The Christian and Muslim Attitudes
Christianity and Islam are two monotheistic beliefs that became the religions of major empires. Christians and Muslims both praised honest merchants and criticized those that cheated in trade by not selling products at their right price (2, 4). However, at one point, they disagreed on whether making a profit was a good thing or not and whether merchants who earned profits were good people or not (3, 5). Christians at first were cautious towards trade and the riches that came from it while in the later period they were described as trading only to make a profit and claiming that the profit was a result of God’s blessings (3, 1, 6). Meanwhile, the Muslim community initially began with a very open attitude towards trade only to end up fighting among themselves in a court of law (2, 5, 7).
Christians and Muslims both praised honest merchants and were against cheating in trade by not selling products at their right price. According to the Muslim Qur’an, cheaters were warned not lie and steal from their customers by giving them less than what they paid for. God would bless the transactions that were done honestly and merchants would even become equal to martyrs in heaven (Doc 2). This part of the Quran clearly supports merchants as long as they are honest by promising them God’s blessings and a high place in heaven. As the main religious text of the Muslim community, Muslims would follow its teachings. This concern with setting the right price and not cheating customers is also expressed in Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica. He also relies on a religious text to prove the point that setting a higher price than what an item is worth is considered cheating and is also looked down upon by God as a sin (Doc 4). This is also a credible source since he has quoted the Christian Bible to support his ideas. Both of these documents show that Christians and Muslim attitudes were the same because both gave much importance to the selling of an item at a fair price and
Christians and Muslims both praised honest merchants and were against cheating in trade by not selling products at their right price. According to the Muslim Qur’an, cheaters were warned not lie and steal from their customers by giving them less than what they paid for. God would bless the transactions that were done honestly and merchants would even become equal to martyrs in heaven (Doc 2). This part of the Quran clearly supports merchants as long as they are honest by promising them God’s blessings and a high place in heaven. As the main religious text of the Muslim community, Muslims would follow its teachings. This concern with setting the right price and not cheating customers is also expressed in Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica. He also relies on a religious text to prove the point that setting a higher price than what an item is worth is considered cheating and is also looked down upon by God as a sin (Doc 4). This is also a credible source since he has quoted the Christian Bible to support his ideas. Both of these documents show that Christians and Muslim attitudes were the same because both gave much importance to the selling of an item at a fair price and