(www.tumasiktradenetwork.org)
On Wednesday, 21/11/2012, the Dinar and
Dirham Exchange Booth was opened and within a few days since the launch,
three traders agreed to accept payment in Dinar and Dirham. One was
White Cat Inc’s neighbor who sells keris (Malay Art Gallery – House of
Keris), another a bicycle rental shop (WSS – Outside The Sleepy Kiwi
backpackers’ hostel) and the third, a tailor (Rose Dafea). They are all
on Bussorah Street.
This is a sign that there is immense
barakah in this work through which Allah is uniting the hearts of the
Muslim traders in Kampong Glam. Kampong Glam used to be an Islamic area
where the royalty and aristocracy used to live and gather. The Istana
(palace) was at Kampong Glam and the mosque, shop houses of residence
and marketplace were all at Kampong Glam. It was a place which gathered
the Muslims.
Now it has become a place of tourist
attraction. The market area now rests on Capitalist foundations. There
is high rent charged on traders (who are allocated permanent lots to
trade) due to landlords who want to earn off the mere ownership of land,
which becomes unlawful in Islam when it functions as a market. In the
fiqh, a marketplace is supposed to be on waqf property and no rent is
charged for traders and anyone is allowed to come into the market and
trade as long as there is space. Due to the secular modernist kafir
culture, now, the once waqf land of Kampong Glam has been privatised and
adding on to, that there is also other haram elements there. For
example, firewater is served right in front of the mosque by one
despicable Turkish trader. There is firewater served at a number of
other restaurants and clubs around Kampong Glam.
However, the most important element of
the market is the money. The money that flows in the marketplace is like
the blood in the body. Halal and clean money must first be established
so that the marketplace founded on sound shari’ah rulings can follow.
Then other foundational elements of muamalah can fall in place one by
one.
In this respect, first of all, traders
in Kampong Glam must accept halal and shari’ah currency. The three
traders, within a few days since the launch, having come forward
willingly to accept the coins produced by WIM as payment, is a sign from
Allah that Kampong Glam is undergoing change to please Allah; that
halal money is beginning to flow in the market like clean blood coming
into a diseased body to refresh the old blood.
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Soon haram elements will insha Allah
begin to disappear one by one. Insha Allah all the traders will soon
accept Dinar and Dirham as payment. Allah is Al-Lateef and the subtlety
of this change and what great changes it will cause or force to follow
only time will tell. Because the change is for Allah, the immense
barakah and reward in this place will begin to unfold one by one.
Jamal Kazura Aromatics, Bushra Café,
Global Ikhwan restaurant, Café Rouge, and a number of other textile and
clothing stores were interested to hear about the coins and responded
positively when the TTN team went around visiting the shops. They are
positive even though they have not yet accepted the coins as payment.
That is enough for now. May Allah enlighten their hearts and our hearts
and join our hearts in the establishment of His Deen.
MediaCorp personnel who visited Arab
Street to interview a particular old trader who sells hats and baskets
in one of the streets, stumbled upon us while asking directions and we
soon spoke to them about the Dinar and Dirham. They are now interested
to make a small video report on this interesting change that is
occurring in Kampong Glam.
Three madrasah students came to know
about the booth while strolling Bussorah street and bought two coins
just to spend them and experience what people think is primitive and not
practical. They said it is something which is easy and not as difficult
as critics make it seem. Another three ladies came to the booth and
bought a number of coins. They were so excited to use the coins that
they walked into a shop and enquired whether the coins are accepted as
payment there and when they were told no, they decided not to sit there.
This was very surprising to me. Their fervour in advancing this cause
is far greater than TTN activists, I thought.
“Their fervour in advancing this cause is far greater than TTN activists..”
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Another trader came to exchange his
coins back to fiat. This privilege is given to traders only, those who
accept the coins as payment in their shop. We exchanged his coins
without any deduction. Though we offer buy-back services there at the
booth to traders, we discourage them from selling the coins back to us
because this will stop the circulation of the coins. Money is meant to
be circulated. It is meant for payment. However, we offer such a service
so that TTN traders will know that TTN is sincere and we do this for
Allah.
We call on all our readers to come visit
us at Bussorah street during our opening hours and also take active
part in visiting the shops to speak about the coins and the booth.
hasbullah.shafi@gmail.com
