ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Biography of Imam `alĪ Ibn AbĪ-tĀlib Monitoring the Trading Community According to the Islamic point of view, every person is responsible for the moral instruction of the persons under his care. Such person could be a father, a guardian, or a mentor. Each will be responsible for the training of his wards.

The Prophet of Islam (a.s) has said: “Every one of you is responsible and answerable for the persons under you.” When every individual is answerable for the training of his family and the persons under him, then one who is the leader of the Ummah is certainly responsible for the moral uplift of all the people. This requires that he did not leave the task to his functionaries and rested. To the contrary, he should personally keep a watch on the habits and behavior of the people.

This cannot be done by remaining in the chambers of the state capital. It is necessary that he meets and mingles with the people. It was the practice of Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) that he personally used to go and meet people in ordinary dress, sometimes incognito and at others openly. During these visits, he used to go to the lanes, bylines; used to inquire the rates of different commodities from the merchants and as a mentor of morality, he used to give appropriate instructions.

“As for that future abode, We assign it to those who have no desire to exalt themselves in the earth nor is to make mischief and the good end for those who guard against evil. (28/83)” There is an incident about a butcher’s shop. The Imam (a.s) was once passing through that area when he noticed a slave girl asking the butcher to give some more. Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) observed, “Yes! Give some more because it is a matter of felicity!” Once passing through the marts, he stopped at a tailor’s shop.

He advised the tailor to use strong thread for sewing the clothes and the cut pieces that remained from the material must be returned to the owner.