Who Benefits From Free Trade

Who Benefits from Free Trade? By the noble Shaikh Sa’ad Al Husain

This question was answered by an American author P.J. O’Rourke with no lack humor or of day to day wisdom. His answer: Everybody benefits. He said in his book (whose title is “Eat the Rich”): The reason for part of the world being rich and other parts being poor is not intelligence. There cannot be found on the face of the earth anywhere dumber than Hollywood, the wealthiest place on earth, while in Russia, where chess is considered a national sport, the majority of its citizens live in poverty. The reason isn’t the availability of natural resources. Impoverished Africa possesses treasures of gold, uranium and oil whereas wealthy Holland doesn’t have any of

that while half of its surface is below sea level. The cause is clear if the people were to open their eyes to it: Free trade, meaning recognizing the individual right to own the fruit of his labor and use it in any way he chooses without transgressing against the rights of others. However the majority of people don’t understand this reality, don’t restrict their selves or recognize the boundaries separating between their rights and those of others. Some steal private or public property or wrongfully appropriate their neighbor’s land, have an affair with their neighbor’s wife or wrongfully enjoy some of their rights. Some betray their trust in their job or their responsibility over an orphan, or relative, child or wife. Some hide spite and jealousy for their wealthy brother behaving as though they want to spread wealth. The Socialists and those who invite to economic equality reject free enterprise with the argument that it doesn’t actualize justice and that it is the cause for this abyssal gap

between the rich minority and poor majority, and they think that the correct way to demolish this gap is to take the wealth of the rich and give it to the poor. Experience however, has affirmed the futility of this theory in the core socialist countries and the nations that blindly imitate them and the result in every situation has been: Congesting the work of trade and loss of work incentives and even more so a loss of products in the market if the dream of the majority owning the wealth of the minority became a reality. This would cause poverty to be nationalized. The problem is poverty itself, not the difference between rich and poor. The opposite of this reality gives rise to other problems no less evil: Spite, jealousy, arguing, fighting and oppression.” Despite that this opinion is based on human thought, historical deduction and the results of the current state of affairs, the writer has drawn attention to the fact that from the greatest of the ten commandments in the

torah after the prohibition of worshipping other than Allah is the prohibition of stealing and transgression against personal ownership and jealousy against others over what they own and being desirous of it. The Muslim is without need of employing opinion for judgment no matter what it’s source or description is, or to employing judgment by texts that mix the revelation with human thinking to the extent that fact cannot be distinguished from theory while having in front of him Allah’s book and the Sunnah of His Messenger by which alone he worships Allah, not being enlivened or guided by other than it or accepting other than it. Allah mentioned regarding what He forbade his servants from mankind from of polytheism in worshipping Allah and ill treatment of parents:

{َ‫َولَا َت ْقتُلُوا أَ ْولَادَكُمْ مِنْ ِإمْلَاقٍ نَحْنُ نَرْزُ ُقكُمْ َوإِيّا ُهمْ َولَا َتقْ َربُوا اْلفَوَا ِحش‬ ْ‫مَا َظ َهرَ ِمنْهَا َومَا بَطَنَ َولَا َت ْقتُلُوا الّن ْفسَ اّلتِي حَ ّرمَ ال ّلهُ إِلّا بِالْحَقّ ذَِلكُم‬

ُ‫َوصّاكُمْ ِبهِ َلعَ ّلكُمْ َتعْقِلُونَ * َولَا َتقْ َربُوا مَالَ اْليَتِيمِ ِإلّا بِالّتِي ِهيَ َأحْسَن‬ ِ‫} َحتّى َيبْلُغَ أَشُدّهُ َوأَوْفُوا اْلكَيْلَ وَالْمِيزَانَ بِاْلقِسْط‬ “Say (O Muhammad): "Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited you from: Join not anything in worship with Him; be good and dutiful to your parents; kill not your children because of poverty - We provide sustenance for you and for them; come not near to Al-Fawâhish (shameful sins, illegal sexual intercourse, etc.) whether committed openly or secretly, and kill not anyone whom Allâh has forbidden, except for a just cause (according to Islâmic law). This He has commanded you that you may understand. 152. And come not near to the orphan's property, except to improve it, until he (or she) attains the age of full strength; and give full measure and full weight with justice.’ What came after these verses in Surah Al An’aam was: :{ِ‫سبُلَ َفَت َفرّقَ ِبكُمْ عَنْ َسبِي ِله‬ ّ ‫صرَاطِي ُمسَْتقِيمًا فَاّتِبعُوهُ وَلَا َتّتِبعُوا ال‬ ِ ‫}وَأَنّ هَذَا‬

"And verily, this is my Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His Path. This He has ordained for you that you may become Al-Muttaqûn (the pious)." The order was repeated in the same sequence in Surah Al Israa’. And Allah, the Most High, said: {ْ‫وَلَا َتأْ ُكلُوا َأ ْموَالَ ُكمْ َب ْيَنكُمْ بِاْلبَا ِطلِ وَتُدْلُوا ِبهَا ِإلَى الْحُكّامِ ِلتَ ْأكُلُوا َفرِيقًا مِن‬ َ‫}َأ ْموَالِ النّاسِ بِالِْإثْمِ وَأَْنُتمْ َت ْع َلمُون‬ And eat up not one another's property unjustly (in any illegal way e.g. stealing, robbing, deceiving, etc.), nor give bribery to the rulers (judges before presenting your cases) that you may knowingly eat up a part of the property of others sinfully. (Al-Baqarah 2:188) Allah did not create his human servants equal in outer appearance, behavior or in their sustenance, bodies, intellects, religious practice or worldly affairs. Making their be equal- especially in sustenance- in an attempt to escape the decreed way of Allah

with His creation is bound to end in disaster. Allah the most high said: { ‫حيَاةِ الدّْنيَا َورَ َف ْعنَا‬ َ ْ‫شتَهُمْ فِي ال‬ َ ‫س ْمنَا َب ْيَنهُمْ َمعِي‬ َ ‫سمُونَ رَ ْح َمةَ رَبّكَ نَحْنُ َق‬ ِ ‫َأ ُهمْ َي ْق‬ ‫خرِيّا َورَ ْح َمةُ رَبّكَ َخ ْيرٌ ِممّا‬ ْ ُ‫ضهُمْ َبعْضًا س‬ ُ ْ‫ضهُمْ َفوْقَ َبعْضٍ َدرَجَاتٍ ِلَيتّخِذَ َبع‬ َ ْ‫َبع‬ َ‫ج َمعُون‬ ْ َ‫}ي‬ Is it they who would portion out the Mercy of your Lord? It is We Who portion out between them their livelihood in this world, and We raised some of them above others in ranks, so that some may employ others in their work. But the Mercy (Paradise) of your Lord (O Muhammad) is better than the (wealth of this world) which they amass. (Az-Zukhruf 43:32) So a lot of wealth, an exuberant lifestyle and the beauty of the world does not equate to goodness, virtue and success according to the religion or the intellect. Allah the most high said:

{ ْ‫جعَ ْلنَا لِمَنْ َي ْكفُرُ بِال ّرحْمَنِ ِلُبيُوتِهِم‬ َ َ‫َولَ ْولَا أَنْ يَكُونَ النّاسُ ُأمّةً وَاحِدَةً ل‬ ‫ضةٍ َو َمعَارِجَ عَ َل ْيهَا َيظْ َهرُونَ َوِلُبيُوتِهِمْ أَبْوَابًا َو ُسرُرًا عَ َل ْيهَا‬ ّ َ‫ُس ُقفًا مِنْ ف‬ ‫}َيّتكِئُونَ وَ ُز ْخرُفًا‬. And were it not that all mankind would have become of one community (all disbelievers, desiring worldly life only), We would have provided for those who disbelieve in the Most Beneficent (Allâh), silver roofs for their houses, and elevators (and stair-ways, etc. of silver) whereby they ascend, 34. And for their houses, doors (of silver), and thrones (of silver) on which they could recline, (Az-Zukhruf 43:33-34) The cure of poverty will not come to fruition by an imagined idea of spreading wealth and there is no need of limiting ownership or restricting by other than what Allah legislated. It can only come into fruition by the poor striving to earn permissible sustenance and seeking true guidance and blessing from Allah. May prayers of peace and salutations be upon Muhammad and his family.