Medina Market Inspectors

The first implementation of the institution of market supervision (hisbah) in Islamic history took place in the Muslim market established by the Prophet Muhammad in Medina. The Messenger of Allah regularly supervised the market; he checked measuring and weighing instruments, prevented fraudulent sales, and warned buyers and sellers. One day, the Prophet Muhammad examined the stock of a grain seller. When he put his hand into the grain, he felt wetness. When he asked, "What is this?" the seller said it was wet from the rain. The Messenger of Allah then said: "Why didn't you put the wet part on top so that people could see? He who deceives us is not one of us!" This hadith is the most concise expression of Islamic market ethics. Before the death of the Prophet Muhammad, the muhtesips he appointed to supervise the Medina market were: Hz. Umar b. Khattab (Medina market), Abdullah b. Said (according to a different narration), and Semra bint Nuheyk al-Asadiyya. Semra, a female muhtesip, would walk around the market with her staff and would discipline when necessary against fraudulent behavior. During the caliphate of Hz. Umar, market supervision became more systematic. Specific individuals were appointed with the title of muhtesip, market hours and rules were organized in a certain order. Hz. Umar appointed Sa'd b. al-As to supervise the Mecca market. During the Umayyad period, the institution of muhtesip gradually became more institutionalized. The duties of the muhtesip included: checking measuring and weighing instruments; withdrawing fraudulent, spoiled, and harmful products from the market; preventing excessive price increases; ensuring the cleanliness and order of the market area; and preventing illegal types of transactions (riba, misleading sales, etc.). [Source: TDV Islamic Encyclopedia, "Hisbah" article, islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/hisbe; TDV Islamic Encyclopedia, "Muhtesib" article, islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/muhtesib; Muslim, Iman 102]