The Economic System of Islam — Page 20
20 his people against usurping the rights of others, against injustice , and against adopting ways of earning and spending wealth that led to strife. The people’s response was: 11 That is, O Shu‘aib! What is the matter with you. The money is ours, the wealth is ours, the property is ours, and we feel that we can give it to whomsoever we please, and we can keep it from whomso- ever we please; spend it wherever we please and not spend it wher- ever we please. Who are you to intrude upon such matters? This wealth is not yours to decide where to distribute or spend; it is ours, and we maintain the choice to spend it however we please. Has your mind become perplexed from offering prayer after prayer that you are now interfering in our financial affairs and telling us that if we spend in this way it shall be virtuous, and if we spend in that way it shall lead to punishment? Whence have you acquired the right to counsel and teach us? Then the people taunted, ‘Thou art indeed very intelligent and right-minded,’ i. e. , who are you to preach in favour of the poor! That is, we accept that you are intelligent and right-minded, but now you claim that you can tell us how we should behave? We re- ject this claim of yours. This clearly explains that the teachings of the Holy Quran re- garding wealth are the same as were presented by the earlier 11 S u rah H u d, 11:88, (publishers)