Merchants were linchpins in the development of prosperous cities, catalysts for the cultural blending of races and religions, and driving forces behind pre-Industrial Revolution economies. Especially in the cultural melting pot that was the Middle East, merchants played as large a role as any in everyday life. Interestingly, two major religions – Christianity and Islam – had separate, and somewhat harsh feelings towards merchants and their place in society. Christianity believed that merchants must trade in the name God, and always sacrifice personal profit for the assistance of the needy. Islam was skeptical of merchants, but only due to the nature of their profession. Islam, more than Christianity, understood that trading is a livelihood,…show more content… Mentioned earlier, both religions frowned upon the usage of deceit in order to obtain riches. However, only one religion completely denounced profit. Christianity was so opposed to personal monetary interests that it discouraged merchants from achieving any profit from a trade. Noted above, Thomas Aquinas believed that profits were unnecessary and immoral, and that if any were made, they should be given away. Christianity implored merchants to surrender their earnings to the needy. Potentially due to its core belief that everyone must be loved, Christianity focused on communal benefits when determining the role of merchants. A letter in Document 6 to an Italian merchant from his mother says “crave not for all; you already have enough to suffice you!” Moreover, in Document 3, St. Godric was viewed as honorable for his distributions to the poor which he “laboriously acquired.” By assisting the poor, the author (a monk), believed that Godric could “follow Christ more freely” now that he had “firmly disposed himself to God’s service.” In contrast, Islam did not pressure merchants into giving to the poor. Islam believed that merchants should not be penalized for their work, and despite its motives, profit-making was a necessity for many hard workers. Islam was still weary of merchants, but did not impose the strict unspoken rules that affected
