Understanding the Prophet’s Life and Deeds - Lesson 54 – Date: 05/05/2007

Elaboration on the Structures

laid down by the Prophet in Medina

By his Eminence Doctor Mohammad Rateb Al Nabulsi

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

All praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad the truthful in promise and the worthy of all trust.

O Allah, we have no knowledge but that which You have taught us, in truth it is You Who are perfect in knowledge and wisdom.

O Allah, teach us that which is good for us and make us find good in it, and increase us in knowledge. Let us see the truth as indeed the truth and help us follow its path, and let us see falsehood as indeed falsehood and help us to avoid it. Let us be of those who listen to advice and then observe the best of it, and admit us by your mercy in the ranks of your righteous servants; deliver us from the darkness of ignorance into the light of knowledge and science, and from the mire of lust into the Eden of good deeds.

Honorable brothers, in this new lesson of the Prophet’s life, we remain in the enlightened city of Medina where the Prophet, peace be upon him, laid the basis of an educational structure, a social structure and an economic structure.

In the previous lesson we started with the general economic principles adopted by the Prophet, peace be upon him, which we will further explore in this lesson.

It is essential to understand that Islam is alive, meaning that it prescribes the amelioration of our present existence at the same time as it urges us to prepare for the hereafter.

If the Islamic nation isn’t consolidated with resources, projects, enterprises, if it isn’t strong with agriculture, industry, trade … it will never be able to convince the world of its Lord’s ways.

1 – Encouraging agriculture

With respect to agriculture, the Prophet, peace be upon him, says - and note that this is on Doomsday where all things come to an end - as reported by Anas Ibn Malek who said: ‘The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

‘If the Hour comes upon you with a palm cutting in your hands, and you are able to finish planting it, do so if you can’

(Narrated by Ahmad in the Musnad)

This means that we should keep on working till the last possible moment of our lives.

This may seem unusual. For people sometimes do the work and reap its benefits an hour later. But to plant on Doomsday a cutting which needs ten years maybe twenty before it bears fruit, this is the pinnacle of wise guidance.

‘If the Hour comes upon you with a palm cutting in your hands, and you are able to finish planting it, do so if you can’

The famous saying goes: Woe unto the nation that eats what it does not harvest.

Indeed, if it does, it will be at the mercy of its enemies who can put an end to its existence any time they want.

The true Moslem is the strong Moslem. The Prophet, peace be upon him, says:

‘The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the

weak one’.

(Reported by Muslim from Abu Huraira)

One way to power lies in the improvement of productivity.

I once asked a farmer growing vegetables under protected cultivation, in a greenhouse of half a dunum (about 1/8 of an acre), I asked what the greenhouse would produce if tomatoes were grown. He said ten tons. In western countries the same area would produce 25 tons, because of the availability of scientific resources, fertilization and enhanced seeds.

In the recent Denmark crisis, a few facts emerged: the Danish people number only five million and they produce foodstuffs that provide for fifty million people around the world. Elsewhere, you find countries fifty million strong…importing wheat. Five million feed fifty, and fifty million importing basic commodities…

Some countries, East and West, think that the real struggle boils down to a struggle for food and drink. We knew the struggle for oil, for wheat, for water, and the future will probably see the struggle for foodstuff. Because after all, man  has a mouth which he has to feed, whether he is a believer or a disbeliever, educated or not, cultured or not, Arabic or non-Arabic, he has to eat, the fact behind the saying ‘Woe unto the nation that eats what it does not harvest’ .

Nowadays, some of the more developed countries are buying land for cultivation in Africa in order to meet their food needs. While the Arabic country largest in area has two and a half million square kilometers of arable lands, plus a river that looses four fifths of its flow rate directly into the sea. The land lies fallow and the water is wasted in the sea, and the population is in dire need, how can that be!? 

Dear brothers, this tradition is a profound lesson:

‘If the Hour comes upon you with a palm cutting in your hands, and you are able to finish planting it, do so if you can’

In some of Syria’s southern provinces a number of top apple growing projects were initiated. The increased apple production brought the prices down.

So if we reclaim the land, build dams, dig new wells, and achieve self-sufficiency … we will grow in power. But to import everything we consume, that is the big problem.

2 –Reclaiming of derelict land

The Prophet, peace be upon him, endeavored to improve production and productivity, increase cultivated lands, secure the water needed for the agricultural process, improve irrigation, and prescribe the regulations for agricultural dealings. There are many prescriptions concerning this matter, but most important is what the Prophet, peace be upon him, said in this respect:

‘Whoever revives a dead land becomes its owner’

(Reported by Ahmad in his Musnad and Abu Dawud and Tirmizi from Said Ibn Zaid)

This includes: digging wells, planting trees, in a word turning the land into greenery, after that it becomes his.

In some countries, they have a plan they call the green project whereby anyone can pick a parcel of land in the mountains, and if he succeeds to turn it from a yellow land into a green land it becomes his. No other system provides a better incentive to agriculture. This turns barren lands into verdures, increases production, lowers prices, and achieves generalized opulence.

‘Whoever revives a dead land becomes its rightful owner’

‘Whoever revives a land not owned by anyone deserves most to own it’

(The Jame’ Al Saghir in similar terms from Aisha thru an authentic chain)

Bringing the land to life includes planting, cultivating, building, providing pasture for cattle and planting date palms. And the source of revival is water: deriving from rivers, finding sources, digging wells …

The date palms that fed the Prophet, peace be upon him, still bear fruit for us today, for date palms can live up to 6000 years. Here, our government is worthy of thanks for imposing a 50,000 Lira fine (1000 USD) on anyone cutting these trees. In the Gulf, cutting trees is fined a million Lira (20,000 USD), because trees bring the rain, moderate the climate and improve the landscape.

‘Whoever revives a dead land becomes its rightful owner’

‘Whoever revives a land not owned by anyone deserves most to own it’

 Today everybody is moving to the cities. The result is populous neighborhoods, high rates of pollution, housing and transportation crises, in a word, an unbearable life … while the countryside is deserted.

Nowadays, modern countries are greatly developing the infrastructures in the countryside, and there, people are migrating from the city to the countryside, just our opposite. The more services are provided, the more people will move to the countryside. There, it is calm, the air is clean, the water is pure, and the landscape is engaging. As for us, we have no services and people flow to the cities, in spite of the high pollution rates.

Who inspired the Prophet, peace be upon him, to prescribe all these measures worthy of a modern civilization?

1 – Establishing the Medina Trading Center

In the trade area, the Prophet, peace be upon him, established a commercial center in Medina. His first choice was the Zubair’s Baqi. But Kaab Ibn Al Ashraf, a jewish leader opposed to Islam, protested and cut the ropes of the tents pitched in that location by the Prophet, peace be upon him. So he moved it to the Medina and said:

‘This will be your market, vast enough, and free of duties’

(Reported in the tradition)

One Islamic country built a huge seven story edifice, each floor large enough to accomodate a thousand business establishment, each with a shop, an import office, a storehouse, and parking for two cars. This building offers everything a merchant requires: formalities, ministerial offices, businesses, all in one place, to save time and effort, which simplifies business dealings.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, planned for a commercial center vast enough so there will always be room, and where there is always place to rest the camels, today for parking cars, life does not really change. Commercial centers need parking space, and four fifths of some of Australia’s shopping centers are reserved for parking.

Sometimes we have to legalize documents in one place, analyze the seeds in a city up north, cultivate the plants in a southern province, a lot of precious time wasted hopping from one place to another. This Islamic country gathered all those services in one place, and now they are planning to centralize all ministries similarly to save time and effort.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, was saying:  this is the Moslems market, with enough space to rest camels, where Moslems can browse, do their shopping, and then ride their camels and go – today, ride their cars …

Like we said, the Prophet, peace be upon him, moved the market to Medina and said;

‘This will be your market , vast enough, and free of duties’

The Medina market was a vast open space with no constructions, where traders would take place on a first come first served basis, to sell their goods, tax free. Travelers would stop in the Medina market, get off their mounts, and browse the marketplace with their mounts always within eyesight.

So you can see that the Prophet, peace be upon him, made the arrangements for a marketplace himself and organized it himself.

I was once in the USA where I visited this market. It was the cheapest in the state, no floor covering, still on concrete, the cheapest kinds of shelves, no employees, only self-service. The goods are unpacked and you can buy the quantity you want. You choose to buy thirty pills of a certain drug, they are counted and put in a bag for you. The prices are very cheap and it is crowded with middle class people.  

Creating a marketplace and providing the infrastructure is religion. Vendors should have a place to sell, rather than to run with their goods on their backs every time the police show up. This is essential.

I also saw parks, restrooms with hot water, places to barbecue, games for children, green spaces … this is a job for the people in charge of this nation. 

 - Promoting crafts

Crafts and manufacturing in Medina reflected the general simplicity of the Arabian context. Clothing and related professions were simple and few. Even today in some Islamic countries, a man needs just a cloth to wrap his body, and another for his head as a turban.

There were many crafts in Medina to meet the people’s daily needs, though in a limited number of areas: tanning, weaving, riding gear, home appliances, building, tents, and weaponry.

A study made about developing countries that sell wool to industrial countries shows that the manufactured wool is re-imported at 3700 times the initial selling price. They make fortunes at the expense of the developing countries taking advantage of their negligence of weaving.

3 - Manufacturing

Allah Almighty says in crafts and manufacturing:

 ﴾And make the ark before Our eyes﴿

(Surat Hud, 37)

The people of Ad were outstanding in this field, Allah Almighty says:

  ﴾Build ye on every high place a monument for vain delight?   And seek ye out strongholds, that haply ye may last for ever? And if ye seize by force, seize ye as tyrants? ﴿

(Al Shuara, 128-129-130)

They excelled in the areas of building, manufacturing, weaponry and in science:

﴾  though they were keen observers﴿

(Surat Al Ankabout, 38)

﴾And make the ark before Our eyes﴿

 This Ayah is about carpentry, and the following is about metalwork and armor:

   ﴾ And We taught him the making of coats of mail for you, that they might protect you in your wars; will you then be grateful?﴿

(Surat Al Anbiya, 80)

﴾ Make thou long coats of mail and measure the links (thereof)﴿

(Surat Saba’, 11)

Coats of mail or food utensils, civilian or military, the process is one:

﴾ It was said unto her: Enter the hall. And when she saw it she deemed it a pool and bared her legs. (Solomon) said: Lo! it is a hall, made smooth, of glass﴿

(Surat Al Naml, 44)

We should underline here this unusual fact: when queen Balqis arrived to Solomon’s palace and was invited to enter the hall, she thought she saw water on the floor so she bared her legs a little. There was water indeed, but it was covered by perfectly pure crystal, this is a superior product indeed.

﴾ (Solomon) said: Lo! it is a hall, made smooth, of glass﴿,

… So proceed without fear. She was humbled.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, indicated the importance of weaponry and naval devices like catapults, swords, bows and arrows, and other things. But the greatest directive concerning production came in these words:

‘Allah Almighty loves that you show perfection in every thing you do’

(Reported by Baihaki from Aisha)

Sometimes products are paid four fold just for workmanship. And anyone who shows excellence in his work will make lots of profits, because he will be in great demand, whatever the field. You find a restaurant that makes a million Lira in daily receipts, and next door another that makes 10,000 Lira. The difference lies in excellence. This is why this tradition is a reference in industry:

‘Allah Almighty loves that you show perfection in every thing you do’

Someone buys a living room and brings it home. The next day he has guests. They sit on the couch, and it breaks. He goes back to the carpenter furious, who answers: ‘Maybe you sat on it!?’ Of course this is a very poor job. But this caricature illustrates the reason why products of underdeveloped countries are unsuitable for export: cheating and neglect.

An example in excellence is the inscription on the prophet’s ring, peace be upon him.

Tanning and dyeing were some of the leading trades in Medina, in which women participated like Zainab Bint Jahsh, and Asma’ Bint Oumais. They also worked palm leaves, which Salman Al Farisi learned from them. He built the Prophet, peace be upon him, a tribune that survived till the year 654 of the Hegira.

Did the Prophet, peace be upon him, just content himself with prayer? He set the foundations of the economy, created the market and gave the relevant prescriptions.

‘Whoever revives a dead land becomes its rightful owner’

Life was simple, but it had the essential ingredients of economic growth

4 – Live stock wealth

After the Hegira, stocks flourished, and to breed horses, camels, and other animals used as mounts became a priority. In fact the horse was allotted twice its owner’s share of the spoils. Today horses are just for racing, but then they were war machines.

There were also primary resources that were public domain and that could not be owned by anyone.  For instance the Prophet, peace be upon him, says:

‘Three things that Moslems share: water, pasture and fire’.

 (Ibn Majah from Ibn Abbas)

When you pay your water bill, you are actually paying for the services rendered by the water company. Water is not sold.

A village in western Syria with about thirty farms was hit by several consecutive years of drought. When sheepherders would come to the village for water, they were brutally driven back, except in one farm where they were always welcome. The owner of this farm even built a trench which he filled with water to make it easy for a greater number of sheep to drink at the same time. A man from this region swears to me that two years after, all the wells in the thirty farms ran dry except where the sheep were allowed and given water.  

5 – The alms tax system

Cooperation was based on alms taxes (Zakat). If the land is irrigated from a well then its alms tax is the tenth. And if it is watered by rain then the tax is half the tenth. This ensured a wide distribution of resources to the poor.

In truth, dear brothers, the question of the economy is a vital one. Although what I have mentioned concerns simple matters, yet the implications are great. the Prophet, peace be upon him, founded an economic system covering agriculture, industry, trade, crafts, and set the pertinent legal basis for all. 

At any rate, God willing, we will continue in a future lesson with the administrative, security and missionary structures.

And all the praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.