remuneration is the Book of Allāh” (Bu. 37:16). ‘Umar was once appointed a collector by the Holy Prophet, and when offered a remuneration he said that he did not stand in need of it. The Holy Prophet, however, told him to accept it and then give it away in charity if he liked (Bu. 94:17). The principle was thus laid down that every employee, every servant, every labourer was entitled to a remuneration.
Trading was one of the most honourable professions and the Holy Prophet had special words of praise for the truthful and honest merchant (Tr. 12:4). People were taught to be generous in their dealings with one another, in buying and selling and demanding their dues (Bu. 34:16). Honesty was to be the basic principle in all dealings. “If they both speak the truth and make manifest (the defect, if any, in the transaction), their transaction shall be blessed, and if they conceal (the defect) and tell lies, the blessing of their transaction shall be obliterated (Bu. 34:19). Speculation, in cereals especially, was strictly prohibited: “Whoever buys cereals, he shall not sell them until he obtains their possession” (Bu. 34:54). The cultivation of land and planting of trees was encouraged (Bu. 41:1). It was also stated by the Holy Prophet that whoever cultivates land which is not the property of anyone has a better title to it (Bu. 41:15). Those who had vast tracts of land, which they could not manage to cultivate for themselves, were advised to allow others to cultivate them free of charge: “If one of you gives it (i.e., cultivable land) as a gift to his brother, it is better for him than that he takes it for a fixed payment” (MM. 12:13). But it was allowed that the owner of the land should give it to others to cultivate for a share of the produce or for a fixed sum (Bu. 41:8, 11, 19). The ownership of land by individuals was thus recognized, as also their right to buy or sell it or to have it cultivated for them by others. A warning was at the same time given that a people who give themselves up entirely to agriculture, neglecting other lines of development, could not rise to a position of great glory (Bu. 41:2).
The most outstanding characteristic of the Holy Prophet’s life is the