Benefits of the Hadith: (Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Prices rose in Madinah during the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) . . . ).

The Shaykh : From this hadith, several benefits can be derived:
First: That high prices are a cause of anxiety, meaning the anxiety and distress of the people, and this is indeed the case because of the scarcity of food they entail.
Branching from this benefit is that low prices bring ease and relaxation for the people. However, know that low prices can sometimes be a harm to others. But the criterion is the general benefit. For example, low prices in products may harm whom? The producers. But the general public benefits from it, and general benefits take precedence over specific benefits. Do you not see that rain is considered a mercy from Allah, and people rejoice in it, yet it may be a harm to some people, is it not so?
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : It may be a harm, such as for a farmer who does not like rain because he has just given his crop its final watering. If he gives it its final watering, the crop may be harmed by the water that follows. Or a person may have built a structure that has not yet dried, so when the rain comes, it harms him and destroys his building, among other matters where rain is a harm. But this is a forgivable harm, because it is small compared to the general benefit. Is that clear, everyone?
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : Now, among the benefits of the hadith is that the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) complained to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about matters that worried them, hoping that he would address them himself or through supplication to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He).
: This was a request to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to address this situation. With what?
The student: Supplication.

The Shaykh : By supplicating to Allah. Here, the Companions requested that the situation be addressed by the action of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but the Messenger disclaimed that.
And among the benefits of the hadith is the affirmation that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is the One in whose hand are all affairs, and no one else, as He said: . This is said by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who is the most deserving of people to have some control over affairs, if any of the created beings had any control. So if this is negated for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), it is even more negated for others. Accordingly, it is not permissible for a person to attach his heart to anyone except Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He).
And among the benefits of the hadith is describing Allah as the One who sets prices, because setting prices is a type of His action (Glorified and Exalted is He). He is the One who sets the prices of things and determines their value by the causes He decrees. We mentioned earlier the causes of high prices, which are three. What are they? An increase in population, second: a decrease in the harvest, and third: greed and avarice.
Now, and among the benefits of the hadith is describing Allah (Mighty and Majestic) as the Withholder and the Expander, as He said: .
And among the benefits of the hadith is also describing Him as the Provider. Are these descriptions because they are types of His actions, or are they names?
It is possible that they are names among the names of Allah, because the definite article "al" has entered them. And it is possible that they are descriptions, because they are types of action, like laughing, anger, displeasure, and satisfaction, and the like. So they are types of action and are not among the names of Allah. For this reason, none of the names of Allah, nothing from them, has come in the Qur'an except in the form of a verb: . As for "al-Raziq" (the Provider), it came in His saying: . But "al-Raziq" here is different from that, because He said: , and the one who grants preference is not the one who is granted preference. But it came in the Qur'an as a name in the form of "al-Razzaq" (the Bestower of Provision). There is a difference between "al-Raziq" and "al-Razzaq," because "al-Razzaq" is a relational form and a form of exaggeration, unlike "al-Raziq."
And among the benefits of the hadith is the prohibition of setting prices, as he said: . This indicates that setting prices is injustice because it involves monopolizing the price. If the ruler sets a price and says, "It is not to be sold except for such and such," there is no doubt that this involves monopolization, because the costs of things may rise and sellers may need to increase the price. And all of this is in the hand of Allah. But there is a detail in this:
If the cause of high prices is the monopolization and greed of people, then it is obligatory for the ruler to set prices.
And if the cause of high prices is an increase in population or a decrease in the harvest, this is not the action of a human being, so it is not permissible for the ruler to set prices. Rather, he must provide what the people need if he is able to do so. So on this basis, we say—yes, before we state this detail—
If someone asks: What is your evidence that if the cause of high prices is the monopolization of people, then setting prices is permissible?
We said: Our evidence is the hadith that follows, from Ma'mar ibn 'Abd Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: . And if only the wrongdoer monopolizes, this indicates that monopolization is forbidden, because the wrongdoer commits sin intentionally, and the one who errs commits sin unintentionally. For this reason, the one who errs is excused and the wrongdoer is punished. Allah the Exalted said in Surat al-'Alaq: , and He said: . The active participle from: is "mukhtai'" (one who errs), because it is a quadriliteral root, and the active participle from "kha'ita" (to err) is "mukhtai'." So the wrongdoer is sinful, and the one who errs is not sinful.
So the monopolizer is a wrongdoer who is sinful. And if he is sinful, it is obligatory that we remove this sin. So if the cause of high prices is the monopolization of the rich, it is obligatory to set prices against them, and it is not permissible to give them freedom to monopolize.
Now, so what is the case with setting prices? There is a detail: if its cause is the monopolization of the rich, setting prices is obligatory.
If its cause is an increase in population or a decrease in the harvest, then setting prices is forbidden, because this is not the action of anyone, but rather the action of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).