Squash the Beef Please

“None of you will have faith till he wishes for his brother what he likes for himself.”

– Our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)

Don’t go into your freezer and pull out some halal beef and start stomping on it.

The title refers to beef as in ” conflict” between two party’s.

Who have disagreements and cannot be around each other. This obviously results from grudges, jealousy and some hater elements  (peep this article I wrote). Your familiar with the term “beef” in the context I’m using it if you live in the hood or your exposed to the streets. When we say “squash the beef” we mean dead it or it’s over.

The other day I had to be the peacemaker between two halal vendors outside of my college. One owned by a 45 year Arab Muslim man, and the other by a friend of mine, who was an Afghani Muslim. My friend is about 20 years old, trying to get his halal hustle on. He actually has trouble paying bills and figured the gyros and chicken and rice plates can help him get by. He also drives taxi.

So I come out and I see this big sign ” Halal Gyros” and I ran, I hadn’t ate gyros in a while because of Ramadan and what not, so my nufsi nufsi kicked in. So as I approach the vendor, I see my friend cooking up some magic. l immediately gave my Salams and motivated him that Inshallah Allah swt gives his business much blessings and he is able to capitalize and strategize and monopolize. No chill, no monopolizing in Islam. If you know what I mean.

So we continue our conversation and he starts telling me about this vendor next to him owned by the 45 year old Arab man. Here is where the beef starts between them. They are two halal vendors on the same block literally right next to each other. Quick joke, I told my friend ” no haram beef between you guys”, you both sell halal. So my friend starts laughing but he says the arab guy told him he can’t be here and that only one is allowed outside the school.

Why can’t both be there? Your product sell’s for itself. Everyone has the freedom to sell quality product or offer quality services. So My friend get’s heated and doesn’t want to go buck wild so he see’s the cops snooping around and so he calls them over. The cops come, he pulls out his vendor paper permit and he Tell’s the cops to tell the Arab dude to stop telling me to get out of here otherwise it’s going to be a problem.

Now most Afghanis I know don’t play, so I try to calm him down and keep him in check. The cop’s didn’t ask him for donuts, they told him to be professional and just go about your business. He responds by saying ” certainly, but he dosen’t want the Arab Muslim Vendor telling him he can’t be here”. Now I’m thinking in my head, money is the “root of all evil”.

So anyhow time passes and conflict escalates even more but eventually the cops tell both my friend and the other vendor to chill out and both just stay in their respected areas. Me being the monkey in the middle I try to tell both of them that it’s not worth getting all crazy. Again some dirty language get’s exchanged and I am highly disappointing by our own Muslim Brothers fighting over something like this. I was even more annoyed by the fact that the older uncle was purposely coming over to my friend’s vendor and just standing there, adding more fuel to the fire.

What I conclude from all this is we need to be just, honest, fair, and respectful of others. Business means competition and that requires behavioral etiquette. Most of all I refer again back to the Hadith by our beloved Prophet in which he said 

“None of you will have faith till he wishes for his brother what he likes for himself” and the beautiful verse in the Holy Quran where Allah swt say’s

“The Believers, men and women, are protectors one of another: they enjoin the ma`roof (all of Islam), and forbid the munkar (all that is evil; kufr): they observe regular prayers, pay Zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger. On them will Allah pour His mercy: for Allah is Exalted in power, Wise.” (The Holy Qur’an, 9:71)

So don’t let money, jealousy, shatan or materialism destroy relationships. What brings us togetheir is far more than what brings us apart. We need understand that you get what you put in. Tie your camel and inshallah Allah swt will do the rest. Whether it’s selling halal gyro’s or selling a car. The strong survive and like Mufti Abdul Rehman Ibn Yusuf says” Do your best and Allah swt will do the rest. Aight? I’m out, Inshallah post again soon.

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