In many of my classes, whether I am teaching marketing and selling, communication skills, business and profitability, economics, or management, I encourage university students and participants from banks and companies to look beyond modern textbooks. I often ask them to examine the business life of Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) before his prophethood.

There is a practical reason for doing so. His early life provides an interesting historical case of how trade, reputation, communication, trust and relationships worked long before business schools gave these ideas modern names.

Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) was exposed to commercial life while still young. Early biographical traditions describe him accompanying his uncle Abu Talib on a trading journey towards Syria. Such journeys were not simple business trips. Merchants travelled long distances, encountered different markets, negotiated with buyers and sellers, assessed goods and prices, and depended heavily upon relationships and reputation.

He also worked as a shepherd during his younger years. At first, this may appear unrelated to business, but consider the managerial qualities involved. A shepherd has responsibility for assets entrusted to him, must remain patient, manage risk, make independent decisions and protect what belongs to others. In today’s management language, we might describe these qualities as responsibility, accountability and stewardship.

As he grew older, Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) became more directly involved in commerce. Historical accounts describe him participating in trade and acting on behalf of others in commercial transactions. His reputation for trustworthiness became particularly important because commerce at that time depended heavily upon personal credibility. There were no electronic payment systems, customer databases, credit scores or digital contracts. A trader’s name and reputation could themselves become a commercial guarantee.

This reputation eventually connected Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) with Khadijah, a prominent and successful merchant who employed people to conduct trade on her behalf. She needed individuals who could be trusted with merchandise and commercial responsibilities. Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) was entrusted with her business and undertook a trading journey towards Syria on her behalf.

From a modern business perspective, this is particularly interesting. He was being trusted with another person’s capital, merchandise and commercial interests. Today, we might connect this with the concept of agency responsibility. Whenever a manager, banker, investment professional or salesperson handles another person’s assets or interests, the principal expects the agent to act responsibly rather than misuse the position for personal advantage.

His trading experience also illustrates reputational capital. Modern companies spend enormous amounts creating brands, but a brand is ultimately a promise. Customers, suppliers and investors continue to ask one fundamental question: Can I trust you?

The commercial reputation of Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) was built through behaviour rather than advertising. This offers an important lesson for modern personal branding. Your behaviour eventually becomes your brand.

His business experience can also be examined through relationship marketing. Transactional selling asks, “How can I complete this sale?” Relationship marketing asks, “How can I create sufficient value and trust for this customer to deal with me again?” The second approach creates the foundation for sustainable business.

This principle remains highly relevant in banking. A relationship manager may successfully sell a financial product and achieve a monthly target. But if the customer later discovers that important information was not properly explained, was that really a successful sale? It may have generated short-term revenue, but from the perspective of customer lifetime value, reputation and retention, it could become a costly failure.

Effective selling, therefore, is not merely the ability to persuade. It requires listening, understanding needs, communicating clearly, keeping promises and protecting customer confidence. Modern consultative selling follows a similar idea: understand the customer before proposing the solution.

Profitability should therefore not be separated from ethics. Honesty can support repeat business. Reliability strengthens customer retention. Fair dealing creates referrals. A good reputation attracts opportunities. Ethical behaviour is not simply a moral decoration added to business; it can become part of the business model itself.

This is why I encourage my students and corporate participants to study the trading life of Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him). The marketplace has changed enormously, but some fundamentals have not. Technology changes, products change, marketing channels change and customer expectations evolve, yet credibility remains valuable.

Perhaps the most important business lesson from his commercial life before prophethood is remarkably simple: you may persuade someone to buy from you once, but only trust can make them willing to do business with you again.