Message to landlords and tenants in Diyanet's Friday sermon

The Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) has published its Friday sermon. The topic of this week's sermon was "Ahilik: Making Honesty and Compassion Prevail in Trade." 

The Friday sermon also included messages for tenants and landlords.

The statements included in this week's Friday sermon are as follows: 

"Our sublime religion, Islam, which draws the roadmap for a peaceful and equitable life, has established fundamental principles and foundations for our business and trade life. Islam commands us to act with sensitivity toward what is lawful (halal) and unlawful (haram) in trade, just as in all our affairs, and to adopt truthfulness, honesty, and compassion as our motto. It forbids greed and avarice, lies and deceit, fraud and injustice, and all kinds of illegitimate and immoral transactions. In the verse I recited at the beginning of my sermon, our Almighty Lord says: 'O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful.'"

Dear Believers!

A believer considers not only worldly gain in trade but also the reckoning of the hereafter. They refrain from unjust gain, black marketeering, opportunism, and violating the rights of individuals and the public. A believer knows that in our faith and tradition, not every path is permissible to obtain earnings. Human dignity cannot be trampled upon out of a desire for greater profit. People's difficult situations cannot be exploited. A person cannot be harmed or deceived by abusing their ignorance.

Valuable Muslims!

A believer cannot be a slave to wealth and property. They cannot mix anyone else's rights into their sustenance. They cannot let a morsel of haram pass through their own throat or that of their family. A believer cannot hoard basic necessities to earn more. They cannot sell a good for more than its value by disrupting the supply-demand balance. They cannot leave houses and workplaces, which are people's essential needs, empty to drive up prices. A compassionate landlord does not forget that their tenant is also supporting a family. A fair tenant, in turn, cannot intentionally victimize their landlord. According to the hadith of our beloved Prophet (pbuh), no one can be intentionally harmed; and harm cannot be met with harm. According to Islam, harming a person's life, property, or dignity is haram and is among the major sins."

News Source: 12punto