show me the (halal) money

8/13/2019 Show Me the (Halal) Money

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Selected Prophetic adthand narrationsm h a Imms h Isami impaiv k

a gag i mm ak m h bk

al-aththu alal-Tijrah wal-inahof:

Imm Ab Bak Amb. Mamma a-Kha a-Bagh

a-aba(. 311h)

Translation and Commentary by

Abu Eesa Niamatullah

Business and IndustryGet Involved


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Introduction

A number of books have been written by scholars past and present to encourage theearning of allincome as well as to refute those who claimed it was better not towork and trust in Allah, restricting oneself to ibdahand nothing else.

The most famous of these books is a short treatise called al-aththu alal-Tijrahwal-inah wal-Amal wal-Inkru al man yadda al-Tawakkul f tarkl-Amal wal-ujjatualayhim f dhlik (Encouraging Business, Industry and Employment, and a refutationof those who claim that abandoning work is Trust in God and the proof againstthem).

The book was witten by Imm Ab Bak b. Mammad al-Khalll, the main stdentof Imm Ab Bak al-Madh who himself was the top disciple of Imm Amed b.

anbal, the leade of the last fo main schools in Islamic law - ramatullhi alayhimajman.

In o moden age, disged as it is by a global cedit cnch, the sciptalinjunctions on avoiding rib (interest) and gharar (excessive uncertainty) take onadded meaning. Moeove, this teaty itself is paticlaly petinent to the ealityfaced by Mslims in the West, who by vite of thei citizenship ae sometimesaffoded a choice between secing gainfl employment o claiming state benets.

The excellence of Imm Ab Bak b. Mammad al-Khallls wok is seen in thestatement by the edito of the book itself Shaykh Abdl-Fatt Ab Ghddahraimahullh who commented on the excellence of its selection of Prophetic adth,the statements of the majo Imms of the past on the sbject, and the examples oftheir practice.

As with all early texts, it follows the style of a book of adth that is written forscholas, complete with its vaios chains and naatos. What follows ae aselection of the narrations included in the book, both Prophetic and those of theImms themselves. The adthare referenced to indicate their authenticity as perthe jdgement of Shaykh Abdl-Fatt and othe Muaddithn.

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Abu Bakr Amed b. Muammad b. Hrn al-Khalll said:

Ab Bak al-Madh1narrated to us that he heard a man say to AbuAbdllh2raimahullh, My eanings ae adeqate fo me.

He said,

Sik h mak, maiai is kiship a sp hm.

CommentaryNote the eloqence of Imm Ameds statementand the conciseness and comprehensiveness ofhis speech, as was the nom fom the Immsof the Salaf 3.

In this statement, Imm Amed is advising theman to move beyond having an adeqatelifestyle but rather encouraging him to seekincrease in his business so that he can earnmoreallincome, feeing him to fll manyother important obligations such as spendingtime maintaining his family ties, as well asusing the extra money he earns on his directand extended family, an action we know is mostencoaged in Islm.

1.He was the main stdent of Imm Amed b. anbal and the naato of many of the epots in this book.2.Ab Abdllh Amed b. Mammad b. anbal b. Hill b. Asad al-Shaybn o othewise known as Imm Amedb. anbal, Shaykhl-Islm, leader of the Muaddithn, atho of the magnicent adthcollection the Musnad ImmAmedcontaining ove 27,000 naations, fonde of the 4th School of Islmic Law and qite simply the Imm ofAhll-Sunnah wal-Jamah. He passed away 241h. Evey time the title/kunyahAb Abdllh is mentioned in thistext, it efes to Imm Amed.3.The st thee blessed geneations of pios and ightly-gided Imms in the histoy of Islm as paised inadvance by the Prophetallallhu alayhi wa sallam

ABOuT THE AuTHOr

The atho of this book is the Imm, al-,al-Faqh, the Leade of the anbilahandthei Imm in his time, Ab Bak Amed b.Mammad b. Hn b. Yazd al-Baghdd

al-anbal al-Khalll. He was bon 234h o235h and it is qite possible that he met ImmAmed, althogh he leant hisqhfom ImmAmeds companions, paticlaly fom ImmAmeds main stdent, Ab Bak al-Madh.He sought knowledge travelling to Persia, theShm(modern day Palestine, Jordan, Syria andLebanon) egion and thoghot the AabianPeninsula and then settled to write some of themost seminal woks of the anbal madh-hab.He was consideed the st to actally codifythe madh-haband preserve and promote theanbal school of thoght in an oganisedwritten fashion.

He passed away in the month of Rab al-Awwal,311h, and it is said that he was bied next tohis teache Ab Bak al-Madh, at the footof the gave of Imm Amed, raimahumullh.

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Ab Bak al-Madh naated to s, I head Ab Abdllh say,

I hav cmma hm - maig myhi - ak s gig h makand getting invlved in business. It has beenarra frm ishah frm h Prph

(allallhu alayhi wa sallam) ha h sai,

I h bs a ma has a is mha hih h has a. 4

4. The adthhas been collected in the Musnadof Imm Amed 31:6, the Sunanof Ab Dwd 210:15, the SunanofIbn Mjah 5:4, and theJmi of al-Timidh 406:2, and it is athentic.

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5.Please note that when you see b. in a name sch as hee with Mammad b.al-sayn, it is efeing toibn or more accurately bin which means son of. It is common practice in transliteration to denote it with b.6.Muannaf Ibn Ab Shaybah, 22620

Mammad b. al-sayn5naated to me that Fal b. Ziyd told them,

I head Ab Abdllh enjoin people to the maket saying,

H x i is b m hs.

CommentaryImm Ameds statement hee eminds s of the statement of Sayyidunuma b. al-Khab(raiyAllhu anhu):

I i as a his mm, hav bm pp h pp.6

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7. Al-Khab al-Baghdd said abot him in Trkh Baghdd461:8, He was fom the pios woshippes and fomthe most accurate scholars of sacred tradition (Muaddithn).

Zakaiyy b. Yay Ab Yay al-Nqid7narrated to me, I asked Abu

Abdllh raimahullh, I work in leasing and now my parents want me toopen p a shop to wok ot of.

He said,

G a shp h. th i aas bas, pp i b sik .

I said to him, Bt its had wok and my patne doesnt do his fai shae.

He said,

th giv him i.

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CommentaryThis statement alldes to the benets of nning ones own bsiness. By woking fo yoself, yowill be able to choose your own schedule and, as a result, make the best decisions for yourself. Theexperience of the pious predecessors, and what many of us can attest to, is the freedom that arisesfom being able to decide ones own schedle whethe that means being able to pay ove a deceasedfriend or relative as soon as the word gets in, to follow theirjanzah, and to attend their burial without

having to woy abot getting back to wok. Likewise, yo will have the feedom to visit the sick at anytime and partake in many other blessed acts of ibdahthat one wold nd difclt to do if they aeemployed by someone else and/o if they ae esticted by the tems of thei employment. Zakaiyy b.Yay explained that this advice is an encoagement fo people to wok and get involved in commece.

The nal statement th giv him imeans to remind him of his obligations and ifthat fails, then to hold him to account and if necessary, ask him to leave the business.

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Ab Bak al-Madh naated to s that he said to Ab Abdllh, What

did Sfyn al-Thaw go to Yemen fo?

He said,

H bsiss a m Mama.th sai h ha 100 dnrsb i is m

sa ha h ha 70.6

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CommentaryWe know that Sfyn al-Thaw is one of theleaders of Ahll-Sunnah, an ascetic from thesenio Imms of the past. He wold tavelregularly in the path of knowledge and teaching.

In this naation, Imm Amed wishes to bingo attention to the fact that even Sfyn al-Thaws dedication to knowledge did not stophim fom eaning a living. Indeed Sfyn al-Thaw emphasised this fact by insisting thatit wasrstlya matter of business that broughthim to Yemen and secondly to meet Mamab. rshid al-Ba al-Yemeni al-ann9, thefamous Muaddith, despite his immense status.

It is interesting to note the different jobs that

the ealy scholas paticipated in. Imm al-Dhahab naates in his Siyarthat when Sfynal-Thaw went to Baah, he took p the task oflooking after its abundant gardens. At anothertime when Sfyn al-Thaw tavelled toYemen, he was sent with 4000 dirhamsto investas a Murib(fund manager) through a contractof Murabah(entepene-managementpatneship). Whilst in Makkah, it is epotedthat he even took to baking (although it seemsnot very successfully!).

Sufyn Al-tHAwr

Imm Sfyn b. Sad b. Masq al-Thaw wasfom Kfah, Iq. He was bon 97h and so histime was the second century of the Hijrah.Shaykhl-Islm, he was considered by someto be more capable inqhthan the founders

of the four madh-habsthemselves and wasconsideed moe pocient in adth whichwas his primary love and specialty than eventhe most senior adthscholars. It is said thathe would never hear anything except that hewold memoise it. Of him, the geat schola

Abdllh b. al-Mbak said, There is not

a single person on the face of theearh mr klgabl haS.Shak said, w sa S b h Prf f G agais His

servants (creatin).He passed away in161h, raimahullh tal.

6 9.He passed away in 153h raimahullhu tala.


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) It was naated to me by Mammad b. Am b. Mkam who said, I head

Abl-asan al-Zhid say, A man asked Sfyn b. uyaynah,

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Can a manstill be azhidand yet he has 100 dnrs? Yes, he eplied. And howsthat? he asked.

He said,

If his alh crass h s bcmprss by ha, a if i icrass h

desnt get delighted by that, and he desntha i bas big spaa mhis ah.

CommentaryA zhid refers to a person who practiseszuhdwhich could be translated as abstinence from the

delights of this worldly life, or asceticism. Such a person acts with great temperance and disciplinewhen it comes to daily lxies and exhibits the highest level of self-contol ot of a desie fo havingsuch delights reserved for him in the khirah. Zuhdis itself a science that has many aspects, open tothe subjectivity of its practitioners.

This narration brings up an important point for us to contemplate. The perception that one cannot bereligious or pious and simultaneously wealthy is strangely common, despite the fact that a basicstudy of the biographies of the founding fathers of this religion will teach us otherwise.

Sfyn al-Thaw had an inteesting statement abot this when he said, I prefer that the

ppl f klg alays hav sufci alh, fr hy arafic mr rgularly a h ppls gus ag mr frlyih sp hm.11

Hee Sfyn al-Thaw is efeing to the fact that the scholas ae pesected amongst people andae often pshed to ee thei lands becase of thei efsal to toe the line of oppession as wasexpeienced by Sfyn al-Thaw himself. It is also ndestood that the moe stats an individal has,the more normal folk will wish them to fall in status whether willingly or unwillingly jealousyand envy are key to this as well as the generally higher standards expected from the scholars. In thisegad, Sfyn al-Thaw believed that taking benets, living off stipends, o accepting chaity ae

shameful and humiliating actions for a scholar to engage in.

Wallh alam.

10. The second of the two geat and most famos Sfyns, raimahumallh.11.Siyarl-Alm, 254:77


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It was naated to s fom Al b. al-sayn b. Hn who said, Mammad

b. Mammad al-A said that sayn b. Al b. al-Aswad mentionedto him on the athoity of ubayd b. Ms who said, I head Sfyn al-Thaw say,

wah i ims is a ap. 8

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CommentaryImm al-Dhahab ecoded on the athoity of rawwd b. al-Ja that Sfyn said, walhs b isik bak i h a, b i im i is h shi h Biv.

It has also been narrated that a man once saw a number of dnrsin the hands of Sfyn and said to

him, What ae yo doing with sch money?! Sfyn eplied, Hl yur gu! If i

as his, h Kigs ip hi ss ih s! - meaning thatbeing nancially independent fom the State allows people to be honest and te to thei own beliefsand frees them from political pressures.

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Al-asan b. Abdl-Wahhb naated to me that Ab Bak b. ammd al-

Mqi said that Amed b. Yaqb naated to them that Abl-Fat said,Sfyn (Al-Thaw) wold cense those who thoght it bette not toseek employment.

He (Sfyn) said,Ab Bak a-iq sa a b h asbggig a s h mp him hims.

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CommentarySayyidunAbu Bakr (raiyAllhu anhu) was particularly skilful and experienced in sensing a good

oppotnity fo bsiness. Indeed as his daghte ishah stated, Abu Bakr as h bsbsissma h Qash.12In this beautiful example, we see that Abu Bakr, leaderof the Believes, took a boy who had ability bt had esoted to begging - and being of no benet - andtned him into an independent, podctive woke with self-espect and hono.

Fom this we lean that nless thee is a genine need, thee is no espectfl eason fo anyone- letalone a Mslim - to be living off benets and chaity and belittling himself in font of people.

12. Muannaf Ibn Ab Shaybah, 226219


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Ab Bak al-Madh naated to s on the athoity of Ab Abdllh

on the athoity of Ab Jafa al-adhdh on the athoity of Shayb b.ab who said,

d isga a sigfals13ha ahis big bi Ah; is hfalshih is h iss, ah bi ish iss. Phaps b sm gis

a h mai i smahi h hav sgh givss .

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CommentaryShaykh Abdl-Fatt raimahullhcommented on this narration saying: It is because of this that some

of the Salafwould say, If yu a allyu hav by Allh hhr yu

ik i , a i a arm hav isb Ah hh ik i .

Some of the wives of the Salafwould say to their husbands before they left the house for work, Fear

Ah ih sp s a s ih ha hih is arm.w a ba hg pai b a ba h fi.

13.A falswas a coin from the regions of Shmand Iq. It was consideed as almost negligible; seen to be bt afraction of a dnrin value.10


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Amed b. Mammad Abdl-amad al-Mqi naated to s that Ysf b.

Mslim naated to him that he head Al b. Bakk say,

Ibhm b. A-ham s a hims as a ab, Sam a-Kha gah v as gai, a

haah mak biks.11(

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CommentaryIn this naation we nd the example of thee majo Imms of the past spending consideable timeworking with their hands to earn a living. In addition to the hundreds of narrations we know of theiribdahand obedience to Allh azza wa jall, they worked with their hands solely to save themselvesfrom having to ask others for handouts and support.

Ibhm b. Ad-ham, fo example, wold hie himself ot fo all kinds of wok. Slaymn al-Khawwwould gather together those leftover grains after the harvests, which could amount to a considerableqantity if enogh time was invested (simila to the ecycling indsties of today), and dhayfah

al-Maash was a mota/hod caie who wold collect md and clay and then add wate to fashionbricks, which would be unbaked yet dried in the sun and then cut up and used to build houses.

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Mammad b. Amed b. al-Qsim al-Azd naated to s that hi b.

Mammad al-Tamm naated to him that al-Fay b. Isq said, I askedal-Fayl b. Iy, What do yo say abot a man who emains at homeand claims that he is ptting his tst in Allh and that He will povidefo him? He eplied,

If he places his tst in Allh ntil he tly sinceely tsts Him, then Hewill not hold back from him something he always wanted. But the Prophetsdidnt eve do this and neithe did anyone else indeed the Pophets

would contract themselves out as workers, as the Prophet (allallhu alayhiwa sallam) did himself, and Ab Bak, and uma. None of them eve said,Wee staying pt ntil Allah azza wa jall povides fo s! Veily, Allhtalsaid in His Book:

A sk h ga Ah14

So one mst go ot and seek a living.

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CommentaryShaykh Abdl-Fatt Ab Ghddah mentionedin efeence to this statement that, Allh talmade success dependent upon obtaining allpovision, pefoming ones obligations andmaking much dhikrof Him may He be gloied.My ndestanding stems fom His statement,So that you may be successful, and manyother cases have shown this to be the truth in

reality as well.

14.Sratl-Jumuah, vese 10, which efes to going back to ones bsiness afte the Jumuahprayer: Then oncethe alh is over, disperse in the land, and seek the grace of Allh, and remember Allh abundantly, so that you may besuccessful.

Al-fuAyl B. Iy

Ibn Masd b. Bish Ab Al al-Fayl b. Iywas bon in Samaqand and then tavelled tostdy with scholas like Imm Jafa al-diq,Imm Layth b. Sad, al-Amash. As fo those whotook fom him, they inclde al-Sh, Abdllhb. al-Mbak, al-Ama, Ibn uyaynah andmany more.

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Commentary continuedAl-al-Dhahab said in his biogaphy of theabiAbl-Dad15, The best thing to do is tocombine between the two [al-tijrah wal ibdah(commerce and worship)] along with jihd.As fo what Abl-Dad has said egadingsticking only toibdahand leaving commerce,then this was the way of a group of the Salafas well as the fs, yet there is no doubt thatthe nature of people differs in this. Some arestrengthened by combining between the two

sch as Ab Bak al-iddq, Abdl-ramn b.Awf, and Ibn al-Mbak. Some weent ableto do this and restricted themselves to ibdahonly, while others were strong in the beginningand then became unable to continue combiningthe two, and othes the opposite they weentable to do so in the beginning but then becamenancially able late in life along with theiibdah, and fo each gop is thei jstication.In any case, we must certainly revive the rightsof wives and families.

This last statement indicates that Imm al-Dhahab pefes that we focs on combiningboth business and worship at all times.

Al-fuAyl B. Iy i

He was a master of zuhd and famous for hisreligiosity and piety raimahullh. Ibn al-

Mbak said abot him, H as hms ais a h ppih sp his igi.

13 15.Siyar Alm al-Nubal338:2


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Ab Bak naated to me that he head Mammad b. Mqtil say, Its

a must that a man looks to his bread and asks from where he got it from,and looks at his dirhamsand asks from where he got it from.

Sfyn al-Thaw once said,

wk h k hs (i.. a all!)

CommentaryTo go out and struggle to work in an ethical and Islamic fashion to earn only allis an increasingly

difclt task, especially in o time. The widespead nate of riband doubtful transactions as well asthe many armpodcts in almost all elds of employment, paticlaly fo those living in the West,makes earning allthe wok of heoes! May Allhjalla wa almake us from among them!

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Al-asan b. Aafah16naated to s that Qdmah b. Shihb al-Mzin al-

Ba naated on the athoity of Isml b. Ab Khlid on the athoityof Wabaah17on the athoity of Ibn uma18who said, The Prophetallallhu alayhi wa sallamwas asked, What is the best fom of eaning?The Prophet replied:

tha hih a ma asih his has a v p sa. 19

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CommentaryThe meaning ofal-Bay al-Mabrris a business transaction based upon the taqwof Allh azza wa jalland as per His Sharah, not coming into any doubt or into any contact with armissues.

This dithis wondeflly compehensive in that it coves both the physical aspects and pofessional/bsiness aspects of wok. The st efes to good, honest had wok which one sweats ove and isstaight-fowad to ndestand mentally bt is staining physically. Pofessions sch as a bildeo laboe, plastee, shelf-stacke, mechanic, o cleane t into this categoy. The second type

efes to bsiness tansactions which ae easie to do becase they do not eqie the same level ofphysical exetion bt eqie good intellect and high levels of skill. It is in this aea that thee is agreater likelihood of fraud, corruption, cheating and other impermissible aspects related to business.Examples of this category would include a shopkeeper, accountant, lawyer, pharmacist, businessman,or a trader. It is important to note that the Prophets and noble people of our Ummahwere involvedin both of these aspects of business.

16.He is Ab Al al-asan b. Aafah b. Yazd al-Abdi al-Baghdd. He was bon in 150h and died 257h, which ledhim to narrate adthto ove ve geneations of scholas as has been naated in the books of biogaphy.17. The Kfan Tbi, Wabaah b. Abdl-ramn Ab Khzaymah; he naated fom Ibn Abbs, Ibn uma, Abfayl, Sad b. Jbay et al. He passed away in 116h.18.The geat companion Abdllh b. uma b. al-Khab (rayAllhu anhum).19. Naated by al-aban in al-Mujaml-Kabr and al-Awsa; al-aythami said in Majma al-Zawid 61:4, Its menae tstwothy. Shayb al-Ana gaded the adthasan(acceptable) due to its many supporting narrations,and Abdl-Fatt ageed. It was gaded as ali-ghayrih by al-Albn.

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Commentary continuedIt is important to note as well that one should not paint a single type of employment with one brush.Witing off the shopkeepe as copt while assming that the bick-laye is completely pe issimplistic and a genealization. Howeve, it is inteesting to note that the majoity of the waningsgiven by the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) against fadlent/armpractice in business weredirected to those involved in the profession of buying and selling and to businessmen in particular.Indeed, the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) advised those who act as middle-men o agents

(simsr) and businessmen (tujjr) specically when he said, this ki f busiss casometimes attract al-alifand al-kadhib, s s giv p adaqah.20

The word al-alifin this narration means to say WallhiI got it for this much! or Wallhiits thebest qality! i.e. sweaing by Allh and taking isky oaths, often in exaggeated and sometimes falsefashion.Al-kadhibis dishonesty or telling lies which a person might fall into when selling their goods.The giving ofadaqahis meant to act as a safeguard against these impermissible practices and any armincome that might be earned as a result. However,adaqahmst not be looked at as a jstication tobusinessmen to intentionally continue engaging in unlawful acts and giving charity as a cover eachtime they engage in it, as has become the practice of some people.

20.Collected by al-Nas 3738, and it is a17


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Amed b. al-Faaj Ab utbah al-im naated to s that Baqiyyah said on

the athoity of Shbah on the athoity of al-akam

21

on the authorityof Mjhid concening His statement:

Eat of the good thingsw hav pvi .22

He (Mjhid) said:i.. bsiss(tijrah).

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CommentaryPovision in Mjhids statement efes tothe permission, ability and indeed the blessingthat is placed in engaging in allbusiness and

eating from those earnings.

MujHId B. jABr

Mjhid b. Jab, Abl-ajjjl-Makki is knownas al-Imm, Shaykhl-Qurr, leader of theMufassirnin his time. He was the Imm of thepeople of Qn, a Faqhwho studied all thesciences nde his main teache Ibn Abbs aswell as the other major abahsuch as Ibnuma, Ab Hayah, Sad b. Ab Waqqs, rb. Khadj, Jbi b. Abdillh, Ab Sad al-Khdand many more.

21.And thogh anothe chain, Amed fom al-asan fom Yay b. dam fom Abdl-Salm and Ibn al-Mbakthat on the athoity of Shbah on the athoity of al-akam. The stdent of adthand Islmic histoy will notfail to marvel over the wonderful characters in this chain and indeed the others chains of narrations in this smallbook all majo Imms and leades ofAhll-Sunnah, those whose biogaphies alone wold ll mlti-volminosbooks. Also note how although this was meant to be a small piece on narrations about working for a living, etc., italso acts as a book of adith, atharand ilml-rijlstudy for students of sacred narrations.22.Sratl-Baqarah, verse 172 and Sratl-Arf, vese 16018


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Al-asan b. Al naated to s that Yay b. dam naated to them

that Waq

23

naated to them on the athoity of Ibn Ab Naj on theathoity of Mjhid concening His statement:

Spend of the good things hav a.24

He (Mjhid) said: i.. m ig bsiss.

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CommentaryHee, Mjhid, who is so highly egaded in tafsr, explains that these verses implicitly encourageMslims to get involved in good honest bsiness and enjoy the fits that aise fom it by spendingon oneself, ones family and ones commnity and, as stated in the pevios vese, to eat fom those

allearnings.

23.Waq Ab Bish al-Yashka, one of the naatos of Bkhi. He is fom the Imms of the Salaf: thiqah, bid,dh, as stated by Imm al-Dhahab in his Siyar.24.Sratl-Baqarah, vese 26719


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Abdllh b. Amed b. anbal naated to s that his fathe naated to him

that Sfyn b. uyaynah told him on the athoity of Ab Isq that he said,

They25s s a as hpigs igi.

I as sai S b. uaah diS a-tha mi ha hims?

ys, h sai.

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CommentaryHistoically thee has always been the peception among Mslims that a pios peson shold notbe wealthy or waste their time working when their time could be spent in ibdahinstead. One ofthe easons Imm Ab Bak al-Khalll wote this book is to coect the misndestanding amongpeople that work and worship must be separate. It may be that this confusion arises due to themany narrations of the pious predecessors, the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) and the abah(raiyAllhu anhum)that mention their ascetic lifestyles, their dislike of the duny, and their fear ofwealth.

What this naation fom Imm Sfyn al-Thaw illstates is that wealth itself is not a poblem. Onthe contay, being wealthy can often lead to a Mslim to woship his Lod in a fashion that is pehapsfa bette than those who ae not wealthy. How can this be? The ability to be fee of asking of othes,to be independent, to be able to detemine ones own schedle, to have the feedom to pefom eveyobligation and voluntary act of worship, to be able to give more in charity, and to present a respectfuland honoable image of Islm to non-Mslims to id them of the begging steeotype that manyMslims nfotnately display ae all benets of wealth.

The problematic nature of wealth arises when a love of that wealth enters the heart, and onebecomes addicted to it, so much so that a desire for increasing it affects your ibdahand weakens

yo connection with yo Lod, making yo heedless of the eality of this life and then distancingyou from thekhirah. It is in this case that wealth becomes blamewothy and a sickness, may Allhjalla wa al protect us all from such a condition.

25. The Salaf, i.e. the key Islamic scholas and ges ding the st thee geneations of Islm.20


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ab b. Isml naated to s that Bashsh b. Ms naated to them

that Abbd naated fom Yay b. Sad on the athoity of Sad b. al-Msayyab who said,

thr is g i h h ssk ar alh s ha h ca us i pay ff his debt, preserve his hnur ith it,

us i full h righs f h ppl, ai h is h av i as a ihia hs a him.

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CommentaryThis was the understanding of many of the most learned Ulam of our Ummah, as Sfyn al-Thaw

once said on the athoity of dhayfah al-Maash, It is mre preferable t me that

I av bhi 10,000 dirhamsa b h aab b Ah iha havig b p p h pp.


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Mammad b. Isml26naated to s that he was infomed by Wak on the

athoity of Ms b. Al b. rab al-Lakhm on the athoity of his fathewho said, I head Am b. al-27say, The Messenge of Allh (allallhualayhi wa sallam) said to me,

o Amr, g a g yur clhs a ap ray,a h cm back m (in preparation to go out with thearmy).I ths got my clothes and weapon eady and I went back to ndhim making wu.

He looked up, focused his eyes upon me and said,

o Amr, I ish t send yu ut Allah azza wa jallillkp yu saf a H ill pr yu ll a h samim I ish h bs i ah.I said, O Messenge of Allh, I didnt become Mslim ot of a desie fowealth I became Mslim ot of desie fo stiving hade and to be withyou.

He replied,

H x p ah is a ighs ma! 28

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26. He is Imam Bkh, the Leade of the Believes in adth. Imm al-Bukhr himself narrates this adth throughAbdullh b. Yazd from Ms b. Ali in his al-Adab al-Mufrad, the chain of which was declared authentic by al-Albn.27.The abi, fathe of Abdllh b. Am al-s may Allh be pleased with both of them.28. This adthhas been collected in the Musnadof Imm Amed 202:4 and Ab Yal in his Musnad423:6, no. 7298with a slight diffeence in the woding. Al-aithami said in Majma al-Zawid64:4, Its men ae the men of thea. The adthis aaccoding to its othe naations as stated by both Shayb al-Ana and al-Albn.22


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CommentaryIt is understood from this narration that wealththat is kept in the hands of righteous peopleis the best place that wealth cold be. Weknow this because it will be used in the mostcorrect way and will bring the most blessing toeveryone, both in this life and the Hereafter.Wealth is a significant esponsibility, btthe Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) had

condence that Am wold se the wealth inthe best possible way.

yAy B. SAd Al-Anr

The illstios schola of Madnah of histime, and leader of the later Tbin, he wasthe student of the seven Fuqahof Madnah.He narrated from the abiAnas b. Mlik(raiyAllhu anhu) and many of the most famousTbischolas that eve lived sch as Sad b.al-Msayyab, Ibn Shihb al-Zh, Slaymn b.Yas al-Faqh and contless othes.

23

Mammad naated to s fom Wak on the athoity of Misa on theathoity of Ab Yay on the athoity of a teache of theis that he said,I once saw Al (b. Ab lb)29 wearing a thick izr- he then annoncedpublicly,

I bgh his izr v dirhams hvas m mak a dirham p m i,

I s i him. 21

(60)

CommentaryAn izrefes to a cloth that coves the lowe half of the body, known as a waist-wappe bt pobablycloser to a sarong. It was the common item of clothing worn at the time, similar to the way trousersare worn today.

This narration provides a clear example of how the Companions engaged in business. It also gives usa few inteesting points to eect pon. Hee we see SayyidunAl (raiyAllhu anhu) informing the

man of the original price he bought the izrfor, which was not an obligation upon him, as well as anindication of the 20% pot magin he set fo himself - all a testament to Als openness and honestyin his dealings.

29.Amrl-Muminn, the cosin and son-in-law of the Pophet, (rayAllhu anhu)


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It was naated to s by Mammad that he was told by Wak on the

athoity of Shak on the athoity of Simk b. ab on the athoity ofIkrimah30on the athoity of Abdllh b. Abbs31who said, I broughta caavan (a selection of goods fo selling) to Madnah and the Pophet(allallhu alayhi wa sallam) boght fom it and made a pot of a fewAwq;he then divided that p amongst the widows of the tibe of Abdl-Maliband said:

I b ahig hih I havh m . 32

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CommentaryThe wordAwqused here is the plural of qiyyah, which refers to an ounce of weight as well as acency in ealie times. One qiyyahis eqivalent to appoximately foty dirhamsas per the opinionof Mjhid, and the atho of Lisnl-Arab33, although there is some difference between the scholars

on this point34.

To get an idea of pesent day eqivalent vales, if we assme the cost of gold to be 27/gam, then asingle dnris woth appox. 115.00 and a dirhamis woth appox. 9.50.

30. The four men in thissanaddespite its weakness - Wak, Shak, Simk b. ab and Ikimah illstate

perfectly what a gem this little treatise is by mentioning narrations that combine the very greatest and bestImms and scholas of o ealy geneations. Each individal is wothy of an entie book being wittenabout them with respect to their excellence, raimahumullhu jaman.31.Abdllh b. Abbs (rayAllhu anhu) was the cousin and great Companion of the Prophetallallhu alayhi wa sallam.32.Collected by Imm Amed in his Musnad235:1, Ab Dwd in his Sunan309:14, and it was declaed athentic byal-kim in al-Mustadrak23:2 with Imm al-Dhahab ageeing with him. Yet it seems that the chain is weak as statedby Shayb al-Ana in his taqqon the Musnad(2093) as well as by al-Albn in his Silsilatl-Adthl-afah 309:10.33.Lisnl-Arab401:1534.Note fom the following list the denitions of popla Islamic weights/cency vales as pe the opinion ofWahbah al-Zhayl stated in al-Fiqhl-Islm wa Adillatuhu: * One Dnr= one Mithqlof gold = 4.25 gams of gold * One Dirham= 2.579 gams of silve (in the ealie times at thei pices which some Ulam dont

accept today becase of todays low vale of silve) * One Dnr= 12 Dirhams(and some Ulamsaid ten dirhams; this is also the preferred way of

calculating the value of a dirhamtoday) * A Fals= 0.30 gams of silve * The Nibin gold = 85 gams * The Nibin silve = 595 gams * A ah= 4Amdd= 2.176 kg

* 5Awsuq(Nibfo dates) = 653 kg24


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Ab Bak al-Madh naated to s on the athoity of Ab Abdllh

who said that Abdl-razzq naated to them that Mama infomed themthat it was naated to s by Hammm b. Mnabbih who said, This is whatAb Hayah naated to s on the athoity of the Messenge of Allh(allallhu alayhi wa sallam) that he said:

(Pph) d a xp mha hih h a b his ha. 35

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CommentaryWhateve the specic occpations of the Pophets wee, it seems that all of them wee involved inthe task of being a shepherd at one time or another as the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said:

was there ever a Prphet except that he tended his ck f sheep?36

Among the benets of being a shephed is that the Pophets wold become moe hmble by leaningto be easy going with people, to earn their own livings and thus command respect, and also to enteran occupation that allowed abundant time for solitude and contemplation.

35.This statement has been naated by Imm al-Bayhaq in his Shuabl-mn83:2 with the complete vesion onthe athoity of al-Miqdm (raiyAllhu anhu) as collected by Imm al-Bkh in his a9:336.al-Bukhr604325


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ab naated to me that Mammad b. Abdl-ramn naated to him

that Ab usmah naated to him on the athoity of Hishm b. uwahon the athoity of his fathe (uwah b. Zbay raimahullh) who said,

d giv khubah to the peoplem h ppi, a h pai ghpam avs makig basks a h ik a

h s hm ih hs h shm, a h a m h aigs.37

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37.Naated by Ibn Ab Shaybah in his Muannaf551:11 with an athentic chain bt only as a statement of uwah.26


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ab naated to me that Al b. uthmn naated to him that Hshaym

naated to him that al-Awwm b. awshab infomed them that they weetold by al-Qsim b. Awf who said that Kab38said,

As Is, h h as a ighs mah ship Ah hgh asiga pa, a h as a ai h

kp si his s a giv hs his aigs aa i hai.39

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38. He is Kab b. Mti al-imya, othewise known as Kab al-Ab. He is famosly known fo naating mchfrom the Books of the Jews and what is known as the Isrliyt, and hence his statements are not to be acceptedflly at face-vale bt ae not to be ejected eithe ntil fthe stdy has been caied ot.39.Althogh this naation doesnt seem to have been collected in the othe books of adth, something similarwas mentioned by Ibn aja in Fatl-Br (306:4) whee he said, It was naated in al-Mustadrak (of al-kim) witha weak chain on the athoity of Ibn Abbs (raiyAllhu anhu) who said, Dwd sed to make chain-mail, damsed to be a ploghman, N was a capente, Ids was a tailo and Ms was a shephed. It shold be notedthat pehaps Ibn aj raimahullhmade a mistake as this narration cannot be found in the Mustadrak. Al-Albnconsidered this narration to be fabricated as stated in Ghyatl-Marm288:1.27


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Abbs al-D naated to s that im naated to him that ammd

b. Salamah was naated to by Al b. Zayd on the athoity of Sad b.Msayyab that lqm as a ai42.

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42.Naated by Amed in al-Zuhdp.49, bt Al b. Zayd in thissanadis Ibn Jdn who is consideed to be weakdue to his memory.29


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Mammad b. Mdh naated to me that al-Qanabi naated to him that

Abdl-Azz naated to him on the athoity of Thaw on the athoityof Abl-Ghayth on the athoity of Ab Hayah that the Messenge ofAllh (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said:

th h spps h is a hp is ik h Mujhidi h pah Ah ik h h is pas a

igh a ass a a.44

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44.Naated by Imm al-Bkh in his a189:6 and Imm Mslim in his a221:831


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Abdllh b. Amed naated to s that he asked his fathe abot those

who say, We place o tst in Allh and dont go ot to ean. He said,It is a mst that all people shold place thei tst in Allh azza wa jall,but they also need to rely upon themselves when it comes to earning.Allh talsaid:

Has h mmba Ah, aav bsiss.

So fom this, we ealize that they ean and wok fo a living.

Likewise the Pophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said:

whv spps aghs hi g Paais.45

So who said anything opposite to this? This mst be the statement of anidiot.

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45.The fll naation has been collected by Imm Amed in his Musnadno. 12520 in the Rislahedition and it hasa a isndaccoding to the conditions of Bkh and Mslim as stated by Shayb al-Ana

CommentaryHee Imm Amed is efting those who claim that a peson can sppot all these people withot

going out and earning a allincome. The Imm emphasises that a Mslim will not be able to achievethe result of entering Paradise except by employment and by using the funds of his employment tospend on those under his care.

32


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Amed naated to s that af b. Ghiyth naated on the athoity of

Hishm b. uwah

46

on the authority of his father

47

on the authority ofZbay b. al-Awwm48who said that the Messenge of Allh (allallhualayhi wa sallam) said:

That a man gets some rope and gathers some, h gs h mak a ss i abms s-si hb, spig phims, is b him ha askig h ppisa h ma giv him s giv.49

46. Hishm b. uwah, a ujjahand Imm in adth. When we say someone is a ujjah, it is almost like saying thatthe statement of sch an Imm is an evidence in of itself when it comes to making a decision abot a naato ofadth. He passed away 145h raimahullh.47.uwah b. Zbay, one of the famed seven Fuqah of Madnah (the othes being Sad b. al-Msayyab, Ab Bakb. Abdl-ramn, al-Qsim b. Mammad b. Ab Bak, ubaydllh b. Abdllh b. utbah b. Masd, Slaymn b.Yas and Khijah b. Zayd b. Thbit), abot whom Imm al-Zh said, Hes an ocean. Bon in 29h, the son ofZbay b. al-Awwm, nephew of ishah (may All be pleased with both of them), it is difclt to nd geatescholars and such an authority.48.He is the great abiZbay b. al-Awwm (rayAllh anhu), from the ten promised Paradise(al-Asharatl-Mubashsharah) and the fathe of Abdllh b. Zbay and uwah b. Zbay.49.This adithwas naated by Imm Amed in his Musnad164:1 with an athentic chain, and naated slightlydiffeently by Imm al-Bkh in his ain mltiple places and by Mslim in his a96:3

CommentaryIn this adththe Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) is encouraging people to go out and earn, even ifit is only a little and even if it is with mch difclty. This is becase peseving ones hono is moeimpotant than asking people fo handots and hmiliating oneself. Likewise, it is coect to say thatsch an encoagement is actally an obligation becase it is not pemissible fo the one who is tand able to work to ask of people, as mentioned by our Ulam.

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Yay b. Jafa naated to s that Abdl-Wahhb naated to them that

al-Akha b. Ajln naated to them that Ab Bak al-anaf naated tohim on the athoity of Anas b. Mlik who said:

A man came to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) complaining ofhis exteme povety. He then came back again anothe time and said, OMessenge of Allh, I come to yo fom a hosehold that I do not feel Ishold go back to ntil some of them die.50

He said to the man, G back, is hr ayhig a all yua ?The man left and then returned with a ils51and a qadaandhe said, O Messenge of Allh, this is the ilsthat some of them wouldlay down and others would wear, and this is the qadathat some woulddink fom.

The Messenge of Allh (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, wh ill

ak hs ff m fr a dirham?A man said, I will OMessenge of Allh! So he (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) said, wh illgo higher than a dirham?Anothe man said, Ill take them bothfor two dirhams. He said, th s.

He then called the (original) man and said, G and buy a he fr adirhamand ith the ther dirhamfd fr yur family,so he did that and then returned to the Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam)

who said to him, n g his vally a sur ha av a sig pa, h pi uuch a ha yu cm back fr fas.So he did that and ended up earning ten dirhamsand returned tothe Prophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) informing him of that.

He said, G a buy v dirhamsrh f f a us

50.i.e. because of their desperate state, they thought it was better that some die than suffer in front of him like that51.A ilsis a cloth which is placed underneath things of value to protect them. It can also be used as a servingmat and upon riding animals. A qadais a vessel that one drinks from, usually larger than a cup.

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h hr v buy clhs fr yur family.The man

said, O Messenge of Allh, withot a dobt Allh blessed me in that whichyo odeed me to do!

The Prophet said:

this is br ha yu cmig h day Saig a i a h is a ia bggig hs. Bggig ( has) isnt apprpriate except fr three peple: the h is ig av h ah paby raising bld mney instead, the ne h

is i xrm iscapabl b, a h h is suffrig frm rch spra

pv. 52

52.This naation has been collected by Ibn Mjah in his Sunan15:2, by al-aw in Shar Manl-thr6:3, andthe last pat of it by Imm al-Timidh in hisJmi354:2, which is the only athentic pat of this adth. The earlysection detailing the exchanges between the Prophet and this man are all considered to be weak because of thepesence of Ab Bak al-ana pon whom the scholas of adthageed pon his weakness. Al-Albn likewisegraded this entire narration as weak.35


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Commentary continued* Wheneve tying to solve difclt isses, ones focs mstnt be taken off the needs of the family,which is, in most cases, the most critical priority.

* We lean that one can make specic time-esticted contacts and that one shold encoage othesto take their time when completing their work, to act with isn,and to utilise the opportunity to themaximum extent possible before moving on to another task.

* We lean that sometimes even the most simple of soltions to poblems can be bied deep in ones

sbconscios and ths ae not easily solved alone - seeking egla advice fom eldes, leades, andpeople with experience will help ease the challenge.

* We get a glimpse of the shee levels of povety the abahhad to live thogh and the difcltiesthat many of them faced evey day. Howeve, we dont notice them complaining to Allh talaboutthei tials and tests. rathe, we see a deep sense of gatitde and appeciation of the Will of Allhazza wa jallin all circumstances.

* We also see the emphasis of the Pophet (allallhu alayhi wa sallam) to not beg of others without

legitimate reason.

Wallhu alam,wa allallhu wa Sallama al Sayyidin Muammadwa al lihi wa abih ajman.

show me the (halal) money

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