lenient when he buys, lenient when he pays what he owes, and lenient when he seeks repayment. Therefore, the more easy-going a person is in his selling and buying, leasing and renting, pledging and accepting pledges, and every other kind of dealing, the more meritorious he becomes.

Allah the Exalted recounts that Shuʿayb said to his people: “My people, give full measure and weight in justice; do not deprive people of their goods, and do not go about the land spreading corruption” (11:85). Fulfil the measure—that is, whatever you sell by volume—and the balance, meaning whatever you sell by weight; fulfil them and do not deduct anything from them.

This shows that honoring contracts is a precept found in all the divine laws, earlier and later alike. The Exalted also says: “Woe to those who give short measure—those who, when they take a measure from the people, demand it in full” (83:1-2).

“Woe” is a word of threat: Allah threatens those who give short measure, whose trait is that when the right is theirs and they measure, they insist on taking it in full. Yet when they measure or weigh for others they give less—that is, when the obligation is on them and they measure or weigh for others, they reduce it, short-changing both the measure and the balance. Thus they wrong people from both sides: they demand fairness in what benefits them, but cheat in what concerns others. Such a person is the short-measurer. And although this verse