RAMAZAN arrives each year not merely as a change in routine, but as a moral reminder. It asks believers to pause, to overcome desire, and to re-examine the way they live, earn and treat others. Fasting is only its outward expression; its deeper purpose lies in nurturing honesty, compassion and a heightened sense of responsibility in every sphere of life, including the marketplace.

It is, therefore, deeply troubling that the arrival of Ramazan in Pakistan is so often accompanied by practices that contradict its very spirit. Hoarding, artificial shortages and price escalation of basic food items have become almost predictable features of the holy month.

While trading itself is lawful and even encouraged in Islam, exploiting necessity is not. Commerce, as per religious teachings, is not a licence to profit without conscience; it is a trust for which one is answerable. Believers are commanded to give full measure and weight with justice, and not to deprive people of what is right-fully theirs. This guidance extends far beyond the weighing scale.

When essential goods are deliberately withheld or prices are inflated simply because demand is high, the transaction may remain legal, but it ceases to be ethical. The religion does not reject profit, nor does it romanticise poverty. What it insists upon is balance. Individual gain must never come at the cost of collective suffering.

The religion cautions against any form of manipulation, deception or exploitation. When traders take advantage of Ramazan to maximise margins on flour, dates, oil, etc., they undermine not only social trust, but also the ethical foundations that the religion seeks to build. In its true spirit, Ramazan is also a lesson in self-discipline.

The true believer refrains from what is otherwise lawful in obedience to a higher moral calling. If restraint can be exercised at the dining table, it can surely be exercised at the cash counter.

True piety is not confined to the mosque or the fast; it is reflected in our everyday dealings, especially in cases where power and vulnerability intersect.

The responsibility, of course, does not rest with traders alone. Consumers, too, have a role to play by resisting panic buying, discouraging exploitative practices, and supporting those who conduct business with integrity. Markets are shaped not only by sellers, but by the collective choices made by society. When fairness is rewarded and greed is shunned, ethical conduct tends to become a sustainable social characteristic.

History shows that societies do not decline only through grand injustices; they also decline through the quiet normali-sation of small moral compromises. Ramazan offers a chance to reverse that drift, to realign economic behaviour with moral purpose. When prices are fair, supplies remain accessible, and surplus is shared with those in need, the marketplace itself becomes a space of virtue, not merely transaction.

As the holy month unfolds, it is worth asking whether our commercial conduct reflects the values we claim to actually uphold. Let this Ramazan be more than a ritual of abstinence. Let markets across Pakistan reflect mercy in this Ramazan. Let our transactions reflect honesty, And, indeed, let our pursuit of livelihood reflect consciousness of divine accountability.

M. Shaban Uppal
Lahore

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2026