Dbq essay- comparing and contrasting muslim and christian attitudes towards commerce

Using the documents and your understanding of world history, compare and
contrast the attitudes of Christianity and Islam toward merchants and trade
from the religions’ origins until 1450.
In your response, you should do the following:
In your response, you should do the following:
• Thesis: Present a thesis that makes a historically defensible claim and responds to all parts of
the question. It may be one or more sentences located in one place, either the introduction or
conclusion.
• Use of the Documents: Utilize the content of at least 6 documents to support the stated thesis
or relevant argument.
• Sourcing the Documents: Explain the significance of author’s point of view, author’s purpose,
historical context, and/or audience for at least four documents.
• Contextualization: Situate the argument by explaining the broader historical events,
developments, or processes immediately relevant to the question.
• Outside Evidence: Provide an example or additional piece of evidence beyond those found in
the documents to support or qualify the argument.
• Analysis: Demonstrate a complex understanding of the historical development that is the focus
of the prompt, using evidence to corroborate, modify or qualify an argument that addresses the
question.
Document 1
Source: Christian Bible, New Testament (Matthew), c. 70-80 CE
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the
kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
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Document 4
Source: Muslim Qur’an, c. 620-650 CE
Oy ye believers! Devour not each other’s property among yourselves unlawfully save that be trading
by mutual consent.
Woe to the cheaters! Who, when they take measure of their dues from men, take it fully; and when
they measure out to others or weigh out for them, they give less than is due.
And give full measure when you measure out and weigh with true balance. This is fair and better in
the end.
If the two parties speak the truth and make it manifest, their transaction shall be blessed, and if
they conceal and tell a lie, the blessing of their transaction shall be obliterated.
On the day of judgement, the honest, truthful Muslim merchant will take rank with the martyrs of
the faith.
Source: Reginald, monk of Durham, The Life of St. Godric, 1170
He chose not to follow the life of a husbandsman, but rather to study, learn, and exercise the
rudiment of more subtle conceptions. For this reason, aspiring to the merchant’s trade, he began to
follow the peddler’s way of life, first learning how to gain in small bargains and things of
insignificant price; and to gain from things of greater expense.
Thus aspiring ever higher and higher, and yearning upward with his whole heart, at length his great
labors and cares bore much fruit of worldly gain. For he labored not only as a merchant but also as a
shipman to Denmark and Flanders and Scotland; in all which lands he found certain rare, and
therefore more precious wares which he carried to other parts wherein he knew them to be least
familiar, and coveted by the inhabitants beyond the price of gold itself; wherefore he exchanged
these wares for other coveted by men of other lands; and thus bargained most freely and
assiduously. Hence he made a great profit in all his bargains, and gathered much wealth in the
sweat of his brow; for he sold dear in one place the wares which he had brought elsewhere at a
small price. [But later] he began to yearn for solitude, and to hold his merchandise in less esteem
than before.
And now he had lived sixteen years as a merchant, and began to think of spending on charity to
God’s honor and service, the goods which he had so laboriously acquired. He therefore took the
cross as a pilgrim to Jerusalem.
Godric was now already firmly disposed to give himself entirely to God’s service. Wherefore that he
might follow Christ the more freely, he sold all of his possessions and distributed them among the
poor. For above all things he coveted the life of a hermit.
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Source: Thomas Aquinas, leading Scholastic theologian, Summa Theologica, 1273
It is written: All things ….whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you also to them. But
no man wishes to buy a thing for more than its worth. Therefore no man should sell a thing to
another man for more than its worth.
I answer that it is altogether sinful to have recourse to deceit in order to sell a thing for more than
its just price, because this is to deceive one’s neighbor so as to injure him. Hence Tully says:
Contracts should be entirely free from double dealing: the seller must not impose upon the bidder,
nor the buyer upon one that bids against him.
Therefore, if either the price exceed the quantity of the thing’ worth, or conversely, the thing
exceed the price, there is no longer the quality of justice” and consequently, to sell a thing for more
than its worth, or buy it for less than its worth, is in itself unjust and unlawful.
Now n man should sell what is not his, though he many charge for the loss he suffers.
Source: Ibn Khaldun, leading Muslim scholar, Universal History, 14th century
Commerce is the increasing of capital by buying goods and attempting to sell them at a price higher
than their cost. This is done either by waiting for a rise in the market price; or by transporting the
goods to another place where they are more keenly demanded and therefore fetch a higher price;
or, lastly, by selling them on a long-term credit basis. Commercial profit is small, relatively to the
capital invested, but if the capital is large, even a low rate of profit will produce a large total gain.
In order to achieve this increase in capital, it is necessary to have enough initial capital to pay in cash
the sellers from whom one buys goods; it is also necessary to sell for cash, as honesty is not
widespread among people. This dishonesty leads on the one hand to fraud and the adulteration of
goods, and on the other to delays on payment which diminish profits because capital remains idle
during the interval. It also induces buyers to repudiate their debts, a practice which is very injurious
to the merchant’s capital.
The manners of tradesmen are inferior to those of rulers, and far removed from manliness and
uprightness. We have already stated that traders must buy and sell and seek profits. This
necessitates flattery and evasiveness, litigation and disputation, all of which are characteristic of this
profession. And these qualities lead to a decrease and weakening in virtue and manliness. For these
acts inevitable affect the soul.
As for Trade, although it be a natural means of livelihood, yet most of the methods it employs are
tricks aimed at making a profit by securing the difference between buying and selling prices and by
appropriating surplus. Hat is why Law allows the use of such methods, which although they come
under the heading of gambling, yet do not constitute the taking without return of other people’s
goods.
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Document 7
Source: Letters to and from Italian merchants in the fourteenth century
A. Letter ordering religious paintings for sale.
A panel of Our Lady on a background of fine gold with two doors, making a fine show with good and
handsome figures by the best painter. Let there be in the center Our Lord on the Cross, or Our Lady,
whomsoever you find – I care not, so that the figures be handsome and large, the best and finest
you can purvey, and the cost no more that 5 ½ or 6 ½ florins.
You tell me you can find no pictures for the money we will pay, for there are none so cheap and
therefore we bid you, if you find no good things at a fair cost, leave them, for here there is no great
demand. They should be bought when the master artist who makes them is in need.
B. Letter from a merchant’s mother
You know God ahs granted you to acquire great riches in this world, may He be praised; and you
have borne, and are bearing great burdens. Pray toil not so hard, only for the good of strangers, let
some remembrance of your remain here and someone to pray God on your behalf. Crave not for all;
you have already enough to suffice you.
C. Letter placing an order for English wool
You say you have writ to Venice to remit us 1000 ducats with which, in the name of God and profit
you would have us buy Cotswold wool. With God always before us, we will carry out your bidding.
Source: Islamic court decision, Ankara, 17th century, representative of Turkish guild practices in the
15th and 16th centuries
[The content of this document] is that the Sah Mehmed and Haci Mehmed and others from the
weavers’ guild summoned [to court] Sakagolu Nasuh from the said guild and said in complaint:
“Whenever cotton yarn comes to [town], the aforementioned arrives, pays an extra price, and takes
it from its owner and the other weavers remain deprived [of cotton yarn]. As of old, when cotton
yarn came, we all bought it together. The aforementioned has now acted contrary to the old
custom; we do not agree to this.” The aforementioned was warned empathetically that when
cotton yharn comes once more he should not buy it alone, but rather it should be distributed
among all. Whereupon the aforementioned took it upon himself to behave in the manner said. rubric:thesis/ claim(1 pt) responds to the prompt with a historically defensible thesis/ claim that establishes a line of reasoning , must make a claim taht respond to the prompt rather restating or rephrasing the promp, must consist of one or more sentences located in one place, intro or conclusion. conteztualizing(1 point)describes a broader historical context relevant to the prompt, to earn this point the response must describe broader historical events, developments or processs that occur before, during or after the time frame of the prompt that are relevant to the topic, point is not awarded for merely a phrase or reference. evidence(3 points)support an argument in response to the prompt using at least 4 documents. use at least what additional peace of specific historical evidence (beyond that found in the document) relevant to an argument in response to the prompt. analysis and reasoning (2 points) for at least two documents explain how or why the documents point of view, purpose, historical situation and or audience is relevant to the argument, also demonstrate a complex understanding of the historical development that is the focus of the prompt through sophisticated argumentation and effective use of evidence