be upon them both, that our two great Imams said:
The meaning of God's statement ‘do not kill one another’ refers to usury, gambling, and false oaths in trade.
How many families have been ruined and devastated because of the stock market?
Doesn't such destruction hasten deaths?
You might think killing only happens when you take someone's life with a gun, knife, or weapon.
But when you deceitfully take the money of someone inexperienced in economics—through manipulation, charts, or trickery—and humiliate them before their family, haven’t you accelerated their death?
Wait for the day when God holds people accountable for unjustly spilled blood and see what wrath awaits these stock market manipulators and cryptocurrency schemers.
And then there are the gambling and betting websites whose advertisements have increased significantly these days. What’s worse, they even use our official banking portals—people connect to the Shaparak network to transfer money to these sites and make payments.
False oaths in trade also fall into this category. When someone gives you their money based on your false oath, only to realize later that you lied, it leads them to distrust everything. This is why God equates false oaths in trade with killing, likening it to usury and gambling.
O merchants, if you are truthful and trustworthy, you will earn two honors that very few people in the world can achieve in closeness to God.
The Prophet of God said: Three groups will enter paradise without judgment:
1. A just Imam
2. An honest and trustworthy merchant
3. An elderly person who has spent their entire life in obedience to God.
A just Imam is not us—it’s exclusive to the household of the Prophet.
Nor are we elderly men or women who have spent their entire lives in obedience to God, as we know how many mistakes we’ve made in the past.
This leaves only one option for entering paradise without judgment: being an honest and trustworthy merchant.
I also need to remind myself and all the employees of Arad Branding, who do not directly engage in trade but help ordinary people become traders, that our position is even higher than that of merchants. Don’t say, ‘I’m not a trader, so I need to become one to attain this status,’ because if Mr. X is a trader, he’s just one trader. But you, each month, can create multiple traders for this nation and its flag.
Another hadith from the Prophet of God states: An honest and trustworthy merchant will be under the shade of God’s Throne on the Day of Judgment.
Examine this rank of closeness with any group of virtuous people, and you will see that even … and … and … have not achieved it. I leave the blanks for you to fill in yourselves because mentioning specific groups might stir controversy tomorrow. Some readers among us are their supporters and might overreact, becoming more zealous than necessary.
So now that your Lord has granted you such a tremendous honor—placing you just below the rank of a just Imam—do not destroy this closeness and status with false oaths.
11. And indeed, God is Merciful to you.
If you pay attention to the end of the verse, after "Do not kill one another," it says: "for verily Allah hath been to you Most Merciful".
Whenever you are tempted to swear a false oath in business or to mix dishonesty and corruption into your trade, ask yourself: Why am I doing this?
Is it to earn more money?
Say this to yourself: "for verily Allah hath been to you Most Merciful."
When your Lord says He is Merciful to you, what does that mean?
It means you do not need to engage in these shameful acts when you have a God who is so merciful to you.
Be patient for a little while and do not taint your business with false oaths or betray the trust of others in their wealth.
Let God see that you believe in this part of His verse.
Say, "O Allah, because I believe in Your mercy upon me, I will not do these things."
In due time, He will command His angels, saying, "See, My servant truly believes in My mercy upon them.
See how they refused to resort to fraud, consuming others’ wealth unlawfully, or swearing false oaths because of their closeness to Me?
By My glory, I will bestow such wealth upon them that they will not believe it."
This is where you will witness the fulfillment of your Lord's promise: "for verily Allah hath been to you Most Merciful."
As the writer of these words, when I reflect on my past—how I used to work alongside people who had no regard for God in their business dealings—and how today, thanks to the blessings of Arad, I am tasked with spending hours each day studying the Quran and the sayings of the Prophet’s family (Ahlul Bayt) on economics and trade to write a few meaningful lines for you, I realize my Lord has truly been merciful to me.
Before Arad, I also wrote articles, but the idea of deriving lessons about trade from the Quran never even crossed my mind. And even if it had, I doubt I would have been permitted to publish them because the commercial atmosphere outside of Arad does not allow such writings.
Thus, this is my Lord’s mercy upon me: that I write these words for you, dear readers.
I bear witness that my Lord has been merciful to me by placing me here.
I hope that you too have seen, felt, and experienced the mercy of your Lord with your own eyes and heart.
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