Journal of Imamiyyah Studies

Journal of Imamiyyah Studies

Examination and Analysis of Hadiths Attributing the Rising Prices of Goods to God

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
samaneh ramazan zadeh 1
mohsen rafat 2
hamidreza sarvarian 2
1 MA student, Quran and Hadith Sciences, Hazrat Masoumeh University, Qom, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Department of Quranic and Hadith Sciences, Hazrat Masoumeh University, Qom, Iran
10.22034/jis.2025.430202.1924
Abstract
The high cost of goods is a phenomenon that has always caused suffering for the masses. Some of the hadith reports in the Shiite tradition attribute the rising prices of goods solely to God as the cause. These hadiths, in one sense, suggest a form of determinism, while on the other hand, they appear to be inconsistent with reality. This article seeks to examine the sources of these hadiths and also to analyze their implications. The present study, employing a descriptive-analytical approach and library-based methodology, concludes that these reports are not flawed in terms of their chain of transmission, but they can be subject to different interpretations in terms of their content. Among these interpretations are: that the pricing of goods is often determined by God; that since not only human existence, but all human power and ability, comes from God, any increase in prices caused by humans is, in a way, also attributed to God; or that considering the historical and geographical context in which the hadiths were issued, these reports were a prohibition against officials setting prices under normal circumstances. Therefore, these hadiths do not aim to deny other causes or contradict economic principles and rules. Instead, they highlight both the ontological and legislative roles of God in the rise in prices, demonstrating the influence of divine decree in this regard.
Keywords
price
expensiveness
cheapness
hoarding
Subjects
The Noble Quran.
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