The Secret to the Business of Prophet Muhammad's Richest Companion: Sustained Prosperity

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia — Mecca has produced many great merchants and entrepreneurs. Moreover, Mecca is also a trade route connecting China and Europe. It is not surprising that many wealthy people have emerged in this city.

There was Khadijah bint Khuwailid, the wife of Prophet Muhammad, who had a business network reaching Egypt. Then, Prophet Muhammad himself, who also had a business in Mecca. However, among the many wealthy people, the name Abdurrahman bin Auf is perhaps the most outstanding. This is because the companion of Prophet Muhammad became the wealthiest person in Mecca.

Abdurrahman was one of the early followers of Islam who was invited by Abu Bakar as-Shidiq. He converted to Islam along with Utsman bin Affan, Zubair bin Awwam, Thalhan bin Ubaidillah, and Sa’ad bin Abi Waqqash.

After converting to Islam, he was always loyal to the Prophet in every activity. In his spare time, Abdurrahman would engage in trade. He chose this profession because it was more flexible than being a farmer in Mecca. When visiting other cities, he could conduct trade and make a profit.

In the research paper “The Business Concept of Abdurrohman Bin ’Auf Radiyallahu ’Anh Reviewed from Fiqih Muamalah and History” (2022), the secret to his trading was always staying away from prohibited things. He never took out loans and always traded according to his skills and knowledge.

In addition, he was not greedy. When he received money, he always used it for beneficial purposes, such as giving charity to family and those in need.

He also never sold goods on credit because he considered it riba (usury). Most importantly, he never underestimated small profits. For him, whether large or small, it was still a profit and should be seen as the goods being sold out.

Thanks to all these efforts, he had abundant wealth.

It is not known exactly how much Abdurrahman’s wealth was, but judging from his charity, it can be seen how large his wealth was. It is recorded that he once sold land for 1,000 dinars and distributed 500 horses and 1,500 camels to Muslims who would fight.

Even when he was nearing the end of his life, he bequeathed 500,000 dinars and 400,000 dinars to each person who fought in the Battle of Badr. So, how much was his total wealth?

If converted to today’s value, 1 dinar is equivalent to IDR 54,699. If Abdurrahman once donated 500,000 dinars + 400,000 dinars + 1,000 dinars, it means he had IDR 901,000 dinars.

If multiplied by IDR 48,000, then his total donation is IDR 49,283,799,000.

Meanwhile, for the price of horses and camels, it can be assumed that the price of a horse is IDR 25 million and the price of a camel is IDR 20 million. If calculated: 500 horses x IDR 25 million: IDR 12,500,000,000. Then camels 1500 x IDR 20 million: IDR 30,000,000,000. So, if totaled, his total donation reached IDR 85,748,000,000.

Of course, this calculation is not precise because it is based on today’s exchange rate. However, this does not negate the fact that Abdurrahman bin Auf was the wealthiest companion of Prophet Muhammad.