Summary of
The rise of
commercial centers (Problems and Solutions)
Competition is in full swing in the society which
involves following the latest news regarding markets, consumer products and the
newest fashions and brands. These are drilled into our minds through
advertisements by fascinating people for offers of sales and clearance
discounts. We are in the era of plazas hypermarkets and malls, all of which
refers to the large scale shopping complexes that are ubiquitous in the urban
society. The reason behind increasing the number of commercial complexes is consumerism
and huge investment in markets by major companies. These present latest
technologies and they serve all needs and tastes due to huge capacities. They
are suitable for leisure activities, meeting places for families, source of
recreation for elders, and due to aggressive advertisement campaigns and
promotion of products people shop from them. These brands also carry an element
of deception by depicting that their product is same like other famous
products, a common practice in electronic markets.
Meaning of
Market: Linguistically it
refers to the area wherein sale occurs. Terminologically it is the place
wherein trade occurs, regardless if it is specified geographically.
Shopping
complexes are from the signs of the hour: This
refers to the minor sign of the hour so that people realize its closeness and
remember hereafter and to mention that these signs have distracted people from
hereafter.
i.
As for closeness of Markets: Abu Hurairah R.A said that Prophet (PBUH) said that
“The hour will not come until the markets are close to one another”. Markets
are close in way of quick knowledge about prices, speed of travelling from
market to market and their closeness in changing prices together.
Markets in
Islam:
i.
Markets are the
most hated places to Allah: As they are places of cheating, fraud, deception,
usury, false oaths and turning away from Allah.
ii.
Commotion of
Markets: According to An Nawawi, commotion of the markets refers to mixing that
occurs therein as well as disputes, raises of voices, noises and trails that it
contains.
iii.
Prophet (PBUH)
was not found in the markets: Prophet (PBUH) use to go markets rarely and never
raises his voice in dispute.
iv.
Markets are a
distraction, even if they have some worldly benefits for the Muslims: Umer R.A
considered it distraction the time he had spend for trade as he missed that
time and couldn’t spend with Prophet (PBUH).
v.
Western Style
Shopping: it is based on creating a demand and attracting customers. These are
at prominent places and occupy big space. They provide facilities and services
to customers. These have recreational places and amusement areas for children.
For these reason people love to spend time in these places. They spend on
advertisement and catch their customers through optically attracting them.
vi.
Other ways that
these complexes emulate the western-style of shopping are: mentally convincing
the customer that they need a product and by selling it on sale.
Shopping Centers
from Inside:
What happens
inside these markets?
In it many reprehensible things that contradict
Islam happens.
First: Economic
Corruptions:
i.
Igniting shopping mania: It is the place where everyone gathers regardless
of age, gender cast and creed. So there are big demands and teeming crowds in
these places and they spend hundreds of dollars and waste resources.
ii.
Turning society into a consumer society: wealth is leaking from the concept of investment to
the concept of consumerism which leads people to take loans and spend
irrationally.
iii.
Enticing the consumer: malls are used by poor class as well along with
the richest and banks help them. It attracts them through price reductions,
discounts, creating an appeal, variety, quantity and a system of advertising
for the product. They announce sales and display products attractively.
iv.
Women purchasers:
women enjoy their leisure time by doing shopping. Shopaholics tie women to
spending and depicts that overspending is exclusively a women phenomenon. Other
reasons for this obsession of buying things are past deprivation, stingy
guardians and fear of gathering wealth by the husbands.
v.
Unrealistic pricing: in these malls, prices are very exorbitant so
people came there for leisure instead of buying.
vi.
Closing down small stores: the big shopping malls are constant threat for
small stores and down its business 75% almost.
vii.
False advertising in many of their brochures and
advertisements: these complexes
utilize false advertising.
Second:
Religious and Moral Corruptions:
i.
Wasting time:
these complexes are the places where people waste their time.
ii.
Missing Prayers:
missing prayers due to wasting time in shopping malls.
iii.
Violations against Honor: Placing double mirrors in dressing, changing rooms
to capture the images of females to sell them for money.
iv.
Adorning one, making sexual advances and mixing: commercial complexes are leisure areas for sinners.
They flier, try to create illegal relationships, contact opposite sex through
Bluetooth or directly talking to them and offering them, it increases the rates
of dates and also married and elderly man are involved in these vulgar
activities. The reason of all this is free time, bad company, religious
weakness, shamelessness, absence of parental authority, lack of accountability,
media effects and giving advanced technology to youngsters without mentioning
Islamic etiquettes and boundaries. Lastly, people who enjoined good and forbid
evil are very few at these places. Females are also responsible for this when
they wear fashionable clothes, donor wear hijab, use perfumes and do makeup to
attract males.
v.
The harm of video game halls in the shopping
complexes on children and teenagers:
these have negative effect on them as they see images like killing someone,
beating, snatching guns and running from police.
vi.
Selling forbidden products: selling products, clothes with animate images are
impermissible. Gold ornaments for men are also not allowed.
vii.
Selling women clothes that are forbidden: Sellers should sell the clothes which can be
lawfully used.
viii.
Female Mannequins:
these are not allowed and contradicting Islamic values as well as has negative
impact on males and females as they disliked it.
Legislative maxims for commercial advertisements: Advertisements should not harm others, should not
be deceptive, should not be about haram things, should not be against Islam or
Muslims, should not consists of images of animate beings, should not have
female appearance or her body parts, should not be little others products and
should be real.
Rulings of
promotional prices (marketing incentives):
These
are incentives which urges consumer to buy a products. These are:
i.
Gifts:
which are given equally to everyone is permissible. Like buy cotton of milk and
get a glass. If the gifts are conditional like collect parts of sticker and
then get a gift, it’s not permissible. It is prohibited as it is gambling. Risk
sale in Islamic finance is also not allowed as it is deception and wastage of
resources.
ii.
Promotional competitions: these are competitions to attract the buyers to
the particular market. The competition which is unconditional and for everyone,
it is permissible and but if a buying is the condition to enter the competition
then it is not allowed. Some said it is allowed but with the conditions that
price of item must remain original and buyer must not buy the item to earn the
reward.
iii.
Discounts:
According to majority, it is allowed.
iv.
Warranty:
It is legal.
First: Advice
for those who frequent shopping complexes:
i.
Be keen in
building mosques in the middle of the complexes.
ii.
Be keen in
enjoining good and forbidding evils.
iii.
Be aware of the
owners of the stores and their transactions.
iv.
Encourage
Islamic bookshops etc to invest in these markets.
v.
Prevent mixing
as much as possible.
Second: Advice
for those who own and work in the store:
i.
Learn
jurisprudential rulings and everything related to their business.
ii.
Shopping
complexes should coincide with Islamic teachings.
iii.
Fulfill pacts
and contracts.
iv.
Fulfilling
weights and measure and warning against falsifying them.
v.
Prevention of
selling forbidden things.
These include, risk transaction, selling before
owning, cheating and fraud.
vi.
Beware of
selling anything that is disputed, such as products that are stolen or usurped.
vii.
Kindness in
buying and selling.
viii.
Do not be
lenient in conversing with females.
ix.
Charity.
Third: Advice
for security guards: They should be
sincere, cooperate with authorities and a role model for co-workers.
Fourth: Advice
for callers to Allah, and those good people who enjoin good and forbid evil: They
should be patient, do actions with wisdom, and apologize for mistakes, give out
beneficial Islamic pamphlets, open the doors for females to enter in Da’wah
activities, speak courteously, give good admonishment, clarify the evidence who
contradicts you, give gifts for Da’wah, be wise while reprimanding against
evils,
Fifth: Advice to
males who frequent the markets and shops: Muslims
should go to markets for fulfilling needs only.
In markets, remember Allah Almighty continuously and mention the
supplication for entering markets. A person should abandon disputes and
stubbornness, don’t harm others and should give greetings of peace to others.
He should lower his gaze. Honor of the Muslims should be preserved. One should
avoid extravagance and wastage of resources.
Sixth: Advices
to women who frequent the markets and shop: Women
should be the character of modesty. She should not remain out of the house
frequently but if she went out, she should be in Hijab, without beautification
and perfumes, should go to the market with male members and she should avoid
talking to salesman unnecessarily. She should not involve in bargaining and she
should be very conscious and alert while doing shopping.
Seventh: Advice
for guardians: Guardians should
not send their females to markets alone, they should be conscious about their
females’ dressing and way of talking in the bazaars.
Eighth: General
advice for all shoppers: They should not
spend important time like nights of Ramadan in shopping, don’t shop while you
are angry, don’t be extravagant, prioritize your needs on your wants, and make
a list before going to markets and save most of your time.
Women only markets: Women only markets are very vital now a day. Mix
markets creates number of problems for females while women only markets give
them ease and relaxation while shopping. Many countries have women only markets
which do not allow men entering the place who are above ten years. At these
places, women police force should be appointed. These stores should be
supervised by the righteous women, women should be watched and their actions
should be observed and heedless man should be kept away from market area.
The condition of
the pious predecessors in the markets: Allah
says about them that their trades didn’t busy them away from remembrance of
Allah. They used to avoid going to the markets and if they went, they remain
busy in remembrance of Allah. They remember hereafter while passing through
markets and would cry for heedless people. The wealth should be earned to spend
in the way of Allah and to be given in charity.
Hisbah in the markets: A Muhtasib should be aware of his duties, he should
enjoin good and forbidden evils, he should order people to offer prayers,
maintain the trust, sincerity, cheating in scales and cheating in production
etc.
Should the woman
who beautifies herself be advised? Relatives
should do this duty and if some when else do then there is a chance of
temptation. He can do but while following Islamic etiquettes.
Conclusion: The book should be read with the intention of
practicing the commands of Allah the Almighty, His messenger (PBUH), footsteps
of Companions (R.A) of Prophet (PBUH) and all the righteous. It provides us
guidelines regarding the market mania today and how men and women should behave
in this regard respectively. It not only tells about the evils of huge shopping
complexes but also provide us with remedies and solutions derived from the
lives of Salaf (R.A).
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