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Partnership in Raising Animals
Partnership in raising animals is quite common in Muslim countries, especially in villages. One of the
partners puts up all or a part of the price of the livestock and cattle, while the other partner raises them; the
two then share the yield and the profits of this joint venture.
In order to form an opinion concerning this partnership, we should first look at its various forms:
1.
In the first form of such a business, the partnership is entered into for purely commercial purposes, for
example, raising calves for beef or cows and water buffalo for milk production. It is supposed here that one
partner contributes the price of the animals and the other contributes the effort, that is to say, the
management and supervision; the expenses of feeding, watering, and the like are borne by the joint
partnership and not by one partner alone. After a sale is made, the feeding expenses are deducted from the
proceeds before dividing up the profits in the agreed-upon proportions. It is not just that one partner alone be
required to bear all the feeding expenses without receiving any commensurate return, while the profits are
divided between the two; this point is quite clear.
2.
The second form of such a business is the same as the first except that the partner who manages the
business also bears the feeding expenses and in return benefits from the milk or makes use of the animals
in the field for plowing, irrigating, or planting; this is the situation when large animals are involved. We see no
harm in such a contract. Although one may not be able to balance exactly the cost of feed with the benefits
derived from milking or working the animal, so that there is an element of uncertainty about it, we still prefer
to consider this arrangement halal. The element of risk is negligible, and there are other examples of such
contracts which are permitted by the Shari‘ah. In the sound ahadith concerning mortgages, the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.) stated the permissibility of using an animal which is mortgaged for riding or milking, saying, “A
mortgaged animal may be used for riding or milking by the person who bears the expenses of feeding it.’‘
(Compiled by al-Bukhâri on the authority of Abû Hurairah.)
In this hadith the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) equated spending on feeding the animal with using it for riding or milking.
Accordingly, if this type of mortgage is allowed for people’s mutual benefit, with the possibility that the
expenses of feeding may be more or less than the benefit derived from the animal by using it for riding or
milking, we see no harm in allowing a similar arrangement in the case of partnerships in raising animals, as
the needs of people are better served in this manner. This is my own deduction from this hadith, and I hope
it is correct.
However, if the partnership is in raising young calves which cannot be used for work ofor milk with the
stipulation that the price is to be paid by one partner and the feeding expenses by the other, the rules of
Islâm do not permit such an arrangement. The partner who bears the cost of feis the only loser, receiving no
return in the form of work or milk, while the other partner has the clear advantage. Such an arrangement is
contrary to the justice which Islâm seeks to establish in every transaction. However, if the two partners share
the cost of feeding and raising the animal until it reaches the age of usefulness, such an arrangement is, in
our view, halal.
Recreation and Play
Islâm is a practical religion; it does not float in the stratosphere of imaginary ideals but remains with the
human being on the ground of realities and day-to-day concerns. It does not regard people as angels but
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accepts them as mortals who eat food and walk in the marketplace. Islâm does not require of Muslims that
their speech should consist entirely of pious utterances, that their silence should be a meditation, that they
should listen to nothing except the recitation of the Qur‘ân, nor that they should spend all their leisure time in
the mosque. Rather, it recognizes that Allâh has created human beings with needs and desires, so that, as
they need to eat and drink, they also need to relax, and to enjoy themselves.
“A Time for This and a Time for That“
Some of the Companions of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) attained great spiritual heights. They believed that in
order to remain at such a spiritual level they should always be serious, engaged in constant worship, turning
their backs on all the enjoyments of life and the good things of the world, neither playing nor relaxing but
keeping their eyes and their minds fixed on the Hereafter and its concerns, away from common life and its
amusements.
Let us listen to what this great Companion and scribe of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.), Hanzalah al-Usaidi, has to
say about himself: Abû Bakr met me and asked, ‘How are you, Hanzalah?‘ I replied, ‘Hanzalah has become
a hypocrite.’ He said, ‘SubhanAllâh! What are you saying?‘ I replied, ‘When we are with Allâh’s Messenger
(s.a.w.s.), he mentions the Fire and the Garden until it is as if we can see them. But when we leave the
Prophet’s company and play with our wives and children or busy ourselves with our properties, we forget
much.’ Abû Bakr said, ‘By Allâh, I have experienced the same thing.’ He and I then went to visit Allâh’s
Messenger (s.a.w.s.), and I said, ‘O Messenger of Allâh, Hanzalah has become a hypocrite.’ He asked, ‘And
how is that?‘ I replied, ‘O Messenger of Allâh, when we are with you, you talk about the Fire and the Garden
until it is as if we can see them. Then we go out and play with our wives and children and deal with our
properties, and we forget much.’ Allâh’s Messenger (s.a.w.s.) then said, ‘By Him in Whose hand is my soul,
if you were to continue at the same level at which you were when with me and in remembering Allâh, the
angels would shake hands with you when you are resting and when you walk about, but, O Hanzalah, there
is a time (for this) and a time (for that).’ He repeated this phrase three times. (Compiled by Muslim.)
The Humanness of the Messenger of Allâh
The life-pattern of Allâh’s Messenger (s.a.w.s.) is a perfect example for every human being. When he was in
private he would worship his Rabb with such intense devotion, standing for long hours in salat, that his feet
would become swollen; in matters pertaining to truth or justice he did not care about anyone’s opinion,
seeking only the pleasure of Allâh. But in his living habits and dealings with people he was a human being,
enjoying good things, participating in small talk, smiling and joking, yet never departing from the truth. The
Prophet (s.a.w.s.) liked happiness and disliked grief; he sought refuge with Allâh from difficulties and
troubles which result in sorrow, supplicating, “O Allâh, I seek refuge in Thee from distress and grief”
(Reported by Abû Daoud.)
Concerning his sense of humor, it is reported that once an old woman came to him, saying, “O Messenger of
Allâh, pray to Allâh that He admit me to the Garden.” The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said, “O mother of such a
person, no old woman will enter the Garden.” The woman broke down and wept, supposing that she would
not enter Paradise. The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) then explained to her that no old woman would enter the Garden
as an old woman, for Allâh would restore her youth and admit her to the Garden as a young virgin. He then
recited to her the verse, We created them as a (new) creation, and made them virgins, lovers, friends. (56:
35-37) (Reported by ‘Abd bin Humaid and al-Tirmidhî)
Relaxing the Mind
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