Let that sink in.

Business isn’t for making money. That’s what we’ve been told, sold, and hypnotized by. But when you peel back the noise and return to the roots not the capitalistic ones, but the divine ones it’s crystal clear: business is for obeying Allah.

Sounds wild? That’s only because we’ve been programmed to think success means profit. But Allah defines success differently. He defines it as submission. Obedience. Sincerity. That’s where this hadith hits like lightning:

“May Allah have mercy on a man who is easygoing when he sells, when he buys, and when he demands his right.”

[Sahih al-Bukhari 2076]

Not “smart” in his pitch. Not “aggressive” in his upsells. Not “cutthroat” in his profit margins.

Easygoing. Gentle. Honest.

A Real Believer Doesn’t Sell for Profit He Sells for Allah

There’s this story maybe you’ve heard it in the talk by Ustadh Ousama Alshurafa. A man hears this hadith and doesn’t just say “MashaAllah” and move on. He goes out, opens a business solely to fulfill this hadith. Not to chase cash. Not to scale. Just to live a verse.

Day one: someone buys. Day two: they return the item — no receipt, no fuss. The man accepts it.

Day three: he shuts down the store.

Why? Mission accomplished. Hadith fulfilled. Mercy secured.

We’d call that bad business. But Allah might call that a win.

A Personal Reminder I Didn’t Know I Needed

I’ve run digital projects for over a decade. And to be honest, I’ve had more than a few situations where I didn’t define the scope of work clearly enough. Maybe the project evolved. Maybe the client assumed extra things were included. Maybe I just wanted to deliver more value.

But each time, I’d end up doing way more than what I technically committed to.

Sometimes double. Sometimes triple.

And for a long time, I wrestled with that:

“Am I just being taken advantage of?”

“Should I push back more?”

“Is this even sustainable?”

But here’s the thing I still did it. Every time. Because deep down, I felt this quiet pull:

“You said you’d do it. Fulfill the amanah.”

Today, writing this it hit me. That was the correct thing to do.

Maybe I didn’t always set the clearest expectations. That’s on me. But once I said yes, that yes became a trust, a mini-contract in front of Allah.

And it reminded me: this whole “business” thing isn’t about margins. It’s about being true to your word. It’s about doing right, even when it costs you. Even when no one sees it.

What Even Is a Command Oriented Life?

Here’s the shift: the believer isn’t results-oriented. He’s command-oriented.

• You don’t eat because you’re hungry you eat because Allah commanded you to.

  “O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and good, and do not follow the footsteps of Shaytan…”

  [Surah Al-Baqarah 2:168]

• You don’t sell to profit you sell to honor Allah’s rules in business: don’t cheat, don’t lie, don’t harm.

  “Give full measure and weight in justice. Do not deprive people of their due, and do not spread corruption in the land.”

  [Surah Al-A‘raf 7:85]

And yeah you can sell cars, own a brand, run a store, even build an empire. But if Allah isn’t the why, the what becomes a trap.

The Myth of Profit-Driven Purpose

There was a man who came to Ousama Alshurafa, worried about selling his car.

“It has a defect,” he said. “If I tell people, no one will buy it.”

So the advice was simple: “Lead with the defect.”

He did. The buyer walked away.

He came back upset. “I thought being honest would work!”

But that’s the thing: it did.

You weren’t commanded to close the deal. You were commanded to be honest.

And that, my friend, is success.

Realigning the Intention

So now, when I think about business, I remind myself I’m not here to hustle people. I’m not here to just “scale.” I’m here to fulfill what I said I would do.

And more importantly, I’m here to fulfill what Allah said I must do.

The money is a tool. The niyyah is the test.

And if you get the niyyah wrong, even millions won’t save you from spiritual bankruptcy.

A Different Kind of Marketplace

Imagine a world where Muslims ran their businesses not for margins but for mercy.

Where sellers were generous. Buyers were patient. And everyone believed that rizq comes from Allah, not your pitch deck.

It would flip the market on its head.

No fake scarcity.

No desperate upsells.

No lying about the odometer.

Just truth.

Just trust.

Just obedience.

Final Thought

So the next time you open your store, sign that client, pitch your proposal, or even price a product ask yourself:

Am I doing this because I want to win… or because I want to obey?

Because in this world, results may vary.

But in the sight of Allah, the command-followers always win.

A Personal Note to You

If you’re reading this and at some point in the past I failed to fulfill a promise to you, delivered less than I should have, or left anything incomplete then please forgive me.

I truly mean that. Please reach out. Give me a chance to fix it. To restore trust.

At the end of the day, I’m human too. I make mistakes. And I want to make things right not for reputation, but for Allah.