However, people vary in the way they transact: some sell with justice, some with oppression, and some with benevolence. Thus mankind falls into three groups:

1. A group that sells with justice—he neither wrongs others nor is wronged himself, just as the Exalted says about those who abandon usury: “But if you repent, you may have your principal sums; you will neither wrong nor be wronged” (2:279).

2. A group that sells with tyranny and injustice, such as the cheat, the liar, and the like.

3. A group that sells with generosity and kindness. Such a person is easygoing in both selling and buying: when he sells, he does not insist on taking every last cent that is his due; rather, he reduces the price and grants the buyer time to pay. When he buys, it does not bother him to pay a little extra, and he hastens to settle what he owes. In this way he acts benevolently.

The author—may Allah have mercy on him—supports the virtue of leniency in buying and selling with several verses, among them the Almighty’s words: “Whatever good you do, Allah is fully aware of it” (2:197). The phrase min khayr (any good) is an indefinite noun within a conditional clause, so it embraces every form of goodness from any direction. Its universality is further emphasized by the particle min: whatever good you do, Allah knows it—nothing is hidden from Him or escapes His notice—and He will reward you with something far better, for He recompenses a single good deed with tenfold, up to seven hundredfold, and even many times beyond that.

Thus the noble verse urges people to perform good deeds and assures the doer that nothing of his effort will be lost, for Allah is fully aware of it and will grant the best reward. One such good deed is being easygoing in buying and selling. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed for those who are gracious in their transactions, saying: “May Allah have mercy on a person who is lenient when he sells…”