الكَسبُ
EARNINGS
أطيَبُ الكَسبِ / The Best of Earnings
1ـ رسولُ اللهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): إنَّ أطيَبَ الكَسبِ كَسبُ التُّجّارِ الذينَ إذا حَدَّثُوا لم يَكذِبُوا، وإذا ائتُمِنُوا لم يَخُونُوا، وإذا وَعَدُوا لم يُخلِفُوا، وإذا اشتَرَوا لم يَذُمُّوا، وإذا باعُوا لم يُطرُوا، وإذا كانَ علَيهِم لم يَمطُلُوا، وإذا كانَ لَهُم لَم يُعَسِرُوا.
1– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘The best of earnings is the earning of traders who when they speak they do not lie, when they are entrusted with something they do not betray, when they promise they do not breach, when they buy they do not defame
[the goods], when they sell they do not praise
[their own goods], when they are in debt they do not delay its repayment, and if they are owed
[money] they do not force
[their debtor].’
[Kanz al-`Ummal, no. 9340-9341]
2ـ رسولُ اللهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): أطيَبُكَسبِ المُسلمِ سَهمُهُ في سَبيلِاللّهِ.
2– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘The best
[legitimate] earning of a Muslim is his share earned through striving on the path of Allah.’
[Kanz al-`Ummal, no. 10516]
الحَثُّ عَلَى التَّكَسُّبِ بِاليَدِ / Encouragement of Earning through One’s Own Labour
الكَسبُ
EARNINGS
3ـ داوود (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ لَمّا مَرَّ بِإسكافٍ ـ: يا هذا اِعمَلْ وكُل، فَإنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ مَن يَعمَلُ ويَأكُلُ، ولا يُحِبُّ مَن يَأكُلُ ولا يَعمَلُ.
3– Prophet David (AS), when he walked past a shoemaker said, ‘O person, work and eat, for Allah loves the one who works and eats, and does not love those who eat and do not work.’
[Tanbih al-Khawatir, v. 1, p. 42]
4ـ رسولُ اللهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): ما أكَلَ أحَدٌ طَعاماً قطُّ خَيراً مِن أن يَأكُلَ مِن عَمَلِ يَدِهِ، وإنّ نَبيَّ اللّهِ داوودَ كانَ يَأكُلُ مِن عَمَلِ يَدِهِ.
4– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘There is absolutely no food better consumed than consuming from the earnings of one’s own hand, and the prophet of Allah, David (AS) would eat from the labour of his hand.’
[Kanz al- ‘Ummal, no. 9223]
5ـ رسولُ اللهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): خَيرُ الكَسبِ كَسبُ يَدَيِ العامِلِإذا نَصَحَ.
5– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘The best earning is that of the hands of a worker if he is faithful.’
[Jami`a al-Ahadith, p. 76]
6ـ كانَ أميرُ المؤمنينَ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) يَخرُجُ في الهاجِرَةِ في الحاجَةِ قد كُفِيَها يُريدُ أن يَراهُ اللّهُ تعالى يُتعِبُ نفسَهُ في طَلَبِ الحَلالِ.
6– It is narrated in Man La Yahzuruhu al-Faqih: ‘The Commander of the Faithful (AS) would leave in the midday heat to work, wanting Allah, most High to see him tiring himself out in acquiring a lawful earning.’
[al-Faqih, v. 3, p. 163, no. 3596]
7ـ الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إنَّ أميرَ المؤمنينَ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) أعتَقَ ألفَ مَملوكٍ مِن كَدِّ يَدِهِ.
7– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘The Commander of the Faithful (AS) freed one thousand slaves as a result of what he earned with his own hands’ labour.’
[al-Tahdhib, v. 6, p. 326, no. 3595]
8ـ عن الفَضل بن أبي قُرَّةَ: دَخَلنا على أبي عبدِاللّهِ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) وهُو يَعمَلُ في حائطٍ لَهُ، فقُلنا: جَعَلَنا اللّهُ فِداكَ، دَعْنا نَعمَلْ لكَ أو تَعمَلْهُ الغِلمانُ، قالَ: لا، دَعُوني فإنّي أشتَهي أن يَرانيَ اللّهُ عَزَّوجلَّ أعمَلُ بِيَدي وأطلُبُ الحلالَ في أذى نَفسِي.
8- Al-Fazl b. Abi Qurra narrated, ‘We walked into the presence of Abu `Aabdillah
[al-Sadiq] (AS) and he was working at fixing his wall, so we said, ‘May Allah sacrifice us for you, let us work for you, or let the servants do it.’ He said, ‘No, let me be, for I desire for Allah to see me working with my hands and earning a lawful livelihood through tiring my own self.’
[al-Faqih, v. 3, p. 163 no. 3595]
المَكاسِبُ المَذمومَةُ / Disparaged Earnings
9ـ الإمامُ الكاظمُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) جاء رجلٌ إلى النبيّ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) فقال: يا رسولَ اللّهِ قد عَلَّمتُ ابني هذا الكتابَ ففي أيِّ شيءٍ اُسَلِّمُهُ ؟ فقالَ ـ: سَلِّمْهُ للّهِ أبوكَ، ولا تُسَلِّمْهُ في خَمسٍ: لا تُسَلِّمْهُ سَيّاءً، ولا صايغاً، ولا قَصّاباً، ولا حَنّاطاً، ولا نَخّاساً. فقالَ: يا رسولَ اللّهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ)، وما السَّيّاءُ ؟ قالَ: الذي يَبيعُ الأكفانَ ويَتَمَنّى مَوتَ اُمَّتي، ولَلمَولُودُ مِن اُمَّتي أحَبُّ إلَيَّ ممّا طَلَعَت علَيهِ الشَّمسُ، وأما الصائغُ فإنّهُ يُعالِجُ غَبنَ اُمّتي، فأمّا القَصّابُ فإنّهُ يَذبَحُ حتّى تَذهَبَ الرَّحمَةُ مِن قَلبِهِ، وأمّا الحَنَّاطُ فإنّهُ يَحتَكِرُ الطَّعامَ على اُمَّتي، ولَإن يَلقَى اللّهُ العَبدَ سارِقاً أحَبُ إليَّ مِنأن يَلقاهُ قدِ احتَكَرَ طَعاماً أربَعينَ يَوماً. وأمّا النَّخّاسُ فإنّهُ أتاني جَبَرئيلُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) فقالَ: يا محمّدُ، إنَّ شِرارَ اُمَّتِكَ الذينَ يَبيعُونَ النّاسَ.
9– The Prophet (SAWA), when a person asked him, ‘I taught my son this book, so to whom should I hand him over
[as an apprentice]?’ replied, ‘For the sake of Allah, hand him over to your father, but
[whatever you do] do not hand him over to five people: Do not give him to a sayya’, nor a goldsmith, nor a butcher, nor a wheat-seller, and nor a slave trader.’
So he asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah (SAWA), what is a sayya’?’ He replied, ‘One who sells shrouds for the dead, wishing death for the people of my community, and indeed I love the births of my community more than all that the sun shines on. As for the goldsmith, he deals with the cheating of my community. The butcher is one who slaughters such that mercy is erased from his heart. The wheat-seller monopolizes the food of my community, and it is more liked by me for a servant to meet Allah as a thief than to meet Him having a monopoly of food for forty days. As for the slave trader, Gabriel (AS) came to me and said, ‘O Muhammad, the most evil of your community are those who sell people.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 103, p. 77, no. 1]