The Cow

A scholar named Al-Asma'i was in the market one day.

He noticed that a man was stealing fruits.

When he followed the man, he was surprised to see him donating the stolen fruits to the poor.

Al-Asma'i asked him, 'What do you think you are doing?

' The man argued, 'You don't understand.

I'm doing business with Allah!

I steal the fruits, I get one sin.

Then I give them as a charity; I get 10 rewards.

I lose one reward for stealing, then Allah keeps 9 rewards for me.

Got it now?

' Al-Asma'i responded, 'You fool!

Allah is good and He only accepts what is good.

When you steal something you get one sin, but when you donate it you don't get any rewards.

You are just like someone who tries to clean his dirty shirt with mud.

'

Imam Al-Hassan Al-Basri (a great scholar) went with some people to visit a dying man named Ibn Al-Ahtam.

The dying man kept looking at a big box in the room then asked the imam, 'What do you think I should do about this box that has

100,000 dinars (gold coins)?

I've never paid zakah on that money, and I never used it to help my relatives.

' The imam wondered, 'What!

Did you collect all this money then?

' The man replied, 'Just to be secure and rich.

' Then the man died.

After his funeral, the imam told the family of Ibn Al-Ahtam, 'Learn a lesson from his life.

Shaytan scared him of becoming poor, so he kept all that money to himself.

When he died, he took nothing with him.

Now, this money is yours, and you will be questioned about it on Judgment Day.

' (Ibn 'Abd Rabbih in his book Al-'Iqd Al-Farid 'The Unique Necklace')

Verse 267 teaches us that Allah accepts only what is good and that people shouldn't donate bad things that they themselves wouldn't be willing to accept.

As for verse 268, it teaches us that Shaytan doesn't want people to share Allah's blessings or gain His rewards, so he scares them about becoming poor.

But Allah tells us that our money will not decrease when we give, because Allah will put barakah in it and multiply our rewards.

Hassan had a decent job, but he didn't have any savings.

In December 2019, he had to borrow $20,000 from 2 of his Muslim friends, who were business partners.

His plan was to repay that loan after a year.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and thousands lost their jobs, including Hassan.

When he explained to the 2 brothers that he couldn't pay as planned, they told him not to worry and gave him another year to pay.

But due to the pandemic, Hassan couldn't secure a job.

So, each of the 2 brothers dropped his share of the loan as a charity.

Both were inspired by verse 280 of this surah.

They also hired him to work for their company.

Hassan's life is now back to normal, thanks to the mercy of Islam.

If someone borrows money, they should make the intention to pay it back.

But if someone is going through financial difficulty, we should make things easier, not harder, for them.

The Quran (2:280) and the Sunnah encourage people to have mercy on each other.

The Prophet (PBUH) said, 'There was a business owner who used to lend money to people.

When someone had a hard time paying back the loan, that business owner would tell his workers, 'Forgive him, so Allah may forgive us.

' And Allah forgave him.

' {Imam Al-Bukhari}

The Islamic financial system is based on humanity and profit, not profit alone.

People are encouraged to make money by either selling something or providing a service, not by charging interest.

Islam teaches people to work, enjoy their wealth, and take care of others.

The following famous 2 cows' example shows the difference between Islamic finance and other systems: * **Islam:** You buy 2 cows, you hire someone to take care of

them, sell the milk, make money, grow the business, and give charity to the poor.

* **Capitalism:** You buy 2 cows, the government charges you a lot of taxes so the super-rich don't have to pay any taxes.

You borrow money from the bank to buy 5 more cows.

When you are not able to pay back, the bank takes all your cows.

* **Democracy:** You buy 2 cows, you sell their milk as organic, even though you feed them chemicals.

When the cows die, the government blames it on Mexico, then invades Iraq.

* **Communism:** You buy 2 cows, the government takes both and sells you their milk.

* **Socialism:** You buy 2 cows, the government gives 1 to your neighbor, and sends you the milk you need.

* **Fascism:** You buy 2 cows, the government kills both, throws the milk away, then puts you in jail.

People often forget things in their busy lives, from personal belongings like keys and appointments, to even serious matters like forgetting children in a car.

This forgetfulness can lead to significant consequences, as seen with a man who lost $250 million in Bitcoins in 2021 because he couldn't remember his password.

These anecdotes highlight the crucial need for written agreements.

Whether it's a marriage gift that later causes arguments because it wasn't specified in the contract, or a loan that leads to court disputes because it wasn't documented,

forgetting can lead to significant interpersonal and legal complications.

To solve many of these problems, Islam teaches us to write things down.

Verse 282 (the longest ayah in the Quran) instructs believers to record loans in all fairness and to have witnesses.

It's important to highlight two words in this verse: 'Rajulain' (which is stronger than 'li') and 'Shahidayn' (which is stronger than 'Ali').

Both words indicate that two experienced and reliable men should witness the agreement, not just any two men.

If two qualified men can't be found, then one man and two women will witness.

So, if one of them forgets or is unable to go and tell the judge what happened, the other woman will do the job.

When this verse was revealed more than 1,400 years ago, most women didn't travel for business or have experience with writing and witnessing loan agreements.

As for speaking in front of a judge, it can be done by men and women.

In Islamic law, a hadith reported by a woman (like 'Aishah) is as important as a hadith reported by a man (like Abu Hurairah).

Also, if someone saw the new moon of Ramadan, some scholars say that people should fast, whether it was seen by a reliable man or woman.

The last 2 verses of this surah are very special.

As mentioned in the tafsir of Surah 17, Ibn Abbas said that the Prophet received three gifts directly from Allah during the Night Journey: 1.

The 5 daily prayers.

2.

The last 2 verses of Surah Al-Baqarah.

3.

The promise that Allah will forgive the big sins of Muslims who never make anyone equal to Him and die upon Islam.

(Imam Muslim) The Prophet said, "The last two verses of Surah Al-Baqarah are enough for the person who recites them at night.

" (Imam Al-Bukhari & Imam Muslim)