"To
God the dearest places are the mosques, and the most
unpleasant places are markets." (Reporter:
Hadthrat Abu Hurairah in Sahih Muslim, Riyadus lSaeheen, #1841)
Amanda:
There
are plenty of references in the Qur’an and the Hadith which teach Muslims how to conduct business in an honest,
respectable way. Even a cursory examination of Islam shows that it is not anti-business,
and Muslims throughout history have been prosperous businessmen and women. But
this hadith does make an important
point about what our priorities should be. The markets aren’t just described in
this hadith as unpleasant—they are
actually contrasted with the ‘dearest places’ to God, our houses of worship.
That’s because there is nothing that works against our spirituality like the
pursuit of worldly wealth. For most of us, our work tends to take up more time
than our worship, our family time, and our creative pursuits combined. This
hadith is a call for us to re-examine that inequality of spirituality
in our lives and to keep the pursuit of earthly success in perspective.
LeeAnne:
Keeping
our focus on worship rather than on the pursuit of wealth is also a central
tenet of Christianity. All four of the Gospels include the story of Jesus
clearing the Temple of money changers, who were selling animals for sacrifice and
exchanging foreign coins at exorbitant rates. In addition to taking advantage
of poor pilgrims who had no choice but to accept their terms, the money
changers turned the Temple into a marketplace rather than a place where people
could meet and worship God. It is this perversion of sacred space – and subversion
of sacred intent – that so incensed Jesus. This hadith and the Gospels seem to suggest that we cannot
simultaneously be concerned with worldly commerce and religious
reflection. As Amanda states, business isn’t bad. But our primary focus in a
holy place must be the glory of God. How does our perspective change if we
consider our lives a sacred space like the Temple, best suited for worshiping
God instead of pursuing monetary gain?
Yaira:
Judaism
is also rich in teachings and practices that guide us to conduct business in
honest, respectable ways. Ideally, everything we do—including our monetary,
worldly pursuits—is done with perfect kavanah (intention) and a spirit
of holiness. But Judaism recognizes, too, that we humans are limited creatures,
and it is all too easy for us to forget and go astray. Accordingly, many Jewish
teachings and practices make a clear distinction between the holy and the
ordinary—none more important, perhaps, than the practice of keeping Shabbat. On
the ordinary days of the week—Sunday through Friday—we work and engage in
worldly commerce; but on the Sabbath, we do not. On Shabbat, we are prohibited
even from carrying money, in case having it handy would tempt us to spend it.
The observance of Shabbat helps us more easily connect with God and the wonders
of creation. This dedicated, holy time is designed to help us keep the pursuit
of earthly success in perspective, even during the other, ordinary days of the
week.
