قُوتُ الْقُلُوبِ فِي مُعَامَلَةِ الْمَحْبُوبِ وَوَصْفِ طَرِيقِ الْمُرِيدِ إِلَى مَقَامِ التَّوْحِيدِ
Qūtu al-qulūbi fī muʿāmalati al-maḥbūbi wa-waṣfi ṭarīqi al-murīdi ʾilā maqāmi al-tawḥīdi
Nourishment for Hearts in Dealings with the Beloved and a Description of the Seeker’s Path to the Station of Divine Oneness
Chapters 47–48
الْمَعَاشُ وَالتِّجَارَةُ وَالْحَلَالُ وَالْحَرَامُ وَالشُّبُهَاتُ
Al-maʿāshu wa-al-tijāratu wa-al-ḥalālu wa-al-ḥarāmu wa-al-shubuhātu
Livelihood and Trade: Lawful, Unlawful, and Doubtful Matters
الْفَصْلُ السَّابِعُ وَالْأَرْبَعُونَ فِيهِ ذِكْرُ حُكْمِ الْمُتَسَبِّبِ لِلْمَعَاشِ وَمَا يَجِبُ عَلَى التَّاجِرِ مِنْ شُرُوطِ الْعِلْمِ
al-faṣlu al-sābiʿu wa-al-ʾarbaʿūna fīhi dhikru ḥukmi al-mutasabbibi li-l-maʿāshi wamā yajibu ʿalā al-tājiri min shurūṭi al-ʿilmi
Chapter Forty-Seven: The Conduct of Those Who Earn a Living and the Knowledge a Merchant Must Possess
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٣١
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 431
Volume Two, page 431
قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَجَعَلْنَا النَّهَارَ مَعَاشًا﴾، النَّبَأُ: ١١، فَذَكَرَهُ فِيمَا عَدَّدَ مِنْ آيَاتِهِ وَنِعْمَتِهِ. وَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿وَجَعَلْنَا لَكُمْ فِيهَا مَعَايِشَ قَلِيلًا مَا تَشْكُرُونَ﴾، الْأَعْرَافُ: ١، فَجَعَلَ الْمَعَاشَ نِعْمَةً طَالَبَ بِالشُّكْرِ عَلَيْهَا.
qāla Allāhu taʿālā: ﴿wajaʿalnā al-nahāra maʿāshan﴾, al-nabaʾu: 11, fadhakarahu fīmā ʿaddada min ʾāyātihi waniʿmatihi. waqāla ʿazza wajalla: ﴿wajaʿalnā lakum fīhā maʿāyisha qalīlan mā tashkurūna﴾, al-ʾaʿrāfu: 1, fajaʿala al-maʿāsha niʿmatan ṭālaba bi-al-shukri ʿalayhā.
God Most High said, “We made the day a means of livelihood” (Al-Nabaʾ: 11), mentioning it among the signs and blessings He enumerated. And He, mighty and majestic, said, “We established means of livelihood for you in it. How little you give thanks!” (Al-Aʿrāf: 1). Thus He made livelihood a blessing for which He demanded gratitude.
وَرُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: «مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ ذُنُوبٌ لَا يُكَفِّرُهَا إِلَّا الْهَمُّ بِطَلَبِ الْمَعَاشِ». قَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «أَحَلُّ مَا أَكَلَ الْمَرْءُ مِنْ كَسْبِ يَدِهِ وَكُلِّ عَمَلٍ مَبْرُورٍ».
waruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾannahu qāla: «mina al-dhunūbi dhunūbun lā yukaffiruhā ʾillā al-hammu biṭalabi al-maʿāshi». qāla ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «ʾaḥallu mā ʾakala al-marʾu min kasbi yadihi wakulli ʿamalin mabrūrin».
It is related that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Some sins are expiated only by the anxiety of seeking a livelihood.” He said, may God bless him and grant him peace, “The most lawful food a person eats comes from the earnings of his own hand and every honest occupation.”
وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ: «أَحَلُّ مَا أَكَلَ الْعَبْدُ مِنْ كَسْبِ يَدِ الصَّانِعِ إِذَا نَصَحَ». وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: «التَّاجِرُ الصَّدُوقُ يُحْشَرُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مَعَ الصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ».
wafī lafẓin ʾākhara: «ʾaḥallu mā ʾakala al-ʿabdu min kasbi yadi al-ṣāniʿi ʾidhā naṣaḥa». wafī al-khabari: «al-tājiru al-ṣadūqu yuḥsharu yawma al-qiyāmati maʿa al-ṣiddīqīna wa-al-shuhadāʾi».
Another version reads, “The most lawful food a servant eats comes from the earnings of a craftsman's hand, when he works honestly.” A report says, “The thoroughly honest merchant will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection with the utterly truthful and the martyrs.”
وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي الْحَدِيثِ: «مَنْ طَلَبَ الدُّنْيَا حَلَالًا وَتَعَفُّفًا عَنِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ وَسَعْيًا عَلَى عِيَالِهِ وَتَعَطُّفًا عَلَى جَارِهِ لَقِيَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَوَجْهُهُ كَالْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ».
waqad jāʾa fī al-ḥadīthi: «man ṭalaba al-dunyā ḥalālan wataʿaffufan ʿani al-masʾalati wasaʿyan ʿalā ʿiyālihi wataʿaṭṭufan ʿalā jārihi laqiya Allāha ʿazza wajalla wawajhuhu ka-al-qamari laylata al-badri».
A hadith also says, “Anyone who seeks worldly provision lawfully, to keep himself from begging, to provide for his dependants, and to show kindness to his neighbor, will meet God, mighty and majestic, with a face like the moon on the night of its fullness.”
وَقَدْ رُوِيَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ ذَاتَ غَدَاةٍ جَالِسًا مَعَ أَصْحَابِهِ، فَنَظَرُوا إِلَى شَابٍّ ذِي جَلَدَةٍ وَقُوَّةٍ وَقَدْ بَكَّرَ يَسْعَى، فَقَالُوا: وَيْحَ هَذَا، لَوْ كَانَ شَبَابُهُ وَجَلَدُهُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ!
waqad ruwiya ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama kāna dhāta ghadātin jālisan maʿa ʾaṣḥābihi, fanaẓarū ʾilā shābbin dhī jaladatin waquwwatin waqad bakkara yasʿā, faqālū: wayḥa hādhā, law kāna shabābuhu wajaladuhu fī sabīli Allāhi ʿazza wajalla!
It is related that one morning the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, was sitting with his companions. They noticed a vigorous, strong young man who had gone out early to work, and said, “Poor fellow! If only his youth and vigor were devoted to the path of God, mighty and majestic!”
فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لَا تَقُولُوا هَذَا، فَإِنَّهُ إِنْ كَانَ يَسْعَى عَلَى نَفْسِهِ لِيَكُفَّهَا عَنِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ وَيُغْنِيَهَا عَنِ النَّاسِ فَهُوَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ يَسْعَى عَلَى أَبَوَيْنِ ضَعِيفَيْنِ أَوْ ذُرِّيَّةٍ ضِعَافٍ لِيُغْنِيَهُمْ وَيَكْفِيَهُمْ فَهُوَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ يَسْعَى تَفَاخُرًا وَتَكَاثُرًا فَهُوَ فِي سَبِيلِ الشَّيْطَانِ».
faqāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «lā taqūlū hādhā, faʾinnahu ʾin kāna yasʿā ʿalā nafsihi liyakuffahā ʿani al-masʾalati wayughniyahā ʿani al-nāsi fahuwa fī sabīli Allāhi, waʾin kāna yasʿā ʿalā ʾabawayni ḍaʿīfayni ʾaw dhurriyyatin ḍiʿāfin liyughniyahum wayakfiyahum fahuwa fī sabīli Allāhi, waʾin kāna yasʿā tafākhuran watakāthuran fahuwa fī sabīli al-shayṭāni».
The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Do not say that. If he is working for himself to keep from begging and to be independent of other people, he is on God's path. If he is working to support two frail parents or helpless children and meet their needs, he is on God's path. If he works to boast and accumulate more than others, he is on Satan's path.”
وَقَالَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ: إِنِّي لَأَمْقُتُ الرَّجُلَ أَرَاهُ فَارِغًا لَا فِي عَمَلِ دُنْيَا وَلَا فِي عَمَلِ آخِرَةٍ. وَقَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ النَّخَعِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: كَانَ الصَّانِعُ بِيَدِهِ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنَ التَّاجِرِ، وَكَانَ التَّاجِرُ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنَ الْبَطَالَةِ.
waqāla ibnu masʿūdin: ʾinnī laʾamqutu al-rajula ʾarāhu fārighan lā fī ʿamali dunyā walā fī ʿamali ʾākhiratin. waqāla ʾibrāhīmu al-nakhaʿiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu: kāna al-ṣāniʿu biyadihi ʾaḥabba ʾilayhim mina al-tājiri, wakāna al-tājiru ʾaḥabba ʾilayhim mina al-baṭālati.
Ibn Masʿūd said, “I despise seeing a man idle, occupied neither with this world's work nor with work for the hereafter.” Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī, may God have mercy on him, said, “They preferred someone who worked with his hands to a merchant, and preferred a merchant to idleness.”
وَسُئِلَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ عَنِ التَّاجِرِ الصَّدُوقِ: أَهُوَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْكَ أَمِ الْمُتَفَرِّغُ لِلْعِبَادَةِ؟ قَالَ: التَّاجِرُ الصَّدُوقُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ، لِأَنَّهُ فِي جِهَادٍ؛ يَأْتِيهِ الشَّيْطَانُ مِنْ طَرِيقِ الْمِكْيَالِ وَالْمِيزَانِ وَمِنْ قِبَلِ الْأَخْذِ وَالْعَطَاءِ فَيُجَاهِدُهُ. وَقَدْ خَالَفَهُ الْحَسَنُ الْبَصْرِيُّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي هَذَا.
wasuʾila ʾibrāhīmu ʿani al-tājiri al-ṣadūqi: ʾahuwa ʾaḥabbu ʾilayka ʾami al-mutafarrighu li-l-ʿibādati? qāla: al-tājiru al-ṣadūqu ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya, liʾannahu fī jihādin; yaʾtīhi al-shayṭānu min ṭarīqi al-mikyāli wa-al-mīzāni wamin qibali al-ʾakhdhi wa-al-ʿaṭāʾi fayujāhiduhu. waqad khālafahu al-ḥasanu al-baṣriyyu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fī hādhā.
Ibrāhīm was asked about the thoroughly honest merchant: “Do you prefer him or someone who devotes himself entirely to worship?” He answered, “I prefer the thoroughly honest merchant, because he is engaged in a struggle. Satan approaches him through measures and scales, through receiving and giving, and he struggles against him.” Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, may God be pleased with him, disagreed with him on this point.
وَرُوِيَ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: مَا مِنْ مَوْطِنٍ يَأْتِينِي فِيهِ الْمَوْتُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ مَوْطِنٍ أَتَسَوَّقُ فِيهِ لِأَهْلِي، أَبِيعُ وَأَشْتَرِي فِي رَحْلِي. وَقَالَ أَيُّوبُ: قَالَ لِي أَبُو قِلَابَةَ: اِلْزَمِ السُّوقَ، فَإِنَّ الْغِنَى مِنَ الْعَافِيَةِ، يَعْنِي الْغِنَى عَنِ النَّاسِ، وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ، وَالْغِنَى الَّذِي يُطَاعُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى
waruwiya ʿan ʿumara bni al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu: mā min mawṭinin yaʾtīnī fīhi al-mawtu ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya min mawṭinin ʾatasawwaqu fīhi liʾahlī, ʾabīʿu waʾashtarī fī raḥlī. waqāla ʾayyūbu: qāla lī ʾabū qilābata: ilzami al-sūqa, faʾinna al-ghinā mina al-ʿāfiyati, yaʿnī al-ghinā ʿani al-nāsi, wa-Allāhu ʾaʿlamu, wa-al-ghinā alladhī yuṭāʿu Allāhu taʿālā
It is related that ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, may God be pleased with him, said, “There is no situation in which I would rather death find me than trading for my family, buying and selling among my goods.” Ayyūb said, “Abū Qilāba told me, ‘Keep to the market, for independence is part of well-being.’” He means independence from other people, and God knows best, and wealth by which God Most High is obeyed
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٣٢
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 432
Volume Two, page 432
بِهِ. وَكَانَ يَقُولُ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ: اِتَّجِرْ وَبِعْ وَاشْتَرِ وَلَوْ بِرَأْسِ الْمَالِ، يُجْعَلْ لَكَ مِنَ الْبَرَكَةِ مَا لَا يُجْعَلُ لِصَاحِبِ الزَّرْعِ. وَقَالَ ابْنُ مُحَيْرِيزٍ، وَكَانَ مِنْ عُبَّادِ أَهْلِ الشَّامِ: مَا مِنْ طَعَامٍ أَمْلَأُ بِهِ مَا بَيْنَ جَنْبَيَّ، بَعْدَ غَنِيمَةٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ مِنْ فَيْءِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ أُقِيمُ بِهَا حَقَّ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ طَعَامِ تَاجِرٍ صَدُوقٍ.
bihi. wakāna yaqūlu baʿḍu al-salafi: ittajir wabiʿ washtari walaw biraʾsi al-māli, yujʿal laka mina al-barakati mā lā yujʿalu liṣāḥibi al-zarʿi. waqāla ibnu muḥayrīzin, wakāna min ʿubbādi ʾahli al-shāmi: mā min ṭaʿāmin ʾamlaʾu bihi mā bayna janbayya, baʿda ghanīmatin fī sabīli Allāhi min fayʾi al-mushrikīna ʾuqīmu bihā ḥaqqa Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya min ṭaʿāmi tājirin ṣadūqin.
Some of the early Muslims used to say, “Trade, sell, and buy, even if you merely recover your capital. You will be given a blessing not given to the cultivator.” Ibn Muḥayrīz, one of Syria's devout worshippers, said, “After spoils acquired on God's path from the unbelievers, whose due to God, mighty and majestic, I discharge, no food with which I fill my belly is dearer to me than an honest merchant's food.”
قَالَ: وَكَانُوا يَعُدُّونَ الْكَاسِبَ عَلَى عِيَالِهِ كَالْمُجَاهِدِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَيَرَوْنَ فَضْلَهُ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ. وَرُوِيَ فِيهِ أَثَرٌ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يُحِبُّ الْمُؤْمِنَ الْمُحْتَرِفَ. وَفِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ: أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْعَبْدَ يَتَّخِذُ الْمِهْنَةَ يَسْتَغْنِي بِهَا عَنِ النَّاسِ.
qāla: wakānū yaʿuddūna al-kāsiba ʿalā ʿiyālihi ka-al-mujāhidi fī sabīli Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, wayarawna faḍlahu ʿalā ghayrihi. waruwiya fīhi ʾatharun ʾanna Allāha ʿazza wajalla yuḥibbu al-muʾmina al-muḥtarifa. wafī khabarin ʾākhara: ʾanna Allāha yuḥibbu al-ʿabda yattakhidhu al-mihnata yastaghnī bihā ʿani al-nāsi.
He said, “They regarded someone earning a living for his dependants as being like a fighter on the path of God, mighty and majestic, and considered him superior to others.” A tradition relates that God, mighty and majestic, loves the believer who practices a trade. Another report says that God loves a servant who takes up an occupation by which he becomes independent of other people.
وَحَدَّثَنِي بَعْضُ إِخْوَانِي عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ الْفَرْغَانِيِّ قَالَ: كُنَّا يَوْمًا عِنْدَ الْجُنَيْدِ، فَجَرَى ذِكْرُ نَاسٍ يَجْلِسُونَ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ يَتَشَبَّهُونَ بِالصُّوفِيَّةِ، وَيُقَصِّرُونَ عَمَّا يَجِبُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ حَقِّ الْجُلُوسِ، وَيَعِيبُونَ مَنْ يَدْخُلُ السُّوقَ.
waḥaddathanī baʿḍu ʾikhwānī ʿan ʾabī jaʿfarin al-farghāniyyi qāla: kunnā yawman ʿinda al-junaydi, fajarā dhikru nāsin yajlisūna fī al-masājidi yatashabbahūna bi-al-ṣūfiyyati, wayuqaṣṣirūna ʿammā yajibu ʿalayhim min ḥaqqi al-julūsi, wayaʿībūna man yadkhulu al-sūqa.
One of my brothers told me, on the authority of Abū Jaʿfar al-Farghānī, “One day we were with al-Junayd, and people were mentioned who sat in mosques, imitating the Sufis. They neglected the obligations that sitting there imposed on them, yet criticized anyone who went to the market.”
فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ: كَمْ مِمَّنْ هُوَ فِي السُّوقِ حُكْمُهُ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَيَأْخُذَ بِأُذُنِ بَعْضِ مَنْ هُوَ فِيهِ فَيُخْرِجَهُ وَيَجْلِسَ مَكَانَهُ! إِنِّي لَأَعْرِفُ رَجُلًا يَدْخُلُ السُّوقَ وَوِرْدُهُ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ ثَلَاثُمِائَةِ رَكْعَةٍ وَثَلَاثُونَ أَلْفَ تَسْبِيحَةٍ. قَالَ: فَسَبَقَ وَهْمِي أَنَّهُ يَعْنِي نَفْسَهُ.
faqāla al-junaydu: kam mimman huwa fī al-sūqi ḥukmuhu ʾan yadkhula fī al-masjidi fayaʾkhudha biʾudhuni baʿḍi man huwa fīhi fayukhrijahu wayajlisa makānahu! ʾinnī laʾaʿrifu rajulan yadkhulu al-sūqa wawirduhu fī kulli yawmin thalāthumiʾati rakʿatin wathalāthūna ʾalfa tasbīḥatin. qāla: fasabaqa wahmī ʾannahu yaʿnī nafsahu.
Al-Junayd said, “How many a person in the market would be entitled to enter the mosque, take someone sitting there by the ear, lead him out, and sit in his place! I know a man who goes to the market whose daily devotional practice is three hundred cycles of prayer and thirty thousand glorifications.” He said, “It immediately occurred to me that he meant himself.”
فَإِنْ كَانَ الْعَبْدُ سُوقِيًّا فَلْيَبْدَأْ فَلْيَتَعَلَّمْ عِلْمَ الْبَيْعِ وَالشِّرَاءِ وَالْأَخْذِ وَالْعَطَاءِ وَمُعَامَلَةِ النَّاسِ فِي الْبُيُوعِ وَمَعْرِفَةَ أَبْوَابِ الرِّبَا، لِيَعْلَمَ ذَلِكَ قَبْلَ الْوُقُوعِ فِيهِ فَيَجْتَنِبَ ذَلِكَ وَيَتَّقِيَهُ.
faʾin kāna al-ʿabdu sūqiyyan falyabdaʾ falyataʿallam ʿilma al-bayʿi wa-al-shirāʾi wa-al-ʾakhdhi wa-al-ʿaṭāʾi wamuʿāmalati al-nāsi fī al-buyūʿi wamaʿrifata ʾabwābi al-ribā, liyaʿlama dhālika qabla al-wuqūʿi fīhi fayajtaniba dhālika wayattaqiyahu.
If the servant is a market trader, let him begin by learning the rules of buying and selling, receiving and giving, and conducting commercial dealings with people, and by understanding the forms of usury. He should know about these things before falling into them, so that he can avoid them and guard against them.
وَلْيَغْدُ إِلَى الْمُفْتِي فَيَسْأَلْهُ عَنْ عِلْمِ حَالِهِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ مِنْ وُجُوهِ مُعَامَلَتِهِ، إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ قَدْ تَقَدَّمَ عِلْمُهُ بِذَلِكَ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ عَالِمًا بِهِ فِي وَقْتِ الْمُعَامَلَةِ، فَلْيَجْعَلْ بُكُورَهُ إِلَى الْمُفْتِي قَبْلَ غُدُوِّهِ إِلَى السُّوقِ. فَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ عَمَلٍ عِلْمًا، وَلِلَّهِ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حُكْمٌ، فَلَا يُغْنِيكَ كَبِيرُ عِلْمٍ عَنْ عِلْمِ غَيْرِهِ.
walyaghdu ʾilā al-muftī fayasʾalhu ʿan ʿilmi ḥālihi kulla yawmin min wujūhi muʿāmalatihi, ʾin lam yakun qad taqaddama ʿilmuhu bi-dhālika walam yakun ʿāliman bihi fī waqti al-muʿāmalati, falyajʿal bukūrahu ʾilā al-muftī qabla ghuduwwihi ʾilā al-sūqi. faʾinna likulli ʿamalin ʿilman, wa-li-llāhi fī kulli shayʾin ḥukmun, falā yughnīka kabīru ʿilmin ʿan ʿilmi ghayrihi.
Let him go to the legal scholar each morning and ask what he needs to know about the kinds of transaction he will conduct that day. If he has not learned this beforehand and does not know it when making a transaction, his early visit to the scholar should precede his visit to the market. Every activity has its requisite knowledge, and God has a ruling concerning everything. Extensive knowledge of one matter does not dispense with knowledge of another.
فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ دَخَلَ عَلَيْكَ الرِّبَا وَالْبُيُوعُ الْفَاسِدَةُ. وَقَدْ كَانَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَطُوفُ فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ وَيَضْرِبُ بَعْضَ التُّجَّارِ بِالدِّرَّةِ وَيَقُولُ: لَا يَبِيعُ فِي سُوقِنَا إِلَّا مَنْ تَفَقَّهَ، وَإِلَّا أَكَلَ الرِّبَا شَاءَ أَوْ أَبَى.
faʾin lam tafʿal dhālika dakhala ʿalayka al-ribā wa-al-buyūʿu al-fāsidatu. waqad kāna ʿumaru bnu al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu yaṭūfu fī al-ʾaswāqi wayaḍribu baʿḍa al-tujjāri bi-al-dirrati wayaqūlu: lā yabīʿu fī sūqinā ʾillā man tafaqqaha, waʾillā ʾakala al-ribā shāʾa ʾaw ʾabā.
If you do not do this, usury and invalid sales will find their way into your dealings. ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, may God be pleased with him, used to go around the markets, strike some merchants with his whip, and say, “No one should sell in our market without learning the law; otherwise he will consume usury, whether he wishes to or not.”
ثُمَّ لِيَنْصَرِفْ بَعْدَ الْعِلْمِ فِيمَا يَدْخُلُ فِيهِ فِيمَا أُبِيحَ لَهُ مِنْ تِجَارَةٍ أَوْ صِنَاعَةٍ بِصِدْقِ مُعَامَلَةٍ وَصِدْقٍ فِي مُبَايَعَةٍ، نَاوِيًا فِي ذَلِكَ إِقَامَةَ سُنَّةٍ وَأَمْرًا بِمَعْرُوفٍ وَنَهْيًا عَنْ مُنْكَرٍ وَجِهَادًا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ. لِأَنَّ مَنْ أَخَذَ الْحَقَّ وَأَعْطَاهُ وَعَامَلَ بِصِدْقٍ وَنُصْحٍ فَهُوَ مُعَاوِنٌ عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى وَفِي جِهَادِ الْعَدُوِّ وَالْهَوَى،
thumma liyanṣarif baʿda al-ʿilmi fīmā yadkhulu fīhi fīmā ʾubīḥa lahu min tijāratin ʾaw ṣināʿatin biṣidqi muʿāmalatin waṣidqin fī mubāyaʿatin, nāwiyan fī dhālika ʾiqāmata sunnatin waʾamran bimaʿrūfin wanahyan ʿan munkarin wajihādan fī sabīli Allāhi. liʾanna man ʾakhadha al-ḥaqqa waʾaʿṭāhu waʿāmala biṣidqin wanuṣḥin fahuwa muʿāwinun ʿalā al-birri wa-al-taqwā wafī jihādi al-ʿaduwwi wa-al-hawā,
Once he understands what he is undertaking, let him pursue permitted trade or craftsmanship, dealing honestly and selling truthfully. His intention should be to uphold a prophetic practice, command right, forbid wrong, and struggle on God's path. Someone who receives and gives what is due, and deals with truthfulness and sincere concern, assists righteousness and piety and struggles against the enemy and desire,
سِيَّمَا فِي زَمَانٍ يَكْثُرُ فِيهِ الْبَاطِلُ؛ لِأَنَّ صَلَاحَ الدِّينِ بِصَلَاحِ الدُّنْيَا وَفَسَادَهُ بِفَسَادِهَا، لِتَعَلُّقِ أَحَدِهِمَا بِالْأُخْرَى وَحَاجَةِ كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا بِصَاحِبِهِ. وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: «لَا يَسْتَقِيمُ عَبْدٌ حَتَّى يَسْتَقِيمَ قَلْبُهُ، وَلَا يَسْتَقِيمُ قَلْبُهُ حَتَّى يَسْتَقِيمَ لِسَانُهُ».
siyyamā fī zamānin yakthuru fīhi al-bāṭilu; liʾanna ṣalāḥa al-dīni biṣalāḥi al-dunyā wafasādahu bifasādihā, litaʿalluqi ʾaḥadihimā bi-al-ʾukhrā waḥājati kulli wāḥidin minhumā biṣāḥibihi. wafī al-khabari: «lā yastaqīmu ʿabdun ḥattā yastaqīma qalbuhu, walā yastaqīmu qalbuhu ḥattā yastaqīma lisānuhu».
especially in an age when falsehood abounds. Religion is sound when worldly affairs are sound and becomes corrupt when they become corrupt, because each is bound to the other and each needs its counterpart. A report says, “A servant will not become upright until his heart becomes upright, and his heart will not become upright until his tongue becomes upright.”
وَرُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُوا إِيمَانَهُمْ بِظُلْمٍ أُولَئِكَ لَهُمُ الْأَمْنُ وَهُمْ مُهْتَدُونَ﴾، الْأَنْعَامُ: ٨٢، مَنْ هَؤُلَاءِ؟ فَقَالَ: «مَنْ بَرَّتْ يَمِينُهُ وَصَدَقَ لِسَانُهُ وَاسْتَقَامَ قَلْبُهُ وَعَفَّ فَرْجُهُ وَبَطْنُهُ».
waruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʿan qawlihi taʿālā: ﴿alladhīna ʾāmanū walam yalbisū ʾīmānahum biẓulmin ʾulāʾika lahumu al-ʾamnu wahum muhtadūna﴾, al-ʾanʿāmu: 82, man hāʾulāʾi? faqāla: «man barrat yamīnuhu waṣadaqa lisānuhu wastaqāma qalbuhu waʿaffa farjuhu wabaṭnuhu».
It is related that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, was asked concerning the words of God Most High, “Those who believe and do not mingle their belief with wrongdoing: theirs is security, and they are rightly guided” (Al-Anʿām: 82), “Who are these?” He answered, “Those whose oaths are fulfilled, whose tongues are truthful, whose hearts are upright, and whose private parts and bellies are kept chaste.”
ثُمَّ لِيَنْوِ الْمُتَصَرِّفُ فِي مَعَاشِهِ كَفَّ نَفْسِهِ عَنِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ وَالِاسْتِغْنَاءَ عَنِ النَّاسِ وَقَطْعَ الطَّمَعِ فِيهِمْ وَالتَّشَرُّفِ إِلَيْهِمْ، فَذَلِكَ عِبَادَةٌ إِذَا نَوَى نَزْعَهُ. ثُمَّ لِيَحْتَسِبِ السَّعْيَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ وَإِطْعَامَ عِيَالِهِ، فَهُوَ لَهُ صَدَقَةٌ.
thumma liyanwi al-mutaṣarrifu fī maʿāshihi kaffa nafsihi ʿani al-masʾalati wa-al-istighnāʾa ʿani al-nāsi waqaṭʿa al-ṭamaʿi fīhim wa-al-tasharrufi ʾilayhim, fa-dhālika ʿibādatun ʾidhā nawā nazʿahu. thumma liyaḥtasibi al-saʿya ʿalā nafsihi waʾiṭʿāma ʿiyālihi, fahuwa lahu ṣadaqatun.
Let the person earning his livelihood intend to keep himself from begging, become independent of other people, and end his covetous expectations of them and his longing for what they possess. This is worship when he intends to uproot that longing. Then let him seek God's reward for providing for himself and feeding his dependants, for it counts as charity for him.
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٣٣
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 433
Volume Two, page 433
وَعَلَيْهِ الصِّدْقُ فِي الْقَوْلِ وَالنُّصْحُ فِي مُعَامَلَةِ إِخْوَانِهِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ لِأَجْلِ الدِّينِ، وَيَعْتَقِدُ سَلَامَةَ النَّاسِ مِنْهُ نُصْحًا لَهُمْ وَرَحْمَةً بِهِمْ، وَيَعْمَلُ فِي ذَلِكَ وَيَكُونُ أَبَدًا مُقَدِّمًا لِلدِّينِ وَالتَّقْوَى فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ. فَإِنِ انْتَظَمَتْ دُنْيَاهُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ حَمِدَ اللَّهَ وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ رِبْحًا وَرُجْحَانًا،
waʿalayhi al-ṣidqu fī al-qawli wa-al-nuṣḥu fī muʿāmalati ʾikhwānihi al-muslimīna liʾajli al-dīni, wayaʿtaqidu salāmata al-nāsi minhu nuṣḥan lahum waraḥmatan bihim, wayaʿmalu fī dhālika wayakūnu ʾabadan muqaddiman li-l-dīni wa-al-taqwā fī kulli shayʾin. faʾini intaẓamat dunyāhu baʿda dhālika ḥamida Allāha wakāna dhālika ribḥan warujḥānan,
For religion's sake he must speak truthfully and deal with his Muslim brothers with sincere concern. He should resolve that people will be safe from him, out of concern and compassion for them, act on that resolve, and always give religion and piety first place in everything. If his worldly affairs then fall into order, he should praise God: that is profit and an additional gain.
وَإِنْ تَكَدَّرَتْ لِذَلِكَ دُنْيَاهُ وَتَعَذَّرَتْ لِأَجْلِ الدِّينِ وَالتَّقْوَى أَحْوَالُهُ فِي أُمُورِ الدُّنْيَا كَانَ قَدْ أَحْرَزَ دِينَهُ وَرِبْحَهُ، وَحَفِظَ رَأْسَ مَالِهِ مِنْ تَقْوَاهُ وَسَلِمَ لَهُ، فَهُوَ الْمُعَوَّلُ عَلَيْهِ وَالْحَاصِلُ لَهُ. إِلَّا أَنَّ مَنْ رَبِحَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا مِثْلَ الْمَالِ وَخَسِرَ عُشْرَ الدِّينِ فَمَا رَبِحَتْ تِجَارَتُهُ وَلَا هُدِيَ سَبِيلَهُ وَهُوَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ.
waʾin takaddarat li-dhālika dunyāhu wataʿadhdharat liʾajli al-dīni wa-al-taqwā ʾaḥwāluhu fī ʾumūri al-dunyā kāna qad ʾaḥraza dīnahu waribḥahu, waḥafiẓa raʾsa mālihi min taqwāhu wasalima lahu, fahuwa al-muʿawwalu ʿalayhi wa-al-ḥāṣilu lahu. ʾillā ʾanna man rabiḥa mina al-dunyā mithla al-māli wakhasira ʿushra al-dīni famā rabiḥat tijāratuhu walā hudiya sabīlahu wahuwa ʿinda Allāhi mina al-khāsirīna.
If this makes his worldly life troubled, and religion and piety make his material circumstances difficult, he has nevertheless secured his religion and its profit. He has preserved his capital of piety and kept it intact: that is what he can rely on and truly possess. But someone who gains as much worldly wealth as his capital while losing a tenth of his religion has made no profit in his trade and has not been guided on his way. Before God he is among the losers.
وَقَالَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ: أَوْلَى الْأَشْيَاءِ بِالْعَاقِلِ أَحْوَجُهُ إِلَيْهِ فِي الْعَاجِلِ، وَأَحْوَجُ شَيْءٍ إِلَيْهِ فِي الْعَاجِلِ أَحْمَدُهُ عَاقِبَةً فِي الْآجِلِ. وَكَذَلِكَ قَالَ مُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي وَصِيَّتِهِ: إِنَّهُ لَا بُدَّ لَكَ مِنْ نَصِيبِكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَأَنْتَ إِلَى نَصِيبِكَ مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ أَحْوَجُ،
waqāla baʿḍu al-salafi: ʾawlā al-ʾashyāʾi bi-al-ʿāqili ʾaḥwajuhu ʾilayhi fī al-ʿājili, waʾaḥwaju shayʾin ʾilayhi fī al-ʿājili ʾaḥmaduhu ʿāqibatan fī al-ʾājili. wa-kadhālika qāla muʿādhu bnu jabalin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fī waṣiyyatihi: ʾinnahu lā budda laka min naṣībika mina al-dunyā waʾanta ʾilā naṣībika mina al-ʾākhirati ʾaḥwaju,
One of the early Muslims said, “What most deserves a sensible person's attention is what he needs most urgently now; what he needs most urgently now is what will have the best outcome hereafter.” Similarly, Muʿādh ibn Jabal, may God be pleased with him, said in his final counsel, “You cannot do without your share of this world, but you have greater need of your share of the hereafter.
فَابْدَأْ بِنَصِيبِكَ مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ فَخُذْهُ، فَإِنَّهُ سَيَمُرُّ عَلَى نَصِيبِكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا فَيَنْظُمُهُ لَكَ انْتِظَامًا وَيَزُولُ مَعَكَ حَيْثُمَا زُلْتَ. قَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَلَا تَنْسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا﴾، الْقَصَصُ: ٧٧، لَا تَتْرُكْ نَصِيبَكَ فِي الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا لِلْآخِرَةِ، لِأَنَّكَ مِنْ هَٰهُنَا تَكْتَسِبُ الْحَسَنَاتِ فَتَكُونُ هُنَاكَ فِي مَقَامِ الْمُحْسِنِينَ.
fabdaʾ binaṣībika mina al-ʾākhirati fakhudhhu, faʾinnahu sayamurru ʿalā naṣībika mina al-dunyā fayanẓumuhu laka intiẓāman wayazūlu maʿaka ḥaythumā zulta. qad qāla Allāhu taʿālā: ﴿walā tansa naṣībaka mina al-dunyā﴾, al-qaṣaṣu: 77, lā tatruk naṣībaka fī al-dunyā mina al-dunyā li-l-ʾākhirati, liʾannaka min hāhunā taktasibu al-ḥasanāti fatakūnu hunāka fī maqāmi al-muḥsinīna.
Begin by obtaining your share of the hereafter. It will pass over your share of this world and put it thoroughly in order for you, and will move with you wherever you move.” God Most High said, “Do not forget your share of this world” (Al-Qaṣaṣ: 77): do not abandon, while in this world, the share you take from it for the hereafter. Here you acquire good deeds, so that there you may stand among those who do good.
فَفِي الْخِطَابِ مُضْمَرٌ لِدَلِيلِ الْكَلَامِ عَلَيْهِ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَأَحْسِنْ كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ وَلَا تَبْغِ الْفَسَادَ فِي الْأَرْضِ﴾، الْقَصَصُ: ٧٧. وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: مَنْ دَخَلَ السُّوقَ لِيَشْتَرِيَ وَيَبِيعَ فَكَانَ دِرْهَمُهُ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ دِرْهَمِ أَخِيهِ لَمْ يَنْصَحِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فِي الْمُعَامَلَةِ.
fafī al-khiṭābi muḍmarun lidalīli al-kalāmi ʿalayhi fī qawlihi taʿālā: ﴿waʾaḥsin kamā ʾaḥsana Allāhu ʾilayka walā tabghi al-fasāda fī al-ʾarḍi﴾, al-qaṣaṣu: 77. waqad qāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: man dakhala al-sūqa liyashtariya wayabīʿa fakāna dirhamuhu ʾaḥabba ʾilayhi min dirhami ʾakhīhi lam yanṣaḥi al-muslimīna fī al-muʿāmalati.
The address contains something left implicit, which the wording points to in the saying of God Most High, “Do good as God has done good to you, and do not seek corruption in the land” (Al-Qaṣaṣ: 77). One scholar said, “Someone who enters the market to buy and sell, holding his own dirham dearer than his brother's dirham, has not dealt sincerely with Muslims.”
وَقَالَ عَالِمٌ آخَرُ: مَنْ بَاعَ أَخَاهُ شَيْئًا بِدِرْهَمٍ وَهُوَ يَصْلُحُ لَهُ بِخَمْسَةِ دَوَانِيقَ فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يُحِبَّ لِأَخِيهِ مَا يُحِبُّ لِنَفْسِهِ، حَتَّى لَا يَبِيعَ أَخَاهُ شَيْئًا بِدِرْهَمٍ إِلَّا وَهُوَ يَصْلُحُ لَهُ اشْتِرَاؤُهُ بِهِ.
waqāla ʿālimun ʾākharu: man bāʿa ʾakhāhu shayʾan bidirhamin wahuwa yaṣluḥu lahu bikhamsati dawānīqa faʾinnahu lam yuḥibba liʾakhīhi mā yuḥibbu linafsihi, ḥattā lā yabīʿa ʾakhāhu shayʾan bidirhamin ʾillā wahuwa yaṣluḥu lahu ishtirāʾuhu bihi.
Another scholar said, “Someone who sells his brother an item for a dirham when five dāniqs would be a fair price has not loved for his brother what he loves for himself. He must reach the point of selling his brother nothing for a dirham unless it would be fitting for him to buy it at that price.”
فَيَنْبَغِي لِهَذَا الْمُتَصَرِّفِ أَنْ يَسْتَوِيَ فِي قَلْبِهِ دِرْهَمُهُ وَدِرْهَمُ أَخِيهِ وَرَحْلُهُ وَرَحْلُ أَخِيهِ، لِيَعْدِلَ فِيمَا يَبِيعُهُ أَوْ يَشْتَرِي مِنْهُ سَوَاءً بِسَوَاءٍ، وَيَكُونَ مُرَاعِيًا لِمُوَافَقَةِ حُكْمِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى الَّذِي وَرَدَ بِهِ الشَّرْعُ فِي الشِّرَاءِ وَالْبَيْعِ، مُرَاعِيًا لِلسَّبَبِ الَّذِي يَصِلُ بِهِ الدِّرْهَمُ، أَنْ يَكُونَ السَّبَبُ مَعْرُوفًا فِي الْعِلْمِ، مُبَاحًا فِي الْحُكْمِ،
fayanbaghī li-hādhā al-mutaṣarrifi ʾan yastawiya fī qalbihi dirhamuhu wadirhamu ʾakhīhi waraḥluhu waraḥlu ʾakhīhi, liyaʿdila fīmā yabīʿuhu ʾaw yashtarī minhu sawāʾan bisawāʾin, wayakūna murāʿiyan limuwāfaqati ḥukmi Allāhi taʿālā alladhī warada bihi al-sharʿu fī al-shirāʾi wa-al-bayʿi, murāʿiyan li-l-sababi alladhī yaṣilu bihi al-dirhamu, ʾan yakūna al-sababu maʿrūfan fī al-ʿilmi, mubāḥan fī al-ḥukmi,
The trader should therefore give his own dirham and his brother's dirham, his own goods and his brother's goods, equal weight in his heart. Then he can act fairly in selling to him or buying from him, treating like alike. He should ensure compliance with the ruling of God Most High laid down in the sacred law for buying and selling, and examine how the dirham reaches him: that means of acquisition must be recognized in religious knowledge and permitted by the law.
فَيَكُونُ مُتَوَرِّعًا فِي عَيْنِ الدِّرْهَمِ الْمُعْتَاضِ، لَا يَكُونُ مِنْ خِيَانَةٍ أَوْ سَرِقَةٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ أَوْ غَصْبٍ أَوْ غِيلَةٍ أَوْ حِيلَةٍ، فَهَذِهِ وُجُوهُ الْحَرَامِ الَّتِي تَحْرُمُ بِهَا الْمَكَاسِبُ الْمُبَاحَةُ. فَإِذَا كَانَ مُتَجَنِّبًا لِهَذِهِ الْمَعَانِي لَمْ يَشْهَدْ أَحَدَهَا بِعَيْنِهِ أَوْ لَمْ يَعْلَمْهُ مِنْ عَدْلٍ فَكَسْبُهُ حِينَئِذٍ مِنْ شُبْهَةٍ،
fayakūnu mutawarriʿan fī ʿayni al-dirhami al-muʿtāḍi, lā yakūnu min khiyānatin ʾaw sariqatin ʾaw fasādin ʾaw ghaṣbin ʾaw ghīlatin ʾaw ḥīlatin, fa-hādhihi wujūhu al-ḥarāmi allatī taḥrumu bihā al-makāsibu al-mubāḥatu. faʾidhā kāna mutajanniban li-hādhihi al-maʿānī lam yashhad ʾaḥadahā biʿaynihi ʾaw lam yaʿlamhu min ʿadlin fakasbuhu ḥīnaʾidhin min shubhatin,
He should exercise scrupulous care concerning the actual dirham received in exchange: it must not derive from betrayal, theft, corruption, seizure, treachery, or a stratagem. These are the unlawful elements that make otherwise permitted earnings unlawful. If he avoids such things, has not witnessed any of them himself, or has not learned of one from a trustworthy person, his earnings are then still of doubtful provenance,
وَلَا يَكُونُ مَعَ ذَلِكَ حَلَالًا لِإِمْكَانِ دُخُولِ أَمْرِ هَذِهِ الْأَسْبَابِ فِيهِ، وَلِأَنَّهُ عَلَى غَيْرِ يَقِينِ مُعَايَنَةٍ مِنْهُ لِصِحَّةِ أَصْلِهِ وَأَصْلِ أَصْلِهِ لِقِلَّةِ الْمُتَّقِينَ وَذَهَابِ الْوَرِعِينَ، إِلَّا أَنَّهُ شُبْهَةُ الْحَلَالِ.
walā yakūnu maʿa dhālika ḥalālan liʾimkāni dukhūli ʾamri hādhihi al-ʾasbābi fīhi, waliʾannahu ʿalā ghayri yaqīni muʿāyanatin minhu liṣiḥḥati ʾaṣlihi waʾaṣli ʾaṣlihi liqillati al-muttaqīna wadhahābi al-wariʿīna, ʾillā ʾannahu shubhatu al-ḥalāli.
and even so they are not assuredly lawful. These causes may have entered into them, and he has no eyewitness certainty that their origin, and the origin behind that origin, are sound, because the God-fearing are few and the scrupulous have disappeared. Nevertheless, this is doubt attaching to what is presumed lawful.
وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أُتِيَ بِلَبَنٍ فَقَالَ: «مِنْ أَيْنَ لَكُمْ هَذَا؟» فَقِيلَ لَهُ: مِنْ شَاةِ كَذَا. فَقَالَ: «وَمِنْ أَيْنَ لَكُمْ هَذِهِ الشَّاةُ؟» فَقِيلَ: مِنْ وَضْعِ كَذَا. فَشَرِبَ مِنْهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ: «إِنَّا مَعَاشِرَ
wafī al-khabari: ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾutiya bilabanin faqāla: «min ʾayna lakum hādhā?» faqīla lahu: min shāti kadhā. faqāla: «wamin ʾayna lakum hādhihi al-shātu?» faqīla: min waḍʿi kadhā. fashariba minhu thumma qāla: «ʾinnā maʿāshira
A report relates that milk was brought to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. He asked, “Where did you get this?” He was told, “From such-and-such a sheep.” He asked, “And where did you get this sheep?” He was told, “From such-and-such a source.” He drank some, then said, “We, the company of
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٣٤
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 434
Volume Two, page 434
الْأَنْبِيَاءِ، أُمِرْنَا أَنْ لَا نَأْكُلَ إِلَّا طَيِّبًا وَلَا نَعْمَلَ إِلَّا صَالِحًا». وَقَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَمَرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِمَا أَمَرَ بِهِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ، فَقَالَ: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ﴾، الْبَقَرَةُ: ١٧٢.
al-ʾanbiyāʾi, ʾumirnā ʾan lā naʾkula ʾillā ṭayyiban walā naʿmala ʾillā ṣāliḥan». waqāla Allāhu taʿālā ʾamara al-muʾminīna bimā ʾamara bihi al-mursalīna, faqāla: ﴿yā ʾayyuhā alladhīna ʾāmanū kulū min ṭayyibāti mā razaqnākum﴾, al-baqaratu: 172.
prophets, have been commanded to eat only what is wholesome and to do only what is right.” And God Most High spoke, commanding believers to do what He commanded the messengers to do: “You who believe, eat of the wholesome things We have provided for you” (Al-Baqara: 172).
فَسَأَلَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ أَصْلِ الشَّيْءِ وَأَصْلِ أَصْلِهِ، وَلَمْ يَسْأَلْ عَمَّا وَرَاءَ ذَلِكَ، لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ يَتَعَذَّرُ وَلَا يُوقَفُ عَلَى حَقِيقَتِهِ. وَلِأَنَّ أَمْوَالَ التُّجَّارِ وَالصُّنَّاعِ قَدِ اخْتَلَطَتْ بِأَمْوَالِ الْأَجْنَادِ، وَهُمْ يَأْخُذُونَ ذَلِكَ بِغَيْرِ اسْتِحْقَاقٍ، فَكَأَنَّهُ مِنْ أَكْلِ الْمَالِ بِالْبَاطِلِ،
fasaʾala al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʿan ʾaṣli al-shayʾi waʾaṣli ʾaṣlihi, walam yasʾal ʿammā warāʾa dhālika, liʾannahu qad yataʿadhdharu walā yūqafu ʿalā ḥaqīqatihi. waliʾanna ʾamwāla al-tujjāri wa-al-ṣunnāʿi qadi ikhtalaṭat biʾamwāli al-ʾajnādi, wahum yaʾkhudhūna dhālika bighayri istiḥqāqin, fakaʾannahu min ʾakli al-māli bi-al-bāṭili,
The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, asked about the thing's origin and the origin behind that origin. He did not inquire further, because that may become impossible and the truth may be beyond discovery. Moreover, merchants' and craftsmen's wealth has become mixed with soldiers' wealth. The soldiers receive it without entitlement, so it amounts to consuming wealth wrongfully,
إِذْ قَدْ أَوْقَفُوا نُفُوسَهُمْ وَارْتَبَطُوا دَوَابَّهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ الْهَوَى، فَصَارُوا يَأْخُذُونَ الْعَطَاءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ وَلَا يَمْلِكُونَ ذَلِكَ. ثُمَّ يَنْتَشِرُ ذَلِكَ فِي أَمْوَالِ التُّجَّارِ وَالصُّنَّاعِ، وَهُمْ لَا يُمَيِّزُونَ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ وَلَا يَرْغَبُونَ عَنْهُ لِقِلَّةِ التَّقْوَى وَعَدَمِ الْوَرَعِ.
ʾidh qad ʾawqafū nufūsahum wartabaṭū dawābbahum fī sabīli al-hawā, faṣārū yaʾkhudhūna al-ʿaṭāʾa bighayri ḥaqqin walā yamlikūna dhālika. thumma yantashiru dhālika fī ʾamwāli al-tujjāri wa-al-ṣunnāʿi, wahum lā yumayyizūna bayna dhālika walā yarghabūna ʿanhu liqillati al-taqwā waʿadami al-waraʿi.
since they have dedicated themselves and tethered their mounts in the service of desire. They thus take stipends without a rightful claim and acquire no lawful ownership of them. This money then spreads through the wealth of merchants and craftsmen, who neither distinguish it from other money nor shun it, because of their scant piety and lack of scrupulousness.
فَلِذَلِكَ غَلَبَ الْحَرَامُ، لِأَنَّ الْحَلَالَ إِنَّمَا هُوَ فَرْعٌ لِلتَّقْوَى وَالْوَرَعِ. إِذَا كَثُرَ الْمُتَّقُونَ وَظَهَرَ الْوَرِعُونَ كَثُرَ الْحَلَالُ وَظَهَرَ، وَإِذَا قَلُّوا فَشَا الْحَرَامُ وَانْتَشَرَ، فَصَارَ الْحَلَالُ مُسْتَهْلَكًا غَامِضًا فِي الْحَرَامِ لِغُرْبَةِ الْوَرِعِينَ وَخُفْيَةِ الْمُتَّقِينَ.
fali-dhālika ghalaba al-ḥarāmu, liʾanna al-ḥalāla ʾinnamā huwa farʿun li-l-taqwā wa-al-waraʿi. ʾidhā kathura al-muttaqūna waẓahara al-wariʿūna kathura al-ḥalālu waẓahara, waʾidhā qallū fashā al-ḥarāmu wantashara, faṣāra al-ḥalālu mustahlakan ghāmiḍan fī al-ḥarāmi lighurbati al-wariʿīna wakhufyati al-muttaqīna.
That is why unlawful wealth has prevailed: lawful wealth is an outgrowth of piety and scrupulousness. When the God-fearing are numerous and the scrupulous are evident, lawful wealth becomes abundant and evident. When they are few, unlawful wealth grows widespread, until lawful wealth is swallowed up and concealed within it, because the scrupulous are strangers and the God-fearing are hidden.
وَإِنَّمَا كَانَ الْحَلَالُ فِي الْقَرْنِ الْأَوَّلِ مَوْجُودًا لِوُجُودِ السَّلَفِ الصَّالِحِ، وَكَانَ النَّاسُ وَرِعِينَ وَكَانُوا لَا يَأْخُذُونَ مَا لَيْسَ لَهُمْ بِحَقٍّ فَكَانُوا مُتَّقِينَ، وَكَانُوا يَتْرُكُونَ بَعْضَ حَقِّهِمْ خَشْيَةَ دُخُولِ الشُّبْهَةِ عَلَيْهِمْ، فَمِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ كَانَ الْحَلَالُ كَثِيرًا.
waʾinnamā kāna al-ḥalālu fī al-qarni al-ʾawwali mawjūdan liwujūdi al-salafi al-ṣāliḥi, wakāna al-nāsu wariʿīna wakānū lā yaʾkhudhūna mā laysa lahum biḥaqqin fakānū muttaqīna, wakānū yatrukūna baʿḍa ḥaqqihim khashyata dukhūli al-shubhati ʿalayhim, famin ʾajli dhālika kāna al-ḥalālu kathīran.
Lawful wealth existed in the first generation because the righteous forebears were there. People were scrupulous and did not take what was not rightfully theirs; they were God-fearing. They even relinquished part of their rightful due for fear that something doubtful might enter into it. That is why lawful wealth was plentiful.
وَقَدْ حُكِيَ عَنْ بَعْضِ فُقَهَاءِ الْعِرَاقِ، أَعْرِفُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: لَا أَقْبَلُ شَهَادَةَ شَحِيحٍ. قِيلَ: وَلِمَ؟ قَالَ: الشُّحُّ يَحْمِلُهُ عَلَى اسْتِيفَاءِ حَقِّهِ، وَفِي اسْتِيفَاءِ حَقِّهِ أَخْذُهُ مَا لَيْسَ لَهُ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي عَطَاءٌ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: مَا اسْتَقْصَى كَرِيمٌ قَطُّ،
waqad ḥukiya ʿan baʿḍi fuqahāʾi al-ʿirāqi, ʾaʿrifu ʾannahu qāla: lā ʾaqbalu shahādata shaḥīḥin. qīla: walima? qāla: al-shuḥḥu yaḥmiluhu ʿalā istīfāʾi ḥaqqihi, wafī istīfāʾi ḥaqqihi ʾakhdhuhu mā laysa lahu. thumma qāla: ḥaddathanī ʿaṭāʾun ʿan ʿaliyyi bni ʾabī ṭālibin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ʾannahu qāla: mā istaqṣā karīmun qaṭṭu,
A statement has been related from one of Iraq's jurists; I know that he said, “I do not accept a miser's testimony.” Asked why, he answered, “Miserliness drives him to exact his entire due, and in exacting it he takes something that is not his.” He then said, “ʿAṭāʾ told me, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, may God be pleased with him, that he said, ‘A generous person never exacts everything to the last degree.’”
وَتَلَا قَوْلَهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿عَرَّفَ بَعْضَهُ وَأَعْرَضَ عَنْ بَعْضٍ﴾، التَّحْرِيمُ: ٣. وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: «كُنَّا نَتْرُكُ سَبْعِينَ بَابًا مِنَ الْحَلَالِ مَخَافَةَ بَابٍ وَاحِدٍ مِنَ الْحَرَامِ». وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ: أَدْرَكْتُ مَنْ مَضَى يُعْرَضُ عَلَى أَحَدِهِمُ الْمَالُ الْحَلَالُ فَيَقُولُ: لَا حَاجَةَ لِي بِهِ، أَخَافُ أَنْ يُفْسِدَ عَلَيَّ قَلْبِي.
watalā qawlahu ʿazza wajalla: ﴿ʿarrafa baʿḍahu waʾaʿraḍa ʿan baʿḍin﴾, al-taḥrīmu: 3. wafī al-khabari: «kunnā natruku sabʿīna bāban mina al-ḥalāli makhāfata bābin wāḥidin mina al-ḥarāmi». waqāla al-ḥasanu: ʾadraktu man maḍā yuʿraḍu ʿalā ʾaḥadihimu al-mālu al-ḥalālu fayaqūlu: lā ḥājata lī bihi, ʾakhāfu ʾan yufsida ʿalayya qalbī.
He recited the words of God, mighty and majestic, “He made part of it known and passed over part” (Al-Taḥrīm: 3). A report says, “We used to leave aside seventy avenues of what was lawful for fear of one avenue of the unlawful.” Al-Ḥasan said, “I knew people of earlier days who, when lawful wealth was offered to them, would say, ‘I have no need of it. I fear it may corrupt my heart.’”
قَدْ كَانَتِ الْأَئِمَّةُ عُدُولًا فَكَانَتِ الْجُنُودُ مُعَاوِنِينَ لَهُمْ عَلَى التَّقْوَى يَأْخُذُونَ عَطَاءَهُمْ بِحَقٍّ. وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي ذِكْرِ الْخَيْلِ، اخْتَصَرْنَاهُ، قَالَ: «وَالْخَيْلُ لِرَجُلٍ وِزْرٌ، وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَرْبِطُهَا فَخْرًا وَرِيَاءً وَسُمْعَةً وَنِوَاءً عَلَى الْإِسْلَامِ،
qad kānati al-ʾaʾimmatu ʿudūlan fakānati al-junūdu muʿāwinīna lahum ʿalā al-taqwā yaʾkhudhūna ʿaṭāʾahum biḥaqqin. wafī al-ḥadīthi ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama fī dhikri al-khayli, ikhtaṣarnāhu, qāla: «wa-al-khaylu lirajulin wizrun, wahuwa alladhī yarbiṭuhā fakhran wariyāʾan wasumʿatan waniwāʾan ʿalā al-ʾislāmi,
The rulers were once just, and the soldiers supported them in piety, receiving their stipends rightfully. In a hadith from God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, concerning horses, which we have abridged, he said, “For one man, horses are a burden of sin: he keeps them for pride, ostentation, reputation, and hostility toward Islam.
فَمَا أَكَلَتْ وَشَرِبَتْ فِي أَجْوَافِهَا حَتَّى أَبْوَالُهَا وَأَرْوَاثُهَا وَآثَارُهَا أَوْزَارٌ فِي مِيزَانِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ». وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿اُحْشُرُوا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا وَأَزْوَاجَهُمْ﴾، الصَّافَّاتُ: ٢٢، يَعْنِي وَأَشْبَاهَهُمْ وَأَعْوَانَهُمْ.
famā ʾakalat washaribat fī ʾajwāfihā ḥattā ʾabwāluhā waʾarwāthuhā waʾāthāruhā ʾawzārun fī mīzānihi yawma al-qiyāmati». waqad qāla Allāhu taʿālā: ﴿uḥshurū alladhīna ẓalamū waʾazwājahum﴾, al-ṣāffātu: 22, yaʿnī waʾashbāhahum waʾaʿwānahum.
Everything they eat and drink into their bellies, even their urine, dung, and tracks, will be burdens of sin in his balance on the Day of Resurrection.” God Most High said, “Gather those who did wrong and their counterparts” (Al-Ṣāffāt: 22), meaning those like them and their helpers.
فَقَالَ الثَّوْرِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: يُقَالُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ: لِيَقُمْ وُلَاةُ السُّوءِ وَأَعْوَانُهُمْ. قَالَ: فَمَنْ لَاقَ لَهُمْ دَوَاةً أَوْ بَرَى لَهُمْ قَلَمًا أَوْ حَمَلَ لَهُمْ لَبَدًا أَوْ أَعَانَهُمْ عَلَى أَمْرٍ فَهُوَ مَعَهُمْ.
faqāla al-thawriyyu raḥimahu Allāhu: yuqālu yawma al-qiyāmati: liyaqum wulātu al-sūʾi waʾaʿwānuhum. qāla: faman lāqa lahum dawātan ʾaw barā lahum qalaman ʾaw ḥamala lahum labadan ʾaw ʾaʿānahum ʿalā ʾamrin fahuwa maʿahum.
Al-Thawrī, may God have mercy on him, said, “On the Day of Resurrection it will be said, ‘Let the wicked rulers and their helpers stand.’ Anyone who prepared an inkwell for them, sharpened a pen for them, carried a felt mat for them, or helped them in some affair will be among them.”
وَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى ابْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ فَقَالَ: إِنِّي خَيَّاطٌ وَرُبَّمَا خِطْتُ شَيْئًا لِبَعْضِ وُكَلَاءِ السُّلْطَانِ، فَمَاذَا تَرَى، أَكُونُ مِنْ أَعْوَانِ الظَّلَمَةِ؟ قَالَ: لَسْتَ مِنْ أَعْوَانِ الظَّلَمَةِ، بَلْ أَنْتَ مِنَ الظَّلَمَةِ؛ إِنَّمَا أَعْوَانُ الظَّلَمَةِ مَنْ يَبِيعُ مِنْكَ الْإِبَرَ وَالْخُيُوطَ.
wajāʾa rajulun ʾilā ibni al-mubāraki faqāla: ʾinnī khayyāṭun warubbamā khiṭtu shayʾan libaʿḍi wukalāʾi al-sulṭāni, famādhā tarā, ʾakūnu min ʾaʿwāni al-ẓalamati? qāla: lasta min ʾaʿwāni al-ẓalamati, bal ʾanta mina al-ẓalamati; ʾinnamā ʾaʿwānu al-ẓalamati man yabīʿu minka al-ʾibara wa-al-khuyūṭa.
A man came to Ibn al-Mubārak and said, “I am a tailor, and sometimes I sew something for an official of the ruler. What do you think: am I one of the oppressors' helpers?” He answered, “You are not one of their helpers; you are one of the oppressors. Their helpers are those who sell you needles and thread.”
وَكَانَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ قَدْ جَلَسَ فِي دِيوَانِ بَعْضِ الْأُمَرَاءِ، فَكَتَبَ الْأَمِيرُ كِتَابًا فَقَالَ: نَاوِلْنِي الطِّينَ أَخْتِمْ بِهِ الْكِتَابَ، فَامْتَنَعَ. فَقَالَ: نَاوِلْنِي الْكِتَابَ الَّذِي كَتَبْتُهُ حَتَّى أَنْظُرَ فِيهِ، فَلَمْ
wakāna baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi qad jalasa fī dīwāni baʿḍi al-ʾumarāʾi, fakataba al-ʾamīru kitāban faqāla: nāwilnī al-ṭīna ʾakhtim bihi al-kitāba, famtanaʿa. faqāla: nāwilnī al-kitāba alladhī katabtuhu ḥattā ʾanẓura fīhi, falam
One scholar was sitting in a governor's office. The governor wrote a letter and said, “Pass me the clay so I can seal the letter.” The scholar refused. He then said, “Pass me the letter I have written so I can look at it,” but he did not
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٣٥
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 435
Volume Two, page 435
يُنَاوِلْهُ. وَفَعَلَ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ مَعَ الْمَهْدِيِّ، فَكَانَ بِيَدِ الْمَهْدِيِّ دَرْجٌ أَبْيَضُ وَقَدْ أُدْخِلَ عَلَيْهِ الثَّوْرِيُّ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، أَعْطِنِي الدَّوَاةَ حَتَّى أَكْتُبَ. فَقَالَ: أَخْبِرْنِي بِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ تَكْتُبُ، فَإِنْ كَانَ حَقًّا أَعْطَيْتُكَ، وَإِلَّا كُنْتُ عَوْنًا عَلَى الظُّلْمِ.
yunāwilhu. wafaʿala mithla dhālika sufyānu al-thawriyyu maʿa al-mahdiyyi, fakāna biyadi al-mahdiyyi darjun ʾabyaḍu waqad ʾudkhila ʿalayhi al-thawriyyu, faqāla lahu: yā ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi, ʾaʿṭinī al-dawāta ḥattā ʾaktuba. faqāla: ʾakhbirnī biʾayyi shayʾin taktubu, faʾin kāna ḥaqqan ʾaʿṭaytuka, waʾillā kuntu ʿawnan ʿalā al-ẓulmi.
pass it to him. Sufyān al-Thawrī acted similarly with al-Mahdī. Al-Mahdī held a blank scroll when al-Thawrī was brought before him. He said, “Abū ʿAbd Allāh, give me the inkwell so I can write.” He replied, “Tell me what you will write. If it is right, I will give it to you; otherwise I would be assisting oppression.”
وَكَانَ بِمَكَّةَ أَمِيرٌ قَدْ أَمَرَ رَجُلًا أَنْ يَقُومَ لَهُ عَلَى الصُّنَّاعِ فِي عِمَارَةِ ثَغْرٍ مِنَ الثُّغُورِ. قَالَ: فَوَقَعَ فِي نَفْسِي مِنْ ذَلِكَ شَيْءٌ، فَسَأَلْتُ سُفْيَانَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ: لَا تَفْعَلَنَّ، وَلَا تَكُنْ عَوْنًا لَهُمْ عَلَى قَلِيلٍ وَلَا كَثِيرٍ.
wakāna bimakkata ʾamīrun qad ʾamara rajulan ʾan yaqūma lahu ʿalā al-ṣunnāʿi fī ʿimārati thaghrin mina al-thughūri. qāla: fawaqaʿa fī nafsī min dhālika shayʾun, fasaʾaltu sufyāna ʿan dhālika faqāla: lā tafʿalanna, walā takun ʿawnan lahum ʿalā qalīlin walā kathīrin.
A governor in Mecca ordered a man to supervise craftsmen building at one of the frontier posts. The man said, “I felt uneasy about this, so I asked Sufyān. He said, ‘Do not do it. Do not assist them in anything, great or small.’”
فَقُلْتُ: يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، سُورٌ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ! فَقَالَ: نَعَمْ، وَلَكِنْ أَقَلُّ مَا يَدْخُلُ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ تُحِبَّ بَقَاءَهُمْ لِيُوَفُّوكَ أُجْرَتَكَ، فَتَكُونَ قَدْ أَحْبَبْتَ مَنْ بَغَّضَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.
faqultu: yā ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi, sūrun fī sabīli Allāhi taʿālā li-l-muslimīna! faqāla: naʿam, wa-lākin ʾaqallu mā yadkhulu ʿalayka ʾan tuḥibba baqāʾahum liyuwaffūka ʾujrataka, fatakūna qad ʾaḥbabta man baghghaḍa Allāhu ʿazza wajalla.
“I said, ‘Abū ʿAbd Allāh, it is a wall for the Muslims, on the path of God Most High!’ He answered, ‘Yes, but the least harm that will come to you is that you will wish them to remain so they can pay you your wages in full. You will thereby have come to love someone whom God, mighty and majestic, has made hateful.’”
وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي الْخَبَرِ: «مَنْ دَعَا لِظَالِمٍ بِالْبَقَاءِ فَقَدْ أَحَبَّ أَنْ يُعْصَى اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ». وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ: «إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَيَغْضَبُ إِذَا مُدِحَ الْفَاسِقُ». وَفِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ: «مَنْ أَكْرَمَ فَاسِقًا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَعَانَ عَلَى هَدْمِ الْإِسْلَامِ».
waqad jāʾa fī al-khabari: «man daʿā liẓālimin bi-al-baqāʾi faqad ʾaḥabba ʾan yuʿṣā Allāhu ʿazza wajalla». wafī al-ḥadīthi: «ʾinna Allāha layaghḍabu ʾidhā mudiḥa al-fāsiqu». wafī khabarin ʾākhara: «man ʾakrama fāsiqan fakaʾannamā ʾaʿāna ʿalā hadmi al-ʾislāmi».
A report says, “Whoever prays for an oppressor to remain has wished that God, mighty and majestic, should be disobeyed.” A hadith says, “God becomes angry when a flagrantly sinful person is praised.” Another report says, “Whoever honors a flagrantly sinful person is as though he had helped demolish Islam.”
وَلْيَجْتَنِبْ هَذَا السُّوقِيُّ الْبُيُوعَ الْفَاسِدَةَ مِثْلَ بَيْعِ الْغَرَرِ وَالْخَطَرِ وَالْمَجْهُولِ، وَمِثْلَ بَيْعَتَيْنِ فِي بَيْعَةٍ، إِحْدَاهُمَا مُصَارَفَةٌ أَوْ مُشَارَطَةٌ. وَلَا يَبِيعُ مَا لَيْسَ عِنْدَهُ وَلَا مَا اشْتَرَاهُ حَتَّى يَقْبِضَهُ، وَلَا يَبِيعُ الدَّيْنَ بِالدَّيْنِ،
walyajtanib hādhā al-sūqiyyu al-buyūʿa al-fāsidata mithla bayʿi al-gharari wa-al-khaṭari wa-al-majhūli, wamithla bayʿatayni fī bayʿatin, ʾiḥdāhumā muṣārafatun ʾaw mushāraṭatun. walā yabīʿu mā laysa ʿindahu walā mā ishtarāhu ḥattā yaqbiḍahu, walā yabīʿu al-dayna bi-al-dayni,
Let this market trader avoid invalid sales, such as sales involving uncertainty, hazard, or something unspecified, and two sales combined in one, one of them being currency exchange or a conditional agreement. He must not sell what he does not have, nor what he has bought until he takes possession of it; nor may he sell a debt for a debt.
وَلَا يَتَبَايَعَانِ الثِّمَارَ حَتَّى يَبْدُوَ صَلَاحُهَا وَيُؤْمَنَ عَلَيْهَا الْعَاهَةُ، وَمِنَ النَّخِيلِ حَتَّى تَحْمَرَّ أَوْ تَصْفَرَّ، وَمِنَ الْعِنَبِ حَتَّى يَلِينَ أَوْ يَسْوَدَّ. وَنَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنِ النَّجْشِ، وَهُوَ أَنْ يُعْطِيَ بِسِلْعَةٍ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ لَا يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَشْتَرِيَهَا بِشَيْءٍ لِيَغُرَّ غَيْرَهُ بِهَا.
walā yatabāyaʿāni al-thimāra ḥattā yabduwa ṣalāḥuhā wayuʾmana ʿalayhā al-ʿāhatu, wamina al-nakhīli ḥattā taḥmarra ʾaw taṣfarra, wamina al-ʿinabi ḥattā yalīna ʾaw yaswadda. wanahā rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʿani al-najshi, wahuwa ʾan yuʿṭiya bisilʿatin shayʾan wahuwa lā yurīdu ʾan yashtariyahā bishayʾin liyaghurra ghayrahu bihā.
The parties must not trade fruit until its soundness is evident and it is safe from blight: dates until they redden or yellow, and grapes until they soften or darken. God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, forbade false bidding: offering an amount for goods one has no intention of buying at any price, in order to deceive someone else about them.
وَلَا يَبْتَاعُ شَيْئًا مِنْ ذَهَبٍ وَخَرَزٍ مِثْلَ الْقِلَادَةِ وَنَحْوِهَا حَتَّى يُفْصَلَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ عَلَى حِدَتِهِ، كَذَلِكَ السُّنَّةُ. وَلَا يَتَبَايَعَانِ مَا لَمْ يَظْهَرْ مِنَ الْحَيَوَانِ وَالثِّمَارِ، وَيَجْتَنِبُ الْقَبَالَاتِ مُسَانَهَةً إِلَّا شَهْرًا بِشَهْرٍ أَوْ سَنَةً، فَقَدْ كُرِهَ ذَلِكَ.
walā yabtāʿu shayʾan min dhahabin wakharazin mithla al-qilādati wanaḥwihā ḥattā yufṣala kullu wāḥidin ʿalā ḥidatihi, kadhālika al-sunnatu. walā yatabāyaʿāni mā lam yaẓhar mina al-ḥayawāni wa-al-thimāri, wayajtanibu al-qabālāti musānahatan ʾillā shahran bishahrin ʾaw sanatan, faqad kuriha dhālika.
He must not purchase an article combining gold and beads, such as a necklace, until each component is separated: that is the prophetic practice. The parties must not trade unborn animals or fruit that has not yet appeared. He should avoid revenue-farming agreements for successive years, allowing only month-by-month arrangements or a single year, for the former practice has been disapproved.
وَلْيَتَوَقَّ كُلَّ بَيْعٍ وَشِرَاءٍ أَخْبَرَ الْعِلْمُ بِبُطْلَانِهِ مِنْ دُخُولِ رِبًا فِيهِ أَوْ خُرُوجٍ مِنْ حُكْمِ الْعِلْمِ بِهِ، فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ كُلَّهُ مَنْقَصَةٌ لِلدِّينِ، مَخْبَثَةٌ لِلْكَسْبِ. فَإِنْ أَشْكَلَ عَلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأُمُورِ لِخَفَائِهَا سَأَلَ أَهْلَ الْعِلْمِ وَالْفُتْيَا، فَيَأْخُذُ عَنْهُمْ عَلَى مَذْهَبِ الْوَرِعِينَ وَرَأْيِ الْمُتَّقِينَ.
walyatawaqqa kulla bayʿin washirāʾin ʾakhbara al-ʿilmu bibuṭlānihi min dukhūli riban fīhi ʾaw khurūjin min ḥukmi al-ʿilmi bihi, faʾinna dhālika kullahu manqaṣatun li-l-dīni, makhbathatun li-l-kasbi. faʾin ʾashkala ʿalayhi shayʾun min hādhihi al-ʾumūri likhafāʾihā saʾala ʾahla al-ʿilmi wa-al-futyā, fayaʾkhudhu ʿanhum ʿalā madhhabi al-wariʿīna waraʾyi al-muttaqīna.
Let him guard against every purchase and sale that religious knowledge declares invalid, whether because usury enters into it or because it departs from the ruling that knowledge prescribes. All of this diminishes religion and taints earnings. If the subtlety of any of these matters leaves him uncertain, let him consult scholars and legal authorities, following from them the approach of the scrupulous and the judgment of the God-fearing.
وَلْيَحْتَطْ لِدِينِهِ وَلْيَنْظُرْ لِنَفْسِهِ وَلَا يُغْمِضْ فِي أَمْرِ آخِرَتِهِ، فَذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ لَهُ وَأَحْسَنُ تَوْفِيقًا. وَلْيَجْتَنِبِ الصَّنَائِعَ الْمُحْدَثَةَ مِنْ غَيْرِ الْمَعْرُوفَةِ وَالْمَعَايِشَ الْمُتَبَدَّعَةَ فِي زَمَانِنَا هَذَا، فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ بِدْعَةٌ وَمَكْرُوهٌ إِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيمَا مَضَى مِنَ السَّلَفِ.
walyaḥtaṭ lidīnihi walyanẓur linafsihi walā yughmiḍ fī ʾamri ʾākhiratihi, fa-dhālika khayrun lahu waʾaḥsanu tawfīqan. walyajtanibi al-ṣanāʾiʿa al-muḥdathata min ghayri al-maʿrūfati wa-al-maʿāyisha al-mutabaddaʿata fī zamāninā hādhā, faʾinna dhālika bidʿatun wamakrūhun ʾidhā lam yakun fīmā maḍā mina al-salafi.
Let him take precautions for his religion, attend to his own welfare, and not overlook anything concerning his hereafter. That is better for him and more conducive to divine help. Let him avoid newly introduced crafts outside the recognized ones and the livelihoods innovated in our time: these are innovations and objectionable when they were unknown among the earlier generations.
وَكُلُّ مَا كَانَ سَبَبًا لِلْمَعْصِيَةِ مِنْ آلَةٍ وَأَدَاةٍ فَهُوَ مَعْصِيَةٌ، فَلَا يَصْنَعُهُ وَلَا يَبِيعُهُ، فَإِنَّهُ مِنَ الْمُعَاوَنَةِ عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ. وَكُلُّ مَا أُخِذَ مِنَ الْمَالِ عَلَى عَمَلِ بِدْعَةٍ أَوْ مُنْكَرٍ فَهُوَ بِدْعَةٌ وَمُنْكَرٌ، وَكُلُّ مُعِينٍ لِمُبْتَدِعٍ أَوْ عَاصٍ فَهُوَ شَرِيكُهُ فِي بِدْعَتِهِ وَمَعْصِيَتِهِ،
wakullu mā kāna sababan li-l-maʿṣiyati min ʾālatin waʾadātin fahuwa maʿṣiyatun, falā yaṣnaʿuhu walā yabīʿuhu, faʾinnahu mina al-muʿāwanati ʿalā al-ʾithmi wa-al-ʿudwāni. wakullu mā ʾukhidha mina al-māli ʿalā ʿamali bidʿatin ʾaw munkarin fahuwa bidʿatun wamunkarun, wakullu muʿīnin limubtadiʿin ʾaw ʿāṣin fahuwa sharīkuhu fī bidʿatihi wamaʿṣiyatihi,
Any instrument or implement that serves as a means to disobedience is itself a matter of disobedience. He must neither make nor sell it, for doing so assists sin and aggression. Any money received for performing an innovation or a wrongful act partakes of that innovation and wrong. Anyone assisting an innovator or a disobedient person shares in his innovation and disobedience.
وَأَخْذُ الْمَالِ عَلَى جَمِيعِ ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَكْلِ الْمَالِ بِالْبَاطِلِ، وَمَنْ أَكَلَ الْحَرَامَ فَقَدْ قَتَلَ نَفْسَهُ وَقَتَلَ أَخَاهُ لِأَنَّهُ أَطْعَمَهُ إِيَّاهُ. قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ﴾، الْبَقَرَةُ: ١٨٨، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَلَا
waʾakhdhu al-māli ʿalā jamīʿi dhālika min ʾakli al-māli bi-al-bāṭili, waman ʾakala al-ḥarāma faqad qatala nafsahu waqatala ʾakhāhu liʾannahu ʾaṭʿamahu ʾiyyāhu. qāla Allāhu taʿālā: ﴿walā taʾkulū ʾamwālakum baynakum bi-al-bāṭili﴾, al-baqaratu: 188, waqāla taʿālā: ﴿walā
Receiving money for any of this is consuming wealth wrongfully. Whoever consumes what is unlawful has killed himself and killed his brother, because he has fed it to him. God Most High said, “Do not consume one another's wealth wrongfully” (Al-Baqara: 188). And He said, Most High, “Do not
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٣٦
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 436
Volume Two, page 436
تَقْتُلُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ﴾، النِّسَاءُ: ٢٩. وَلَيْسَ هَذَا مِنْ سَبِيلِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَيَتَّبِعْ غَيْرَ سَبِيلِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ نُوَلِّهِ مَا تَوَلَّى وَنُصْلِهِ جَهَنَّمَ﴾، النِّسَاءُ: ١١٥.
taqtulū ʾanfusakum﴾, al-nisāʾu: 29. walaysa hādhā min sabīli al-muʾminīna, waqad qāla Allāhu taʿālā: ﴿wayattabiʿ ghayra sabīli al-muʾminīna nuwallihi mā tawallā wanuṣlihi jahannama﴾, al-nisāʾu: 115.
kill yourselves” (Al-Nisāʾ: 29). This is not the believers' way. God Most High said, “And follows a way other than that of the believers, We shall turn him toward what he has chosen and make him burn in Hell” (Al-Nisāʾ: 115).
وَلَا يَنْبَغِي لِلسُّوقِيِّ أَنْ يَشْغَلَهُ مَعَاشُ الدُّنْيَا عَنِ الْآخِرَةِ، وَلَا تَقْطَعَهُ تِجَارَةُ الدُّنْيَا عَنْ تِجَارَةِ الْآخِرَةِ، وَلَا يَمْنَعَهُ سُوقُ الدُّنْيَا عَنْ سُوقِ الْآخِرَةِ، لِأَنَّهُ مِنَ الْمُوقِنِينَ. وَبُيُوتُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي الْأَرْضِ هِيَ أَسْوَاقٌ لِلْآخِرَةِ.
walā yanbaghī li-l-sūqiyyi ʾan yashghalahu maʿāshu al-dunyā ʿani al-ʾākhirati, walā taqṭaʿahu tijāratu al-dunyā ʿan tijārati al-ʾākhirati, walā yamnaʿahu sūqu al-dunyā ʿan sūqi al-ʾākhirati, liʾannahu mina al-mūqinīna. wabuyūtu Allāhi ʿazza wajalla fī al-ʾarḍi hiya ʾaswāqun li-l-ʾākhirati.
A market trader's worldly livelihood should not distract him from the hereafter. Worldly commerce should not cut him off from commerce for the hereafter, nor should this world's marketplace keep him from the hereafter's marketplace, for he is one of those who possess certainty. The houses of God, mighty and majestic, on earth are marketplaces for the hereafter.
قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿رِجَالٌ لَا تُلْهِيهِمْ تِجَارَةٌ وَلَا بَيْعٌ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَإِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ﴾، النُّورُ: ٣٧. وَقَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿فِي بُيُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تُرْفَعَ وَيُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ فِيهَا بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالْآصَالِ﴾، النُّورُ: ٣٦، رِجَالٌ.
qāla Allāhu ʿazza wajalla: ﴿rijālun lā tulhīhim tijāratun walā bayʿun ʿan dhikri Allāhi waʾiqāmi al-ṣalāti waʾītāʾi al-zakāti﴾, al-nūru: 37. waqāla Allāhu ʿazza wajalla: ﴿fī buyūtin ʾadhina Allāhu ʾan turfaʿa wayudhkara fīhā ismuhu yusabbiḥu lahu fīhā bi-al-ghuduwwi wa-al-ʾāṣāli﴾, al-nūru: 36, rijālun.
God, mighty and majestic, said, “Men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from remembering God, maintaining prayer, and giving alms” (Al-Nūr: 37). And God, mighty and majestic, said, “In houses God has permitted to be raised and His name remembered in them, glorifying Him there in the mornings and evenings” (Al-Nūr: 36), “men.”
فَلْيَجْعَلِ الْعَبْدُ طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ لِخِدْمَةِ سَيِّدِهِ، يَذْكُرُهُ وَيُسَبِّحُهُ فِي بَيْتِهِ بِحُسْنِ مُعَامَلَتِهِ. وَقَدْ كَانَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَأْمُرُ التُّجَّارَ فَيَقُولُ: اِجْعَلُوا أَوَّلَ نَهَارِكُمْ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَمَا سِوَى ذَلِكَ لِنُفُوسِكُمْ. وَفِي أَخْبَارِ السَّلَفِ: كَانُوا يَجْعَلُونَ أَوَّلَ النَّهَارِ لِلْآخِرَةِ وَآخِرَهُ لِدُنْيَاهُمْ.
falyajʿali al-ʿabdu ṭarafayi al-nahāri likhidmati sayyidihi, yadhkuruhu wayusabbiḥuhu fī baytihi biḥusni muʿāmalatihi. waqad kāna ʿumaru raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu yaʾmuru al-tujjāra fayaqūlu: ijʿalū ʾawwala nahārikum li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla wamā siwā dhālika linufūsikum. wafī ʾakhbāri al-salafi: kānū yajʿalūna ʾawwala al-nahāri li-l-ʾākhirati waʾākhirahu lidunyāhum.
Let the servant devote the two ends of the day to his Master's service, remembering and glorifying Him in His house through faithful conduct toward Him. ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him, used to instruct merchants, “Devote the beginning of your day to God, mighty and majestic, and the remainder to yourselves.” Accounts of the early Muslims say that they devoted the beginning of the day to the hereafter and its later part to their worldly affairs.
وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ الْهَرِيسَةَ وَالرُّؤُوسَ لَمْ يَكُنْ يَبِيعُهَا فِي الشِّتَاءِ إِلَّا الصِّبْيَانُ وَأَهْلُ الذِّمَّةِ، لِأَنَّ الْهَرَّاسِينَ وَالرَّآسِينَ يَكُونُونَ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ إِلَى طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ. وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَجْتَمِعُونَ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ لِلذِّكْرِ وَالتَّسْبِيحِ، حَتَّى يَدْخُلَ الرَّجُلُ فَيَقُولَ: أَصَلَّيْتُمُ الْعَصْرَ؟ يَظُنُّ أَنَّهُمْ قُعُودٌ لِلصَّلَاةِ، وَإِنَّمَا كَانُوا يَقْعُدُونَ لِلتَّسْبِيحِ إِلَى غُرُوبِ الشَّمْسِ.
wayuqālu: ʾinna al-harīsata wa-al-ruʾūsa lam yakun yabīʿuhā fī al-shitāʾi ʾillā al-ṣibyānu waʾahlu al-dhimmati, liʾanna al-harrāsīna wa-al-raʾāsīna yakūnūna fī al-masājidi ʾilā ṭulūʿi al-shamsi. wayuqālu: ʾinnahum kānū yajtamiʿūna fī al-masājidi baʿda al-ʿaṣri li-l-dhikri wa-al-tasbīḥi, ḥattā yadkhula al-rajulu fayaqūla: ʾaṣallaytumu al-ʿaṣra? yaẓunnu ʾannahum quʿūdun li-l-ṣalāti, waʾinnamā kānū yaqʿudūna li-l-tasbīḥi ʾilā ghurūbi al-shamsi.
It is said that in winter only boys and protected non-Muslims sold harīsa and cooked animal heads, because the regular sellers remained in the mosques until sunrise. It is also said that they assembled in the mosques after the afternoon prayer for remembrance and glorification. A man might enter and ask, “Have you prayed the afternoon prayer?” thinking they were sitting in readiness for prayer, when they were sitting to glorify God until sunset.
وَهَذَا طَرِيقٌ قَدْ دَرَسَ، فَمَنْ عَمِلَ بِهِ فَقَدْ كَشَفَهُ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ: النَّاسُ ثَلَاثَةٌ: رَجُلٌ شَغَلَهُ مَعَادُهُ عَنْ مَعَاشِهِ فَتِلْكَ دَرَجَةُ الْفَائِزِينَ، وَرَجُلٌ شَغَلَهُ مَعَاشُهُ لِمَعَادِهِ فَتِلْكَ دَرَجَةُ النَّاجِينَ، وَرَجُلٌ شَغَلَهُ مَعَاشُهُ عَنْ مَعَادِهِ فَهُوَ حَالُ الْهَالِكِينَ.
wa-hādhā ṭarīqun qad darasa, faman ʿamila bihi faqad kashafahu. waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna: al-nāsu thalāthatun: rajulun shaghalahu maʿāduhu ʿan maʿāshihi fatilka darajatu al-fāʾizīna, warajulun shaghalahu maʿāshuhu limaʿādihi fatilka darajatu al-nājīna, warajulun shaghalahu maʿāshuhu ʿan maʿādihi fahuwa ḥālu al-hālikīna.
This is a path whose traces have faded; whoever practices it uncovers it again. One of the knowers said, “People are of three kinds: a man whose concern for his final return occupies him instead of earning his living, which is the rank of the triumphant; a man occupied in earning his living for the sake of his final return, which is the rank of the saved; and a man whose livelihood distracts him from his final return, which is the condition of the ruined.”
وَقَالَ عَالِمٌ فَوْقَهُ: مَنْ أَحَبَّ اللَّهَ عَاشَ، وَمَنْ أَحَبَّ الدُّنْيَا طَاشَ، وَالْأَحْمَقُ يَغْدُو وَيَرُوحُ فِي لَاشٍ. وَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ إِذَا دَخَلَ السُّوقَ يَقُولُ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْكُفْرِ وَالْفُسُوقِ وَمِنْ شَرِّ مَا أَحَاطَتْ بِهِ السُّوقُ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ يَمِينٍ فَاجِرَةٍ وَصَفْقَةٍ خَاسِرَةٍ.
waqāla ʿālimun fawqahu: man ʾaḥabba Allāha ʿāsha, waman ʾaḥabba al-dunyā ṭāsha, wa-al-ʾaḥmaqu yaghdū wayarūḥu fī lāshin. wakāna ibnu ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ʾidhā dakhala al-sūqa yaqūlu: Allāhumma ʾinnī ʾaʿūdhu bika mina al-kufri wa-al-fusūqi wamin sharri mā ʾaḥāṭat bihi al-sūqu, Allāhumma ʾinnī ʾaʿūdhu bika min yamīnin fājiratin waṣafqatin khāsiratin.
A scholar of still higher rank said, “Whoever loves God lives; whoever loves the world loses his balance; and the fool comes and goes in pursuit of nothing.” When Ibn ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him, entered the market, he would say, “O God, I seek refuge in You from unbelief and open sin, and from the evil enclosed by the market. O God, I seek refuge in You from a sinful oath and a losing bargain.”
وَلِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي السُّوقِ مَا لَا يَجِدُ فِي سِوَاهُ، فَلْيَعْتَمِدْ ذِكْرَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى سَاعَاتِ الْغَفْلَةِ وَحِينَ تَزَاحُمِ النَّاسِ فِي الْبَيْعِ وَالشِّرَاءِ. وَكَانَ الْحَسَنُ يَقُولُ: ذَاكِرُ اللَّهِ فِي السُّوقِ يَجِيءُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَلَهُ ضَوْءٌ كَضَوْءِ الْقَمَرِ وَبُرْهَانٌ كَبُرْهَانِ الشَّمْسِ، وَمَنِ اسْتَغْفَرَ اللَّهَ فِي السُّوقِ غُفِرَ لَهُ بِعَدَدِ أَهْلِهِ.
walidhikri Allāhi ʿazza wajalla fī al-sūqi mā lā yajidu fī siwāhu, falyaʿtamid dhikra Allāhi taʿālā sāʿāti al-ghaflati waḥīna tazāḥumi al-nāsi fī al-bayʿi wa-al-shirāʾi. wakāna al-ḥasanu yaqūlu: dhākiru Allāhi fī al-sūqi yajīʾu yawma al-qiyāmati walahu ḍawʾun kaḍawʾi al-qamari waburhānun kaburhāni al-shamsi, wamani istaghfara Allāha fī al-sūqi ghufira lahu biʿadadi ʾahlihi.
Remembering God, mighty and majestic, in the market brings something one does not find elsewhere. Let him make a point of remembering God Most High at times of heedlessness, when people crowd together to buy and sell. Al-Ḥasan used to say, “One who remembers God in the market will come on the Day of Resurrection with light like the moon's light and radiance like the sun's radiance. Whoever asks God's forgiveness in the market will be forgiven in a number corresponding to its people.”
وَفِي الْخَبَرِ الْعَامِّ: «ذَاكِرُ اللَّهِ فِي الْغَافِلِينَ كَالْمُقَاتِلِ عَنِ الْفَارِّينَ وَكَالْحَيِّ بَيْنَ الْأَمْوَاتِ». وَفِي الْخَبَرِ الْخَاصِّ: «مَنْ دَخَلَ السُّوقَ فَقَالَ: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ، لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ وَهُوَ حَيٌّ لَا يَمُوتُ، بِيَدِهِ الْخَيْرُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَهُ أَلْفَيْ أَلْفِ حَسَنَةٍ».
wafī al-khabari al-ʿāmmi: «dhākiru Allāhi fī al-ghāfilīna ka-al-muqātili ʿani al-fārrīna waka-al-ḥayyi bayna al-ʾamwāti». wafī al-khabari al-khāṣṣi: «man dakhala al-sūqa faqāla: lā ʾilāha ʾillā Allāhu waḥdahu, lā sharīka lahu, lahu al-mulku walahu al-ḥamdu, yuḥyī wayumītu wahuwa ḥayyun lā yamūtu, biyadihi al-khayru wahuwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīrun, kataba Allāhu lahu ʾalfay ʾalfi ḥasanatin».
A general report says, “One who remembers God among the heedless is like someone fighting to defend those fleeing, and like the living among the dead.” A report specifically concerning the market says, “Whoever enters the market and says, ‘There is no god but God alone, without partner. His is sovereignty and His is praise. He gives life and death; He is living and never dies. Good is in His hand, and He has power over everything,’ God will record two million good deeds for him.”
وَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ وَاسِعٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ يَدْخُلَانِ السُّوقَ قَاصِدَيْنِ يَذْكُرَانِ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ طَلَبًا لِلْفَضِيلَةِ. فَإِنْ دَخَلْتَ سُوقًا أَوْ كُنْتَ فِيهِ فَلَا يَفُوتَنَّكَ التَّهْلِيلُ وَالذِّكْرُ، فَهُوَ عَمَلُ وَقْتِكَ.
wakāna ibnu ʿumara wamuḥammadu bnu wāsiʿin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum yadkhulāni al-sūqa qāṣidayni yadhkurāni Allāha ʿazza wajalla ṭalaban li-l-faḍīlati. faʾin dakhalta sūqan ʾaw kunta fīhi falā yafūtannaka al-tahlīlu wa-al-dhikru, fahuwa ʿamalu waqtika.
Ibn ʿUmar and Muḥammad ibn Wāsiʿ, may God be pleased with them, used to enter the market deliberately to remember God, mighty and majestic, seeking that special merit. If you enter a market or are in one, do not miss declaring God's oneness and remembering Him: that is the work appropriate to your moment.
وَلَا تَقْعُدَنَّ فِي السُّوقِ لِغَيْرِ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ أَوْ غَيْرِ مَعَاشٍ، فَقَدْ كُرِهَ ذَلِكَ. وَإِذَا سَمِعْتَ التَّأْذِينَ لِلصَّلَاةِ فَلْتَأْخُذْ فِي أَمْرِ الصَّلَاةِ وَلَا تُؤَخِّرْهَا
walā taqʿudanna fī al-sūqi lighayri dhikri Allāhi ʾaw ghayri maʿāshin, faqad kuriha dhālika. waʾidhā samiʿta al-taʾdhīna li-l-ṣalāti faltaʾkhudh fī ʾamri al-ṣalāti walā tuʾakhkhirhā
Do not sit in the market for anything other than remembering God or earning a livelihood, for that has been disapproved. When you hear the call to prayer, attend to the prayer and do not delay it
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٣٧
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 437
Volume Two, page 437
عَنِ الْجَمَاعَةِ، وَإِلَّا كَانَ فَاسِقًا عِنْدَ بَعْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ، إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ فِي الْوَقْتِ سَعَةٌ أَوْ يَكُونَ نَاوِيًا لِلصَّلَاةِ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ أُخْرَى فِي مَسْجِدٍ آخَرَ. فَإِدْرَاكُهُ لِتَكْبِيرَةِ الْإِحْرَامِ فِي الْجَمَاعَةِ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ جَمِيعِ مَا يَرْبَحُ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا إِلَى أَنْ يَمُوتَ، وَفَوْتُهَا أَشَدُّ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ جَمِيعِ مَا يَخْسَرُ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا. هَذَا إِنْ عَقَلَ وَأَبْصَرَ تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ ذَلِكَ.
ʿani al-jamāʿati, waʾillā kāna fāsiqan ʿinda baʿḍi al-ʿulamāʾi, ʾillā ʾan yakūna fī al-waqti saʿatun ʾaw yakūna nāwiyan li-l-ṣalāti fī jamāʿatin ʾukhrā fī masjidin ʾākhara. faʾidrākuhu litakbīrati al-ʾiḥrāmi fī al-jamāʿati ʾaḥabbu ʾilayhi min jamīʿi mā yarbaḥu mina al-dunyā ʾilā ʾan yamūta, wafawtuhā ʾashaddu ʿalayhi min jamīʿi mā yakhsaru mina al-dunyā. hādhā ʾin ʿaqala waʾabṣara tabayyana lahu dhālika.
until after the congregation. Otherwise, according to some scholars, he would be flagrantly sinful, unless there is ample time or he intends to pray with another congregation in another mosque. Joining the congregation for the opening declaration of God's greatness should be dearer to him than all the worldly profit he might make until his death. Missing it should distress him more than every worldly loss. If he understands and sees clearly, this will become evident to him.
وَقَدْ كَانَ السَّلَفُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْأَسْوَاقِ إِذَا سَمِعُوا الْأَذَانَ ابْتَدَرُوا الْمَسَاجِدَ يَرْكَعُونَ إِلَى وَقْتِ الْإِقَامَةِ، وَكَانَتِ الْأَسْوَاقُ تَخْلُو مِنَ التُّجَّارِ. وَكَانَ فِي أَوْقَاتِ الصَّلَاةِ مَعَايِشُ لِلصِّبْيَانِ وَأَهْلِ الذِّمَّةِ، وَكَانُوا يَسْتَأْجِرُونَهُمُ التُّجَّارُ بِالْقَرَارِيطِ وَالدَّوَانِيقِ يَحْفَظُونَ الْحَوَانِيتَ إِلَى أَوَانِ انْصِرَافِهِمْ مِنَ الْمَسَاجِدِ. وَهَذِهِ سُنَّةٌ قَدْ عَفَتْ، مَنْ عَمِلَ بِهَا فَقَدْ نَعَشَهَا.
waqad kāna al-salafu min ʾahli al-ʾaswāqi ʾidhā samiʿū al-ʾadhāna ibtadarū al-masājida yarkaʿūna ʾilā waqti al-ʾiqāmati, wakānati al-ʾaswāqu takhlū mina al-tujjāri. wakāna fī ʾawqāti al-ṣalāti maʿāyishu li-l-ṣibyāni waʾahli al-dhimmati, wakānū yastaʾjirūnahumu al-tujjāru bi-al-qarārīṭi wa-al-dawānīqi yaḥfaẓūna al-ḥawānīta ʾilā ʾawāni inṣirāfihim mina al-masājidi. wa-hādhihi sunnatun qad ʿafat, man ʿamila bihā faqad naʿashahā.
When the early market traders heard the call to prayer, they hurried to the mosques and prayed until the call to begin the congregational prayer. The markets emptied of merchants. Prayer times provided a livelihood for boys and protected non-Muslims: the merchants hired them for qīrāṭs and dāniqs to watch the shops until they returned from the mosques. This is a practice that has faded; whoever follows it brings it back to life.
وَجَاءَ فِي تَفْسِيرِ قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿رِجَالٌ لَا تُلْهِيهِمْ تِجَارَةٌ وَلَا بَيْعٌ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَإِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ﴾، النُّورُ: ٣٦، قِيلَ: كَانُوا حَدَّادِينَ وَخَرَّازِينَ، وَكَانَ أَحَدُهُمْ إِذَا رَفَعَ الْمِطْرَقَةَ أَوْ غَرَزَ الْإِشْفَى فَسَمِعَ الْأَذَانَ لَمْ يُخْرِجِ الْإِشْفَى مِنَ الْغَرْزَةِ وَلَمْ يَرْفَعِ الْمِطْرَقَةَ؛ رَمَى بِهَا وَقَامُوا إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ.
wajāʾa fī tafsīri qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: ﴿rijālun lā tulhīhim tijāratun walā bayʿun ʿan dhikri Allāhi waʾiqāmi al-ṣalāti waʾītāʾi al-zakāti﴾, al-nūru: 36, qīla: kānū ḥaddādīna wakharrāzīna, wakāna ʾaḥaduhum ʾidhā rafaʿa al-miṭraqata ʾaw gharaza al-ʾishfā fasamiʿa al-ʾadhāna lam yukhriji al-ʾishfā mina al-gharzati walam yarfaʿi al-miṭraqata; ramā bihā waqāmū ʾilā al-ṣalāti.
In explanation of the words of God, mighty and majestic, “Men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from remembering God, maintaining prayer, and giving alms” (Al-Nūr: 36), it is said that they were smiths and leatherworkers. If one had raised his hammer or inserted his awl when he heard the call, he would not pull the awl out of the stitch or raise the hammer again: he cast it aside, and they rose for prayer.
وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ وَهْبٍ قَالَ: قَالَ مَالِكٌ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي رَجُلٍ بَاعَ بَعْدَ النِّدَاءِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ: يُفْسَخُ ذَلِكَ الْبَيْعُ. قِيلَ: عَامِلٌ تَرَكَ الْقِيَامَ إِلَيْهَا وَهُوَ حُرٌّ. قَالَ: يَسْتَغْفِرُ رَبَّهُ. وَقَالَ رَبِيعَةُ: ظَلَمَ وَأَسَاءَ. وَقَالَ مَالِكٌ: يَحْرُمُ الْبَيْعُ حَتَّى يَخْرُجَ الْإِمَامُ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ.
warawaynā ʿan wahbin qāla: qāla mālikun raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fī rajulin bāʿa baʿda al-nidāʾi yawma al-jumuʿati: yufsakhu dhālika al-bayʿu. qīla: ʿāmilun taraka al-qiyāma ʾilayhā wahuwa ḥurrun. qāla: yastaghfiru rabbahu. waqāla rabīʿatu: ẓalama waʾasāʾa. waqāla mālikun: yaḥrumu al-bayʿu ḥattā yakhruja al-ʾimāmu yawma al-jumuʿati.
We have related from Wahb that Mālik, may God be pleased with him, said about a man who sold after the call on Friday, “That sale is annulled.” He was asked about a worker who failed to go to the prayer although he was a free man. He answered, “He should ask his Lord's forgiveness.” Rabīʿa said, “He has done wrong and acted badly.” Mālik said, “Selling is forbidden until the imam comes out on Friday.”
وَلْيَجْتَنِبِ الصَّانِعُ عَمَلَ الزُّخْرُفِ مِنَ الْأَشْيَاءِ وَمَا يَكُونُ فِيهِ لَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ مِنَ التَّصَاوِيرِ وَالنُّقُوشِ وَتَخْرِيمِ الْعَاجِ وَدَقَائِقِ النُّقُوشِ مِنَ الْعَاجِ وَتَشْيِيدِ الْجَصِّ وَالتَّزْوِيقِ بِالْأَصْبَاغِ الْمُشَهَّاةِ، فَإِنَّ عَمَلَ ذَلِكَ مَكْرُوهٌ وَأَخْذَ الْأُجْرَةِ عَلَيْهِ شُبْهَةٌ. وَقَدْ كَانَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ يَقُولُ: تَخَيَّرُوا لِأَوْلَادِكُمُ الصَّنَائِعَ.
walyajtanibi al-ṣāniʿu ʿamala al-zukhrufi mina al-ʾashyāʾi wamā yakūnu fīhi lahwun wazīnatun mina al-taṣāwīri wa-al-nuqūshi watakhrīmi al-ʿāji wadaqāʾiqi al-nuqūshi mina al-ʿāji watashyīdi al-jaṣṣi wa-al-tazwīqi bi-al-ʾaṣbāghi al-mushahhāti, faʾinna ʿamala dhālika makrūhun waʾakhdha al-ʾujrati ʿalayhi shubhatun. waqad kāna baʿḍu al-salafi yaqūlu: takhayyarū liʾawlādikumu al-ṣanāʾiʿa.
Let the craftsman avoid making decorative luxuries and things of diversion or adornment: pictures, engraved designs, pierced ivory, delicate ivory carvings, elaborate plasterwork, and ornamentation in enticing colors. Making such things is objectionable, and accepting payment for them is doubtful. One of the early Muslims used to say, “Choose your children's occupations carefully.”
وَرُوِيَ عَنْ حُذَيْفَةَ: أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ خَلَقَ كُلَّ صَانِعٍ وَصَنْعَتَهُ. وَقَدْ كَانُوا يَكْرَهُونَ بَيْعَ الطَّعَامِ وَبَيْعَ الدَّقِيقِ، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ فِي كَرَاهَةِ بَيْعِهَا حَدِيثٌ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يُحِبُّ الْعَبْدَ الْحَاذِقَ فِي صَنْعَتِهِ.
waruwiya ʿan ḥudhayfata: ʾanna Allāha ʿazza wajalla khalaqa kulla ṣāniʿin waṣanʿatahu. waqad kānū yakrahūna bayʿa al-ṭaʿāmi wabayʿa al-daqīqi, waqad ruwiya fī karāhati bayʿihā ḥadīthun ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama. wafī al-khabari: ʾanna Allāha ʿazza wajalla yuḥibbu al-ʿabda al-ḥādhiqa fī ṣanʿatihi.
It is related from Ḥudhayfa that God, mighty and majestic, created every craftsman and his craft. They used to disapprove of selling food and flour, and a hadith from God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, has been related disapproving of their sale. A report says that God, mighty and majestic, loves the servant who is skilled in his craft.
وَفِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ: أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِذَا عَمِلَ عَبْدُهُ عَمَلًا أَحَبَّ أَنْ يُحْكِمَهُ، وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ: أَنْ يُتْقِنَهُ. وَأَوْصَى بَعْضُ الْعَارِفِينَ رَجُلًا فَقَالَ: لَا تُسْلِمْ وَلَدَكَ فِي بَيْعَتَيْنِ وَلَا فِي صَنْعَتَيْنِ: بَيْعِ الطَّعَامِ وَبَيْعِ الْأَكْفَانِ، فَإِنَّمَا يَتَمَنَّى الْغَلَاءَ وَيَتَمَنَّى مَوْتَ النَّاسِ،
wafī khabarin ʾākhara: ʾanna Allāha ʿazza wajalla ʾidhā ʿamila ʿabduhu ʿamalan ʾaḥabba ʾan yuḥkimahu, wafī lafẓin ʾākhara: ʾan yutqinahu. waʾawṣā baʿḍu al-ʿārifīna rajulan faqāla: lā tuslim waladaka fī bayʿatayni walā fī ṣanʿatayni: bayʿi al-ṭaʿāmi wabayʿi al-ʾakfāni, faʾinnamā yatamannā al-ghalāʾa wayatamannā mawta al-nāsi,
Another report says that when His servant undertakes a task, God, mighty and majestic, loves him to do it soundly; another wording says, “to perfect it.” One of the knowers advised a man, “Do not apprentice your son to either of two businesses or either of two crafts. The businesses are selling food and selling shrouds: he will wish for high prices and wish for people to die.
وَالصَّنْعَتَانِ أَنْ يَكُونَ جَزَّارًا فَإِنَّهَا صَنْعَةٌ تُقَسِّي الْقَلْبَ، أَوْ صَوَّاغًا فَإِنَّهُ يُزَخْرِفُ الدُّنْيَا بِالْفِضَّةِ وَالذَّهَبِ. وَرَوَى عُثْمَانُ الشَّحَّامُ عَنِ ابْنِ سِيرِينَ أَنَّهُ كَرِهَ الدَّلَالَةَ، وَسَعِيدٌ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ أَنَّهُ كَرِهَ أَجْرَ الدَّلَّالِ.
wa-al-ṣanʿatāni ʾan yakūna jazzāran faʾinnahā ṣanʿatun tuqassī al-qalba, ʾaw ṣawwāghan faʾinnahu yuzakhrifu al-dunyā bi-al-fiḍḍati wa-al-dhahabi. warawā ʿuthmānu al-shaḥḥāmu ʿani ibni sīrīna ʾannahu kariha al-dalālata, wasaʿīdun ʿan qatādata ʾannahu kariha ʾajra al-dallāli.
The two crafts are being a butcher, for it is a craft that hardens the heart, or a goldsmith, for he adorns the world with silver and gold.” ʿUthmān al-Shaḥḥām related from Ibn Sīrīn that he disapproved of brokerage; Saʿīd related from Qatāda that he disapproved of a broker's fee.
وَكَانَتِ الْعَرَبُ تَقُولُ: بِعِ الْحَيَوَانَ وَاشْتَرِ الْمَوَتَانَ، كَأَنَّهُمْ كَرِهُوا رَدَّ الثَّمَنِ فِي الْحَيَوَانِ لِمَا يَخَافُونَ مِنْ تَلَفِهِ، وَاسْتَحَبُّوا شِرَاءَ الْمَوَاتِ وَهُوَ مَا لَا رُوحَ فِيهِ. وَقَدْ كَانُوا يَسْتَحِبُّونَ التِّجَارَةَ فِي الْبَزِّ.
wakānati al-ʿarabu taqūlu: biʿi al-ḥayawāna washtari al-mawatāna, kaʾannahum karihū radda al-thamani fī al-ḥayawāni limā yakhāfūna min talafihi, wastaḥabbū shirāʾa al-mawāti wahuwa mā lā rūḥa fīhi. waqad kānū yastaḥibbūna al-tijārata fī al-bazzi.
The Arabs used to say, “Sell living property and buy lifeless property.” It seems they disliked reinvesting the proceeds in animals because they feared their death, and preferred buying inanimate property, which has no life in it. They used to favor the cloth trade.
قَالَ ابْنُ الْمُسَيَّبِ: مَا مِنْ تِجَارَةٍ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنَ الْبَزَّازِ إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ أَيْمَانٌ. وَقَدْ رُوِيَ خَبَرًا آخَرَ: لَوِ اتَّجَرَ أَهْلُ الْجَنَّةِ لَاتَّجَرُوا فِي الْبَزِّ، وَلَوِ اتَّجَرَ أَهْلُ النَّارِ لَاتَّجَرُوا فِي الصَّرْفِ. وَقَدْ كَرِهَ الْحَسَنُ وَابْنُ سِيرِينَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا التِّجَارَةَ فِي الصَّرْفِ.
qāla ibnu al-musayyabi: mā min tijāratin ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya mina al-bazzāzi ʾin lam yakun fīhi ʾaymānun. waqad ruwiya khabaran ʾākhara: lawi ittajara ʾahlu al-jannati lattajarū fī al-bazzi, walawi ittajara ʾahlu al-nāri lattajarū fī al-ṣarfi. waqad kariha al-ḥasanu wabnu sīrīna raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā al-tijārata fī al-ṣarfi.
Ibn al-Musayyab said, “No trade is dearer to me than the cloth merchant's, provided it involves no oaths.” Another report has been related: “If the people of Paradise traded, they would trade in cloth; if the people of the Fire traded, they would trade in currency exchange.” Al-Ḥasan and Ibn Sīrīn, may God be pleased with them both, disapproved of trading in currency exchange.
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٣٨
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 438
Volume Two, page 438
وَسُئِلَ الْحَسَنُ عَنِ الصَّيْرَفِيِّ فَقَالَ: الْفَاسِقُ، لَا تَسْتَظِلَّنَّ بِظِلِّهِ وَلَا تُصَلِّيَنَّ خَلْفَهُ. وَالْبُسْتَانِيُّ وَالْحَمَّالُ وَالْمَلَّاحُ وَصَاحِبُ الْحَمَّامِ وَالْخَشَّاشُ وَالْمُزَيِّنُ.
wasuʾila al-ḥasanu ʿani al-ṣayrafiyyi faqāla: al-fāsiqu, lā tastaẓillanna biẓillihi walā tuṣalliyanna khalfahu. wa-al-bustāniyyu wa-al-ḥammālu wa-al-mallāḥu waṣāḥibu al-ḥammāmi wa-al-khashshāshu wa-al-muzayyinu.
Al-Ḥasan was asked about the money changer. He said, “The sinner! Do not seek shade in his shadow, and do not pray behind him.” And the gardener, porter, boatman, bathhouse keeper, khashshāsh, and barber.
وَقَدْ كَانَتْ هَذِهِ الصَّنَائِعُ الْعَشْرُ أَعْمَالَ الْأَخْيَارِ وَالْأَبْرَارِ: الْخَرْزُ وَالتِّجَارَةُ وَالْحَمْلُ وَالْخِيَاطَةُ وَالْحَذْوُ وَالْقِصَارَةُ وَعَمَلُ الْخِفَافِ وَعَمَلُ الْحَدِيدِ وَعَمَلُ الْمَغَازِلِ وَصَيْدُ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَالْوِرَاقَةُ.
waqad kānat hādhihi al-ṣanāʾiʿu al-ʿashru ʾaʿmāla al-ʾakhyāri wa-al-ʾabrāri: al-kharzu wa-al-tijāratu wa-al-ḥamlu wa-al-khiyāṭatu wa-al-ḥadhwu wa-al-qiṣāratu waʿamalu al-khifāfi waʿamalu al-ḥadīdi waʿamalu al-maghāzili waṣaydu al-barri wa-al-baḥri wa-al-wirāqatu.
These ten crafts were occupations of the good and righteous: leather stitching, trade, carrying goods, sewing, shoemaking, cloth finishing, making soft leather boots, ironwork, making spindles, hunting on land and at sea, and copying books.
وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنْ عَبْدِ الْوَهَّابِ الْوَرَّاقِ قَالَ: قَالَ لِي أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ: مَا صَنْعَتُكَ؟ فَقُلْتُ: وَرَّاقٌ. فَقَالَ: كَسْبُكَ طَيِّبٌ وَصَنْعَتُكَ طَيِّبَةٌ، وَلَوْ كُنْتُ صَانِعًا شَيْئًا بِيَدِي لَصَنَعْتُ صَنْعَتَكَ. وَقَالَ لِي: لَا تَكْتُبْ إِلَّا مُوَاصَفَةً وَاسْتَثْنِ الْحَوَاشِيَ وَظُهُورَ الْأَجْزَاءِ.
waḥaddathūnā ʿan ʿabdi al-wahhābi al-warrāqi qāla: qāla lī ʾaḥmadu bnu ḥanbalin: mā ṣanʿatuka? faqultu: warrāqun. faqāla: kasbuka ṭayyibun waṣanʿatuka ṭayyibatun, walaw kuntu ṣāniʿan shayʾan biyadī laṣanaʿtu ṣanʿataka. waqāla lī: lā taktub ʾillā muwāṣafatan wastathni al-ḥawāshiya waẓuhūra al-ʾajzāʾi.
They related to us from ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Warrāq: “Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal asked me, ‘What is your occupation?’ I answered, ‘I am a copyist.’ He said, ‘Your earnings are wholesome and your craft is wholesome. If I were to practice a craft with my own hands, I would practice yours.’ He also told me, ‘Copy only under an agreed specification, and make a separate provision for the margins and the backs of gatherings.’”
وَكَانَ مَالِكُ بْنُ دِينَارٍ وَرَّاقًا وَكَانَ السَّلَفُ يَسْتَطِيبُونَ كَسْبَهُ وَيُفَضِّلُونَهُ. وَكُلُّ عَمَلٍ يُتَقَرَّبُ بِهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَيَكُونُ مِنْ أَعْمَالِ الْآخِرَةِ وَمِنَ الْبِرِّ الْمَعْرُوفِ، فَأَخْذُ الْأَجْرِ مَكْرُوهٌ عَلَيْهِ، مِثْلَ تَعْلِيمِ الْقُرْآنِ وَتَعْلِيمِ الْعِلْمِ أَوْ مَجَالِسِ الذِّكْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ بِالنَّاسِ فِي رَمَضَانَ وَغَسْلِ الْمَوْتَى وَمَا كَانَ فِي هَذَا الْمَعْنَى،
wakāna māliku bnu dīnārin warrāqan wakāna al-salafu yastaṭībūna kasbahu wayufaḍḍilūnahu. wakullu ʿamalin yutaqarrabu bihi ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla wayakūnu min ʾaʿmāli al-ʾākhirati wamina al-birri al-maʿrūfi, faʾakhdhu al-ʾajri makrūhun ʿalayhi, mithla taʿlīmi al-qurʾāni wataʿlīmi al-ʿilmi ʾaw majālisi al-dhikri wa-al-ṣalāti bi-al-nāsi fī ramaḍāna waghasli al-mawtā wamā kāna fī hādhā al-maʿnā,
Mālik ibn Dīnār was a copyist, and the early Muslims regarded his earnings as wholesome and favored them. Any work by which one draws near to God, mighty and majestic, belonging to the works of the hereafter and recognized acts of goodness, is work for which taking payment is objectionable: teaching the Qurʾān, teaching religious knowledge, gatherings of remembrance, leading people in prayer during Ramadan, washing the dead, and similar activities.
لِأَنَّ هَذِهِ تِجَارَاتُ الْآخِرَةِ، فَلَا تَأْخُذْ أَجْرَهَا إِلَّا مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ. وَمَنْ أَخَذَهَا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا فَقَدْ خَسِرَ خُسْرَانًا مُبِينًا إِذَا رَبِحَ الْمُحْتَسِبُونَ فِيهَا وَأَخَذُوا أُجُورَهُمُ الَّتِي صَبَرُوا عَلَيْهَا فِي دَارِ الدُّنْيَا. وَقَدْ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِعُثْمَانَ بْنِ أَبِي الْعَاصِ: «وَاتَّخِذْ مُؤَذِّنًا لَا يَأْخُذُ عَلَى الْأَذَانِ أَجْرًا».
liʾanna hādhihi tijārātu al-ʾākhirati, falā taʾkhudh ʾajrahā ʾillā mina al-ʾākhirati. waman ʾakhadhahā mina al-dunyā faqad khasira khusrānan mubīnan ʾidhā rabiḥa al-muḥtasibūna fīhā waʾakhadhū ʾujūrahumu allatī ṣabarū ʿalayhā fī dāri al-dunyā. waqad qāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama liʿuthmāna bni ʾabī al-ʿāṣi: «wattakhidh muʾadhdhinan lā yaʾkhudhu ʿalā al-ʾadhāni ʾajran».
These are transactions for the hereafter, so take their reward only from the hereafter. Whoever takes it from this world will suffer a manifest loss when those who sought God's reward make their profit and receive the wages for which they waited patiently in worldly life. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, told ʿUthmān ibn Abī al-ʿĀṣ, “Appoint a caller to prayer who takes no wage for the call.”
وَرُوِيَ عَنْهُ فِي فَضْلِ الِاحْتِكَارِ: «مَنْ جَلَبَ طَعَامًا مَا فَبَاعَهُ بِسِعْرِ يَوْمِهِ فَكَأَنَّمَا تَصَدَّقَ بِهِ»، وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ: «فَكَأَنَّمَا أَعْتَقَ رَقَبَةً». وَمِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ مَنْ كَانَ يَجْعَلُ الِاحْتِكَارَ فِي كُلِّ مَأْكُولٍ مِنَ الْحُبُوبِ وَالْإِدَامِ مِثْلِ الْعَدَسِ وَالْبَاقِلَّا وَالسَّمْنِ وَالْعَسَلِ وَالشِّيرَجِ وَالْجُبْنِ وَالتَّمْرِ وَالزَّيْتِ، وَيَكْرَهُ احْتِكَارَ جَمِيعِ ذَلِكَ.
waruwiya ʿanhu fī faḍli al-iḥtikāri: «man jalaba ṭaʿāman mā fabāʿahu bisiʿri yawmihi fakaʾannamā taṣaddaqa bihi», wafī lafẓin ʾākhara: «fakaʾannamā ʾaʿtaqa raqabatan». wamina al-ʿulamāʾi man kāna yajʿalu al-iḥtikāra fī kulli maʾkūlin mina al-ḥubūbi wa-al-ʾidāmi mithli al-ʿadasi wa-al-bāqillā wa-al-samni wa-al-ʿasali wa-al-shīraji wa-al-jubni wa-al-tamri wa-al-zayti, wayakrahu iḥtikāra jamīʿi dhālika.
It is related from him concerning the merit of hoarding, “Whoever brings in any food and sells it at that day's price is as though he had given it in charity”; another wording says, “as though he had freed a slave.” Some scholars extended the category of hoarding to every edible grain and accompaniment, such as lentils, broad beans, clarified butter, honey, sesame oil, cheese, dates, and olive oil, and disapproved of hoarding all of them.
وَرُوِيَ نَحْوُ هَذَا عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿وَمَنْ يُرِدْ فِيهِ بِإِلْحَادٍ بِظُلْمٍ نُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ﴾، الْحَجُّ: ٢٥، قِيلَ: الِاحْتِكَارُ مِنَ الظُّلْمِ. وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنْ بَعْضِ السَّلَفِ أَنَّهُ كَانَ بِوَاسِطٍ فَجَهَّزَ سَفِينَةَ حِنْطَةٍ إِلَى الْبَصْرَةِ، وَكَتَبَ إِلَى وَكِيلِهِ: بِعْ هَذَا الطَّعَامَ فِي يَوْمِ تَدْخُلُ الْبَصْرَةَ فَلَا تُؤَخِّرْهُ إِلَى غَدٍ.
waruwiya naḥwu hādhā ʿani ibni ʿabbāsin fī qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: ﴿waman yurid fīhi biʾilḥādin biẓulmin nudhiqhu min ʿadhābin ʾalīmin﴾, al-ḥajju: 25, qīla: al-iḥtikāru mina al-ẓulmi. waḥaddathūnā ʿan baʿḍi al-salafi ʾannahu kāna biwāsiṭin fajahhaza safīnata ḥinṭatin ʾilā al-baṣrati, wakataba ʾilā wakīlihi: biʿ hādhā al-ṭaʿāma fī yawmi tadkhulu al-baṣrata falā tuʾakhkhirhu ʾilā ghadin.
Something similar was related from Ibn ʿAbbās concerning the words of God, mighty and majestic, “Whoever intends a wrongful deviation there, We shall make him taste a painful punishment” (Al-Ḥajj: 25): it was said that hoarding is a form of wrongdoing. They told us of an early Muslim living in Wāsiṭ who dispatched a boatload of wheat to Basra. He wrote to his agent, “Sell this food on the day you enter Basra. Do not leave it until tomorrow.”
قَالَ: فَوَافَقَ السِّعْرَ فِيهِ سَعَةٌ. قَالَ لَهُ التُّجَّارُ: إِنْ أَخَّرْتَهُ جُمْعَةً رَبِحْتَ فِيهِ أَضْعَافًا. فَأَخَّرَهُ جُمْعَةً فَرَبِحَ فِيهِ أَمْثَالَهُ، وَكَتَبَ إِلَى صَاحِبِهِ بِذَلِكَ. فَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ صَاحِبُ الطَّعَامِ: يَا هَذَا، قَدْ كُنَّا قَنِعْنَا أَنْ نَرْبَحَ الثُّلُثَ مَعَ سَلَامَةِ دِينِنَا، وَإِنَّكَ قَدْ خَالَفْتَ أَمْرَنَا وَقَدْ جَنَيْتَ عَلَيْنَا جِنَايَةً،
qāla: fawāfaqa al-siʿra fīhi saʿatun. qāla lahu al-tujjāru: ʾin ʾakhkhartahu jumʿatan rabiḥta fīhi ʾaḍʿāfan. faʾakhkharahu jumʿatan farabiḥa fīhi ʾamthālahu, wakataba ʾilā ṣāḥibihi bi-dhālika. fakataba ʾilayhi ṣāḥibu al-ṭaʿāmi: yā hādhā, qad kunnā qaniʿnā ʾan narbaḥa al-thulutha maʿa salāmati dīninā, waʾinnaka qad khālafta ʾamranā waqad janayta ʿalaynā jināyatan,
He said, “Prices happened to be low. The merchants told him, ‘If you wait a week, you will make several times as much.’ He waited a week and earned a multiple of the amount, then wrote to his employer about it. The owner of the food wrote back, ‘My man, we were content to make a third while keeping our religion safe. You have disobeyed our instructions and committed an injury against us.
فَإِذَا أَتَاكَ كِتَابِي فَخُذِ الْمَالَ كُلَّهُ فَتَصَدَّقْ بِهِ عَلَى فُقَرَاءِ أَهْلِ الْبَصْرَةِ، وَلَيْتَنِي أَنْجُو مِنَ الِاحْتِكَارِ كَفَافًا لَا عَلَيَّ وَلَا لِيَ». وَحَدَّثَ شَيْخُنَا عَابِدُ الشَّطِّ مُظَفَّرُ بْنُ سَهْلٍ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ غَيْلَانَ الْخَيَّاطَ يَقُولُ: اشْتَرَى سَرِيٌّ السَّقَطِيُّ كُرَّ لَوْزٍ بِسِتِّينَ دِينَارًا وَكَتَبَ فِي رُونَامَجِهِ ثَلَاثَةَ دَنَانِيرَ رِبْحَهُ، فَصَارَ اللَّوْزُ بِتِسْعِينَ دِينَارًا،
faʾidhā ʾatāka kitābī fakhudhi al-māla kullahu fataṣaddaq bihi ʿalā fuqarāʾi ʾahli al-baṣrati, walaytanī ʾanjū mina al-iḥtikāri kafāfan lā ʿalayya walā liya». waḥaddatha shaykhunā ʿābidu al-shaṭṭi muẓaffaru bnu sahlin qāla: samiʿtu ghaylāna al-khayyāṭa yaqūlu: ishtarā sariyyun al-saqaṭiyyu kurra lawzin bisittīna dīnāran wakataba fī rūnāmajihi thalāthata danānīra ribḥahu, faṣāra al-lawzu bitisʿīna dīnāran,
When my letter reaches you, take all the money and give it in charity to Basra's poor. If only I may escape the consequences of hoarding even, with neither credit nor liability!’” Our shaykh Muẓaffar ibn Sahl, the worshipper of the riverbank, related, “I heard Ghaylān the tailor say, ‘Sarī al-Saqaṭī bought a kurr of almonds for sixty dinars and entered three dinars as his profit in his ledger. The almonds rose to ninety dinars.
فَأَتَاهُ الدَّلَّالُ فَقَالَ لَهُ: إِنَّ ذَلِكَ اللَّوْزَ أُرِيدُهُ. فَقَالَ: خُذْهُ. فَقَالَ: بِكَمْ؟ قَالَ: بِثَلَاثَةٍ وَسِتِّينَ دِينَارًا. قَالَ لَهُ الدَّلَّالُ: إِنَّ اللَّوْزَ قَدْ صَارَ الْكُرُّ بِسَبْعِينَ دِينَارًا. قَالَ لَهُ السَّرِيُّ: قَدْ عَقَدْتُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ اللَّهِ عَقْدًا لَا أَحُلُّهُ، لَسْتُ أَبِيعُهُ إِلَّا بِثَلَاثٍ وَسِتِّينَ دِينَارًا.
faʾatāhu al-dallālu faqāla lahu: ʾinna dhālika al-lawza ʾurīduhu. faqāla: khudhhu. faqāla: bikam? qāla: bithalāthatin wasittīna dīnāran. qāla lahu al-dallālu: ʾinna al-lawza qad ṣāra al-kurru bisabʿīna dīnāran. qāla lahu al-sariyyu: qad ʿaqadtu baynī wabayna Allāhi ʿaqdan lā ʾaḥulluhu, lastu ʾabīʿuhu ʾillā bithalāthin wasittīna dīnāran.
A broker came and said, “I want those almonds.” He replied, “Take them.” “For how much?” “Sixty-three dinars.” The broker said, “Almonds now fetch seventy dinars a kurr.” Sarī answered, “I have made a covenant between myself and God that I will not break. I will sell them only for sixty-three dinars.”
قَالَ لَهُ الدَّلَّالُ: وَأَنَا قَدْ عَقَدْتُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ اللَّهِ عَقْدًا لَا أَحُلُّهُ، أَنْ لَا أَغُشَّ مُسْلِمًا، لَسْتُ آخُذُ مِنْكَ إِلَّا
qāla lahu al-dallālu: waʾanā qad ʿaqadtu baynī wabayna Allāhi ʿaqdan lā ʾaḥulluhu, ʾan lā ʾaghushsha musliman, lastu ʾākhudhu minka ʾillā
The broker said, “I too have made a covenant between myself and God that I will not break: I will not cheat a Muslim. I will take them from you only for
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٣٩
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 439
Volume Two, page 439
بِسَبْعِينَ دِينَارًا». قَالَ: فَلَا الدَّلَّالُ اشْتَرَى مِنْهُ وَلَا سَرِيٌّ بَاعَهُ. وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنْ رَجُلٍ مِنَ التَّابِعِينَ كَانَ بِالْبَصْرَةِ لَهُ غُلَامٌ بِالسُّوسِ، فَجَهَّزَ إِلَيْهِ السُّكَّرَ، فَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ الْغُلَامُ: إِنَّ قَصَبَ السُّكَّرِ قَدْ أَصَابَتْهُ آفَةٌ فِي هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ فَاشْتَرِ السُّكَّرَ.
bisabʿīna dīnāran». qāla: falā al-dallālu ishtarā minhu walā sariyyun bāʿahu. waḥaddathūnā ʿan rajulin mina al-tābiʿīna kāna bi-al-baṣrati lahu ghulāmun bi-al-sūsi, fajahhaza ʾilayhi al-sukkara, fakataba ʾilayhi al-ghulāmu: ʾinna qaṣaba al-sukkari qad ʾaṣābathu ʾāfatun fī hādhihi al-sanati fashtari al-sukkara.
seventy dinars.”’” He said, “Neither did the broker buy from him nor did Sarī sell to him.” They told us about a man of the Successors living in Basra who had a servant in al-Sūs and sent sugar to him. The servant wrote to him, “The sugar cane has suffered a blight this year. Buy sugar.”
قَالَ: فَاشْتَرَى سُكَّرًا كَثِيرًا، فَلَمَّا جَاءَ وَقْتُهُ رَبِحَ فِيهِ ثَلَاثِينَ أَلْفًا. قَالَ: فَانْصَرَفَ بِهَا إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ فَأَفْكَرَ لَيْلَهُ فِي الرِّبْحِ فَقَالَ: رَبِحْتُ ثَلَاثِينَ أَلْفًا وَخَسِرْتُ نُصْحَ رَجُلٍ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ. فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ غَدَا إِلَى الرَّجُلِ الَّذِي كَانَ اشْتَرَى مِنْهُ السُّكَّرَ فَدَفَعَ إِلَيْهِ الثَّلَاثِينَ أَلْفًا،
qāla: fashtarā sukkaran kathīran, falammā jāʾa waqtuhu rabiḥa fīhi thalāthīna ʾalfan. qāla: fanṣarafa bihā ʾilā manzilihi faʾafkara laylahu fī al-ribḥi faqāla: rabiḥtu thalāthīna ʾalfan wakhasirtu nuṣḥa rajulin mina al-muslimīna. falammā ʾaṣbaḥa ghadā ʾilā al-rajuli alladhī kāna ishtarā minhu al-sukkara fadafaʿa ʾilayhi al-thalāthīna ʾalfan,
He bought a large quantity of sugar and, when the time came, made thirty thousand in profit. He returned home with it, but spent the night thinking about the profit. He said, “I have gained thirty thousand and lost the sincere concern I owed a Muslim.” In the morning he went to the man from whom he had bought the sugar and handed him the thirty thousand.
فَقَالَ: هَذِهِ لَكَ بَارَكَ اللَّهُ لَكَ فِيهَا. قَالَ: وَمِنْ أَيْنَ صَارَتْ؟ قَالَ: لَمَّا اشْتَرَيْتُ مِنْكَ السُّكَّرَ لَمْ آتِ الْأَمْرَ مِنْ وَجْهِهِ؛ إِنَّ غُلَامِي قَدْ كَانَ كَتَبَ إِلَيَّ أَنَّ قَصَبَ السُّكَّرِ أَصَابَتْهُ آفَةٌ فَلَمْ أُعْلِمْكَ ذَلِكَ، وَلَعَلَّكَ لَوْ عَلِمْتَ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَبِيعُنِي.
faqāla: hādhihi laka bāraka Allāhu laka fīhā. qāla: wamin ʾayna ṣārat? qāla: lammā ishtaraytu minka al-sukkara lam ʾāti al-ʾamra min wajhihi; ʾinna ghulāmī qad kāna kataba ʾilayya ʾanna qaṣaba al-sukkari ʾaṣābathu ʾāfatun falam ʾuʿlimka dhālika, walaʿallaka law ʿalimta lam takun tabīʿunī.
He said, “This is yours. May God bless it for you.” The man asked, “How did it become mine?” He replied, “When I bought the sugar from you, I did not approach the matter properly. My servant had written telling me that the sugar cane had suffered a blight, and I did not tell you. Had you known, you might not have sold it to me.”
فَقَالَ: رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ، قَدْ أَعْلَمْتَنِي الْآنَ وَقَدْ طَيَّبْتُهَا لَكَ. قَالَ: فَرَجَعَ إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ فَبَاتَ تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةَ سَاهِرًا أَوْ جَعَلَ يَتَفَكَّرُ فِي ذَلِكَ وَيَقُولُ: لَمْ آتِ الْأَمْرَ مِنْ وَجْهِهِ وَلَمْ أَنْصَحْ مُسْلِمًا فِي بَيْعِهِ، لَعَلَّهُ اسْتَحْيَا مِنِّي فَتَرَكَهَا لِي.
faqāla: raḥimaka Allāhu, qad ʾaʿlamtanī al-ʾāna waqad ṭayyabtuhā laka. qāla: farajaʿa ʾilā manzilihi fabāta tilka al-laylata sāhiran ʾaw jaʿala yatafakkaru fī dhālika wayaqūlu: lam ʾāti al-ʾamra min wajhihi walam ʾanṣaḥ musliman fī bayʿihi, laʿallahu istaḥyā minnī fatarakahā lī.
The man said, “May God have mercy on you. You have told me now, and I freely grant it to you.” He returned home and spent that night awake, or, as the account puts it, kept thinking about it and saying, “I did not approach the matter properly or deal sincerely with a Muslim in his sale. Perhaps he was embarrassed before me and left it to me.”
فَبَكَّرَ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الْغَدِ فَقَالَ: عَافَاكَ اللَّهُ، خُذْ مَالَكَ فَهُوَ أَصْلَحُ لِقَلْبِي. قَالَ: فَدَفَعَ إِلَيْهِ ثَلَاثِينَ أَلْفًا. وَقَالَ سُلَيْمَانُ التَّمِيمِيُّ: لَقَدْ تَرَكَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سِيرِينَ أَرْبَعِينَ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ مِنْ شَيْءٍ حَاكَ فِي صَدْرِهِ، لَمْ تَخْتَلِفِ الْعُلَمَاءُ أَنْ لَيْسَ بِهِ بَأْسٌ. وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ هَذَا كَانَ سَبَبَ غَلَبَةِ الدَّيْنِ عَلَيْهِ.
fabakkara ʾilayhi mina al-ghadi faqāla: ʿāfāka Allāhu, khudh mālaka fahuwa ʾaṣlaḥu liqalbī. qāla: fadafaʿa ʾilayhi thalāthīna ʾalfan. waqāla sulaymānu al-tamīmiyyu: laqad taraka muḥammadu bnu sīrīna ʾarbaʿīna ʾalfa dirhamin min shayʾin ḥāka fī ṣadrihi, lam takhtalifi al-ʿulamāʾu ʾan laysa bihi baʾsun. wayuqālu: ʾinna hādhā kāna sababa ghalabati al-dayni ʿalayhi.
He went to him early the next morning and said, “May God keep you well. Take your money; that is better for my heart.” He handed over the thirty thousand. Sulaymān al-Tamīmī said, “Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn relinquished forty thousand dirhams from something that troubled his conscience, although the scholars unanimously held it unobjectionable.” It is said that this was why debt overwhelmed him.
ثُمَّ لِيَتَّقِ الْبَائِعُ مَدْحَ السِّلْعَةِ وَتَنْفِيقَهَا مِنْ خَرَفِ الْكَلَامِ، وَلْيَحْذَرِ الْمُشْتَرِي ذَمَّهَا وَعَيْبَهَا بِمَا لَيْسَ فِيهَا لِلْخِدَاعِ. وَأَمَّا الْأَيْمَانُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ فَهُوَ مَعْصِيَةٌ وَمَمْحَقَةٌ لِلْكَسْبِ، وَقَدْ كَانَ السَّلَفُ يُشَدِّدُونَ فِي ذَلِكَ.
thumma liyattaqi al-bāʾiʿu madḥa al-silʿati watanfīqahā min kharafi al-kalāmi, walyaḥdhari al-mushtarī dhammahā waʿaybahā bimā laysa fīhā li-l-khidāʿi. waʾammā al-ʾaymānu ʿalā dhālika fahuwa maʿṣiyatun wamamḥaqatun li-l-kasbi, waqad kāna al-salafu yushaddidūna fī dhālika.
Let the seller guard against praising his goods and promoting them with empty talk, and let the buyer beware of disparaging them or alleging faults they do not have in order to deceive. Swearing oaths in such dealings is a sin and destroys the blessing of one's earnings. The early Muslims were stringent about this.
قَالَ أَبُو ذَرٍّ: كُنَّا نَتَحَدَّثُ أَنَّ مِنْ نَفَرٍ لَا يَنْظُرُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِمُ التَّاجِرَ الْفَاجِرَ، وَكُنَّا نَعُدُّ مِنَ الْفُجُورِ أَنْ يَمْدَحَ السِّلْعَةَ بِمَا لَيْسَ فِيهَا. قَالَ يُونُسُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ، وَكَانَ خَزَّازًا: فَجَاءَهُ رَجُلٌ يَطْلُبُ ثَوْبَ خَزٍّ، فَأَمَرَ غُلَامَهُ أَنْ يُخْرِجَ رُزْمَةَ الْخَزِّ،
qāla ʾabū dharrin: kunnā nataḥaddathu ʾanna min nafarin lā yanẓuru Allāhu ʾilayhimu al-tājira al-fājira, wakunnā naʿuddu mina al-fujūri ʾan yamdaḥa al-silʿata bimā laysa fīhā. qāla yūnusu bnu ʿubaydin, wakāna khazzāzan: fajāʾahu rajulun yaṭlubu thawba khazzin, faʾamara ghulāmahu ʾan yukhrija ruzmata al-khazzi,
Abū Dharr said, “We used to relate that the wicked merchant belongs to a group at whom God will not look. We considered it wicked to praise goods for qualities they did not have.” Yūnus ibn ʿUbayd, who was a dealer in khazz cloth, said: a man came to him seeking a garment of khazz, and he ordered his servant to bring out a bundle of it.
فَلَمَّا فَتَحَهَا قَالَ الْغُلَامُ: أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ الْجَنَّةَ. فَقَالَ: شُدَّ الرُّزْمَةَ. وَلَمْ يَبِعْ مِنْهَا شَيْئًا خَشْيَةَ أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدْ مَدَحَ. وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّهُ كَانَتْ عِنْدَهُ حُلَلٌ عَلَى ضَرْبَيْنِ، أَثْمَانُ ضَرْبٍ مِنْهَا أَرْبَعُمِائَةٍ كُلُّ حُلَّةٍ، وَأَثْمَانُ الْآخَرِ مِائَتَانِ.
falammā fataḥahā qāla al-ghulāmu: ʾasʾalu Allāha al-jannata. faqāla: shudda al-ruzmata. walam yabiʿ minhā shayʾan khashyata ʾan yakūna qad madaḥa. wayuqālu: ʾinnahu kānat ʿindahu ḥulalun ʿalā ḍarbayni, ʾathmānu ḍarbin minhā ʾarbaʿumiʾatin kullu ḥullatin, waʾathmānu al-ʾākhari miʾatāni.
When he opened it, the servant said, “I ask God for Paradise.” Yūnus said, “Tie up the bundle,” and sold none of it, fearing that praise had been offered. It is said that he had two grades of suits of clothing: one priced at four hundred for each suit, the other at two hundred.
فَذَهَبَ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ وَخَلَّفَ ابْنَ أَخِيهِ لِيَبِيعَ، فَجَاءَهُ أَعْرَابِيٌّ يَطْلُبُ حُلَّةً بِأَرْبَعِمِائَةٍ، فَعَرَضَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ حُلَلِ الْمِائَتَيْنِ فَاسْتَحْسَنَهَا وَرَضِيَهَا فَاشْتَرَاهَا مِنْهُ وَمَشَى بِهَا هِيَ عَلَى يَدِهِ، يَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهَا خَارِجًا مِنَ السُّوقِ. فَاسْتَقْبَلَهُ يُونُسُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ خَارِجًا مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ فَعَرَفَ حُلَّتَهُ،
fadhahaba ʾilā al-ṣalāti wakhallafa ibna ʾakhīhi liyabīʿa, fajāʾahu ʾaʿrābiyyun yaṭlubu ḥullatan biʾarbaʿimiʾatin, faʿaraḍa ʿalayhi min ḥulali al-miʾatayni fastaḥsanahā waraḍiyahā fashtarāhā minhu wamashā bihā hiya ʿalā yadihi, yanẓuru ʾilayhā khārijan mina al-sūqi. fastaqbalahu yūnusu bnu ʿubaydin khārijan mina al-masjidi faʿarafa ḥullatahu,
He went to pray and left his nephew to sell. A Bedouin came seeking a suit for four hundred. The nephew showed him one of the two-hundred suits; the man admired it, was pleased with it, and bought it. He walked out of the market carrying it over his arm and looking at it. Yūnus ibn ʿUbayd met him as he came out of the mosque and recognized his suit.
فَقَالَ: بِكَمْ أَخَذْتَ هَذِهِ الْحُلَّةَ؟ فَقَالَ: بِأَرْبَعِمِائَةٍ. فَقَالَ: لَا تَسْوَى، إِنَّمَا قِيمَتُهَا مِائَتَانِ. فَقَالَ: يَا ذَا الرَّجُلِ، إِنَّ هَذِهِ تُسَاوِي بِبَلَدِنَا خَمْسَمِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ. فَقَالَ لَهُ يُونُسُ: إِنَّ النُّصْحَ فِي الدِّينِ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا كُلِّهَا.
faqāla: bikam ʾakhadhta hādhihi al-ḥullata? faqāla: biʾarbaʿimiʾatin. faqāla: lā taswā, ʾinnamā qīmatuhā miʾatāni. faqāla: yā dhā al-rajuli, ʾinna hādhihi tusāwī bibaladinā khamsamiʾati dirhamin. faqāla lahu yūnusu: ʾinna al-nuṣḥa fī al-dīni khayrun mina al-dunyā kullihā.
He asked, “How much did you pay for this suit?” “Four hundred.” He said, “It is not worth that. Its value is only two hundred.” The man replied, “My good man, this is worth five hundred dirhams where we live.” Yūnus said, “Sincere dealing in religion is better than the whole world.”
ثُمَّ أَخَذَ بِيَدِهِ فَرَدَّهُ إِلَى ابْنِ أَخِيهِ فَجَعَلَ يُخَاصِمُهُ وَيَقُولُ: أَمَا اتَّقَيْتَ اللَّهَ؟ أَمَا اسْتَحَيْتَ أَنْ تَرْبَحَ مِثْلَ الثَّمَنِ وَتَتْرُكَ النُّصْحَ لِعَامَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ؟ فَقَالَ: وَاللَّهِ مَا أَخَذَهُ إِلَّا عَنْ تَرَاضٍ. فَقَالَ: وَإِنْ رَضِيَ، أَلَا رَضِيتَ لَهُ مَا رَضِيتَ لِنَفْسِكَ؟ ثُمَّ رَدَّ عَلَى الْأَعْرَابِيِّ مِائَتَيْ دِرْهَمٍ.
thumma ʾakhadha biyadihi faraddahu ʾilā ibni ʾakhīhi fajaʿala yukhāṣimuhu wayaqūlu: ʾamā ittaqayta Allāha? ʾamā istaḥayta ʾan tarbaḥa mithla al-thamani watatruka al-nuṣḥa liʿāmmati al-muslimīna? faqāla: wa-Allāhi mā ʾakhadhahu ʾillā ʿan tarāḍin. faqāla: waʾin raḍiya, ʾalā raḍīta lahu mā raḍīta linafsika? thumma radda ʿalā al-ʾaʿrābiyyi miʾatay dirhamin.
He took the man by the hand and brought him back to his nephew, whom he began to rebuke: “Did you not fear God? Were you not ashamed to make a profit equal to the price while abandoning sincere concern for ordinary Muslims?” The nephew answered, “By God, he took it only by mutual consent.” Yūnus replied, “Even if he consented, why did you not consent to the same for him as for yourself?” He returned two hundred dirhams to the Bedouin.
وَقَدْ فَعَلَ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُنْكَدِرِ، وَكَانَتْ عِنْدَهُ شِقَاقٌ جَنَابِيَّةٌ وَبَصْرِيَّةٌ، أَثْمَانُ بَعْضِهَا خَمْسَةٌ خَمْسَةٌ وَأَثْمَانُ بَعْضِهَا عَشَرَةٌ عَشَرَةٌ، فَخَلَفَهُ غُلَامُهُ فِي الْحَانُوتِ فَغَلِطَ فَبَاعَ أَعْرَابِيًّا
waqad faʿala mithla dhālika muḥammadu bnu al-munkadiri, wakānat ʿindahu shiqāqun janābiyyatun wabaṣriyyatun, ʾathmānu baʿḍihā khamsatun khamsatun waʾathmānu baʿḍihā ʿasharatun ʿasharatun, fakhalafahu ghulāmuhu fī al-ḥānūti faghaliṭa fabāʿa ʾaʿrābiyyan
Muḥammad ibn al-Munkadir did something similar. He had Janābī and Basran lengths of cloth, some priced at five each and others at ten each. His servant took his place in the shop, made a mistake, and sold a Bedouin
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٤٠
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 440
Volume Two, page 440
شُقَّةً مِنَ الْخَمْسَاتِ بِعَشَرَةٍ، فَجَاءَ ابْنُ الْمُنْكَدِرِ فَتَفَقَّدَ الشِّقَاقَ فَعَرَفَ غَلَطَهُ فَقَالَ: وَيْلَكَ، أَهْلَكْتَنَا! اِذْهَبْ فَاطْلُبِ الْأَعْرَابِيَّ فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ. فَلَمْ يَزَلْ يَطْلُبُهُ يَوْمَهُ أَجْمَعَ حَتَّى وَجَدَهُ. فَقَالَ لَهُ ابْنُ الْمُنْكَدِرِ: يَا هَذَا، إِنَّ الْغُلَامَ غَلِطَ فَبَاعَكَ مَا يَسْوَى خَمْسَةً بِعَشَرَةٍ.
shuqqatan mina al-khamsāti biʿasharatin, fajāʾa ibnu al-munkadiri fatafaqqada al-shiqāqa faʿarafa ghalaṭahu faqāla: waylaka, ʾahlaktanā! idhhab faṭlubi al-ʾaʿrābiyya fī al-ʾaswāqi. falam yazal yaṭlubuhu yawmahu ʾajmaʿa ḥattā wajadahu. faqāla lahu ibnu al-munkadiri: yā hādhā, ʾinna al-ghulāma ghaliṭa fabāʿaka mā yaswā khamsatan biʿasharatin.
a five-dirham length for ten. Ibn al-Munkadir returned, checked the cloth, and discovered the mistake. He said, “Woe to you! You have ruined us! Go and find the Bedouin in the markets.” The servant searched all day until he found him. Ibn al-Munkadir told him, “My man, the servant made a mistake and sold you something worth five for ten.”
فَقَالَ: يَا هَذَا، قَدْ رَضِيتُ. فَقَالَ: وَإِنْ رَضِيتَ لِنَفْسِكَ فَإِنَّا لَا نَرْضَى لَكَ إِلَّا مَا نَرْضَاهُ لِأَنْفُسِنَا، فَاخْتَرْ إِحْدَى ثَلَاثِ خِصَالٍ: إِمَّا أَنْ تَأْخُذَ شُقَّةً مِنَ الْعَشَرَاتِ بِدَرَاهِمِكَ، وَإِمَّا أَنْ نَرُدَّ عَلَيْكَ خَمْسَةً، وَإِمَّا أَنْ تَرُدَّ عَلَيْنَا شُقَّتَنَا وَتَأْخُذَ دَرَاهِمَكَ.
faqāla: yā hādhā, qad raḍītu. faqāla: waʾin raḍīta linafsika faʾinnā lā narḍā laka ʾillā mā narḍāhu liʾanfusinā, fakhtar ʾiḥdā thalāthi khiṣālin: ʾimmā ʾan taʾkhudha shuqqatan mina al-ʿasharāti bidarāhimika, waʾimmā ʾan narudda ʿalayka khamsatan, waʾimmā ʾan tarudda ʿalaynā shuqqatanā wataʾkhudha darāhimaka.
The man replied, “My good man, I was satisfied.” He said, “Even if you accepted it for yourself, we accept for you only what we would accept for ourselves. Choose one of three things: take a ten-dirham length for your money, let us return five to you, or return our cloth and take back your money.”
فَقَالَ: أَعْطِنِي خَمْسَةً. قَالَ: فَأَعْطَاهُ مِنْ دَرَاهِمِهِ خَمْسَةً، فَانْصَرَفَ الْأَعْرَابِيُّ فَجَعَلَ يَسْأَلُ عَنْهُ فَيَقُولُ: مَنْ هَذَا الشَّيْخُ؟ فَقِيلَ: هَذَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُنْكَدِرِ. فَقَالَ: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ! هَذَا الَّذِي نَسْتَسْقِي بِهِ فِي الْبَوَادِي إِذَا قَحَطْنَا.
faqāla: ʾaʿṭinī khamsatan. qāla: faʾaʿṭāhu min darāhimihi khamsatan, fanṣarafa al-ʾaʿrābiyyu fajaʿala yasʾalu ʿanhu fayaqūlu: man hādhā al-shaykhu? faqīla: hādhā muḥammadu bnu al-munkadiri. faqāla: lā ʾilāha ʾillā Allāhu! hādhā alladhī nastasqī bihi fī al-bawādī ʾidhā qaḥaṭnā.
He said, “Give me five.” Ibn al-Munkadir gave him five of his dirhams. The Bedouin went away asking, “Who is this old man?” He was told, “That is Muḥammad ibn al-Munkadir.” He exclaimed, “There is no god but God! He is the one through whom we ask for rain in the desert when drought strikes us.”
وَقَدْ سُئِلَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ عَنِ الْوَرَعِ فِي الْمُبَايَعَةِ فَقَالَ: لَا يَصِحُّ الْوَرَعُ فِي الْبَيْعِ إِلَّا بِحَقِيقَةِ النُّصْحِ. قَالَ: وَكَيْفَ ذَلِكَ؟ قَالَ: إِذَا بِعْتَهُ شَيْئًا بِدِرْهَمٍ نَظَرْتَ؛ فَإِنْ صَلَحَ لَكَ أَنْ تَشْتَرِيَهُ بِدِرْهَمٍ فَقَدْ نَصَحْتَهُ فِي الْبَيْعِ،
waqad suʾila baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi ʿani al-waraʿi fī al-mubāyaʿati faqāla: lā yaṣiḥḥu al-waraʿu fī al-bayʿi ʾillā biḥaqīqati al-nuṣḥi. qāla: wakayfa dhālika? qāla: ʾidhā biʿtahu shayʾan bidirhamin naẓarta; faʾin ṣalaḥa laka ʾan tashtariyahu bidirhamin faqad naṣaḥtahu fī al-bayʿi,
One scholar was asked about scrupulousness in sales. He answered, “Scrupulousness in selling is sound only when sincere concern is real.” Asked how, he said, “When you sell someone an item for a dirham, consider it: if you would find it fitting to buy it for a dirham, you have dealt sincerely with him in the sale.
وَإِنْ كَانَ يَصْلُحُ لَكَ بِخَمْسَةِ دَوَانِيقَ وَقَدْ بِعْتَهُ بِدِرْهَمٍ فَإِنَّكَ إِنْ لَمْ تَرْضَ لَهُ مَا تَرْضَى لِنَفْسِكَ فَقَدْ ذَهَبَ النُّصْحُ. قَالَ: فَإِذَا عُدِمَ النُّصْحُ ذَهَبَ الْوَرَعُ. وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ الْبَائِعَ يُوقَفُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مَعَ كُلِّ رَجُلٍ كَانَ بَاعَهُ شَيْئًا وَقْفَةً، وَيُحَاسَبُ عَنْ كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مُحَاسَبَةً حَتَّى عَدَدِ مَنْ عَامَلَهُ وَمَنِ اشْتَرَى مِنْهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا.
waʾin kāna yaṣluḥu laka bikhamsati dawānīqa waqad biʿtahu bidirhamin faʾinnaka ʾin lam tarḍa lahu mā tarḍā linafsika faqad dhahaba al-nuṣḥu. qāla: faʾidhā ʿudima al-nuṣḥu dhahaba al-waraʿu. wayuqālu: ʾinna al-bāʾiʿa yūqafu yawma al-qiyāmati maʿa kulli rajulin kāna bāʿahu shayʾan waqfatan, wayuḥāsabu ʿan kulli wāḥidin muḥāsabatan ḥattā ʿadadi man ʿāmalahu wamani ishtarā minhu fī al-dunyā.
But if five dāniqs would be a fitting price for you and you sold it for a dirham, sincere concern is gone if you do not accept for him what you accept for yourself. When sincere concern is absent, scrupulousness is gone.” It is said that on the Day of Resurrection the seller will be made to stand separately with everyone to whom he sold anything and undergo a separate reckoning for each, through the full number of those who dealt with him and bought from him in the world.
وَذَكَرَ بَعْضُهُمْ قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ بَعْضَ التُّجَّارِ فِي النَّوْمِ فَقُلْتُ: مَا فَعَلَ اللَّهُ بِكَ؟ فَقَالَ: نَشَرَ عَلَيَّ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ صَحِيفَةٍ. فَقُلْتُ: هَذِهِ كُلُّهَا ذُنُوبٌ؟ فَقَالَ: هَذِهِ مُعَامَلَاتُ النَّاسِ عَدَدَ مَا كُنْتُ عَامَلْتُهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا، لِكُلِّ إِنْسَانٍ صَحِيفَةٌ مُفْرَدَةٌ فِيمَا بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ مِنْ أَوَّلِ مُعَامَلَتِهِ إِلَى آخِرِهَا.
wadhakara baʿḍuhum qāla: raʾaytu baʿḍa al-tujjāri fī al-nawmi faqultu: mā faʿala Allāhu bika? faqāla: nashara ʿalayya khamsīna ʾalfa ṣaḥīfatin. faqultu: hādhihi kulluhā dhunūbun? faqāla: hādhihi muʿāmalātu al-nāsi ʿadada mā kuntu ʿāmaltuhu fī al-dunyā, likulli ʾinsānin ṣaḥīfatun mufradatun fīmā baynaka wabaynahu min ʾawwali muʿāmalatihi ʾilā ʾākhirihā.
Someone recounted, “I saw a merchant in a dream and asked, ‘What did God do with you?’ He answered, ‘He unfolded fifty thousand records against me.’ I asked, ‘Were all of these sins?’ He replied, ‘These were my dealings with people, corresponding to those I had dealt with in the world. Each person has a separate record of what lies between you and him, from the first transaction to the last.’”
فَإِنْ كَانَ الْبَائِعُ ذَا مِيزَانٍ فَلْيُرَجِّحْ فِي الْوَزْنِ إِذَا بَاعَ وَأَعْطَاهُ، وَلْيَنْقُصْ نَفْسَهُ إِذَا أَخَذَ، سِيَّمَا إِذَا كَانَ ذَا مِيزَانَيْنِ كَانَ الْأَمْرُ عَلَيْهِ أَشَدَّ. وَكَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ يَقُولُ: أَلَا أَشْتَرِي الْوَيْلَ مِنَ اللَّهِ بِحَبَّةٍ؟ فَكَانَ إِذَا أَخَذَ نَقَصَ نَفْسَهُ بِحَبَّةٍ، وَإِذَا أَعْطَى زَادَ غَيْرَهُ حَبَّةً،
faʾin kāna al-bāʾiʿu dhā mīzānin falyurajjiḥ fī al-wazni ʾidhā bāʿa waʾaʿṭāhu, walyanquṣ nafsahu ʾidhā ʾakhadha, siyyamā ʾidhā kāna dhā mīzānayni kāna al-ʾamru ʿalayhi ʾashadda. wakāna baʿḍuhum yaqūlu: ʾalā ʾashtarī al-wayla mina Allāhi biḥabbatin? fakāna ʾidhā ʾakhadha naqaṣa nafsahu biḥabbatin, waʾidhā ʾaʿṭā zāda ghayrahu ḥabbatan,
If the seller uses a balance, let him give extra weight when he sells and hands over the goods, and accept a little less for himself when receiving. His responsibility is greater still if he uses two balances. One of them used to say, “Am I to buy woe from God for a single grain?” When receiving, he therefore shorted himself by one grain, and when giving, he gave the other person an extra grain,
لِقَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿وَيْلٌ لِلْمُطَفِّفِينَ﴾، الْمُطَفِّفِينَ: ١، يَعْنِي الَّذِينَ رَضُوا بِالتَّطْفِيفِ بِالْحَبَّةِ وَالْحَبَّتَيْنِ فَبَاعُوا بِذَلِكَ جَنَّةً عَرْضُهَا السَّمَوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ، لِجَهْلِهِمْ بِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَقِلَّةِ يَقِينِهِمْ بِالْآخِرَةِ إِذَا اشْتَرَوُا الْوَيْلَ بِطُوبَى. وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ هَذِهِ الْمَظَالِمَ لَا تُرَدُّ أَبَدًا وَلَا تَصِحُّ التَّوْبَةُ مِنْهَا لِتَعَذُّرِ مَعْرِفَةِ أَصْحَابِهَا.
liqawlihi ʿazza wajalla: ﴿waylun li-l-muṭaffifīna﴾, al-muṭaffifīna: 1, yaʿnī alladhīna raḍū bi-al-taṭfīfi bi-al-ḥabbati wa-al-ḥabbatayni fabāʿū bi-dhālika jannatan ʿarḍuhā al-samawātu wa-al-ʾarḍu, lijahlihim biʾamri Allāhi taʿālā waqillati yaqīnihim bi-al-ʾākhirati ʾidhā ishtarawu al-wayla biṭūbā. wayuqālu: ʾinna hādhihi al-maẓālima lā turaddu ʾabadan walā taṣiḥḥu al-tawbatu minhā litaʿadhdhuri maʿrifati ʾaṣḥābihā.
because of the words of God, mighty and majestic, “Woe to those who give short measure” (Al-Muṭaffifīn: 1). These are people content to short others by one grain or two, thereby selling a Garden as wide as the heavens and earth. Ignorant of the command of God Most High and weak in certainty about the hereafter, they purchase woe at the cost of blessedness. It is said that these wrongs can never be repaid and repentance from them cannot be made sound, because identifying those wronged is impossible.
وَرُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ اشْتَرَى شَيْئًا فَلَمَّا وُزِنَ ثَمَنُهُ قَالَ لِلْوَزَّانِ: «زِنْ وَأَرْجِحْ». وَنَظَرَ الْفُضَيْلُ بْنُ عِيَاضٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى ابْنِهِ عَلِيٍّ وَهُوَ يَغْسِلُ كُحْلًا مِنْ دِينَارٍ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَصْرِفَهُ فَجَعَلَ يُنَقِّيهِ وَيَغْسِلُهُ مِنْ كُحْلِهِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: يَا بُنَيَّ، فِعْلُكَ هَذَا أَفْضَلُ مِنْ عِشْرِينَ حَجَّةً.
waruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾannahu ishtarā shayʾan falammā wuzina thamanuhu qāla li-l-wazzāni: «zin waʾarjiḥ». wanaẓara al-fuḍaylu bnu ʿiyāḍin raḥimahu Allāhu ʾilā ibnihi ʿaliyyin wahuwa yaghsilu kuḥlan min dīnārin ʾarāda ʾan yaṣrifahu fajaʿala yunaqqīhi wayaghsiluhu min kuḥlihi, faqāla lahu: yā bunayya, fiʿluka hādhā ʾafḍalu min ʿishrīna ḥajjatan.
It is related that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, bought something. When its price was weighed out, he told the weigher, “Weigh it and give extra.” Al-Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ, may God have mercy on him, watched his son ʿAlī washing kohl from a dinar he wanted to exchange, carefully cleaning the kohl off it. He said, “My son, this deed of yours is better than twenty pilgrimages.”
وَقَالَ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ السَّلَفِ: عَجَبًا لِلتَّاجِرِ وَالْبَائِعِ كَيْفَ يَنْجُو، يَزِنُ وَيَحْلِفُ بِالنَّهَارِ وَيَنَامُ بِاللَّيْلِ! وَقَالَ سُلَيْمَانُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: كَمَا تَدْخُلُ الْحَيَّةُ بَيْنَ الْحَجَرَيْنِ كَذَلِكَ تَدْخُلُ الْخَطِيئَةُ بَيْنَ الْمُتَبَايِعَيْنِ. وَحُدِّثْتُ أَنَّ بَعْضَ السَّلَفِ صَلَّى عَلَى مُخَنَّثٍ قَدْ كَانَ يَجْمَعُ بَيْنَ النِّسَاءِ وَالرِّجَالِ وَغَيْرِ
waqāla baʿḍu ʾahli al-salafi: ʿajaban li-l-tājiri wa-al-bāʾiʿi kayfa yanjū, yazinu wayaḥlifu bi-al-nahāri wayanāmu bi-al-layli! waqāla sulaymānu ʿalayhi al-salāmu: kamā tadkhulu al-ḥayyatu bayna al-ḥajarayni kadhālika tadkhulu al-khaṭīʾatu bayna al-mutabāyiʿayni. waḥuddithtu ʾanna baʿḍa al-salafi ṣallā ʿalā mukhannathin qad kāna yajmaʿu bayna al-nisāʾi wa-al-rijāli waghayri
One of the early Muslims said, “How astonishing that a merchant or seller should escape! He weighs and swears oaths by day and sleeps at night.” Solomon, peace be upon him, said, “As a snake slips between two stones, so sin slips between buyer and seller.” I was told that one of the early Muslims performed the funeral prayer for an effeminate man who used to bring women and men together, and other
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٤١
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 441
Volume Two, page 441
ذَلِكَ. فَقِيلَ لَهُ: إِنَّهُ قَدْ كَانَ فَاسِقًا وَكَانَ كَذَا وَكَذَا. فَسَكَتَ، فَأَعَادَ عَلَيْهِ الْقَائِلُ فَسَكَتَ. قَالَ: فَمَهْ؟ كَأَنَّكَ قُلْتَ لِي: كَانَ صَاحِبَ مِيزَانَيْنِ يَأْخُذُ بِأَحَدِهِمَا وَيُعْطِي بِالْأُخْرَى!
dhālika. faqīla lahu: ʾinnahu qad kāna fāsiqan wakāna kadhā wakadhā. fasakata, faʾaʿāda ʿalayhi al-qāʾilu fasakata. qāla: famah? kaʾannaka qulta lī: kāna ṣāḥiba mīzānayni yaʾkhudhu biʾaḥadihimā wayuʿṭī bi-al-ʾukhrā!
things of that kind. Someone said to him, “He was a sinner and did such-and-such.” He remained silent. The speaker repeated it, and he remained silent. He then said, “So what? You speak as though you had told me that he owned two balances, taking with one and giving with the other!”
هَذَا عَلَى التَّغْلِيظِ وَالْوَعْظِ، أَرَادَ أَنَّ التَّطْفِيفَ مَظَالِمُ بَيْنَ الْخَلْقِ، وَأَنَّ الْفِسْقَ ظُلْمُ الْعَبْدِ لِنَفْسِهِ، وَبَيْنَ مَظَالِمِ الْعِبَادِ وَظُلْمِ الْعَبْدِ لِنَفْسِهِ بَوْنٌ كَبِيرٌ، مِنْ قِبَلِ أَنَّ الْخَلْقَ فُقَرَاءُ جَهَلَةٌ نِيَامٌ، فَيَسْتَوْفُونَ حُقُوقَهُمْ لِحَاجَتِهِمْ إِلَيْهَا، وَاللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَالِمٌ كَرِيمٌ غَنِيٌّ فَيَسْمَحُ بِحَقِّهِ.
hādhā ʿalā al-taghlīẓi wa-al-waʿẓi, ʾarāda ʾanna al-taṭfīfa maẓālimu bayna al-khalqi, waʾanna al-fisqa ẓulmu al-ʿabdi linafsihi, wabayna maẓālimi al-ʿibādi waẓulmi al-ʿabdi linafsihi bawnun kabīrun, min qibali ʾanna al-khalqa fuqarāʾu jahalatun niyāmun, fayastawfūna ḥuqūqahum liḥājatihim ʾilayhā, wa-Allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʿālimun karīmun ghaniyyun fayasmaḥu biḥaqqihi.
This was a stern admonition. He meant that giving short measure wrongs other creatures, whereas sinful conduct wrongs one's own soul. There is a great difference between wronging God's servants and wronging oneself: creatures are needy, ignorant, and asleep, so they exact their rights because they need them. God, mighty and majestic, is knowing, generous, and free of need, and therefore readily waives His right.
وَلَا يَنْبَغِي لِلْمُشْتَرِي أَنْ يَسْأَلَ الْبَائِعَ الرُّجْحَانَ، إِلَّا اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَالَ: ﴿وَأَقِيمُوا الْوَزْنَ بِالْقِسْطِ﴾، الرَّحْمَنُ: ٩، أَيْ بِالْعَدْلِ، وَهُوَ السَّوَاءُ، وَهُوَ اسْتِوَاءُ اللِّسَانِ فِي الْبَكَرَةِ لَا مَائِلًا إِلَى إِحْدَى الْكِفَّتَيْنِ.
walā yanbaghī li-l-mushtarī ʾan yasʾala al-bāʾiʿa al-rujḥāna, ʾillā Allāha ʿazza wajalla qāla: ﴿waʾaqīmū al-wazna bi-al-qisṭi﴾, al-raḥmānu: 9, ʾay bi-al-ʿadli, wahuwa al-sawāʾu, wahuwa istiwāʾu al-lisāni fī al-bakarati lā māʾilan ʾilā ʾiḥdā al-kiffatayni.
The buyer should not ask the seller for extra weight. But God, mighty and majestic, said, “Maintain the weight with justice” (Al-Raḥmān: 9): that is, with fairness, namely equality, with the balance's pointer level in its pivot, not leaning toward either pan.
وَفِي قِرَاءَةِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: «وَلَا تَطْغَوْا فِي الْمِيزَانِ، وَأَقِيمُوا الْوَزْنَ بِالْقِسْطِ بِاللِّسَانِ، وَلَا تُخْسِرُوا الْمِيزَانَ»، فَهَذَا مُفَسَّرٌ فِي هَذَا الْحَرْفِ. وَمَكْرُوهٌ الْمُعَامَلَةُ بِالْمُزَيَّفَةِ، وَلَا يَصْلُحُ بِدِرْهَمٍ تَكُونُ الْفِضَّةُ فِيهِ مَجْهُولَةً أَوْ مُسْتَهْلَكَةً وَلَا بِمَا لَا تُعْرَفُ قِيمَتُهُ وَمَا يَخْتَلِطُ بِالْفِضَّةِ مِنْ غَيْرِهَا فَلَا تَمْتَازُ مِنْهُ.
wafī qirāʾati ʿabdi Allāhi: «walā taṭghaw fī al-mīzāni, waʾaqīmū al-wazna bi-al-qisṭi bi-al-lisāni, walā tukhsirū al-mīzāna», fa-hādhā mufassarun fī hādhā al-ḥarfi. wamakrūhun al-muʿāmalatu bi-al-muzayyafati, walā yaṣluḥu bidirhamin takūnu al-fiḍḍatu fīhi majhūlatan ʾaw mustahlakatan walā bimā lā tuʿrafu qīmatuhu wamā yakhtaliṭu bi-al-fiḍḍati min ghayrihā falā tamtāzu minhu.
In ʿAbd Allāh's reading: “Do not transgress in the balance; maintain the weight justly with the pointer, and do not diminish the balance.” This reading explains the matter. Dealing in debased coins is objectionable. It is not proper to transact with a dirham whose silver content is unknown or consumed in the alloy, nor with something whose value is unknown or whose non-silver admixture cannot be distinguished from its silver.
فَقَدْ كَانَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ يُشَدِّدُ فِي ذَلِكَ وَيُحَرِّمُهُ، مِنْهُمُ الثَّوْرِيُّ وَالْفُضَيْلُ بْنُ عِيَاضٍ وَوَهْبُ بْنُ الْوَرْدِ وَابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ وَبِشْرُ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ وَالْمُعَافَى بْنُ عِمْرَانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ. وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ كُلَّ قِطْعَةٍ مِنَ الْمُزَيَّفَةِ يُنْفِقُهَا صَاحِبُهَا يَجِدُهَا مُلْصَقَةً فِي صَحِيفَتِهِ بِعَيْنِهَا وَصُورَتِهَا،
faqad kāna baʿḍu al-salafi yushaddidu fī dhālika wayuḥarrimuhu, minhumu al-thawriyyu wa-al-fuḍaylu bnu ʿiyāḍin wawahbu bnu al-wardi wabnu al-mubāraki wabishru bnu al-ḥārithi wa-al-muʿāfā bnu ʿimrāna raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum. wayuqālu: ʾinna kulla qiṭʿatin mina al-muzayyafati yunfiquhā ṣāḥibuhā yajiduhā mulṣaqatan fī ṣaḥīfatihi biʿaynihā waṣūratihā,
Some of the early Muslims were stringent about this and declared it forbidden, among them al-Thawrī, al-Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ, Wahb ibn al-Ward, Ibn al-Mubārak, Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith, and al-Muʿāfā ibn ʿImrān, may God be pleased with them. It is said that every debased coin a person spends will be found affixed to his record, in its very substance and form,
مَكْتُوبٌ تَحْتَهَا أَلْفُ سَيِّئَةٍ، خَمْسَةُ آلَافِ سَيِّئَةٍ عَلَى قَدْرِ وَزْنِهَا، وَوَزْنُ ذَرَّةٍ مِنْهَا سَيِّئَةٌ، وَالذَّرَّةُ نُقْطَةٌ مِنْ هَبَاءِ شُعَاعِ الشَّمْسِ فِي الضَّوْءِ. حَدَّثَنِي بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ عَنْ بَعْضِ الْغُزَاةِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَالَ: حَمَلْتُ عَلَى فَرَسِي لِأَتَنَاوَلَ بَعْضَ الْعُلُوجِ فَقَصَّرَ فَرَسِي فَرَجَعْتُ،
maktūbun taḥtahā ʾalfu sayyiʾatin, khamsatu ʾālāfi sayyiʾatin ʿalā qadri waznihā, wawaznu dharratin minhā sayyiʾatun, wa-al-dharratu nuqṭatun min habāʾi shuʿāʿi al-shamsi fī al-ḍawʾi. ḥaddathanī baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi ʿan baʿḍi al-ghuzāti fī sabīli Allāhi ʿazza wajalla qāla: ḥamaltu ʿalā farasī liʾatanāwala baʿḍa al-ʿulūji faqaṣṣara farasī farajaʿtu,
with a thousand sins, or five thousand sins, written beneath it according to its weight: each mote's weight counts as a sin. A mote is a speck of dust visible in a sunbeam. A scholar told me, on the authority of a fighter on the path of God, mighty and majestic, “I charged on my horse to seize one of the enemy fighters, but my horse fell short, and I turned back.
ثُمَّ دَنَا مِنِّي الْعِلْجُ فَحَمَلْتُ عَلَيْهِ ثَانِيَةً لِأَتَنَاوَلَهُ فَقَصَّرَ فَرَسِي، وَحَمَلْتُ عَلَيْهِ ثَالِثَةً وَقَدْ قَرُبَ مِنِّي فَنَفَرَ بِي فَرَسِي، وَلَمْ أَكُنْ أَعْتَادُ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ. فَرَجَعْتُ حَزِينًا فَجَلَسْتُ إِلَى جَنْبِ فُسْطَاطِي مُنْكِرًا لِلَّذِي فَاتَنِي مِنْ أَخْذِ الْعِلْجِ وَلِمَا اخْتَلَفَ عَلَيَّ مِنْ خُلُقِ فَرَسِي.
thumma danā minnī al-ʿilju faḥamaltu ʿalayhi thāniyatan liʾatanāwalahu faqaṣṣara farasī, waḥamaltu ʿalayhi thālithatan waqad qaruba minnī fanafara bī farasī, walam ʾakun ʾaʿtādu dhālika minhu. farajaʿtu ḥazīnan fajalastu ʾilā janbi fusṭāṭī munkiran li-alladhī fātanī min ʾakhdhi al-ʿilji walimā ikhtalafa ʿalayya min khuluqi farasī.
The enemy fighter then came close, and I charged at him a second time to seize him, but my horse again fell short. I charged a third time when he was close to me, and my horse shied away with me on it, which I had never known it to do. I returned dejected and sat beside my tent, disturbed by my failure to capture the man and by the change in my horse's behavior.
قَالَ: فَوَضَعْتُ رَأْسِي عَلَى عَمُودِ الْفُسْطَاطِ فَنِمْتُ وَفَرَسِي قَائِمٌ بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ، فَرَأَيْتُ فِي النَّوْمِ كَأَنَّ الْفَرَسَ يُخَاطِبُنِي وَيَقُولُ لِي: بِاللَّهِ عَلَيْكَ، أَرَدْتَ أَنْ تَأْخُذَ عَلَيَّ الْعِلْجَ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ، وَأَنْتَ بِالْأَمْسِ اشْتَرَيْتَ لِي عَلَفًا وَدَفَعْتَ فِي ثَمَنِهِ دِرْهَمًا زَائِفًا؟ لَا يَكُونُ هَذَا أَبَدًا!
qāla: fawaḍaʿtu raʾsī ʿalā ʿamūdi al-fusṭāṭi fanimtu wafarasī qāʾimun bayna yadayya, faraʾaytu fī al-nawmi kaʾanna al-farasa yukhāṭibunī wayaqūlu lī: bi-Allāhi ʿalayka, ʾaradta ʾan taʾkhudha ʿalayya al-ʿilja thalātha marrātin, waʾanta bi-al-ʾamsi ishtarayta lī ʿalafan wadafaʿta fī thamanihi dirhaman zāʾifan? lā yakūnu hādhā ʾabadan!
I rested my head against the tent pole and fell asleep while my horse stood before me. In my sleep I saw the horse addressing me: ‘For God's sake! Three times you wanted to capture the enemy fighter on my back, when yesterday you bought fodder for me and paid a bad dirham toward its price? That will never happen!’
قَالَ: فَانْتَبَهْتُ فَزِعًا فَذَهَبْتُ إِلَى الْعَلَّافِ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: أَخْرِجْ إِلَيَّ الدَّرَاهِمَ الَّتِي اشْتَرَيْتُ بِهَا مِنْكَ بِالْأَمْسِ الْعَلَفَ. قَالَ: فَأَخْرَجَهَا إِلَيَّ، فَأَخَذْتُ مِنْهَا الدِّرْهَمَ الزَّائِفَ فَقُلْتُ: إِنِّي كُنْتُ قَدْ جَوَّزْتُ عَلَيْكَ هَذَا الدِّرْهَمَ بِالْأَمْسِ. قَالَ: فَأَبْدَلْتُهُ لَهُ وَانْصَرَفْتُ.
qāla: fantabahtu faziʿan fadhahabtu ʾilā al-ʿallāfi faqultu lahu: ʾakhrij ʾilayya al-darāhima allatī ishtaraytu bihā minka bi-al-ʾamsi al-ʿalafa. qāla: faʾakhrajahā ʾilayya, faʾakhadhtu minhā al-dirhama al-zāʾifa faqultu: ʾinnī kuntu qad jawwaztu ʿalayka hādhā al-dirhama bi-al-ʾamsi. qāla: faʾabdaltuhu lahu wanṣaraftu.
I woke in alarm, went to the fodder seller, and said, ‘Bring out the dirhams with which I bought fodder from you yesterday.’ He brought them out. I took the bad dirham from among them and said, ‘Yesterday I passed this dirham off on you.’ I replaced it for him and went away.”
وَقَالَ عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ: سَأَلْتُ بِشْرًا عَنِ الْمُعَامَلَةِ بِالْمُزَيَّفَةِ فَقَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الْمُعَافَى عَنْهَا فَقَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الثَّوْرِيَّ عَنْهَا فَقَالَ: حَرَامٌ. وَحُدِّثْنَا عَنْ أَبِي دَاوُدَ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ أَنْكَرَ التِّجَارَةَ وَالْمُعَامَلَةَ بِالْمُزَيَّفَةِ وَالْمُكَحَّلَةِ.
waqāla ʿabdu al-wahhābi: saʾaltu bishran ʿani al-muʿāmalati bi-al-muzayyafati faqāla: saʾaltu al-muʿāfā ʿanhā faqāla: saʾaltu al-thawriyya ʿanhā faqāla: ḥarāmun. waḥuddithnā ʿan ʾabī dāwūda qāla: samiʿtu ʾaḥmada ʾankara al-tijārata wa-al-muʿāmalata bi-al-muzayyafati wa-al-mukaḥḥalati.
ʿAbd al-Wahhāb said, “I asked Bishr about dealing in debased coins. He said, ‘I asked al-Muʿāfā, who said, “I asked al-Thawrī, and he said, ‘Forbidden.’”’” We were told on the authority of Abū Dāwūd, “I heard Aḥmad condemn trading and dealing with debased and blackened coins.”
وَقَدْ كَانَ بَعْضُ عُلَمَائِنَا يَقُولُ: إِنْفَاقُ دِرْهَمٍ مُزَيَّفٍ أَشَدُّ مِنْ سَرِقَةِ مِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ. قَالَ: لِأَنَّ سَرِقَةَ مِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ مَعْصِيَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ مُنْقَضِيَةٌ، وَإِنْفَاقَ دَانِقٍ مُزَيَّفٍ بِدْعَةٌ أَحْدَثَهَا فِي الدِّينِ وَإِظْهَارُ سُنَّةٍ سَيِّئَةٍ يُعْمَلُ بِهَا بَعْدَهُ وَإِفْسَادٌ لِمَالِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، فَيَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ وِزْرُهُ إِلَى مِائَةِ سَنَةٍ،
waqad kāna baʿḍu ʿulamāʾinā yaqūlu: ʾinfāqu dirhamin muzayyafin ʾashaddu min sariqati miʾati dirhamin. qāla: liʾanna sariqata miʾati dirhamin maʿṣiyatun wāḥidatun munqaḍiyatun, waʾinfāqa dāniqin muzayyafin bidʿatun ʾaḥdathahā fī al-dīni waʾiẓhāru sunnatin sayyiʾatin yuʿmalu bihā baʿdahu waʾifsādun limāli al-muslimīna, fayakūnu ʿalayhi wizruhu ʾilā miʾati sanatin,
One of our scholars used to say, “Spending one debased dirham is worse than stealing a hundred dirhams. Stealing a hundred dirhams is one sin that comes to an end. Spending one debased dāniq introduces an innovation into religion, establishes an evil practice others follow afterward, and corrupts Muslims' wealth. Its burden of sin may remain upon him for a hundred years,
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٤٢
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 442
Volume Two, page 442
فَأَكْثَرَ مَا بَقِيَ ذَلِكَ الدِّرْهَمُ يَدُورُ فِي أَيْدِي الْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَيَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ مَا أَفْسَدَ وَنَقَصَ مِنْ أَمْوَالِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ إِلَى آخِرِ فَنَائِهِ وَانْقِرَاضِهِ. فَطُوبَى لِمَنْ إِذَا مَاتَ مَاتَتْ ذُنُوبُهُ مَعَهُ، وَالْوَيْلُ الطَّوِيلُ لِمَنْ يَمُوتُ وَتَبْقَى ذُنُوبُهُ بَعْدَهُ مِائَةَ سَنَةٍ وَمِائَتَيْ سَنَةٍ يُعَذَّبُ بِهَا فِي قَبْرِهِ وَيُسْأَلُ عَنْهَا إِلَى آخِرِ انْقِرَاضِهَا.
faʾakthara mā baqiya dhālika al-dirhamu yadūru fī ʾaydī al-muslimīna, wayakūnu ʿalayhi mā ʾafsada wanaqaṣa min ʾamwāli al-muslimīna ʾilā ʾākhiri fanāʾihi wanqirāḍihi. faṭūbā liman ʾidhā māta mātat dhunūbuhu maʿahu, wa-al-waylu al-ṭawīlu liman yamūtu watabqā dhunūbuhu baʿdahu miʾata sanatin wamiʾatay sanatin yuʿadhdhabu bihā fī qabrihi wayusʾalu ʿanhā ʾilā ʾākhiri inqirāḍihā.
or longer, as long as that dirham circulates among Muslims. He is liable for whatever it corrupts and diminishes of their wealth until it finally wears away and disappears. Blessed is the person whose sins die with him when he dies. Long-lasting woe to one who dies while his sins live on for a hundred or two hundred years: he is punished for them in his grave and questioned about them until their last effects disappear.
قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿وَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَدَّمُوا وَآثَارَهُمْ﴾، يٰسٓ: ١٢؛ مَا قَدَّمُوا: مَا عَمِلُوا، وَآثَارَهُمْ: مَا سَنُّوهُ بَعْدَهُمْ فَعُمِلَ بِهِ. وَقَالَ فِي وَصْفِهِ: ﴿يُنَبَّأُ الْإِنْسَانُ يَوْمَئِذٍ بِمَا قَدَّمَ وَأَخَّرَ﴾. قِيلَ: بِمَا قَدَّمَ مِنْ عَمَلٍ وَمَا أَخَّرَ مِنْ سُنَّةٍ عُمِلَ بِهَا بَعْدَهُ.
qāla Allāhu ʿazza wajalla: ﴿wanaktubu mā qaddamū waʾāthārahum﴾, Yā Sīn: 12; mā qaddamū: mā ʿamilū, waʾāthārahum: mā sannūhu baʿdahum faʿumila bihi. waqāla fī waṣfihi: ﴿yunabbaʾu al-ʾinsānu yawmaʾidhin bimā qaddama waʾakhkhara﴾. qīla: bimā qaddama min ʿamalin wamā ʾakhkhara min sunnatin ʿumila bihā baʿdahu.
God, mighty and majestic, said, “We record what they sent ahead and the traces they left” (Yā Sīn: 12). “What they sent ahead” means what they did; “their traces” means practices they established that others followed after them. Describing this, He also said, “That day the human being will be told what he sent ahead and what he left behind.” It is explained as the deeds he sent ahead and the practices he left for others to follow after him.
وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «مَنْ سَنَّ سُنَّةً سَيِّئَةً فَعُمِلَ بِهَا بَعْدَهُ كَانَ عَلَيْهِ وِزْرُهَا وَمِثْلُ وِزْرِ مَنْ عَمِلَ بِهَا لَا يَنْقُصُ مِنْ أَوْزَارِهِمْ شَيْئًا». وَإِنْفَاقُ الدِّرْهَمِ الرَّدِيءِ عَلَى مَنْ يَعْرِفُ النَّقْدَ أَشَدُّ وَأَغْلَظُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى مَنْ لَا يَعْرِفُ أَسْهَلُ، فَيَكُونُ بِهِ أَعْذَرَ، لِأَنَّ هَذَا لَا يَتَعَمَّدُ الْغِشَّ وَالْآخَرَ يَتَعَمَّدُهُ وَيَقْصِدُهُ.
waqāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «man sanna sunnatan sayyiʾatan faʿumila bihā baʿdahu kāna ʿalayhi wizruhā wamithlu wizri man ʿamila bihā lā yanquṣu min ʾawzārihim shayʾan». waʾinfāqu al-dirhami al-radīʾi ʿalā man yaʿrifu al-naqda ʾashaddu waʾaghlaẓu, wahuwa ʿalā man lā yaʿrifu ʾashalu, fayakūnu bihi ʾaʿdhara, liʾanna hādhā lā yataʿammadu al-ghishsha wa-al-ʾākhara yataʿammaduhu wayaqṣiduhu.
God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whoever establishes an evil practice that is followed after him bears its burden and a burden equal to that of everyone who follows it, without diminishing their burdens at all.” Spending a poor-quality dirham is a more serious and graver offense for someone who understands coins; it is less grave for someone who does not, who is therefore more excusable. The latter does not intend deception, whereas the former deliberately seeks it.
فَإِنَّمَا كَانَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ يَتَعَلَّمُونَ جَوْدَةَ النَّقْدِ لِأَجْلِ إِخْوَانِهِمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ لِئَلَّا يَغُشُّوهُمْ بِالرَّدِيءِ، وَإِلَّا فَإِنَّ تَعَلُّمَ النَّقْدِ بَلَاءٌ وَإِثْمٌ عَلَى صَاحِبِهِ، لِأَنَّهُ عِلْمٌ عَلِمَهُ وَلَمْ يَعْمَلْ بِهِ فَهُوَ يُسْأَلُ عَنْ عِلْمِهِ. وَمَنْ رُدَّتْ عَلَيْهِ قِطْعَةٌ فَلْيُنْفِقْهَا وَلَا يُجَوِّزْهَا عَلَى بَيْعٍ آخَرَ، وَيَحْتَسِبْ بِذَلِكَ الثَّوَابَ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ،
faʾinnamā kāna al-muslimūna yataʿallamūna jawdata al-naqdi liʾajli ʾikhwānihimu al-muslimīna liʾallā yaghushshūhum bi-al-radīʾi, waʾillā faʾinna taʿalluma al-naqdi balāʾun waʾithmun ʿalā ṣāḥibihi, liʾannahu ʿilmun ʿalimahu walam yaʿmal bihi fahuwa yusʾalu ʿan ʿilmihi. waman ruddat ʿalayhi qiṭʿatun falyunfiqhā walā yujawwizhā ʿalā bayʿin ʾākhara, wayaḥtasib bi-dhālika al-thawāba mina Allāhi ʿazza wajalla,
Muslims learned to recognize good coins for their fellow Muslims' sake, so that they would not deceive them with bad ones. Otherwise, knowledge of coinage becomes a trial and a sin for its possessor: he has learned something without acting on it, and he will be questioned about his knowledge. If a coin is returned to someone, let him dispose of it and not pass it off in another sale, seeking by this a reward from God, mighty and majestic.
فَلَهُ بِذَلِكَ مِنَ الْأَجْرِ بِوَزْنِ كُلِّ ذَرَّةٍ مِنْهَا حَسَنَةٌ، وَلَهُ فِي طَرْحِهَا أَعْمَالٌ كَثِيرَةٌ مِنَ الصَّوْمِ وَالصَّلَاةِ. فَإِنْ كَانَ فِي الْقِطْعَةِ تَجَوُّزُ نَقْدٍ يَنْصَرِفُ مِثْلُهَا فَأَرَادَ أَنْ يَشْتَرِيَ بِهَا شَيْئًا فَلْيُعْلِمِ الْبَائِعَ الثَّانِيَ أَنَّهَا قَدْ رُدَّتْ عَلَيْهِ، فَإِنْ أَخَذَهَا عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ وَعَنْ سَمَاحَةٍ فَلَا بَأْسَ،
falahu bi-dhālika mina al-ʾajri biwazni kulli dharratin minhā ḥasanatun, walahu fī ṭarḥihā ʾaʿmālun kathīratun mina al-ṣawmi wa-al-ṣalāti. faʾin kāna fī al-qiṭʿati tajawwuzu naqdin yanṣarifu mithluhā faʾarāda ʾan yashtariya bihā shayʾan falyuʿlimi al-bāʾiʿa al-thāniya ʾannahā qad ruddat ʿalayhi, faʾin ʾakhadhahā ʿalā baṣīratin waʿan samāḥatin falā baʾsa,
For this he receives a good deed for every mote's weight in it; discarding it brings him the equivalent of many acts of fasting and prayer. If the coin falls within the latitude accepted in assessing coins of a kind that circulates, and he wishes to buy something with it, he should tell the second seller that it was returned to him. If the seller knowingly and willingly accepts it, there is no harm.
فَإِنْ لَمْ يُعْلِمْهُ فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَنْصَحْهُ، وَرُبَّمَا كَانَ عَلَى غَيْرِ بَصِيرَةٍ بِالنَّقْدِ. فَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: مَنْ زَافَتْ عَلَيْهِ دَرَاهِمُهُ فَلْيَضَعْهَا فِي كَفِّهِ وَلْيُنَادِ عَلَيْهَا فِي السُّوقِ: مَنْ يَبِيعُهَا سَحْقَ ثَوْبٍ بِدِرْهَمٍ زَائِفٍ؟ وَهَذَا إِذَا كَانَتْ زَائِفَةً عَلَى وَجْهِهَا كَالصُّفْرِ وَالرَّصَاصِ كَانَ لَهَا قِيمَةُ مِثْلِهَا.
faʾin lam yuʿlimhu faʾinnahu lam yanṣaḥhu, warubbamā kāna ʿalā ghayri baṣīratin bi-al-naqdi. faqad ruwiya ʿan ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu: man zāfat ʿalayhi darāhimuhu falyaḍaʿhā fī kaffihi walyunādi ʿalayhā fī al-sūqi: man yabīʿuhā saḥqa thawbin bidirhamin zāʾifin? wa-hādhā ʾidhā kānat zāʾifatan ʿalā wajhihā ka-al-ṣufri wa-al-raṣāṣi kāna lahā qīmatu mithlihā.
If he does not tell him, he has not dealt sincerely with him; the seller may lack expertise in coinage. It is related from ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him, “If someone's dirhams turn out to be bad, let him put them in his palm and call out in the market, ‘Who will sell a worn-out garment for a bad dirham?’” This applies when the debased coins are openly what they are, like brass or lead, with the market value of such material.
وَفِي قَوْلِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لِنَافِعٍ: لَوْ حَفِظْتَ عَنِّي كَمَا يَحْفَظُ عِكْرِمَةُ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ لَكَانَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ يَكُونَ لِي دِرْهَمٌ زَائِفٌ. قِيلَ لَهُ: أَفَلَا جَعَلْتَهُ جَيِّدًا؟ قَالَ: كَذَلِكَ كَانَ فِي نَفْسِي.
wafī qawli ibni ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu lināfiʿin: law ḥafiẓta ʿannī kamā yaḥfaẓu ʿikrimatu ʿani ibni ʿabbāsin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum lakāna ʾaḥabba ʾilayya min ʾan yakūna lī dirhamun zāʾifun. qīla lahu: ʾafalā jaʿaltahu jayyidan? qāla: kadhālika kāna fī nafsī.
There is also the saying of Ibn ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him, to Nāfiʿ: “If you retained from me what ʿIkrima retains from Ibn ʿAbbās, may God be pleased with them, that would be dearer to me than possessing a bad dirham.” He was asked, “Why did you not make it a good one?” He answered, “That was how it occurred to me.”
وَرَوَيْنَا عَنِ النَّخَعِيِّ: إِذَا كَانَ فِي الدِّرْهَمِ شَيْءٌ مِنَ الْفِضَّةِ وَإِنْ قَلَّ فَلَا بَأْسَ بِهِ. وَحُدِّثْتُ عَنْ أَبِي دَاوُدَ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ إِسْحَاقَ بْنَ رَاهَوَيْهِ رَحِمَهُمَا اللَّهُ عَنْ إِنْفَاقِ الْمُزَيَّفَةِ، قَالَ: فَلَا بَأْسَ بِهِ. فَفِيهِ تَرْخِيصٌ بِالْإِنْفَاقِ بِالزَّائِفِ إِذَا عُرِفَ.
warawaynā ʿani al-nakhaʿiyyi: ʾidhā kāna fī al-dirhami shayʾun mina al-fiḍḍati waʾin qalla falā baʾsa bihi. waḥuddithtu ʿan ʾabī dāwūda qāla: saʾaltu ʾisḥāqa bna rāhawayhi raḥimahumā Allāhu ʿan ʾinfāqi al-muzayyafati, qāla: falā baʾsa bihi. fafīhi tarkhīṣun bi-al-ʾinfāqi bi-al-zāʾifi ʾidhā ʿurifa.
We have related from al-Nakhaʿī, “If a dirham contains any silver, however little, there is no harm in it.” I was told on the authority of Abū Dāwūd, “I asked Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh, may God have mercy on them both, about spending debased coins. He said, ‘There is no harm in it.’” This grants latitude to spend a bad coin when its nature is known.
وَمَنْ سَمَحَ فِي النَّقْدِ وَيَجُوزُ فِي أَخْذِ الرَّدِيءِ طَلَبًا لِلْأَجْرِ فِيمَا يَحْتَسِبُ، ثُمَّ إِذَا أَخْرَجَ ذَلِكَ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَجَوَّزَهُ عَلَيْهِمْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ أَثِمَ فِي سَمَاحَتِهِ، وَتَشْدِيدُهُ حِينَئِذٍ وَنَقْصُهُ فِي أَخْذِ الْجَيِّدِ أَفْضَلُ. وَهَذَا مِنْ دَقَائِقِ الْأَعْمَالِ وَبَاطِنِ الشَّرِّ فِي ظَاهِرِ الْخَيْرِ،
waman samaḥa fī al-naqdi wayajūzu fī ʾakhdhi al-radīʾi ṭalaban li-l-ʾajri fīmā yaḥtasibu, thumma ʾidhā ʾakhraja dhālika ʿalā al-muslimīna wajawwazahu ʿalayhim baʿda dhālika faqad ʾathima fī samāḥatihi, watashdīduhu ḥīnaʾidhin wanaqṣuhu fī ʾakhdhi al-jayyidi ʾafḍalu. wa-hādhā min daqāʾiqi al-ʾaʿmāli wabāṭini al-sharri fī ẓāhiri al-khayri,
If someone is lenient about coins and allows himself to accept inferior ones, believing he seeks a reward, but then puts them back among Muslims and passes them off on them, he has sinned through his leniency. In that case, being strict and accepting a smaller amount of good coin would be better. This is one of the subtleties of conduct: evil concealed within apparent good,
اللَّهُمَّ إِلَّا أَنْ يَأْخُذَ الرَّدِيءَ ثُمَّ يُلْقِيَهُ وَلَا يُخْرِجَهُ إِلَى أَحَدٍ، فَإِنْ فَعَلَ هَذَا كَانَ فَاضِلًا مُحْتَسِبًا مُحْسِنًا فِي سَمَاحَتِهِ، وَلَهُ بِاحْتِسَابِهِ ذَلِكَ مَثُوبَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ.
Allāhumma ʾillā ʾan yaʾkhudha al-radīʾa thumma yulqiyahu walā yukhrijahu ʾilā ʾaḥadin, faʾin faʿala hādhā kāna fāḍilan muḥtasiban muḥsinan fī samāḥatihi, walahu biḥtisābihi dhālika mathūbatun waʾajrun.
unless, O God, he accepts the inferior coin and then discards it without passing it on to anyone. If he does that, he acts virtuously, seeks God's reward, and does good through his leniency. For seeking that reward he will receive recompense and merit.
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٤٣
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 443
Volume Two, page 443
فَيَنْبَغِي لِلتَّاجِرِ أَنْ يُكْثِرَ مِنَ الصَّدَقَةِ لِيَكُونَ فِيهَا كَفَّارَةُ خَطَايَاهُ وَأَيْمَانِهِ وَكَذِبِهِ، فَقَدْ أَمَرَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ التَّاجِرَ بِالصَّدَقَةِ. لِذَلِكَ فَيَنْبَغِي لِلتَّاجِرِ وَالصَّانِعِ أَنْ يَكُونَا مُسْتَعْمِلَيْنِ لِهَذِهِ الْخِصَالِ، فَإِنَّهَا جَامِعَةٌ لَهُ تَشْتَمِلُ عَلَى جُمَلِ أَعْمَالِ الْبِرِّ، فَلْيَأْخُذُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ بِهَا، فَإِنَّهَا مِنْ أَخْلَاقِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَطَرَائِقِ الْمُتَقَدِّمِينَ، وَقَدْ نُدِبُوا إِلَى جَمِيعِهَا.
fayanbaghī li-l-tājiri ʾan yukthira mina al-ṣadaqati liyakūna fīhā kaffāratu khaṭāyāhu waʾaymānihi wakadhibihi, faqad ʾamara al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama al-tājira bi-al-ṣadaqati. li-dhālika fayanbaghī li-l-tājiri wa-al-ṣāniʿi ʾan yakūnā mustaʿmilayni li-hādhihi al-khiṣāli, faʾinnahā jāmiʿatun lahu tashtamilu ʿalā jumali ʾaʿmāli al-birri, falyaʾkhudhū ʾanfusahum bihā, faʾinnahā min ʾakhlāqi al-muʾminīna waṭarāʾiqi al-mutaqaddimīna, waqad nudibū ʾilā jamīʿihā.
The merchant should give charity generously, so that it may expiate his errors, oaths, and lies. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, instructed merchants to give charity. The merchant and craftsman should therefore practice these qualities: they form a comprehensive discipline embracing the main works of goodness. Let them hold themselves to it, for these are the believers' character traits and the ways of earlier generations, and they have been urged to practice them all.
مِنْهَا أَنْ يَسْمَحَ إِذَا بَاعَ وَيَسْمَحَ إِذَا اشْتَرَى وَيُحْسِنَ إِذَا قَضَى وَيُحْسِنَ إِذَا اقْتَضَى، وَلْيَمْشِ الرَّجُلُ بِدَيْنِ غَرِيمِهِ إِلَيْهِ وَلَا يُحْوِجْهُ إِلَى اقْتِضَائِهِ فَيَشُقَّ عَلَيْهِ. وَلْيَصْبِرْ صَاحِبُ الدَّيْنِ عَلَى أَخِيهِ وَيُحْسِنْ تَقَاضِيَهُ وَيُحْسِنْ لَهُ النَّظِرَةَ وَيُؤَخِّرْ حَقَّهُ إِلَى مَيْسَرَتِهِ،
minhā ʾan yasmaḥa ʾidhā bāʿa wayasmaḥa ʾidhā ishtarā wayuḥsina ʾidhā qaḍā wayuḥsina ʾidhā iqtaḍā, walyamshi al-rajulu bidayni gharīmihi ʾilayhi walā yuḥwijhu ʾilā iqtiḍāʾihi fayashuqqa ʿalayhi. walyaṣbir ṣāḥibu al-dayni ʿalā ʾakhīhi wayuḥsin taqāḍiyahu wayuḥsin lahu al-naẓirata wayuʾakhkhir ḥaqqahu ʾilā maysaratihi,
These qualities include generosity when selling, generosity when buying, good conduct when repaying, and good conduct when collecting payment. Let a debtor take the amount he owes to his creditor, without forcing him to demand it and causing him hardship. Let the creditor be patient with his brother, ask for payment graciously, grant him a gracious respite, and defer his claim until the debtor has the means to pay.
وَلْيَغْتَنِمْ دُعَاءَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَهُمْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ فَيَتَنَافَسُوا فِي مَدْحِهِ لِمَنْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ. فَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «اِسْمَحْ يُسْمَحْ لَكَ». وَقَالَ: «خَيْرُ النَّاسِ أَحْسَنُهُمْ قَضَاءً». وَقَالَ: «خُذْ حَقَّكَ فِي عَفَافٍ وَافِيًا كَانَ أَوْ غَيْرَ وَافٍ، يُحَاسِبْكَ اللَّهُ حِسَابًا يَسِيرًا».
walyaghtanim duʿāʾa rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama lahum ʿalā dhālika fayatanāfasū fī madḥihi liman faʿala dhālika. faqad ruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla: «ismaḥ yusmaḥ laka». waqāla: «khayru al-nāsi ʾaḥsanuhum qaḍāʾan». waqāla: «khudh ḥaqqaka fī ʿafāfin wāfiyan kāna ʾaw ghayra wāfin, yuḥāsibka Allāhu ḥisāban yasīran».
Let them seek the benefit of the prayer that God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, offered for them in this, and compete for the praise he gave those who act so. It is related that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Be generous, and generosity will be shown to you.” He said, “The best people are those who repay best.” He also said, “Take what is due to you with restraint, whether it is paid in full or not, and God will grant you an easy reckoning.”
وَقَالَ: «رَحِمَ اللَّهُ عَبْدًا سَمْحَ الْبَيْعِ سَمْحَ الشِّرَاءِ حَسَنَ الْقَضَاءِ حَسَنَ الِاقْتِضَاءِ». وَقَالَ: «مَنْ مَشَى إِلَى غَرِيمِهِ بِحَقِّهِ أَظَلَّتْهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ». وَقَالَ: «مَنْ أَنْظَرَ مُعْسِرًا أَوْ تَرَكَ لَهُ حَاسَبَهُ اللَّهُ حِسَابًا يَسِيرًا». وَفِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ: «أَظَلَّهُ اللَّهُ فِي ظِلِّ عَرْشِهِ يَوْمَ لَا ظِلَّ إِلَّا ظِلُّهُ».
waqāla: «raḥima Allāhu ʿabdan samḥa al-bayʿi samḥa al-shirāʾi ḥasana al-qaḍāʾi ḥasana al-iqtiḍāʾi». waqāla: «man mashā ʾilā gharīmihi biḥaqqihi ʾaẓallathu al-malāʾikatu». waqāla: «man ʾanẓara muʿsiran ʾaw taraka lahu ḥāsabahu Allāhu ḥisāban yasīran». wafī khabarin ʾākhara: «ʾaẓallahu Allāhu fī ẓilli ʿarshihi yawma lā ẓilla ʾillā ẓilluhu».
He said, “May God have mercy on a servant who is generous in selling and buying, good in repaying and collecting payment.” He said, “Whoever walks to his creditor with what is due to him will be shaded by the angels.” He said, “Whoever grants an insolvent debtor time, or waives the debt for him, will be given an easy reckoning by God.” Another report says, “God will shade him in the shade of His Throne on the day when there is no shade but His.”
وَذَكَرَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ رَجُلًا كَانَ مُسْرِفًا عَلَى نَفْسِهِ حُوسِبَ فَلَمْ يَجِدْ لَهُ حَسَنَةً، فَقِيلَ لَهُ: هَلْ عَمِلْتَ خَيْرًا قَطُّ؟ فَقَالَ: لَا، إِلَّا إِنِّي كُنْتُ رَجُلًا أُدَايِنُ النَّاسَ وَأَقُولُ لِغِلْمَانِي: سَامِحُوا الْمُوسِرَ وَأَنْظِرُوا الْمُعْسِرَ. وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ: وَتَجَاوَزُوا عَنِ الْمُعْسِرِ. قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: «نَحْنُ أَحَقُّ بِذَلِكَ مِنْكَ»، فَغَفَرَ لَهُ.
wadhakara ʿalayhi al-salāmu rajulan kāna musrifan ʿalā nafsihi ḥūsiba falam yajid lahu ḥasanatan, faqīla lahu: hal ʿamilta khayran qaṭṭu? faqāla: lā, ʾillā ʾinnī kuntu rajulan ʾudāyinu al-nāsa waʾaqūlu lighilmānī: sāmiḥū al-mūsira waʾanẓirū al-muʿsira. wafī lafẓin ʾākhara: watajāwazū ʿani al-muʿsiri. qāla Allāhu ʿazza wajalla: «naḥnu ʾaḥaqqu bi-dhālika minka», faghafara lahu.
He, peace be upon him, mentioned a man who had wronged himself greatly. He was called to account, and no good deed was found for him. He was asked, “Did you ever do any good?” He answered, “No, except that I used to lend to people and tell my servants, ‘Be lenient with the prosperous and give the insolvent time.’” Another wording says, “Overlook the insolvent person's debt.” God, mighty and majestic, said, “We have a greater claim to do that than you,” and forgave him.
وَفِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ: «مَنْ أَقْرَضَ دَيْنًا إِلَى أَجَلٍ فَلَهُ بِكُلِّ يَوْمٍ صَدَقَةٌ إِلَى أَجَلِهِ، فَإِذَا حَلَّ الْأَجَلُ فَأَنْظَرَهُ بَعْدَهُ فَلَهُ بِكُلِّ يَوْمٍ مِثْلُ ذَلِكَ الدَّيْنِ صَدَقَةٌ». وَفِي حَدِيثٍ: «مَنْ أَدَانَ دَيْنًا وَهُوَ يَنْوِي قَضَاءَهُ وُكِّلَ بِهِ مَلَائِكَةٌ يَحْفَظُونَهُ وَيَدْعُونَ لَهُ حَتَّى يَقْضِيَهُ».
wafī khabarin ʾākhara: «man ʾaqraḍa daynan ʾilā ʾajalin falahu bikulli yawmin ṣadaqatun ʾilā ʾajalihi, faʾidhā ḥalla al-ʾajalu faʾanẓarahu baʿdahu falahu bikulli yawmin mithlu dhālika al-dayni ṣadaqatun». wafī ḥadīthin: «man ʾadāna daynan wahuwa yanwī qaḍāʾahu wukkila bihi malāʾikatun yaḥfaẓūnahu wayadʿūna lahu ḥattā yaqḍiyahu».
Another report says, “Whoever lends for a fixed term receives the reward of charity for each day until it falls due. Once it is due, if he grants further time, he receives for every day the reward of giving the amount of that debt in charity.” A hadith says, “Whoever incurs a debt intending to repay it will have angels appointed to protect him and pray for him until he repays it.”
وَكَانَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ السَّلَفِ يُدَانُونَ وَهُمْ وَاجِدُونَ لِأَجْلِ هَذَا الْخَبَرِ، وَكَانَ جَمَاعَةٌ لَا يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَقْضِيَهُمْ غُرَمَاؤُهُمْ دَيْنَهُمْ لِأَجْلِ ذَلِكَ الْخَبَرِ الْأَوَّلِ، إِذْ لَهُ بِكُلِّ يَوْمٍ تَأَخَّرَ قَضَاءٌ صَدَقَةٌ.
wakāna jamāʿatun mina al-salafi yudānūna wahum wājidūna liʾajli hādhā al-khabari, wakāna jamāʿatun lā yuḥibbūna ʾan yaqḍiyahum ghuramāʾuhum daynahum liʾajli dhālika al-khabari al-ʾawwali, ʾidh lahu bikulli yawmin taʾakhkhara qaḍāʾun ṣadaqatun.
Because of this report, a number of the early Muslims borrowed even when they had sufficient means. Because of the first report, others preferred that their debtors not repay them, since every day repayment was delayed brought them the reward of charity.
وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ: «رَأَيْتُ عَلَى بَابِ الْجَنَّةِ مَكْتُوبًا: الصَّدَقَةُ بِعَشْرِ أَمْثَالِهَا وَالْقَرْضُ بِثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ». قِيلَ: مَعْنَاهُ لِأَنَّ الصَّدَقَةَ تَقَعُ فِي يَدِ مُحْتَاجٍ وَغَيْرِهِ، وَالْقَرْضُ لَا يَقَعُ إِلَّا فِي يَدِ مُحْتَاجٍ مُضْطَرٍّ إِلَيْهِ.
wafī al-ḥadīthi: «raʾaytu ʿalā bābi al-jannati maktūban: al-ṣadaqatu biʿashri ʾamthālihā wa-al-qarḍu bithamāniyata ʿashara». qīla: maʿnāhu liʾanna al-ṣadaqata taqaʿu fī yadi muḥtājin waghayrihi, wa-al-qarḍu lā yaqaʿu ʾillā fī yadi muḥtājin muḍṭarrin ʾilayhi.
A hadith says, “I saw written on the gate of Paradise: ‘Charity is rewarded tenfold, and a loan eighteenfold.’” It is explained as meaning that charity may reach someone in need or someone who is not, whereas a loan reaches only someone whose need compels him to seek it.
وَنَظَرَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَى رَجُلٍ يُلَازِمُ رَجُلًا بِدَيْنٍ عَلَيْهِ، فَأَوْمَأَ إِلَى صَاحِبِ الدَّيْنِ بِيَدِهِ: «ضَعِ الشَّطْرَ»، فَفَعَلَ. فَقَالَ لِلْمَدْيُونِ: «قُمْ فَأَعْطِ». وَكَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَدْ أَدَانَ دَيْنًا إِلَى أَجَلٍ، فَجَاءَهُ صَاحِبُ الدَّيْنِ عِنْدَ حُلُولِ الْأَجَلِ وَلَمْ يَتَّفِقْ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ،
wanaẓara al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾilā rajulin yulāzimu rajulan bidaynin ʿalayhi, faʾawmaʾa ʾilā ṣāḥibi al-dayni biyadihi: «ḍaʿi al-shaṭra», fafaʿala. faqāla li-l-madyūni: «qum faʾaʿṭi». wakāna al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qad ʾadāna daynan ʾilā ʾajalin, fajāʾahu ṣāḥibu al-dayni ʿinda ḥulūli al-ʾajali walam yattafiq ʿinda al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama,
The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, saw a man pressing another for repayment. He gestured to the creditor, “Waive half,” and he did so. He then told the debtor, “Get up and pay.” The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, once incurred a debt for a fixed term. The creditor came when it fell due, but the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, did not happen to have the means available.
فَجَعَلَ الرَّجُلُ يُكَلِّمُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَيُشَدِّدُ عَلَيْهِ الْكَلَامَ، فَهَمَّ بِهِ أَصْحَابُهُ فَقَالَ: «دَعُوهُ، فَإِنَّ لِصَاحِبِ الْحَقِّ مَقَالًا». وَاسْتُحِبَّ أَنْ تَكُونَ أَكْثَرُ مُعَاوَنَةِ الْإِنْسَانِ بَيْنَ الْبَيِّعَيْنِ مَعَ الْمُشْتَرِي مِنْهُمْ، وَاسْتُحِبَّ أَيْضًا أَنْ يَكُونَ عَوْنُهُ بَيْنَ الْمُتَدَايِنَيْنِ مَعَ الَّذِي لَهُ الدَّيْنُ،
fajaʿala al-rajulu yukallimu al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama wayushaddidu ʿalayhi al-kalāma, fahamma bihi ʾaṣḥābuhu faqāla: «daʿūhu, faʾinna liṣāḥibi al-ḥaqqi maqālan». wastuḥibba ʾan takūna ʾaktharu muʿāwanati al-ʾinsāni bayna al-bayyiʿayni maʿa al-mushtarī minhum, wastuḥibba ʾayḍan ʾan yakūna ʿawnuhu bayna al-mutadāyinayni maʿa alladhī lahu al-daynu,
The man began speaking harshly to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. His companions were about to act against him, but he said, “Leave him: the holder of a right is entitled to speak.” It has been considered preferable, when assisting the two parties to a sale, to give greater support to the buyer; likewise, between debtor and creditor, to support the one to whom the debt is owed,
إِلَّا أَنْ يَعْتَدِيَ مَنْ لَهُ الدَّيْنُ أَوْ يَعْتَدِيَ الْمُشْتَرِي فَيَكُونُ حِينَئِذٍ عَلَى الْمُشْتَرِي. وَرُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «النَّسِيئَةُ بِالنَّسِيئَةِ رِبًا، وَالْمُسْتَبَّانِ مَا قَالَا فَعَلَى الْمُعْتَدِي مِنْهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَعْتَدِ الْمَظْلُومُ».
ʾillā ʾan yaʿtadiya man lahu al-daynu ʾaw yaʿtadiya al-mushtarī fayakūnu ḥīnaʾidhin ʿalā al-mushtarī. waruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «al-nasīʾatu bi-al-nasīʾati riban, wa-al-mustabbāni mā qālā faʿalā al-muʿtadī minhumā mā lam yaʿtadi al-maẓlūmu».
unless the creditor or the buyer acts aggressively; in that event, one should oppose the buyer. It is related from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, “Deferred payment for deferred payment is usury. When two people exchange insults, the responsibility for what they say rests on the aggressor among them, so long as the wronged person does not transgress.”
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٤٤
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 444
Volume Two, page 444
وَيَسِيرُ الْمُغَابَنَةِ فِي التِّجَارَاتِ جَائِزٌ، فَإِنَّ مَوْضُوعَ التِّجَارَةِ عَلَى الْغَبْنِ إِذَا كَانَ عَنْ تَرَاضٍ. فَإِذَا تَفَاوَتَتِ الْقِيمَةُ وَعُلِمَ الْغَبْنُ فَمَكْرُوهٌ، وَقَدْ يُرْوَى فِي حَدِيثٍ أَنَّ غَبْنَ الْمُسْتَغْفَلِ حَرَامٌ. وَفِي حَدِيثٍ فِيهِ مَقَالٌ: «الْمَغْبُونُ لَا مَحْمُودٌ وَلَا مَأْجُورٌ».
wayasīru al-mughābanati fī al-tijārāti jāʾizun, faʾinna mawḍūʿa al-tijārati ʿalā al-ghabni ʾidhā kāna ʿan tarāḍin. faʾidhā tafāwatati al-qīmatu waʿulima al-ghabnu famakrūhun, waqad yurwā fī ḥadīthin ʾanna ghabna al-mustaghfali ḥarāmun. wafī ḥadīthin fīhi maqālun: «al-maghbūnu lā maḥmūdun walā maʾjūrun».
A slight disadvantage in commercial bargaining is permissible, for trade rests on one party gaining an advantage when both consent. But when the price differs substantially from the value and the disadvantage is known, it is objectionable. A hadith is related stating that cheating someone taken unawares is forbidden. Another hadith, whose reliability is disputed, says, “The person who lets himself be cheated is neither praiseworthy nor rewarded.”
هَذَا، وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ، إِذَا تَغَابَنَ وَهُوَ يَعْلَمُ فَيُخْسِرُ نَفْسَهُ حَقَّهُ وَحَمَلَ غَيْرَهُ عَلَى ظُلْمِهِ. وَكَانَ إِيَاسُ بْنُ مُعَاوِيَةَ قَاضِي الْبَصْرَةِ مِنْ عُلَمَاءِ الزَّمَانِ وَمِنْ عُقَلَاءِ التَّابِعِينَ، وَكَانَتْ لِأَبِيهِ صُحْبَةٌ، كَانَ يَقُولُ: لَسْتُ بِخِبٍّ وَالْخِبُّ لَا يُغْبَنُ، يَعْنِي مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ سِيرِينَ، وَلَكِنْ يُغْبَنُ الْحُسَيْنُ وَمُعَاوِيَةُ بْنُ قُرَّةَ.
hādhā, wa-Allāhu ʾaʿlamu, ʾidhā taghābana wahuwa yaʿlamu fayukhsiru nafsahu ḥaqqahu waḥamala ghayrahu ʿalā ẓulmihi. wakāna ʾiyāsu bnu muʿāwiyata qāḍī al-baṣrati min ʿulamāʾi al-zamāni wamin ʿuqalāʾi al-tābiʿīna, wakānat liʾabīhi ṣuḥbatun, kāna yaqūlu: lastu bikhibbin wa-al-khibbu lā yughbanu, yaʿnī muḥammada bna sīrīna, wa-lākin yughbanu al-ḥusaynu wamuʿāwiyatu bnu qurrata.
This, and God knows best, applies when he knowingly lets himself be disadvantaged, depriving himself of his right and prompting someone else to wrong him. Iyās ibn Muʿāwiya, the judge of Basra, was one of the age's scholars and one of the wise Successors; his father had been a Companion. He used to say, “I am not crafty, and the crafty man is not cheated,” meaning Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn, “but al-Ḥusayn and Muʿāwiya ibn Qurra are cheated.”
وَكَانَ الزُّبَيْرُ بْنُ عَدِيٍّ يَقُولُ: أَدْرَكْتُ ثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا مِنْهُمْ رَجُلٌ يُحْسِنُ يَشْتَرِي لَحْمًا بِدِرْهَمٍ. وَقَدْ رُوِيَ أَنَّ الْحَسَنَ بَاعَ بَغْلًا لَهُ بِأَرْبَعِمِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ، فَلَمَّا اسْتَوْجَبَ الْمَالَ قَالَ لَهُ الْمُشْتَرِي: اِسْمَحْ يَا أَبَا سَعِيدٍ. قَالَ: قَدْ أَسْقَطْتُ عَنْكَ مِائَةً.
wakāna al-zubayru bnu ʿadiyyin yaqūlu: ʾadraktu thamāniyata ʿashara min ʾaṣḥābi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama mā minhum rajulun yuḥsinu yashtarī laḥman bidirhamin. waqad ruwiya ʾanna al-ḥasana bāʿa baghlan lahu biʾarbaʿimiʾati dirhamin, falammā istawjaba al-māla qāla lahu al-mushtarī: ismaḥ yā ʾabā saʿīdin. qāla: qad ʾasqaṭtu ʿanka miʾatan.
Al-Zubayr ibn ʿAdī used to say, “I knew eighteen companions of God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, not one of whom knew how to buy a dirham's worth of meat well.” It is related that al-Ḥasan sold a mule for four hundred dirhams. Once payment became due, the buyer said, “Be generous, Abū Saʿīd.” He answered, “I have remitted a hundred.”
قَالَ لَهُ الْمُشْتَرِي: فَأَحْسِنْ يَا أَبَا سَعِيدٍ. قَالَ: قَدْ وَهَبْتُ لَهُ مِائَةً أُخْرَى. فَنَقَصَ مِنْ حَقِّهِ مِائَتَيْ دِرْهَمٍ. وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ أُخْرَى قَالَ: أَحْسِنْ. قَالَ: وَهَبْتُ لَكَ مِائَتَيْ دِرْهَمٍ. فَقِيلَ لَهُ: يَا أَبَا سَعِيدٍ، هَذَا نِصْفُ الثَّمَنِ. فَقَالَ: هَكَذَا يَكُونُ الْإِحْسَانُ وَإِلَّا فَلَا.
qāla lahu al-mushtarī: faʾaḥsin yā ʾabā saʿīdin. qāla: qad wahabtu lahu miʾatan ʾukhrā. fanaqaṣa min ḥaqqihi miʾatay dirhamin. wafī riwāyatin ʾukhrā qāla: ʾaḥsin. qāla: wahabtu laka miʾatay dirhamin. faqīla lahu: yā ʾabā saʿīdin, hādhā niṣfu al-thamani. faqāla: hākadhā yakūnu al-ʾiḥsānu waʾillā falā.
The buyer said, “Then show kindness, Abū Saʿīd.” He said, “I have given him another hundred.” Thus he reduced his claim by two hundred dirhams. In another version the man said, “Show kindness,” and he answered, “I have given you two hundred dirhams.” Someone said, “Abū Saʿīd, that is half the price!” He replied, “That is what kindness looks like; otherwise it is no kindness.”
وَقَدْ كَانَ الْحَسَنُ وَالْحُسَيْنُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا وَغَيْرُهُمَا مِنْ خِيَارِ السَّلَفِ يَسْتَقْصُونَ فِي الِاشْتِرَاءِ ثُمَّ يَهَبُونَ مَعَ ذَلِكَ الْجَزِيلَ مِنَ الْمَالِ، فَقِيلَ لِبَعْضِهِمْ: تَسْتَقْصِي فِي شِرَائِكَ عَلَى الْيَسِيرِ ثُمَّ تَهَبُ الْكَثِيرَ وَلَا تُبَالِي! فَقَالَ قَائِلُهُمْ: إِنَّ الْوَاهِبَ يُعْطِي فَضْلَهُ وَإِنَّ الْمَغْبُونَ يُغْبَنُ عَقْلُهُ.
waqad kāna al-ḥasanu wa-al-ḥusaynu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā waghayruhumā min khiyāri al-salafi yastaqṣūna fī al-ishtirāʾi thumma yahabūna maʿa dhālika al-jazīla mina al-māli, faqīla libaʿḍihim: tastaqṣī fī shirāʾika ʿalā al-yasīri thumma tahabu al-kathīra walā tubālī! faqāla qāʾiluhum: ʾinna al-wāhiba yuʿṭī faḍlahu waʾinna al-maghbūna yughbanu ʿaqluhu.
Al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn, may God be pleased with them both, and other outstanding early Muslims bargained carefully when buying, yet gave away large sums. One of them was told, “You bargain over a little when you buy, then give away a great deal without concern!” One answered, “A giver gives from his surplus; a cheated person's loss is in his judgment.”
وَقَالَ آخَرُ: إِنَّمَا أُغْبَنُ وَبَصِيرَتِي، أَوْ قَالَ: مَعْرِفَتِي، وَلَا أُمَكِّنُ الْغَابِنَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ. وَإِذَا وَهَبْتُ فَإِنَّمَا أُعْطِي لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَلَا أَسْتَكْثِرُ لَهُ شَيْئًا. وَالْأَخْبَارُ فِي هَذِهِ الْمَعَانِي تَكْثُرُ وَالْفَضَائِلُ فِيهَا تَطُولُ، وَلَمْ نَقْصِدْ جَمْعَ ذَلِكَ، فَقَدْ ذَكَرْنَا جُمْلَةً.
waqāla ʾākharu: ʾinnamā ʾughbanu wabaṣīratī, ʾaw qāla: maʿrifatī, walā ʾumakkinu al-ghābina min dhālika. waʾidhā wahabtu faʾinnamā ʾuʿṭī li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla falā ʾastakthiru lahu shayʾan. wa-al-ʾakhbāru fī hādhihi al-maʿānī takthuru wa-al-faḍāʾilu fīhā taṭūlu, walam naqṣid jamʿa dhālika, faqad dhakarnā jumlatan.
Another said, “When I am cheated, it is I and my discernment that are cheated,” or he said, “my knowledge,” “and I do not give a cheat that opportunity. But when I give, I give for God, mighty and majestic, and consider nothing too much for Him.” Accounts bearing on these matters are numerous, and the virtues involved would take long to describe. We have not intended to collect them all, but have mentioned a selection.
وَهَذَا كُلُّهُ دَاخِلٌ فِي الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى وَمِنَ الْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَمِنْ تَطَوُّعِ الْخَيْرِ وَفِعْلِ الْمَعْرُوفِ، فَقَدْ أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِذَلِكَ فِي مَوَاضِعَ مِنْ كِتَابِهِ. وَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُسْتَعْمَلَ النُّصْحُ فِي الْبَيْعِ وَالشِّرَاءِ وَفِي الصَّنْعَةِ، وَيَسْتَوِيَ عِلْمُهُمَا فِي الْمَبِيعِ وَالْمُشْتَرَى وَالْمَصْنُوعِ،
wa-hādhā kulluhu dākhilun fī al-birri wa-al-taqwā wamina al-ʿadli wa-al-ʾiḥsāni wamin taṭawwuʿi al-khayri wafiʿli al-maʿrūfi, faqad ʾamara Allāhu bi-dhālika fī mawāḍiʿa min kitābihi. wayanbaghī ʾan yustaʿmala al-nuṣḥu fī al-bayʿi wa-al-shirāʾi wafī al-ṣanʿati, wayastawiya ʿilmuhumā fī al-mabīʿi wa-al-mushtarā wa-al-maṣnūʿi,
All of this belongs to righteousness and piety, justice and excellence, voluntary goodness and acts of kindness. God has commanded it in passages throughout His Book. Sincere concern should govern selling, buying, and craftsmanship. The parties should possess equal knowledge of what is sold, bought, or made.
وَيُفَطِّنَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا صَاحِبَهُ بِعَيْبٍ إِنْ كَانَ فِي السِّلْعَةِ وَبِنَقْصٍ إِنْ كَانَ فِي الصَّنْعَةِ إِنْ لَمْ يَفْطَنْ الْمُشْتَرِي لِذَلِكَ وَالْمُسْتَعْمِلُ، لِيَتَكَافَأَ الْعِلْمَانِ وَيُثْنِيَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا عَلَى صَاحِبِهِ بِإِحْسَانٍ. وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: «الْبَيِّعَانِ إِذَا صَدَقَا وَنَصَحَا بُورِكَ لَهُمَا فِي بَيْعِهِمَا، وَإِذَا كَذَبَا وَكَتَمَا نُزِعَتِ الْبَرَكَةُ مِنْ بَيْعِهِمَا».
wayufaṭṭina kullu wāḥidin minhumā ṣāḥibahu biʿaybin ʾin kāna fī al-silʿati wabinaqṣin ʾin kāna fī al-ṣanʿati ʾin lam yafṭan al-mushtarī li-dhālika wa-al-mustaʿmilu, liyatakāfaʾa al-ʿilmāni wayuthniya kullu wāḥidin minhumā ʿalā ṣāḥibihi biʾiḥsānin. wafī al-khabari: «al-bayyiʿāni ʾidhā ṣadaqā wanaṣaḥā būrika lahumā fī bayʿihimā, waʾidhā kadhabā wakatamā nuziʿati al-barakatu min bayʿihimā».
Each should alert the other to a defect in the goods or a deficiency in the workmanship if the buyer or the person commissioning the work has not noticed it. Thus their knowledge will be equal, and each will praise the other's good conduct. A report says, “When the two parties to a sale are truthful and sincere, their sale is blessed for them; when they lie and conceal, the blessing is stripped from their sale.”
وَفِي حَدِيثٍ آخَرَ: «يَدُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الشَّرِيكَيْنِ مَا لَمْ يَتَخَاوَنَا، فَإِذَا تَخَاوَنَا رَفَعَ يَدَهُ عَنْهُمَا». وَلَمَّا بَايَعَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ جَرِيرًا عَلَى الْإِسْلَامِ ذَهَبَ لِيَنْصَرِفَ، جَذَبَ ثَوْبَهُ وَاشْتَرَطَ عَلَيْهِ النُّصْحَ لِكُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ.
wafī ḥadīthin ʾākhara: «yadu Allāhi ʿalā al-sharīkayni mā lam yatakhāwanā, faʾidhā takhāwanā rafaʿa yadahu ʿanhumā». walammā bāyaʿa al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama jarīran ʿalā al-ʾislāmi dhahaba liyanṣarifa, jadhaba thawbahu washtaraṭa ʿalayhi al-nuṣḥa likulli muslimin.
Another hadith says, “God's hand is over two partners as long as they do not betray each other. If they betray each other, He lifts His hand from them.” When the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, took Jarīr's pledge to Islam and Jarīr was about to leave, he pulled at his garment and stipulated that he show sincere concern for every Muslim.
قَالَ: فَكَانَ جَرِيرٌ إِذَا أَقَامَ السِّلْعَةَ لِيَبِيعَهَا بَصَّرَ عُيُوبَهَا ثُمَّ أَخْبَرَ، فَقَالَ: إِنْ شِئْتَ فَخُذْ وَإِنْ شِئْتَ فَاتْرُكْ. فَقُلْنَا لَهُ: رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ، إِنَّكَ إِذَا قُلْتَ هَذَا لَمْ يَنْفُذْ لَكَ بَيْعٌ. فَقَالَ: إِنَّمَا بَايَعْنَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَى النَّصِيحَةِ لِأَهْلِ الْإِسْلَامِ.
qāla: fakāna jarīrun ʾidhā ʾaqāma al-silʿata liyabīʿahā baṣṣara ʿuyūbahā thumma ʾakhbara, faqāla: ʾin shiʾta fakhudh waʾin shiʾta fatruk. faqulnā lahu: raḥimaka Allāhu, ʾinnaka ʾidhā qulta hādhā lam yanfudh laka bayʿun. faqāla: ʾinnamā bāyaʿnā rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʿalā al-naṣīḥati liʾahli al-ʾislāmi.
He said, “Whenever Jarīr put goods up for sale, he made their defects clear and explained them, then said, ‘Take them if you wish, or leave them if you wish.’ We told him, ‘May God have mercy on you. If you say that, you will never complete a sale.’ He replied, ‘We pledged ourselves to God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, to deal sincerely with the people of Islam.’”
وَكَانَ وَاثِلَةُ بْنُ الْأَسْقَعِ وَاقِفًا بِالنَّاسِ فِي الْكُوفَةِ، فَبَاعَ رَجُلٌ نَاقَةً بِثَلَاثِمِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ وَغَفَلَ وَاثِلَةُ، وَقَدْ ذَهَبَ الرَّجُلُ بِالنَّاقَةِ
wakāna wāthilatu bnu al-ʾasqaʿi wāqifan bi-al-nāsi fī al-kūfati, fabāʿa rajulun nāqatan bithalāthimiʾati dirhamin waghafala wāthilatu, waqad dhahaba al-rajulu bi-al-nāqati
Wāthila ibn al-Asqaʿ was standing among people in Kufa when a man sold a she-camel for three hundred dirhams. Wāthila had been inattentive, and the buyer had already gone away with the camel
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٤٥
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 445
Volume Two, page 445
فَسَعَى وَرَاءَهُ وَجَعَلَ يُصَوِّتُ بِهِ حَتَّى رَجَعَ، وَقَالَ: يَا هَذَا، أَلِلَّحْمِ اشْتَرَيْتَ هَذِهِ النَّاقَةَ أَمْ لِلظَّهْرِ؟ فَقَالَ: بَلْ لِلظَّهْرِ. فَقَالَ: فَإِنَّ بِحُقِّهَا نَقَبًا قَدْ رَأَيْتُهُ، وَإِنَّهَا لَا تُتَابِعُ السَّيْرَ عَلَيْهِ. قَالَ: فَرَدَّهَا، فَنَقَصَهُ الْبَائِعُ مِائَةَ دِرْهَمٍ.
fasaʿā warāʾahu wajaʿala yuṣawwitu bihi ḥattā rajaʿa, waqāla: yā hādhā, ʾalillaḥmi ishtarayta hādhihi al-nāqata ʾam li-l-ẓahri? faqāla: bal li-l-ẓahri. faqāla: faʾinna biḥuqqihā naqaban qad raʾaytuhu, waʾinnahā lā tutābiʿu al-sayra ʿalayhi. qāla: faraddahā, fanaqaṣahu al-bāʾiʿu miʾata dirhamin.
so he hurried after him, calling out until he returned. He asked, “My man, did you buy this camel for meat or for riding?” He answered, “For riding.” Wāthila said, “There is a sore in her joint that I have seen, and she cannot keep walking on it.” The man returned her, and the seller reduced the price by a hundred dirhams.
فَقَالَ لِوَاثِلَةَ: رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ، أَفْسَدْتَ عَلَيَّ بَيْعِي. فَقَالَ: إِنَّا بَايَعْنَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَا يَحِلُّ لِأَحَدٍ يَبِيعُ شَيْئًا إِلَّا يُبَيِّنُ مَا فِيهِ، وَلَا يَحِلُّ لِمَنْ يَعْلَمُ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا يُبَيِّنُهُ.
faqāla liwāthilata: raḥimaka Allāhu, ʾafsadta ʿalayya bayʿī. faqāla: ʾinnā bāyaʿnā rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: lā yaḥillu liʾaḥadin yabīʿu shayʾan ʾillā yubayyinu mā fīhi, walā yaḥillu liman yaʿlamu dhālika ʾillā yubayyinuhu.
The seller said to Wāthila, “May God have mercy on you! You have spoiled my sale.” He answered, “We pledged ourselves to God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace: no one may sell something without disclosing what is wrong with it, and anyone who knows of the fault must disclose it.”
فَانْظُرْ، رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ، إِلَى النُّصْحِ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ الَّذِي يَتَعَذَّرُ فِعْلُهُ عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ؛ إِنَّمَا جَعَلَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ شَرْطِ صِحَّةِ الْإِسْلَامِ وَكَانَ يُبَايِعُ عَلَيْهِ، إِلَّا إِنَّهُ جَعَلَهُ مِنْ فَضَائِلِ الدِّينِ، وَلَا نِهَايَةَ لِقُرْبِ الْمُتَّقِينَ،
fanẓur, raḥimaka Allāhu, ʾilā al-nuṣḥi li-l-muslimīna alladhī yataʿadhdharu fiʿluhu ʿalā kathīrin mina al-muslimīna; ʾinnamā jaʿalahu rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama min sharṭi ṣiḥḥati al-ʾislāmi wakāna yubāyiʿu ʿalayhi, ʾillā ʾinnahu jaʿalahu min faḍāʾili al-dīni, walā nihāyata liqurbi al-muttaqīna,
Consider, may God have mercy on you, this sincere concern for Muslims that so many Muslims find difficult to practice. God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, made it a condition of sound Islam and took people's pledge to uphold it. Yet he also made it one of religion's excellent qualities, and there is no limit to the nearness attained by the God-fearing,
لِأَنَّهُ قَالَ: «الدِّينُ النَّصِيحَةُ، الدِّينُ النَّصِيحَةُ»، ثَلَاثًا، ثُمَّ سَوَّى بَيْنَ طَبَقَاتِ النَّاسِ فِيهِ فَقَالَ: «لِلَّهِ وَلِكِتَابِهِ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَلِأَئِمَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَلِعَامَّتِهِمْ». وَقَدْ رُوِيَ فِي خَبَرٍ مَشْهُورٍ: «لَا تَزَالُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ تَدْفَعُ عَنِ الْخَلْقِ سَخَطَ اللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُؤْثِرُوا صَفْقَةَ دُنْيَاهُمْ عَلَى آخِرَتِهِمْ».
liʾannahu qāla: «al-dīnu al-naṣīḥatu, al-dīnu al-naṣīḥatu», thalāthan, thumma sawwā bayna ṭabaqāti al-nāsi fīhi faqāla: «li-llāhi walikitābihi walirasūlihi waliʾaʾimmati al-muslimīna waliʿāmmatihim». waqad ruwiya fī khabarin mashhūrin: «lā tazālu lā ʾilāha ʾillā Allāhu tadfaʿu ʿani al-khalqi sakhaṭa Allāhi mā lam yuʾthirū ṣafqata dunyāhum ʿalā ʾākhiratihim».
for he said, “Religion is sincere concern, religion is sincere concern,” three times. He then gave the different ranks of people equal standing in it, saying, “Toward God, His Book, His Messenger, the leaders of the Muslims, and their common people.” A well-known report says, “The declaration ‘There is no god but God’ continues to ward off God's anger from creatures as long as they do not prefer their worldly bargain to their hereafter.”
وَفِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ: «مَا لَمْ يُبَالُوا مَا نَقَصَ مِنْ دُنْيَاهُمْ بِسَلَامَةِ دِينِهِمْ، فَإِذَا فَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ وَقَالُوا: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، قَالَ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ: كَذَبْتُمْ لَسْتُمْ بِهَا صَادِقِينَ». وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ: «رُدَّتْ إِلَيْهِمْ».
wafī khabarin ʾākhara: «mā lam yubālū mā naqaṣa min dunyāhum bisalāmati dīnihim, faʾidhā faʿalū dhālika waqālū: lā ʾilāha ʾillā Allāhu, qāla Allāhu subḥānahu: kadhabtum lastum bihā ṣādiqīna». wafī lafẓin ʾākhara: «ruddat ʾilayhim».
Another report says, “As long as they do not care what they lose of their worldly life, provided their religion remains safe. When they do that and say, ‘There is no god but God,’ God, glorified is He, says, ‘You have lied; you are not truthful in saying it.’” Another wording says, “It is returned to them.”
فِي خَبَرٍ كَأَنَّهُ مُفَسِّرٌ لِحَدِيثٍ مُجْمَلٍ: «مَنْ قَالَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ مُخْلِصًا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ». قِيلَ: وَمَا إِخْلَاصُهَا؟ قَالَ: «أَنْ تَحْرُزَهُ عَمَّا يُحَرِّمُ اللَّهُ». وَخَبَرٌ مَشْهُورٌ: «مَا آمَنَ بِالْقُرْآنِ مَنِ اسْتَحَلَّ مَحَارِمَهُ».
fī khabarin kaʾannahu mufassirun liḥadīthin mujmalin: «man qāla lā ʾilāha ʾillā Allāhu mukhliṣan dakhala al-jannata». qīla: wamā ʾikhlāṣuhā? qāla: «ʾan taḥruzahu ʿammā yuḥarrimu Allāhu». wakhabarun mashhūrun: «mā ʾāmana bi-al-qurʾāni mani istaḥalla maḥārimahu».
A report seems to explain the concise hadith, “Whoever sincerely says, ‘There is no god but God,’ will enter Paradise.” He was asked, “What makes saying it sincere?” He answered, “That it protects him from what God forbids.” Another well-known report says, “Someone who considers the Qurʾān's prohibitions lawful has not believed in it.”
وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ بَعْضِ التَّابِعِينَ: لَوْ دَخَلْتُ هَذَا الْجَامِعَ وَهُوَ غَاصٌّ بِأَهْلِهِ فَقِيلَ لَهُ: مَنْ خَيْرُ هَؤُلَاءِ؟ لَقُلْتُ: أَنْصَحُهُمْ لَهُمْ. فَإِذَا قَالُوا هَذَا قُلْتُ: هُوَ خَيْرُهُمْ. وَلَوْ قَالُوا لِي: مَنْ شَرُّهُمْ؟ قُلْتُ: أَغَشُّهُمْ لَهُمْ. فَإِذَا قَالُوا هَذَا قُلْتُ: هُوَ شَرُّهُمْ.
waqad rawaynā ʿan baʿḍi al-tābiʿīna: law dakhaltu hādhā al-jāmiʿa wahuwa ghāṣṣun biʾahlihi faqīla lahu: man khayru hāʾulāʾi? laqultu: ʾanṣaḥuhum lahum. faʾidhā qālū hādhā qultu: huwa khayruhum. walaw qālū lī: man sharruhum? qultu: ʾaghashshuhum lahum. faʾidhā qālū hādhā qultu: huwa sharruhum.
We have related from one of the Successors, “If I entered this congregational mosque when it was packed, and he were asked, ‘Who is the best of these people?’ I would say, ‘The one most sincerely concerned for them.’ If they said, ‘This one,’ I would say, ‘He is the best of them.’ If they asked me, ‘Who is the worst of them?’ I would say, ‘The one who cheats them most.’ If they said, ‘This one,’ I would say, ‘He is the worst of them.’”
وَالْغِشُّ فِي الْبُيُوعِ وَالصَّنَائِعِ مُحَرَّمٌ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَمَنْ كَثُرَ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ فَهُوَ فَاسِقٌ.
wa-al-ghishshu fī al-buyūʿi wa-al-ṣanāʾiʿi muḥarramun ʿalā al-muslimīna, waman kathura dhālika minhu fahuwa fāsiqun.
Deception in sales and crafts is forbidden to Muslims; anyone who repeatedly practices it is flagrantly sinful.
وَمِنَ الْغِشِّ أَنْ يَنْشُرَ عَلَى الْمُشْتَرِي أَجْوَدَ الطَّرَفَيْنِ مِنَ الْمَبِيعِ، أَوْ يُظْهِرَ مِنَ الْمَبِيعِ أَجْوَدَ الثَّوْبَيْنِ، أَوْ يَكْشِفَ مِنَ الصَّنْعَةِ أَحْسَنَ الْوَجْهَيْنِ. رُوِيَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَرَّ بِرَجُلٍ يَبِيعُ طَعَامًا فَأَعْجَبَهُ ظَاهِرُهُ، فَأَدْخَلَ يَدَهُ فَرَأَى بَلَلًا فَقَالَ: «مَا هَذَا؟»
wamina al-ghishshi ʾan yanshura ʿalā al-mushtarī ʾajwada al-ṭarafayni mina al-mabīʿi, ʾaw yuẓhira mina al-mabīʿi ʾajwada al-thawbayni, ʾaw yakshifa mina al-ṣanʿati ʾaḥsana al-wajhayni. ruwiya ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama marra birajulin yabīʿu ṭaʿāman faʾaʿjabahu ẓāhiruhu, faʾadkhala yadahu faraʾā balalan faqāla: «mā hādhā?»
Deception includes unfolding only the better end of the goods before a buyer, showing the better of two garments being sold, or exposing the better face of a piece of workmanship. It is related that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, passed a man selling food. Its appearance pleased him, but he put his hand into it and found moisture. He asked, “What is this?”
فَقَالَ: أَصَابَتْهُ السَّمَاءُ. فَقَالَ: «هَلَّا جَعَلْتَهُ فَوْقَ الطَّعَامِ حَتَّى يَرَاهُ النَّاسُ؟ مَنْ غَشَّ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي». وَفِي حَدِيثِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي رَبِيعَةَ: أَنَّهُ مَرَّ عَلَى طَعَامٍ مُصَيَّرٍ فَارْتَابَ مِنْهُ فَأَدْخَلَ يَدَهُ فَإِذَا طَعَامٌ مَمْطُورٌ، فَقَالَ: «مَا هَذَا؟»
faqāla: ʾaṣābathu al-samāʾu. faqāla: «hallā jaʿaltahu fawqa al-ṭaʿāmi ḥattā yarāhu al-nāsu? man ghashsha falaysa minnī». wafī ḥadīthi ʿabdi Allāhi bni ʾabī rabīʿata: ʾannahu marra ʿalā ṭaʿāmin muṣayyarin fartāba minhu faʾadkhala yadahu faʾidhā ṭaʿāmun mamṭūrun, faqāla: «mā hādhā?»
The man said, “Rain fell on it.” He answered, “Why did you not put it on top of the food so people could see it? Whoever cheats is not of me.” In the account of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Rabīʿa, he passed food set out in a heap and became suspicious. He put his hand in, and there was rain-soaked food. He asked, “What is this?”
فَقَالَ: هَذَا وَاللَّهِ طَعَامٌ وَاحِدٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ. فَقَالَ: «هَلَّا جَعَلْتَ هَذَا وَحْدَهُ حَتَّى يَأْتُوكَ فَيَشْتَرُونَ شَيْئًا يَعْرِفُونَهُ؟ مَنْ غَشَّنَا فَلَيْسَ مِنَّا». وَحَدَّثَنِي بَعْضُ إِخْوَانِنَا أَنَّ رَجُلًا حَذَّاءً سَأَلَ: فَكَيْفَ أَسْلَمُ فِي بَيْعِ النِّعَالِ؟
faqāla: hādhā wa-Allāhi ṭaʿāmun wāḥidun yā rasūla Allāhi. faqāla: «hallā jaʿalta hādhā waḥdahu ḥattā yaʾtūka fayashtarūna shayʾan yaʿrifūnahu? man ghashshanā falaysa minnā». waḥaddathanī baʿḍu ʾikhwāninā ʾanna rajulan ḥadhdhāʾan saʾala: fakayfa ʾaslamu fī bayʿi al-niʿāli?
The man said, “By God, it is all the same food, Messenger of God.” He answered, “Why did you not set this apart so that people could come and buy something whose condition they knew? Whoever cheats us is not of us.” One of our brothers told me that a shoemaker asked, “How can I keep myself blameless when selling sandals?”
فَقَالَ: اسْتَجِدَّ الْأَوَّلَ وَلْيَكُونُوا سَوَاءً، وَاجْعَلِ الْوَجْهَيْنِ شَيْئًا وَاحِدًا، لَا يَفْضُلِ الْيَمِينُ، وَجَوِّدِ الْحَشْوَ وَقَارِبْ بَيْنَ الْخَرْزِ، وَلَا تُطْبِقْ أَحَدَ النَّعْلَيْنِ عَلَى الْأُخْرَى. فَيَنْبَغِي لِلْبَائِعِ وَالصَّانِعِ أَنْ يُظْهِرَا مِنَ الْبَيْعِ وَالْمَصْنُوعِ أَرْدَأَ مَا فِيهِ وَأَرْذَلَهُ، لِيَقِفَ الْمُشْتَرِي وَالصَّانِعُ عَلَى عُيُوبِهِ وَيَكُونَا عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ مِنْ بَاطِنِهِ.
faqāla: istajidda al-ʾawwala walyakūnū sawāʾan, wajʿali al-wajhayni shayʾan wāḥidan, lā yafḍuli al-yamīnu, wajawwidi al-ḥashwa waqārib bayna al-kharzi, walā tuṭbiq ʾaḥada al-naʿlayni ʿalā al-ʾukhrā. fayanbaghī li-l-bāʾiʿi wa-al-ṣāniʿi ʾan yuẓhirā mina al-bayʿi wa-al-maṣnūʿi ʾardaʾa mā fīhi waʾardhalahu, liyaqifa al-mushtarī wa-al-ṣāniʿu ʿalā ʿuyūbihi wayakūnā ʿalā baṣīratin min bāṭinihi.
He answered, “Make the first part sound, let them be equal, and make the two faces alike. The right one must not be better. Make the filling sound, place the stitches close together, and do not lay one sandal over the other.” The seller and craftsman should display the worst and poorest parts of the goods or manufactured article, so that the buyer and craftsman know its faults and understand its inner condition.
وَبَاعَ ابْنُ سِيرِينَ شَاةً لَهُ فَقَالَ لِلْمُشْتَرِي: أَبْرَأُ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ عَيْبٍ فِيهَا. قَالَ: وَمَا هُوَ؟ قَالَ: تُقَلِّبُ الْعَلَفَ بِرِجْلِهَا. وَبَاعَ
wabāʿa ibnu sīrīna shātan lahu faqāla li-l-mushtarī: ʾabraʾu ʾilayka min ʿaybin fīhā. qāla: wamā huwa? qāla: tuqallibu al-ʿalafa birijlihā. wabāʿa
Ibn Sīrīn sold a sheep and told the buyer, “I disclose a fault in it so that I bear no responsibility for it.” He asked, “What is it?” He answered, “It turns its fodder over with its foot.” And
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٤٦
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 446
Volume Two, page 446
الْحَسَنُ بْنُ صَالِحٍ جَارِيَةً فَقَالَ لِلْمُشْتَرِي: إِنَّهَا قَدْ تَنَخَّمَتْ مَرَّةً عِنْدَنَا دَمًا. وَيُبَيِّنُ دَقَائِقَ الْإِعْلَامِ وَالْبَيَانِ فِي ذَلِكَ مِمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُهُ الْمُشْتَرِي أَوِ الْمُسْتَعْمِلُ، فَهُوَ مِنَ النُّصْحِ وَالصِّدْقِ. وَذَلِكَ يَكُونُ عَنِ التَّقْوَى وَالْوَرَعِ فِي الْبِيَاعَاتِ وَالْإِجَارَاتِ، وَيَكُونُ الْكَسْبُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ أَحَلَّ وَأَطْيَبَ.
al-ḥasanu bnu ṣāliḥin jāriyatan faqāla li-l-mushtarī: ʾinnahā qad tanakhkhamat marratan ʿindanā daman. wayubayyinu daqāʾiqa al-ʾiʿlāmi wa-al-bayāni fī dhālika mimmā lā yaʿlamuhu al-mushtarī ʾawi al-mustaʿmilu, fahuwa mina al-nuṣḥi wa-al-ṣidqi. wa-dhālika yakūnu ʿani al-taqwā wa-al-waraʿi fī al-biyāʿāti wa-al-ʾijārāti, wayakūnu al-kasbu ʿan dhālika ʾaḥalla waʾaṭyaba.
al-Ḥasan ibn Ṣāliḥ sold an enslaved woman and told the buyer, “Once, while with us, she coughed up blood.” One should disclose and explain the fine details of such matters that the buyer or commissioner does not know. This belongs to sincere concern and truthfulness, arising from piety and scrupulousness in sales and hiring, and it makes the resulting earnings more lawful and wholesome.
فَلْيَجْتَنِبِ الْمُسْلِمُ مُحَرَّمَ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ وَكُلَّ مَكْرُوهٍ، فَهَذِهِ سِيرَةُ السَّلَفِ وَطَرِيقَةُ صَالِحِي الْخَلَفِ. وَأَسْتَحِبُّ لَهُ أَنْ يَتَوَخَّى فِي الشِّرَاءِ وَالْبَيْعِ وَيَتَحَرَّى أَهْلَ التَّقْوَى وَالدِّينِ، وَيَسْأَلَ عَمَّنْ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُبَايِعَهُ وَيُشَارِيَهُ، وَأَكْرَهُ لَهُ مُعَامَلَةَ مَنْ لَا يَرْغَبُ عَنِ الْحَرَامِ أَوْ مَنِ الْغَالِبُ عَلَى مَالِهِ الشُّبُهَاتُ.
falyajtanibi al-muslimu muḥarrama dhālika kullihi wakulla makrūhin, fa-hādhihi sīratu al-salafi waṭarīqatu ṣāliḥī al-khalafi. waʾastaḥibbu lahu ʾan yatawakhkhā fī al-shirāʾi wa-al-bayʿi wayataḥarrā ʾahla al-taqwā wa-al-dīni, wayasʾala ʿamman yurīdu ʾan yubāyiʿahu wayushāriyahu, waʾakrahu lahu muʿāmalata man lā yarghabu ʿani al-ḥarāmi ʾaw mani al-ghālibu ʿalā mālihi al-shubuhātu.
Let the Muslim avoid everything forbidden in these dealings, and every objectionable practice. This is the conduct of the early generations and the path of their righteous successors. I prefer that he choose carefully in buying and selling, seek out people of piety and religion, and inquire about anyone with whom he intends to trade. I disapprove of his dealing with someone who does not shun the unlawful or whose wealth is predominantly doubtful.
وَحُدِّثْتُ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ شَيْبَةَ ابْنِ أُخْتِ ابْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ قَالَ: كَتَبَ غُلَامُ ابْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ إِلَيْهِ: إِنَّا نُبَايِعُ أَقْوَامًا يُبَايِعُونَ السُّلْطَانَ. فَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ: إِذَا كَانَ الرَّجُلُ يُبَايِعُ السُّلْطَانَ وَغَيْرَهُ فَبَايِعْهُ، وَإِذَا قَضَاكَ شَيْئًا فَاقْبِضْ مِنْهُ إِلَّا أَنْ يَقْضِيَكَ شَيْئًا تَعْرِفُهُ بِعَيْنِهِ حَرَامًا فَلَا تَأْخُذْهُ، وَإِذَا كَانَ لَا يُبَايِعُ إِلَّا السُّلْطَانَ فَلَا تُبَايِعْهُ.
waḥuddithtu ʿan muḥammadi bni shaybata ibni ʾukhti ibni al-mubāraki qāla: kataba ghulāmu ibni al-mubāraki ʾilayhi: ʾinnā nubāyiʿu ʾaqwāman yubāyiʿūna al-sulṭāna. fakataba ʾilayhi ibnu al-mubāraki: ʾidhā kāna al-rajulu yubāyiʿu al-sulṭāna waghayrahu fabāyiʿhu, waʾidhā qaḍāka shayʾan faqbiḍ minhu ʾillā ʾan yaqḍiyaka shayʾan taʿrifuhu biʿaynihi ḥarāman falā taʾkhudhhu, waʾidhā kāna lā yubāyiʿu ʾillā al-sulṭāna falā tubāyiʿhu.
I was told on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Shayba, the son of Ibn al-Mubārak's sister, “Ibn al-Mubārak's servant wrote to him, ‘We trade with people who trade with the ruler.’ Ibn al-Mubārak replied, ‘If a man trades with the ruler and with others, trade with him. Accept what he pays you unless you know that the particular thing he gives you is unlawful; then do not take it. If he trades only with the ruler, do not trade with him.’”
وَحُدِّثْنَا عَنْ بَعْضِ الشُّيُوخِ عَنْ شَيْخٍ لَهُ مِنَ الْخَلَفِ الصَّالِحِ قَالَ: قَالَ: أَتَى عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ كَانَ الرَّجُلُ يَأْتِي إِلَى مَشْيَخَةِ الْأَسْوَاقِ فَيَقُولُ: مَنْ تَرَوْنَ لِي أَنْ أُعَامِلَ مِنَ النَّاسِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الصِّدْقِ وَالْوَفَاءِ؟ فَيُقَالُ لَهُ: عَامِلْ مَنْ شِئْتَ.
waḥuddithnā ʿan baʿḍi al-shuyūkhi ʿan shaykhin lahu mina al-khalafi al-ṣāliḥi qāla: qāla: ʾatā ʿalā al-nāsi zamānun kāna al-rajulu yaʾtī ʾilā mashyakhati al-ʾaswāqi fayaqūlu: man tarawna lī ʾan ʾuʿāmila mina al-nāsi min ʾahli al-ṣidqi wa-al-wafāʾi? fayuqālu lahu: ʿāmil man shiʾta.
We were told by one of the shaykhs, on the authority of his own teacher among the righteous successors, that he said: “He said, ‘There was a time when a man would approach the elders of the markets and ask, “Whom do you recommend I deal with among truthful and trustworthy people?” He would be told, “Deal with anyone you wish.”
ثُمَّ أَتَى عَلَيْهِمْ وَقْتٌ آخَرُ فَكَانَ الرَّجُلُ يَقُولُ: تَرَوْنَ لِي أَنْ أُعَامِلَ مِنَ النَّاسِ؟ فَيُقَالُ: عَامِلْ مَنْ شِئْتَ إِلَّا فُلَانًا وَفُلَانًا. قَالَ: وَنَحْنُ فِي زَمَنٍ إِذَا قِيلَ لَنَا: مَنْ نُعَامِلُ مِنَ النَّاسِ؟ فَيُقَالُ: عَامِلْ فُلَانَ بْنَ فُلَانٍ، وَأَخْشَى أَنْ يَأْتِيَ عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ يَذْهَبُ فُلَانُ بْنُ فُلَانٍ أَيْضًا.
thumma ʾatā ʿalayhim waqtun ʾākharu fakāna al-rajulu yaqūlu: tarawna lī ʾan ʾuʿāmila mina al-nāsi? fayuqālu: ʿāmil man shiʾta ʾillā fulānan wafulānan. qāla: wanaḥnu fī zamanin ʾidhā qīla lanā: man nuʿāmilu mina al-nāsi? fayuqālu: ʿāmil fulāna bna fulānin, waʾakhshā ʾan yaʾtiya ʿalā al-nāsi zamānun yadhhabu fulānu bnu fulānin ʾayḍan.
Then another time came, when a man would ask, “Whom do you recommend I deal with?” He would be told, “Anyone you wish except so-and-so and so-and-so.” Now we live in a time when, if we are asked, “Whom should we deal with?” the answer is, “Deal with so-and-so, son of so-and-so.” I fear a time will come when that so-and-so, son of so-and-so, is gone as well.’”
وَلَا يَحْلِفُ وَلَا يَكْذِبُ وَلَا يُخْلِفُ مَوْعِدًا، فَإِنَّ الْيَمِينَ الْكَاذِبَةَ مَمْحَقَةٌ لِلْكَسْبِ. وَقَدْ قِيلَ: وَيْلٌ لِلتَّاجِرِ مَنْ يَقُولُ: لَا وَاللَّهِ، وَبَلَى وَاللَّهِ، وَوَيْلٌ لِلصَّانِعِ مِنَ الْيَوْمِ وَغَدٍ وَبَعْدَ غَدٍ. أَبُو عَمْرٍو الشَّيْبَانِيُّ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «ثَلَاثَةٌ لَا يَنْظُرُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ: عَبْدٌ مُتَكَبِّرٌ وَمَنَّانٌ بِعَطِيَّتِهِ وَمُنْفِقٌ سِلْعَتَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ».
walā yaḥlifu walā yakdhibu walā yukhlifu mawʿidan, faʾinna al-yamīna al-kādhibata mamḥaqatun li-l-kasbi. waqad qīla: waylun li-l-tājiri man yaqūlu: lā wa-Allāhi, wabalā wa-Allāhi, wawaylun li-l-ṣāniʿi mina al-yawmi waghadin wabaʿda ghadin. ʾabū ʿamrin al-shaybāniyyu ʿan ʾabī hurayrata qāla: qāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «thalāthatun lā yanẓuru Allāhu ʾilayhim yawma al-qiyāmati: ʿabdun mutakabbirun wamannānun biʿaṭiyyatihi wamunfiqun silʿatahu biyamīnihi».
He should not swear, lie, or break an appointment, for a false oath destroys the blessing of earnings. It has been said, “Woe to the merchant who says, ‘No, by God,’ and ‘Yes, by God’; and woe to the craftsman for ‘today,’ ‘tomorrow,’ and ‘the day after tomorrow.’” Abū ʿAmr al-Shaybānī related from Abū Hurayra that God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Three will not receive God's regard on the Day of Resurrection: an arrogant slave, someone who reproaches others for his gifts, and someone who promotes his goods with his oath.”
وَلَا يَمْدَحُ إِذَا بَاعَ أَوْ صَنَعَ صَنْعَةً، وَلَا يَذُمُّ إِذَا اشْتَرَى أَوِ اسْتَعْمَلَ صَانِعًا، فَإِنَّ هَذَا لَا يَزِيدُ فِي رِزْقِهِ وَلَا يَنْقُصُ مِنْهُ تَرْكُهُ. وَهَذَا مِنَ الْيَقِينِ فِي الرِّزْقِ فِي هَذَا الْبَابِ، وَفِعْلُهُ يَزِيدُ فِي الذُّنُوبِ فَيَنْقُصُ مِنَ الدِّينِ.
walā yamdaḥu ʾidhā bāʿa ʾaw ṣanaʿa ṣanʿatan, walā yadhummu ʾidhā ishtarā ʾawi istaʿmala ṣāniʿan, faʾinna hādhā lā yazīdu fī rizqihi walā yanquṣu minhu tarkuhu. wa-hādhā mina al-yaqīni fī al-rizqi fī hādhā al-bābi, wafiʿluhu yazīdu fī al-dhunūbi fayanquṣu mina al-dīni.
He should not praise his goods when selling or his work when making something, nor disparage goods when buying or work when employing a craftsman. Doing so adds nothing to his provision, and refraining from it takes nothing away. This is the certainty about provision relevant here. Such conduct only increases sins and diminishes religion.
وَعَلَى الصَّانِعِ أَنْ يَبْلُغَ غَايَةَ النُّصْحِ فِي صَنْعَتِهِ لِمُسْتَعْمِلِهِ، لِأَنَّهُ أَعْرَفُ بِصَلَاحِ صَنْعَتِهِ وَفَسَادِهَا وَبِسُرْعَةِ فَنَاءِ الصَّنْعَةِ وَكَثْرَةِ بَقَائِهَا. فَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُتْقِنَ نِهَايَةَ عِلْمِ الصَّانِعِ بِصَلَاحِ الصَّنْعَةِ وَحُسْنِ بَقَائِهَا مَعَ نِهَايَةِ بُغْيَةِ مُسْتَعْمِلِهِ مِنْ تَجْوِيدِهَا وَإِحْكَامِهَا، وَيَتَّقِي مِنْ فَسَادٍ يُسْرِعُ إِلَى فَنَائِهَا مَا لَا يَفْطَنُ لَهُ مُسْتَعْمِلُهُ.
waʿalā al-ṣāniʿi ʾan yablugha ghāyata al-nuṣḥi fī ṣanʿatihi limustaʿmilihi, liʾannahu ʾaʿrafu biṣalāḥi ṣanʿatihi wafasādihā wabisurʿati fanāʾi al-ṣanʿati wakathrati baqāʾihā. fayanbaghī ʾan yutqina nihāyata ʿilmi al-ṣāniʿi biṣalāḥi al-ṣanʿati waḥusni baqāʾihā maʿa nihāyati bughyati mustaʿmilihi min tajwīdihā waʾiḥkāmihā, wayattaqī min fasādin yusriʿu ʾilā fanāʾihā mā lā yafṭanu lahu mustaʿmiluhu.
The craftsman must show the fullest sincere concern in his work for the person who employs him. He knows better what makes his work sound or defective, what makes it perish quickly or last a long time. He should bring to bear the full extent of his knowledge of sound, durable workmanship, together with the employer's utmost wish for quality and solidity. He must guard against defects that hasten its deterioration and that the employer would not notice.
فَإِذَا فَعَلَ الصَّانِعُ وَالتَّاجِرُ ذَلِكَ كَانَا قَدْ عَمِلَا بِعِلْمِهِمَا وَسَلِمَا مِنَ الْمُطَالَبَةِ وَالْمُسَاءَلَةِ عَنْهُ، وَإِلَّا فَهُمَا يُسْأَلَانِ فَيُقَالُ لَهُمَا: مَاذَا عَمِلْتُمْ فِيمَا عَلِمْتُمْ؟ إِذْ كَانُوا عَلَى عِلْمٍ مِنَ التِّجَارَةِ وَالصِّنَاعَةِ، وَبِهَذِهِ الْأَشْيَاءِ عِمَارَةُ الْمَمْلَكَةِ، فَلَا بُدَّ أَنْ يُسْأَلَا عَنْ ذَلِكَ كَمَا يُسْأَلُ مَنْ كَانَ عَلَى عِلْمٍ مِنَ الدِّينِ وَالْإِيمَانِ، لِأَنَّ لَهُمْ فِي عُلُومِ الْعَقْلِ وَالتَّمْيِيزِ مِنْ أَبْوَابِ الدُّنْيَا
faʾidhā faʿala al-ṣāniʿu wa-al-tājiru dhālika kānā qad ʿamilā biʿilmihimā wasalimā mina al-muṭālabati wa-al-musāʾalati ʿanhu, waʾillā fahumā yusʾalāni fayuqālu lahumā: mādhā ʿamiltum fīmā ʿalimtum? ʾidh kānū ʿalā ʿilmin mina al-tijārati wa-al-ṣināʿati, wabi-hādhihi al-ʾashyāʾi ʿimāratu al-mamlakati, falā budda ʾan yusʾalā ʿan dhālika kamā yusʾalu man kāna ʿalā ʿilmin mina al-dīni wa-al-ʾīmāni, liʾanna lahum fī ʿulūmi al-ʿaqli wa-al-tamyīzi min ʾabwābi al-dunyā
When the craftsman and merchant do this, they have acted on their knowledge and are safe from claims and questioning concerning it. Otherwise, they will be asked, “What did you do with what you knew?” They possessed knowledge of trade and craftsmanship, and such things sustain the realm. They must therefore be questioned, just as someone knowledgeable about religion and faith is questioned, for in the rational and discriminating knowledge belonging to worldly affairs they have
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٤٧
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 447
Volume Two, page 447
أَحْوَالًا أَيْضًا وَمَقَامَاتٍ، مِنْ حَيْثُ كَانَ عَلَيْهِمْ فِي ذَلِكَ تَكْلِيفٌ وَعِبَادَاتٌ. وَيُقَالُ: إِذَا أَثْنَى عَلَى الرَّجُلِ جِيرَانُهُ فِي الْحَضَرِ وَأَصْحَابُهُ فِي السَّفَرِ وَمُعَامِلُوهُ فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ فَلَا تَشُكُّوا فِي صَلَاحِهِ.
ʾaḥwālan ʾayḍan wamaqāmātin, min ḥaythu kāna ʿalayhim fī dhālika taklīfun waʿibādātun. wayuqālu: ʾidhā ʾathnā ʿalā al-rajuli jīrānuhu fī al-ḥaḍari waʾaṣḥābuhu fī al-safari wamuʿāmilūhu fī al-ʾaswāqi falā tashukkū fī ṣalāḥihi.
states and stations as well, since obligations and acts of worship are incumbent on them in these matters. It is said, “If a man's neighbors at home, companions on journeys, and business partners in the markets praise him, do not doubt his righteousness.”
وَشَهِدَ رَجُلٌ عِنْدَ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ بِشَهَادَةٍ فَقَالَ: ائْتِنِي بِمَنْ يَعْرِفُكَ. فَأَتَاهُ رَجُلٌ فَأَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ خَيْرًا. فَقَالَ لَهُ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: أَنْتَ جَارُهُ الْأَدْنَى الَّذِي تَعْرِفُ مَدْخَلَهُ وَمَخْرَجَهُ؟ قَالَ: لَا. قَالَ: فَكُنْتَ رَفِيقَهُ فِي السَّفَرِ الَّذِي يُسْتَدَلُّ بِهِ عَلَى مَكَارِمِ الْأَخْلَاقِ؟ قَالَ: لَا.
washahida rajulun ʿinda ʿumara bni al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu bishahādatin faqāla: iʾtinī biman yaʿrifuka. faʾatāhu rajulun faʾathnā ʿalayhi khayran. faqāla lahu ʿumaru raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu: ʾanta jāruhu al-ʾadnā alladhī taʿrifu madkhalahu wamakhrajahu? qāla: lā. qāla: fakunta rafīqahu fī al-safari alladhī yustadallu bihi ʿalā makārimi al-ʾakhlāqi? qāla: lā.
A man gave testimony before ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, may God be pleased with him, who said, “Bring me someone who knows you.” He brought a man who spoke well of him. ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him, asked, “Are you his close neighbor, acquainted with his comings and goings?” “No.” “Have you accompanied him on a journey, which reveals noble qualities of character?” “No.”
قَالَ: فَعَامَلْتَهُ بِالدِّينَارِ وَالدِّرْهَمِ الَّذِي يَتَبَيَّنُ بِهِ وَرَعُ الرَّجُلِ؟ قَالَ: لَا. قَالَ: أَظُنُّكَ رَأَيْتَهُ قَائِمًا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ يُصَلِّي يَخْفِضُ رَأْسَهُ طَوْرًا وَيَرْفَعُهُ، لَهُ زَمْرَةٌ بِالْقُرْآنِ. قَالَ: نَعَمْ. قَالَ: اِذْهَبْ فَلَسْتَ تَعْرِفُهُ. فَقَالَ مَرَّةً: أَنْتَ الْقَائِلُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُ. ثُمَّ قَالَ لِلرَّجُلِ: اِذْهَبْ فَائْتِنِي بِمَنْ يَعْرِفُكَ.
qāla: faʿāmaltahu bi-al-dīnāri wa-al-dirhami alladhī yatabayyanu bihi waraʿu al-rajuli? qāla: lā. qāla: ʾaẓunnuka raʾaytahu qāʾiman fī al-masjidi yuṣallī yakhfiḍu raʾsahu ṭawran wayarfaʿuhu, lahu zamratun bi-al-qurʾāni. qāla: naʿam. qāla: idhhab falasta taʿrifuhu. faqāla marratan: ʾanta al-qāʾilu mā lā taʿlamu. thumma qāla li-l-rajuli: idhhab faʾtinī biman yaʿrifuka.
“Have you dealt with him in dinars and dirhams, which reveals a man's scrupulousness?” “No.” He said, “I suppose you have seen him standing in the mosque, praying, now lowering his head and now raising it, with a chant of the Qurʾān.” “Yes.” “Go away; you do not know him.” On one occasion he said, “You are someone who says what he does not know.” He then told the witness, “Go and bring me someone who knows you.”
وَقَدْ كَانَ مِنْ سِيرَةِ السُّوقَةِ فِيمَا سَلَفَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ لِلْبَائِعِ دَفْتَرَانِ لِلْحِسَابِ، أَحَدُهُمَا تَرْجَمَتُهُ: مَجْهُولٌ، فِيهِ أَسْمَاءُ مَنْ لَا يَعْرِفُهُ مِنَ الْفُقَرَاءِ الضُّعَفَاءِ. وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ الْمِسْكِينَ وَالضَّعِيفَ كَانَ يَرَى الْمَأْكُولَ فَيَشْتَهِيهِ أَوْ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ وَلَا يُمْكِنُهُ أَنْ يَشْتَرِيَهُ،
waqad kāna min sīrati al-sūqati fīmā salafa ʾannahu kāna li-l-bāʾiʿi daftarāni li-l-ḥisābi, ʾaḥaduhumā tarjamatuhu: majhūlun, fīhi ʾasmāʾu man lā yaʿrifuhu mina al-fuqarāʾi al-ḍuʿafāʾi. wa-dhālika ʾanna al-miskīna wa-al-ḍaʿīfa kāna yarā al-maʾkūla fayashtahīhi ʾaw yaḥtāju ʾilayhi walā yumkinuhu ʾan yashtariyahu,
Among the practices of earlier market traders was for a seller to keep two account books. One was headed “Unknown,” containing the names of poor, vulnerable people he did not know. A needy or vulnerable person might see food, desire or need it, and be unable to buy it.
فَيَقُولُ لِلْبَائِعِ: أَحْتَاجُ إِلَى خَمْسَةِ أَرْطَالٍ مِنْ هَذَا أَوْ عَشَرَةٍ وَلَيْسَ عِنْدِي ثَمَنُهُ. فَيَقُولُ: خُذْ إِلَى مَيْسَرَةٍ، فَإِذَا رُزِقْتَ فَاقْضِ، وَيَكْتُبُ اسْمَهُ فِي الدَّفْتَرِ الْمَجْهُولِ. قَالَ: وَلَمْ يَكُنْ مَنْ يَفْعَلُ هَذَا مِنْ خِيَارِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ،
fayaqūlu li-l-bāʾiʿi: ʾaḥtāju ʾilā khamsati ʾarṭālin min hādhā ʾaw ʿasharatin walaysa ʿindī thamanuhu. fayaqūlu: khudh ʾilā maysaratin, faʾidhā ruziqta faqḍi, wayaktubu ismahu fī al-daftari al-majhūli. qāla: walam yakun man yafʿalu hādhā min khiyāri al-muslimīna,
He would tell the seller, “I need five or ten raṭls of this, but I do not have the price.” The seller would say, “Take it until you have the means. When provision comes to you, repay me,” and enter his name in the “Unknown” account book. He said, “Those who did this were not even the finest Muslims.
بَلْ كَانَ الْخَيِّرُ مِنَ الْبَاعَةِ مَنْ لَا يَكْتُبُ اسْمَهُ فِي دَفْتَرِهِ وَلَا يَجْعَلُهُ دَيْنًا حَتْمًا عَلَيْهِ وَلَا مَظْلِمَةً عِنْدَهُ، وَلَكِنْ يَقُولُ: خُذْ حَاجَتَكَ مِمَّا تُرِيدُ، فَإِنْ وَجَدْتَ فَاقْضِنِي وَإِنْ لَمْ تَجِدْ فَأَنْتَ فِي حِلٍّ، لَا تُضَيِّقَنَّ قَلْبَكَ لِذَلِكَ.
bal kāna al-khayyiru mina al-bāʿati man lā yaktubu ismahu fī daftarihi walā yajʿaluhu daynan ḥatman ʿalayhi walā maẓlimatan ʿindahu, wa-lākin yaqūlu: khudh ḥājataka mimmā turīdu, faʾin wajadta faqḍinī waʾin lam tajid faʾanta fī ḥillin, lā tuḍayyiqanna qalbaka li-dhālika.
The truly good seller did not enter the person's name in his ledger, impose an unavoidable debt on him, or retain a grievance against him. Instead he said, ‘Take what you need of whatever you want. If you find the means, repay me; if you do not, you are released. Do not distress your heart over it.’”
وَهَذَا طَرِيقٌ قَدْ مَاتَ فَمَنْ قَامَ بِهِ فَقَدْ أَحْيَاهُ. فَكَانَ مِثْلُ هَؤُلَاءِ فِي الْمُتَقَدِّمِينَ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ أَنْ يَسَعَهُمْ كِتَابٌ، وَكَانَ مَنْ يَنْصَحُ دَقَائِقَ النُّصْحِ وَشَدَّدَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ غَايَةَ التَّشْدِيدِ وَسَمَحَ لِإِخْوَانِهِ نِهَايَةَ الْجُودِ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، وَإِنَّمَا ذَكَرْنَا هَؤُلَاءِ لِتَنْبِيهِ الْغَافِلِينَ عَلَى أَعْمَالِهِمْ وَنَكْشِفَ بَعْضَ مَا عَفَا مِنْ طَرِيقِهِمْ.
wa-hādhā ṭarīqun qad māta faman qāma bihi faqad ʾaḥyāhu. fakāna mithlu hāʾulāʾi fī al-mutaqaddimīna ʾakthara min ʾan yasaʿahum kitābun, wakāna man yanṣaḥu daqāʾiqa al-nuṣḥi washaddada ʿalā nafsihi ghāyata al-tashdīdi wasamaḥa liʾikhwānihi nihāyata al-jūdi ʾakthara min dhālika, waʾinnamā dhakarnā hāʾulāʾi litanbīhi al-ghāfilīna ʿalā ʾaʿmālihim wanakshifa baʿḍa mā ʿafā min ṭarīqihim.
This is a path that has died; whoever practices it brings it to life. People like these were more numerous among earlier generations than a book could contain. Still more numerous were those who carried sincere concern into its finest details, were utterly strict with themselves, and showed their brothers the greatest generosity. We have mentioned these examples only to alert the heedless to their deeds and uncover some of their path's faded traces.
وَلَمْ يَكُنْ هَؤُلَاءِ الْمَذْكُورُونَ مِنَ السُّوقَةِ مِنْ خِيَارِ النَّاسِ كُلِّهِمْ؛ إِنَّمَا كَانَ الْأَخْيَارُ الْمَسْجِدِيَّةَ الْعُبَّادَ وَالنُّسَّاكَ الْمُنْقَطِعِينَ إِلَى اللَّهِ الزُّهَّادَ. فَإِذَا حَصَلَتْ كِفَايَةُ السُّوقِيِّ فِي بَعْضِ يَوْمِهِ فَلْيَجْعَلْ بَقِيَّتَهُ لِأَخِيهِ. فَقَدْ كَانَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَنْصَرِفُ مِنْ حَانُوتِهِ بَعْدَ صَلَاةِ الظُّهْرِ وَيَجْعَلُ نِصْفَ يَوْمِهِ لِرَبِّهِ،
walam yakun hāʾulāʾi al-madhkūrūna mina al-sūqati min khiyāri al-nāsi kullihim; ʾinnamā kāna al-ʾakhyāru al-masjidiyyata al-ʿubbāda wa-al-nussāka al-munqaṭiʿīna ʾilā Allāhi al-zuhhāda. faʾidhā ḥaṣalat kifāyatu al-sūqiyyi fī baʿḍi yawmihi falyajʿal baqiyyatahu liʾakhīhi. faqad kāna baʿḍu al-salafi minhum man yanṣarifu min ḥānūtihi baʿda ṣalāti al-ẓuhri wayajʿalu niṣfa yawmihi lirabbihi,
These market traders we have mentioned were not the finest of all people. The finest were those devoted to the mosques: worshippers, ascetics, and renunciants wholly given to God. Once the market trader has earned enough during part of his day, let him devote the remainder to his brother. Some early Muslims left their shops after the noon prayer and devoted half the day to their Lord;
وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَنْصَرِفُ بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ فَيَكُونُ آخِرُ يَوْمِهِ لِآخِرَتِهِ. وَكَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِذَا حَصَلَتْ كِفَايَتُهُ فِي يَوْمِهِ وَتَأَتَّى قُوتُ عِيَالِهِ فِي أَيِّ وَقْتٍ مِنْ نَهَارِهِ غَلَّقَ حَانُوتَهُ وَانْصَرَفَ إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ أَوْ مَسْجِدِهِ يَتَعَبَّدُ بَقِيَّةَ يَوْمِهِ، وَكَانَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ إِذَا رَبِحَ دَانِقًا أَوْ قِيرَاطًا انْصَرَفَ قَنَاعَةً وَزُهْدًا أَوْ قِلَّةَ حِرْصٍ عَلَى الدُّنْيَا.
waminhum man yanṣarifu baʿda al-ʿaṣri fayakūnu ʾākhiru yawmihi liʾākhiratihi. wakāna baʿḍuhum ʾidhā ḥaṣalat kifāyatuhu fī yawmihi wataʾattā qūtu ʿiyālihi fī ʾayyi waqtin min nahārihi ghallaqa ḥānūtahu wanṣarafa ʾilā manzilihi ʾaw masjidihi yataʿabbadu baqiyyata yawmihi, wakāna minhum man ʾidhā rabiḥa dāniqan ʾaw qīrāṭan inṣarafa qanāʿatan wazuhdan ʾaw qillata ḥirṣin ʿalā al-dunyā.
others left after the afternoon prayer, reserving the close of their day for the hereafter. Some closed their shop as soon as they had earned enough for the day and secured their dependants' food, whatever the hour, and went home or to the mosque to worship for the rest of the day. Some went away as soon as they earned a dāniq or qīrāṭ, out of contentment, renunciation, or little eagerness for the world.
وَأَعْجَبُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ مَا سَمِعْتُ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ سَلَمَةَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَبِيعُ اللَّحْمَ فِي سَفَطٍ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ، فَكَانَ إِذَا رَبِحَ حَبَّتَيْنِ رَفَعَ سَفَطَهُ وَانْصَرَفَ. وَقَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ يَسَارٍ: قُلْتُ لِإِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ أَدْهَمَ: أَمُرُّ الْيَوْمَ أَعْمَلُ فِي الطِّينِ؟ فَقَالَ: يَا
waʾaʿjabu min dhālika mā samiʿtu ʿan ḥammādi bni salamata ʾannahu kāna yabīʿu al-laḥma fī safaṭin bayna yadayhi, fakāna ʾidhā rabiḥa ḥabbatayni rafaʿa safaṭahu wanṣarafa. waqāla ʾibrāhīmu bnu yasārin: qultu liʾibrāhīma bni ʾadhama: ʾamurru al-yawma ʾaʿmalu fī al-ṭīni? faqāla: yā
More remarkable is what I heard about Ḥammād ibn Salama: he used to sell meat from a basket in front of him. When he had earned two grains' worth, he picked up his basket and left. Ibrāhīm ibn Yasār said, “I asked Ibrāhīm ibn Adham, ‘Shall I go out today and work with clay?’ He said, ‘Ibn
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٤٨
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 448
Volume Two, page 448
ابْنَ يَسَارٍ، إِنَّكَ طَالِبٌ وَمَطْلُوبٌ، يَطْلُبُكَ مَا لَا تَفُوتُهُ وَتَطْلُبُ مَا لَا يَفُوتُكَ. أَمَا رَأَيْتَ حَرِيصًا مَحْرُومًا وَضَعِيفًا مَرْزُوقًا؟ فَقُلْتُ: إِنَّ لِي دَانِقًا عِنْدَ الْبَقَّالِ. فَقَالَ: عَزَّ عَلَيَّ بِكَ، تَمْلِكُ دَانِقًا وَتَطْلُبُ الْعَمَلَ!
ibna yasārin, ʾinnaka ṭālibun wamaṭlūbun, yaṭlubuka mā lā tafūtuhu wataṭlubu mā lā yafūtuka. ʾamā raʾayta ḥarīṣan maḥrūman waḍaʿīfan marzūqan? faqultu: ʾinna lī dāniqan ʿinda al-baqqāli. faqāla: ʿazza ʿalayya bika, tamliku dāniqan wataṭlubu al-ʿamala!
Yasār, you are both a seeker and one who is sought. What you cannot escape seeks you, while you seek what cannot escape you. Have you not seen an eager man deprived and a weak man provided for?’ I said, ‘I have a dāniq with the grocer.’ He replied, ‘How it grieves me for you! You possess a dāniq and still seek work!’”
وَقَدْ كَانَ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ الصُّنَّاعِ يَعْمَلُ نِصْفَ يَوْمِهِ وَثُلُثَيْ يَوْمِهِ ثُمَّ يَأْخُذُ مَا اسْتَحَقَّهُ مِنْ كِفَايَتِهِ وَيَنْصَرِفُ إِلَى مَسْجِدِهِ. وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ كَانَ يَعْمَلُ فِي الْأُسْبُوعِ يَوْمًا أَوْ يَوْمَيْنِ وَيَتَعَبَّدُ سَائِرَ الْأُسْبُوعِ فِي خِدْمَةِ سَيِّدِهِ، وَقَدْ كَانُوا يَجْعَلُونَ أَوَّلَ النَّهَارِ وَآخِرَهُ لِلْآخِرَةِ فِي تِجَارَةِ الْمَعَادِ وَالْمَرْجِعِ وَيَجْعَلُونَ وَسَطَ النَّهَارِ لِتِجَارَةِ الدُّنْيَا.
waqad kāna kathīrun mina al-ṣunnāʿi yaʿmalu niṣfa yawmihi wathuluthay yawmihi thumma yaʾkhudhu mā istaḥaqqahu min kifāyatihi wayanṣarifu ʾilā masjidihi. waminhum man kāna yaʿmalu fī al-ʾusbūʿi yawman ʾaw yawmayni wayataʿabbadu sāʾira al-ʾusbūʿi fī khidmati sayyidihi, waqad kānū yajʿalūna ʾawwala al-nahāri waʾākhirahu li-l-ʾākhirati fī tijārati al-maʿādi wa-al-marjiʿi wayajʿalūna wasaṭa al-nahāri litijārati al-dunyā.
Many craftsmen worked half or two-thirds of the day, then took the amount they had earned for their needs and returned to the mosque. Some worked one or two days a week and spent the rest worshipping in their Master's service. They devoted the beginning and end of the day to the hereafter, trading for their final return and destination, and reserved the middle of the day for worldly commerce.
وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: أَنَّ الْمَلَائِكَةَ إِذَا صَعِدَتْ بِصَحِيفَةِ الْعَبْدِ مِنْ أَوَّلِ النَّهَارِ وَمِنْ آخِرِهِ فِيهَا خَيْرٌ وَذِكْرٌ كَفَّرَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَنْهُ مَا بَيْنَهُمَا مِنْ سَيِّئِ الْعَمَلِ. وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: «يَلْتَقِي مَلَائِكَةُ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ عِنْدَ طُلُوعِ الْفَجْرِ، تَنْفَرِجُ مَلَائِكَةُ اللَّيْلِ وَتَنْزِلُ مَلَائِكَةُ النَّهَارِ، وَعِنْدَ صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ فَتَنْزِلُ مَلَائِكَةُ اللَّيْلِ وَتَنْفَرِجُ مَلَائِكَةُ النَّهَارِ،
wafī al-khabari: ʾanna al-malāʾikata ʾidhā ṣaʿidat biṣaḥīfati al-ʿabdi min ʾawwali al-nahāri wamin ʾākhirihi fīhā khayrun wadhikrun kaffara Allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʿanhu mā baynahumā min sayyiʾi al-ʿamali. wafī al-khabari: «yaltaqī malāʾikatu al-layli wa-al-nahāri ʿinda ṭulūʿi al-fajri, tanfariju malāʾikatu al-layli watanzilu malāʾikatu al-nahāri, waʿinda ṣalāti al-ʿaṣri fatanzilu malāʾikatu al-layli watanfariju malāʾikatu al-nahāri,
A report says that when the angels ascend with a servant's record containing goodness and remembrance from the beginning and end of the day, God, mighty and majestic, expiates his bad deeds between them. Another report says, “The angels of night and day meet at dawn: the angels of night depart and the angels of day descend. At the afternoon prayer, the angels of night descend and the angels of day depart.
فَيَقُولُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: كَيْفَ تَرَكْتُمْ عِبَادِي؟ فَيَقُولُونَ: تَرَكْنَاهُمْ يُصَلُّونَ وَجِئْنَاهُمْ يُصَلُّونَ. فَيَقُولُ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى: أُشْهِدُكُمْ أَنِّي قَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَهُمْ». وَقَدْ كَانَ عَلِيٌّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَمُرُّ فِي سُوقِ الْكُوفَةِ وَمَعَهُ الدِّرَّةُ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ: يَا مَعْشَرَ التُّجَّارِ، خُذُوا الْحَقَّ وَأَعْطُوا الْحَقَّ تَسْلَمُوا،
fayaqūlu Allāhu ʿazza wajalla: kayfa taraktum ʿibādī? fayaqūlūna: taraknāhum yuṣallūna wajiʾnāhum yuṣallūna. fayaqūlu Allāhu subḥānahu wataʿālā: ʾushhidukum ʾannī qad ghafartu lahum». waqad kāna ʿaliyyun raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu yamurru fī sūqi al-kūfati wamaʿahu al-dirratu wahuwa yaqūlu: yā maʿshara al-tujjāri, khudhū al-ḥaqqa waʾaʿṭū al-ḥaqqa taslamū,
God, mighty and majestic, asks, ‘In what state did you leave My servants?’ They answer, ‘We left them praying and came to them while they were praying.’ God, glorified and exalted, says, ‘I call you to witness that I have forgiven them.’” ʿAlī, may God be pleased with him, used to pass through Kufa's market carrying his whip and saying, “Merchants! Take what is right and give what is right, and you will be safe.
وَلَا تَرُدُّوا قَلِيلَ الرِّبْحِ فَتُحْرَمُوا أَكْثَرَ. مَا مُنِعَ مِنْ حَقٍّ إِلَّا ذَهَبَ أَضْعَافُهُ فِي بَاطِلٍ. وَقِيلَ لِعَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَوْفٍ: مَا كَانَ سَبَبَ يَسَارِكَ؟ فَقَالَ: ثَلَاثٌ: مَا رَدَدْتُ رِبْحًا قَطُّ وَلَا طُلِبَ مِنِّي حَيَوَانٌ وَأَخَّرْتُ بَيْعَهُ وَلَا بِعْتُ بِنَسْءٍ.
walā taruddū qalīla al-ribḥi fatuḥramū ʾakthara. mā muniʿa min ḥaqqin ʾillā dhahaba ʾaḍʿāfuhu fī bāṭilin. waqīla liʿabdi al-raḥmāni bni ʿawfin: mā kāna sababa yasārika? faqāla: thalāthun: mā radadtu ribḥan qaṭṭu walā ṭuliba minnī ḥayawānun waʾakhkhartu bayʿahu walā biʿtu binasʾin.
Do not reject a small profit, lest you be denied a greater one. No rightful due is withheld without many times its amount being lost in wrongdoing.” ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf was asked, “What made you wealthy?” He answered, “Three things: I never turned down a profit, never delayed selling an animal someone wanted from me, and never sold on deferred payment.”
وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّهُ بَاعَ أَلْفَ نَاقَةٍ فَرَبِحَ عُقُلَهَا وَبَاعَ كُلَّ عِقَالٍ بِدِرْهَمٍ، فَرَبِحَ فِيهَا أَلْفَيْ دِرْهَمٍ، أَلْفٌ أَخَذَهَا وَأَلْفٌ نَفَقَةٌ عَلَيْهَا فِي يَوْمِهَا. وَقَدْ كَانَ الْوَرِعُونَ يَكْرَهُونَ رُكُوبَ الْبَحْرِ لِلتِّجَارَةِ، وَيُقَالُ: مَنْ رَكِبَ الْبَحْرَ لِلتِّجَارَةِ فَقَدِ اسْتَقْصَى فِي طَلَبِ الرِّزْقِ.
wayuqālu: ʾinnahu bāʿa ʾalfa nāqatin farabiḥa ʿuqulahā wabāʿa kulla ʿiqālin bidirhamin, farabiḥa fīhā ʾalfay dirhamin, ʾalfun ʾakhadhahā waʾalfun nafaqatun ʿalayhā fī yawmihā. waqad kāna al-wariʿūna yakrahūna rukūba al-baḥri li-l-tijārati, wayuqālu: man rakiba al-baḥra li-l-tijārati faqadi istaqṣā fī ṭalabi al-rizqi.
It is said that he sold a thousand she-camels, gaining their tethers as his profit, and sold each tether for a dirham. His profit was two thousand dirhams: one thousand he received, and one thousand corresponding to their upkeep that day. The scrupulous used to disapprove of sea travel for commerce. It is said that someone who goes to sea for trade has pursued provision to its utmost extent.
وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: «لَا يَرْكَبُ الْبَحْرَ إِلَّا حَاجٌّ أَوْ غَازٍ أَوْ مُعْتَمِرٌ». وَعَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ وَهْبٍ عَنْ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ: اِبْتَاعُوا بِأَمْوَالِ الْيَتَامَى لَا تَأْكُلْهَا الزَّكَاةُ، وَثَمِّرُوهَا لَهُمْ بِالْأَرْبَاحِ، وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَالْحَيَوَانَ فَإِنَّهُ رُبَّمَا هَلَكَ، وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَلُجَجَ الْبَحْرِ، اتَّجِرُوا لَهُمْ فِيهَا مَالًا.
wafī al-khabari: «lā yarkabu al-baḥra ʾillā ḥājjun ʾaw ghāzin ʾaw muʿtamirun». waʿan zaydi bni wahbin ʿan ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu kāna yaqūlu: ibtāʿū biʾamwāli al-yatāmā lā taʾkulhā al-zakātu, wathammirūhā lahum bi-al-ʾarbāḥi, waʾiyyākum wa-al-ḥayawāna faʾinnahu rubbamā halaka, waʾiyyākum walujaja al-baḥri, ittajirū lahum fīhā mālan.
A report says, “Only a pilgrim, a fighter, or someone performing the lesser pilgrimage should go to sea.” Zayd ibn Wahb related that ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him, used to say, “Make purchases with orphans' wealth so that alms do not consume it, and increase it for them through profits. Beware of livestock, for it may die; and beware of the sea's depths when trading wealth there on their behalf.”
وَكَانَ عَمْرُو بْنُ الْعَاصِ يَقُولُ: لَا تَكُنْ أَوَّلَ مَنْ يَدْخُلُ السُّوقَ وَلَا آخِرَ خَارِجٍ، فَإِنَّ بِهَا بَاضَ الشَّيْطَانُ وَفَرَّخَ. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ مُعَاذٍ وَعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ أَنَّ إِبْلِيسَ قَالَ لِوَلَدِهِ زَلَنْبُورَ: يَا زَلَنْبُورُ، سِرْ بِكِتَابَيْكَ وَأَنْتَ صَاحِبُ السُّوقِ،
wakāna ʿamru bnu al-ʿāṣi yaqūlu: lā takun ʾawwala man yadkhulu al-sūqa walā ʾākhira khārijin, faʾinna bihā bāḍa al-shayṭānu wafarrakha. warawaynā ʿan muʿādhin waʿabdi Allāhi bni ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum ʾanna ʾiblīsa qāla liwaladihi zalanbūra: yā zalanbūru, sir bikitābayka waʾanta ṣāḥibu al-sūqi,
ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ used to say, “Do not be the first to enter the market or the last to leave, for there Satan has laid his eggs and hatched his brood.” We have related from Muʿādh and ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar, may God be pleased with them, that Iblīs told his son Zalanbūr, “Zalanbūr, go with your two books; you are in charge of the market.
زَيِّنِ الْحَلِفَ وَالْكَذِبَ وَالْخَدِيعَةَ وَالْمَكْرَ وَالْخِيَانَةَ وَالْخُلْفَ، وَكُنْ مَعَ أَوَّلِ دَاخِلٍ وَآخِرِ خَارِجٍ مِنْهَا». وَرَوَيْنَا عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ وَابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ: سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَنْهَى أَنْ يَدْخُلَ السُّوقَ أَوَائِلَ النَّهَارِ وَأَنْ يَخْرُجَ مِنْهَا آخِرَ أَهْلِهَا.
zayyini al-ḥalifa wa-al-kadhiba wa-al-khadīʿata wa-al-makra wa-al-khiyānata wa-al-khulfa, wakun maʿa ʾawwali dākhilin waʾākhiri khārijin minhā». warawaynā ʿani ibni ʿumara wabni ʿabbāsin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum: samiʿtu al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yanhā ʾan yadkhula al-sūqa ʾawāʾila al-nahāri waʾan yakhruja minhā ʾākhira ʾahlihā.
Make oaths, lies, deception, plotting, treachery, and broken promises attractive. Stay with the first person who enters and the last who leaves.” We have related from Ibn ʿUmar and Ibn ʿAbbās, may God be pleased with them, “I heard the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, forbid entering the market at the beginning of the day and being the last of its people to leave.”
فَإِذَا كَانَ الْمُتَسَبِّبُ فِي الْمَعَاشِ وَالْمُتَصَرِّفُ فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ عَلَى هَذِهِ الْأَوْصَافِ الْمَحْمُودَةِ بِهَذِهِ الشُّرُوطِ الْمَوْصُوفَةِ قَائِمًا بِحُكْمِ حَالِهِ
faʾidhā kāna al-mutasabbibu fī al-maʿāshi wa-al-mutaṣarrifu fī al-ʾaswāqi ʿalā hādhihi al-ʾawṣāfi al-maḥmūdati bi-hādhihi al-shurūṭi al-mawṣūfati qāʾiman biḥukmi ḥālihi
When the person earning his livelihood and conducting business in the markets possesses these praiseworthy qualities and observes these stated conditions, fulfilling the duties of his situation
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٤٩
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 449
Volume Two, page 449
حَافِظًا لِمَقَامِهِ، فَإِنَّهُ فِي سَبِيلٍ مِنْ سُبُلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، أَفْعَالُهُ وَآثَارُهُ حَسَنَاتٌ، وَكُلُّ مَا تَسَبَّبَ بِهِ إِلَى الْآخِرَةِ وَكَانَ عَوْنًا لَهُ عَلَيْهَا وَطَرِيقًا لَهُ إِلَيْهَا فَهُوَ مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ.
ḥāfiẓan limaqāmihi, faʾinnahu fī sabīlin min subuli Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, ʾafʿāluhu waʾāthāruhu ḥasanātun, wakullu mā tasabbaba bihi ʾilā al-ʾākhirati wakāna ʿawnan lahu ʿalayhā waṭarīqan lahu ʾilayhā fahuwa mina al-ʾākhirati.
and safeguarding his station, he is on one of the paths of God, mighty and majestic. His deeds and their effects are good deeds. Everything he uses as a means toward the hereafter, that helps him attain it and provides him a path to it, belongs to the hereafter.
وَإِذَا خَالَفَ هَذِهِ الشُّرُوطَ وَلَمْ يَسْتَعْمِلِ الْعِلْمَ فِي أَحْوَالِهِ وَفَارَقَ التَّقْوَى فِي تَصَرُّفِهِ، أَوْ كَانَ يَسْعَى تَكَاثُرًا وَحِرْصًا عَلَى الدُّنْيَا جَزُوعًا عَلَى مَا فَاتَهُ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا مُسْتَقِلًّا لِمَا فِي يَدَيْهِ مِنْهَا، لَا يُبَالِي مَا ذَهَبَ مِنْ دِينِهِ إِذَا سَلِمَتْ دُنْيَاهُ وَلَا يُبَالِي مِنْ أَيْنَ اكْتَسَبَ وَفِيمَا أَنْفَقَ،
waʾidhā khālafa hādhihi al-shurūṭa walam yastaʿmili al-ʿilma fī ʾaḥwālihi wafāraqa al-taqwā fī taṣarrufihi, ʾaw kāna yasʿā takāthuran waḥirṣan ʿalā al-dunyā jazūʿan ʿalā mā fātahu mina al-dunyā mustaqillan limā fī yadayhi minhā, lā yubālī mā dhahaba min dīnihi ʾidhā salimat dunyāhu walā yubālī min ʾayna iktasaba wafīmā ʾanfaqa,
If he violates these conditions, fails to apply knowledge to his circumstances, and abandons piety in his dealings; or if he strives to accumulate more out of eagerness for the world, distressed over what he misses and belittling what he possesses, indifferent to what is lost of his religion so long as his worldly interests are safe, and unconcerned about where he earns or on what he spends,
فَهَذَا يَتَقَلَّبُ فِي الْمَعَاصِي وَالْمَكَارِهِ ظَهْرَ الْبَطْنِ، مُتَعَرِّضًا لِلْمَقْتِ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، يَعْمَلُ فِي الْبُعْدِ وَالْهَرَبِ غَيْرَ مُسْتَعِدٍّ لِلْمَوْتِ وَلَا مُوقِنٍ بِالْحِسَابِ، أَفْعَالُهُ وَآثَارُهُ سَيِّئَاتٌ، وَتَرْكُ التِّجَارَةِ عَلَى هَذِهِ الْأَوْصَافِ الْمَكْرُوهَةِ خَيْرٌ لِهَذَا.
fa-hādhā yataqallabu fī al-maʿāṣī wa-al-makārihi ẓahra al-baṭni, mutaʿarriḍan li-l-maqti mina Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, yaʿmalu fī al-buʿdi wa-al-harabi ghayra mustaʿiddin li-l-mawti walā mūqinin bi-al-ḥisābi, ʾafʿāluhu waʾāthāruhu sayyiʾātun, watarku al-tijārati ʿalā hādhihi al-ʾawṣāfi al-makrūhati khayrun li-hādhā.
then he turns about in sins and objectionable practices, back and front, exposing himself to the abhorrence of God, mighty and majestic. His activity carries him farther away and into flight, unprepared for death and lacking certainty about the reckoning. His deeds and their effects are evil deeds. For someone with these objectionable qualities, leaving trade would be better.
ذِكْرُ مَا رَوَيْنَا مِنَ الْآثَارِ فِي الْبُيُوعِ وَالصَّنَائِعِ وَطَرِيقَةِ الْوَرِعِينَ مِنَ السَّلَفِ
dhikru mā rawaynā mina al-ʾāthāri fī al-buyūʿi wa-al-ṣanāʾiʿi waṭarīqati al-wariʿīna mina al-salafi
An Account of the Traditions We Have Related Concerning Sales, Crafts, and the Way of the Scrupulous among the Early Muslims
رَوَيْنَا عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «مَنْ جَلَبَ إِلَى مِصْرٍ مِنْ أَمْصَارِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فَبَاعَهُ بِسِعْرِ يَوْمِهِ كَانَ لَهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَجْرُ شَهِيدٍ».
rawaynā ʿan ʿalqamata raḍiya Allāhu taʿālā ʿanhu ʿani ibni masʿūdin qāla: qāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «man jalaba ʾilā miṣrin min ʾamṣāri al-muslimīna fabāʿahu bisiʿri yawmihi kāna lahu ʿinda Allāhi taʿālā ʾajru shahīdin».
We have related from ʿAlqama, may God Most High be pleased with him, on the authority of Ibn Masʿūd, that God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whoever brings goods to one of the Muslims' towns and sells them at that day's price will have a martyr's reward with God Most High.”
ثُمَّ قَرَأَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ﴿وَآخَرُونَ يَضْرِبُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ يَبْتَغُونَ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ، وَآخَرُونَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ﴾. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: «لَا يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ صَاحِبُ مَكْسٍ».
thumma qaraʾa rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ﴿waʾākharūna yaḍribūna fī al-ʾarḍi yabtaghūna min faḍli Allāhi, waʾākharūna yuqātilūna fī sabīli Allāhi﴾. warawaynā ʿan ʿuqbata bni ʿāmirin ʾannahu samiʿa rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yaqūlu: «lā yadkhulu al-jannata ṣāḥibu maksin».
Then God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, recited, “Others travel through the land seeking God's bounty, and others fight on God's path.” We have related from ʿUqba ibn ʿĀmir that he heard God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, say, “An extortionate toll collector will not enter Paradise.”
وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «مَنْ أَقَالَ نَادِمًا فِي بَيْعٍ أَقَالَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ». رَوَيْنَا عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ: ذُكِرَ لِمُعَاوِيَةَ أَنَّ رَجُلًا مِنَ الْمُعَمَّرِينَ مِنَ الْجَرَاهِمَةِ بِالْقُرْبِ مِنْهُ فَأَحْضَرَهُ فَقَالَ: مِمَّنِ الرَّجُلُ؟ قَالَ: مِنْ جُرْهُمَ.
warawaynā ʿan ʾabī ṣāliḥin ʿan ʾabī hurayrata qāla: qāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «man ʾaqāla nādiman fī bayʿin ʾaqālahu Allāhu ʿazza wajalla yawma al-qiyāmati». rawaynā ʿan hishāmi bni ʿurwata: dhukira limuʿāwiyata ʾanna rajulan mina al-muʿammarīna mina al-jarāhimati bi-al-qurbi minhu faʾaḥḍarahu faqāla: mimmani al-rajulu? qāla: min jurhuma.
We have related from Abū Ṣāliḥ, on the authority of Abū Hurayra, that God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whoever releases a regretful party from a sale will be released by God, mighty and majestic, on the Day of Resurrection.” We have related from Hishām ibn ʿUrwa: Muʿāwiya was told that a very long-lived man of Jurhum was nearby. He summoned him and asked, “What people are you from?” “Jurhum.”
قَالَ: وَكَمْ تَعُدُّ مِنَ السِّنِينَ؟ قَالَ: خَمْسِينَ وَثَلَاثَمِائَةِ سَنَةٍ. قَالَ: أَخْبِرْنِي أَيُّ الْمَالِ أَفْضَلُ؟ قَالَ: عَيْنٌ خَدَّارَةٌ فِي أَرْضٍ خَوَّارَةٍ تَعُولُ وَلَا تُعَالُ. قَالَ: ثُمَّ مَاذَا؟ قَالَ: فَرَسٌ فِي بَطْنِهَا يَتْبَعُهَا فَرَسٌ. قَالَ: فَقَالَ: الْإِبِلُ وَالْغَنَمُ لَا أَرَاكَ تَذْكُرُهَا. قَالَ: إِنَّهَا لَا تَصْلُحُ لِمِثْلِكَ، تَصْلُحُ لِمَنْ يُبَاشِرُهَا بِنَفْسِهِ.
qāla: wakam taʿuddu mina al-sinīna? qāla: khamsīna wathalāthamiʾati sanatin. qāla: ʾakhbirnī ʾayyu al-māli ʾafḍalu? qāla: ʿaynun khaddāratun fī ʾarḍin khawwāratin taʿūlu walā tuʿālu. qāla: thumma mādhā? qāla: farasun fī baṭnihā yatbaʿuhā farasun. qāla: faqāla: al-ʾibilu wa-al-ghanamu lā ʾarāka tadhkuruhā. qāla: ʾinnahā lā taṣluḥu limithlika, taṣluḥu liman yubāshiruhā binafsihi.
“How many years do you count?” “Three hundred and fifty years.” “Tell me, what property is best?” “A gushing spring in soft soil, supporting others without needing support.” “And then?” “A mare: in her belly, following her, a foal.” “You do not seem to mention camels or sheep.” “They do not suit someone like you; they suit someone who tends them himself.”
وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «خَيْرُ مَالِ الْمُسْلِمِ سِكَّةٌ مَأْبُورَةٌ أَوْ مُهْرَةٌ مَأْمُورَةٌ». قَوْلُهُ: سِكَّةٌ مَأْبُورَةٌ، يَعْنِي النَّخِيلَ الَّتِي قَدْ أُبِّرَتْ فَهِيَ طَرِيقٌ كَالسِّكَكِ، وَقَوْلُهُ: مُهْرَةٌ مَأْمُورَةٌ، يَعْنِي الْخَيْلَ النَّوَاتِجَ، مَأْمُورَةٌ: كَثِيرَةٌ.
warawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «khayru māli al-muslimi sikkatun maʾbūratun ʾaw muhratun maʾmūratun». qawluhu: sikkatun maʾbūratun, yaʿnī al-nakhīla allatī qad ʾubbirat fahiya ṭarīqun ka-al-sikaki, waqawluhu: muhratun maʾmūratun, yaʿnī al-khayla al-nawātija, maʾmūratun: kathīratun.
We have related from God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, “The best property of a Muslim is a pollinated row of palms or a prolific mare.” “A pollinated row” means date palms that have been pollinated, forming a line like a lane. “A prolific mare” means horses that produce offspring; maʾmūra means numerous.
وَمِنْ هَذَا قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿أَمَرْنَا مُتْرَفِيهَا﴾، الْإِسْرَاءُ: ١٦، أَيْ أَكْثَرْنَاهُمْ؛ يُقَالُ: أَمِرَ الْقَوْمُ إِذَا كَثُرُوا. وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ قَالَ: قَدِمْتُ مِنْ عِنْدِ مُعَاوِيَةَ بِثَلَاثِمِائَةِ أَلْفِ دِينَارٍ وَلَيْسَ بِيَدِي مِنْهَا إِلَّا دَقِيقٌ وَغَنَمٌ وَأَثَاثٌ، فَفَزِعْتُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ،
wamin hādhā qawluhu taʿālā: ﴿ʾamarnā mutrafīhā﴾, al-ʾisrāʾu: 16, ʾay ʾaktharnāhum; yuqālu: ʾamira al-qawmu ʾidhā kathurū. waḥaddathūnā ʿan ʿabdi Allāhi bni ʾaḥmada qāla: qadimtu min ʿindi muʿāwiyata bithalāthimiʾati ʾalfi dīnārin walaysa biyadī minhā ʾillā daqīqun waghanamun waʾathāthun, fafaziʿtu min dhālika,
Related to this is the saying of God Most High, “We increased its affluent inhabitants” (Al-Isrāʾ: 16), meaning We made them numerous. One says amira al-qawmu when a people becomes numerous. They related to us from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad, “I returned from Muʿāwiya with three hundred thousand dinars, but all I held of it was flour, sheep, and household goods. This alarmed me.
فَلَقِيتُ كَعْبَ الْأَحْبَارِ فَذَكَرْتُ لَهُ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ: أَيْنَ أَنْتَ مِنَ النَّخْلِ؟ فَإِنَّا نَجِدُهَا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: الْمُطْعِمَاتُ فِي الْمَحْلِ الرَّاسِخَاتُ فِي الْوَحْلِ، وَخَيْرُ الْمَالِ النَّخْلُ، بَائِعُهَا مَمْحُوقٌ وَمُبْتَاعُهَا مَرْزُوقٌ،
falaqītu kaʿba al-ʾaḥbāri fadhakartu lahu dhālika faqāla: ʾayna ʾanta mina al-nakhli? faʾinnā najiduhā fī kitābi Allāhi taʿālā: al-muṭʿimātu fī al-maḥli al-rāsikhātu fī al-waḥli, wakhayru al-māli al-nakhlu, bāʾiʿuhā mamḥūqun wamubtāʿuhā marzūqun,
I met Kaʿb al-Aḥbār and told him. He said, ‘Why have you not turned to date palms? In the Book of God Most High we find them described as those that feed people in drought and stand rooted in wet ground. The best property is date palms: their seller is deprived of blessing, and their buyer is provided for.
مَثَلُ مَنْ بَاعَهَا ثُمَّ لَمْ يَجْعَلْ ثَمَنَهَا فِي مِثْلِهَا كَمَثَلِ رَمَادِ صَفْوَانٍ اشْتَدَّتْ بِهِ الرِّيحُ فِي يَوْمٍ عَاصِفٍ. فَفَزِعْتُ إِلَى النَّخْلِ فَابْتَعْتُهَا. قَالَ: وَقَالَ مَرْوَانُ بْنُ الْحَكَمِ لِوَهْبِ بْنِ الْأَسْوَدِ: مَا الْمُرُوءَةُ؟ قَالَ: بِرُّ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَإِصْلَاحُ الْمَالِ.
mathalu man bāʿahā thumma lam yajʿal thamanahā fī mithlihā kamathali ramādi ṣafwānin ishtaddat bihi al-rīḥu fī yawmin ʿāṣifin. fafaziʿtu ʾilā al-nakhli fabtaʿtuhā. qāla: waqāla marwānu bnu al-ḥakami liwahbi bni al-ʾaswadi: mā al-murūʾatu? qāla: birru al-wālidayni waʾiṣlāḥu al-māli.
Someone who sells them without putting their price into similar property is like ashes on a smooth rock, scattered by a strong wind on a stormy day.’ So I turned to date palms and bought them.” He said, “Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam asked Wahb ibn al-Aswad, ‘What is honorable conduct?’ He answered, ‘Kindness to one's parents and taking good care of one's property.’”
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٥٠
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 450
Volume Two, page 450
حُدِّثْتُ عَنْ عَبْدِ الْقُدُّوسِ بْنِ عَبْدِ السَّلَامِ قَالَ: كَتَبَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ أَدْهَمَ إِلَى عَبَّادِ بْنِ كَثِيرٍ: اِجْعَلْ طَوَافَكَ وَسَعْيَكَ وَحَجَّكَ كَنَوْمَةِ غَازٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. فَكَتَبَ عَبَّادٌ إِلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ: اِجْعَلْ حَرَسَكَ وَرِبَاطَكَ وَغَزْوَكَ كَنَوْمَةِ كَادٍّ عَلَى عِيَالِهِ مِنْ حِلِّهِ.
ḥuddithtu ʿan ʿabdi al-quddūsi bni ʿabdi al-salāmi qāla: kataba ʾibrāhīmu bnu ʾadhama ʾilā ʿabbādi bni kathīrin: ijʿal ṭawāfaka wasaʿyaka waḥajjaka kanawmati ghāzin fī sabīli Allāhi ʿazza wajalla. fakataba ʿabbādun ʾilā ʾibrāhīma: ijʿal ḥarasaka waribāṭaka waghazwaka kanawmati kāddin ʿalā ʿiyālihi min ḥillihi.
I was told on the authority of ʿAbd al-Quddūs ibn ʿAbd al-Salām, “Ibrāhīm ibn Adham wrote to ʿAbbād ibn Kathīr, ‘Make your circumambulation, your running between the two hills, and your pilgrimage equal to a fighter's sleep on the path of God, mighty and majestic.’ ʿAbbād wrote back, ‘Make your watch duty, frontier service, and campaigning equal to the sleep of someone laboring lawfully to support his dependants.’”
وَرَوَيْنَا عَنِ الْعَبَّاسِ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ ثَوْرٍ يَقُولُ: شَيَّعَ رَجُلٌ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنَ أَدْهَمَ إِلَى الصَّنَوْبَرِ فَقَالَ: يَا أَبَا إِسْحَاقَ، أَوْصِنِي. قَالَ: أَكْثِرْ وَأَوْجِزْ. قَالَ: مَا الْحَاجُّ الْمُعْتَمِرُ وَلَا الْغَازِي الْمُرَابِطُ وَلَا الصَّائِمُ وَالْقَائِمُ بِأَفْضَلَ عِنْدَنَا مِمَّنْ أَغْنَى نَفْسَهُ عَنِ النَّاسِ.
warawaynā ʿani al-ʿabbāsi qāla: samiʿtu ʾaḥmada bna thawrin yaqūlu: shayyaʿa rajulun ʾibrāhīma bna ʾadhama ʾilā al-ṣanawbari faqāla: yā ʾabā ʾisḥāqa, ʾawṣinī. qāla: ʾakthir waʾawjiz. qāla: mā al-ḥājju al-muʿtamiru walā al-ghāzī al-murābiṭu walā al-ṣāʾimu wa-al-qāʾimu biʾafḍala ʿindanā mimman ʾaghnā nafsahu ʿani al-nāsi.
We have related from al-ʿAbbās, “I heard Aḥmad ibn Thawr say, ‘A man accompanied Ibrāhīm ibn Adham as far as al-Ṣanawbar and said, “Abū Isḥāq, advise me.” He said, “Give much and be brief.” He replied, “In our view, neither one performing the greater and lesser pilgrimages, nor the fighter guarding the frontier, nor one who fasts and stands in prayer is better than someone who makes himself independent of other people.”’”
وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ لُقْمَانَ قَالَ لِابْنِهِ: يَا بُنَيَّ، خُذْ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا بَلَاغًا وَلَا تَرْفُضْهَا كُلَّ الرَّفْضِ فَتَكُونَ عِيَالًا عَلَى النَّاسِ. وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنْ شَاذَانَ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الْحَسَنَ بْنَ حَيٍّ عَنْ شَيْءٍ مِنَ الْمَكَاسِبِ فَقَالَ: إِنْ نَظَرْتَ فِي هَذَا حَرُمَ عَلَيْكَ مَاءُ الْفُرَاتِ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: طَلَبُ الْحَلَالِ أَشَدُّ مِنْ لِقَاءِ الزَّحْفِ.
warawaynā ʿan luqmāna qāla libnihi: yā bunayya, khudh mina al-dunyā balāghan walā tarfuḍhā kulla al-rafḍi fatakūna ʿiyālan ʿalā al-nāsi. waḥaddathūnā ʿan shādhāna qāla: saʾaltu al-ḥasana bna ḥayyin ʿan shayʾin mina al-makāsibi faqāla: ʾin naẓarta fī hādhā ḥaruma ʿalayka māʾu al-furāti. thumma qāla: ṭalabu al-ḥalāli ʾashaddu min liqāʾi al-zaḥfi.
We have related that Luqmān told his son, “My son, take enough from this world to sustain you. Do not reject it completely and become dependent on others.” They related to us from Shādhān, “I asked al-Ḥasan ibn Ḥayy about a matter of earnings. He said, ‘If you investigate this, even the water of the Euphrates will become forbidden to you.’ Then he said, ‘Seeking what is lawful is harder than facing an advancing army.’”
وَرَوَيْنَا عَنِ الْهَيْثَمِ بْنِ جَمِيلٍ قَالَ: قَالَ ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ: اِرْكَبِ الْبَرَّ وَالْبَحْرَ وَاسْتَغْنِ عَنِ النَّاسِ. قَالَ الْهَيْثَمُ: رُبَّمَا يَبْلُغُنِي عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَقَعُ فِيَّ فَأَذْكُرُ اسْتِغْنَائِي عَنْهُ فَيَهُونُ ذَلِكَ عَلَيَّ. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ قَالَ: قَالَ أَيُّوبُ: كَسْبٌ فِيهِ بَعْضُ الشَّيْءِ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنَ الْحَاجَةِ إِلَى النَّاسِ.
warawaynā ʿani al-haythami bni jamīlin qāla: qāla ibnu al-mubāraki: irkabi al-barra wa-al-baḥra wastaghni ʿani al-nāsi. qāla al-haythamu: rubbamā yablughunī ʿani al-rajuli yaqaʿu fiyya faʾadhkuru istighnāʾī ʿanhu fayahūnu dhālika ʿalayya. warawaynā ʿan ḥammādi bni zaydin qāla: qāla ʾayyūbu: kasbun fīhi baʿḍu al-shayʾi ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya mina al-ḥājati ʾilā al-nāsi.
We have related from al-Haytham ibn Jamīl that Ibn al-Mubārak said, “Travel over land and sea, and be independent of people.” Al-Haytham said, “Sometimes I hear that a man speaks ill of me. I remember that I have no need of him, and it becomes easy to bear.” We have related from Ḥammād ibn Zayd that Ayyūb said, “Earnings with something questionable in them are dearer to me than needing other people.”
أَنْشَدُونَا عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي الدُّنْيَا قَالَ: أَنْشَدَنِي عُمَرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: لَنَقْلُ الصَّخْرِ مِنْ قُلَلِ الْجِبَالِ أَخَفُّ عَلَيَّ مِنْ مِنَنِ الرِّجَالِ. يَقُولُ النَّاسُ: كَسْبٌ فِيهِ عَارٌ، فَقُلْتُ: الْعَارُ فِي ذُلِّ السُّؤَالِ.
ʾanshadūnā ʿani ibni ʾabī al-dunyā qāla: ʾanshadanī ʿumaru bnu ʿabdi Allāhi: lanaqlu al-ṣakhri min qulali al-jibāli ʾakhaffu ʿalayya min minani al-rijāli. yaqūlu al-nāsu: kasbun fīhi ʿārun, faqultu: al-ʿāru fī dhulli al-suʾāli.
They recited to us from Ibn Abī al-Dunyā, who said, “ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd Allāh recited to me: ‘Carrying rocks down from the mountaintops is lighter on me than men's favors. People say, “Such earning is disgraceful.” I answer, “Disgrace lies in the humiliation of begging.”’”
حُدِّثْنَا عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ طَرِيفٍ قَالَ: رَكِبَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ أَدْهَمَ الْبَحْرَ فَأَخَذَتْهُمْ رِيحٌ عَاصِفٌ أَشْرَفُوا عَلَى الْهَلَكَةِ، فَقَالُوا: يَا أَبَا إِسْحَاقَ، أَمَا تَرَى مَا نَحْنُ فِيهِ مِنَ الشِّدَّةِ؟ قَالَ: وَهَذِهِ شِدَّةٌ؟ قَالُوا: فَأَيُّ شَيْءٍ الشِّدَّةُ؟ قَالَ: الْحَاجَةُ إِلَى النَّاسِ.
ḥuddithnā ʿan mūsā bni ṭarīfin qāla: rakiba ʾibrāhīmu bnu ʾadhama al-baḥra faʾakhadhathum rīḥun ʿāṣifun ʾashrafū ʿalā al-halakati, faqālū: yā ʾabā ʾisḥāqa, ʾamā tarā mā naḥnu fīhi mina al-shiddati? qāla: wa-hādhihi shiddatun? qālū: faʾayyu shayʾin al-shiddatu? qāla: al-ḥājatu ʾilā al-nāsi.
We were told on the authority of Mūsā ibn Ṭarīf, “Ibrāhīm ibn Adham traveled by sea. A violent wind struck them, bringing them to the brink of destruction. They said, ‘Abū Isḥāq, do you not see the hardship we are in?’ He answered, ‘Is this hardship?’ ‘Then what is hardship?’ ‘Needing other people.’”
وَأَنْشَدَنَا بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ لِبَعْضِ الْأُدَبَاءِ: لَمَوْتُ الْفَتَى خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْبُخْلِ لِلْغِنَى، وَلَلْبُخْلُ خَيْرٌ مِنْ سُؤَالِ بَخِيلٍ. فَلَا تَجْعَلَنَّ شَيْئًا لِوَجْهِكَ قِيمَةً، وَلَا تَلْقَ مَخْلُوقًا بِوَجْهٍ ذَلِيلٍ. وَلَا تَسْأَلَنَّ مَنْ كَانَ يَسْأَلُ مَرَّةً، فَلَلْفَقْرُ خَيْرٌ مِنْ سُؤَالِ سَؤُولٍ.
waʾanshadanā baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi libaʿḍi al-ʾudabāʾi: lamawtu al-fatā khayrun mina al-bukhli li-l-ghinā, wa-la-l-bukhlu khayrun min suʾāli bakhīlin. falā tajʿalanna shayʾan liwajhika qīmatan, walā talqa makhlūqan biwajhin dhalīlin. walā tasʾalanna man kāna yasʾalu marratan, fa-la-l-faqru khayrun min suʾāli saʾūlin.
One scholar recited to us verses by a man of letters: “A young man's death is better than hoarding for wealth, and miserliness is better than asking a miser. Set no price upon your dignity, and meet no creature with a humbled face. Never ask someone who once used to ask: poverty is better than asking a habitual petitioner.”
وَأَنْشَدَنَا بَعْضُ الْأَشْيَاخِ: إِذَا عُدَّتِ الْآفَاتُ فَالْبُخْلُ شَرُّهَا، وَشَرٌّ مِنَ الْبُخْلِ الْمَوَاعِيدُ وَالْمَطْلُ. وَلَا خَيْرَ فِي وَعْدٍ إِذَا كَانَ كَاذِبًا، وَلَا خَيْرَ فِي قَوْلٍ إِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ فِعْلٌ.
waʾanshadanā baʿḍu al-ʾashyākhi: ʾidhā ʿuddati al-ʾāfātu fa-al-bukhlu sharruhā, washarrun mina al-bukhli al-mawāʿīdu wa-al-maṭlu. walā khayra fī waʿdin ʾidhā kāna kādhiban, walā khayra fī qawlin ʾidhā lam yakun fiʿlun.
One of the shaykhs recited to us: “When afflictions are counted, miserliness is the worst; worse than miserliness are promises and delays. There is no good in a promise if it is false, and no good in words when no deed follows.”
وَأَنْشَدَنَا لِبَعْضِهِمْ: إِذَا كُنْتَ لَا بُدَّ مُسْتَطْعِمًا فَمِنْ غَيْرِ مَنْ كَانَ يَسْتَطْعِمُ. فَإِنَّ الَّذِي كَانَ مُسْتَطْعِمًا إِذَا ذَكَرَ الْجُوعَ لَا يُطْعِمُ.
waʾanshadanā libaʿḍihim: ʾidhā kunta lā budda mustaṭʿiman famin ghayri man kāna yastaṭʿimu. faʾinna alladhī kāna mustaṭʿiman ʾidhā dhakara al-jūʿa lā yuṭʿimu.
He recited to us verses by another: “If you must ask someone for food, ask someone other than a former petitioner. One who once begged for food gives none when he remembers hunger.”
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٥١
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 451
Volume Two, page 451
وَأَنْشَدَنَا لِبَعْضِهِمْ: مَا خَلَّفَتْ حَوَّاءُ أَحْمَقَ لِحْيَةً مِنْ سَائِلٍ يَرْجُو الْغِنَى مِنْ سَائِلٍ. وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ قَالَ: كَانَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ فِي أَرْضٍ يَغْرِسُ النَّخْلَ، فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ: مَا تَصْنَعُ يَا مُحَمَّدُ؟ قَالَ: مَا تَرَى.
waʾanshadanā libaʿḍihim: mā khallafat ḥawwāʾu ʾaḥmaqa liḥyatan min sāʾilin yarjū al-ghinā min sāʾilin. waḥaddathūnā ʿan zaydi bni ʾaslama qāla: kāna muḥammadu bnu maslamata fī ʾarḍin yaghrisu al-nakhla, fadakhala ʿalayhi ʿumaru bnu al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu faqāla: mā taṣnaʿu yā muḥammadu? qāla: mā tarā.
He recited to us verses by another: “Eve has left no more foolish bearded man than a petitioner hoping to grow rich through another petitioner.” They related to us from Zayd ibn Aslam, “Muḥammad ibn Maslama was planting date palms on a piece of land when ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, may God be pleased with him, came in and asked, ‘What are you doing, Muḥammad?’ He replied, ‘What you see.’
قَالَ: أَصَبْتَ، اسْتَغْنِ عَنِ النَّاسِ يَكُنْ أَصْوَنَ لِدِينِكَ وَأَكْرَمَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ. كَيْفَ قَالَ صَاحِبُكُمْ أُحَيْحَةُ بْنُ الْجُلَاحِ: فَلَنْ أَزَالَ عَنِ الزَّوْرَاءِ أَعْمُرُهَا، إِنَّ الْحَبِيبَ إِلَى الْإِخْوَانِ ذُو الْمَالِ.
qāla: ʾaṣabta, istaghni ʿani al-nāsi yakun ʾaṣwana lidīnika waʾakrama laka ʿalayhim. kayfa qāla ṣāḥibukum ʾuḥayḥatu bnu al-julāḥi: falan ʾazāla ʿani al-zawrāʾi ʾaʿmuruhā, ʾinna al-ḥabība ʾilā al-ʾikhwāni dhū al-māli.
ʿUmar said, ‘You have done right. Be independent of people: it will better protect your religion and give you greater honor among them. How did your fellow tribesman Uḥayḥa ibn al-Julāḥ put it? “I shall not leave al-Zawrāʾ, tending it; the man dear to his brothers is the man of property.”’”
رَوَيْنَا عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ: مَاكِسْ دُونَ دِرْهَمِكَ، فَإِنَّ الْمَغْبُونَ لَا مَحْمُودٌ وَلَا مَأْجُورٌ. وَقَالَ سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: إِذَا قُلْتَ لِصَاحِبِكَ: أَحْسِنْ، فَأَحْسَنَ، فَهُوَ صَدَقَةٌ. وَحُدِّثْتُ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ قَالَ: كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ أَدْهَمَ وَرُفَقَاؤُهُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فِي شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ،
rawaynā ʿani ibni masʿūdin qāla: mākis dūna dirhamika, faʾinna al-maghbūna lā maḥmūdun walā maʾjūrun. waqāla sufyānu al-thawriyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā: ʾidhā qulta liṣāḥibika: ʾaḥsin, faʾaḥsana, fahuwa ṣadaqatun. waḥuddithtu ʿan ʿabdi Allāhi bni ʿabdi al-raḥmāni qāla: kāna ʾibrāhīmu bnu ʾadhama warufaqāʾuhu fī al-masjidi fī shahri ramaḍāna,
We have related that Ibn Masʿūd said, “Bargain to protect your dirham, for the cheated person is neither praiseworthy nor rewarded.” Sufyān al-Thawrī, may God Most High have mercy on him, said, “If you tell your companion, ‘Show kindness,’ and he does so, it counts as charity.” I was told on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, “Ibrāhīm ibn Adham and his companions were in the mosque during Ramadan.
فَلَمَّا سَلَّمَ الْإِمَامُ قَامَ رَجُلٌ فَسَأَلَ، فَلَمْ يُعْطَ شَيْئًا، وَوَضَعُوا عَشَاءَهُمْ فَقَالُوا لِإِبْرَاهِيمَ: يَا أَبَا إِسْحَاقَ، نَدْعُوهُ؟ قَالَ: لَا تَدْعُوهُ. فَبَاتَ بِغَيْرِ عَشَاءٍ. فَلَمَّا كَانَ مِنَ الْغَدِ جَاءَ رَفِيقٌ لِإِبْرَاهِيمَ فَقَالَ لَهُ: يَا أَبَا إِسْحَاقَ، رَأَيْتُ الَّذِي سَأَلَ الْبَارِحَةَ وَعَلَى رَأْسِهِ حُزْمَةُ حَطَبٍ.
falammā sallama al-ʾimāmu qāma rajulun fasaʾala, falam yuʿṭa shayʾan, wawaḍaʿū ʿashāʾahum faqālū liʾibrāhīma: yā ʾabā ʾisḥāqa, nadʿūhu? qāla: lā tadʿūhu. fabāta bighayri ʿashāʾin. falammā kāna mina al-ghadi jāʾa rafīqun liʾibrāhīma faqāla lahu: yā ʾabā ʾisḥāqa, raʾaytu alladhī saʾala al-bāriḥata waʿalā raʾsihi ḥuzmatu ḥaṭabin.
When the imam gave the closing salutation, a man stood and begged, but was given nothing. They set out their evening meal and asked Ibrāhīm, ‘Abū Isḥāq, shall we invite him?’ He said, ‘Do not invite him.’ The man spent the night without supper. The next day one of Ibrāhīm's companions came and said, ‘Abū Isḥāq, I saw the man who begged last night carrying a bundle of firewood on his head.’
فَقَالَ: تَدْرُونَ لِمَ قُلْتُ لَكُمْ: لَا تَدْعُوهُ؟ سَبَقَ إِلَى قَلْبِي أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَسْأَلْ قَبْلَهَا، فَكَرِهْتُ أَنْ أَدْعُوَهُ فَيَتَّكِلَ عَلَى عَشَائِكُمْ. قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ: وَقَالَ رَجُلٌ لِإِبْرَاهِيمَ: كَيْفَ أَصْبَحْتَ؟ قَالَ: بِخَيْرٍ مَا لَمْ يَتَحَمَّلْ مُؤُونَتِي غَيْرِي. وَعَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ طَرِيفٍ قَالَ: كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ أَدْهَمَ لَا يُمَاكِسُ إِذَا عَمِلَ مَعَ أَحَدٍ.
faqāla: tadrūna lima qultu lakum: lā tadʿūhu? sabaqa ʾilā qalbī ʾannahu lam yasʾal qablahā, fakarihtu ʾan ʾadʿuwahu fayattakila ʿalā ʿashāʾikum. qāla ʿabdu Allāhi: waqāla rajulun liʾibrāhīma: kayfa ʾaṣbaḥta? qāla: bikhayrin mā lam yataḥammal muʾūnatī ghayrī. waʿan mūsā bni ṭarīfin qāla: kāna ʾibrāhīmu bnu ʾadhama lā yumākisu ʾidhā ʿamila maʿa ʾaḥadin.
He answered, ‘Do you know why I told you not to invite him? It occurred to me that he had never begged before, and I did not want to invite him and make him rely on your supper.’” ʿAbd Allāh said, “A man asked Ibrāhīm, ‘How are you this morning?’ He answered, ‘Well, so long as no one else carries the cost of supporting me.’” Mūsā ibn Ṭarīf said, “Ibrāhīm ibn Adham did not haggle when he worked with someone.”
حَدَّثُونَا عَنْ يُوسُفَ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ إِنْسَانًا يَسْأَلُ عَلِيَّ بْنَ بَكَّارٍ: أَيُّهُمَا أَفْضَلُ، اللِّقَاطُ أَوِ الْبَطَالَةُ؟ فَقَالَ: اللِّقَاطُ فِيهِ مَعْرُوفٌ كَثِيرٌ؛ كَانَ سُلَيْمَانُ الْخَوَّاصُ يَلْقُطُ هَٰهُنَا عِنْدَنَا، وَكَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ أَدْهَمَ يُؤَاجِرُ نَفْسَهُ، وَكَانَ حُذَيْفَةُ يَضْرِبُ اللَّبِنَ.
ḥaddathūnā ʿan yūsufa bni saʿīdin qāla: samiʿtu ʾinsānan yasʾalu ʿaliyya bna bakkārin: ʾayyuhumā ʾafḍalu, al-liqāṭu ʾawi al-baṭālatu? faqāla: al-liqāṭu fīhi maʿrūfun kathīrun; kāna sulaymānu al-khawwāṣu yalquṭu hāhunā ʿindanā, wakāna ʾibrāhīmu bnu ʾadhama yuʾājiru nafsahu, wakāna ḥudhayfatu yaḍribu al-labina.
They related to us from Yūsuf ibn Saʿīd, “I heard someone ask ʿAlī ibn Bakkār, ‘Which is better: gleaning or idleness?’ He answered, ‘There is much good in gleaning. Sulaymān al-Khawwāṣ used to glean here among us; Ibrāhīm ibn Adham used to hire himself out; and Ḥudhayfa used to mold bricks.’”
أَبُو عَمْرٍو بْنُ الْعَلَاءِ قَالَ: قَالَ الْحَسَنُ: الْأَسْوَاقُ مَوَائِدُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، فَمَنْ أَتَاهَا أَصَابَ مِنْهَا. الْحَسَنُ بْنُ دِينَارٍ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ قَالَ: مَكْتُوبٌ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ: اِتَّقِ تُوقَ، وَسَلْ تُعْطَ، وَاطْلُبْ تَجِدْ. وَمَكْتُوبٌ فِي الْإِنْجِيلِ: ابْنَ آدَمَ، اصْبِرْ تُصَبَّرْ.
ʾabū ʿamrin bnu al-ʿalāʾi qāla: qāla al-ḥasanu: al-ʾaswāqu mawāʾidu Allāhi taʿālā, faman ʾatāhā ʾaṣāba minhā. al-ḥasanu bnu dīnārin ʿan qatādata qāla: maktūbun fī al-tawrāti: ittaqi tūqa, wasal tuʿṭa, waṭlub tajid. wamaktūbun fī al-ʾinjīli: ibna ʾādama, iṣbir tuṣabbar.
Abū ʿAmr ibn al-ʿAlāʾ said that al-Ḥasan said, “The markets are the tables spread by God Most High; whoever comes to them receives from them.” Al-Ḥasan ibn Dīnār related from Qatāda, “It is written in the Torah: ‘Be God-fearing and you will be protected; ask and you will be given; seek and you will find.’ And it is written in the Gospel: ‘Child of Adam, be patient and you will be given patience.’”
عَنْ أَبِي خَلْدَةَ عَنْ أَبِي الْعَالِيَةِ قَالَ: إِذَا اشْتَرَيْتَ شَيْئًا فَاشْتَرِ أَجْوَدَهُ. أَبُو الطُّفَيْلِ قَالَ: كُنْتُ عِنْدَ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ فَقِيلَ لَهُ: خَرَجَ الدَّجَّالُ، فَقَالَ: كِذْبَةُ صَبَّاغٍ. حُدِّثْنَا عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ يَمَانٍ عَنْ بَسَّامٍ الصَّيْرَفِيِّ عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ قَالَ: أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ الصَّيَارِفَةَ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ.
ʿan ʾabī khaldata ʿan ʾabī al-ʿāliyati qāla: ʾidhā ishtarayta shayʾan fashtari ʾajwadahu. ʾabū al-ṭufayli qāla: kuntu ʿinda ʾanasi bni mālikin faqīla lahu: kharaja al-dajjālu, faqāla: kidhbatu ṣabbāghin. ḥuddithnā ʿan yaḥyā bni yamānin ʿan bassāmin al-ṣayrafiyyi ʿan ʿikrimata qāla: ʾashhadu ʾanna al-ṣayārifata min ʾahli al-nāri.
Abū Khalda related from Abū al-ʿĀliya, “When you buy something, buy the best of it.” Abū al-Ṭufayl said, “I was with Anas ibn Mālik when he was told, ‘The Antichrist has appeared.’ He answered, ‘A dyer's lie.’” We were told on the authority of Yaḥyā ibn Yamān, from Bassām the money changer, from ʿIkrima, “I testify that money changers are among the people of the Fire.”
وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ بْنِ مَحْمُودٍ قَالَ: كُنْتُ عِنْدَ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، فَأَتَاهُ رَجُلٌ قَالَ: أَقْبَلْنَا حُجَّاجًا حَتَّى إِذَا كُنَّا بِالصِّفَاحِ تُوُفِّيَ صَاحِبٌ لَنَا فَحَفَرْنَا لَهُ، وَإِذَا أَسْوَدُ قَدْ مَلَأَ اللَّحْدَ كُلَّهُ، ثُمَّ حَفَرْنَا لَهُ قَبْرًا آخَرَ فَإِذَا الْأَسْوَدُ قَدْ مَلَأَ اللَّحْدَ،
warawaynā ʿan ʿabdi al-ḥamīdi bni maḥmūdin qāla: kuntu ʿinda ibni ʿabbāsin, faʾatāhu rajulun qāla: ʾaqbalnā ḥujjājan ḥattā ʾidhā kunnā bi-al-ṣifāḥi tuwuffiya ṣāḥibun lanā faḥafarnā lahu, waʾidhā ʾaswadu qad malaʾa al-laḥda kullahu, thumma ḥafarnā lahu qabran ʾākhara faʾidhā al-ʾaswadu qad malaʾa al-laḥda,
We have related from ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn Maḥmūd, “I was with Ibn ʿAbbās when a man came and said, ‘We were traveling as pilgrims. At al-Ṣifāḥ one of our companions died, and we dug a grave for him, only to find a black snake filling the entire burial niche. We dug another grave, and the black snake filled its niche too.
فَحَفَرْنَا لَهُ قَبْرًا آخَرَ فَإِذَا الْأَسْوَدُ قَدْ مَلَأَ اللَّحْدَ كُلَّهُ، فَتَرَكْنَاهُ وَأَتَيْنَاكَ نَسْأَلُكَ مَا تَأْمُرُنَا. قَالَ: ذَاكَ عَمَلُهُ الَّذِي كَانَ يَعْمَلُ. وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ
faḥafarnā lahu qabran ʾākhara faʾidhā al-ʾaswadu qad malaʾa al-laḥda kullahu, fataraknāhu waʾataynāka nasʾaluka mā taʾmurunā. qāla: dhāka ʿamaluhu alladhī kāna yaʿmalu. wafī riwāyatin
We dug yet another grave, and again the black snake filled the whole niche. We left him and came to ask what you instruct us to do.’ He said, ‘That is the work he used to do.’” In another version,
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٥٢
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 452
Volume Two, page 452
أُخْرَى: ذَاكَ غُلُّهُ الَّذِي كَانَ يَغُلُّ بِهِ، اِذْهَبُوا فَادْفِنُوهُ فِي بَعْضِهَا، فَوَاللَّهِ لَوْ حَفَرْتُمْ لَهُ الْأَرْضَ كُلَّهَا لَوَجَدْتُمْ ذَاكَ. قَالَ: فَأَلْقَيْنَاهُ فِي قَبْرٍ مِنْهَا، فَلَمَّا قَضَيْنَا سَفَرَنَا أَتَيْنَا امْرَأَتَهُ فَسَأَلْنَا عَنْ عَمَلِهِ،
ʾukhrā: dhāka ghulluhu alladhī kāna yaghullu bihi, idhhabū fadfinūhu fī baʿḍihā, fawa-Allāhi law ḥafartum lahu al-ʾarḍa kullahā lawajadtum dhāka. qāla: faʾalqaynāhu fī qabrin minhā, falammā qaḍaynā safaranā ʾataynā imraʾatahu fasaʾalnā ʿan ʿamalihi,
he said, “That is the fraud by which he used to cheat. Go and bury him in one of the graves. By God, even if you dug up the whole earth for him, you would find that.” The man said, “We put him in one of the graves. When our journey was over, we visited his wife and asked about his work.
فَقَالَتْ: كَانَ رَجُلًا يَبِيعُ الطَّعَامَ، فَيَأْخُذُ قُوتَ أَهْلِهِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ ثُمَّ يَنْظُرُ مِثْلَهُ مِنْ قَصَبِ الشَّعِيرِ فَيُقَطِّعُهُ فَيَخْلِطُهُ فِي الطَّعَامِ مَكَانَ مَا أَخَذَ فَيَبِيعُهُ. عَنْ حَجَّاجٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ: أَنَّ عَلِيًّا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ كَانَ يُضَمِّنُ الْقَصَّارَ وَالصَّبَّاغَ وَالْخَيَّاطَ لِيَحْفَظُوا عَلَى النَّاسِ أَمْتِعَتَهُمْ.
faqālat: kāna rajulan yabīʿu al-ṭaʿāma, fayaʾkhudhu qūta ʾahlihi kulla yawmin thumma yanẓuru mithlahu min qaṣabi al-shaʿīri fayuqaṭṭiʿuhu fayakhliṭuhu fī al-ṭaʿāmi makāna mā ʾakhadha fayabīʿuhu. ʿan ḥajjājin ʿan ʾabī jaʿfarin muḥammadi bni ʿaliyyin: ʾanna ʿaliyyan raḍiya Allāhu taʿālā ʿanhu kāna yuḍamminu al-qaṣṣāra wa-al-ṣabbāgha wa-al-khayyāṭa liyaḥfaẓū ʿalā al-nāsi ʾamtiʿatahum.
She said, ‘He sold food. Each day he took his family's ration from it, then found an equal amount of barley stalks, cut them up, and mixed them into the food in place of what he had taken. Then he sold it.’” Ḥajjāj related from Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī that ʿAlī, may God Most High be pleased with him, held the cloth fuller, dyer, and tailor liable, so that they would safeguard people's goods.
وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ قَالَ: سُئِلَ مَالِكُ بْنُ أَنَسٍ فِي الرَّجُلِ يُسْلِمُ الثَّوْبَ إِلَى الْحَائِكِ بِالنِّصْفِ وَدِرْهَمٍ وَالنِّصْفِ وَدِرْهَمَيْنِ. قَالَ: هَذَا شَرْطٌ فَاسِدٌ وَلَهُ أُجْرَةُ مِثْلِهِ، إِلَّا أَنْ يُخَالِفَ الشَّرْطَ فَعَلَيْهِ الْغُرْمُ.
warawaynā ʿan hishāmi bni ʿammārin qāla: suʾila māliku bnu ʾanasin fī al-rajuli yuslimu al-thawba ʾilā al-ḥāʾiki bi-al-niṣfi wadirhamin wa-al-niṣfi wadirhamayni. qāla: hādhā sharṭun fāsidun walahu ʾujratu mithlihi, ʾillā ʾan yukhālifa al-sharṭa faʿalayhi al-ghurmu.
We have related from Hishām ibn ʿAmmār, “Mālik ibn Anas was asked about a man who entrusts cloth to a weaver in return for half and a dirham, or half and two dirhams. He answered, ‘That is an invalid stipulation. The weaver is entitled to the customary wage for such work, unless he contravenes the agreed condition, in which case he must make compensation.’”
وَحَدَّثَنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ الْمُقْرِئِ قَالَ: سُئِلَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْمَرْوَزِيُّ وَأَنَا أَسْمَعُ: الْحَائِكُ يَنْسِجُ الثَّوْبَ عَلَى الْخُمْسَيْنِ وَدِرْهَمَيْنِ وَعَلَى الْخُمْسَيْنِ وَثَلَاثَةِ دَرَاهِمَ وَأَكْثَرَ؟ قَالَ: لَا بَأْسَ إِذَا رَضِينَا. قُلْتُ: فَالنِّصْفُ وَدِرْهَمٌ وَالنِّصْفُ وَدِرْهَمَانِ؟ قَالَ: لَا بَأْسَ. سُئِلَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ عَنْ هَذِهِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ فَقَالَ: لَا بَأْسَ.
waḥaddathanā ʿan ʾaḥmada bni al-ḥasani al-muqriʾi qāla: suʾila ʾabū bakrin al-marwaziyyu waʾanā ʾasmaʿu: al-ḥāʾiku yansiju al-thawba ʿalā al-khumsayni wadirhamayni waʿalā al-khumsayni wathalāthati darāhima waʾakthara? qāla: lā baʾsa ʾidhā raḍīnā. qultu: fa-al-niṣfu wadirhamun wa-al-niṣfu wadirhamāni? qāla: lā baʾsa. suʾila ʾaḥmadu bnu ḥanbalin ʿan hādhihi al-masʾalati faqāla: lā baʾsa.
He related to us from Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥasan the Qurʾān reciter, “I heard Abū Bakr al-Marwazī asked, ‘May a weaver weave cloth for two-fifths and two dirhams, or two-fifths and three dirhams or more?’ He answered, ‘There is no harm if we consent.’ I asked, ‘And half and a dirham, or half and two dirhams?’ ‘There is no harm.’” Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was asked about this matter and said, “There is no harm.”
وَحَدَّثَنَا عَنْ أَبِي دَاوُدَ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ حَنْبَلٍ سُئِلَ عَنِ الثَّوْبِ يُعْطَى عَلَى الثُّلُثِ أَوِ الرُّبْعِ لِلْحَائِكِ، قَالَ: لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: هَلْ هَذَا إِلَّا مِثْلُ الْمُضَارَبَةِ وَمِثْلُ قِصَّةِ جُبَيْرٍ؟ لَعَلَّهُ أَنْ يَرْبَحَ الْمُضَارِبُ شَيْئًا وَلَا يُخْرِجَ الْأَرْضُ شَيْئًا، كُلُّهَا عِنْدِي قَرِيبَةٌ.
waḥaddathanā ʿan ʾabī dāwūda qāla: samiʿtu ibna ḥanbalin suʾila ʿani al-thawbi yuʿṭā ʿalā al-thuluthi ʾawi al-rubʿi li-l-ḥāʾiki, qāla: lā baʾsa bihi. thumma qāla: hal hādhā ʾillā mithlu al-muḍārabati wamithlu qiṣṣati jubayrin? laʿallahu ʾan yarbaḥa al-muḍāribu shayʾan walā yukhrija al-ʾarḍu shayʾan, kulluhā ʿindī qarībatun.
He related to us from Abū Dāwūd, “I heard Ibn Ḥanbal asked about cloth given to a weaver for a third or a quarter. He answered, ‘There is no harm.’ Then he said, ‘Is this not like a profit-sharing investment and the story of Jubayr? The investing trader may earn something while the land produces nothing. To me, these arrangements are all closely related.’”
وَعَنْ ابْنِ وَهْبٍ قَالَ: قَالَ مَالِكٌ فِي رَجُلٍ بَاعَ بَعْدَ النِّدَاءِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ، قَالَ: يُفْسَخُ ذَلِكَ الْبَيْعُ. قِيلَ: عَامَلَ وَتَرَكَ الْقِيَامَ إِلَيْهَا وَهُوَ حُرٌّ. قَالَ: بِئْسَمَا صَنَعَ، فَلْيَسْتَغْفِرْ رَبَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. وَقَالَ رَبِيعَةُ: ظَلَمَ وَأَسَاءَ. قَالَ: وَقَالَ مَالِكٌ: يَحْرُمُ الْبَيْعُ حَتَّى يَخْرُجَ الْإِمَامُ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ.
waʿan ibni wahbin qāla: qāla mālikun fī rajulin bāʿa baʿda al-nidāʾi yawma al-jumuʿati, qāla: yufsakhu dhālika al-bayʿu. qīla: ʿāmala wataraka al-qiyāma ʾilayhā wahuwa ḥurrun. qāla: biʾsamā ṣanaʿa, falyastaghfir rabbahu ʿazza wajalla. waqāla rabīʿatu: ẓalama waʾasāʾa. qāla: waqāla mālikun: yaḥrumu al-bayʿu ḥattā yakhruja al-ʾimāmu yawma al-jumuʿati.
Ibn Wahb related that Mālik said about a man who sold after the call on Friday, “That sale is annulled.” He was asked about someone who conducted business and failed to go to the prayer despite being free. He answered, “What a bad thing he has done! Let him seek forgiveness from his Lord, mighty and majestic.” Rabīʿa said, “He has done wrong and acted badly.” Mālik also said, “Selling is forbidden until the imam comes out on Friday.”
حُدِّثْنَا عَنْ أَبِي دَاوُدَ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ حَنْبَلٍ غَيْرَ مَرَّةٍ يَكْرَهُ التِّجَارَةَ وَالْمُعَامَلَةَ بِالْمُزَيَّفَةِ وَالْمُكَحَّلَةِ. قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ: سَأَلْتُ إِسْحَاقَ بْنَ رَاهَوَيْهِ عَنْ إِنْفَاقِ الْمُزَيَّفَةِ فَقَالَ: لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ. وَقَالَ عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ الْوَرَّاقُ: سَأَلْتُ بِشْرًا عَنِ الْمُعَامَلَةِ بِالْمُزَيَّفَةِ فَقَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الْمُعَافَى عَنْهَا فَقَالَ: سَأَلْتُ سُفْيَانَ الثَّوْرِيَّ عَنْهَا فَقَالَ: حَرَامٌ.
ḥuddithnā ʿan ʾabī dāwūda qāla: samiʿtu ʾaḥmada bna ḥanbalin ghayra marratin yakrahu al-tijārata wa-al-muʿāmalata bi-al-muzayyafati wa-al-mukaḥḥalati. qāla ʾabū dāwūda: saʾaltu ʾisḥāqa bna rāhawayhi ʿan ʾinfāqi al-muzayyafati faqāla: lā baʾsa bihi. waqāla ʿabdu al-wahhābi al-warrāqu: saʾaltu bishran ʿani al-muʿāmalati bi-al-muzayyafati faqāla: saʾaltu al-muʿāfā ʿanhā faqāla: saʾaltu sufyāna al-thawriyya ʿanhā faqāla: ḥarāmun.
We were told on the authority of Abū Dāwūd, “More than once I heard Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal disapprove of trading and dealing in debased and blackened coins.” Abū Dāwūd said, “I asked Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh about spending debased coins, and he said, ‘There is no harm.’” ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Warrāq said, “I asked Bishr about dealing in debased coins. He said, ‘I asked al-Muʿāfā, who said, “I asked Sufyān al-Thawrī, and he said, ‘Forbidden.’”’”
حُدِّثْنَا عَنِ الْحَسَنِ الْخَيَّاطِ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ بِشْرَ بْنَ الْحَارِثِ وَقَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنْ جِيرَانِهِ: أَسْلَمْتُ عِمَامَةً إِلَى الْحَائِكِ، الدَّقِيقُ عَلَى مَنْ؟ قَالَ: عَلَى الْحَائِكِ وَالْخُيُوطُ لَكَ.
ḥuddithnā ʿani al-ḥasani al-khayyāṭi qāla: samiʿtu bishra bna al-ḥārithi waqāla lahu rajulun min jīrānihi: ʾaslamtu ʿimāmatan ʾilā al-ḥāʾiki, al-daqīqu ʿalā man? qāla: ʿalā al-ḥāʾiki wa-al-khuyūṭu laka.
We were told on the authority of al-Ḥasan the tailor, “I heard a neighbor ask Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith, ‘I entrusted a turban to a weaver. Who supplies the flour?’ He answered, ‘The weaver supplies it, and the threads belong to you.’”
وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنْ بِشْرٍ عَنِ الْفُضَيْلِ بْنِ عِيَاضٍ عَنْ لَيْثٍ عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ أَنَّ مَرْيَمَ عَلَيْهَا السَّلَامُ مَرَّتْ بِحَاكَةٍ قُعُودٍ عَلَى ظَهْرِ طَرِيقٍ فِي طَلَبِ عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، فَقَالَتْ: كَيْفَ طَرِيقُ مَوْضِعِ كَذَا وَكَذَا؟ فَأَرْشَدُوهَا إِلَى غَيْرِ الطَّرِيقِ الَّتِي أَرَادَتْ، فَضَلَّتْ فَدَعَتِ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى عَلَيْهِمْ،
waḥaddathūnā ʿan bishrin ʿani al-fuḍayli bni ʿiyāḍin ʿan laythin ʿan mujāhidin ʾanna maryama ʿalayhā al-salāmu marrat biḥākatin quʿūdin ʿalā ẓahri ṭarīqin fī ṭalabi ʿīsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu, faqālat: kayfa ṭarīqu mawḍiʿi kadhā wakadhā? faʾarshadūhā ʾilā ghayri al-ṭarīqi allatī ʾarādat, faḍallat fadaʿati Allāha tabāraka wataʿālā ʿalayhim,
They related to us from Bishr, from al-Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ, from Layth, from Mujāhid, that Mary, peace be upon her, passed some weavers sitting along a road while she was searching for Jesus, peace be upon him. She asked, “Which way leads to such-and-such a place?” They directed her along a different road from the one she wanted. She became lost and called upon God, blessed and exalted, against them,
فَقَالَتْ: اللَّهُمَّ انْزِعِ الْبَرَكَةَ مِنْ كَسْبِهِمْ وَأَمِتْهُمْ فُقَرَاءَ وَحَقِّرْهُمْ فِي أَعْيُنِ النَّاسِ. قَالَ بِشْرٌ: أَحْسَبُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ اسْتَجَابَ دُعَاءَهَا فِيهِمْ. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْجِيلِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «مَنْ فَرَّقَ بَيْنَ الْوَالِدِ وَوَلَدِهِ فِي الْبَيْعِ فَرَّقَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ أَحِبَّتِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ».
faqālat: Allāhumma inziʿi al-barakata min kasbihim waʾamithum fuqarāʾa waḥaqqirhum fī ʾaʿyuni al-nāsi. qāla bishrun: ʾaḥsabu ʾanna Allāha ʿazza wajalla istajāba duʿāʾahā fīhim. warawaynā ʿan ʾabī ʿabdi al-raḥmāni al-jīliyyi ʿan ʾabī ʾayyūba al-ʾanṣāriyyi ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla: «man farraqa bayna al-wālidi wawaladihi fī al-bayʿi farraqa Allāhu ʿazza wajalla baynahu wabayna ʾaḥibbatihi yawma al-qiyāmati».
saying, “O God, remove blessing from their earnings, let them die poor, and make them contemptible in people's eyes.” Bishr said, “I think God, mighty and majestic, answered her prayer concerning them.” We have related from Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Jīlī, from Abū Ayyūb al-Anṣārī, that God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whoever separates a father from his child in a sale will be separated by God, mighty and majestic, from his loved ones on the Day of Resurrection.”
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٥٣
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 453
Volume Two, page 453
سُفْيَانُ عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَنَّ أَبَاهُ بَعَثَ بِغُلَامٍ لَهُ بِمَالٍ إِلَى أَصْبَهَانَ بِأَرْبَعَةِ آلَافٍ، فَبَلَغَ الْمَالُ سِتَّةَ عَشَرَ أَلْفًا أَوْ نَحْوَ ذَلِكَ، فَبَلَغَهُ أَنَّهُ مَاتَ، فَذَهَبَ يَأْخُذُ مِيرَاثَهُ فَبَلَغَهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يُقَارِفُ الرِّبَا، فَأَخَذَ أَرْبَعَةَ آلَافٍ وَتَرَكَ الْبَقِيَّةَ.
sufyānu ʿan manṣūrin ʿan mūsā bni ʿabdi Allāhi ʾanna ʾabāhu baʿatha bighulāmin lahu bimālin ʾilā ʾaṣbahāna biʾarbaʿati ʾālāfin, fabalagha al-mālu sittata ʿashara ʾalfan ʾaw naḥwa dhālika, fabalaghahu ʾannahu māta, fadhahaba yaʾkhudhu mīrāthahu fabalaghahu ʾannahu kāna yuqārifu al-ribā, faʾakhadha ʾarbaʿata ʾālāfin wataraka al-baqiyyata.
Sufyān related from Manṣūr, from Mūsā ibn ʿAbd Allāh, that his father sent a young man in his service to Isfahan with four thousand in money. It grew to sixteen thousand or thereabouts. When he heard that the young man had died, he went to collect his estate, but learned that he had engaged in usury. He took four thousand and left the remainder.
وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الْمَرْوَزِيِّ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الَّذِي يُعَامِلُ بِالرِّبَا، يُؤْكَلُ عِنْدَهُ؟ قَالَ: لَا. قَالَ: وَسَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ: الَّذِي يَتَعَامَلُ بِالرِّبَا يَأْخُذُ رَأْسَ مَالِهِ، وَإِنْ عَرَفَ أَصْحَابَهُ رَدَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَإِلَّا تَصَدَّقَ بِالْفَضْلِ.
waḥaddathūnā ʿan ʾabī bakrin al-marwaziyyi qāla: saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani alladhī yuʿāmilu bi-al-ribā, yuʾkalu ʿindahu? qāla: lā. qāla: wasamiʿtu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi yaqūlu: alladhī yataʿāmalu bi-al-ribā yaʾkhudhu raʾsa mālihi, waʾin ʿarafa ʾaṣḥābahu raddahu ʿalayhim waʾillā taṣaddaqa bi-al-faḍli.
They related to us from Abū Bakr al-Marwazī, “I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about someone who deals in usury: ‘May one eat at his house?’ He said, ‘No.’ I also heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh say, ‘Someone who has dealt in usury takes back his capital. If he knows the owners of the rest, he returns it to them; otherwise he gives the surplus in charity.’”
وَرَوَيْنَا حَدِيثَ رَبِيعَةَ بْنِ يَزِيدَ عَنْ عَطِيَّةَ السَّعْدِيِّ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لَا يَبْلُغُ الْعَبْدُ أَنْ يَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ حَتَّى يَدَعَ مَا لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ حَذَرًا لِمَا بِهِ بَأْسٌ». وَرَوَيْنَا حَدِيثَ عَبَّاسِ بْنِ جُلَيْدٍ قَالَ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ: إِنَّ تَمَامَ التَّقْوَى أَنْ يَتَّقِيَ الْعَبْدُ فِي مِثْقَالِ ذَرَّةٍ حَتَّى يَتْرُكَ بَعْضَ مَا يَرَى أَنَّهُ حَلَالٌ خَشْيَةَ أَنْ يَكُونَ حَرَامًا، يَكُونُ حِجَابًا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْحَرَامِ.
warawaynā ḥadītha rabīʿata bni yazīda ʿan ʿaṭiyyata al-saʿdiyyi qāla: qāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «lā yablughu al-ʿabdu ʾan yakūna mina al-muttaqīna ḥattā yadaʿa mā lā baʾsa bihi ḥadharan limā bihi baʾsun». warawaynā ḥadītha ʿabbāsi bni julaydin qāla ʾabū al-dardāʾi: ʾinna tamāma al-taqwā ʾan yattaqiya al-ʿabdu fī mithqāli dharratin ḥattā yatruka baʿḍa mā yarā ʾannahu ḥalālun khashyata ʾan yakūna ḥarāman, yakūnu ḥijāban baynahu wabayna al-ḥarāmi.
We have related the hadith of Rabīʿa ibn Yazīd from ʿAṭiyya al-Saʿdī, who said that God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “A servant does not become one of the God-fearing until he abandons what is unobjectionable out of caution against what is objectionable.” We have also related the account of ʿAbbās ibn Julayd: Abū al-Dardāʾ said, “Complete piety means that a servant exercises caution over a mote's weight, even leaving aside some things he considers lawful, for fear that they may be unlawful, thereby placing a barrier between himself and the unlawful.”
حُدِّثْنَا عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الْمَرْوَزِيِّ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَكُونُ مَعَهُ ثَلَاثَةُ دَرَاهِمَ مِنْهَا دِرْهَمٌ حَرَامٌ لَا يَعْرِفُهُ. قَالَ: لَا يَأْكُلُ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا حَتَّى يَعْرِفَهُ. وَاحْتَجَّ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بِحَدِيثِ عَدِيِّ بْنِ حَاتِمٍ أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ: إِنِّي أُرْسِلُ كَلْبِي فَأَجِدُ مَعَهُ كَلْبًا آخَرَ، فَقَالَ: «لَا تَأْكُلْ حَتَّى تَعْلَمَ أَنَّ كَلْبَكَ قَدْ قَتَلَهُ».
ḥuddithnā ʿan ʾabī bakrin al-marwaziyyi qāla: saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-rajuli yakūnu maʿahu thalāthatu darāhima minhā dirhamun ḥarāmun lā yaʿrifuhu. qāla: lā yaʾkulu minhu shayʾan ḥattā yaʿrifahu. waḥtajja ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi biḥadīthi ʿadiyyi bni ḥātimin ʾannahu saʾala al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama faqāla: ʾinnī ʾursilu kalbī faʾajidu maʿahu kalban ʾākhara, faqāla: «lā taʾkul ḥattā taʿlama ʾanna kalbaka qad qatalahu».
We were told on the authority of Abū Bakr al-Marwazī, “I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about a man with three dirhams, one of them unlawful, who does not know which it is. He said, ‘He may consume none of it until he identifies it.’ Abū ʿAbd Allāh cited the hadith of ʿAdī ibn Ḥātim, who asked the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, ‘I send my hunting dog and find another dog with it.’ He answered, ‘Do not eat until you know that your own dog killed it.’”
وَسَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يُدْفَعُ إِلَيْهِ الدَّرَاهِمُ الصِّحَاحُ يَصُوغُهَا، قَالَ: فِيهَا نَهْيٌ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَعَنْ أَصْحَابِهِ، وَأَنَا أَكْرَهُ كَسْرَ الدَّرَاهِمِ وَالْقِطْعَةِ. قُلْتُ: فَإِنْ أُعْطِيتُ دِينَارًا أَصُوغُهُ كَيْفَ أَصْنَعُ؟ قَالَ: تَشْتَرِي بِهِ دَرَاهِمَ ثُمَّ تَشْتَرِي بِهِ ذَهَبًا.
wasaʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-rajuli yudfaʿu ʾilayhi al-darāhimu al-ṣiḥāḥu yaṣūghuhā, qāla: fīhā nahyun ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama waʿan ʾaṣḥābihi, waʾanā ʾakrahu kasra al-darāhimi wa-al-qiṭʿati. qultu: faʾin ʾuʿṭītu dīnāran ʾaṣūghuhu kayfa ʾaṣnaʿu? qāla: tashtarī bihi darāhima thumma tashtarī bihi dhahaban.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about a man given sound dirhams to fashion into an object. He said, “There is a prohibition concerning this from God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, and his companions. I dislike breaking dirhams and coin pieces.” I asked, “If I am given a dinar to fashion, what should I do?” He answered, “Buy dirhams with it, then buy gold with that.”
قُلْتُ: فَإِنْ كَانَتِ الدَّرَاهِمُ مِنَ الْفَيْءِ وَيَشْتَهِي صَاحِبُهَا أَنْ تَكُونَ بِأَعْيَانِهَا؟ قَالَ: إِذَا أَخَذْتَ بِحِذَائِهَا فَهُوَ مِثْلُهَا. وَرَوَى أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ حَدِيثَ عَلْقَمَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ نَهَى عَنْ كَسْرِ سِكَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ الْجَائِزَةِ بَيْنَهُمْ إِلَّا مِنْ بَأْسٍ.
qultu: faʾin kānati al-darāhimu mina al-fayʾi wayashtahī ṣāḥibuhā ʾan takūna biʾaʿyānihā? qāla: ʾidhā ʾakhadhta biḥidhāʾihā fahuwa mithluhā. warawā ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi ḥadītha ʿalqamata bni ʿabdi Allāhi ʿan ʾabīhi ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama nahā ʿan kasri sikkati al-muslimīna al-jāʾizati baynahum ʾillā min baʾsin.
I asked, “What if the dirhams come from revenues acquired without battle and their owner wants those very coins used?” He answered, “If you take their equivalent, it is like them.” Abū ʿAbd Allāh related the hadith of ʿAlqama ibn ʿAbd Allāh, from his father, that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, forbade breaking Muslims' current coinage unless there was a defect.
قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: الْبَأْسُ أَنْ يُخْتَلَفَ فِي الدَّرَاهِمِ فَيَقُولَ الْوَاحِدُ: جَيِّدٌ، وَيَقُولَ الْآخَرُ: رَدِيءٌ، فَيَكْسِرَهُ لِهَذَا الْمَعْنَى. قَالَ: وَسَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَكْتَسِبُ بِالْأَجْرِ فَيَجْلِسُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَقَالَ: أَمَّا الْخَيَّاطُ وَأَشْبَاهُهُ فَمَا يُعْجِبُنِي، إِنَّمَا بُنِيَ الْمَسْجِدُ لِيُذْكَرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِيهِ، وَكَرِهَ الْبَيْعَ وَالشِّرَاءَ فِيهِ.
qāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: al-baʾsu ʾan yukhtalafa fī al-darāhimi fayaqūla al-wāḥidu: jayyidun, wayaqūla al-ʾākharu: radīʾun, fayaksirahu li-hādhā al-maʿnā. qāla: wasaʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-rajuli yaktasibu bi-al-ʾajri fayajlisu fī al-masjidi faqāla: ʾammā al-khayyāṭu waʾashbāhuhu famā yuʿjibunī, ʾinnamā buniya al-masjidu liyudhkara Allāhu taʿālā fīhi, wakariha al-bayʿa wa-al-shirāʾa fīhi.
Abū ʿAbd Allāh said, “The defect is when people disagree about a dirham, one saying it is good and another saying it is bad, so it is broken for that reason.” He said, “I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about a man earning wages who sits working in the mosque. He answered, ‘In the case of tailors and the like, I do not approve. The mosque was built for God Most High to be remembered in it.’” He also disapproved of buying and selling there.
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: لِلرَّجُلِ يَعْمَلُ الْمَغَازِلَ وَيَأْتِي الْمَقَابِرَ فَرُبَّمَا أَصَابَهُ الْمَطَرُ فَيَدْخُلُ فِي بَعْضِ تِلْكَ الْقِبَابِ فَيَعْمَلُ فِيهَا؟ قَالَ: الْمَقَابِرُ إِنَّمَا هِيَ مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ، وَكَرِهَ ذَلِكَ. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: أَشْتَرِي الدَّقِيقَ فَيَزِيدُ فِي مِثْلِ الْقَفِيزِ الْمَكُّوكَ. قَالَ: هَذَا فَاحِشٌ، هَذَا لَا يَتَغَابَنُ النَّاسُ فِيهِ.
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: li-l-rajuli yaʿmalu al-maghāzila wayaʾtī al-maqābira farubbamā ʾaṣābahu al-maṭaru fayadkhulu fī baʿḍi tilka al-qibābi fayaʿmalu fīhā? qāla: al-maqābiru ʾinnamā hiya mina al-ʾākhirati, wakariha dhālika. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: ʾashtarī al-daqīqa fayazīdu fī mithli al-qafīzi al-makkūka. qāla: hādhā fāḥishun, hādhā lā yataghābanu al-nāsu fīhi.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “May a man who makes spindles and visits graveyards, if caught by rain, enter one of their domed structures and work there?” He said, “Graveyards belong to the hereafter,” and disapproved. I asked, “I buy flour, and a makkūk is added to a quantity such as a qafīz.” He answered, “That is excessive; people do not ordinarily accept a discrepancy of that size.”
قُلْتُ: فَكَيْلَجَةٌ أَوْ دُونَهَا؟ قَالَ: هَذَا يَتَغَابَنُ النَّاسُ بِمِثْلِهِ. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: رَفَّاءُ الْوَسَائِدِ وَالْأَنْمَاطِ يَرْفُو لِلتُّجَّارِ وَهُمْ يَبِيعُونَ وَلَا يُخْبِرُونَ بِالرَّفْوِ. قَالَ: يَعْمَلُهُ الْعَمَلَ الَّذِي يَتَبَيَّنُ، لَا يَعْمَلُ الْخَفِيَّ الَّذِي لَا يَتَبَيَّنُ إِلَّا لِمَنْ يَثِقُ بِهِ.
qultu: fakaylajatun ʾaw dūnahā? qāla: hādhā yataghābanu al-nāsu bimithlihi. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: raffāʾu al-wasāʾidi wa-al-ʾanmāṭi yarfū li-l-tujjāri wahum yabīʿūna walā yukhbirūna bi-al-rafwi. qāla: yaʿmaluhu al-ʿamala alladhī yatabayyanu, lā yaʿmalu al-khafiyya alladhī lā yatabayyanu ʾillā liman yathiqu bihi.
I asked, “What about a kaylaja or less?” He answered, “People accept discrepancies of that size.” I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about someone who darns cushions and patterned coverings for merchants who sell them without disclosing the repairs. He said, “Let him do repairs that are visible. He should not do concealed work that cannot be noticed, except for someone he trusts.”
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: الثَّوْبُ أَلْبَسُهُ، تَرَى أَنْ أَبِيعَهُ مُرَابَحَةً؟ قَالَ: لَا، وَإِنْ بِعْتَهُ مُسَاوَمَةً فَبَيِّنْ أَنَّكَ قَدْ لَبِسْتَهُ، وَإِلَّا بِعْتَهُ فِي سُوقِ الْخَلَقِ. سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ إِبْرِيقِ فِضَّةٍ يُبَاعُ، قَالَ: لَا حَتَّى
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: al-thawbu ʾalbasuhu, tarā ʾan ʾabīʿahu murābaḥatan? qāla: lā, waʾin biʿtahu musāwamatan fabayyin ʾannaka qad labistahu, waʾillā biʿtahu fī sūqi al-khalaqi. saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿan ʾibrīqi fiḍḍatin yubāʿu, qāla: lā ḥattā
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “May I sell a garment I have worn on a disclosed-cost-plus-profit basis?” He said, “No. If you sell it by bargaining, disclose that you have worn it; otherwise sell it in the secondhand market.” I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about selling a silver ewer. He said, “Not until
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٥٤
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 454
Volume Two, page 454
يُكْسَرَ»، وَيَقُولُ: لَا يُبَاعُ الْحَرِيرُ. أُمَيَّةُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ قَالَ: كَانَ يُونُسُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ إِذَا طُلِبَ الْمَتَاعُ أَرْسَلَ إِلَى وَكِيلِهِ بِالسُّوسِ: أَنْ أَعْلِمْ مَنْ تَشْتَرِي مِنْهُ الْمَتَاعَ أَنَّ الْمَتَاعَ يُطْلَبُ.
yuksara», wayaqūlu: lā yubāʿu al-ḥarīru. ʾumayyatu bnu khālidin qāla: kāna yūnusu bnu ʿubaydin ʾidhā ṭuliba al-matāʿu ʾarsala ʾilā wakīlihi bi-al-sūsi: ʾan ʾaʿlim man tashtarī minhu al-matāʿa ʾanna al-matāʿa yuṭlabu.
it is broken.” He also used to say, “Silk should not be sold.” Umayya ibn Khālid said, “When goods were in demand, Yūnus ibn ʿUbayd sent word to his agent in al-Sūs: ‘Tell the person from whom you buy the goods that they are in demand.’”
وَحَدَّثَنَا عَنِ الْمَرْوَزِيِّ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الْجَوْزِ يُنْثَرُ فَكَرِهَهُ وَقَالَ: يُعْطَوْنَ، يُقْسَمُ عَلَيْهِمْ، يَعْنِي الصِّبْيَانَ. قَالَ: وَدَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَقَدْ حَذَقَ ابْنُهُ، وَقَدِ اشْتَرَى جَوْزًا يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُعِدَّهُ عَلَى الصِّبْيَانِ يَقْسِمُهُ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَكَرِهَ النَّثْرَ وَقَالَ: هَذِهِ نُهْبَةٌ.
waḥaddathanā ʿani al-marwaziyyi qāla: saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-jawzi yuntharu fakarihahu waqāla: yuʿṭawna, yuqsamu ʿalayhim, yaʿnī al-ṣibyāna. qāla: wadakhaltu ʿalā ʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi waqad ḥadhaqa ibnuhu, waqadi ishtarā jawzan yurīdu ʾan yuʿiddahu ʿalā al-ṣibyāni yaqsimuhu ʿalayhim, wakariha al-nathra waqāla: hādhihi nuhbatun.
He related to us from al-Marwazī, “I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about scattering walnuts for people to pick up. He disliked it and said, ‘Give them out; divide them among them,’ meaning the boys. I visited Abū ʿAbd Allāh after his son had mastered his lessons. He had bought walnuts to prepare for the boys and divide among them. He disliked scattering them and said, ‘That is a scramble for plunder.’”
وَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَذَكَرَ مَسَائِلَ ابْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ فَقَالَ: كَانَ فِيهَا مَسْأَلَةٌ دَقِيقَةٌ؛ سُئِلَ ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ عَنْ رَجُلٍ رَمَى طَيْرًا فَوَقَعَ فِي أَرْضِ قَوْمٍ: لِمَنِ الصَّيْدُ؟ قَالَ: لَا أَدْرِي. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: فَمَا تَقُولُ أَنْتَ فِيهَا؟ قَالَ: هَذِهِ دَقِيقَةٌ، مَا أَدْرِي فِيهَا.
waqāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi wadhakara masāʾila ibni al-mubāraki faqāla: kāna fīhā masʾalatun daqīqatun; suʾila ibnu al-mubāraki ʿan rajulin ramā ṭayran fawaqaʿa fī ʾarḍi qawmin: limani al-ṣaydu? qāla: lā ʾadrī. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: famā taqūlu ʾanta fīhā? qāla: hādhihi daqīqatun, mā ʾadrī fīhā.
Abū ʿAbd Allāh mentioned Ibn al-Mubārak's legal questions and said, “There was a subtle question among them. Ibn al-Mubārak was asked about a man who shot a bird that fell on other people's land: ‘Who owns the game?’ He answered, ‘I do not know.’” I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “What do you say about it?” He answered, “It is subtle; I do not know.”
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: إِنَّ عِيسَى بْنَ عَبْدِ الْفَتَّاحِ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ بِشْرَ بْنَ الْحَارِثِ: هَلْ لِلْوَالِدَيْنِ طَاعَةٌ فِي الشُّبْهَةِ؟ قَالَ: فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: هَذَا شَدِيدٌ. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: فَلِلْوَالِدَيْنِ طَاعَةٌ فِي الشُّبْهَةِ؟ قَالَ: فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: هَذَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُقَاتِلٍ قَدْ رَأَيْتَ مَا قَالَ، وَهَذَا بِشْرُ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ قَدْ قَالَ مَا قَالَ.
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: ʾinna ʿīsā bna ʿabdi al-fattāḥi qāla: saʾaltu bishra bna al-ḥārithi: hal li-l-wālidayni ṭāʿatun fī al-shubhati? qāla: faqāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: hādhā shadīdun. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: fali-l-wālidayni ṭāʿatun fī al-shubhati? qāla: faqāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: hādhā muḥammadu bnu muqātilin qad raʾayta mā qāla, wa-hādhā bishru bnu al-ḥārithi qad qāla mā qāla.
I told Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “ʿĪsā ibn ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ said, ‘I asked Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith whether parents must be obeyed in a doubtful matter.’” Abū ʿAbd Allāh said, “That is difficult.” I asked again, “Then are parents to be obeyed in a doubtful matter?” Abū ʿAbd Allāh replied, “There is Muḥammad ibn Muqātil; you have seen what he said. And there is Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith; he has said what he said.”
ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: مَا أَحْسَنَ أَنْ يُدَارِيَهُمْ! ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: الْإِثْمُ حَوَّازُ الْقُلُوبِ. قَالَ الْمَرْوَزِيُّ: أَدْخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَجُلًا فَقَالَ: إِنَّ لِي إِخْوَةً وَكَسْبُهُمْ مِنَ الشُّبْهَةِ، فَرُبَّمَا طَبَخَتْ أُمُّنَا وَتَسْأَلُنَا أَنْ نَجْتَمِعَ وَنَأْكُلَ.
thumma qāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: mā ʾaḥsana ʾan yudāriyahum! thumma qāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: al-ʾithmu ḥawwāzu al-qulūbi. qāla al-marwaziyyu: ʾadkhaltu ʿalā ʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi rajulan faqāla: ʾinna lī ʾikhwatan wakasbuhum mina al-shubhati, farubbamā ṭabakhat ʾummunā watasʾalunā ʾan najtamiʿa wanaʾkula.
Then Abū ʿAbd Allāh said, “How good it would be to deal gently with them!” He also said, “Sin grips hearts.” Al-Marwazī said, “I brought a man to Abū ʿAbd Allāh. He said, ‘I have brothers whose earnings are doubtful. Sometimes our mother cooks and asks us to gather and eat.’”
فَقَالَ لَهُ: هَذَا مَوْضِعُ بِشْرٍ، لَوْ كَانَ لَكَ كَانَ مَوْضِعًا. أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَنْ لَا يَمْقُتَنَا، وَلَكِنْ تَأْتِي أَبَا الْحَسَنِ عَبْدَ الْوَهَّابِ فَتَسْأَلَهُ. فَقَالَ لَهُ الرَّجُلُ: فَتُخْبِرُنِي بِمَا فِي الْعِلْمِ؟ قَالَ: قَدْ رُوِيَ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ: إِذَا اسْتَأْذَنَ وَالِدَتَهُ فِي الْجِهَادِ فَأَذِنَتْ لَهُ وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ هَوَاهَا فِي الْمَقَامِ فَلْيُقِمْ.
faqāla lahu: hādhā mawḍiʿu bishrin, law kāna laka kāna mawḍiʿan. ʾasʾalu Allāha taʿālā ʾan lā yamqutanā, wa-lākin taʾtī ʾabā al-ḥasani ʿabda al-wahhābi fatasʾalahu. faqāla lahu al-rajulu: fatukhbirunī bimā fī al-ʿilmi? qāla: qad ruwiya ʿani al-ḥasani: ʾidhā istaʾdhana wālidatahu fī al-jihādi faʾadhinat lahu waʿalima ʾanna hawāhā fī al-maqāmi falyuqim.
He replied, “This is Bishr's domain; if it were yours, it would be an appropriate domain. I ask God Most High not to abhor us. But go to Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAbd al-Wahhāb and ask him.” The man asked, “Will you tell me what religious knowledge says?” He replied, “It is related from al-Ḥasan that if someone asks his mother's permission to go on campaign and she grants it, but he knows she wants him to stay, he should stay.”
قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَسُئِلَ عَنْ رَجُلٍ لَهُ وَالِدَةٌ يَسْتَأْذِنُهَا يَرْحَلُ يَطْلُبُ الْعِلْمَ فَقَالَ: إِنْ كَانَ جَاهِلًا لَا يَدْرِي كَيْفَ يَطْهُرُ وَلَا يُصَلِّي فَطَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ أَوْجَبُ، وَإِنْ كَانَ قَدْ عَرَفَ فَالْمَقَامُ عَلَيْهَا أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ. قُلْتُ: فَإِنْ كَانَ يَرَى الْمُنْكَرَ فَلَا يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يُغَيِّرَهُ؟ قَالَ: يَسْتَأْذِنُهُمَا، فَإِنْ أَذِنَا لَهُ خَرَجَ.
qāla: samiʿtu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi wasuʾila ʿan rajulin lahu wālidatun yastaʾdhinuhā yarḥalu yaṭlubu al-ʿilma faqāla: ʾin kāna jāhilan lā yadrī kayfa yaṭhuru walā yuṣallī faṭalabu al-ʿilmi ʾawjabu, waʾin kāna qad ʿarafa fa-al-maqāmu ʿalayhā ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya. qultu: faʾin kāna yarā al-munkara falā yaqdiru ʾan yughayyirahu? qāla: yastaʾdhinuhumā, faʾin ʾadhinā lahu kharaja.
He said, “I heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh asked about a man seeking his mother's permission to travel in pursuit of knowledge. He answered, ‘If he is ignorant and does not know how to purify himself or pray, seeking knowledge is more obligatory. If he already knows, I prefer that he stay to care for her.’ I asked, ‘What if he sees wrongdoing and cannot change it?’ He said, ‘He should ask his parents' permission. If they permit him, he may leave.’”
حُدِّثْنَا عَنْ أَبِي الرَّبِيعِ الصُّوفِيِّ قَالَ: دَخَلْتُ عَلَى سُفْيَانَ بِالْبَصْرَةِ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، إِنِّي أَكُونُ مَعَ هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُحْتَسِبَةِ فَنَدْخُلُ عَلَى الْمُخَنَّثِينَ وَنَتَسَلَّقُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْحِيطَانَ. فَقَالَ: أَلَيْسَ لَهُمْ أَبْوَابٌ؟ قُلْتُ: بَلَى، وَلَكِنْ نَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهِمْ كَيْلَا يَفِرُّوا. فَأَنْكَرَ ذَلِكَ إِنْكَارًا شَدِيدًا وَعَابَ فَعَالَنَا.
ḥuddithnā ʿan ʾabī al-rabīʿi al-ṣūfiyyi qāla: dakhaltu ʿalā sufyāna bi-al-baṣrati faqultu lahu: yā ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi, ʾinnī ʾakūnu maʿa hāʾulāʾi al-muḥtasibati fanadkhulu ʿalā al-mukhannathīna wanatasallaqu ʿalayhimu al-ḥīṭāna. faqāla: ʾalaysa lahum ʾabwābun? qultu: balā, wa-lākin nadkhulu ʿalayhim kaylā yafirrū. faʾankara dhālika ʾinkāran shadīdan waʿāba faʿālanā.
We were told on the authority of Abū al-Rabīʿ al-Ṣūfī, “I visited Sufyān in Basra and said, ‘Abū ʿAbd Allāh, I accompany these people who supervise public morals. We enter the homes of effeminate men, climbing over their walls.’ He asked, ‘Do they not have doors?’ I said, ‘They do, but we enter that way so they cannot flee.’ He strongly condemned this and criticized our conduct.
فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ: مَنْ أَدْخَلَ هَذَا؟ فَقُلْتُ: إِنَّمَا دَخَلْتُ إِلَى الطَّبِيبِ أُخْبِرُهُ بِدَائِي. فَانْتَفَضَ سُفْيَانُ وَقَالَ: إِنَّمَا هَلَكْنَا إِذْ نَحْنُ سَقْمَى فَسُمِّينَا أَطِبَّاءَ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: لَا يَأْمُرُ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَلَا يَنْهَى عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ إِلَّا مَنْ فِيهِ ثَلَاثُ خِصَالٍ: رَفِيقٌ بِمَا يَنْهَى، عَدْلٌ بِمَا يَأْمُرُ، عَالِمٌ بِمَا يَنْهَى، عَالِمٌ بِمَا يَأْمُرُ، عَدْلٌ بِمَا يَنْهَى.
faqāla rajulun: man ʾadkhala hādhā? faqultu: ʾinnamā dakhaltu ʾilā al-ṭabībi ʾukhbiruhu bidāʾī. fantafaḍa sufyānu waqāla: ʾinnamā halaknā ʾidh naḥnu saqmā fasummīnā ʾaṭibbāʾa. thumma qāla: lā yaʾmuru bi-al-maʿrūfi walā yanhā ʿani al-munkari ʾillā man fīhi thalāthu khiṣālin: rafīqun bimā yanhā, ʿadlun bimā yaʾmuru, ʿālimun bimā yanhā, ʿālimun bimā yaʾmuru, ʿadlun bimā yanhā.
A man said, ‘Who let this fellow in?’ I answered, ‘I came to the physician to tell him my illness.’ Sufyān shuddered and said, ‘Our ruin lies in being sick ourselves yet being called physicians.’ He then said, ‘Only someone possessing three qualities should command right and forbid wrong: gentleness in what he forbids, justice in what he commands, knowledge of what he forbids, knowledge of what he commands, and justice in what he forbids.’”
حُدِّثْنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحَجَّاجِ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قُلْتُ: أَمُرُّ فِي السُّوقِ فَأَرَى الطُّبُولَ تُبَاعُ فَأَكْسِرُهَا؟ قَالَ: إِنْ قَوِيتَ يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ. قُلْتُ: أُدْعَى أَغْسِلُ الْمَيِّتَ
ḥuddithnā ʿan ʾaḥmada bni muḥammadi bni al-ḥajjāji qāla: saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi, qultu: ʾamurru fī al-sūqi faʾarā al-ṭubūla tubāʿu faʾaksiruhā? qāla: ʾin qawīta yā ʾabā bakrin. qultu: ʾudʿā ʾaghsilu al-mayyita
We were told on the authority of Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥajjāj, “I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, ‘When I pass through the market and see drums being sold, should I break them?’ He answered, ‘If you are able, Abū Bakr.’ I said, ‘I am invited to wash a dead person,
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٥٥
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 455
Volume Two, page 455
فَأَسْمَعُ صَوْتَ الطَّبْلِ. قَالَ: إِنْ قَدَرْتَ عَلَى كَسْرِهِ وَإِلَّا فَاخْرُجْ. سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ كَسْرِ الطُّنْبُورِ، قَالَ: يُكْسَرُ. قُلْتُ: فَإِذَا كَانَ مُعْطًى؟ قَالَ: إِذَا سُتِرَ عَنْكَ فَلَا. قُلْتُ: فَالطُّنْبُورُ الصَّغِيرُ يَكُونُ مَعَ الْغُلَامِ؟ قَالَ: تَكْسِرُهُ أَيْضًا إِذَا كَانَ مَكْشُوفًا.
faʾasmaʿu ṣawta al-ṭabli. qāla: ʾin qadarta ʿalā kasrihi waʾillā fakhruj. saʾaltuhu ʿan kasri al-ṭunbūri, qāla: yuksaru. qultu: faʾidhā kāna muʿṭan? qāla: ʾidhā sutira ʿanka falā. qultu: fa-al-ṭunbūru al-ṣaghīru yakūnu maʿa al-ghulāmi? qāla: taksiruhu ʾayḍan ʾidhā kāna makshūfan.
and I hear a drum.’ He said, ‘Break it if you can; otherwise leave.’ I asked him about breaking a lute. He said, ‘It is to be broken.’ I asked, ‘What if it has been given as a gift?’ He answered, ‘If it is concealed from you, then no.’ I asked, ‘And a small lute in a boy's possession?’ He said, ‘Break that too if it is openly visible.’”
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: رَجُلٌ لَهُ قَرَاحُ نَرْجِسٍ، تَرَى أَنْ يُبَاعَ؟ فَقَالَ: إِنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ الزِّئْبَقُ يُعْمَلُ مِنْهُ. قُلْتُ: فَإِنْ كَانَ لَا يَشْتَرِيهِ إِلَّا أَصْحَابُ الْمُسْكِرِ؟ قَالَ: يُسْأَلُ عَنْ ذَا، فَإِنْ كَانَ هَكَذَا لَا يُبَاعُ.
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: rajulun lahu qarāḥu narjisin, tarā ʾan yubāʿa? faqāla: ʾinnahum yaqūlūna al-ziʾbaqu yuʿmalu minhu. qultu: faʾin kāna lā yashtarīhi ʾillā ʾaṣḥābu al-muskiri? qāla: yusʾalu ʿan dhā, faʾin kāna hākadhā lā yubāʿu.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “A man has a plot of narcissus. Do you think it may be sold?” He answered, “They say mercury is made from it.” I asked, “What if only makers of intoxicants buy it?” He answered, “Inquire about that. If it is so, it should not be sold.”
سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَسَأَلَهُ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ: إِنَّ أَبِي كَانَ يَبِيعُ مِنْ جَمِيعِ النَّاسِ، وَذَكَرَ مَنْ تُكْرَهُ مُعَامَلَتُهُ. فَقَالَ: يَدَعُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ بِقَدْرِ مَا رَبِحَ. فَقَالَ لَهُ: فَإِنَّهُ لَهُ دَيْنًا وَعَلَيْهِ دَيْنٌ. قَالَ: يَقْتَضِي وَيَقْضِي عَنْهُ. قُلْتُ: وَتَرَى لَهُ بِذَلِكَ؟ قَالَ: فَتَدَعُهُ مُحْتَسَبًا بِدَيْنِهِ؟
samiʿtu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi wasaʾalahu rajulun faqāla: ʾinna ʾabī kāna yabīʿu min jamīʿi al-nāsi, wadhakara man tukrahu muʿāmalatuhu. faqāla: yadaʿu min dhālika biqadri mā rabiḥa. faqāla lahu: faʾinnahu lahu daynan waʿalayhi daynun. qāla: yaqtaḍī wayaqḍī ʿanhu. qultu: watarā lahu bi-dhālika? qāla: fatadaʿuhu muḥtasaban bidaynihi?
I heard a man ask Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “My father sold to everyone,” mentioning people with whom dealings were disapproved. He answered, “He should relinquish an amount equal to the profit he made from that.” The man said, “He is owed money and owes money.” He answered, “Collect what is owed and repay on his behalf.” I asked, “Do you approve of that for him?” He replied, “Would you leave him held by his debt?”
سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ قَرِيبٍ لِي أَكْرَهُ نَاحِيَتَهُ يَسْأَلُنِي أَنْ أَشْتَرِيَ لَهُ ثَوْبًا أَوْ أُسْلِمَ لَهُ غَزْلًا، فَقَالَ: لَا تُعِنْهُ وَلَا تَشْتَرِ لَهُ إِلَّا أَنْ تَأْمُرَكَ وَالِدَتُكَ، فَإِذَا أَمَرَتْكَ فَهُوَ أَسْهَلُ، لَعَلَّهَا أَنْ تَغْضَبَ. سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَسُئِلَ عَنْ رَجُلٍ لَهُ أَبٌ مُرَابٍ يُرْسِلُهُ أَنْ يَتَقَاضَى لَهُ، تَرَى لَهُ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ؟
saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿan qarībin lī ʾakrahu nāḥiyatahu yasʾalunī ʾan ʾashtariya lahu thawban ʾaw ʾuslima lahu ghazlan, faqāla: lā tuʿinhu walā tashtari lahu ʾillā ʾan taʾmuraka wālidatuka, faʾidhā ʾamaratka fahuwa ʾashalu, laʿallahā ʾan taghḍaba. samiʿtu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi wasuʾila ʿan rajulin lahu ʾabun murābin yursiluhu ʾan yataqāḍā lahu, tarā lahu ʾan yafʿala?
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about a relative whose source of livelihood I distrusted, who asked me to buy him a garment or deliver yarn for him. He answered, “Do not help him or buy for him unless your mother instructs you. If she does, the matter is easier, lest she become angry.” I heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh asked about a man whose father practices usury and sends him to collect debts: “Do you think he should do it?”
قَالَ: لَا، وَلَكِنْ يَقُولُ: لَا أَذْهَبُ حَتَّى تَتُوبَ. ذَكَرْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَجُلًا مِنَ الْمُحَدِّثِينَ فَقَالَ: رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ، أَيُّ رَجُلٍ كَانَ لَوْلَا خَلَّةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ! ثُمَّ قَالَ: لَيْسَ كُلُّ الْخِلَالِ يُكَمِّلُهَا الرَّجُلُ. فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: أَلَيْسَ كَانَ صَاحِبَ سُنَّةٍ؟ قَالَ: أَيْ لَعَمْرِي، وَقَدْ كَتَبْتُ عَنْهُ، وَلَكِنْ خَلَّةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ. فَقُلْتُ: مِثْلَ أَيْشٍ؟ قَالَ: كَانَ لَا يُبَالِي مِمَّنْ أَخَذَ.
qāla: lā, wa-lākin yaqūlu: lā ʾadhhabu ḥattā tatūba. dhakartu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi rajulan mina al-muḥaddithīna faqāla: raḥimahu Allāhu, ʾayyu rajulin kāna lawlā khallatun wāḥidatun! thumma qāla: laysa kullu al-khilāli yukammiluhā al-rajulu. faqultu lahu: ʾalaysa kāna ṣāḥiba sunnatin? qāla: ʾay laʿamrī, waqad katabtu ʿanhu, wa-lākin khallatun wāḥidatun. faqultu: mithla ʾayshin? qāla: kāna lā yubālī mimman ʾakhadha.
He answered, “No. He should say, ‘I will not go until you repent.’” I mentioned a transmitter of hadith to Abū ʿAbd Allāh. He said, “May God have mercy on him. What a man he would have been, but for one quality!” Then he said, “A man does not perfect every quality.” I asked, “Was he not a follower of the Sunna?” He replied, “Indeed, by my life. I wrote down reports from him, but there was one quality.” “What sort?” “He did not care from whom he took.”
سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَذَكَرَ بِشْرَ بْنَ الْحَارِثِ فَقَالَ: رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ، لَقَدْ كَانَ فِيهِ أُنْسٌ. وَذُكِرَ لَهُ شَيْءٌ مِنَ الْوَرَعِ فَقَالَ: يُسْأَلُ عَنْ مِثْلِ بِشْرٍ، هَذَا مَوْضِعُ بِشْرٍ وَأَنَا لَا يَنْبَغِي لِي أَنْ أَتَكَلَّمَ فِي هَذَا. ذَكَرْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَجُلًا فَقِيرًا فِي أَطْمَارٍ خُلْقَانٍ وَقُلْتُ: مَا أَحْوَجَهُ إِلَى عِلْمٍ!
samiʿtu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi wadhakara bishra bna al-ḥārithi faqāla: raḥimahu Allāhu, laqad kāna fīhi ʾunsun. wadhukira lahu shayʾun mina al-waraʿi faqāla: yusʾalu ʿan mithli bishrin, hādhā mawḍiʿu bishrin waʾanā lā yanbaghī lī ʾan ʾatakallama fī hādhā. dhakartu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi rajulan faqīran fī ʾaṭmārin khulqānin waqultu: mā ʾaḥwajahu ʾilā ʿilmin!
I heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh mention Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith and say, “May God have mercy on him. There was warmth and comfort in him.” When a matter of scrupulousness was mentioned, he said, “Someone like Bishr should be asked. This is Bishr's domain; I should not speak about it.” I mentioned to Abū ʿAbd Allāh a poor man in worn-out rags and said, “How much he needs knowledge!”
فَقَالَ لِي: اُسْكُتْ، لَصَبْرُهُ عَلَى فَقْرِهِ وَعُرْيِهِ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ، إِنِّي لَأَذْكُرُهُ وَأَنَا فِي الْفِرَاشِ. وَقَالَ: هَؤُلَاءِ خَيْرٌ مِنَّا. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: قِيلَ لِابْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ: كَيْفَ يُعْرَفُ الْعَالِمُ الصَّادِقُ؟ قَالَ: يَزْهَدُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَيُقْبِلُ عَلَى أَمْرِ آخِرَتِهِ. فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: نَعَمْ، هَكَذَا يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَكُونَ.
faqāla lī: uskut, laṣabruhu ʿalā faqrihi waʿuryihi mina al-ʿilmi, ʾinnī laʾadhkuruhu waʾanā fī al-firāshi. waqāla: hāʾulāʾi khayrun minnā. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: qīla libni al-mubāraki: kayfa yuʿrafu al-ʿālimu al-ṣādiqu? qāla: yazhadu fī al-dunyā wayuqbilu ʿalā ʾamri ʾākhiratihi. faqāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: naʿam, hākadhā yurīdu ʾan yakūna.
He told me, “Be silent. His patience with poverty and nakedness is itself knowledge. I think of him while lying in bed.” He said, “These people are better than we are.” I told Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “Ibn al-Mubārak was asked how to recognize a truthful scholar. He answered, ‘He renounces this world and turns toward the concerns of his hereafter.’” Abū ʿAbd Allāh said, “Yes, that is how he should wish to be.”
سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ امْرَأَةٍ كَانَتْ تُجْرِي عَلَى أُخْرَى وَتَصِلُهَا، وَذَكَرَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ شَيْئًا رَدِيئًا، وَقَدِ اجْتَمَعَ عِنْدَهَا مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ، وَلَيْسَ لَهَا مَالٌ غَيْرُهُ، وَلَعَلَّهَا إِنْ أَخْرَجَتْهُ احْتَاجَتْ إِلَى الْمَسْأَلَةِ. وَقَالَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ: مَا أَمَرَنِي بِهِ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ صِرْتُ إِلَيْهِ. قَالَ: أَنْ تَصَدَّقَ بِهِ وَتَسْأَلَ.
saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani imraʾatin kānat tujrī ʿalā ʾukhrā wataṣiluhā, wadhakarati al-marʾatu shayʾan radīʾan, waqadi ijtamaʿa ʿindahā minhu shayʾun, walaysa lahā mālun ghayruhu, walaʿallahā ʾin ʾakhrajathu iḥtājat ʾilā al-masʾalati. waqālati al-marʾatu: mā ʾamaranī bihi ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi min shayʾin ṣirtu ʾilayhi. qāla: ʾan taṣaddaqa bihi watasʾala.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about a woman who used to provide for another woman and give her gifts. The woman mentioned something objectionable. Some of it had accumulated with her, she had no other wealth, and if she disposed of it she might have to beg. The woman said, “Whatever Abū ʿAbd Allāh tells me to do, I will follow it.” He said, “That she give it in charity and beg.”
سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَذَكَرَ ابْنَ عَوْنٍ فَقَالَ: كَانَ لَا يُكْرِي دُورَهُ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ. قُلْتُ: لِأَيِّ عِلَّةٍ؟ قَالَ: لِئَلَّا يُرَوِّعَهُمْ. ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ عَنْ حَكِيمِ بْنِ زُرَيْقٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ فِي الْبُرِّ بِالدَّقِيقِ قَالَ: هُوَ رِبًا.
samiʿtu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi wadhakara ibna ʿawnin faqāla: kāna lā yukrī dūrahu mina al-muslimīna. qultu: liʾayyi ʿillatin? qāla: liʾallā yurawwiʿahum. ibnu al-mubāraki ʿan ḥakīmi bni zurayqin ʿan ʾabīhi ʿan saʿīdi bni al-musayyabi fī al-burri bi-al-daqīqi qāla: huwa riban.
I heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh mention Ibn ʿAwn and say, “He did not rent his houses to Muslims.” I asked why. He answered, “So that he would not frighten them.” Ibn al-Mubārak related from Ḥakīm ibn Zurayq, from his father, from Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab, concerning exchanging wheat for flour, “It is usury.”
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: أُخْبِرْتُ أَنَّ بِشْرَ بْنَ الْحَارِثِ أَرْسَلَ أَخُوهُ بِتَمْرٍ مِنَ الْأَيْلَةِ، فَأَبْقَتْ أُمُّهُ تَمْرَةً مِنَ التَّمْرِ الَّذِي كَانَتْ تُفَرِّقُهُ، يَعْنِي عَلَى أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ. فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ بِشْرٌ قَالَتْ لَهُ أُمُّهُ: بِحَقِّي عَلَيْكَ لَمَّا أَكَلْتَ هَذِهِ التَّمْرَةَ؟ فَأَكَلَهَا وَصَعِدَ إِلَى فَوْقُ، وَصَعِدْتُ خَلْفَهُ فَإِذَا هُوَ يَتَقَيَّأُ،
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: ʾukhbirtu ʾanna bishra bna al-ḥārithi ʾarsala ʾakhūhu bitamrin mina al-ʾaylati, faʾabqat ʾummuhu tamratan mina al-tamri alladhī kānat tufarriquhu, yaʿnī ʿalā ʾahli baytihi. falammā dakhala bishrun qālat lahu ʾummuhu: biḥaqqī ʿalayka lammā ʾakalta hādhihi al-tamrata? faʾakalahā waṣaʿida ʾilā fawqu, waṣaʿidtu khalfahu faʾidhā huwa yataqayyaʾu,
I told Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “I was told that Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith's brother sent dates from al-Ayla. His mother kept one date from those she was distributing among his household. When Bishr came in, his mother said, ‘By the claim I have upon you, please eat this date.’ He ate it and went upstairs. I followed him and found him vomiting it up.”
وَكَانَ أَخُوهُ عَلَى شَيْءٍ. فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ نَحْوُ هَذَا. وَسَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَذَكَرَ وُهَيْبَ بْنَ الْوَرْدِ فَقَالَ: قَدْ كَلَّمَهُ ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ فِيمَا يَجِيءُ
wakāna ʾakhūhu ʿalā shayʾin. faqāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: waqad ruwiya ʿan ʾabī bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu naḥwu hādhā. wasamiʿtu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi wadhakara wuhayba bna al-wardi faqāla: qad kallamahu ibnu al-mubāraki fīmā yajīʾu
His brother held some position. Abū ʿAbd Allāh said, “Something similar has been related about Abū Bakr, may God be pleased with him.” I heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh mention Wuhayb ibn al-Ward and say, “Ibn al-Mubārak spoke to him about what came
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٥٦
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 456
Volume Two, page 456
مِنْ مِصْرَ، وَإِنَّمَا أَرَادَ ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ أَنْ يُسَهِّلَ عَلَيْهِ وَلَمْ يَدْرِ أَنَّهُ يُشَدِّدُ عَلَيْهِ، وَكَانَ لَا يَأْكُلُ مِمَّا يَجِيءُ مِنْ مِصْرَ إِلَّا الزَّبِيبَ. وَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: بِشْرُ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ كَانَ يَأْكُلُ مِنْ غَلَّةِ بَغْدَادَ. قُلْتُ: لَا، هُوَ كَانَ يُنْكِرُ عَلَى مَنْ يَأْكُلُ.
min miṣra, waʾinnamā ʾarāda ibnu al-mubāraki ʾan yusahhila ʿalayhi walam yadri ʾannahu yushaddidu ʿalayhi, wakāna lā yaʾkulu mimmā yajīʾu min miṣra ʾillā al-zabība. waqāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: bishru bnu al-ḥārithi kāna yaʾkulu min ghallati baghdāda. qultu: lā, huwa kāna yunkiru ʿalā man yaʾkulu.
from Egypt. Ibn al-Mubārak meant to make things easier for him, unaware that he was making them harder. He ate nothing that came from Egypt except raisins.” Abū ʿAbd Allāh said, “Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith used to eat produce from Baghdad.” I said, “No; he used to criticize those who ate it.”
فَقَالَ: إِنَّمَا قَدَرَ بِشْرٌ لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ وَحْدَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ عِيَالٌ، لَيْسَ مَنْ كَانَ مُعِيلًا كَمَنْ كَانَ وَحْدَهُ. لَوْ كَانَ إِلَيَّ مَا بَالَيْتُ مَا أَكَلْتُ. وَذَهَبَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ إِلَى أَنْ يَأْخُذَ مِنَ السَّوَادِ الْقُوتَ وَيَتَصَدَّقَ بِالْفَضْلِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: لَا يُعْجِبُنِي أَنْ أَبِيعَ شَيْئًا.
faqāla: ʾinnamā qadara bishrun liʾannahu kāna waḥdahu lam yakun lahu ʿiyālun, laysa man kāna muʿīlan kaman kāna waḥdahu. law kāna ʾilayya mā bālaytu mā ʾakaltu. wadhahaba ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi ʾilā ʾan yaʾkhudha mina al-sawādi al-qūta wayataṣaddaqa bi-al-faḍli, thumma qāla: lā yuʿjibunī ʾan ʾabīʿa shayʾan.
He answered, “Bishr could manage that because he was alone and had no dependants. Someone supporting a family is not like someone alone. If it were up to me, I would not mind what I ate.” Abū ʿAbd Allāh held that one should take one's sustenance from the Sawād and give the surplus in charity. He then said, “I do not like to sell any of it.”
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: تَرَى أَنْ يَشْرَبَ الرَّجُلُ مِنَ السَّوَادِ؟ قَالَ: هَذَا الَّذِي نَحْنُ فِيهِ مِيرَاثٌ، إِنَّمَا آخُذُ الْغَلَّةَ عَلَى الِاضْطِرَارِ. قِيلَ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: فَيَشْتَرِي الرَّجُلُ فِيهِ؟ فَقَالَ لِلسَّائِلِ: إِنْ كُنْتَ فِي كَفَاءٍ فَلَا.
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: tarā ʾan yashraba al-rajulu mina al-sawādi? qāla: hādhā alladhī naḥnu fīhi mīrāthun, ʾinnamā ʾākhudhu al-ghallata ʿalā al-iḍṭirāri. qīla liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: fayashtarī al-rajulu fīhi? faqāla li-l-sāʾili: ʾin kunta fī kafāʾin falā.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “Do you think a man may drink from the Sawād?” He answered, “What we hold here is inherited. I take its produce only out of necessity.” He was asked, “May a man buy property there?” He told the questioner, “If you already have enough, then no.”
ثُمَّ قَالَ: أَكْرَهُ أَنْ يَبِيعَ الرَّجُلُ دَارَهُ، وَلَا أَرْضَى فِي شَيْءٍ مِنَ السَّوَادِ، وَلَا يَشْتَرِي إِلَّا مِقْدَارَ الْقُوتِ، فَإِذَا كَانَ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ قُوتِهِ تَصَدَّقَ بِهِ. وَقَالَ: أَنَا أَذْهَبُ إِلَى أَنَّ السَّوَادَ وَقْفٌ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ. أَمَّا عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ فَتَرَكَ السَّوَادَ وَلَمْ يَقْسِمْهُ،
thumma qāla: ʾakrahu ʾan yabīʿa al-rajulu dārahu, walā ʾarḍā fī shayʾin mina al-sawādi, walā yashtarī ʾillā miqdāra al-qūti, faʾidhā kāna ʾakthara min qūtihi taṣaddaqa bihi. waqāla: ʾanā ʾadhhabu ʾilā ʾanna al-sawāda waqfun ʿalā al-muslimīna. ʾammā ʿumaru raḍiya Allāhu taʿālā ʿanhu fataraka al-sawāda walam yaqsimhu,
He then said, “I dislike a man selling his house, and I do not approve of involvement in any of the Sawād. He should buy only enough for sustenance; if there is more than he needs, he should give it in charity.” He said, “My view is that the Sawād is an endowment for Muslims. ʿUmar, may God Most High be pleased with him, left it intact and did not divide it.
وَهَكَذَا عُثْمَانُ تَرَكَهُ، إِلَّا أَنَّهُ أَقْطَعَ قَوْمًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، ابْنَ مَسْعُودٍ وَسَعْدًا، وَذَكَرَ غَيْرَ وَاحِدٍ. وَأَمَّا عَلِيٌّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ فَأَقَرَّهُ وَلَمْ يَقْسِمْهُ. قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: مَنْ ذَهَبَ إِلَى قَوْلِ ابْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ فَذَاكَ الْبَلَاءُ، يَزْعُمُ أَنَّ السَّوَادَ يُقْسَمُ عَلَى مَنْ شَهِدَ الْوَقْعَةَ.
wa-hākadhā ʿuthmānu tarakahu, ʾillā ʾannahu ʾaqṭaʿa qawman min ʾaṣḥābi al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama, ibna masʿūdin wasaʿdan, wadhakara ghayra wāḥidin. waʾammā ʿaliyyun raḍiya Allāhu taʿālā ʿanhu faʾaqarrahu walam yaqsimhu. qāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: man dhahaba ʾilā qawli ibni al-mubāraki fadhāka al-balāʾu, yazʿumu ʾanna al-sawāda yuqsamu ʿalā man shahida al-waqʿata.
ʿUthmān likewise left it intact, except that he granted parcels to some companions of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, including Ibn Masʿūd and Saʿd,” and he named several others. “ʿAlī, may God Most High be pleased with him, confirmed its status and did not divide it.” Abū ʿAbd Allāh said, “Following Ibn al-Mubārak's view brings difficulty: he holds that the Sawād is to be divided among those who took part in the battle.”
وَقَالَ ابْنُ إِدْرِيسَ فِي دَارٍ بِبَغْدَادَ: يَتْبَعُ أَمْرَهَا حَتَّى يَرُدَّهَا إِلَى مَنْ فَتَحَهَا بِالسَّيْفِ. قُلْتُ: وَمِنْ أَيْنَ تَقْدِرُ عَلَى هَذَا؟ فَتَبَسَّمَ وَقَالَ: يَصِيرُ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ، مَدِينَةِ الرَّسُولِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَيَسْأَلُ عَنْهُمْ.
waqāla ibnu ʾidrīsa fī dārin bibaghdāda: yatbaʿu ʾamrahā ḥattā yaruddahā ʾilā man fataḥahā bi-al-sayfi. qultu: wamin ʾayna taqdiru ʿalā hādhā? fatabassama waqāla: yaṣīru ʾilā al-madīnati, madīnati al-rasūli ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama, fayasʾalu ʿanhum.
Ibn Idrīs said about a house in Baghdad, “Its history should be traced until it can be returned to those who conquered it by the sword.” I asked, “How could one possibly do that?” He smiled and said, “One goes to Medina, the city of the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, and asks about them.”
قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: أَهْلُ الْمَدِينَةِ عَلَى مَذْهَبِ ابْنِ إِدْرِيسَ، يَقُولُونَ: الْمَدِينَةُ إِذَا فُتِحَتْ عَنْوَةً قُسِمَتْ عَلَى مَنْ شَهِدَهَا. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: فَمَنْ خَالَفَهُمْ؟ قَالَ: عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا أَوْقَفَاهَا عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ.
qāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: ʾahlu al-madīnati ʿalā madhhabi ibni ʾidrīsa, yaqūlūna: al-madīnatu ʾidhā futiḥat ʿanwatan qusimat ʿalā man shahidahā. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: faman khālafahum? qāla: ʿumaru bnu al-khaṭṭābi waʿaliyyu bnu ʾabī ṭālibin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā ʾawqafāhā ʿalā al-muslimīna.
Abū ʿAbd Allāh said, “The people of Medina follow Ibn Idrīs's position. They say that when a city is conquered by force, it is divided among those who took part.” I asked, “Who disagreed with them?” He answered, “ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb and ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, may God be pleased with them both: they endowed it for the Muslims.”
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: فَمَنْ وَرِثَ دَارًا فِي الْقَطِيعَةِ؟ قَالَ: قَالَ ابْنُ إِدْرِيسَ: يَرُدُّهَا عَلَى مَنْ شَهِدَ الْقَادِسِيَّةَ. قُلْتُ: وَهَذَا هُوَ عِنْدَكَ الْقَوْلُ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، مَا أَحْسَنَ مَا قَالَ! وَلَكِنْ مِثْلُ هَذَا الَّذِي فِي أَيْدِينَا إِنَّمَا هِيَ قَطَائِعُ، لَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلًا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ مِمَّا فِي يَدَيْهِ كُنَّا نَأْمُرُهُ أَنْ يُوقِفَهَا لِأَنَّهَا فَيْءٌ.
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: faman waritha dāran fī al-qaṭīʿati? qāla: qāla ibnu ʾidrīsa: yarudduhā ʿalā man shahida al-qādisiyyata. qultu: wa-hādhā huwa ʿindaka al-qawlu? qāla: naʿam, mā ʾaḥsana mā qāla! wa-lākin mithlu hādhā alladhī fī ʾaydīnā ʾinnamā hiya qaṭāʾiʿu, law ʾanna rajulan ʾarāda ʾan yakhruja mimmā fī yadayhi kunnā naʾmuruhu ʾan yūqifahā liʾannahā fayʾun.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “What about someone who inherits a house in al-Qaṭīʿa?” He answered, “Ibn Idrīs said he should return it to those who took part at al-Qādisiyya.” I asked, “Is that the view you accept?” He said, “Yes; how fine his statement is! But property such as what we hold consists of land grants. If someone wished to relinquish what he held, we would tell him to endow it, because it is fayʾ.”
سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الْكُوفَةِ وَالْبَصْرَةِ: أَلَيْسَ افْتُتِحَتْ؟ قَالَ: لَا، إِنَّمَا جَاؤُوا فَابْتَنَوْا فِيهَا. وَأَدْخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَجُلًا فَقَالَ: إِنِّي وَرِثْتُ عَنْ أَبِي أَرْضَيْنِ مِنَ السَّوَادِ. فَقَالَ لَهُ: أَوْقِفْهَا عَلَى قَرَابَتِكَ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فَعَلَى جِيرَانِكَ. وَقِيلَ لَهُ أَيْضًا: وَرِثَ رَجُلٌ دَارًا فِي الْقَطِيعَةِ. فَقَالَ: يُوقِفُهَا.
saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-kūfati wa-al-baṣrati: ʾalaysa iftutiḥat? qāla: lā, ʾinnamā jāʾū fabtanaw fīhā. waʾadkhaltu ʿalā ʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi rajulan faqāla: ʾinnī warithtu ʿan ʾabī ʾarḍayni mina al-sawādi. faqāla lahu: ʾawqifhā ʿalā qarābatika, faʾin lam yakun faʿalā jīrānika. waqīla lahu ʾayḍan: waritha rajulun dāran fī al-qaṭīʿati. faqāla: yūqifuhā.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about Kufa and Basra: “Were they not conquered?” He answered, “No. People came and built settlements there.” I brought a man to Abū ʿAbd Allāh who said, “I inherited two parcels of land in the Sawād from my father.” He told him, “Endow them for your relatives; if you have none, for your neighbors.” He was also asked about a man who inherited a house in al-Qaṭīʿa. He said, “He should endow it.”
ثُمَّ قَالَ: السَّوَادُ فَيْءٌ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ، رَخَّصَ فِي الشِّرَاءِ. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: كَيْفَ أَشْتَرِي فِي السَّوَادِ وَلَا أَبِيعُ؟ قَالَ: الشِّرَاءُ عِنْدِي خِلَافُ الْبَيْعِ. وَاحْتَجَّ أَنَّ أَصْحَابَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَخَّصُوا فِي شِرَاءِ الْمَصَاحِفِ وَكَرِهُوا بَيْعَهَا، ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ وَجَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ.
thumma qāla: al-sawādu fayʾun li-l-muslimīna, rakhkhaṣa fī al-shirāʾi. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: kayfa ʾashtarī fī al-sawādi walā ʾabīʿu? qāla: al-shirāʾu ʿindī khilāfu al-bayʿi. waḥtajja ʾanna ʾaṣḥāba rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama rakhkhaṣū fī shirāʾi al-maṣāḥifi wakarihū bayʿahā, ibna ʿabbāsin wajābira bna ʿabdi Allāhi.
He then said, “The Sawād is fayʾ belonging to Muslims,” and allowed buying there. I asked, “How may I buy in the Sawād but not sell?” He answered, “In my view, buying differs from selling.” He cited the fact that companions of God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, allowed buying copies of the Qurʾān while disapproving of selling them: Ibn ʿAbbās and Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh.
سُئِلَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: أَيُّمَا أَحَبُّ إِلَيْكَ، سُكْنَى الْقَطِيعَةِ أَوِ الرَّبَضِ؟ فَقَالَ: الرَّبَضُ. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: إِنَّ الْقَطِيعَةَ أَرْفَقُ مِنْ سَائِرِ الْأَسْوَاقِ. فَقَالَ: أَمْرُهَا مَعْلُومٌ، تَعْرِفُهَا لِمَنْ كَانَتْ. قُلْتُ: فَتَكْرَهُ الْعَمَلَ فِيهَا؟ قَدْ وَقَعَ فِي قَلْبِي مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ. فَقَالَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ: الْإِثْمُ حَوَّازُ الْقُلُوبِ.
suʾila ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: ʾayyumā ʾaḥabbu ʾilayka, suknā al-qaṭīʿati ʾawi al-rabaḍi? faqāla: al-rabaḍu. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: ʾinna al-qaṭīʿata ʾarfaqu min sāʾiri al-ʾaswāqi. faqāla: ʾamruhā maʿlūmun, taʿrifuhā liman kānat. qultu: fatakrahu al-ʿamala fīhā? qad waqaʿa fī qalbī minhu shayʾun. faqāla ibnu masʿūdin: al-ʾithmu ḥawwāzu al-qulūbi.
Abū ʿAbd Allāh was asked, “Which residence do you prefer, al-Qaṭīʿa or al-Rabaḍ?” He answered, “Al-Rabaḍ.” I said, “Al-Qaṭīʿa is more convenient than the other markets.” He answered, “Its history is known; you know to whom it belonged.” I asked, “Then do you dislike working there? Something about it has troubled my heart.” Ibn Masʿūd said, “Sin grips hearts.”
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٥٧
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 457
Volume Two, page 457
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: فَرَجُلٌ يُرِيدُ الْخُرُوجَ إِلَى الثَّغْرِ وَلَهُ دَارٌ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَبِيعَهَا؟ قَالَ: لَا. قُلْتُ: فَإِنْ قَالَ: إِنَّمَا أَبِيعُ النَّقْضَ؟ فَتَبَسَّمَ وَقَالَ: إِنْ رَضِيَ الْمُشْتَرِي، كَأَنَّهُ عِنْدَهُ حِيلَةٌ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: قَدْ وَرِثَ ابْنُ سِيرِينَ أَرْضًا مِنْ أَرْضِ السَّوَادِ. قُلْتُ: فَهِيَ رُخْصَةٌ؟ قَالَ: هَذَا مَعْرُوفٌ عَنِ ابْنِ سِيرِينَ.
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: farajulun yurīdu al-khurūja ʾilā al-thaghri walahu dārun yurīdu ʾan yabīʿahā? qāla: lā. qultu: faʾin qāla: ʾinnamā ʾabīʿu al-naqḍa? fatabassama waqāla: ʾin raḍiya al-mushtarī, kaʾannahu ʿindahu ḥīlatun. thumma qāla: qad waritha ibnu sīrīna ʾarḍan min ʾarḍi al-sawādi. qultu: fahiya rukhṣatun? qāla: hādhā maʿrūfun ʿani ibni sīrīna.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “What about a man who wants to leave for the frontier and wishes to sell his house?” He said, “No.” I asked, “What if he says, ‘I am selling only the building materials’?” He smiled and said, “If the buyer agrees,” apparently regarding it as a legal stratagem. He then said, “Ibn Sīrīn inherited land in the Sawād.” I asked, “Does that provide a dispensation?” He answered, “This is known about Ibn Sīrīn.”
قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ: أَنَا أَفْرَحُ إِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ عِنْدِي شَيْءٌ. وَقَالَ: مَا أَعْدِلُ بِالْفَقْرِ شَيْئًا. وَقَالَ: هَذِهِ الْغَلَّةُ مَا تَكُونُ قُوتَنَا. فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ أَنَّ رَجُلًا قَالَ: لَوْ أَنَّ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ تَرَكَ هَذِهِ الْغَلَّةَ وَكَانَ يَتَصَنَّعُ صَدِيقًا لَهُ كَانَ أَعْجَبَ إِلَيَّ.
qāla ʾabū bakrin: samiʿtu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi yaqūlu: ʾanā ʾafraḥu ʾidhā lam yakun ʿindī shayʾun. waqāla: mā ʾaʿdilu bi-al-faqri shayʾan. waqāla: hādhihi al-ghallatu mā takūnu qūtanā. faʾakhbartuhu ʾanna rajulan qāla: law ʾanna ʿabda Allāhi taraka hādhihi al-ghallata wakāna yataṣannaʿu ṣadīqan lahu kāna ʾaʿjaba ʾilayya.
Abū Bakr said, “I heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh say, ‘I am happy when I have nothing,’ and, ‘I set nothing equal to poverty.’ He also said, ‘This produce scarcely supplies our sustenance.’ I told him that a man had said, ‘I would prefer it if ʿAbd Allāh left this produce and cultivated a friend to support him.’”
فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: هَذِهِ طُعْمَةُ سَوْءٍ، أَوْ قَالَ: رَدِيئَةٌ، مَنْ تَعَوَّدَ هَذَا لَمْ يَصْبِرْ عَنْهُ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: هَذَا أَعْجَبُ إِلَيَّ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ. حُدِّثْنَا عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ نُوحٍ السَّرَّاجِ قَالَ: قَالَ لِي بِشْرٌ: يَا سَرَّاجُ، أَنْتَ بَعْدُ فِي الْقَطِيعَةِ؟ قُلْتُ: نَعَمْ. قَالَ: أَغْنَاكَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَنِ الدُّخُولِ إِلَيْهَا.
faqāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: hādhihi ṭuʿmatu sawʾin, ʾaw qāla: radīʾatun, man taʿawwada hādhā lam yaṣbir ʿanhu. thumma qāla: hādhā ʾaʿjabu ʾilayya min ghayrihi. ḥuddithnā ʿan ʿabdi Allāhi bni nūḥin al-sarrāji qāla: qāla lī bishrun: yā sarrāju, ʾanta baʿdu fī al-qaṭīʿati? qultu: naʿam. qāla: ʾaghnāka Allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʿani al-dukhūli ʾilayhā.
Abū ʿAbd Allāh answered, “That is an evil means of support,” or he said, “a bad one. Whoever becomes accustomed to it cannot do without it.” He then said, “I prefer this to the alternatives.” We were told on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Nūḥ al-Sarrāj, “Bishr asked me, ‘Sarrāj, are you still in al-Qaṭīʿa?’ I answered, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘May God, mighty and majestic, make you independent of entering it.’”
حُدِّثْتُ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِ بِشْرٍ قَالَ: وُصِفَ لِي شَيْءٌ أَتَدَاوَى بِهِ، وَقَالَ: لَيْسَ تَجِدُهُ إِلَّا فِي بُسْتَانِ بَنِي كَذَا، يَعْنِي الْقَطِيعَةَ. فَقَالَ: لَوْ كَانَ شِفَائِي فِيهِ مَا أَرَدْتُهُ. مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ حَاتِمٍ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ أَبِي بِشْرٍ يَقُولُ: كُنْتُ مَعَ بِشْرٍ وَقَدْ خَرَجْنَا مِنْ بَابِ حَرْبٍ،
ḥuddithtu ʿan baʿḍi ʾaṣḥābi bishrin qāla: wuṣifa lī shayʾun ʾatadāwā bihi, waqāla: laysa tajiduhu ʾillā fī bustāni banī kadhā, yaʿnī al-qaṭīʿata. faqāla: law kāna shifāʾī fīhi mā ʾaradtuhu. muḥammadu bnu ḥātimin qāla: samiʿtu ibna ʾabī bishrin yaqūlu: kuntu maʿa bishrin waqad kharajnā min bābi ḥarbin,
I was told by one of Bishr's companions, “Something was prescribed for me as a remedy, and he said, ‘You will find it only in the garden of such-and-such a family,’ meaning al-Qaṭīʿa. He replied, ‘Even if my cure lay in it, I would not want it.’” Muḥammad ibn Ḥātim said, “I heard Ibn Abī Bishr say, ‘I was with Bishr after we had gone out through the Gate of Ḥarb.
فَقَالَ لِي: يَا أَبَا يَعْقُوبَ، فَكَّرْتُ فِي هَذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ وَمَنْ كَرِهَ الدُّخُولَ إِلَيْهَا، وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ الدَّبَّاغَ إِذَا كَانَ فِي الْمَدْبَغَةِ لَا يَشُمُّ رَائِحَتَهَا، إِنَّمَا يَشُمُّ رَائِحَتَهَا مَنْ وَرَدَ عَلَيْهَا. قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: وَسَمِعْتُ بِشْرًا يَقُولُ: مِنْ ذُنُوبِي مُقَامِي بِبَغْدَادَ. وَقَالَ شُعَيْبُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ: أَيُّ رِجَالٍ بِبَغْدَادَ كَانَ لَهُمْ خَيْرٌ؟
faqāla lī: yā ʾabā yaʿqūba, fakkartu fī hādhihi al-qaryati waman kariha al-dukhūla ʾilayhā, waʿlam ʾanna al-dabbāgha ʾidhā kāna fī al-madbaghati lā yashummu rāʾiḥatahā, ʾinnamā yashummu rāʾiḥatahā man warada ʿalayhā. qāla baʿḍuhum: wasamiʿtu bishran yaqūlu: min dhunūbī muqāmī bibaghdāda. waqāla shuʿaybu bnu ḥarbin: ʾayyu rijālin bibaghdāda kāna lahum khayrun?
He said to me, “Abū Yaʿqūb, I have reflected on this town and on those who disliked entering it. Know that a tanner inside the tannery does not smell it; the person who arrives from outside smells it.”’” One of them said, “I heard Bishr say, ‘Among my sins is my residence in Baghdad.’” Shuʿayb ibn Ḥarb said, “What men in Baghdad ever had any good?”
وَعَنْ عَبْدِ الْوَهَّابِ قَالَ: خَرَجَ مِنْ هَٰهُنَا إِلَى الْمَدَائِنِ إِلَى شُعَيْبِ بْنِ حَرْبٍ قَوْمٌ فَكَلَّمُوهُ فِي النُّزُولِ بِبَغْدَادَ، فَأَشَارَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ لَا يَرْجِعُوا، فَتَرَكُوا دُورَهُمْ وَأَقَامَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِيَسْتَقِيَ مَاءً بِالْمَدَائِنِ. وَلَقَدْ رَأَى شُعَيْبٌ بَعْضَهُمْ يَسْتَقِي الْمَاءَ فَقَالَ: لَوْ رَآكَ سُفْيَانُ لَفَرِحَ بِكَ.
waʿan ʿabdi al-wahhābi qāla: kharaja min hāhunā ʾilā al-madāʾini ʾilā shuʿaybi bni ḥarbin qawmun fakallamūhu fī al-nuzūli bibaghdāda, faʾashāra ʿalayhim ʾan lā yarjiʿū, fatarakū dūrahum waʾaqāma baʿḍuhum liyastaqiya māʾan bi-al-madāʾini. walaqad raʾā shuʿaybun baʿḍahum yastaqī al-māʾa faqāla: law raʾāka sufyānu lafariḥa bika.
ʿAbd al-Wahhāb related, “Some people went from here to al-Madāʾin to see Shuʿayb ibn Ḥarb and discussed residence in Baghdad. He advised them not to return. They left their houses, and some stayed in al-Madāʾin drawing water for a living. Shuʿayb saw one of them drawing water and said, ‘If Sufyān saw you, he would rejoice in you.’”
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: جَاءَنَا كِتَابٌ مِنْ طَرَسُوسَ فِيهِ أَنَّ قَوْمًا خَرَجُوا مِنْ نَيْفِ الْأَسَلِ فَطَحَنُوا لَهُمْ طَعَامًا عَلَى رَحًى، فَتَبَيَّنُوا بَعْدَ أَنَّ الرَّحَى فِيهِ مَا يَكْرَهُونَهُ، غَصْبٌ، فَتَصَدَّقَ بَعْضُهُمْ بِنَصِيبِهِ وَأَبَى بَعْضُهُمْ وَقَالَ: لَسْتُ آمُرُ فِيهِ شَيْئًا، لَا أَرْضَى أَكْلَهُ لَا أَرْضَى أَتَصَدَّقُ بِهِ، فَأَيَّ شَيْءٍ تَقُولُ؟
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: jāʾanā kitābun min ṭarasūsa fīhi ʾanna qawman kharajū min nayfi al-ʾasali faṭaḥanū lahum ṭaʿāman ʿalā raḥan, fatabayyanū baʿda ʾanna al-raḥā fīhi mā yakrahūnahu, ghaṣbun, fataṣaddaqa baʿḍuhum binaṣībihi waʾabā baʿḍuhum waqāla: lastu ʾāmuru fīhi shayʾan, lā ʾarḍā ʾaklahu lā ʾarḍā ʾataṣaddaqu bihi, faʾayya shayʾin taqūlu?
I told Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “A letter came from Tarsus saying that some people left Nayf al-Asal and had food ground for them at a mill. Afterward they discovered something objectionable about the mill: it had been seized unlawfully. Some gave their share in charity; others refused, saying, ‘I will give no instructions concerning it. I do not approve of eating it, and I do not approve of giving it in charity.’ What do you say?”
فَكَانَ مَذْهَبُ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَنْ يَتَصَدَّقَ بِهِ إِذَا كَانَ شَيْئًا يَكْرَهُهُ. وَرَجُلٌ اشْتَرَى حَطَبًا وَاكْتَرَى دَوَابَّ وَحَمَلَهُ، ثُمَّ تَبَيَّنَ بَعْدُ أَنَّهُ يَكْرَهُ نَاحِيَتَهَا، كَيْفَ يَصْنَعُ بِالْحَطَبِ؟ تَرَى أَنْ يَرُدَّهُ إِلَى مَوْضِعِهِ وَكَيْفَ تَرَى أَنْ يَصْنَعَ بِهِ؟ فَتَبَسَّمَ وَقَالَ: مَا أَدْرِي.
fakāna madhhabu ʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi ʾan yataṣaddaqa bihi ʾidhā kāna shayʾan yakrahuhu. warajulun ishtarā ḥaṭaban waktarā dawābba waḥamalahu, thumma tabayyana baʿdu ʾannahu yakrahu nāḥiyatahā, kayfa yaṣnaʿu bi-al-ḥaṭabi? tarā ʾan yaruddahu ʾilā mawḍiʿihi wakayfa tarā ʾan yaṣnaʿa bihi? fatabassama waqāla: mā ʾadrī.
Abū ʿAbd Allāh's view was that one should give it in charity if it was something one regarded as objectionable. “A man bought firewood, hired animals, and transported it, then found that he distrusted the animals’ provenance. What should he do with the wood? Should he take it back where it came from, or what do you think he should do?” He smiled and said, “I do not know.”
قُلْتُ: إِنَّ رَجُلًا قَالَ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: مَا تَقُولُ فِي نَفَّاطَةٍ لِمَنْ تُكْرَهُ نَاحِيَتُهُ، يَنْقَطِعُ شِسْعِي أَسْتَضِيءُ بِهِ؟ قَالَ: لَا. وَذَكَرَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ زَائِدَةَ أَنَّ غُلَامَهُ أَخَذَ لَهُ نَارًا مِنْ قَوْمٍ يَكْرَهُهُمْ فَأَطْفَأَهَا، فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: النَّفَّاطَةُ أَشَدُّ.
qultu: ʾinna rajulan qāla liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: mā taqūlu fī naffāṭatin liman tukrahu nāḥiyatuhu, yanqaṭiʿu shisʿī ʾastaḍīʾu bihi? qāla: lā. wadhakara ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi ʿuthmāna bna zāʾidata ʾanna ghulāmahu ʾakhadha lahu nāran min qawmin yakrahuhum faʾaṭfaʾahā, faqāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: al-naffāṭatu ʾashaddu.
I said, “A man asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, ‘What do you say about a naphtha lamp belonging to someone whose source of livelihood is objectionable? If my sandal strap breaks, may I use its light?’ He said, ‘No.’” Abū ʿAbd Allāh mentioned ʿUthmān ibn Zāʾida, whose servant brought him fire from people he disapproved of; he put it out. Abū ʿAbd Allāh said, “The naphtha lamp is a more serious case.”
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: تَنُّورٌ سُجِرَ بِحَطَبٍ أَكْرَهُهُ فَخُبِزَ فِيهِ، فَجِئْتُ أَنَا بَعْدُ فَسَجَرْتُهُ بِحَطَبٍ آخَرَ فِيهِ؟ قَالَ: لَا، أَلَيْسَ أُحْمِيَ بِحَطَبِهِمْ؟ وَكَرِهَهُ. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: الْخَادِمُ الْخَصِيُّ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى شَعْرِ مَوْلَاتِهِ؟ قَالَ: لَا. قُلْتُ: الْمَرْأَةُ
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: tannūrun sujira biḥaṭabin ʾakrahuhu fakhubiza fīhi, fajiʾtu ʾanā baʿdu fasajartuhu biḥaṭabin ʾākhara fīhi? qāla: lā, ʾalaysa ʾuḥmiya biḥaṭabihim? wakarihahu. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: al-khādimu al-khaṣiyyu yanẓuru ʾilā shaʿri mawlātihi? qāla: lā. qultu: al-marʾatu
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “An oven was fired with wood I regard as objectionable, and bread was baked in it. I came later and fired it with other wood: may I use it?” He said, “No. Was it not heated with their wood?” He disapproved. I asked, “May a eunuch servant look at his mistress's hair?” He answered, “No.” I asked, “A woman
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٥٨
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 458
Volume Two, page 458
تَكُونُ بِهَا الْكَسْرَةُ فَيَضَعُ الْمُجَبِّرُ يَدَهُ عَلَيْهَا؟ قَالَ: هَذَا ضَرُورَةٌ، وَلَمْ يَرَ بِهِ بَأْسًا. قُلْتُ: قَالَ الْمُجَبِّرُ: لَا بُدَّ لِي أَنْ أَكْشِفَ صَدْرَ الْمَرْأَةِ وَأَضَعَ يَدِي عَلَيْهَا. قَالَ طَلْحَةُ: يُوجَدُ.
takūnu bihā al-kasratu fayaḍaʿu al-mujabbiru yadahu ʿalayhā? qāla: hādhā ḍarūratun, walam yara bihi baʾsan. qultu: qāla al-mujabbiru: lā budda lī ʾan ʾakshifa ṣadra al-marʾati waʾaḍaʿa yadī ʿalayhā. qāla ṭalḥatu: yūjadu.
has a fracture, and the bonesetter places his hand on her?” He said, “That is a necessity,” and saw no harm in it. I said, “The bonesetter says, ‘I must uncover the woman's chest and put my hand on her.’” Ṭalḥa said, “One can be found.”
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: فَالْكَحَّالُ يَخْلُو بِالْمَرْأَةِ وَقَدِ انْصَرَفَ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ النِّسَاءُ، هَلْ هَذِهِ الْخَلْوَةُ مَنْهِيٌّ عَنْهَا؟ قَالَ: أَلَيْسَ هُوَ عَلَى ظَهْرِ الطَّرِيقِ؟ قِيلَ: نَعَمْ. قَالَ: إِنَّمَا الْخَلْوَةُ تَكُونُ فِي الْبُيُوتِ.
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: fa-al-kaḥḥālu yakhlū bi-al-marʾati waqadi inṣarafa min ʿindihi al-nisāʾu, hal hādhihi al-khalwatu manhiyyun ʿanhā? qāla: ʾalaysa huwa ʿalā ẓahri al-ṭarīqi? qīla: naʿam. qāla: ʾinnamā al-khalwatu takūnu fī al-buyūti.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “An eye doctor is alone with a woman after the other women have left. Is this prohibited seclusion?” He asked, “Is he not out along the public road?” He was told, “Yes.” He answered, “Seclusion is what occurs inside houses.”
قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: إِذَا اضْطُرَّ الرَّجُلُ إِلَى الْمَيْتَةِ وَوَجَدَ مَعَ قَوْمٍ طَعَامًا مَا، يَأْخُذُ الطَّعَامَ بِغَيْرِ إِذْنِ صَاحِبِهِ أَوْ يَأْكُلُ الْمَيْتَةَ؟ قَالَ: يَأْكُلُ الْمَيْتَةَ، قَدْ أُحِلَّتْ لَهُ. سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَمُرُّ بِالْحَائِطِ أَوِ النَّخْلِ يَأْكُلُ مِنْهُ، فَقَالَ: قَدْ سَهَّلَ فِيهِ قَوْمٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.
qāla ʾabū bakrin: qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: ʾidhā iḍṭurra al-rajulu ʾilā al-maytati wawajada maʿa qawmin ṭaʿāman mā, yaʾkhudhu al-ṭaʿāma bighayri ʾidhni ṣāḥibihi ʾaw yaʾkulu al-maytata? qāla: yaʾkulu al-maytata, qad ʾuḥillat lahu. saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-rajuli yamurru bi-al-ḥāʾiṭi ʾawi al-nakhli yaʾkulu minhu, faqāla: qad sahhala fīhi qawmun min ʾaṣḥābi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama.
Abū Bakr said, “I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, ‘If a man is driven by necessity to eat carrion but finds people with food, should he take their food without its owner's permission or eat the carrion?’ He answered, ‘He should eat the carrion; it has become lawful for him.’ I asked about a man passing an enclosed orchard or date palms and eating from them. He said, ‘Some companions of God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, allowed latitude in that.’”
قُلْتُ: فَمَاذَا تَقُولُ إِذَا اضْطُرَّ الرَّجُلُ إِلَى الْمَيْتَةِ وَوَجَدَ مَعَ قَوْمٍ طَعَامًا، يَأْخُذُ الطَّعَامَ بِغَيْرِ إِذْنِ صَاحِبِهِ أَوْ يَأْكُلُ الْمَيْتَةَ؟ قَالَ: يَأْكُلُ وَلَا يَحْمِلُ. قُلْتُ: الرَّجُلُ يَمُرُّ بِالْبُسْتَانِ؟ قَالَ: إِذَا كَانَ عَلَيْهِ حَائِطٌ لَمْ يَدْخُلْ، وَإِذَا كَانَ غَيْرَ مَحُوطٍ أَكَلَ وَلَا يَحْمِلُ.
qultu: famādhā taqūlu ʾidhā iḍṭurra al-rajulu ʾilā al-maytati wawajada maʿa qawmin ṭaʿāman, yaʾkhudhu al-ṭaʿāma bighayri ʾidhni ṣāḥibihi ʾaw yaʾkulu al-maytata? qāla: yaʾkulu walā yaḥmilu. qultu: al-rajulu yamurru bi-al-bustāni? qāla: ʾidhā kāna ʿalayhi ḥāʾiṭun lam yadkhul, waʾidhā kāna ghayra maḥūṭin ʾakala walā yaḥmilu.
I asked, “What do you say if a man is driven by necessity to eat carrion and finds people with food: should he take the food without its owner's permission or eat the carrion?” He answered, “He may eat, but not carry any away.” I asked, “What about a man passing a garden?” He answered, “If it has a wall, he should not enter. If it is unenclosed, he may eat but not carry any away.”
سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ أُجُورِ بُيُوتِ مَكَّةَ فَقَالَ: لَا يُعْجِبُنِي. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: فَيَكْتَرِي الرَّجُلُ الدَّارَ وَيَخْرُجُ وَلَا يَقْضِي الْكِرَاءَ؟ قَالَ: لَا يُعْجِبُنِي أَنْ لَا يُخْرِجَ الْكِرَاءَ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: هَذَا بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْحَجَّامِ، لَا بُدَّ مِنْ أَنْ يُعْطِيَ.
saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿan ʾujūri buyūti makkata faqāla: lā yuʿjibunī. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: fayaktarī al-rajulu al-dāra wayakhruju walā yaqḍī al-kirāʾa? qāla: lā yuʿjibunī ʾan lā yukhrija al-kirāʾa. thumma qāla: hādhā bimanzilati al-ḥajjāmi, lā budda min ʾan yuʿṭiya.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about rents for houses in Mecca. He answered, “I do not approve.” I asked, “May a man rent a house and leave without paying the rent?” He said, “I do not approve of his withholding the rent.” Then he said, “This is like the cupper's case: he must pay.”
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: فَتَرَى شِرَاءَ دُورِ مَكَّةَ وَالْبَيْعَ؟ قَالَ: لَا، أَمَّا الدُّورُ الْكِبَارُ فَمِثْلُ دَارِ فُلَانٍ وَفُلَانٍ سَمَّاهَا، فَتُفْتَحُ أَبْوَابُهَا حَتَّى يَضْرِبَ الْحَاجُّ فِيهَا فَسَاطِيطَهُمْ وَيَنْزِلُوهَا، لَا يُمْنَعُ أَحَدٌ مِنْ نُزُولِهَا. قِيلَ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: هَذَا عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ قَدِ اشْتَرَى السِّجْنَ.
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: fatarā shirāʾa dūri makkata wa-al-bayʿa? qāla: lā, ʾammā al-dūru al-kibāru famithlu dāri fulānin wafulānin sammāhā, fatuftaḥu ʾabwābuhā ḥattā yaḍriba al-ḥājju fīhā fasāṭīṭahum wayanzilūhā, lā yumnaʿu ʾaḥadun min nuzūlihā. qīla liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: hādhā ʿumaru bnu al-khaṭṭābi qadi ishtarā al-sijna.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “Do you approve of buying and selling houses in Mecca?” He said, “No. As for large houses, such as the houses of so-and-so and so-and-so,” which he named, “their gates should be opened so pilgrims can pitch their tents and stay in them. No one should be prevented from lodging there.” Someone told Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “But ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb bought the prison.”
قَالَ: لَا، هَذَا لَا يُشْبِهُ مَا اشْتَرَى عُمَرُ، إِنَّمَا اشْتَرَى السِّجْنَ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ يُحْبَسُ فِيهِ السُّرَّاقُ وَغَيْرُهُمْ. سُئِلَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ السِّقَايَاتِ الَّتِي يَعْمَلُهَا مَنْ تُكْرَهُ نَاحِيَتُهُ، تَرَى أَنْ يَتَوَضَّأَ مِنْهَا؟ قَالَ: لَا، إِلَّا أَنْ يَخَافَ فَوْتَ الصَّلَاةِ، يَعْنِي يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ.
qāla: lā, hādhā lā yushbihu mā ishtarā ʿumaru, ʾinnamā ishtarā al-sijna li-l-muslimīna yuḥbasu fīhi al-surrāqu waghayruhum. suʾila ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-siqāyāti allatī yaʿmaluhā man tukrahu nāḥiyatuhu, tarā ʾan yatawaḍḍaʾa minhā? qāla: lā, ʾillā ʾan yakhāfa fawta al-ṣalāti, yaʿnī yawma al-jumuʿati.
He answered, “No, this is not like ʿUmar's purchase. He bought the prison for Muslims, to confine thieves and others.” Abū ʿAbd Allāh was asked about water stations built by someone whose source of livelihood is objectionable: “May one perform ablution from them?” He answered, “No, unless one fears missing the prayer,” meaning the Friday prayer.
سُئِلَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ السِّقَايَاتِ الَّتِي تُفْتَحُ إِلَى الطَّرِيقِ: تَرَى أَنْ يَشْرَبَ مِنْهَا؟ فَقَالَ: قَدْ سُئِلَ الْحَسَنُ فَقَالَ: قَدْ شَرِبَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُمَا مِنْ سِقَايَةِ أُمِّ سَعِيدٍ، فَمَهْ؟
suʾila ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-siqāyāti allatī tuftaḥu ʾilā al-ṭarīqi: tarā ʾan yashraba minhā? faqāla: qad suʾila al-ḥasanu faqāla: qad shariba ʾabū bakrin waʿumaru raḍiya Allāhu taʿālā ʿanhumā min siqāyati ʾummi saʿīdin, famah?
Abū ʿAbd Allāh was asked about water stations opening onto the road: “May one drink from them?” He answered, “Al-Ḥasan was asked and said, ‘Abū Bakr and ʿUmar, may God Most High be pleased with them both, drank from Umm Saʿīd's water station. What objection remains?’”
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: حُكِيَ عَنْ فُصَيْلٍ أَنَّ غُلَامَهُ جَاءَهُ بِدِرْهَمَيْنِ فَقَالَ: عَمِلْتُ فِي دَارِ فُلَانٍ، فَذَكَرَ مَنْ يَكْرَهُ نَاحِيَتَهُ. قَالَ: فَرَمَى بِهَا بَيْنَ الْحِجَارَةِ وَقَالَ: لَا يُتَقَرَّبُ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَّا بِالطَّيِّبِ. فَعَجِبَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَقَالَ: رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ.
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: ḥukiya ʿan fuṣaylin ʾanna ghulāmahu jāʾahu bidirhamayni faqāla: ʿamiltu fī dāri fulānin, fadhakara man yakrahu nāḥiyatahu. qāla: faramā bihā bayna al-ḥijārati waqāla: lā yutaqarrabu ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾillā bi-al-ṭayyibi. faʿajiba ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi waqāla: raḥimahu Allāhu.
I told Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “It is related about Fuṣayl that his servant brought him two dirhams and said, ‘I worked in the house of so-and-so,’ naming someone whose source of livelihood he distrusted. He threw the coins among the stones and said, ‘One draws near to God, mighty and majestic, only through what is wholesome.’” Abū ʿAbd Allāh was struck by this and said, “May God have mercy on him.”
وَذَهَبَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ إِلَى أَنْ يَتَصَدَّقَ، كَأَنَّهُ كَانَ أَحْوَطَ، وَقَالَ: يُعْجِبُنِي أَنْ يَتَصَدَّقَ بِهِ، إِذَا تَصَدَّقَ بِهِ فَأَيُّ شَيْءٍ بَقِيَ؟
wadhahaba ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi ʾilā ʾan yataṣaddaqa, kaʾannahu kāna ʾaḥwaṭa, waqāla: yuʿjibunī ʾan yataṣaddaqa bihi, ʾidhā taṣaddaqa bihi faʾayyu shayʾin baqiya?
Abū ʿAbd Allāh's position was that he should give it in charity, apparently considering that more cautious. He said, “I prefer that he give it in charity. Once he has done so, what remains?”
ذِكْرُ مَا رَأَى أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ الْخُرُوجَ مِنْهُ
dhikru mā raʾā ʾaḥmadu bnu ḥanbalin al-khurūja minhu
An Account of the Gatherings Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal Thought One Should Leave
حُدِّثْتُ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْخَالِقِ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْمَرْوَزِيُّ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يُدْعَى إِلَى الْوَلِيمَةِ، مِنْ أَيِّ شَيْءٍ يَخْرُجُ؟ فَقَالَ: خَرَجَ أَبُو أَيُّوبَ حِينَ دَعَاهُ ابْنُ عُمَرَ فَرَأَى الْبَيْتَ قَدْ سُتِرَ، وَدُعِيَ حُذَيْفَةُ فَخَرَجَ، وَإِنَّمَا رَأَى شَيْئًا مِنْ زِيِّ الْأَعَاجِمِ.
ḥuddithtu ʿan ʾaḥmada bni ʿabdi al-khāliqi qāla: ḥaddathanā ʾabū bakrin al-marwaziyyu qāla: saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-rajuli yudʿā ʾilā al-walīmati, min ʾayyi shayʾin yakhruju? faqāla: kharaja ʾabū ʾayyūba ḥīna daʿāhu ibnu ʿumara faraʾā al-bayta qad sutira, waduʿiya ḥudhayfatu fakharaja, waʾinnamā raʾā shayʾan min ziyyi al-ʾaʿājimi.
I was told on the authority of Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Khāliq that Abū Bakr al-Marwazī said, “I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh what should make a man leave a wedding feast to which he has been invited. He answered, ‘Abū Ayyūb left when Ibn ʿUmar invited him and he saw the room draped with fabric. Ḥudhayfa was invited and left too; he had merely seen something in the foreign style.’”
قُلْتُ: فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنِ الْبَيْتُ مَسْتُورًا وَرَأَى شَيْئًا مِنْ فِضَّةٍ؟ فَقَالَ: مَا كَانَ يُسْتَعْمَلُ يُعْجِبُنِي أَنْ يَخْرُجَ. وَسَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ: دَعَانَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا قَبْلَ الْمِحْنَةِ وَكُنَّا نَخْتَلِفُ إِلَى
qultu: faʾin lam yakuni al-baytu mastūran waraʾā shayʾan min fiḍḍatin? faqāla: mā kāna yustaʿmalu yuʿjibunī ʾan yakhruja. wasamiʿtu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi yaqūlu: daʿānā rajulun min ʾaṣḥābinā qabla al-miḥnati wakunnā nakhtalifu ʾilā
I asked, “What if the room is not draped, but he sees a silver object?” He answered, “If it is being used, I prefer that he leave.” I heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh say, “One of our companions invited us before the ordeal, when we used to visit
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٥٩
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 459
Volume Two, page 459
عَفَّانَ، فَإِذَا فِضَّةٌ، فَخَرَجْتُ فَاتَّبَعَنِي جَمَاعَةٌ فَنَزَلَ بِصَاحِبِ الْبَيْتِ أَمْرٌ عَظِيمٌ. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: فَالرَّجُلُ يُدْعَى فَيَرَى الْمُكْحُلَةَ رَأْسُهَا مُفَضَّضٌ؟ قَالَ: هَذَا يُسْتَعْمَلُ فَاخْرُجْ مِنْهُ، إِنَّمَا رُخِّصَ فِي الضَّبَّةِ أَوْ نَحْوِهَا فَهُوَ أَسْهَلُ.
ʿaffāna, faʾidhā fiḍḍatun, fakharajtu fattabaʿanī jamāʿatun fanazala biṣāḥibi al-bayti ʾamrun ʿaẓīmun. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: fa-al-rajulu yudʿā fayarā al-mukḥulata raʾsuhā mufaḍḍaḍun? qāla: hādhā yustaʿmalu fakhruj minhu, ʾinnamā rukhkhiṣa fī al-ḍabbati ʾaw naḥwihā fahuwa ʾashalu.
ʿAffān. There were silver objects, so I left, and a group followed me. This caused the host great distress.” I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “What if a man is invited and sees a kohl container with a silver-covered top?” He answered, “That is used, so leave because of it. Latitude was allowed only for a repair band or something similar, which is a lighter matter.”
سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الْكِلَّةِ فَكَرِهَهَا. قُلْتُ: فَالْقُبَّةُ أَوِ الْحَجَلَةُ؟ فَلَمْ يَرَ بِهِ بَأْسًا. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: إِنَّ رَجُلًا دَعَا قَوْمًا فَجِيءَ بِطَسْتِ فِضَّةٍ أَوْ إِبْرِيقٍ فَكَسَرَهُ، فَأَعْجَبَ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ كَسْرُهُ.
saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-killati fakarihahā. qultu: fa-al-qubbatu ʾawi al-ḥajalatu? falam yara bihi baʾsan. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: ʾinna rajulan daʿā qawman fajīʾa biṭasti fiḍḍatin ʾaw ʾibrīqin fakasarahu, faʾaʿjaba ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi kasruhu.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about a gauze canopy, and he disliked it. I asked, “What about a domed canopy or a bridal enclosure?” He saw no harm in those. I told him that a man invited some people, and when a silver basin or ewer was brought, someone broke it. Abū ʿAbd Allāh approved of its being broken.
سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يُدْعَى فَيَرَى فُرُشَ دِيبَاجٍ، تَرَى أَنْ يَقْعُدَ عَلَيْهِ أَوْ يَقْعُدَ فِي بَيْتٍ آخَرَ؟ قَالَ: يَخْرُجُ، قَدْ خَرَجَ أَبُو أَيُّوبَ وَحُذَيْفَةُ، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ. قُلْتُ: فَتَرَى أَنْ يَأْمُرَهُمْ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، فَيَقُولُ: هَذَا لَا يَجُوزُ.
saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-rajuli yudʿā fayarā furusha dībājin, tarā ʾan yaqʿuda ʿalayhi ʾaw yaqʿuda fī baytin ʾākhara? qāla: yakhruju, qad kharaja ʾabū ʾayyūba waḥudhayfatu, waqad ruwiya ʿani ibni masʿūdin. qultu: fatarā ʾan yaʾmurahum? qāla: naʿam, fayaqūlu: hādhā lā yajūzu.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about an invited man who sees brocade furnishings: “Should he sit on them or sit in another room?” He answered, “He should leave. Abū Ayyūb and Ḥudhayfa left, and the same has been related from Ibn Masʿūd.” I asked, “Should he instruct them?” He answered, “Yes. He should say, ‘This is not permitted.’”
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: الرَّجُلُ يَكُونُ فِي بَيْتٍ فِيهِ دِيبَاجٌ فَيَدْعُو ابْنَهُ لِلشَّيْءِ؟ قَالَ: لَا يَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَا يَجْلِسُ مَعَهُ. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: الرَّجُلُ يُدْعَى فَيَرَى الْكِلَّةَ؟ فَكَرِهَ وَقَالَ: هُوَ رِيَاءٌ، لَا يَرُدُّ مِنْ حَرٍّ وَلَا مِنْ بَرْدٍ.
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: al-rajulu yakūnu fī baytin fīhi dībājun fayadʿū ibnahu li-l-shayʾi? qāla: lā yadkhulu ʿalayhi walā yajlisu maʿahu. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: al-rajulu yudʿā fayarā al-killata? fakariha waqāla: huwa riyāʾun, lā yaruddu min ḥarrin walā min bardin.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “A man is in a room containing brocade and calls his son in for something: should the son enter?” He answered, “He should neither enter nor sit with him.” I asked about an invited man seeing a gauze canopy. He disapproved and said, “It is ostentation; it protects from neither heat nor cold.”
قُلْتُ: الرَّجُلُ يُدْعَى فَيَرَى تَصَاوِيرَ؟ قَالَ: لَا يَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ. قُلْتُ: فَقَدْ نَظَرْتُ إِلَيْهِ. قَالَ: إِنْ أَمْكَنَكَ خَلْعُهُ خَلَعْتَهُ. أَبُو صَالِحٍ الْفَرَّاءُ عَنْ يُوسُفَ بْنِ أَسْبَاطٍ قَالَ: قُلْتُ: مَنْ أُجِيبُ؟ قَالَ: لَا تَدْخُلْ عَلَى رَجُلٍ إِذَا دَخَلْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَفْسَدَ عَلَيْكَ قَلْبَكَ. قَدْ كَانَ يَكْرَهُ الدُّخُولَ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْبُسُطِ، يَعْنِي الْأَغْنِيَاءَ.
qultu: al-rajulu yudʿā fayarā taṣāwīra? qāla: lā yanẓuru ʾilayhi. qultu: faqad naẓartu ʾilayhi. qāla: ʾin ʾamkanaka khalʿuhu khalaʿtahu. ʾabū ṣāliḥin al-farrāʾu ʿan yūsufa bni ʾasbāṭin qāla: qultu: man ʾujību? qāla: lā tadkhul ʿalā rajulin ʾidhā dakhalta ʿalayhi ʾafsada ʿalayka qalbaka. qad kāna yakrahu al-dukhūla ʿalā ʾahli al-busuṭi, yaʿnī al-ʾaghniyāʾa.
I asked, “What if an invited man sees pictures?” He answered, “He should not look at it.” I said, “But I have looked at it.” He said, “If you can remove it, remove it.” Abū Ṣāliḥ al-Farrāʾ related from Yūsuf ibn Asbāṭ, “I asked, ‘Whose invitation should I accept?’ He answered, ‘Do not visit a man whose company corrupts your heart.’” He disliked visiting the people of carpets, meaning the wealthy.
الْمَرْوَزِيُّ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ السِّتْرِ يُكْتَبُ عَلَيْهِ الْقُرْآنُ فَكَرِهَ ذَلِكَ وَقَالَ: لَا يُكْتَبُ الْقُرْآنُ عَلَى شَيْءٍ مَنْصُوبٍ، لَا سِتْرٍ وَلَا غَيْرِهِ. قُلْتُ: فَالرَّجُلُ يَكْتَرِي الْبَيْتَ يَرَى فِيهِ التَّصَاوِيرَ، تَرَى أَنْ يَحُكَّهُ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: فَإِذَا دَخَلْتُ حَمَّامًا فَرَأَيْتُ فِيهِ صُورَةً، تَرَى أَنْ أَحُكَّ الرَّأْسَ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ.
al-marwaziyyu qāla: saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-sitri yuktabu ʿalayhi al-qurʾānu fakariha dhālika waqāla: lā yuktabu al-qurʾānu ʿalā shayʾin manṣūbin, lā sitrin walā ghayrihi. qultu: fa-al-rajulu yaktarī al-bayta yarā fīhi al-taṣāwīra, tarā ʾan yaḥukkahu? qāla: naʿam. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: faʾidhā dakhaltu ḥammāman faraʾaytu fīhi ṣūratan, tarā ʾan ʾaḥukka al-raʾsa? qāla: naʿam.
Al-Marwazī said, “I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about a curtain bearing Qurʾānic writing. He disliked it and said, ‘The Qurʾān should not be written on anything hung up, whether a curtain or anything else.’ I asked, ‘A man rents a house and finds pictures in it: should he scrape it away?’ ‘Yes.’ I asked, ‘If I enter a bathhouse and see a figure, should I scrape away its head?’ ‘Yes.’”
ذِكْرُ الْوَرَعِ فِي أَشْيَاءَ
dhikru al-waraʿi fī ʾashyāʾa
An Account of Scrupulousness in Various Matters
ابْنُ عَبْدِ الْخَالِقِ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ الْحَجَّاجِ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: تَرَى الرَّجُلَ الْوَصِيَّ تَسْأَلُهُ الصَّبِيَّةُ أَنْ يَشْتَرِيَ لَهَا لُعْبَةً؟ قَالَ: إِنْ كَانَتْ صُورَةً فَلَا، وَذَكَرَ فِيهِ شَيْئًا. قُلْتُ: أَلَيْسَ الصُّورَةُ إِذَا كَانَ يَدًا أَوْ رِجْلًا؟ فَقَالَ: عِكْرِمَةُ يَقُولُ: كُلُّ شَيْءٍ لَهُ رَأْسٌ فَهُوَ صُورَةٌ.
ibnu ʿabdi al-khāliqi qāla: ḥaddathanā ʾaḥmadu bnu al-ḥajjāji qāla: qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: tarā al-rajula al-waṣiyya tasʾaluhu al-ṣabiyyatu ʾan yashtariya lahā luʿbatan? qāla: ʾin kānat ṣūratan falā, wadhakara fīhi shayʾan. qultu: ʾalaysa al-ṣūratu ʾidhā kāna yadan ʾaw rijlan? faqāla: ʿikrimatu yaqūlu: kullu shayʾin lahu raʾsun fahuwa ṣūratun.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Khāliq said that Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥajjāj related, “I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about a guardian whose young ward asks him to buy her a toy. He answered, ‘Not if it is a figure,’ and mentioned something further about it. I asked, ‘Does it not count as an image if it is a hand or a foot?’ He answered, ‘ʿIkrima says that anything with a head is an image.’”
قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: وَقَدْ يُصَيِّرُونَ لَهَا صَدْرًا وَعَيْنًا وَأَنْفًا. قُلْتُ: وَأَحَبُّ إِلَيْكَ أَنْ تَجْتَنِبَ شِرَاءَهَا؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ قُبْلَةِ الْيَدِ فَلَمْ يَرَ بِهَا بَأْسًا إِنْ كَانَ عَلَى التَّدَيُّنِ. قَالَ: قَدْ قَبَّلَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ يَدَ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُمَا،
qāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: waqad yuṣayyirūna lahā ṣadran waʿaynan waʾanfan. qultu: waʾaḥabbu ʾilayka ʾan tajtaniba shirāʾahā? qāla: naʿam. saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿan qublati al-yadi falam yara bihā baʾsan ʾin kāna ʿalā al-tadayyuni. qāla: qad qabbala ʾabū ʿubaydata yada ʿumara bni al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya Allāhu taʿālā ʿanhumā,
Abū ʿAbd Allāh said, “They also make a chest, an eye, and a nose for it.” I asked, “Do you prefer that buying it be avoided?” He answered, “Yes.” I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about kissing a hand. He saw no harm when it was done out of religious devotion. He said, “Abū ʿUbayda kissed the hand of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, may God Most High be pleased with them both.
وَإِنْ كَانَ عَلَى طَرِيقِ الدُّنْيَا فَلَا، رَجُلٌ يُخَافُ سَيْفُهُ أَوْ سَوْطُهُ. قَالَ لِي أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: قَالَ لِي سَعِيدٌ الْحَاجِبُ: أَلَا يُقَبَّلُ يَدُ وَلِيِّ عَهْدِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ؟ فَقُلْتُ بِيَدِي هَكَذَا وَلَمْ أَفْعَلْ. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ سُفْيَانَ يَقُولُ: لَا بَأْسَ بِهَا لِلْإِمَامِ الْعَادِلِ وَأَكْرَهُهُ عَلَى الدُّنْيَا، يَعْنِي تَقْبِيلَ الْيَدِ.
waʾin kāna ʿalā ṭarīqi al-dunyā falā, rajulun yukhāfu sayfuhu ʾaw sawṭuhu. qāla lī ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: qāla lī saʿīdun al-ḥājibu: ʾalā yuqabbalu yadu waliyyi ʿahdi al-muslimīna? faqultu biyadī hākadhā walam ʾafʿal. warawaynā ʿan ʿaliyyi bni thābitin qāla: samiʿtu sufyāna yaqūlu: lā baʾsa bihā li-l-ʾimāmi al-ʿādili waʾakrahuhu ʿalā al-dunyā, yaʿnī taqbīla al-yadi.
But not when it is done for worldly reasons, for a man whose sword or whip is feared.” Abū ʿAbd Allāh told me, “Saʿīd the chamberlain said to me, ‘Should the hand of the Muslims' heir apparent not be kissed?’ I gestured like this with my hand and did not do it.” We have related from ʿAlī ibn Thābit, “I heard Sufyān say, ‘There is no harm in it for a just ruler, but I dislike it for worldly reasons,’” meaning kissing the hand.
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: رَجُلٌ يُرِيدُ الْخُرُوجَ إِلَى الثَّغْرِ وَقَدْ سَأَلَنِي أَسْأَلُكَ، وَهَذَا الطَّرِيقُ طَرِيقُ الْأَنْبَارِ مَخِيفٌ، فَإِنْ عَرَضَ لَهُ اللُّصُوصُ تَرَى أَنْ يُقَاتِلَهُمْ؟ قَالَ: إِنْ طَلَبُوا أَشْيَاءَهُ قَاتَلَهُمْ، لِأَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «مَنْ قُتِلَ دُونَ مَالِهِ فَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ». قُلْتُ: فَإِنْ عَرَضُوا لِلرُّفْقَةِ تَرَى أَنْ يُقَاتِلَهُمْ؟ قَالَ: حَتَّى إِنْ يَطْلُبُوهُ هُوَ، وَلَمْ يَرَ أَنْ يُقَاتِلَ عَنِ الرُّفْقَةِ بِالسَّيْفِ.
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: rajulun yurīdu al-khurūja ʾilā al-thaghri waqad saʾalanī ʾasʾaluka, wa-hādhā al-ṭarīqu ṭarīqu al-ʾanbāri makhīfun, faʾin ʿaraḍa lahu al-luṣūṣu tarā ʾan yuqātilahum? qāla: ʾin ṭalabū ʾashyāʾahu qātalahum, liʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla: «man qutila dūna mālihi fahuwa shahīdun». qultu: faʾin ʿaraḍū li-l-rufqati tarā ʾan yuqātilahum? qāla: ḥattā ʾin yaṭlubūhu huwa, walam yara ʾan yuqātila ʿani al-rufqati bi-al-sayfi.
I told Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “A man wants to leave for the frontier and asked me to consult you. The road through al-Anbār is dangerous. If thieves confront him, should he fight them?” He answered, “If they seek his belongings, he may fight them, because the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Whoever is killed defending his property is a martyr.’” I asked, “What if they attack his traveling companions: should he fight them?” He answered, “Only if they target him himself.” He did not approve of fighting with the sword on behalf of the company.
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٦٠
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 460
Volume Two, page 460
سُئِلَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الْأَسِيرِ: يَفِرُّ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ إِذَا قَدَرَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: تَرَى لِلرَّجُلِ إِذَا جَاءَهُ الرَّجُلُ يَسْأَلُ، تَرَى أَنْ يَسْأَلَ لَهُ قَوْمًا؟ قَالَ: لَا، لَكِنْ يُعَرِّضُ كَمَا فَعَلَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حِينَ قَدِمَ عَلَيْهِ الْقَوْمُ مُجْتَابِي النِّمَارِ، فَقَالَ: «تَصَدَّقَ رَجُلٌ بِكَذَا».
suʾila ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-ʾasīri: yafirru? qāla: naʿam ʾidhā qadara ʿalā dhālika. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: tarā li-l-rajuli ʾidhā jāʾahu al-rajulu yasʾalu, tarā ʾan yasʾala lahu qawman? qāla: lā, lākin yuʿarriḍu kamā faʿala al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ḥīna qadima ʿalayhi al-qawmu mujtābī al-nimāri, faqāla: «taṣaddaqa rajulun bikadhā».
Abū ʿAbd Allāh was asked, “May a captive escape?” He answered, “Yes, if he can.” I asked, “If a man comes to someone asking for help, should that person ask others on his behalf?” He answered, “No, but he may make an indirect appeal, as the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, did when people wearing cut-open striped cloaks came to him. He said, ‘Let a man give such-and-such in charity.’”
سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ: عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ أَطْيَبُ طُعْمَةً مِنْ غَيْرِهِ، يُرِيدُ الْوِرَاقَةَ. سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ: كَانَ يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى أَوْصَى إِلَيَّ بِجُبَّتِهِ، فَجَاءَنِي ابْنُهُ فَقَالَ لِي، فَقُلْتُ: رَجُلٌ صَالِحٌ قَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى فِيهَا، أَتَبَرَّكُ بِهَا.
samiʿtu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi yaqūlu: ʿabdu al-wahhābi ʾaṭyabu ṭuʿmatan min ghayrihi, yurīdu al-wirāqata. samiʿtu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi yaqūlu: kāna yaḥyā bnu yaḥyā ʾawṣā ʾilayya bijubbatihi, fajāʾanī ibnuhu faqāla lī, faqultu: rajulun ṣāliḥun qad ʾaṭāʿa Allāha tabāraka wataʿālā fīhā, ʾatabarraku bihā.
I heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh say, “ʿAbd al-Wahhāb's livelihood is more wholesome than that of others,” referring to copying books. I heard him say, “Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā bequeathed his robe to me. His son came and spoke to me, and I said, ‘A righteous man obeyed God, blessed and exalted, while wearing it. I seek blessing through it.’”
حُدِّثْتُ عَنْ بَعْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ أَنَّ يَحْيَى بْنَ يَحْيَى قَالَتْ لَهُ امْرَأَتُهُ تُشْرِبُهُ دَوَاءً: لَوْ قُمْتَ فَتَرَدَّدْتَ فِي الدَّارِ. فَقَالَ: مَا أَدْرِي مَا هَذِهِ الْمَسْأَلَةُ، أَنَا أُحَاسِبُ نَفْسِي مُنْذُ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً. حُدِّثْتُ عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ مَهْدِيٍّ قَالَ: لَمَّا قُبِضَ عَمِّي أُغْمِيَ عَلَى أَبِي، فَلَمَّا أَفَاقَ قَالَ: الْبِسَاطُ، نَحُّوهُ، أَدْرِجُوهُ، لِغَلَّةِ الْوَرَثَةِ.
ḥuddithtu ʿan baʿḍi al-ʿulamāʾi ʾanna yaḥyā bna yaḥyā qālat lahu imraʾatuhu tushribuhu dawāʾan: law qumta fataraddadta fī al-dāri. faqāla: mā ʾadrī mā hādhihi al-masʾalatu, ʾanā ʾuḥāsibu nafsī mundhu ʾarbaʿīna sanatan. ḥuddithtu ʿan mūsā bni ʿabdi al-raḥmāni bni mahdiyyin qāla: lammā qubiḍa ʿammī ʾughmiya ʿalā ʾabī, falammā ʾafāqa qāla: al-bisāṭu, naḥḥūhu, ʾadrijūhu, lighallati al-warathati.
I was told by a scholar that Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā's wife, while giving him medicine, said, “Why not get up and walk around the house?” He answered, “I do not know what this question entails. I have been calling myself to account for forty years.” I was told on the authority of Mūsā ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī, “When my uncle died, my father fainted. On recovering he said, ‘The carpet: remove it and roll it up,’ because of the heirs' interest in the property.”
ابْنُ أَبِي خَالِدٍ قَالَ: كُنْتُ مَعَ أَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ الْخَطَّابِ وَقَدْ جَاءَ يُعَزِّي رَجُلًا مَاتَتِ امْرَأَتُهُ وَفِي الْبَيْتِ بِسَاطٌ، فَقَامَ أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ عَلَى بَابِ الْبَيْتِ فَقَالَ: أَيُّهَا الرَّجُلُ، مَعَكَ وَارِثٌ غَيْرُكَ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. قَالَ: قُعُودُكَ عَلَى مَا لَا تَمْلِكُ. فَتَنَحَّى الرَّجُلُ عَنِ الْبِسَاطِ.
ibnu ʾabī khālidin qāla: kuntu maʿa ʾabī al-ʿabbāsi al-khaṭṭābi waqad jāʾa yuʿazzī rajulan mātati imraʾatuhu wafī al-bayti bisāṭun, faqāma ʾabū al-ʿabbāsi ʿalā bābi al-bayti faqāla: ʾayyuhā al-rajulu, maʿaka wārithun ghayruka? qāla: naʿam. qāla: quʿūduka ʿalā mā lā tamliku. fatanaḥḥā al-rajulu ʿani al-bisāṭi.
Ibn Abī Khālid said, “I was with Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Khaṭṭāb when he came to console a man whose wife had died. There was a carpet in the house. Abū al-ʿAbbās stood at the doorway and asked, ‘My man, are there other heirs besides you?’ ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘You are sitting on something you do not own.’ The man moved off the carpet.”
وَحُدِّثْتُ عَنِ ابْنِ الضَّحَّاكِ صَاحِبِ بِشْرِ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ قَالَ: كَانَ يَجِيءُ إِلَى أُخْتِهِ حِينَ مَاتَ زَوْجُهَا فَيَبِيتُ عِنْدَهَا، فَيَجِيءُ مَعَهُ بِشَيْءٍ يَقْعُدُ عَلَيْهِ، وَلَمْ يَرَ أَنْ يَقْعُدَ عَلَى مَا خَلَّفَ مِنْ غَلَّةِ الْوَرَثَةِ. ابْنُ عَبْدِ الْخَالِقِ عَنِ الْمَرْوَزِيِّ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ بَوَارِي الْمَسْجِدِ إِذَا فَضَلَ مِنْهُ الشَّيْءُ أَوِ الْخَشَبَةُ، قَالَ: يُتَصَدَّقُ بِهِ.
waḥuddithtu ʿani ibni al-ḍaḥḥāki ṣāḥibi bishri bni al-ḥārithi qāla: kāna yajīʾu ʾilā ʾukhtihi ḥīna māta zawjuhā fayabītu ʿindahā, fayajīʾu maʿahu bishayʾin yaqʿudu ʿalayhi, walam yara ʾan yaqʿuda ʿalā mā khallafa min ghallati al-warathati. ibnu ʿabdi al-khāliqi ʿani al-marwaziyyi qāla: saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿan bawārī al-masjidi ʾidhā faḍala minhu al-shayʾu ʾawi al-khashabatu, qāla: yutaṣaddaqu bihi.
I was told on the authority of Ibn al-Ḍaḥḥāk, Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith's companion, “He used to visit his sister after her husband died and spend the night with her, bringing something of his own to sit on. He did not think he should sit on what the deceased left as the heirs' property.” Ibn ʿAbd al-Khāliq related from al-Marwazī, “I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about mosque matting when a piece or a wooden part remained unused. He said, ‘Give it in charity.’”
سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْجَصِّ وَالْآجُرِّ يَفْضُلُ عَنِ الْمَسْجِدِ، قَالَ: يَصِيرُ فِي مِثْلِهِ. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: إِنِّي أَكُونُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فِي شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ فَيُجَاءُ بِالْعُودِ مِنَ الْمَوْضِعِ الَّذِي يُكْرَهُ، فَقَالَ: وَهَلْ يُرَادُ مِنَ الْعُودِ إِلَّا رِيحُهُ؟ إِنْ خَفِيَ خُرُوجُكَ فَاخْرُجْ.
saʾaltuhu ʿani al-jaṣṣi wa-al-ʾājurri yafḍulu ʿani al-masjidi, qāla: yaṣīru fī mithlihi. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: ʾinnī ʾakūnu fī al-masjidi fī shahri ramaḍāna fayujāʾu bi-al-ʿūdi mina al-mawḍiʿi alladhī yukrahu, faqāla: wahal yurādu mina al-ʿūdi ʾillā rīḥuhu? ʾin khafiya khurūjuka fakhruj.
I asked about plaster and bricks left over from a mosque. He answered, “Use them for something similar.” I told Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “During Ramadan I am in the mosque when aloeswood incense is brought from an objectionable source.” He answered, “Is anything sought from aloeswood except its scent? If you can leave unnoticed, leave.”
رَوَيْنَا عَنْ أَبِي عَوَانَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ رَاشِدٍ قَالَ: أَتَيْتُ عُمَرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ بِالطِّيبِ الَّذِي كَانَ فِي بَيْتِ الْمَالِ، فَأَمْسَكَ عَلَى أَنْفِهِ وَقَالَ: إِنَّمَا يُنْتَفَعُ بِرِيحِهِ. عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ قَالَ: قَدِمَ عَلَى عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مِسْكٌ مِنَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ،
rawaynā ʿan ʾabī ʿawānata ʿan ʿabdi Allāhi bni rāshidin qāla: ʾataytu ʿumara bna ʿabdi al-ʿazīzi bi-al-ṭībi alladhī kāna fī bayti al-māli, faʾamsaka ʿalā ʾanfihi waqāla: ʾinnamā yuntafaʿu birīḥihi. ʿabdu al-ʿazīzi bnu ʾabī salamata qāla: ḥaddathanā ʾismāʿīlu bnu muḥammadin qāla: qadima ʿalā ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu miskun mina al-baḥrayni,
We have related from Abū ʿAwāna, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rāshid, “I brought ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz the perfume held in the treasury. He covered his nose and said, ‘Its benefit lies in its scent.’” ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Abī Salama said that Ismāʿīl ibn Muḥammad related, “Musk came to ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him, from Bahrain.
فَقَالَ: وَاللَّهِ لَوَدِدْتُ إِنِّي أَجِدُ امْرَأَةً حَسَنَةَ الْوَزْنِ تَزِنُ لِي هَذَا الطِّيبَ حَتَّى أُفَرِّقَهُ بَيْنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ. فَقَالَتِ امْرَأَتُهُ عَاتِكَةُ بِنْتُ عَمْرِو بْنِ نُفَيْلٍ: إِنِّي جَيِّدَةُ الْوَزْنِ، فَهَلُمَّ أَزِنْ لَكَ. قَالَ: لَا. قُلْتُ: وَلِمَ؟ قَالَ: إِنِّي أَخْشَى أَنْ تَأْخُذِيهِ هَكَذَا، وَأَدْخَلَ أَصَابِعَهُ فِي صُدْغَيْهِ، وَتَمْسَحِينَ عُنُقَكِ، فَأُصِيبَ فَضْلًا عَنِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ.
faqāla: wa-Allāhi lawadidtu ʾinnī ʾajidu imraʾatan ḥasanata al-wazni tazinu lī hādhā al-ṭība ḥattā ʾufarriqahu bayna al-muslimīna. faqālati imraʾatuhu ʿātikatu bintu ʿamri bni nufaylin: ʾinnī jayyidatu al-wazni, fahalumma ʾazin laka. qāla: lā. qultu: walima? qāla: ʾinnī ʾakhshā ʾan taʾkhudhīhi hākadhā, waʾadkhala ʾaṣābiʿahu fī ṣudghayhi, watamsaḥīna ʿunuqaki, faʾuṣība faḍlan ʿani al-muslimīna.
He said, ‘By God, I wish I could find a woman skilled at weighing to weigh this perfume so that I can distribute it among Muslims.’ His wife ʿĀtika bint ʿAmr ibn Nufayl said, ‘I am good at weighing. Come, let me weigh it for you.’ He answered, ‘No.’ I asked, ‘Why?’ He replied, ‘I fear that you would take it like this,’ putting his fingers to his temples, ‘and rub your neck, so that I would obtain an advantage over the Muslims.’”
وَسُلَيْمَانُ التَّيْمِيُّ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي نُعَيْمٌ عَنِ الْعَطَّارَةِ قَالَ: كَانَ عُمَرُ يَدْفَعُ إِلَى امْرَأَتِهِ طِيبًا مِنْ طِيبِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، قَالَ: فَتَبِيعُهُ امْرَأَتُهُ. فَبَاعَتْنِي طِيبًا فَجَعَلَتْ تُقَوِّمُ وَتَزِيدُ وَتَنْقُصُ وَتَكْسِرُهُ بِأَسْنَانِهَا فَيَعْلَقُ بِأُصْبُعِهَا شَيْءٌ مِنْهُ،
wasulaymānu al-taymiyyu qāla: ḥaddathanī nuʿaymun ʿani al-ʿaṭṭārati qāla: kāna ʿumaru yadfaʿu ʾilā imraʾatihi ṭīban min ṭībi al-muslimīna, qāla: fatabīʿuhu imraʾatuhu. fabāʿatnī ṭīban fajaʿalat tuqawwimu watazīdu watanquṣu wataksiruhu biʾasnānihā fayaʿlaqu biʾuṣbuʿihā shayʾun minhu,
Sulaymān al-Taymī said, “Nuʿaym told me, on the authority of the woman perfume seller, that ʿUmar would give his wife perfume belonging to the Muslims, and she would sell it. ‘She sold me some perfume and kept assessing it, adding and subtracting, and breaking pieces with her teeth. A little of it stuck to her finger.
فَقَالَتْ بِهِ هَكَذَا بِأُصْبُعِهَا ثُمَّ مَسَحَتْ بِهِ خِمَارَهَا. فَدَخَلَ عُمَرُ فَقَالَ: مَا هَذِهِ الرِّيحُ؟ فَأَخْبَرَتْهُ بِالَّذِي كَانَ، فَقَالَ: طِيبُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ تَأْخُذِينَهُ أَنْتِ فَتَتَطَيَّبِينَ
faqālat bihi hākadhā biʾuṣbuʿihā thumma masaḥat bihi khimārahā. fadakhala ʿumaru faqāla: mā hādhihi al-rīḥu? faʾakhbarathu bi-alladhī kāna, faqāla: ṭību al-muslimīna taʾkhudhīnahu ʾanti fatataṭayyabīna
She moved her finger like this, then wiped it on her veil. ʿUmar came in and asked, “What is that scent?” She told him what had happened. He said, “You take the Muslims' perfume and scent yourself
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٦١
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 461
Volume Two, page 461
بِهِ؟ فَانْتَزَعَ الْخِمَارَ مِنْ رَأْسِهَا وَأَخَذَ جَرًّا مِنْ مَاءٍ، فَجَعَلَ يَصُبُّ عَلَى الْخِمَارِ ثُمَّ يَدْلُكُهُ فِي التُّرَابِ ثُمَّ يَشُمُّهُ، ثُمَّ يَصُبُّ عَلَيْهِ الْمَاءَ ثُمَّ يَدْلُكُهُ فِي التُّرَابِ ثُمَّ يَشُمُّهُ، فَفَعَلَ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ.
bihi? fantazaʿa al-khimāra min raʾsihā waʾakhadha jarran min māʾin, fajaʿala yaṣubbu ʿalā al-khimāri thumma yadlukuhu fī al-turābi thumma yashummuhu, thumma yaṣubbu ʿalayhi al-māʾa thumma yadlukuhu fī al-turābi thumma yashummuhu, fafaʿala mā shāʾa Allāhu.
with it?” He pulled the veil from her head, took a jar of water, poured water on the veil, rubbed it in dust, and smelled it. Then he poured water on it again, rubbed it in dust, and smelled it. He repeated this as long as God willed.
قَالَتِ الْعَطَّارَةُ: ثُمَّ أَتَيْتُهَا مَرَّةً أُخْرَى فَلَمَّا عَلِقَ بِأُصْبُعِهَا مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ فَعَمَدَتْ فَأَدْخَلَتْ أُصْبُعَهَا فِي فِيهَا، ثُمَّ مَسَحَتْ بِإِصْبُعِهَا التُّرَابَ. أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْمَرْوَزِيُّ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: يَحْضُرُ يَوْمُ الْجُمُعَةِ يَوْمٌ بَارِدٌ، تَرَى أَنْ يُسَخَّنَ الْمَاءُ مِنَ الْمَوْضِعِ الَّذِي أَكْرَهُ؟ قَالَ: لَا، تَرْكُ الْغُسْلِ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ هَذَا.
qālati al-ʿaṭṭāratu: thumma ʾataytuhā marratan ʾukhrā falammā ʿaliqa biʾuṣbuʿihā minhu shayʾun faʿamadat faʾadkhalat ʾuṣbuʿahā fī fīhā, thumma masaḥat biʾiṣbuʿihā al-turāba. ʾabū bakrin al-marwaziyyu qāla: qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: yaḥḍuru yawmu al-jumuʿati yawmun bāridun, tarā ʾan yusakhkhana al-māʾu mina al-mawḍiʿi alladhī ʾakrahu? qāla: lā, tarku al-ghusli ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya min hādhā.
The woman perfume seller said, ‘I visited her again another time. When some perfume stuck to her finger, she deliberately put her finger in her mouth, then wiped it in the dust.’” Abū Bakr al-Marwazī said, “I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, ‘Friday comes on a cold day. May water be heated using a source I regard as objectionable?’ He answered, ‘No. I would rather omit the ritual bath than do that.’”
سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يُنْكِرُ عَلَى أَبِي ثَوْرٍ قَوْلَهُ: وَإِذَا أَجْمَعَ الْأَطِبَّاءُ أَنَّ شِفَاءَ الرَّجُلِ فِي الْخَمْرِ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ بِهِ بَأْسٌ، فَأَنْكَرَ إِنْكَارًا شَدِيدًا عَلَيْهِ وَقَالَ: لَقَدْ كَرِهْتُ أَنْ يُدَاوَى الدَّبَرُ بِالْخَمْرِ فَكَيْفَ بِشُرْبِهِ؟ وَتَكَلَّمَ بِكَلَامٍ غَلِيظٍ.
samiʿtu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi yunkiru ʿalā ʾabī thawrin qawlahu: waʾidhā ʾajmaʿa al-ʾaṭibbāʾu ʾanna shifāʾa al-rajuli fī al-khamri ʾannahu laysa bihi baʾsun, faʾankara ʾinkāran shadīdan ʿalayhi waqāla: laqad karihtu ʾan yudāwā al-dabaru bi-al-khamri fakayfa bishurbihi? watakallama bikalāmin ghalīẓin.
I heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh condemn Abū Thawr's statement that if physicians unanimously determine that a man's cure lies in wine, there is no harm in using it. He condemned it strongly and said, “I have disapproved even of treating saddle sores with wine; how much more of drinking it!” He spoke in severe terms.
حُدِّثْتُ عَنْ شُعَيْبِ بْنِ حَرْبٍ قَالَ: لَأَنْ أَرَى ابْنِي يَسْرِقُ أَوْ يَزْنِي أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ عَلَيْهِ وَقْتٌ لَا يَعْرِفُ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى فِيهِ. مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبِي دَاوُدَ الْأَنْبَارِيُّ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي أُسَامَةَ: أُجِيبُ وَلِيمَةً فِيهَا نَبِيذٌ؟ قَالَ: لَا.
ḥuddithtu ʿan shuʿaybi bni ḥarbin qāla: laʾan ʾarā ibnī yasriqu ʾaw yaznī ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya min ʾan yaʾtiya ʿalayhi waqtun lā yaʿrifu Allāha tabāraka wataʿālā fīhi. muḥammadu bnu ʾabī dāwūda al-ʾanbāriyyu qāla: qultu liʾabī ʾusāmata: ʾujību walīmatan fīhā nabīdhun? qāla: lā.
I was told on the authority of Shuʿayb ibn Ḥarb, “I would rather see my son steal or commit fornication than have a time come upon him when he does not know God, blessed and exalted.” Muḥammad ibn Abī Dāwūd al-Anbārī said, “I asked Abū Usāma, ‘Should I accept an invitation to a feast where there is nabīdh?’ He answered, ‘No.’
قُلْتُ: أَخَافُ الْحَدِيثَ الَّذِي جَاءَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «مَنْ لَمْ يُجِبْ فَقَدْ عَصَى». فَقَالَ: مَنْ لَمْ يُجِبِ الْيَوْمَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى وَرَسُولَهُ. هَارُونُ بْنُ مَعْرُوفٍ قَالَ: جَاءَنِي فَتًى فَقَالَ: إِنَّ أَبِي حَلَفَ عَلَيَّ بِالطَّلَاقِ أَنْ أَشْرَبَ دَوَاءً مَعَ مُسْكِرٍ،
qultu: ʾakhāfu al-ḥadītha alladhī jāʾa ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «man lam yujib faqad ʿaṣā». faqāla: man lam yujibi al-yawma faqad ʾaṭāʿa Allāha taʿālā warasūlahu. hārūnu bnu maʿrūfin qāla: jāʾanī fatan faqāla: ʾinna ʾabī ḥalafa ʿalayya bi-al-ṭalāqi ʾan ʾashraba dawāʾan maʿa muskirin,
I said, ‘I fear the hadith related from God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace: “Whoever fails to accept has disobeyed.”’ He answered, ‘Whoever declines today has obeyed God Most High and His Messenger.’” Hārūn ibn Maʿrūf said, “A young man came to me and said, ‘My father swore an oath tied to divorce that I must drink medicine mixed with an intoxicant.’
فَذَهَبْتُ بِهِ إِلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فَلَمْ يُرَخِّصْ لَهُ وَقَالَ: قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «كُلُّ مُسْكِرٍ حَرَامٌ وَكُلُّ مُسْكِرٍ خَمْرٌ». الْمَرْوَزِيُّ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ خَيَّاطِ الْمُلْحَمِ فَقَالَ: مَا كَانَ لِلرِّجَالِ فَلَا، وَمَا كَانَ لِلنِّسَاءِ فَلَيْسَ بِهِ بَأْسٌ.
fadhahabtu bihi ʾilā ʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi falam yurakhkhiṣ lahu waqāla: qāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «kullu muskirin ḥarāmun wakullu muskirin khamrun». al-marwaziyyu qāla: saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿan khayyāṭi al-mulḥami faqāla: mā kāna li-l-rijāli falā, wamā kāna li-l-nisāʾi falaysa bihi baʾsun.
I took him to Abū ʿAbd Allāh, who granted him no dispensation and said, ‘The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Every intoxicant is forbidden, and every intoxicant is wine.”’” Al-Marwazī said, “I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about tailoring silk-blend cloth. He answered, ‘Not for men, but there is no harm in what is for women.’”
وَسَأَلْتُهُ: يُخَاطُ لِلنِّسَاءِ هَذِهِ الزِّيقَاتُ الْعِرَاضُ؟ فَقَالَ: إِنْ كَانَ شَيْءٌ عَرْضٌ فَأَكْرَهُهُ، هُوَ مُحْدَثٌ، وَإِنْ كَانَ شَيْءٌ وَسَطًا لَمْ يَرَ بِهِ بَأْسًا. وَكَرِهَ أَنْ يُصَيَّرَ لِلْمَرْأَةِ مِثْلُ جَيْبِ الرِّجَالِ. وَقَطَعَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ لِابْنَتِهِ قَمِيصًا وَأَنَا حَاضِرٌ فَقَالَ لِلْخَيَّاطِ: صَيِّرْ جَيْبَهَا مِنْ قُدَّامٍ.
wasaʾaltuhu: yukhāṭu li-l-nisāʾi hādhihi al-zīqātu al-ʿirāḍu? faqāla: ʾin kāna shayʾun ʿarḍun faʾakrahuhu, huwa muḥdathun, waʾin kāna shayʾun wasaṭan lam yara bihi baʾsan. wakariha ʾan yuṣayyara li-l-marʾati mithlu jaybi al-rijāli. waqaṭaʿa ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi libnatihi qamīṣan waʾanā ḥāḍirun faqāla li-l-khayyāṭi: ṣayyir jaybahā min quddāmin.
I asked him, “May these broad neckbands be sewn for women?” He answered, “If it is something broad, I dislike it; it is newly introduced.” If it was moderate, he saw no harm. He disliked making a woman's neckline like a man's. Abū ʿAbd Allāh cut out a shirt for his daughter while I was present and told the tailor, “Put its neck opening at the front.”
وَقَطَعَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ لِابْنَتِهِ قَمِيصًا وَأَنَا حَاضِرٌ فَقَالَ لِلْخَيَّاطِ: صَيِّرْ زِيقَانَهَا دِقَاقًا، وَكَرِهَ أَنْ يُصَيَّرَ عَرِيضًا. وَقَطَعْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ جُبَّةً وَصَيَّرْتُ زِيقَهَا دَقِيقًا فَقُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: هَلْ أَدْرَكْتَ أَحَدًا مِنَ الْمَشَايِخِ كَانَ لَهُ زِيقٌ عَرِيضٌ؟ قَالَ: لَا.
waqaṭaʿa ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi libnatihi qamīṣan waʾanā ḥāḍirun faqāla li-l-khayyāṭi: ṣayyir zīqānahā diqāqan, wakariha ʾan yuṣayyara ʿarīḍan. waqaṭaʿtu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi jubbatan waṣayyartu zīqahā daqīqan faqultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: hal ʾadrakta ʾaḥadan mina al-mashāyikhi kāna lahu zīqun ʿarīḍun? qāla: lā.
Abū ʿAbd Allāh cut out a shirt for his daughter while I was present and told the tailor, “Make its edging bands narrow,” disliking a broad band. I cut out a robe for Abū ʿAbd Allāh and made its edging narrow. I asked him, “Did you ever know one of the shaykhs who wore a broad neckband?” He answered, “No.”
وَكُنْتُ يَوْمًا عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فَمَرَّتْ جَارِيَةٌ عَلَيْهَا قَبَاءٌ، فَتَكَلَّمَ بِشَيْءٍ فَقُلْتُ: تَكْرَهُهُ؟ قَالَ: كَيْفَ لَا أَكْرَهُهُ جِدًّا؟ لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْمُتَشَبِّهَاتِ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ بِالرِّجَالِ.
wakuntu yawman ʿinda ʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi famarrat jāriyatun ʿalayhā qabāʾun, fatakallama bishayʾin faqultu: takrahuhu? qāla: kayfa lā ʾakrahuhu jiddan? laʿana rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama al-mutashabbihāti mina al-nisāʾi bi-al-rijāli.
One day I was with Abū ʿAbd Allāh when a girl passed wearing a qabāʾ coat. He made a remark, and I asked, “Do you dislike it?” He answered, “How could I not strongly dislike it? God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, cursed women who imitate men.”
وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ عَبْدِ الصَّمَدِ قَالَ: دَعَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ خَيَّاطًا مِنَ النُّسَّاكِ فَقَالَ: اِقْطَعْ لِهَذِهِ الْجَارِيَةِ قَبَاءً. فَوَضَعَ الْخَيَّاطُ الْمِقْرَاضَ مِنْ يَدِهِ وَقَالَ: يَا أَبَا خَالِدٍ، قَبَاءً عَمَّنْ؟ فَسَكَتَ يَزِيدُ. الْمَرْوَزِيُّ قَالَ: ذُكِرَ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْمُحَدِّثِينَ فَقَالَ: إِنَّمَا أَنْكَرْتُ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ لَبِسَ زِيَّهُ زِيَّ النُّسَّاكِ.
warawaynā ʿan ʿabdi al-ṣamadi qāla: daʿā yazīdu bnu hārūna khayyāṭan mina al-nussāki faqāla: iqṭaʿ li-hādhihi al-jāriyati qabāʾan. fawaḍaʿa al-khayyāṭu al-miqrāḍa min yadihi waqāla: yā ʾabā khālidin, qabāʾan ʿamman? fasakata yazīdu. al-marwaziyyu qāla: dhukira liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi rajulun mina al-muḥaddithīna faqāla: ʾinnamā ʾankartu ʿalayhi ʾan labisa ziyyahu ziyya al-nussāki.
We have related from ʿAbd al-Ṣamad, “Yazīd ibn Hārūn summoned a devout tailor and said, ‘Cut out a qabāʾ for this girl.’ The tailor put down his shears and asked, ‘Abū Khālid, a qabāʾ on whose authority?’ Yazīd fell silent.” Al-Marwazī said, “A transmitter of hadith was mentioned to Abū ʿAbd Allāh. He said, ‘What I objected to was his adopting the garb of ascetics.’”
سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَلْبَسُ النَّعْلَ السِّبْتِيَّ فَقَالَ: أَمَّا أَنَا فَلَا أَسْتَعْمِلُهَا، وَلَكِنْ
saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-rajuli yalbasu al-naʿla al-sibtiyya faqāla: ʾammā ʾanā falā ʾastaʿmiluhā, wa-lākin
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about a man wearing smooth-leather sandals. He answered, “As for me, I do not use them. But
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٦٢
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 462
Volume Two, page 462
إِذَا كَانَ لِلْمَخْرَجِ أَوِ الطِّينِ فَأَرْجُو، وَأَمَّا مَنْ أَرَادَ الزِّينَةَ فَلَا. وَرَأَى نَعْلًا سِنْدِيًّا عَلَى بَابِ الْمَخْرَجِ فَسَأَلَنِي: لِمَنْ هِيَ؟ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ. قَالَ: يَتَشَبَّهُ بِأَوْلَادِ لُوطٍ، يَعْنِي صَاحِبَهَا.
ʾidhā kāna li-l-makhraji ʾawi al-ṭīni faʾarjū, waʾammā man ʾarāda al-zīnata falā. waraʾā naʿlan sindiyyan ʿalā bābi al-makhraji fasaʾalanī: liman hiya? faʾakhbartuhu. qāla: yatashabbahu biʾawlādi lūṭin, yaʿnī ṣāḥibahā.
if they are for the privy or for mud, I hope there is latitude; but not for someone seeking adornment.” He saw a Sindhi-style sandal at the privy door and asked me whose it was. I told him. He said, “He is imitating the sons of Lot,” meaning its owner.
سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قُلْتُ: أَمَرُونِي فِي الْمَنْزِلِ أَنْ أَشْتَرِيَ نَعْلًا سِنْدِيًّا لِلصَّبِيَّةِ. قَالَ: لَا تَشْتَرِ. قُلْتُ: تَكْرَهُهُ لِلصِّبْيَانِ وَالنُّسَّاكِ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ أَكْرَهُهُ. زِيَادُ بْنُ أَيُّوبَ قَالَ: كُنْتُ عِنْدَ سَعِيدِ بْنِ عِيَاضٍ فَأَتَاهُ صَبِيٌّ ابْنُ ابْنَتِهِ وَفِي رِجْلِهِ نَعْلٌ سِنْدِيٌّ، فَقَالَ: مَنْ أَلْبَسَكَ هَذَا؟ قَالَ: أُمِّي. قَالَ: اِذْهَبْ إِلَى أُمِّكَ تَنْزِعُهَا.
saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi, qultu: ʾamarūnī fī al-manzili ʾan ʾashtariya naʿlan sindiyyan li-l-ṣabiyyati. qāla: lā tashtari. qultu: takrahuhu li-l-ṣibyāni wa-al-nussāki? qāla: naʿam ʾakrahuhu. ziyādu bnu ʾayyūba qāla: kuntu ʿinda saʿīdi bni ʿiyāḍin faʾatāhu ṣabiyyun ibnu ibnatihi wafī rijlihi naʿlun sindiyyun, faqāla: man ʾalbasaka hādhā? qāla: ʾummī. qāla: idhhab ʾilā ʾummika tanziʿuhā.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “The household asked me to buy Sindhi-style sandals for the girl.” He answered, “Do not buy them.” I asked, “Do you dislike them for children and ascetics?” “Yes, I dislike them.” Ziyād ibn Ayyūb said, “I was with Saʿīd ibn ʿIyāḍ when his daughter's young son came wearing a Sindhi-style sandal. He asked, ‘Who put this on you?’ ‘My mother.’ ‘Go to your mother and have her take it off.’”
الْمَرْوَزِيُّ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الْمَرْأَةِ تَلْبَسُ الْمَقْطُوعَ الْأَحْمَرَ فَكَرِهَهُ كَرَاهَةً شَدِيدَةً وَقَالَ: أَمَّا أَنْ تُرِيدَ الزِّينَةَ فَلَا. يُقَالُ: أَوَّلُ مَنْ لَبِسَ الثِّيَابَ الْحُمْرَ آلُ قَارُونَ، ثُمَّ خَرَجَ عَلَى قَوْمِهِ فِي زِينَتِهِ، قَالَ: فِي ثِيَابٍ حُمْرٍ.
al-marwaziyyu qāla: saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-marʾati talbasu al-maqṭūʿa al-ʾaḥmara fakarihahu karāhatan shadīdatan waqāla: ʾammā ʾan turīda al-zīnata falā. yuqālu: ʾawwalu man labisa al-thiyāba al-ḥumra ʾālu qārūna, thumma kharaja ʿalā qawmihi fī zīnatihi, qāla: fī thiyābin ḥumrin.
Al-Marwazī said, “I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about a woman wearing red low-cut footwear. He strongly disliked it and said, ‘Not if she seeks adornment.’” It is said that the first to wear red garments were the family of Qārūn. Then “he came out before his people in his adornment,” explained as wearing red clothes.
مُجَاهِدٌ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ: مَرَّ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَجُلٌ وَعَلَيْهِ ثَوْبَانِ أَحْمَرَانِ، فَسَلَّمَ فَلَمْ يَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِ. الْمَرْوَزِيُّ قَالَ: رَأَى أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بِطَانَةَ جُبَّتِي حَمْرَاءَ فَقَالَ: لِمَ صَبَغْتَهَا حَمْرَاءَ؟ قُلْتُ: لِلرِّقَاعِ الَّتِي فِيهَا. قَالَ: وَأَيْشٍ تُبَالِي أَنْ يَكُونَ فِيهَا رِقَاعٌ؟ قُلْتُ: تَكْرَهُهُ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ.
mujāhidun ʿan ʿabdi Allāhi bni ʿumara qāla: marra ʿalā al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama rajulun waʿalayhi thawbāni ʾaḥmarāni, fasallama falam yarudda ʿalayhi. al-marwaziyyu qāla: raʾā ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi biṭānata jubbatī ḥamrāʾa faqāla: lima ṣabaghtahā ḥamrāʾa? qultu: li-l-riqāʿi allatī fīhā. qāla: waʾayshin tubālī ʾan yakūna fīhā riqāʿun? qultu: takrahuhu? qāla: naʿam.
Mujāhid related from ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar, “A man wearing two red garments passed the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and greeted him, but he did not return the greeting.” Al-Marwazī said, “Abū ʿAbd Allāh saw that my robe's lining was red and asked, ‘Why did you dye it red?’ I answered, ‘Because of the patches in it.’ He asked, ‘Why should you mind its having patches?’ I asked, ‘Do you dislike it?’ ‘Yes.’”
وَأَمَرَنِي أَنْ أَشْتَرِيَ لَهُ تِكَّةً فَقَالَ: لَا يَكُونُ فِيهَا حُمْرَةٌ. قُلْتُ: تَكْرَهُهُ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: الثَّوْبُ الْأَحْمَرُ تُغَطَّى بِهِ الْجَنَازَةُ؟ فَكَرِهَهُ. قُلْتُ: تَرَى أَنْ أَجْذِبَهُ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. وَأَمَرُونِي فِي مَنْزِلِ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَنْ أَشْتَرِيَ لَهُمْ ثَوْبًا عَلَيْهِ كِتَابٌ،
waʾamaranī ʾan ʾashtariya lahu tikkatan faqāla: lā yakūnu fīhā ḥumratun. qultu: takrahuhu? qāla: naʿam. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: al-thawbu al-ʾaḥmaru tughaṭṭā bihi al-janāzatu? fakarihahu. qultu: tarā ʾan ʾajdhibahu? qāla: naʿam. waʾamarūnī fī manzili ʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi ʾan ʾashtariya lahum thawban ʿalayhi kitābun,
He told me to buy him a drawstring and said, “There must be no red in it.” I asked, “Do you dislike red?” “Yes.” I asked about covering a bier with a red cloth, and he disliked it. I asked, “Should I pull it off?” “Yes.” Members of Abū ʿAbd Allāh's household asked me to buy them a cloth bearing writing.
فَقَالَ: قُلْ لَهُمْ: إِنْ أَرَدْتُمْ أَنْ أَشْتَرِيَهُ وَأَقْلَعَ الْكِتَابَ. قُلْتُ: هُمْ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُونَ الْكِتَابَ. قَالَ: لَا تَشْتَرِهِ. وَأَخْبَرَتْنِي الْمَرْأَةُ قَالَتْ: نَهَانِي أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ النَّقْشِ فِي الْخِضَابِ وَقَالَ: اِغْمِسِي الْيَدَ كُلَّهَا. وَسَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَذَكَرَ الْمُخْتَضِبَةَ فَقَالَ: قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ: أَسْلِيهِ وَادْعَمِيهِ.
faqāla: qul lahum: ʾin ʾaradtum ʾan ʾashtariyahu waʾaqlaʿa al-kitāba. qultu: hum ʾinnamā yurīdūna al-kitāba. qāla: lā tashtarihi. waʾakhbaratnī al-marʾatu qālat: nahānī ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-naqshi fī al-khiḍābi waqāla: ighmisī al-yada kullahā. wasamiʿtu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi wadhakara al-mukhtaḍibata faqāla: qālat ʿāʾishatu: ʾaslīhi wadʿamīhi.
He said, “Tell them: if you want, I will buy it and remove the writing.” I told him, “It is precisely the writing they want.” He answered, “Do not buy it.” The woman told me, “Abū ʿAbd Allāh forbade me to make designs with dye and said, ‘Dip the whole hand.’” I heard him mention a woman applying dye and say, “ʿĀʾisha said, ‘Spread it smoothly and apply it firmly.’”
سُلَيْمَانُ التَّيْمِيُّ عَنْ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ قَالَ: أَرْسَلَتْ أُمُّ الْفَضْلِ ابْنَةُ غَيْلَانَ إِلَى أَنَسٍ تَسْأَلُهُ عَنِ الْقِلَادَةِ فِي عُنُقِ الْمَرْأَةِ وَعَنِ الْخِضَابِ، فَأَرْسَلَ أَنَّهُ يُسْتَحَبُّ لِلْمَرْأَةِ أَنْ تُعَلِّقَ فِي عُنُقِهَا شَيْئًا فِي الصَّلَاةِ وَلَوْ سَيْرًا، وَقَالَ فِي الْخِضَابِ: آمُرُهَا أَنْ تَغْمِسَ يَدَهَا كُلَّهَا.
sulaymānu al-taymiyyu ʿan ʾabī ʿuthmāna qāla: ʾarsalat ʾummu al-faḍli ibnatu ghaylāna ʾilā ʾanasin tasʾaluhu ʿani al-qilādati fī ʿunuqi al-marʾati waʿani al-khiḍābi, faʾarsala ʾannahu yustaḥabbu li-l-marʾati ʾan tuʿalliqa fī ʿunuqihā shayʾan fī al-ṣalāti walaw sayran, waqāla fī al-khiḍābi: ʾāmuruhā ʾan taghmisa yadahā kullahā.
Sulaymān al-Taymī related from Abū ʿUthmān, “Umm al-Faḍl, daughter of Ghaylān, sent to Anas asking about a necklace around a woman's neck and about dye. He sent word that it is recommended for a woman to hang something around her neck in prayer, even a leather thong. Regarding dye he said, ‘I tell her to dip her whole hand.’”
الْمَرْوَزِيُّ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يُجَصِّصُ فَقَالَ: أَمَّا أَرْضُ الْبُيُوتِ فَتُوَقِّيهِمْ مِنَ التُّرَابِ، وَكَرِهَ تَجْصِيصَ الْحِيطَانِ. وَذَكَرْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ مَسْجِدًا قَدْ بُنِيَ وَأُنْفِقَ عَلَيْهِ مَالًا كَثِيرًا، فَاسْتَرْجَعَ وَأَنْكَرَ مَا قُلْتُ وَقَالَ: قَدْ سَأَلُوا النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنْ يُكَحَّلَ الْمَسْجِدُ فَقَالَ: «لَا، عَرِيشٌ كَعَرِيشِ مُوسَى».
al-marwaziyyu qāla: saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-rajuli yujaṣṣiṣu faqāla: ʾammā ʾarḍu al-buyūti fatuwaqqīhim mina al-turābi, wakariha tajṣīṣa al-ḥīṭāni. wadhakartu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi masjidan qad buniya waʾunfiqa ʿalayhi mālan kathīran, fastarjaʿa waʾankara mā qultu waqāla: qad saʾalū al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾan yukaḥḥala al-masjidu faqāla: «lā, ʿarīshun kaʿarīshi mūsā».
Al-Marwazī said, “I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about plastering. He answered, ‘As for house floors, it protects people from dust,’ but disliked plastering walls. I mentioned a mosque that had been built at great expense. He said, ‘We belong to God and to Him we return,’ and disapproved of what I described. He said, ‘They asked the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, to have the mosque coated with kohl. He answered, “No; a shelter like Moses' shelter.”’”
قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: إِنَّمَا هُوَ شَيْءٌ مِنَ الْكُحْلِ يُطْلَى فَلَمْ يُرَخِّصِ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. حُدِّثْتُ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْخَالِقِ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْمَرْوَزِيُّ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: لَا يَبِيعُ حَاضِرٌ لِبَادٍ، كَيْفَ هُوَ؟
qāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: ʾinnamā huwa shayʾun mina al-kuḥli yuṭlā falam yurakhkhiṣi al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama. ḥuddithtu ʿan ʾaḥmada bni ʿabdi al-khāliqi qāla: ḥaddathanā ʾabū bakrin al-marwaziyyu qāla: qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: lā yabīʿu ḥāḍirun libādin, kayfa huwa?
Abū ʿAbd Allāh said, “It was only a little kohl applied as a coating, yet the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, granted no permission.” I was told on the authority of Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Khāliq that Abū Bakr al-Marwazī said, “I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, ‘What is meant by “A townsman must not sell on behalf of a desert dweller”?’”
فَقَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لَا يَبِيعُ حَاضِرٌ لِبَادٍ، دَعُوا النَّاسَ يَرْزُقِ اللَّهُ بَعْضَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ». قَالَ: وَالْبَادِي الْأَعْرَابِيُّ وَأَنْتَ حَاضِرٌ، وَيَجِيءُ الْأَعْرَابِيُّ وَهُوَ لَا يَعْرِفُ السِّعْرَ فَتَقُومُ أَنْتَ وَقَدْ عَرَفْتَ السِّعْرَ فَتَبِيعُ لَهُ بِمَا تَعْرِفُ، فَهُوَ الَّذِي نَهَى عَنْهُ.
faqāla: ḥaddathanā sufyānu qāla: ḥaddathanā ʾabū al-zubayri qāla: samiʿtu jābira bna ʿabdi Allāhi qāla: qāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «lā yabīʿu ḥāḍirun libādin, daʿū al-nāsa yarzuqi Allāhu baʿḍahum min baʿḍin». qāla: wa-al-bādī al-ʾaʿrābiyyu waʾanta ḥāḍirun, wayajīʾu al-ʾaʿrābiyyu wahuwa lā yaʿrifu al-siʿra fataqūmu ʾanta waqad ʿarafta al-siʿra fatabīʿu lahu bimā taʿrifu, fahuwa alladhī nahā ʿanhu.
He answered, “Sufyān related to us from Abū al-Zubayr, who said, ‘I heard Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh relate that God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “A townsman must not sell on behalf of a desert dweller. Leave people to their dealings: God provides some through others.”’ The desert dweller is the Bedouin, and you are the townsman. He arrives not knowing the price; you, who know it, undertake to sell for him at the price you know. That is what was forbidden.”
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: فَتَشْتَرِي لَهُ إِذَا جَاءَ؟ لِأَنَّهُ لَوْ تُرِكَ لَاشْتَرَى مِنْهُمُ الْغَالِيَ بِمَنْزِلَتِهِ إِذَا جَاءَ فَبَاعَ مِنْهُمْ
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: fatashtarī lahu ʾidhā jāʾa? liʾannahu law turika lashtarā minhumu al-ghāliya bimanzilatihi ʾidhā jāʾa fabāʿa minhum
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “Then may you buy for him when he arrives? If left alone, he would buy from them at a high price, just as, when he comes to sell, he sells to them
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٦٣
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 463
Volume Two, page 463
الرَّخِيصَ. فَقَالَ: لَيْسَ هَذَا، لَوْ كَانَ هَذَا هَكَذَا مَا اشْتَرَى النَّاسُ وَلَا بَاعُوا، إِنَّمَا عَلَيْهِ لَا يَبِيعُ لَهُ، وَلَمْ يَرَ بَأْسًا أَنْ يَشْتَرِيَ لَهُ. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: مَا مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لَا شَرْطَيْنِ فِي بَيْعٍ»؟ قَالَ: قَوْلُ الرَّجُلِ: أَبِيعُكَ أَمَتِي هَذِهِ عَلَى أَنَّكَ إِذَا بِعْتَهَا فَأَنَا أَحَقُّ بِهَا.
al-rakhīṣa. faqāla: laysa hādhā, law kāna hādhā hākadhā mā ishtarā al-nāsu walā bāʿū, ʾinnamā ʿalayhi lā yabīʿu lahu, walam yara baʾsan ʾan yashtariya lahu. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: mā maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: «lā sharṭayni fī bayʿin»? qāla: qawlu al-rajuli: ʾabīʿuka ʾamatī hādhihi ʿalā ʾannaka ʾidhā biʿtahā faʾanā ʾaḥaqqu bihā.
at a low price.” He answered, “That is not the same. If matters were like that, people could neither buy nor sell. The restriction is only that he must not sell on his behalf.” He saw no harm in buying for him. I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh what the saying of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, “No two stipulations in one sale,” meant. He answered, “A man saying, ‘I sell you this enslaved woman on condition that, if you sell her, I have the first claim to her.’”
سُئِلَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ رِبْحِ مَا لَمْ يُضْمَنْ، قَالَ: الرَّجُلُ يَبِيعُ الطَّعَامَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَقْبِضَهُ. قِيلَ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فِي الرَّجُلِ يَشْتَرِي الطَّعَامَ صُبْرَةً، تَرَى لَهُ أَنْ يَبِيعَهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَكِيلَهُ؟ فَقَالَ: لَا. سُئِلَ عَنْ بَيْعِ الْمَبَاطِحِ فَقَالَ: جَنِيَّةَ يَوْمٍ بِيَوْمٍ.
suʾila ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi ʿan ribḥi mā lam yuḍman, qāla: al-rajulu yabīʿu al-ṭaʿāma qabla ʾan yaqbiḍahu. qīla liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi fī al-rajuli yashtarī al-ṭaʿāma ṣubratan, tarā lahu ʾan yabīʿahu qabla ʾan yakīlahu? faqāla: lā. suʾila ʿan bayʿi al-mabāṭiḥi faqāla: janiyyata yawmin biyawmin.
Abū ʿAbd Allāh was asked about profiting from something for which one has not assumed liability. He answered, “A man selling food before taking possession of it.” He was asked about buying food in a heap: “May he sell it before measuring it?” “No.” He was asked about selling produce beds and answered, “Each day's harvest, day by day.”
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: يَكُونُ فِي سَقْفِ الْبَيْتِ الذَّهَبُ، يُجَانَبُ صَاحِبُهُ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، هَذَا يُكْرَهُ، وَذَهَبَ إِلَى أَنْ يُجْفَى. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: الرَّجُلُ يَكُونُ لَهُ الْقَرَابَةُ سَكْرَانَ، يُجْفَى؟ قَالَ: أَيُّ شَيْءٍ بَقِيَ إِذَا سَكِرَ؟ نَعَمْ يُجْفَى أَوْ يُجَانَبُ.
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: yakūnu fī saqfi al-bayti al-dhahabu, yujānabu ṣāḥibuhu? qāla: naʿam, hādhā yukrahu, wadhahaba ʾilā ʾan yujfā. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: al-rajulu yakūnu lahu al-qarābatu sakrāna, yujfā? qāla: ʾayyu shayʾin baqiya ʾidhā sakira? naʿam yujfā ʾaw yujānabu.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “If a house has gold in its ceiling, should its owner be avoided?” He answered, “Yes, that is objectionable,” and held that he should be shunned. I asked, “If a man's relative is drunk, should he be shunned?” He answered, “What is left once he is drunk? Yes, he should be shunned or avoided.”
سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْمُكْرَهِ يُرَادُ عَلَى شُرْبِ الْخَمْرِ فَقَالَ: يُرْوَى عَنْ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي شُرْبِ الْخَمْرِ، إِلَّا أَنَّهُ لَا يَفْعَلُ حَتَّى يُنَالَ بِعَذَابٍ. قُلْتُ: فَإِنْ أُمِرَ أَنْ يَقْتُلَ؟ قَالَ: أَمَّا الْقَتْلُ فَلَا، يَكُونُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الْمَقْتُولَ.
saʾaltuhu ʿani al-mukrahi yurādu ʿalā shurbi al-khamri faqāla: yurwā ʿan ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fī shurbi al-khamri, ʾillā ʾannahu lā yafʿalu ḥattā yunāla biʿadhābin. qultu: faʾin ʾumira ʾan yaqtula? qāla: ʾammā al-qatlu falā, yakūnu ʿinda Allāhi al-maqtūla.
I asked about someone forced to drink wine. He answered, “A report from ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him, concerns drinking wine under compulsion; but he should not do it until subjected to torture.” I asked, “What if he is ordered to kill?” He answered, “As for killing, no. Before God, he should be the one killed.”
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: الرَّجُلُ يَبِيعُ دَارَهُ مِنْ نَصْرَانِيٍّ؟ قَالَ: لَا، أَلَيْسَ يَكْفُرُ فِيهَا؟ وَذَكَرَ الْمَحَارِيبَ الَّتِي فِيهَا. قَالَ لِي أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: أَيُّ شَيْءٍ قَالَ لَكَ عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ فِي خُرُوجِي إِلَى مَكَّةَ؟ قُلْتُ: مَا أَرَى لَكَ أَنْ تَخْرُجَ، أَنْتَ هَٰهُنَا بِالْقُرْبِ لَيْسَ تَسْلَمُ، فَكَيْفَ إِنْ تَبَاعَدْتَ؟
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: al-rajulu yabīʿu dārahu min naṣrāniyyin? qāla: lā, ʾalaysa yakfuru fīhā? wadhakara al-maḥārība allatī fīhā. qāla lī ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: ʾayyu shayʾin qāla laka ʿabdu al-wahhābi fī khurūjī ʾilā makkata? qultu: mā ʾarā laka ʾan takhruja, ʾanta hāhunā bi-al-qurbi laysa taslamu, fakayfa ʾin tabāʿadta?
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “May a man sell his house to a Christian?” He answered, “No. Will he not practice unbelief there?” He mentioned the prayer niches in it. Abū ʿAbd Allāh asked me, “What did ʿAbd al-Wahhāb tell you about my going to Mecca?” I replied, “He said, ‘I do not think you should go. You are not safe even here nearby; what would happen if you went far away?’”
قَالَ: أَشَارَ عَلَيَّ رَجُلٌ صَالِحٌ أَنْ لَا أَخْرُجَ، أَخْبِرْهُ أَنِّي قَدْ قَبِلْتُ مَا أَشَرْتَ بِهِ عَلَيَّ، وَقَدْ كُنَّا اشْتَرَيْنَا بَعْضَ حَوَائِجِهِ. سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ رَجُلٍ لَبَّى بِالْحَجِّ وَلَيْسَ عِنْدَهُ شَيْءٌ وَعَلَيْهِ دَيْنٌ، قَالَ: لَا يَجُوزُ حَتَّى يَسْتَأْذِنَ أَصْحَابَ الدَّيْنِ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: قَدْ أَوْجَبَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الْحَجَّ.
qāla: ʾashāra ʿalayya rajulun ṣāliḥun ʾan lā ʾakhruja, ʾakhbirhu ʾannī qad qabiltu mā ʾasharta bihi ʿalayya, waqad kunnā ishtaraynā baʿḍa ḥawāʾijihi. saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿan rajulin labbā bi-al-ḥajji walaysa ʿindahu shayʾun waʿalayhi daynun, qāla: lā yajūzu ḥattā yastaʾdhina ʾaṣḥāba al-dayni. thumma qāla: qad ʾawjaba ʿalā nafsihi al-ḥajja.
He said, “A righteous man has advised me not to leave. Tell him: ‘I have accepted the advice you gave me.’” We had already bought some of his travel necessities. I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about a man who had pronounced the pilgrimage response, although he possessed nothing and owed debts. He answered, “He may not proceed until he asks his creditors' permission.” He then said, “He has made the pilgrimage obligatory upon himself.”
سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ رَجُلٍ لَهُ أُمٌّ ضَرِيرَةٌ وَلَهُ مَالٌ يَحُجُّ عَنْهَا، فَقَالَ: يَحُجُّ عَنْهَا إِذَا لَمْ تَقْدِرِ الرُّكُوبَ. وَقَالَ: يُعْجِبُنِي أَنْ لَا يَحُجَّ إِلَّا عَنْ قَرَابَةٍ. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: إِنِّي دَخَلْتُ أَغْسِلُ رَجُلًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا، فَإِذَا قَدْ دَخَلَ عَلَيْنَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْخِلَافِ قَدْ سَمَّيْتُهُ لَهُ،
saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿan rajulin lahu ʾummun ḍarīratun walahu mālun yaḥujju ʿanhā, faqāla: yaḥujju ʿanhā ʾidhā lam taqdiri al-rukūba. waqāla: yuʿjibunī ʾan lā yaḥujja ʾillā ʿan qarābatin. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: ʾinnī dakhaltu ʾaghsilu rajulan min ʾaṣḥābinā, faʾidhā qad dakhala ʿalaynā rajulun min ʾahli al-khilāfi qad sammaytuhu lahu,
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about a man whose mother was blind and who had money to perform the pilgrimage on her behalf. He answered, “He may do so if she cannot ride.” He added, “I prefer that one perform it only for a relative.” I told him, “I went in to wash the body of one of our companions, and a man of an opposing affiliation entered,” naming the man to him.
فَقَالَ لِي: قَدْ وَفَقْتَ حَيْثُ ثَبَتَّ وَغَسَّلْتَهُ؛ لَوْ خَرَجْتَ كُنْتَ لَا تَأْمَنُ أَنْ يَجِيءَ بِرَجُلٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا فَيَتَوَلَّاهُ. سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ رَجُلٍ مَاتَ وَتَرَكَ كُتُبًا وَلَهُ وَرَثَةٌ، قَالَ: تُدْفَنُ. فَإِنْ كَانُوا صِبْيَانًا صِغَارًا، قَالَ: يَدْفِنُهَا الْوَصِيُّ عَلَيْهِمْ. سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ: حُكْمُ الْمُخَنَّثِينَ أَنْ يُنْفَوْا.
faqāla lī: qad wafaqta ḥaythu thabatta waghassaltahu; law kharajta kunta lā taʾmanu ʾan yajīʾa birajulin min ʾaṣḥābinā fayatawallāhu. saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿan rajulin māta wataraka kutuban walahu warathatun, qāla: tudfanu. faʾin kānū ṣibyānan ṣighāran, qāla: yadfinuhā al-waṣiyyu ʿalayhim. samiʿtu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi yaqūlu: ḥukmu al-mukhannathīna ʾan yunfaw.
He told me, “You acted appropriately by staying and washing him. If you had left, you could not have been sure that he would not bring one of our companions and take charge of him.” I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about a man who died leaving books and heirs. He said, “They should be buried.” If the heirs were small children, he said, “Their guardian should bury them.” I heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh say, “The ruling concerning effeminate men is that they be exiled.”
سُئِلَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الْمَرْأَةِ إِذَا كَانَتْ مُوسِرَةً وَزَوْجُهَا غَائِبٌ، هَلْ تَحُجُّ؟ قَالَ: تَكْتُبُ إِلَيْهِ، فَإِنْ أَذِنَ وَإِلَّا خَرَجَتْ مَعَ ذِي مَحْرَمٍ. قِيلَ: فَإِنْ كَانَ شَاهِدًا يَمْنَعُهَا، تَخْرُجُ مِنْ غَيْرِ عِلْمِهِ مَعَ مَحْرَمِهَا؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، لَيْسَ لَهُ أَنْ يَمْنَعَهَا. قَالَ: وَلَا تَخْرُجُ مَعَ غَيْرِهِ، فَإِنْ كَانَ أَخُوهَا مِنَ الرَّضَاعَةِ خَرَجَتْ.
suʾila ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-marʾati ʾidhā kānat mūsiratan wazawjuhā ghāʾibun, hal taḥujju? qāla: taktubu ʾilayhi, faʾin ʾadhina waʾillā kharajat maʿa dhī maḥramin. qīla: faʾin kāna shāhidan yamnaʿuhā, takhruju min ghayri ʿilmihi maʿa maḥramihā? qāla: naʿam, laysa lahu ʾan yamnaʿahā. qāla: walā takhruju maʿa ghayrihi, faʾin kāna ʾakhūhā mina al-raḍāʿati kharajat.
Abū ʿAbd Allāh was asked whether a woman of means whose husband was absent might perform the pilgrimage. He answered, “She should write to him. If he permits it, well and good; otherwise she may go with an unmarriageable male relative.” He was asked, “If he is present and prevents her, may she leave with that relative without his knowledge?” “Yes. He has no right to prevent her.” He added, “She must not go with anyone else. If the relative is her milk-brother, she may go.”
قِيلَ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: الرَّجُلُ يَسْتَأْجِرُ الدَّارَ وَالْحَانُوتَ فَيُؤَاجِرُهُ بِأَكْثَرَ مِمَّا اسْتَأْجَرَهُ؟ قَالَ: فِيهَا اخْتِلَافٌ، وَلَمْ يُجِبْ. قِيلَ لَهُ: رَجُلٌ لَهُ شَجَرٌ فِي أَرْضِهِ وَأَغْصَانُهَا فِي أَرْضِ غَيْرِهِ؟ قَالَ:
qīla liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: al-rajulu yastaʾjiru al-dāra wa-al-ḥānūta fayuʾājiruhu biʾakthara mimmā istaʾjarahu? qāla: fīhā ikhtilāfun, walam yujib. qīla lahu: rajulun lahu shajarun fī ʾarḍihi waʾaghṣānuhā fī ʾarḍi ghayrihi? qāla:
Abū ʿAbd Allāh was asked about a man who rents a house or shop and sublets it for more than he paid. He said, “There is disagreement about it,” and gave no ruling. He was asked about a man with trees on his land whose branches extend over someone else's land. He answered:
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٦٤
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 464
Volume Two, page 464
يَقْطَعُ أَغْصَانَهَا. قِيلَ: فَإِنْ صَالَحَهُ عَلَى أَنْ تَكُونَ الْغَلَّةُ بَيْنَهُمْ؟ قَالَ: لَا أَدْرِي. سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ فِي الْمُحْرِمِ إِذَا اضْطُرَّ إِلَى الصَّيْدِ، قَالَ: يَأْكُلُ الْمَيْتَةَ. وَقَالَ: أَذْهَبُ فِي الْمَيْتَةِ إِلَى حَدِيثِ ابْنِ حَكِيمٍ: أَتَانَا كِتَابُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَبْلَ وَفَاتِهِ بِشَهْرٍ: «لَا تَنْتَفِعُوا مِنَ الْمَيْتَةِ بِشَيْءٍ».
yaqṭaʿu ʾaghṣānahā. qīla: faʾin ṣālaḥahu ʿalā ʾan takūna al-ghallatu baynahum? qāla: lā ʾadrī. samiʿtu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi yaqūlu fī al-muḥrimi ʾidhā iḍṭurra ʾilā al-ṣaydi, qāla: yaʾkulu al-maytata. waqāla: ʾadhhabu fī al-maytati ʾilā ḥadīthi ibni ḥakīmin: ʾatānā kitābu al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qabla wafātihi bishahrin: «lā tantafiʿū mina al-maytati bishayʾin».
“He should cut off the branches.” He was asked, “What if they agree to share the produce?” “I do not know.” I heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh say about a person in pilgrimage consecration driven by necessity to take game, “He should eat carrion.” He said, “Regarding carrion I follow Ibn Ḥakīm's report: ‘A letter from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, reached us a month before his death: “Do not make use of anything from carrion.”’”
سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ مُحْرِمٍ ذَبَحَ صَيْدًا، يُؤْكَلُ؟ قَالَ: لَا، هَذَا لَيْسَ بِزَكَاةٍ، هَذَا لَا يُؤْكَلُ. قُلْتُ: فَالرَّجُلُ يَقْلَعُ ضِرْسَهُ ثُمَّ يَرُدُّهُ إِلَى مَوْضِعِهِ، فَمَكَثَ ثَلَاثًا ثُمَّ يَقْلَعُهُ، أَيْشٍ تَقُولُ فِيهِ؟ فَإِنَّ الشَّافِعِيَّ قَالَ: يُعِيدُ الصَّلَاةَ لِأَنَّهُ صَلَّى فِي مَيْتَةٍ. قَالَ: لَا تَعْجَلْ عَلَيَّ.
saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿan muḥrimin dhabaḥa ṣaydan, yuʾkalu? qāla: lā, hādhā laysa bizakātin, hādhā lā yuʾkalu. qultu: fa-al-rajulu yaqlaʿu ḍirsahu thumma yarudduhu ʾilā mawḍiʿihi, famakatha thalāthan thumma yaqlaʿuhu, ʾayshin taqūlu fīhi? faʾinna al-shāfiʿiyya qāla: yuʿīdu al-ṣalāta liʾannahu ṣallā fī maytatin. qāla: lā taʿjal ʿalayya.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “If a consecrated pilgrim slaughters game, may it be eaten?” He answered, “No. This does not constitute purification through slaughter; it must not be eaten.” I asked, “A man pulls out his molar, puts it back, leaves it for three days, then removes it. What do you say about that? Al-Shāfiʿī said he must repeat his prayers because he prayed with dead tissue.” He answered, “Do not hurry me.”
ثُمَّ سَكَتَ سَاعَةً ثُمَّ قَالَ: مَا أَبْعَدَ مَا قَالَ! بَلَى، لَوْ أَخَذَ سِنَّ شَاةٍ مِمَّا يُؤْكَلُ لَحْمُهُ فَوَضَعَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ بِهِ بَأْسٌ. وَذَكَرَ فِي هَذَا: أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ أَنْ يُعِيدَ مَا صَلَّى. سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: يُبَاعُ الْغَزْلُ فِي الْفَلْكَةِ وَلَعَلَّهَا مَيْتَةٌ؟ قَالَ: إِنْ عُلِمَ فَلَا.
thumma sakata sāʿatan thumma qāla: mā ʾabʿada mā qāla! balā, law ʾakhadha sinna shātin mimmā yuʾkalu laḥmuhu fawaḍaʿahu lam yakun bihi baʾsun. wadhakara fī hādhā: ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya ʾan yuʿīda mā ṣallā. saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi: yubāʿu al-ghazlu fī al-falkati walaʿallahā maytatun? qāla: ʾin ʿulima falā.
He was silent for a while, then said, “How far-fetched his statement is! Yes, if he took a sheep's tooth, from an animal whose meat is eaten, and put it there, there would be no harm.” On this matter he also said, “I would prefer that he repeat the prayers he performed.” I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “May yarn be sold on a spindle whorl when it may be from carrion?” He answered, “Not if that is known.”
قُلْتُ: لَقَدْ يُخْصَفُ بِهِ الْخُفُّ أَوِ النَّعْلُ. فَقَالَ: إِذَا كَانَ مِنْ حِمَارٍ فَأَكْرَهُهُ. قُلْتُ: فَأَيَّ شَيْءٍ تَرَى؟ قَالَ: مَا لَا تَعْلَمُ فَلَا تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَبْحَثَ. قُلْتُ لَهُ: تَنُّورٌ شُوِيَ فِيهِ خِنْزِيرٌ، تَرَى أَنْ يُخْبَزَ فِيهِ؟ قَالَ: لَا، حَتَّى يُغْسَلَ وَيُقْلَعَ مَا فِيهِ. قُلْتُ: فَيُكْسَرُ؟ قَالَ: لَا.
qultu: laqad yukhṣafu bihi al-khuffu ʾawi al-naʿlu. faqāla: ʾidhā kāna min ḥimārin faʾakrahuhu. qultu: faʾayya shayʾin tarā? qāla: mā lā taʿlamu falā turīdu ʾan tabḥatha. qultu lahu: tannūrun shuwiya fīhi khinzīrun, tarā ʾan yukhbaza fīhi? qāla: lā, ḥattā yughsala wayuqlaʿa mā fīhi. qultu: fayuksaru? qāla: lā.
I said, “It is used to stitch a leather boot or sandal.” He answered, “If it comes from a donkey, I dislike it.” I asked, “Then what do you advise?” He answered, “If you do not know, you need not seek it out.” I asked about an oven in which pork had been roasted: “May bread be baked in it?” “Not until it is washed and what remains inside is removed.” “Should it be broken?” “No.”
سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْبُرِّ يُدَاسُ بِالْحَمِيرِ فَيُبَالُ فِيهِ ثُمَّ يُطْحَنُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُغْسَلَ، قَالَ: لَا يُؤْكَلُ. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: إِنَّ رَجُلًا قَالَ: مَنْ كَانَ لَهُ امْرَأَةٌ يَسْكُنُ إِلَيْهَا وَخُبْزٌ يَأْكُلُهُ فَهُوَ مِنَ الْمُتَنَعِّمِينَ. قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: صَدَقَ. سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَذَكَرَ الْمَطَاعِمَ فَفَضَّلَ عَمَلَ الْيَدَيْنِ.
saʾaltuhu ʿani al-burri yudāsu bi-al-ḥamīri fayubālu fīhi thumma yuṭḥanu qabla ʾan yughsala, qāla: lā yuʾkalu. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: ʾinna rajulan qāla: man kāna lahu imraʾatun yaskunu ʾilayhā wakhubzun yaʾkuluhu fahuwa mina al-mutanaʿʿimīna. qāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: ṣadaqa. samiʿtu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi wadhakara al-maṭāʿima fafaḍḍala ʿamala al-yadayni.
I asked about wheat threshed by donkeys, urinated on, and then ground before being washed. He answered, “It should not be eaten.” I told Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “A man said, ‘Someone with a wife in whom he finds comfort and bread to eat is living in ease.’” He answered, “He spoke truly.” I heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh discuss sources of sustenance and favor the work of one's own hands.
قُلْتُ لَهُ: إِنَّ عَبْدَ الْوَهَّابِ قَالَ: قُلْ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: يَخَافُ عَلَيَّ مِنْ أَمْرِ الْحَدِيثِ إِنِ امْتَنَعْتُ شَيْءٌ؟ قَالَ: وَأَيُّ شَيْءٍ يَمْنَعُهُ مِنَ الْحَدِيثِ؟ قَالَ: الْكَسْبُ وَالْمَعَاشُ. قَالَ: هَذَا أَوْجَبُ عَلَيْهِ، يَعْنِي الْكَسْبَ.
qultu lahu: ʾinna ʿabda al-wahhābi qāla: qul liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: yakhāfu ʿalayya min ʾamri al-ḥadīthi ʾini imtanaʿtu shayʾun? qāla: waʾayyu shayʾin yamnaʿuhu mina al-ḥadīthi? qāla: al-kasbu wa-al-maʿāshu. qāla: hādhā ʾawjabu ʿalayhi, yaʿnī al-kasba.
I told him, “ʿAbd al-Wahhāb said, ‘Ask Abū ʿAbd Allāh whether he fears any harm for me concerning hadith if I refrain from it.’” He asked, “What would keep him from hadith?” “Earning a living.” He answered, “That is more obligatory for him,” meaning earning a living.
قَالَ الْمَرْوَزِيُّ: سَمِعْتُ بَعْضَ أَصْحَابِنَا يَقُولُ: رَأَيْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فِي الْجُمُعَةِ، فَدَفَعَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قِطْعَةً لِيُنَاوِلَ السَّائِلَ فَلَمْ يَأْخُذْهَا. قَالَ: وَأَخْبَرَنِي بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِنَا قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ بِشْرَ بْنَ الْحَارِثِ فِي الْجُمُعَةِ وَسَائِلٌ يَسْأَلُ، فَأَعْطَى رَجُلٌ لِبِشْرٍ قِطْعَةً لِيَدْفَعَهَا إِلَى السَّائِلِ فَأَخَذَهَا فَدَفَعَهَا إِلَيْهِ.
qāla al-marwaziyyu: samiʿtu baʿḍa ʾaṣḥābinā yaqūlu: raʾaytu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi fī al-jumuʿati, fadafaʿa rajulun ʾilā ʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi qiṭʿatan liyunāwila al-sāʾila falam yaʾkhudhhā. qāla: waʾakhbaranī baʿḍu ʾaṣḥābinā qāla: raʾaytu bishra bna al-ḥārithi fī al-jumuʿati wasāʾilun yasʾalu, faʾaʿṭā rajulun libishrin qiṭʿatan liyadfaʿahā ʾilā al-sāʾili faʾakhadhahā fadafaʿahā ʾilayhi.
Al-Marwazī said, “I heard one of our companions say, ‘I saw Abū ʿAbd Allāh at the Friday prayer. A man offered him a coin to hand to the beggar, but Abū ʿAbd Allāh did not take it.’” He added, “Another companion told me, ‘I saw Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith at the Friday prayer while a beggar was asking. A man gave Bishr a coin to pass to the beggar. He took it and handed it to him.’”
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: إِذَا كَانَ لِي جَارٌ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ يَجُوعُ؟ قَالَ: تُوَاسِيهِ. قُلْتُ: فَإِذَا كَانَ قُوتِي رَغِيفَيْنِ؟ قَالَ: تُطْعِمُهُ شَيْئًا، الَّذِي جَاءَ فِي الْحَدِيثِ إِنَّمَا هُوَ فِي الْجَارِ. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: إِذَا كَانَ لِلرَّجُلِ قَمِيصَانِ أَوْ جُبَّتَانِ، تَجِبُ عَلَيْهِ الْمُوَاسَاةُ؟ قَالَ: إِذَا كَانَ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ فِي هَذَا الْبَرْدِ، إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ يَفْضُلُ.
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: ʾidhā kāna lī jārun ʾaʿlamu ʾannahu yajūʿu? qāla: tuwāsīhi. qultu: faʾidhā kāna qūtī raghīfayni? qāla: tuṭʿimuhu shayʾan, alladhī jāʾa fī al-ḥadīthi ʾinnamā huwa fī al-jāri. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: ʾidhā kāna li-l-rajuli qamīṣāni ʾaw jubbatāni, tajibu ʿalayhi al-muwāsātu? qāla: ʾidhā kāna yaḥtāju ʾilayhi fī hādhā al-bardi, ʾillā ʾan yakūna yafḍulu.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “What if I have a neighbor whom I know is hungry?” He answered, “Share with him.” “Even if my own food is only two loaves?” “Feed him something. The hadith specifically concerns one's neighbor.” I asked, “If a man has two shirts or two robes, must he share?” He answered, “Not if he needs them in this cold, unless something is surplus.”
قُلْتُ: الْأَغْنِيَاءُ تَجِبُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمُوَاسَاةُ؟ فَقَالَ: إِذَا كَانَ قَوْمٌ يَضَعُونَ شَيْئًا عَلَى شَيْءٍ كَيْفَ لَا يَجِبُ عَلَيْهِمْ؟ قَالَ الْمَرْوَزِيُّ: سَمِعْتُ يَحْيَى الْجَلَّاءَ وَأَبَا طَالِبٍ صَاحِبَنَا قَالَا: سَمِعْنَا يَزِيدَ بْنَ هَارُونَ وَسُئِلَ عَنْ إِنْفَاقِ الْمُكَحَّلَةِ، قَالَ: حَرَامٌ لَا يَصْلُحُ. قِيلَ لَهُ: فَإِنْ تَرَاضَيَا، أَبَا خَالِدٍ؟ قَالَ: الزَّانِيَانِ يَتَرَاضَيَانِ، أَفَحَلَالٌ هُوَ؟
qultu: al-ʾaghniyāʾu tajibu ʿalayhimu al-muwāsātu? faqāla: ʾidhā kāna qawmun yaḍaʿūna shayʾan ʿalā shayʾin kayfa lā yajibu ʿalayhim? qāla al-marwaziyyu: samiʿtu yaḥyā al-jallāʾa waʾabā ṭālibin ṣāḥibanā qālā: samiʿnā yazīda bna hārūna wasuʾila ʿan ʾinfāqi al-mukaḥḥalati, qāla: ḥarāmun lā yaṣluḥu. qīla lahu: faʾin tarāḍayā, ʾabā khālidin? qāla: al-zāniyāni yatarāḍayāni, ʾafaḥalālun huwa?
I asked, “Are the wealthy obliged to share?” He answered, “When people are piling one thing upon another, how could it not be obligatory?” Al-Marwazī said, “I heard Yaḥyā al-Jallāʾ and our companion Abū Ṭālib say, ‘We heard Yazīd ibn Hārūn asked about spending blackened coins. He answered, “It is forbidden and improper.” Someone asked, “What if both parties consent, Abū Khālid?” He replied, “Two fornicators also consent; does that make it lawful?”’”
قَالَ: قَالَ وَسَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ الْوَهَّابِ يَقُولُ: قَالَ أَبُو أُسَامَةَ: تُقْطَعُ الْأَيْدِي فِي الْمُكَحَّلَةِ، يَعْنِي الَّذِي يَعْمَلُهَا. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: أَقْرَضْتُ رَجُلًا عَشَرَةَ دَرَاهِمَ فَرَدَّهَا عَلَيَّ مُكَحَّلَةً فَقَبَضْتُ دِرْهَمًا. قَالَ: لَمْ تَسْتَوْفِ حَقَّكَ؟ قُلْتُ لَهُ: الرَّجُلُ يَدْفَعُ إِلَيَّ الدَّنَانِيرَ فَتَكُونُ مُكَحَّلَةً، أَحُكُّهَا؟ قَالَ: حَكُّهَا صَلَاحٌ لِصَاحِبِهَا.
qāla: qāla wasamiʿtu ʿabda al-wahhābi yaqūlu: qāla ʾabū ʾusāmata: tuqṭaʿu al-ʾaydī fī al-mukaḥḥalati, yaʿnī alladhī yaʿmaluhā. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: ʾaqraḍtu rajulan ʿasharata darāhima faraddahā ʿalayya mukaḥḥalatan faqabaḍtu dirhaman. qāla: lam tastawfi ḥaqqaka? qultu lahu: al-rajulu yadfaʿu ʾilayya al-danānīra fatakūnu mukaḥḥalatan, ʾaḥukkuhā? qāla: ḥakkuhā ṣalāḥun liṣāḥibihā.
He said, “He said: I also heard ʿAbd al-Wahhāb say that Abū Usāma said, ‘Hands are to be cut off for blackened coins,’ meaning those of the person who makes them.” I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “I lent a man ten dirhams, and he repaid them in blackened coins. I accepted one dirham.” He asked, “Did you not receive your full due?” I asked, “A man gives me dinars that are blackened. Should I scrape them?” He answered, “Scraping them is to their owner's benefit.”
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٦٥
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 465
Volume Two, page 465
قَالَ الْمَرْوَزِيُّ: سَمِعْتُ يَحْيَى الْجَلَّاءَ يَذْكُرُ عَنْ شُعَيْبِ بْنِ حَرْبٍ قَالَ: لَأَنْ أَرَى ابْنِي يَحُكُّ دِرْهَمًا أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أُحْمَلَ عَلَى فَرَسٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. قَالَ: وَدَفَعَ إِلَيَّ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ دِينَارًا فَقَالَ: صَرِّفْهُ بِدَرَاهِمَ صِحَاحٍ، فَجِئْتُ بِالدَّرَاهِمِ فَأَعْطَيْتُهُ،
qāla al-marwaziyyu: samiʿtu yaḥyā al-jallāʾa yadhkuru ʿan shuʿaybi bni ḥarbin qāla: laʾan ʾarā ibnī yaḥukku dirhaman ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya min ʾan ʾuḥmala ʿalā farasin fī sabīli Allāhi ʿazza wajalla. qāla: wadafaʿa ʾilayya ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi dīnāran faqāla: ṣarrifhu bidarāhima ṣiḥāḥin, fajiʾtu bi-al-darāhimi faʾaʿṭaytuhu,
Al-Marwazī said, “I heard Yaḥyā al-Jallāʾ relate from Shuʿayb ibn Ḥarb, ‘I would rather see my son scraping a dirham than be provided with a horse for the path of God, mighty and majestic.’” He said, “Abū ʿAbd Allāh gave me a dinar and said, ‘Exchange it for sound dirhams.’ I brought the dirhams and handed them to him.
فَلَمَّا كَانَ بَعْدَ ذَاكَ الْيَوْمِ خَرَجَ فِي تِلْكَ الدَّرَاهِمِ دِرْهَمٌ رَدِيءٌ. قُلْتُ: فَهَاتِ حَتَّى أُبْدِلَهُ. فَقَالَ: قَدِ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ وَفِيهِ أَرْبَعَةُ أَقَاوِيلَ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: قَالَ مَالِكٌ: الصَّرْفُ مُنْتَفِضٌ، وَأَمَّا الثَّوْرِيُّ فَيَقُولُ: مَا نَقَصَ مِنَ الدَّرَاهِمِ فَتَكُونُ لَهُ حِصَّتُهُ مِنَ الدَّنَانِيرِ، وَهَذَا قَوْلٌ مَا أَدْرِي مَا هُوَ.
falammā kāna baʿda dhāka al-yawmi kharaja fī tilka al-darāhimi dirhamun radīʾun. qultu: fahāti ḥattā ʾubdilahu. faqāla: qadi ikhtalafū fīhi wafīhi ʾarbaʿatu ʾaqāwīla. thumma qāla: qāla mālikun: al-ṣarfu muntafiḍun, waʾammā al-thawriyyu fayaqūlu: mā naqaṣa mina al-darāhimi fatakūnu lahu ḥiṣṣatuhu mina al-danānīri, wa-hādhā qawlun mā ʾadrī mā huwa.
After that day, one of the dirhams proved inferior. I said, ‘Give it to me so I can replace it.’ He answered, ‘They disagree about this; there are four opinions.’ He then said, ‘Mālik says the exchange is undone. Al-Thawrī says that the deficiency in the dirhams entitles him to its proportional share of the dinars. I do not understand that opinion.’
قُلْتُ: إِلَى مَا تَذْهَبُ؟ قَالَ: أَرْجُو أَنْ لَا يَكُونَ بِهِ بَأْسٌ. وَأَمَّا ابْنُ عُمَرَ فَيَقُولُ: لَيْسَ لَهُ أَنْ يَرُدَّ. قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: وَلَيْسَ هُوَ بِذَاكَ، رَوَاهُ رَجُلٌ مَجْهُولٌ. وَأَمَّا قَتَادَةُ فَيَقُولُ: لَهُ أَنْ يَرُدَّهُ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: قَوْلُ قَتَادَةَ أَوْسَعُ عَلَى النَّاسِ، اسْتَخِرِ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَرُدَّهُ. فَدَفَعَهُ إِلَيَّ فَأَبْدَلْتُهُ.
qultu: ʾilā mā tadhhabu? qāla: ʾarjū ʾan lā yakūna bihi baʾsun. waʾammā ibnu ʿumara fayaqūlu: laysa lahu ʾan yarudda. qāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: walaysa huwa bidhāka, rawāhu rajulun majhūlun. waʾammā qatādatu fayaqūlu: lahu ʾan yaruddahu. thumma qāla: qawlu qatādata ʾawsaʿu ʿalā al-nāsi, istakhiri Allāha ʿazza wajalla waruddahu. fadafaʿahu ʾilayya faʾabdaltuhu.
I asked, ‘What view do you take?’ He answered, ‘I hope there is no harm in it. Ibn ʿUmar says he has no right to return it.’ Abū ʿAbd Allāh added, ‘That report is not very sound; an unknown man transmitted it. Qatāda says he may return it.’ He then said, ‘Qatāda's view gives people more latitude. Seek the guidance of God, mighty and majestic, and return it.’ He gave it to me, and I exchanged it.”
عَنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ أَنَّهُ كَرِهَ أَنْ يَشْتَرِيَ الدَّرَاهِمَ بِدِينَارٍ عَلَى أَنْ كَانَ فِيهَا زَيْفٌ رَدَّهُ. وَعَنْ وَكِيعٍ عَنْ سُفْيَانَ عَنْ رَجُلٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ فِي الرَّجُلِ يَصْرِفُ الدِّينَارَ فَيُعْطَى الدِّرْهَمَ الزَّيْفَ قَالَ: لَا بَأْسَ أَنْ يَسْتَبْدِلَهُ. قَالَ سُفْيَانُ: إِذَا كَانَ سَتُّوقًا رَدَّهُ وَيَكُونُ شَرِيكَهُ فِي الدِّينَارِ بِحِصَّتِهِ.
ʿani al-mughīrati ʿan ʾibrāhīma ʾannahu kariha ʾan yashtariya al-darāhima bidīnārin ʿalā ʾan kāna fīhā zayfun raddahu. waʿan wakīʿin ʿan sufyāna ʿan rajulin ʿani al-ḥasani fī al-rajuli yaṣrifu al-dīnāra fayuʿṭā al-dirhama al-zayfa qāla: lā baʾsa ʾan yastabdilahu. qāla sufyānu: ʾidhā kāna sattūqan raddahu wayakūnu sharīkahu fī al-dīnāri biḥiṣṣatihi.
Al-Mughīra related from Ibrāhīm that he disliked buying dirhams for a dinar on condition that any bad coin could be returned. Wakīʿ related from Sufyān, from a man, from al-Ḥasan, concerning someone who exchanges a dinar and receives a bad dirham: “There is no harm in replacing it.” Sufyān said, “If it is a counterfeit base-metal coin, he returns it and becomes the other party's co-owner in the dinar to the extent of his share.”
وَسُئِلَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ رَجُلٍ ابْتَاعَ دَرَاهِمَ بِدَنَانِيرَ وَشَرَطَ عَلَى صَاحِبِهَا أَنَّهُ مَا رُدَّ فَعَلَيْكَ بَدَلُهُ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا سَعِيدٌ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ قَالَ: إِنْ كَانَ فِيهَا زَيْفٌ رَدَّهُ وَلَكِنْ لَا يَشْتَرِطَانِ.
wasuʾila muḥammadu bnu jaʿfarin ʿan rajulin ibtāʿa darāhima bidanānīra washaraṭa ʿalā ṣāḥibihā ʾannahu mā rudda faʿalayka badaluhu, qāla: ʾakhbaranā saʿīdun ʿan qatādata ʿani al-ḥasani qāla: ʾin kāna fīhā zayfun raddahu wa-lākin lā yashtariṭāni.
Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar was asked about someone who bought dirhams for dinars, stipulating to their owner, “You must replace whatever is returned.” He answered, “Saʿīd informed us from Qatāda, from al-Ḥasan, ‘If there is a bad coin among them, he returns it, but the two must not make that a stipulation.’”
سُئِلَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يُسْتَأْجَرُ يَكْتُبُ الْوَرَقَ، الْمِائَةَ بِعَشَرَةِ دَرَاهِمَ، فَيَدْفَعُ إِلَيْهِ دِينَارًا، فَقَالَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ: قَدِ اكْتَرَى شَيْئًا فَأَعْطَاهُ دَنَانِيرَ وَصَارَفَ، وَلَمْ يَرَ بِهِ بَأْسًا. قَالَ: وَلَا يُعْطِي الدَّنَانِيرَ مِنَ الدَّرَاهِمِ إِلَّا بِسِعْرِ يَوْمِهَا وَلَا زِيَادَةِ دَانِقٍ.
suʾila ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-rajuli yustaʾjaru yaktubu al-waraqa, al-miʾata biʿasharati darāhima, fayadfaʿu ʾilayhi dīnāran, faqāla ibnu ʿumara: qadi iktarā shayʾan faʾaʿṭāhu danānīra waṣārafa, walam yara bihi baʾsan. qāla: walā yuʿṭī al-danānīra mina al-darāhimi ʾillā bisiʿri yawmihā walā ziyādati dāniqin.
Abū ʿAbd Allāh was asked about a man hired to copy a hundred sheets for ten dirhams who was paid a dinar. Ibn ʿUmar said, “He hired a service, paid dinars, and made a currency exchange,” and saw no harm in it. He said, “Dinārs should be paid in place of dirhams only at that day's rate, without an extra dāniq.”
سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ حَلْقِ الْقَفَا فَقَالَ: هُوَ مِنْ فَعَالِ الْمَجُوسِ. قَالَ: وَدُعِيَ حُذَيْفَةُ إِلَى شَيْءٍ فَرَأَى شَيْئًا مِنْ زِيِّ الْأَعَاجِمِ فَخَرَجَ وَقَالَ: مَنْ تَشَبَّهَ بِقَوْمٍ فَهُوَ مِنْهُمْ. وَكَانَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ لَا يَحْلِقُ قَفَاهُ إِلَّا فِي وَقْتِ الْحِجَامَةِ.
saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿan ḥalqi al-qafā faqāla: huwa min faʿāli al-majūsi. qāla: waduʿiya ḥudhayfatu ʾilā shayʾin faraʾā shayʾan min ziyyi al-ʾaʿājimi fakharaja waqāla: man tashabbaha biqawmin fahuwa minhum. wakāna ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi lā yaḥliqu qafāhu ʾillā fī waqti al-ḥijāmati.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about shaving the back of the head. He answered, “It is a practice of the Magians.” He said, “Ḥudhayfa was invited somewhere, saw something of the foreign style, and left, saying, ‘Whoever imitates a people belongs to them.’” Abū ʿAbd Allāh shaved the back of his head only when being cupped.
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: فَمَا تَرَى فِي تَحْذِيفِ الْوَجْهِ؟ قَالَ: أَمَّا الْوَجْهُ فَالْمَقَارِيضُ تَأْتِي عَلَيْهِ. وَكَرِهَ أَنْ يُؤْخَذَ الشَّعْرُ بِالْمِنْقَاشِ مِنَ الْوَجْهِ وَقَالَ: لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْمُتَنَمِّصَاتِ. سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الْمَرْأَةِ تَصِلُ شَعْرَهَا بِقَرَامِلَ فَكَرِهَ.
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: famā tarā fī taḥdhīfi al-wajhi? qāla: ʾammā al-wajhu fa-al-maqārīḍu taʾtī ʿalayhi. wakariha ʾan yuʾkhadha al-shaʿru bi-al-minqāshi mina al-wajhi waqāla: laʿana rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama al-mutanammiṣāti. saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-marʾati taṣilu shaʿrahā biqarāmila fakariha.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “What do you think about trimming facial hair?” He answered, “As for the face, scissors can attend to it.” He disliked removing facial hair with tweezers and said, “God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, cursed women who have hair plucked.” I asked him about a woman extending her hair with qarāmil, and he disliked it.
وَسَمِعْتُ امْرَأَةً تَقُولُ: جَاءَتِ امْرَأَةٌ مِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ يُمَشِّطُونَ إِلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فَقَالَتْ: إِنِّي أَصِلُ رَأْسَ الْمَرْأَةِ بِقَرَامِلَ وَأُمَشِّطُهَا، فَتَرَى أَنْ أَحُجَّ مِمَّا كَسَبْتُ؟ قَالَ: لَا، وَكَرِهَ كَسْبَهُ لِنَهْيِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَقَالَ: يَكُونُ مِنْ مَالٍ أَطْيَبَ مِنْهُ.
wasamiʿtu imraʾatan taqūlu: jāʾati imraʾatun min hāʾulāʾi alladhīna yumashshiṭūna ʾilā ʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi faqālat: ʾinnī ʾaṣilu raʾsa al-marʾati biqarāmila waʾumashshiṭuhā, fatarā ʾan ʾaḥujja mimmā kasabtu? qāla: lā, wakariha kasbahu linahyi al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama, waqāla: yakūnu min mālin ʾaṭyaba minhu.
I heard a woman say, “A woman who worked as a hairdresser came to Abū ʿAbd Allāh and said, ‘I add qarāmil to women's hair and dress it. May I perform the pilgrimage with what I have earned?’ He answered, ‘No.’ He disapproved of those earnings because of the prohibition of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and said, ‘It should be funded from more wholesome money.’”
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: فَالْمَرْأَةُ الْكَبِيرَةُ تَصِلُ رَأْسَهَا بِقَرَامِلَ؟ فَلَمْ يُرَخِّصْ لَهَا وَقَالَ: إِنْ كَانَ صُوفًا أَبْيَضَ، وَتَبَسَّمَ. وَدَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فَرَأَيْتُ امْرَأَةً تُمَشِّطُ صَبِيَّةً لَهُ، فَقُلْتُ لِلْمَاشِطَةِ بَعْدُ: وَصَلْتِ رَأْسَهَا بِقَرْمَلٍ؟ فَقَالَتْ: لَمْ تَتْرُكْنِي الصَّبِيَّةُ. قَالَتْ: إِنَّ أَبِي نَهَانِي، وَقَالَتْ: يَغْضَبُ.
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: fa-al-marʾatu al-kabīratu taṣilu raʾsahā biqarāmila? falam yurakhkhiṣ lahā waqāla: ʾin kāna ṣūfan ʾabyaḍa, watabassama. wadakhaltu ʿalā ʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi faraʾaytu imraʾatan tumashshiṭu ṣabiyyatan lahu, faqultu li-l-māshiṭati baʿdu: waṣalti raʾsahā biqarmalin? faqālat: lam tatruknī al-ṣabiyyatu. qālat: ʾinna ʾabī nahānī, waqālat: yaghḍabu.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about an older woman adding qarāmil to her hair. He gave her no permission and said, “If it is white wool,” then smiled. I visited him and saw a woman dressing his young daughter's hair. Later I asked the hairdresser, “Did you add a qarmal to her hair?” She answered, “The girl would not let me.” The girl said, “My father forbade me,” and added, “He gets angry.”
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٦٦
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 466
Volume Two, page 466
وَرَوَيْنَا عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ عَنْ جَابِرٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ زَجَرَ أَنْ تَصِلَ الْمَرْأَةُ بِرَأْسِهَا شَيْئًا. قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ حَلْقِ الرَّأْسِ فَكَرِهَهُ. قُلْتُ: تَكْرَهُهُ؟ قَالَ: أَشَدَّ الْكَرَاهِيَةِ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: كَانَ مَعْمَرٌ يَكْرَهُ الْحَلْقَ.
warawaynā ʿani ibni jurayjin qāla: ʾakhbaranī ʾabū al-zubayri ʿan jābirin ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama zajara ʾan taṣila al-marʾatu biraʾsihā shayʾan. qāla ʾabū bakrin: saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿan ḥalqi al-raʾsi fakarihahu. qultu: takrahuhu? qāla: ʾashadda al-karāhiyati. thumma qāla: kāna maʿmarun yakrahu al-ḥalqa.
We have related from Ibn Jurayj, who said that Abū al-Zubayr informed him from Jābir, that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, forbade a woman to attach anything to her hair. Abū Bakr said, “I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about shaving the head, and he disliked it. ‘Do you dislike it?’ I asked. ‘Most strongly,’ he answered. He then said, ‘Maʿmar disliked shaving.’”
وَاحْتَجَّ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بِحَدِيثِ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لِرَجُلٍ: لَوْ وَجَدْتُكَ مَحْلُوقًا لَضَرَبْتُ الَّذِي فِيهِ عَيْنَاكَ. قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: رَأَيْتُ رَجُلًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا صَلَّى إِلَى جَانِبِ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَقَدْ كَانَ اسْتَأْصَلَ شَعْرَهُ، وَظَنَّ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَنَّهُ مَحْلُوقٌ وَكَانَ رَآهُ بِاللَّيْلِ، فَقَالَ لِي: تَعْرِفُهُ؟ قُلْتُ: نَعَمْ. قَالَ: أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أُغْلِظَ لَهُ فِي حَلْقِ رَأْسِهِ.
waḥtajja ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi biḥadīthi ʿumara bni al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya Allāhu taʿālā ʿanhu ʾannahu qāla lirajulin: law wajadtuka maḥlūqan laḍarabtu alladhī fīhi ʿaynāka. qāla ʾabū bakrin: raʾaytu rajulan min ʾaṣḥābinā ṣallā ʾilā jānibi ʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi waqad kāna istaʾṣala shaʿrahu, waẓanna ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi ʾannahu maḥlūqun wakāna raʾāhu bi-al-layli, faqāla lī: taʿrifuhu? qultu: naʿam. qāla: ʾaradtu ʾan ʾughliẓa lahu fī ḥalqi raʾsihi.
Abū ʿAbd Allāh cited a report that ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, may God Most High be pleased with him, told a man, “If I found you with your head shaved, I would strike the part of you that holds your eyes.” Abū Bakr said, “I saw one of our companions pray beside Abū ʿAbd Allāh with his hair cut very close. Abū ʿAbd Allāh, having seen him at night, thought it was shaved. He asked me, ‘Do you know him?’ ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘I wanted to rebuke him strongly for shaving his head.’”
سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الْحُقْنَةِ فَقَالَ: إِذَا اضْطُرَّ إِلَيْهَا فَلَا بَأْسَ. وَرَأَيْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَلْقَى لِخَتَّانٍ دِرْهَمَيْنِ فِي الطَّسْتِ، وَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ: الْجَوْزُ إِذَا لَعِبَ بِهِ الصِّبْيَانُ مَا يُعْجِبُنِي أَنْ يُؤْكَلَ. سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ مُسُوكِ السِّبَاعِ، تُفْتَرَشُ؟ فَقَالَ: لَا تُفْتَرَشُ، نَهَى النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنْ تُفْتَرَشَ.
saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-ḥuqnati faqāla: ʾidhā iḍṭurra ʾilayhā falā baʾsa. waraʾaytu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʾalqā likhattānin dirhamayni fī al-ṭasti, wasamiʿtuhu yaqūlu: al-jawzu ʾidhā laʿiba bihi al-ṣibyānu mā yuʿjibunī ʾan yuʾkala. saʾaltuhu ʿan musūki al-sibāʿi, tuftarashu? faqāla: lā tuftarashu, nahā al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾan tuftarasha.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about an enema. He answered, “There is no harm when necessity requires it.” I saw him put two dirhams into a basin for a circumciser. I heard him say, “I do not like walnuts that boys have played with to be eaten.” I asked about spreading out the hides of predatory animals. He answered, “They should not be spread out. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, forbade their being spread out.”
ذَكَرْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَنَّ رَجُلًا خَلَّفَ مَتَاعَهُ عِنْدَ غُلَامِهِ فَبَاعَ ثَوْبًا مِمَّنْ يَكْرَهُ نَاحِيَتَهُ، فَأَخَذَ الدَّرَاهِمَ فَأَلْقَاهَا فِي كِيسِهِ، فَجَاءَ الرَّجُلُ فَأَخْبَرَهُ، فَأَخَذَ الْكِيسَ وَانْطَلَقَ بِهِ إِلَى يُوسُفَ بْنِ أَسْبَاطٍ فَأَخْبَرَهُ، فَذَكَرَ لَهُ يُوسُفُ عَنِ الثَّوْرِيِّ وَابْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ: مَا أَجِدُ قَلْبِي يَسْكُنُ إِلَّا أَنْ أَتَصَدَّقَ بِالْكِيسِ. فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: بَارَكَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ.
dhakartu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi ʾanna rajulan khallafa matāʿahu ʿinda ghulāmihi fabāʿa thawban mimman yakrahu nāḥiyatahu, faʾakhadha al-darāhima faʾalqāhā fī kīsihi, fajāʾa al-rajulu faʾakhbarahu, faʾakhadha al-kīsa wanṭalaqa bihi ʾilā yūsufa bni ʾasbāṭin faʾakhbarahu, fadhakara lahu yūsufu ʿani al-thawriyyi wabni al-mubāraki: mā ʾajidu qalbī yaskunu ʾillā ʾan ʾataṣaddaqa bi-al-kīsi. faqāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: bāraka Allāhu fīhi.
I told Abū ʿAbd Allāh that a man left his goods with his servant, who sold a garment to someone whose source of livelihood the man distrusted and put the dirhams into his purse. When the man returned and was told, he took the purse to Yūsuf ibn Asbāṭ and explained. Yūsuf related to him from al-Thawrī and Ibn al-Mubārak, “My heart finds no rest unless I give the purse in charity.” Abū ʿAbd Allāh said, “May God bless him.”
سُئِلَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَكُونُ مُحْتَاجًا فَيَجِيئُهُ الرَّجُلُ مِنْ إِخْوَانِهِ بِشَيْءٍ، يُخَافُ عَلَيْهِ إِنْ لَمْ يَقْبَلْهُ؟ فَقَالَ: إِنْ أَتَاهُ مِنْ غَيْرِ مَسْأَلَةٍ وَلَا اسْتِشْرَافِ نَفْسٍ أَخَافُ أَنْ يُضَيَّقَ عَلَيْهِ إِنْ لَمْ يَقْبَلْ. قَالَ: وَجِئْتُهُ بِحَمَّالِ دَقِيقٍ فَقَالَ: أَعْطَيْتَهُ الْكِرَاءَ؟ قُلْتُ: نَعَمْ، فَأَخْرَجَ رَغِيفًا فَقَالَ لِي: أَعْطِهِ.
suʾila ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi ʿani al-rajuli yakūnu muḥtājan fayajīʾuhu al-rajulu min ʾikhwānihi bishayʾin, yukhāfu ʿalayhi ʾin lam yaqbalhu? faqāla: ʾin ʾatāhu min ghayri masʾalatin walā istishrāfi nafsin ʾakhāfu ʾan yuḍayyaqa ʿalayhi ʾin lam yaqbal. qāla: wajiʾtuhu biḥammāli daqīqin faqāla: ʾaʿṭaytahu al-kirāʾa? qultu: naʿam, faʾakhraja raghīfan faqāla lī: ʾaʿṭihi.
Abū ʿAbd Allāh was asked about a needy man to whom a brother brings something: “Is there cause to fear for him if he refuses?” He answered, “If it comes without asking or inwardly longing for it, I fear he will face hardship if he refuses.” He said, “I brought him a porter carrying flour. He asked, ‘Have you paid his fee?’ I answered, ‘Yes.’ He brought out a loaf and told me, ‘Give it to him.’”
فَدَفَعْتُهُ إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ: وَيْحَكَ، مَا أَعْلَمُ أَنِّي قَبِلْتُ مِنْ أَحَدٍ شَيْئًا، وَلَكِنْ لَا أَرُدُّ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، أَتَبَرَّكُ بِهِ. وَجِئْتُهُ بِهِ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى فَأَخْرَجَ إِلَيْهِ رَغِيفًا فَقَالَ: إِنَّ نَفْسِي اسْتَشْرَفَتْ إِلَيْهِ. فَتَبَسَّمَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَقَالَ: لَكَ أَنْ تَرُدَّ وَنَحْنُ نُحِبُّ أَنْ تَقْبَلَ، فَقَبِلَهُ.
fadafaʿtuhu ʾilayhi faqāla: wayḥaka, mā ʾaʿlamu ʾannī qabiltu min ʾaḥadin shayʾan, wa-lākin lā ʾaruddu ʿalā ʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi, ʾatabarraku bihi. wajiʾtuhu bihi marratan ʾukhrā faʾakhraja ʾilayhi raghīfan faqāla: ʾinna nafsī istashrafat ʾilayhi. fatabassama ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi waqāla: laka ʾan tarudda wanaḥnu nuḥibbu ʾan taqbala, faqabilahu.
I handed it to him. He said, “My good man, I do not recall accepting anything from anyone, but I will not refuse Abū ʿAbd Allāh. I seek blessing through it.” I brought him again another time, and he offered him a loaf. The porter said, “My soul had been looking forward to it.” Abū ʿAbd Allāh smiled and said, “You have the right to refuse, but we would like you to accept.” He accepted it.
سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ بَيْعِ الْمَرَاوِحِ الرِّقَاقِ وَرُبَّمَا بَاعُوا الْمِرْوَحَةَ بِالدِّرْهَمِ أَوْ أَكْثَرَ، فَقَالَ: هِيَ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الثِّيَابِ الرِّقَاقِ. قُلْتُ: فَأَيَّ شَيْءٍ تَقُولُ؟ فَقَالَ: إِذَا بَاعَهَا مِنْ تَاجِرٍ فَلَا بَأْسَ. قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ مُصْحَفٍ قَدْ بَلِيَ، مَا تَرَى فِي دَفْنِهِ؟ قَالَ: يُدْفَنُ.
saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿan bayʿi al-marāwiḥi al-riqāqi warubbamā bāʿū al-mirwaḥata bi-al-dirhami ʾaw ʾakthara, faqāla: hiya bimanzilati al-thiyābi al-riqāqi. qultu: faʾayya shayʾin taqūlu? faqāla: ʾidhā bāʿahā min tājirin falā baʾsa. qāla: saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿan muṣḥafin qad baliya, mā tarā fī dafnihi? qāla: yudfanu.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about selling fine fans, sometimes for a dirham or more apiece. He said, “They are like fine cloth.” I asked, “Then what do you say?” “There is no harm if he sells them to a merchant.” He said, “I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about a worn-out copy of the Qurʾān: ‘What do you think about burying it?’ He answered, ‘It should be buried.’”
قُلْتُ: الرَّجُلُ تَدْعُوهُ أُمُّهُ وَهُوَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ. قَالَ: قَدْ رُوِيَ عَنِ ابْنِ الْمُنْكَدِرِ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: إِذَا كَانَ فِي التَّطَوُّعِ فَلْيُجِبْهَا. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: رَجُلٌ سَقَطَتْ مِنْهُ وَرَقَةٌ فِيهَا أَحَادِيثُ وَفَوَائِدُ، فَأَخَذْتُهَا أَنْ أَنْسَخَهَا وَأَسْمَعَهَا. قَالَ: لَا، إِلَّا أَنْ يَأْذَنَ صَاحِبُهَا.
qultu: al-rajulu tadʿūhu ʾummuhu wahuwa fī al-ṣalāti. qāla: qad ruwiya ʿani ibni al-munkadiri ʾannahu qāla: ʾidhā kāna fī al-taṭawwuʿi falyujibhā. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: rajulun saqaṭat minhu waraqatun fīhā ʾaḥādīthu wafawāʾidu, faʾakhadhtuhā ʾan ʾansakhahā waʾasmaʿahā. qāla: lā, ʾillā ʾan yaʾdhana ṣāḥibuhā.
I asked about a man whose mother calls while he is praying. He answered, “Ibn al-Munkadir is reported to have said that if it is a voluntary prayer, he should answer her.” I asked, “A man dropped a sheet containing hadiths and useful material. I picked it up to copy it and hear it recited. May I?” He answered, “Only with its owner's permission.”
سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ شَيْءٍ مِنْ أَمْرِ الْوَرَعِ فَأَطْرَقَ رَأْسَهُ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ وَسَكَتَ وَكَانَ رُبَّمَا تَغَيَّرَ وَجْهُهُ، يَقُولُ فِي بَعْضِ مَا أَسْأَلُهُ: أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ. قُلْتُ: فَأَيَّ شَيْءٍ تَقُولُ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: أُحِبُّ أَنْ تُعْفِيَنِي. قُلْتُ: فَإِذَا أَعْفَيْتُكَ فَمَنْ أَسْأَلُ؟ لَقَدْ أَصْبَحَ الْأَدِلَّاءُ مُتَحَيِّرِينَ. قَالَ: هَذَا أَمْرٌ شَدِيدٌ.
saʾaltu ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi ʿan shayʾin min ʾamri al-waraʿi faʾaṭraqa raʾsahu ʾilā al-ʾarḍi wasakata wakāna rubbamā taghayyara wajhuhu, yaqūlu fī baʿḍi mā ʾasʾaluhu: ʾastaghfiru Allāha. qultu: faʾayya shayʾin taqūlu yā ʾabā ʿabdi Allāhi? qāla: ʾuḥibbu ʾan tuʿfiyanī. qultu: faʾidhā ʾaʿfaytuka faman ʾasʾalu? laqad ʾaṣbaḥa al-ʾadillāʾu mutaḥayyirīna. qāla: hādhā ʾamrun shadīdun.
I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh about a matter of scrupulousness. He lowered his head toward the ground and fell silent; sometimes his expression would change. In response to some questions he would say, “I seek God's forgiveness.” I asked, “What do you say, Abū ʿAbd Allāh?” He answered, “I would like you to excuse me.” I said, “If I excuse you, whom should I ask? The guides themselves have become bewildered.” He answered, “This is a difficult matter.”
وَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ: أَنَا مُنْذُ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ سَبْعِينَ سَنَةً فِي فَقْدٍ. وَقَالَ: مَا قَلَّ مِنَ
wasamiʿtuhu yaqūlu: ʾanā mundhu ʾakthara min sabʿīna sanatan fī faqdin. waqāla: mā qalla mina
I heard him say, “For more than seventy years I have been in want.” He said, “The less one has of
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٦٧
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 467
Volume Two, page 467
الدُّنْيَا كَانَ أَقَلَّ لِلْحِسَابِ. قُلْتُ لَهُ: إِنَّ رَجُلًا قَالَ: إِنَّ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ حَنْبَلٍ وَبِشْرَ بْنَ الْحَارِثِ لَيْسَ هُمَا عِنْدِي زُهَّادًا، أَحْمَدُ لَهُ خُبْزٌ يَأْكُلُهُ وَبِشْرٌ لَهُ دَرَاهِمُ تَجِيئُهُ مِنْ خُرَاسَانَ. فَتَبَسَّمَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ: مِنَ الزُّهَّادِ أَنَا؟
al-dunyā kāna ʾaqalla li-l-ḥisābi. qultu lahu: ʾinna rajulan qāla: ʾinna ʾaḥmada bna ḥanbalin wabishra bna al-ḥārithi laysa humā ʿindī zuhhādan, ʾaḥmadu lahu khubzun yaʾkuluhu wabishrun lahu darāhimu tajīʾuhu min khurāsāna. fatabassama ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi thumma qāla: mina al-zuhhādi ʾanā?
this world, the less there is to account for.” I told him, “A man said, ‘I do not consider Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith ascetics. Aḥmad has bread to eat, and Bishr receives dirhams from Khurasan.’” Abū ʿAbd Allāh smiled, then said, “Am I one of the ascetics?”
وَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ: وَقَعَ لِلتَّيْمِيِّ فَضَرَبَ فِيهِ فُسْطَاطًا أَوْ خِبَاءً عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً. وَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ وَذَكَرَ قَوْمًا مِنَ الْمُتْرَفِينَ فَقَالَ: الدُّنُوُّ مِنْهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ وَالْجُلُوسُ مَعَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ.
wasamiʿtuhu yaqūlu: waqaʿa li-l-taymiyyi faḍaraba fīhi fusṭāṭan ʾaw khibāʾan ʿishrīna sanatan. wasamiʿtuhu yaqūlu wadhakara qawman mina al-mutrafīna faqāla: al-dunuwwu minhum fitnatun wa-al-julūsu maʿahum fitnatun.
I heard him say, “Something fell to al-Taymī's share, and he pitched a tent or shelter on it for twenty years.” I heard him mention some people living in luxury and say, “Drawing near to them is a temptation, and sitting with them is a temptation.”
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: إِنَّ مَوْلَى ابْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ حَدَّثَنِي أَنَّ سَعِيدَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْغَفَّارِ قَالَ لِابْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ: مَا تَقُولُ إِذَا نَزَلَ دَارَ مَنْ تَكْرَهُ نَاحِيَتَهُ بِأَجْرٍ؟ قَالَ: لَا بَأْسَ بِهَا. قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: فَإِذَا أَجَازَ الَّذِي تَكْرَهُ نَاحِيَتَهُ رَجُلًا فَاشْتَرَى دَارَ غَلَّةٍ، تَرَى أَنْ أَنْزِلَهَا بِأَجْرٍ؟ قَالَ: لَا.
qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: ʾinna mawlā ibni al-mubāraki ḥaddathanī ʾanna saʿīda bna ʿabdi al-ghaffāri qāla libni al-mubāraki: mā taqūlu ʾidhā nazala dāra man takrahu nāḥiyatahu biʾajrin? qāla: lā baʾsa bihā. qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: faʾidhā ʾajāza alladhī takrahu nāḥiyatahu rajulan fashtarā dāra ghallatin, tarā ʾan ʾanzilahā biʾajrin? qāla: lā.
I told Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “Ibn al-Mubārak's client related to me that Saʿīd ibn ʿAbd al-Ghaffār asked Ibn al-Mubārak, ‘What do you say about paying to lodge in the house of someone whose source of livelihood you distrust?’ He answered, ‘There is no harm.’” I asked Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “If such a person gives a man a grant and he buys a revenue-producing house, may I lodge there for rent?” He answered, “No.”
قَالَ أَبُو وَهْبٍ: قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، يَعْنِي الْمُبَارَكَ، فِي رَجُلٍ يَشْتَرِي جَارِيَةً مِنْ رَجُلٍ فَإِذَا هِيَ ضَافِنَةٌ، قَالَ: يَرُدُّهَا عَلَى الَّذِي كَانَتْ لَهُ وَلَا يَرُدُّهَا عَلَى الَّذِي اشْتَرَاهَا مِنْهُ وَهِيَ ضَافِنَةٌ، وَذَكَرَهُ عَنْ سُفْيَانَ.
qāla ʾabū wahbin: qāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi, yaʿnī al-mubāraka, fī rajulin yashtarī jāriyatan min rajulin faʾidhā hiya ḍāfinatun, qāla: yarudduhā ʿalā alladhī kānat lahu walā yarudduhā ʿalā alladhī ishtarāhā minhu wahiya ḍāfinatun, wadhakarahu ʿan sufyāna.
Abū Wahb said, “Abū ʿAbd Allāh,” meaning al-Mubārak, “said about a man who buys an enslaved woman and finds that she is short in stature: ‘He returns her to the person to whom she belonged, but does not return her to the person from whom he bought her while she was short in stature.’” He related it on Sufyān's authority.
عَبَّاسٌ الْعَنْبَرِيُّ عَنْ رَجُلٍ قَالَ: كُنْتُ مَعَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ مَهْدِيٍّ بِعَبَّادَانَ، وَكُنَّا نَغْسِلُ أَيْدِيَنَا مِنْ مَاءِ السَّيْلِ وَكَانَ هُوَ لَا يَفْعَلُ، يَأْمُرُ غُلَامَهُ فَيَجِيءُ مِنْ مَاءِ الْبَحْرِ. عَبْدُ الصَّمَدِ بْنُ مُقَاتِلٍ قَالَ: كَانُوا يَكْتُبُونَ الْكِتَابَ وَلَا يُتْرِبُونَهُ مِنْ دُورِ السَّيْلِ، يُرْسِلُونَ فَيَأْخُذُونَ مِنْ طِينِ الْبَحْرِ.
ʿabbāsun al-ʿanbariyyu ʿan rajulin qāla: kuntu maʿa ʿabdi al-raḥmāni bni mahdiyyin biʿabbādāna, wakunnā naghsilu ʾaydiyanā min māʾi al-sayli wakāna huwa lā yafʿalu, yaʾmuru ghulāmahu fayajīʾu min māʾi al-baḥri. ʿabdu al-ṣamadi bnu muqātilin qāla: kānū yaktubūna al-kitāba walā yutribūnahu min dūri al-sayli, yursilūna fayaʾkhudhūna min ṭīni al-baḥri.
ʿAbbās al-ʿAnbarī related from a man, “I was with ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī in ʿAbbādān. We washed our hands with runoff water, but he did not; he sent his servant to bring water from the open waterway.” ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ibn Muqātil said, “They wrote letters but did not dust them with earth from the houses along the runoff. They sent for mud from the open waterway.”
قَالَ: وَكَتَبَ إِلَيْنَا ابْنُ خَشْرَمٍ وَكَتَبَ فِي كِتَابِهِ أَنَّ بِشْرًا كَانَ لَا يَشْرَبُ بِعَبَّادَانَ مِنَ الْحِيَاضِ الَّتِي اتَّخَذَهَا الْمُلُوكُ وَكَانَ يَشْرَبُ مِنْ مَاءِ الْبَحْرِ. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ خَيْثَمٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ قَالَ: مَرَّ إِبْرَاهِيمُ النَّخَعِيُّ عَلَى امْرَأَةٍ يُقَالُ لَهَا أُمُّ بَكْرٍ مِنْ مُرَادٍ وَهِيَ تَغْزِلُ،
qāla: wakataba ʾilaynā ibnu khashramin wakataba fī kitābihi ʾanna bishran kāna lā yashrabu biʿabbādāna mina al-ḥiyāḍi allatī ittakhadhahā al-mulūku wakāna yashrabu min māʾi al-baḥri. warawaynā ʿan saʿīdi bni khaythamin ʿan muḥammadi bni khālidin qāla: marra ʾibrāhīmu al-nakhaʿiyyu ʿalā imraʾatin yuqālu lahā ʾummu bakrin min murādin wahiya taghzilu,
He said, “Ibn Khashram wrote to us, saying in his letter that Bishr did not drink in ʿAbbādān from the reservoirs built by rulers, but drank from the open waterway.” We have related from Saʿīd ibn Khaytham, from Muḥammad ibn Khālid, “Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī passed a woman of Murād named Umm Bakr while she was spinning.
فَقَالَ: يَا أُمَّ بَكْرٍ، أَمَا آنَ لَكِ أَنْ تَتْرُكِينَهُ؟ فَقَالَتْ: يَا أَبَا عِمْرَانَ، كَيْفَ أَتْرُكُهُ وَقَدْ سَمِعْتُ عَلِيَّ بْنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ: إِنَّهُ مِنْ أَطْيَبِ الْكَسْبِ؟ قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: إِنَّ حَسَنًا مَوْلَى ابْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ حَكَى عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْغَفَّارِ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لِابْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ:
faqāla: yā ʾumma bakrin, ʾamā ʾāna laki ʾan tatrukīnahu? faqālat: yā ʾabā ʿimrāna, kayfa ʾatrukuhu waqad samiʿtu ʿaliyya bna ʾabī ṭālibin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu yaqūlu: ʾinnahu min ʾaṭyabi al-kasbi? qultu liʾabī ʿabdi Allāhi: ʾinna ḥasanan mawlā ibni al-mubāraki ḥakā ʿan saʿīdi bni ʿabdi al-ghaffāri ʾannahu qāla libni al-mubāraki:
He said, ‘Umm Bakr, is it not time for you to stop?’ She answered, ‘Abū ʿImrān, how could I stop when I heard ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, may God be pleased with him, say that it is among the most wholesome ways of earning?’” I told Abū ʿAbd Allāh, “Ḥasan, Ibn al-Mubārak's client, related from Saʿīd ibn ʿAbd al-Ghaffār that he asked Ibn al-Mubārak:
مَا تَقُولُ فِي رَجُلَيْنِ دَخَلَا عَلَى مَنْ تَكْرَهُ نَاحِيَتَهُ فَأَجَازَهُمَا، فَقَبِلَ وَاحِدٌ وَلَمْ يَقْبَلِ الْآخَرُ، فَخَرَجَ الَّذِي قَبِلَ فَاشْتَرَى مِنْهُ الَّذِي لَمْ يَقْبَلْ، مَا تَقُولُ؟ فَسَكَتَ ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ فَقَالَ لَهُ ابْنُ سَعِيدٍ: مَا يُسْكِتُكَ، لِمَ لَا تُجِيبُنِي؟ فَقَالَ: لَوْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ الْجَوَابَ خَيْرٌ لِي لَأَجَبْتُكَ.
mā taqūlu fī rajulayni dakhalā ʿalā man takrahu nāḥiyatahu faʾajāzahumā, faqabila wāḥidun walam yaqbali al-ʾākharu, fakharaja alladhī qabila fashtarā minhu alladhī lam yaqbal, mā taqūlu? fasakata ibnu al-mubāraki faqāla lahu ibnu saʿīdin: mā yuskituka, lima lā tujībunī? faqāla: law ʿalimtu ʾanna al-jawāba khayrun lī laʾajabtuka.
‘What do you say about two men who visit someone whose source of livelihood you distrust, and he gives them grants? One accepts and the other refuses. The one who accepts leaves, and the one who refused buys something from him. What do you say?’ Ibn al-Mubārak remained silent. Ibn Saʿīd asked him, ‘What keeps you silent? Why do you not answer me?’ He replied, ‘If I knew answering was better for me, I would answer you.’
قَالَ سَعِيدٌ: أَلَيْسَ أَصْلُنَا عَلَى الْكَرَاهَةِ؟ قَالَ ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ: نَعَمْ. فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: وَمَنْ يَقْوَى عَلَى هَذَا؟ قَالَ لَهُ: فَمَا تَقُولُ فِي رَجُلٍ أَجَازَهُ فَاشْتَرَى دَارًا، تَرَى أَنْ أَنْزِلَهَا؟ فَسَكَتَ ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، فَقَالَ: لِمَ لَا تُجِيبُنِي؟ فَقَالَ: هَذَا أَضْيَقُ، أَكْرَهُ أَنْ أُجِيبَكَ.
qāla saʿīdun: ʾalaysa ʾaṣlunā ʿalā al-karāhati? qāla ibnu al-mubāraki: naʿam. faqāla ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi: waman yaqwā ʿalā hādhā? qāla lahu: famā taqūlu fī rajulin ʾajāzahu fashtarā dāran, tarā ʾan ʾanzilahā? fasakata ibnu al-mubāraki, faqāla: lima lā tujībunī? faqāla: hādhā ʾaḍyaqu, ʾakrahu ʾan ʾujībaka.
Saʿīd said, ‘Is our basic position not disapproval?’ Ibn al-Mubārak answered, ‘Yes.’” Abū ʿAbd Allāh said, “Who can bear this?” He asked him, “What about a man who receives a grant and buys a house? May I lodge in it?” Ibn al-Mubārak remained silent. “Why do you not answer me?” He replied, “This is more restrictive. I dislike giving you an answer.”
فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: إِنَّ الثَّوْرِيَّ قَالَ: مَا فِي أَيْدِي الْحَشَمِ سُحْتٌ. فَأَنْكَرَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَنَّ عَبْدَ الْوَهَّابِ قَالَ فِي الرَّجُلِ يُجَازُ ثُمَّ يَدْفَعُهَا إِلَى الْآخَرِ إِنَّ الْمَالَ عِنْدَهُ شَيْءٌ وَاحِدٌ، فَقَالَ: هَذَا شَدِيدٌ. قُلْتُ: إِذَا أُعْطِيَ تَكْرَهُهُ لِلْأَوَّلِ وَالثَّانِي لَا تَرَى بِهِ بَأْسًا؟ قَالَ: إِنَّمَا أَكْرَهُهُ لِلْأَوَّلِ مِنْ طَرِيقِ الْمُحَابَاةِ وَالثَّانِي لَيْسَ هُوَ مِثْلَ عَطِيَّةِ الْأَوَّلِ.
faqultu lahu: ʾinna al-thawriyya qāla: mā fī ʾaydī al-ḥashami suḥtun. faʾankara ʾabū ʿabdi Allāhi ʾanna ʿabda al-wahhābi qāla fī al-rajuli yujāzu thumma yadfaʿuhā ʾilā al-ʾākhari ʾinna al-māla ʿindahu shayʾun wāḥidun, faqāla: hādhā shadīdun. qultu: ʾidhā ʾuʿṭiya takrahuhu li-l-ʾawwali wa-al-thānī lā tarā bihi baʾsan? qāla: ʾinnamā ʾakrahuhu li-l-ʾawwali min ṭarīqi al-muḥābāti wa-al-thānī laysa huwa mithla ʿaṭiyyati al-ʾawwali.
I told him, “Al-Thawrī said that what courtiers hold is illicit gain.” Abū ʿAbd Allāh objected to ʿAbd al-Wahhāb's saying, about a man who receives a grant and passes it to another, that the money remains one and the same. He said, “That is stringent.” I asked, “You disapprove of it for the first recipient, yet see no harm for the second?” He answered, “I disapprove of it for the first because of favoritism. The second recipient's case differs from the first gift.”
قَالَ: مَنْ أُعْطِيَ هَذَا الْمَالَ أَوْ حُوبِيَ عَلَى أَثَرِهِ فَلْيَقْبَلْ وَلْيُفَرِّقْ كَمَا فَعَلَ أَصْحَابُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ؛ بَعَثَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ بِمَالٍ
qāla: man ʾuʿṭiya hādhā al-māla ʾaw ḥūbiya ʿalā ʾatharihi falyaqbal walyufarriq kamā faʿala ʾaṣḥābu rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama; baʿatha ʿumaru raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu bimālin
He said, “Whoever is given this money or favored on account of his deeds should accept it and distribute it, as the companions of God's Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, did. ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him, sent money
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٦٨
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 468
Volume Two, page 468
إِلَى أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ فَفَرَّقَ، وَبَعَثَ مَرْوَانُ إِلَى أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ فَفَرَّقَ، وَبَعَثَ إِلَى ابْنِ عُمَرَ فَفَرَّقَ، وَبَعَثَ إِلَى عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهَا فَفَرَّقَتْ. قُلْتُ: فَعَلَى أَيِّ وَجْهٍ قَبِلَهَا مِنْهُمْ ابْنُ عُمَرَ؟ فَإِنَّ قَوْمًا يَحْتَجُّونَ يَقُولُونَ: لَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ مُبَاحًا لَمَا أَخَذَ.
ʾilā ʾabī ʿubaydata fafarraqa, wabaʿatha marwānu ʾilā ʾabī hurayrata fafarraqa, wabaʿatha ʾilā ibni ʿumara fafarraqa, wabaʿatha ʾilā ʿāʾishata raḍiya Allāhu taʿālā ʿanhā fafarraqat. qultu: faʿalā ʾayyi wajhin qabilahā minhum ibnu ʿumara? faʾinna qawman yaḥtajjūna yaqūlūna: law lam yakun mubāḥan lamā ʾakhadha.
to Abū ʿUbayda, who distributed it. Marwān sent money to Abū Hurayra, who distributed it; he sent it to Ibn ʿUmar, who distributed it; and he sent it to ʿĀʾisha, may God Most High be pleased with her, who distributed it.” I asked, “On what basis did Ibn ʿUmar accept it from them? Some people argue, ‘Had it not been permissible, he would not have taken it.’”
فَأَنْكَرَ ذَلِكَ وَقَالَ: إِنَّهُ لَمَّا رَأَى أَنْ حُوبِيَ كَرِهَ أَنْ يَرُدَّ إِلَيْهِمْ وَفَرَّقَهُ بِالسَّوِيَّةِ. قُلْتُ: فَإِنَّ مُعَاذًا يُرْوَى عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ فَضَلَ عِنْدَهُ دِينَارٌ فَطَلَبَتْ مِنْهُ امْرَأَتُهُ فَأَعْطَاهَا. فَقَالَ: كَانَتْ مُحْتَاجَةً إِلَيْهِ. فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: أَنْتَ تَقُولُ: مَنْ بُلِيَ مِنْ هَذَا الْمَالِ بِشَيْءٍ فَلْيَعْدِلْ فِي تَفْرِيقِهِ،
faʾankara dhālika waqāla: ʾinnahu lammā raʾā ʾan ḥūbiya kariha ʾan yarudda ʾilayhim wafarraqahu bi-al-sawiyyati. qultu: faʾinna muʿādhan yurwā ʿanhu ʾannahu faḍala ʿindahu dīnārun faṭalabat minhu imraʾatuhu faʾaʿṭāhā. faqāla: kānat muḥtājatan ʾilayhi. faqultu lahu: ʾanta taqūlu: man buliya min hādhā al-māli bishayʾin falyaʿdil fī tafrīqihi,
He rejected that argument and said, “When he saw that he had been favored, he disliked returning it to them and distributed it equally.” I asked, “It is related that Muʿādh had a dinar left over; his wife asked him for it, and he gave it to her.” He answered, “She needed it.” I said, “You say that anyone tested with a portion of this money should distribute it fairly.
وَعَائِشَةُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا لَمَّا شَكَا ابْنُ الْمُنْكَدِرِ إِلَيْهَا قَالَتْ: لَوْ أَنَّ عِنْدِي عَشَرَةَ آلَافٍ لَأَعَنْتُكَ. فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ أُرْسِلَ إِلَيْهَا بِعَشَرَةِ آلَافٍ فَبَعَثَتْ خَلْفَهُ فَأَعْطَتْهُ. فَقَالَتْ: إِنَّهَا كَانَتْ بُلِيَتْ بِقَوْلِهَا، وَمَعَ هَذَا قَدْ أَخْرَجَتْهُ. وَذَكَرَ مِنْ زُهْدِهَا وَوَرَعِهَا وَقَالَ: كَانَ أَصْحَابُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَسْأَلُونَهَا،
waʿāʾishatu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhā lammā shakā ibnu al-munkadiri ʾilayhā qālat: law ʾanna ʿindī ʿasharata ʾālāfin laʾaʿantuka. falammā kharaja ʾursila ʾilayhā biʿasharati ʾālāfin fabaʿathat khalfahu faʾaʿṭathu. faqālat: ʾinnahā kānat buliyat biqawlihā, wamaʿa hādhā qad ʾakhrajathu. wadhakara min zuhdihā wawaraʿihā waqāla: kāna ʾaṣḥābu muḥammadin ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yasʾalūnahā,
Yet when Ibn al-Munkadir complained of his circumstances to ʿĀʾisha, may God be pleased with her, she said, ‘If I had ten thousand, I would help you.’ After he left, ten thousand was sent to her. She sent after him and gave it to him.” She said that her words had put her to the test, yet she had given the money away. He mentioned her renunciation and scrupulousness and said, “The companions of Muḥammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, used to ask her,
مِثْلُ أَبِي مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيِّ وَغَيْرِهِ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ فِي أَزْوَاجِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِثْلُهَا، وَإِنَّمَا كَانَتِ ابْنَةَ ثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَةَ سَنَةً. أَبُو يَحْيَى النَّاقِدُ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو طَالِبٍ قَالَ: قُلْتُ: حَدَّثُونِي عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَبِي كَثِيرٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ رَجُلٍ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ نَهَى عَنْ أُذُنِ الْقَلْبِ.
mithlu ʾabī mūsā al-ʾashʿariyyi waghayrihi, walam yakun fī ʾazwāji al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama mithluhā, waʾinnamā kānati ibnata thamāniyata ʿasharata sanatan. ʾabū yaḥyā al-nāqidu qāla: ḥaddathanā ʾabū ṭālibin qāla: qultu: ḥaddathūnī ʿan ʿabdi Allāhi bni yaḥyā bni ʾabī kathīrin ʿan ʾabīhi ʿan rajulin mina al-ʾanṣāri ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama nahā ʿan ʾudhuni al-qalbi.
including Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī and others. None of the wives of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, was like her, although she was only eighteen years old.” Abū Yaḥyā al-Nāqid said that Abū Ṭālib related, “I said, ‘They told me from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Yaḥyā ibn Abī Kathīr, from his father, from an Anṣārī man, that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, forbade the heart's auricle.’”
فَقَالَ: نَعَمْ، هَكَذَا قُلْتُ. مَا هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ؟ قَالَ: نَهَى عَنْ أَكْلِ أُذُنِ الْقَلْبِ. قَالَ: لَا يُؤْكَلُ. وَعَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي: الْغُدَّةُ؟ فَقَالَ: لَا تُؤْكَلُ، النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَرِهَهَا فِي حَدِيثِ الْأَوْزَاعِيِّ عَنْ وَاصِلٍ عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ.
faqāla: naʿam, hākadhā qultu. mā hādhā al-ḥadīthu? qāla: nahā ʿan ʾakli ʾudhuni al-qalbi. qāla: lā yuʾkalu. waʿan ʿabdi Allāhi bni ʾaḥmada qāla: qultu liʾabī: al-ghuddatu? faqāla: lā tuʾkalu, al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama karihahā fī ḥadīthi al-ʾawzāʿiyyi ʿan wāṣilin ʿan mujāhidin.
He answered, “Yes, that is how I said it. What is this hadith?” He said, “He forbade eating the heart's auricle.” He said, “It is not to be eaten.” ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad related, “I asked my father about the gland. He answered, ‘It is not to be eaten. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, disapproved of it in the account of al-Awzāʿī, from Wāṣil, from Mujāhid.’”
وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ، سَأَلَهَا النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ أُذُنِ الْقَلْبِ فَقَالَتْ: أَلْقَيْتُهُ. فَقَالَ: طَابَ قِدْرُكِ. وَهَذَا آخِرُ كِتَابِ الْمَعَاشِ وَمَا اتَّصَلَ بِهِ مِنَ الْآثَارِ فِي الْوَرَعِ، وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَعْلَمُ.
warawaynā ʿan ʿabdi Allāhi bni yazīda ʿan ʾummi salamata, saʾalahā al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʿan ʾudhuni al-qalbi faqālat: ʾalqaytuhu. faqāla: ṭāba qidruki. wa-hādhā ʾākhiru kitābi al-maʿāshi wamā ittaṣala bihi mina al-ʾāthāri fī al-waraʿi, wa-Allāhu taʿālā ʾaʿlamu.
We have related from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Yazīd, from Umm Salama, that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, asked her about the heart's auricle. She answered, “I threw it away.” He said, “Your cooking pot is wholesome.” This concludes the Book of Livelihood and the associated traditions concerning scrupulousness. God Most High knows best.
الْفَصْلُ الثَّامِنُ وَالْأَرْبَعُونَ، فِيهِ كِتَابُ تَفْصِيلِ الْحَلَالِ وَالْحَرَامِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا مِنَ الشُّبُهَاتِ، وَفَضْلِ الْحَلَالِ وَذَمِّ الشُّبْهَةِ وَتَمْثِيلِ ذَلِكَ بِصُوَرِ الْأَلْوَانِ.
al-faṣlu al-thāminu wa-al-ʾarbaʿūna, fīhi kitābu tafṣīli al-ḥalāli wa-al-ḥarāmi wamā baynahumā mina al-shubuhāti, wafaḍli al-ḥalāli wadhammi al-shubhati watamthīli dhālika biṣuwari al-ʾalwāni.
Chapter Forty-Eight: A Book Explaining the Lawful and the Unlawful and the Doubtful Matters Between Them, the Excellence of the Lawful, the Censure of Doubtful Things, and Their Illustration through Colors
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٦٩
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 469
Volume Two, page 469
رَوَيْنَا عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: يَأْتِي عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ لَا يَبْقَى فِيهِ أَحَدٌ إِلَّا أَكَلَ الرِّبَا، فَمَنْ لَمْ يَأْكُلْهُ أَصَابَهُ مِنْ غُبَارِهِ.
rawaynā ʿan ʾabī hurayrata ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: yaʾtī ʿalā al-nāsi zamānun lā yabqā fīhi ʾaḥadun ʾillā ʾakala al-ribā, faman lam yaʾkulhu ʾaṣābahu min ghubārihi.
We have transmitted from Abū Hurayra, from the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace: “A time will come upon people when no one will remain who does not consume usury. Whoever does not consume it will nevertheless be touched by its dust.”
يَعْنِي وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ يَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهِ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يَعْمَلْ بِهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ قَصْدٍ لَهُ وَلَا اِكْتِسَابٍ، كَمَا يَدْخُلُ الْغُبَارُ فِي الْمَشَامِّ لِلْمُجْتَازِ، لِفُشُوِّ الرِّبَا وَاِنْتِشَارِ مَدَاخِلِهِ مِمَّا لَا يُمْكِنُ التَّحَرُّزُ مِنْهُ.
yaʿnī wa-Allāhu ʾaʿlamu ʾannahu yadkhulu ʿalayhi, waʾin lam yaʿmal bihi min ghayri qaṣdin lahu walā iktisābin, kamā yadkhulu al-ghubāru fī al-mashāmmi li-l-mujtāzi, lifushuwwi al-ribā wa-intishāri madākhilihi mimmā lā yumkinu al-taḥarruzu minhu.
This means, and God knows best, that it reaches a person even without their practicing it, intending it, or earning it, just as dust enters a passerby's nostrils: usury becomes so widespread, and its channels so pervasive, that one cannot guard against it.
وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: دِرْهَمٌ مِنْ رِبًا أَعْظَمُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنْ ثَلَاثِينَ زَنْيَةً فِي الْإِسْلَامِ. وَمَا تَوَاعَدَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَلَا تَهَدَّدَ فِي مَعْصِيَةٍ مِثْلَ مَا تَوَاعَدَ فِي أَكْلِ الرِّبَا، فَإِنَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَظَّمَ شَأْنَهُ بِوَصْفَيْنِ عَظِيمَيْنِ إِعْظَامًا لَهُ وَتَرْهِيبًا مِنْهُ.
wafī al-khabari: dirhamun min riban ʾaʿẓamu ʿinda Allāhi ʿazza wajalla min thalāthīna zanyatan fī al-ʾislāmi. wamā tawāʿada Allāhu ʿazza wajalla walā tahaddada fī maʿṣiyatin mithla mā tawāʿada fī ʾakli al-ribā, faʾinnahu ʿazza wajalla ʿaẓẓama shaʾnahu biwaṣfayni ʿaẓīmayni ʾiʿẓāman lahu watarhīban minhu.
A report says: “A dirham from usury is graver before God, mighty and majestic, than thirty acts of fornication committed in Islam.” God, mighty and majestic, has issued no threat or warning concerning any sin like His threat concerning the consumption of usury. He, mighty and majestic, magnified its seriousness through two tremendous descriptions, emphasizing its gravity and inspiring fear of it.
فَذَكَرَ فِي أَوَّلِهِ الْمُحَارَبَةَ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَلِرَسُولِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَفِي آخِرِهِ الْخُلُودَ فِي النَّارِ. يَنْتَظِمُ ذَلِكَ فِي قَوْلِهِ: ﴿يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اِتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَذَرُوا مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الرِّبَا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ﴾ الْبَقَرَةِ: 278.
fadhakara fī ʾawwalihi al-muḥārabata li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla walirasūlihi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama, wafī ʾākhirihi al-khulūda fī al-nāri. yantaẓimu dhālika fī qawlihi: ﴿yāʾayyuhā alladhīna ʾāmanū ittaqū Allāha wadharū mā baqiya mina al-ribā ʾin kuntum muʾminīna﴾ al-baqarati: 278.
First He mentioned war against God, mighty and majestic, and His Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace; finally, everlasting residence in the Fire. This is set out in His words: “You who believe, be mindful of God and relinquish what remains of usury, if you are believers” (al-Baqara, 2:278).
ثُمَّ اِشْتَرَطَ لِلْإِيمَانِ تَرْكَ الرِّبَا بِقَوْلِهِ: إِنْ، وَهِيَ لِلشَّرْطِ وَالْجَزَاءِ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: ﴿فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا فَأْذَنُوا بِحَرْبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ﴾ الْبَقَرَةِ: 279. ثُمَّ أَوْجَبَ التَّوْبَةَ مِنْهُ بَعْدَ إِعْلَامِهِ الظُّلْمَ مِنْهُ فَقَالَ: وَإِنْ تُبْتُمْ فَلَكُمْ رُؤُوسُ أَمْوَالِكُمْ، لَا تَظْلِمُونَ وَلَا تُظْلَمُونَ.
thumma ishtaraṭa li-l-ʾīmāni tarka al-ribā biqawlihi: ʾin, wahiya li-l-sharṭi wa-al-jazāʾi. thumma qāla: ﴿faʾin lam tafʿalū faʾdhanū biḥarbin mina Allāhi warasūlihi﴾ al-baqarati: 279. thumma ʾawjaba al-tawbata minhu baʿda ʾiʿlāmihi al-ẓulma minhu faqāla: waʾin tubtum falakum ruʾūsu ʾamwālikum, lā taẓlimūna walā tuẓlamūna.
Then He made abandoning usury a condition of faith through the word “if,” which expresses a condition and its consequence. He then said: “If you do not, be warned of war from God and His Messenger” (al-Baqara, 2:279). After making its injustice known, He required repentance from it: “If you repent, your principal is yours: you shall neither wrong nor be wronged.”
ثُمَّ نَصَّ عَلَى تَحْرِيمِهِ فِي قَوْلِهِ: ﴿وَأَحَلَّ اللَّهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا﴾ الْبَقَرَةِ: 275. ثُمَّ تَوَاعَدَ بِالْخُلُودِ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ فَقَالَ: ﴿وَمَنْ عَادَ فَأُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ﴾ الْبَقَرَةِ: 275، وَهَذَا مِنْ شَدِيدِ الْخِطَابِ وَعَظِيمِ الْعَذَابِ.
thumma naṣṣa ʿalā taḥrīmihi fī qawlihi: ﴿waʾaḥalla Allāhu al-bayʿa waḥarrama al-ribā﴾ al-baqarati: 275. thumma tawāʿada bi-al-khulūdi baʿda dhālika kullihi faqāla: ﴿waman ʿāda fa-ʾulāʾika ʾaṣḥābu al-nāri hum fīhā khālidūna﴾ al-baqarati: 275, wa-hādhā min shadīdi al-khiṭābi waʿaẓīmi al-ʿadhābi.
He then explicitly prohibited it: “God has permitted trade and forbidden usury” (al-Baqara, 2:275). After all this, He threatened everlasting punishment: “Whoever returns to it, those are the inhabitants of the Fire; they will remain there forever” (al-Baqara, 2:275). This is severe address and tremendous punishment.
وَرُوِيَ عَنِ اِبْنِ مَسْعُودٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: طَلَبُ الْحَلَالِ فَرِيضَةٌ بَعْدَ الْفَرِيضَةِ. فَسَوَّى بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْعِلْمِ فِي الْفَرْضِ فَأَوْجَبَ الطَّلَبَ لَهُمَا، مَثَلُ فَرْضِ الْحَلَالِ
waruwiya ʿani ibni masʿūdin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ṭalabu al-ḥalāli farīḍatun baʿda al-farīḍati. fasawwā baynahu wabayna al-ʿilmi fī al-farḍi faʾawjaba al-ṭalaba lahumā, mathalu farḍi al-ḥalāli
It is transmitted from Ibn Masʿūd, God be pleased with him, from the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace: “Seeking lawful sustenance is an obligation following the obligation.” He thus placed it on the same footing as knowledge in obligatory status and required that both be sought. The obligation of lawful sustenance
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٧٠
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 470
Volume Two, page 470
لِلْأَكْلِ مِثْلُ طَلَبِ الْعِلْمِ لِلْجَاهِلِ، وَالْفَرَائِضُ إِذَا شُرِعَتْ ثَبَتَتْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ، فَإِذَا أَمَرَ بِطَلَبِهَا دَلَّ عَلَى وُجُودِهَا لِأَنَّهُ لَا يُؤْمَرُ بِطَلَبِ مُفْتَرَضٍ عَلَيْنَا يَكُونُ مَعْدُومًا. فَالْحَلَالُ مَوْجُودٌ مِنْ حَيْثُ اُفْتُرِضَ عَلَيْنَا وَأُمِرْنَا بِطَلَبِهِ.
li-l-ʾakli mithlu ṭalabi al-ʿilmi li-l-jāhili, wa-al-farāʾiḍu ʾidhā shuriʿat thabatat ʾilā yawmi al-qiyāmati, faʾidhā ʾamara biṭalabihā dalla ʿalā wujūdihā liʾannahu lā yuʾmaru biṭalabi muftaraḍin ʿalaynā yakūnu maʿdūman. fa-al-ḥalālu mawjūdun min ḥaythu ufturiḍa ʿalaynā waʾumirnā biṭalabihi.
for eating is like the obligation of seeking knowledge for someone who lacks it. Once prescribed, obligations remain until the Day of Resurrection. A command to seek them therefore indicates their existence: we are not commanded to seek something obligatory for us that does not exist. Lawful sustenance exists, since it has been required of us and we have been commanded to seek it.
وَلَٰكِنْ طَرِيقُهُ ضَيِّقٌ وَوُجُوهُهُ غَامِضَةٌ وَالتَّسَبُّبُ إِلَيْهِ فِيهِ مَشَقَّةٌ، وَالْحَاصِلُ مِنْهُ فِيهِ خُشُونَةٌ وَقِلَّةٌ، وَمَعَ ذَلِكَ فَإِنَّ الْمُعَاوِنَ عَلَيْهِ قَلِيلٌ وَالطَّالِبَ غَرِيبٌ، وَهَذِهِ أَسْبَابٌ تَكْرَهُهَا النُّفُوسُ، وَعَسَى أَنْ تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ.
walākin ṭarīquhu ḍayyiqun wawujūhuhu ghāmiḍatun wa-al-tasabbubu ʾilayhi fīhi mashaqqatun, wa-al-ḥāṣilu minhu fīhi khushūnatun waqillatun, wamaʿa dhālika faʾinna al-muʿāwina ʿalayhi qalīlun wa-al-ṭāliba gharībun, wa-hādhihi ʾasbābun takrahuhā al-nufūsu, waʿasā ʾan takrahū shayʾan wahuwa khayrun lakum.
Yet its path is narrow, its avenues obscure, and obtaining it involves hardship. What one acquires is coarse and scant; moreover, few offer help in finding it, and its seeker is a stranger. These are circumstances that souls dislike, but perhaps you dislike something that is good for you.
ثُمَّ إِنَّ الْفَرَائِضَ لَهَا عُلُومٌ وَأَحْكَامٌ؛ فَمَنْ لَمْ يَعْرِفْ عُلُومَهَا وَلَمْ يَقُمْ بِأَحْكَامِهَا فَكَأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَعْلَمْهَا. وَكَانَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَضْرِبُ أَهْلَ السُّوقِ بِالدِّرَّةِ وَيَقُولُ: لَا يَتَّجِرْ فِي سُوقِنَا إِلَّا مَنْ تَفَقَّهَ وَإِلَّا أَكَلَ الرِّبَا.
thumma ʾinna al-farāʾiḍa lahā ʿulūmun waʾaḥkāmun; faman lam yaʿrif ʿulūmahā walam yaqum biʾaḥkāmihā fakaʾannahu lam yaʿlamhā. wakāna ʿumaru raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu yaḍribu ʾahla al-sūqi bi-al-dirrati wayaqūlu: lā yattajir fī sūqinā ʾillā man tafaqqaha waʾillā ʾakala al-ribā.
Obligations also have their bodies of knowledge and their rules. Whoever neither knows that knowledge nor observes those rules is as though they did not know the obligations at all. ʿUmar, God be pleased with him, used to strike the people of the market with his whip, saying: “No one may trade in our market without understanding the law; otherwise he will consume usury.”
وَكَانَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ يَقُولُ: تَفَقَّهْ ثُمَّ اُدْخُلِ السُّوقَ فَبِعْ وَاِشْتَرِ، وَتَأَوَّلَ مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ، قَالَ: هُوَ طَلَبُ عِلْمِ الْحَلَالِ وَالْحَرَامِ وَالْبَيْعِ وَالشِّرَاءِ، إِذَا أَرَادَ الْإِنْسَانُ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ فِيهِ اُفْتُرِضَ عَلَيْهِ عِلْمُهُ.
wakāna baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi yaqūlu: tafaqqah thumma udkhuli al-sūqa fabiʿ wa-ishtari, wataʾawwala maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ṭalabu al-ʿilmi farīḍatun ʿalā kulli muslimin, qāla: huwa ṭalabu ʿilmi al-ḥalāli wa-al-ḥarāmi wa-al-bayʿi wa-al-shirāʾi, ʾidhā ʾarāda al-ʾinsānu ʾan yadkhula fīhi ufturiḍa ʿalayhi ʿilmuhu.
One scholar used to say: “Learn the law; then enter the market, sell, and buy.” He interpreted the saying of the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, “Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim,” as seeking knowledge of the lawful and unlawful, selling and buying. Whenever someone intends to engage in such matters, knowing their rules becomes obligatory for them.
فَفِي الْخَبَرِ: مَنْ سَعَى عَلَى عِيَالِهِ مِنْ حِلِّهِ فَهُوَ كَالْمُجَاهِدِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَمَنْ طَلَبَ الدُّنْيَا حَلَالًا فِي عَفَافٍ كَانَ فِي دَرَجَةِ الشُّهَدَاءِ. وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ أَوَّلَ لُقْمَةٍ يَأْكُلُهَا الْعَبْدُ مِنْ حَلَالٍ يُغْفَرُ لَهُ مَا سَلَفَ مِنْ ذُنُوبِهِ.
fafī al-khabari: man saʿā ʿalā ʿiyālihi min ḥillihi fahuwa ka-al-mujāhidi fī sabīli Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, waman ṭalaba al-dunyā ḥalālan fī ʿafāfin kāna fī darajati al-shuhadāʾi. wayuqālu: ʾinna ʾawwala luqmatin yaʾkuluhā al-ʿabdu min ḥalālin yughfaru lahu mā salafa min dhunūbihi.
A report says: “Whoever works to support his dependents through lawful means is like one striving in the path of God, mighty and majestic; whoever seeks worldly livelihood lawfully and chastely attains the rank of the martyrs.” It is also said that with the first lawful morsel a servant eats, their past sins are forgiven.
وَمَنْ أَقَامَ نَفْسَهُ فِي مَقَامِ ذُلٍّ فِي طَلَبِ الْحَلَالِ، تَسَاقَطَتْ عَنْهُ ذُنُوبُهُ كَمَا يَتَسَاقَطُ وَرَقُ الشَّجَرِ فِي الشِّتَاءِ إِذَا يَبِسَ. وَكَانَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ يَقُولُ لِبَعْضِ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ: أَيْنَ أَنْتَ مِنْ عَمَلِ الْأَبْطَالِ: كَسْبِ الْحَلَالِ وَالنَّفَقَةِ عَلَى الْعِيَالِ؟
waman ʾaqāma nafsahu fī maqāmi dhullin fī ṭalabi al-ḥalāli, tasāqaṭat ʿanhu dhunūbuhu kamā yatasāqaṭu waraqu al-shajari fī al-shitāʾi ʾidhā yabisa. wakāna baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi yaqūlu libaʿḍi al-mujāhidīna: ʾayna ʾanta min ʿamali al-ʾabṭāli: kasbi al-ḥalāli wa-al-nafaqati ʿalā al-ʿiyāli?
Whoever places himself in a position of lowliness while seeking lawful livelihood has his sins fall away like dry leaves falling from trees in winter. One scholar used to ask a warrior: “Where do you stand in relation to the work of heroes: earning lawfully and providing for dependents?”
وَقَدْ كَانَ شُعَيْبُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ وَغَيْرُهُ يَقُولُ: لَا تَحْقِرْ دَانِقًا مِنْ حَلَالٍ تَكْسِبُهُ تُنْفِقُهُ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ وَعِيَالِكَ أَوْ أَخٍ مِنْ إِخْوَانِكَ، فَلَعَلَّهُ لَا يَصِلُ إِلَى جَوْفِكَ أَوْ لَا يَصِلُ إِلَى غَيْرِكَ حَتَّى يُغْفَرَ لَكَ.
waqad kāna shuʿaybu bnu ḥarbin waghayruhu yaqūlu: lā taḥqir dāniqan min ḥalālin taksibuhu tunfiquhu ʿalā nafsika waʿiyālika ʾaw ʾakhin min ʾikhwānika, falaʿallahu lā yaṣilu ʾilā jawfika ʾaw lā yaṣilu ʾilā ghayrika ḥattā yughfara laka.
Shuʿayb ibn Ḥarb and others used to say: “Do not belittle a dāniq earned lawfully and spent on yourself, your dependents, or a brother of yours. Perhaps before it reaches your stomach, or before it reaches someone else, you will be forgiven.”
وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: مَنْ أَكَلَ الْحَلَالَ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا نَوَّرَ اللَّهُ قَلْبَهُ وَأَجْرَى يَنَابِيعَ الْحِكْمَةِ مِنْ قَلْبِهِ، وَفِي بَعْضِ الرِّوَايَاتِ زَهَّدَهُ اللَّهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا. وَيُقَالُ: مَنْ أَكَلَ حَلَالًا وَعَمِلَ فِي سُنَّةٍ فَهُوَ مِنْ أَبْدَالِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ.
wafī al-khabari: man ʾakala al-ḥalāla ʾarbaʿīna yawman nawwara Allāhu qalbahu waʾajrā yanābīʿa al-ḥikmati min qalbihi, wafī baʿḍi al-riwāyāti zahhadahu Allāhu fī al-dunyā. wayuqālu: man ʾakala ḥalālan waʿamila fī sunnatin fahuwa min ʾabdāli hādhihi al-ʾummati.
A report says: “Whoever eats lawfully for forty days, God illuminates his heart and makes springs of wisdom flow from it.” In some transmissions: “God makes him renounce this world.” It is said: “Whoever eats lawfully and acts according to the Sunna is one of this community's abdāl.”
وَقَدْ كَانَ سَهْلٌ يَقُولُ: لَا يَبْلُغُ الْعَبْدُ حَقِيقَةَ الْإِيمَانِ حَتَّى يَأْكُلَ الْحَلَالَ بِالْوَرَعِ. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ أَدْهَمَ وَفُضَيْلِ بْنِ عِيَاضٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا: لَمْ يَنْبُلْ مَنْ نَبُلَ بِالْحَجِّ وَلَا بِالْجِهَادِ وَلَا بِالصَّوْمِ وَلَا بِالصَّلَاةِ، وَإِنَّمَا يَنْبُلُ عِنْدَنَا مَنْ كَانَ يَعْقِلُ مَا يَدْخُلُ
waqad kāna sahlun yaqūlu: lā yablughu al-ʿabdu ḥaqīqata al-ʾīmāni ḥattā yaʾkula al-ḥalāla bi-al-waraʿi. warawaynā ʿan ʾibrāhīma bni ʾadhama wafuḍayli bni ʿiyāḍin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā: lam yanbul man nabula bi-al-ḥajji walā bi-al-jihādi walā bi-al-ṣawmi walā bi-al-ṣalāti, waʾinnamā yanbulu ʿindanā man kāna yaʿqilu mā yadkhulu
Sahl used to say: “The servant does not reach the reality of faith until he eats lawful food with scrupulous care.” We have transmitted from Ibrāhīm ibn Adham and Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ, God be pleased with them both: “Those who became noble did not become so through pilgrimage, striving, fasting, or prayer. In our eyes, only one who understands what enters
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٧١
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 471
Volume Two, page 471
جَوْفَهُ يَعْنِي الرَّغِيفَ مِنْ حِلِّهِ. وَقَالَ يُوسُفُ بْنُ أَسْبَاطٍ لِشُعَيْبِ بْنِ حَرْبٍ: أَشَعَرْتَ أَنَّ الصَّلَاةَ جَمَاعَةً سُنَّةٌ وَأَنَّ كَسْبَ الْحَلَالِ فَرِيضَةٌ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ.
jawfahu yaʿnī al-raghīfa min ḥillihi. waqāla yūsufu bnu ʾasbāṭin lishuʿaybi bni ḥarbin: ʾashaʿarta ʾanna al-ṣalāta jamāʿatan sunnatun waʾanna kasba al-ḥalāli farīḍatun? qāla: naʿam.
his stomach becomes noble,” meaning a loaf acquired lawfully. Yūsuf ibn Asbāṭ said to Shuʿayb ibn Ḥarb: “Do you realize that congregational prayer is a Sunna, whereas earning lawful livelihood is an obligation?” He answered, “Yes.”
وَسَأَلَ رَجُلٌ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنَ أَدْهَمَ قَالَ: أَنَا رَجُلٌ أَتَكَسَّبُ فِي السُّوقِ، فَإِذَا عَمِلْتُ فَاتَتْنِي الصَّلَاةُ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ، فَأَيُّمَا أَحَبُّ إِلَيْكَ أُصَلِّي فِي جَمَاعَةٍ أَوْ أَكْتَسِبُ؟ فَقَالَ: اِكْتَسِبْ مِنْ حَلَالٍ وَأَنْتَ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ.
wasaʾala rajulun ʾibrāhīma bna ʾadhama qāla: ʾanā rajulun ʾatakassabu fī al-sūqi, faʾidhā ʿamiltu fātatnī al-ṣalātu fī jamāʿatin, faʾayyumā ʾaḥabbu ʾilayka ʾuṣallī fī jamāʿatin ʾaw ʾaktasibu? faqāla: iktasib min ḥalālin waʾanta fī jamāʿatin.
A man asked Ibrāhīm ibn Adham: “I earn my living in the market. When I work, I miss congregational prayer. Which do you prefer: that I pray with the congregation or earn my living?” He replied: “Earn lawfully, and you are with the congregation.”
وَقَدْ كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ أَدْهَمَ يَعْمَلُ هُوَ وَإِخْوَانُهُ فِي الْحَصَادِ فِي شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ، فَكَانَ يَقُولُ لَهُمْ: اِنْصَحُوا فِي عَمَلِكُمْ بِالنَّهَارِ حَتَّى تَأْكُلُوا حَلَالًا وَلَا تُصَلُّوا بِاللَّيْلِ، وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ ثَوَابَ الصَّلَاةِ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ وَأَجْرَ الْمُصَلِّينَ بِاللَّيْلِ.
waqad kāna ʾibrāhīmu bnu ʾadhama yaʿmalu huwa waʾikhwānuhu fī al-ḥaṣādi fī shahri ramaḍāna, fakāna yaqūlu lahum: inṣaḥū fī ʿamalikum bi-al-nahāri ḥattā taʾkulū ḥalālan walā tuṣallū bi-al-layli, waʾinna lakum thawāba al-ṣalāti fī jamāʿatin waʾajra al-muṣallīna bi-al-layli.
Ibrāhīm ibn Adham and his companions used to work at the harvest during Ramadan. He would tell them: “Do your daytime work faithfully so that you eat lawfully, and do not perform the night prayers. You have the reward of congregational prayer and the recompense of those who pray at night.”
وَقَالَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ: أَفْضَلُ الْأَشْيَاءِ ثَلَاثٌ؛ عَمَلٌ فِي سُنَّةٍ وَدِرْهَمٌ حَلَالٌ وَصَلَاةٌ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ. وَكَانَ سَهْلٌ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ: لَا يَبْلُغُ الْعَبْدُ حَقِيقَةً مِنْ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ حَتَّى يُؤَدِّيَ هَذِهِ الْأَرْبَعَ؛ أَدَاءَ الْفَرَائِضِ بِالسُّنَّةِ وَأَكْلَ الْحَلَالِ بِالْوَرَعِ وَاِجْتِنَابَ النَّهْيِ فِي الظَّاهِرِ وَالْبَاطِنِ وَالصَّبْرَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ إِلَى الْمَمَاتِ.
waqāla baʿḍu al-salafi: ʾafḍalu al-ʾashyāʾi thalāthun; ʿamalun fī sunnatin wadirhamun ḥalālun waṣalātun fī jamāʿatin. wakāna sahlun raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu: lā yablughu al-ʿabdu ḥaqīqatan min hādhā al-ʾamri ḥattā yuʾaddiya hādhihi al-ʾarbaʿa; ʾadāʾa al-farāʾiḍi bi-al-sunnati waʾakla al-ḥalāli bi-al-waraʿi wa-ijtināba al-nahyi fī al-ẓāhiri wa-al-bāṭini wa-al-ṣabra ʿalā dhālika ʾilā al-mamāti.
One of the early Muslims said: “Three things are best: action according to the Sunna, a lawful dirham, and congregational prayer.” Sahl, God have mercy on him, used to say: “The servant reaches no reality in this matter until he fulfills four things: performing obligations according to the Sunna, eating lawfully with scrupulous care, avoiding the forbidden outwardly and inwardly, and persevering in this until death.”
وَقَالَ: مَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ مَطْعَمُهُ مِنْ حَلَالٍ لَمْ يُكْشَفِ الْحِجَابُ عَنْ قَلْبِهِ وَلَمْ تُرْفَعِ الْعُقُوبَةُ عَنْ قَلْبِهِ وَلَمْ يُبَالَ بِصَلَاتِهِ وَصِيَامِهِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَعْفُوَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَنْهُ.
waqāla: man lam yakun maṭʿamuhu min ḥalālin lam yukshafi al-ḥijābu ʿan qalbihi walam turfaʿi al-ʿuqūbatu ʿan qalbihi walam yubāla biṣalātihi waṣiyāmihi ʾillā ʾan yaʿfuwa Allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʿanhu.
He said: “If a person's food is not lawful, the veil is not lifted from his heart, punishment is not removed from his heart, and no regard is paid to his prayer and fasting, unless God, mighty and majestic, pardons him.”
وَقَالَ: مَنْ اِخْتَارَ أَنْ يَرَى خَوْفَ اللَّهِ فِي قَلْبِهِ وَيُكَاشَفَ بِآيَاتِ الصِّدِّيقِينَ، لَا يَأْكُلْ إِلَّا حَلَالًا وَلَا يَعْمَلْ إِلَّا فِي سُنَّةٍ أَوْ ضَرُورَةٍ. وَكَانَ يَقُولُ: إِنَّمَا حُرِمُوا مُشَاهَدَةَ الْمَلَكُوتِ، وَحُجِبُوا عَنِ الْوُصُولِ بِشَيْئَيْنِ: سُوءِ الطُّعْمَةِ وَأَذَى الْخَلْقِ.
waqāla: man ikhtāra ʾan yarā khawfa Allāhi fī qalbihi wayukāshafa biʾāyāti al-ṣiddīqīna, lā yaʾkul ʾillā ḥalālan walā yaʿmal ʾillā fī sunnatin ʾaw ḍarūratin. wakāna yaqūlu: ʾinnamā ḥurimū mushāhadata al-malakūti, waḥujibū ʿani al-wuṣūli bishayʾayni: sūʾi al-ṭuʿmati waʾadhā al-khalqi.
He said: “Whoever chooses to see fear of God in his heart and have the signs of the utterly truthful unveiled to him should eat only what is lawful and act only according to a Sunna or a necessity.” He used to say: “They were deprived of witnessing the spiritual kingdom and barred from attainment for two things: corrupt food and harming creation.”
وَكَانَ يَقُولُ: بَعْدَ سَنَةِ ثَلَاثِمِائَةٍ لَا تَصِحُّ لِأَحَدٍ تَوْبَةٌ، قِيلَ: وَلِمَ؟ قَالَ: يَفْسُدُ الْخُبْزُ وَهُمْ لَا يَصْبِرُونَ عَنْهُ. وَقَدْ رَوَى مُرَّةُ الطَّيِّبُ عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: جِسْمٌ غُذِّيَ بِحَرَامٍ لَا يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ، النَّارُ أَوْلَى بِهِ.
wakāna yaqūlu: baʿda sanati thalāthimiʾatin lā taṣiḥḥu liʾaḥadin tawbatun, qīla: walima? qāla: yafsudu al-khubzu wahum lā yaṣbirūna ʿanhu. waqad rawā murratu al-ṭayyibu ʿan ʾabī bakrin al-ṣiddīqi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: jismun ghudhdhiya biḥarāmin lā yadkhulu al-jannata, al-nāru ʾawlā bihi.
He used to say: “After the year three hundred, no one's repentance will be sound.” Asked why, he said: “Bread will become corrupt, and they will not endure doing without it.” Murra al-Ṭayyib transmitted from Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, God be pleased with him, from the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace: “A body nourished unlawfully does not enter Paradise; the Fire has a greater claim upon it.”
وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: أَنَّهُ أَكَلَ مِنْ كَسْبِ غُلَامِهِ ثُمَّ سَأَلَهُ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ: رَقَيْتُ لِقَوْمٍ فَأَعْطَوْنِي، وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ: تَكَهَّنْتُ لَهُمْ، فَأَدْخَلَ يَدَهُ فِي فِيهِ وَجَعَلَ يَقِيءُ حَتَّى اِسْتَقَاءَهُ عَنْ آخِرِ لُقْمَةٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعْتَذِرُ إِلَيْكَ مِمَّا حَمَلَتِ الْعُرُوقُ وَخَالَطَ الْأَمْعَاءَ.
wafī al-khabari: ʾannahu ʾakala min kasbi ghulāmihi thumma saʾalahu ʿanhu faqāla: raqaytu liqawmin faʾaʿṭawnī, wafī lafẓin ʾākhara: takahhantu lahum, faʾadkhala yadahu fī fīhi wajaʿala yaqīʾu ḥattā istaqāʾahu ʿan ʾākhiri luqmatin thumma qāla: Allāhumma ʾinnī ʾaʿtadhiru ʾilayka mimmā ḥamalati al-ʿurūqu wakhālaṭa al-ʾamʿāʾa.
A report relates that he ate from his servant's earnings, then asked about them. The servant said, “I recited a healing charm for some people, and they paid me”; another wording has, “I practiced divination for them.” He put his hand into his mouth and vomited until he had expelled the very last morsel, then said: “O God, I seek Your pardon for what the veins have carried and what has mingled with the intestines.”
وَقَدْ رُوِيَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أُخْبِرَ بِذَلِكَ فَقَالَ: أَوَمَا عَلِمْتُمْ أَنَّ الصِّدِّيقَ لَا يُدْخِلُ جَوْفَهُ إِلَّا طَيِّبًا؟ وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: أَنَّ سَعْدَ بْنَ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ سَأَلَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنْ يَجْعَلَهُ اللَّهُ مُسْتَجَابَ الدَّعْوَةِ فَقَالَ: يَا سَعْدُ، أَطِبْ طُعْمَتَكَ تُسْتَجَبْ دَعْوَتُكَ.
waqad ruwiya ʾanna rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾukhbira bi-dhālika faqāla: ʾawamā ʿalimtum ʾanna al-ṣiddīqa lā yudkhilu jawfahu ʾillā ṭayyiban? wafī al-khabari: ʾanna saʿda bna ʾabī waqqāṣin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu saʾala rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾan yajʿalahu Allāhu mustajāba al-daʿwati faqāla: yā saʿdu, ʾaṭib ṭuʿmataka tustajab daʿwatuka.
It is transmitted that God's Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, was told of this and said: “Did you not know that al-Ṣiddīq lets only wholesome things enter his stomach?” Another report relates that Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ, God be pleased with him, asked God's Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, that God make his prayers answered. He said: “Saʿd, make your food wholesome, and your prayer will be answered.”
وَقَالَ الْعُلَمَاءُ: الدُّعَاءُ مَحْجُوبٌ عَنِ السَّمَاءِ بِفَسَادِ الطُّعْمَةِ، وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَسْتَجِيبُ دُعَاءَ عَبْدٍ حَتَّى يُصْلِحَ طُعْمَتَهُ وَيُرْضَى عَمَلُهُ. وَقَالَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ السَّلَفِ: الْجِهَادُ عَشَرَةُ أَجْزَاءٍ؛ تِسْعَةٌ فِي طَلَبِ الْحَلَالِ.
waqāla al-ʿulamāʾu: al-duʿāʾu maḥjūbun ʿani al-samāʾi bifasādi al-ṭuʿmati, wayuqālu: ʾinna Allāha lā yastajību duʿāʾa ʿabdin ḥattā yuṣliḥa ṭuʿmatahu wayurḍā ʿamaluhu. waqāla jamāʿatun mina al-salafi: al-jihādu ʿasharatu ʾajzāʾin; tisʿatun fī ṭalabi al-ḥalāli.
The scholars said: “Corrupt food bars supplication from heaven.” It is said: “God does not answer a servant's supplication until the servant puts his food right and his conduct is found pleasing.” A group of the early Muslims said: “Striving has ten parts; nine lie in seeking lawful sustenance.”
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٧٢
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 472
Volume Two, page 472
وَقَالَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ فُضَيْلٍ لِأَبِيهِ: يَا أَبَتِ، إِنَّ الْحَلَالَ عَزِيزٌ، فَقَالَ: يَا بُنَيَّ إِنَّهُ وَإِنْ عَزَّ فَقَلِيلُهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ كَثِيرٌ. يُقَالُ: إِنَّ مَنْ صَلَّى وَفِي جَوْفِهِ طَعَامٌ حَرَامٌ، أَوْ عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ سِلْكٌ مِنْ حَرَامٍ لَمْ تُقْبَلْ صَلَاتُهُ.
waqāla ʿaliyyu bnu fuḍaylin liʾabīhi: yā ʾabati, ʾinna al-ḥalāla ʿazīzun, faqāla: yā bunayya ʾinnahu waʾin ʿazza faqalīluhu ʿinda Allāhi kathīrun. yuqālu: ʾinna man ṣallā wafī jawfihi ṭaʿāmun ḥarāmun, ʾaw ʿalā ẓahrihi silkun min ḥarāmin lam tuqbal ṣalātuhu.
ʿAlī ibn Fuḍayl said to his father: “Father, lawful sustenance is scarce.” He answered: “My son, scarce though it is, a little of it is much in God's sight.” It is said: “If someone prays with unlawful food in his stomach or an unlawfully acquired thread upon his back, his prayer is not accepted.”
وَقَالَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ: يَا مِسْكِينُ إِذَا صُمْتَ فَاُنْظُرْ عِنْدَ مَنْ تُفْطِرُ وَطَعَامَ مَنْ تَأْكُلُ، فَإِنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيَأْكُلُ الْأَكْلَةَ فَيَتَقَلَّبُ قَلْبُهُ وَيَنْغَلُ كَمَا نَغِلَ الْأَدِيمُ، فَلَا يَعُودُ إِلَى حَالِهِ أَبَدًا.
waqāla baʿḍu al-salafi: yā miskīnu ʾidhā ṣumta fa-unẓur ʿinda man tufṭiru waṭaʿāma man taʾkulu, faʾinna al-ʿabda layaʾkulu al-ʾaklata fayataqallabu qalbuhu wayanghalu kamā naghila al-ʾadīmu, falā yaʿūdu ʾilā ḥālihi ʾabadan.
One of the early Muslims said: “Poor soul, when you fast, consider with whom you break your fast and whose food you eat. A servant may eat a meal and his heart turn and become corrupted, as leather rots, never returning to its former condition.”
وَهَذَا أَحَدُ التَّأْوِيلَيْنِ فِي قَوْلِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: كَمْ مِنْ صَائِمٍ حَظُّهُ مِنْ صِيَامِهِ الْجُوعُ وَالْعَطَشُ، قَالَ: هُوَ الَّذِي يَصُومُ وَيُفْطِرُ عَلَى الْحَرَامِ. وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: مَنْ طَلَبَ الدُّنْيَا حَلَالًا مُفَاخِرًا مُكَاثِرًا لَقِيَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِ غَضْبَانُ.
wa-hādhā ʾaḥadu al-taʾwīlayni fī qawlihi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: kam min ṣāʾimin ḥaẓẓuhu min ṣiyāmihi al-jūʿu wa-al-ʿaṭashu, qāla: huwa alladhī yaṣūmu wayufṭiru ʿalā al-ḥarāmi. wafī al-khabari: man ṭalaba al-dunyā ḥalālan mufākhiran mukāthiran laqiya Allāha ʿazza wajalla wahuwa ʿalayhi ghaḍbānu.
This is one of two interpretations of the saying of the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace: “How many a fasting person's share of his fast is only hunger and thirst!” He explained: “It is someone who fasts and breaks his fast with unlawful food.” A report says: “Whoever seeks worldly livelihood lawfully, boasting and competing for more, will meet God, mighty and majestic, while He is angry with him.”
وَحَدَّثُونَا مِنْ آثَارِ السَّلَفِ أَنَّ الْوَاعِظَ وَالْمُذَكِّرَ كَانَ إِذَا جَلَسَ لِلنَّاسِ وَنَصَبَ نَفْسَهُ سُئِلَ أَهْلُ الْعِلْمِ عَنْ مُجَالَسَتِهِ فَكَانُوا يَقُولُونَ: تَفَقَّدُوا مِنْهُ ثَلَاثًا، اُنْظُرُوا إِلَى صِحَّةِ اِعْتِقَادِهِ وَإِلَى غَرِيزَةِ عَقْلِهِ وَإِلَى طُعْمَتِهِ.
waḥaddathūnā min ʾāthāri al-salafi ʾanna al-wāʿiẓa wa-al-mudhakkira kāna ʾidhā jalasa li-l-nāsi wanaṣaba nafsahu suʾila ʾahlu al-ʿilmi ʿan mujālasatihi fakānū yaqūlūna: tafaqqadū minhu thalāthan, unẓurū ʾilā ṣiḥḥati iʿtiqādihi waʾilā gharīzati ʿaqlihi waʾilā ṭuʿmatihi.
They related to us, among the traditions of the early Muslims, that when a preacher and spiritual admonisher sat before people and set himself up to teach, scholars would be asked whether one should sit with him. They would say: “Examine three things about him: the soundness of his belief, the native quality of his reason, and his food.”
فَإِنْ كَانَ مُعْتَقِدَ الْبِدْعَةِ فَلَا تُجَالِسُوهُ فَإِنَّهُ عَنْ لِسَانِ الشَّيْطَانِ يَنْطِقُ، وَإِنْ كَانَ سَيِّئَ الطُّعْمَةِ فَاِعْلَمُوا أَنَّهُ يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى، وَإِنْ كَانَ غَيْرَ مُتَمَكِّنِ الْعَقْلِ فَإِنَّهُ يُفْسِدُ بِكَلَامِهِ أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا يُصْلِحُ فَلَا تُجَالِسُوهُ، وَهَذَا التَّفَقُّدُ وَالْبَحْثُ عَنْ طَرِيقٍ قَدْ مَاتَ فَمَنْ عَمِلَ بِهِ فَقَدْ أَحْيَاهُ.
faʾin kāna muʿtaqida al-bidʿati falā tujālisūhu faʾinnahu ʿan lisāni al-shayṭāni yanṭiqu, waʾin kāna sayyiʾa al-ṭuʿmati fa-iʿlamū ʾannahu yanṭiqu ʿani al-hawā, waʾin kāna ghayra mutamakkini al-ʿaqli faʾinnahu yufsidu bikalāmihi ʾakthara mimmā yuṣliḥu falā tujālisūhu, wa-hādhā al-tafaqqudu wa-al-baḥthu ʿan ṭarīqin qad māta faman ʿamila bihi faqad ʾaḥyāhu.
“If his belief embraces innovation, do not sit with him, for he speaks with Satan's tongue. If his food is corrupt, know that he speaks from desire. If his reason is not firmly grounded, his words do more harm than good; do not sit with him.” This scrutiny and inquiry concern a path that has died; whoever acts upon it brings it back to life.
وَذَكَرَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْحَرِيصَ عَلَى الدُّنْيَا فَذَمَّهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ: رُبَّ أَشْعَثَ أَغْبَرَ مُشَرَّدٍ فِي الْآفَاقِ، مَطْعَمُهُ حَرَامٌ وَمَلْبَسُهُ حَرَامٌ غُذِّيَ بِالْحَرَامِ، يَرْفَعُ يَدَهُ فِي صَلَاتِهِ فَيَقُولُ: يَا رَبِّ يَا رَبِّ، فَأَنَّى يُسْتَجَابُ لَهُ ذَلِكَ؟
wadhakara al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama al-ḥarīṣa ʿalā al-dunyā fadhammahu thumma qāla: rubba ʾashʿatha ʾaghbara musharradin fī al-ʾāfāqi, maṭʿamuhu ḥarāmun wamalbasuhu ḥarāmun ghudhdhiya bi-al-ḥarāmi, yarfaʿu yadahu fī ṣalātihi fayaqūlu: yā rabbi yā rabbi, faʾannā yustajābu lahu dhālika?
The Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, mentioned and censured someone eager for worldly things, then said: “Many a disheveled, dust-covered man, wandering far and wide, whose food is unlawful, whose clothing is unlawful, and who has been nourished unlawfully, raises his hand in prayer and says, ‘My Lord, my Lord!’ How, then, should that prayer be answered?”
وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ عَنِ اِبْنِ عَبَّاسٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أَنَّ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مَلَكًا عَلَى بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ يُنَادِي فِي كُلِّ لَيْلَةٍ: مَنْ أَكَلَ حَرَامًا لَمْ يُقْبَلْ مِنْهُ صَرْفٌ وَلَا عَدْلٌ، قِيلَ الصَّرْفُ النَّافِلَةُ وَالْعَدْلُ الْفَرِيضَةُ.
wafī al-ḥadīthi ʿani ibni ʿabbāsin ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾanna li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla malakan ʿalā bayti al-maqdisi yunādī fī kulli laylatin: man ʾakala ḥarāman lam yuqbal minhu ṣarfun walā ʿadlun, qīla al-ṣarfu al-nāfilatu wa-al-ʿadlu al-farīḍatu.
A hadith from Ibn ʿAbbās, from the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, says: “God, mighty and majestic, has an angel above Jerusalem who proclaims every night: ‘From whoever eats unlawfully, neither ṣarf nor ʿadl is accepted.’” It is explained that ṣarf means voluntary worship and ʿadl obligatory worship.
وَفِي حَدِيثِ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ: الْمَعِدَةُ حَوْضُ الْبَدَنِ وَالْعُرُوقُ إِلَيْهَا وَارِدَةٌ، فَإِذَا صَحَّتِ الْمَعِدَةُ صَدَرَتِ الْعُرُوقُ إِلَيْهَا بِالصِّحَّةِ، وَإِذَا سَقِمَتِ الْمَعِدَةُ صَدَرَتِ الْعُرُوقُ إِلَيْهَا بِالسُّقْمِ، وَمَثَلُ الطُّعْمَةِ مِنَ الدِّينِ مَثَلُ الْأَسَاسِ مِنَ الْبُنْيَانِ؛ فَإِذَا ثَبَتَ الْأَسَاسُ وَقَوِيَ
wafī ḥadīthi ʾabī hurayrata: al-maʿidatu ḥawḍu al-badani wa-al-ʿurūqu ʾilayhā wāridatun, faʾidhā ṣaḥḥati al-maʿidatu ṣadarati al-ʿurūqu ʾilayhā bi-al-ṣiḥḥati, waʾidhā saqimati al-maʿidatu ṣadarati al-ʿurūqu ʾilayhā bi-al-suqmi, wamathalu al-ṭuʿmati mina al-dīni mathalu al-ʾasāsi mina al-bunyāni; faʾidhā thabata al-ʾasāsu waqawiya
A hadith of Abū Hurayra says: “The stomach is the body's reservoir, and the veins come to it. When the stomach is healthy, the veins proceed to it with health; when it is diseased, they proceed to it with disease.” Food stands in relation to religion as the foundation stands to a building: when the foundation is firm and strong,
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٧٣
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 473
Volume Two, page 473
اِسْتَقَامَ الْبِنَاءُ وَاِرْتَفَعَ، وَإِذَا ضَعُفَ الْأَسَاسُ وَاِعْوَجَّ اِنْهَارَ الْبُنْيَانُ وَوَقَعَ، وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ: ﴿أَحْسَنَ الْخَالِقِينَ﴾ الصَّافَّاتِ: 125، أَفَمَنْ أَسَّسَ بُنْيَانَهُ عَلَى تَقْوَى مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانٍ خَيْرٌ أَمْ مَنْ أَسَّسَ بُنْيَانَهُ عَلَى شَفَا جُرُفٍ هَارٍ فَاِنْهَارَ بِهِ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ.
istaqāma al-bināʾu wa-irtafaʿa, waʾidhā ḍaʿufa al-ʾasāsu wa-iʿwajja inhāra al-bunyānu wawaqaʿa, waqad qāla Allāhu: ﴿ʾaḥsana al-khāliqīna﴾ al-ṣāffāti: 125, ʾafaman ʾassasa bunyānahu ʿalā taqwā mina Allāhi wariḍwānin khayrun ʾam man ʾassasa bunyānahu ʿalā shafā jurufin hārin fa-inhāra bihi fī nāri jahannama.
the building stands straight and rises high; when the foundation weakens and bends, the building collapses and falls. God has said: “The best of creators” (al-Ṣāffāt, 37:125). “Is one who founded his building upon mindfulness of God and His good pleasure better, or one who founded his building upon the edge of a crumbling bank, which collapsed with him into the Fire of Hell?”
وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَنْ اِكْتَسَبَ مَالًا مِنْ حَرَامٍ وَإِنْ تَصَدَّقَ بِهِ لَمْ يُقْبَلْ مِنْهُ، وَإِنْ تَرَكَهُ وَرَاءَهُ كَانَ زَادَهُ إِلَى النَّارِ.
wafī al-ḥadīthi ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: man iktasaba mālan min ḥarāmin waʾin taṣaddaqa bihi lam yuqbal minhu, waʾin tarakahu warāʾahu kāna zādahu ʾilā al-nāri.
A hadith from the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, says: “Whoever acquires wealth unlawfully, even if he gives it in charity, it will not be accepted from him; and if he leaves it behind, it will be his provision for the Fire.”
وَقِيلَ فِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ﴾ النِّسَاءِ: 29، قِيلَ: مَنْ أَكَلَ حَرَامًا فَقَدْ قَتَلَ نَفْسَهُ لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ سَبَبَ هَلَاكِهَا وَتَعْذِيبِهَا، وَفِي الْأَخْبَارِ الْمَشْهُورَةِ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ وَغَيْرِهِ: أَنَّ الدُّنْيَا حَلَالُهَا حِسَابٌ وَحَرَامُهَا عِقَابٌ.
waqīla fī maʿnā qawli Allāhi ʿazza wajalla: ﴿walā taʾkulū ʾamwālakum baynakum bi-al-bāṭili walā taqtulū ʾanfusakum﴾ al-nisāʾi: 29, qīla: man ʾakala ḥarāman faqad qatala nafsahu liʾannahu kāna sababa halākihā wataʿdhībihā, wafī al-ʾakhbāri al-mashhūrati ʿan ʿaliyyin waghayrihi: ʾanna al-dunyā ḥalāluhā ḥisābun waḥarāmuhā ʿiqābun.
Concerning the words of God, mighty and majestic, “Do not consume one another's wealth wrongfully, and do not kill yourselves” (al-Nisāʾ, 4:29), it is said: “Whoever eats unlawfully has killed himself, because he has caused his own destruction and punishment.” Well-known reports from ʿAlī and others say: “The lawful things of this world bring reckoning; its unlawful things bring punishment.”
وَقَالَ يُوسُفُ بْنُ أَسْبَاطٍ وَسُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ رَحِمَهُمَا اللَّهُ: لَا طَاعَةَ لِلْوَالِدَيْنِ فِي الشُّبْهَةِ. وَقَالَ الْفُضَيْلُ بْنُ عِيَاضٍ: مَنْ قَامَ فِي مَوْقِفِ ذُلٍّ فِي طَلَبِ الْحَلَالِ حَشَرَهُ اللَّهُ مَعَ الصِّدِّيقِينَ وَرَفَعَهُ إِلَى الشُّهَدَاءِ فِي مَوْقِفِ الْقِيَامَةِ. وَقَالَ أَبُو سُلَيْمَانَ أَوْ غَيْرُهُ مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ: لَا يُفْلِحُ مَنْ اِسْتَحْيَا مِنْ طَلَبِ الْحَلَالِ.
waqāla yūsufu bnu ʾasbāṭin wasufyānu al-thawriyyu raḥimahumā Allāhu: lā ṭāʿata li-l-wālidayni fī al-shubhati. waqāla al-fuḍaylu bnu ʿiyāḍin: man qāma fī mawqifi dhullin fī ṭalabi al-ḥalāli ḥasharahu Allāhu maʿa al-ṣiddīqīna warafaʿahu ʾilā al-shuhadāʾi fī mawqifi al-qiyāmati. waqāla ʾabū sulaymāna ʾaw ghayruhu mina al-ʿulamāʾi: lā yufliḥu man istaḥyā min ṭalabi al-ḥalāli.
Yūsuf ibn Asbāṭ and Sufyān al-Thawrī, God have mercy on them both, said: “Parents are not to be obeyed in a doubtful matter.” Al-Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ said: “Whoever stands in lowliness seeking lawful sustenance, God will gather him with the utterly truthful and raise him to the martyrs at the Resurrection's gathering.” Abū Sulaymān, or another scholar, said: “One too ashamed to seek lawful livelihood will not prosper.”
وَفِي بَعْضِ التَّفْسِيرِ فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنْكًا، قِيلَ أَكْلُ الْحَرَامِ، كَمَا قِيلَ فِي قَوْلِهِ: ﴿فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً﴾ قَالَ: نَرْزُقُهُ حَلَالًا، وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ﴾ الْبَقَرَةِ: 172.
wafī baʿḍi al-tafsīri faʾinna lahu maʿīshatan ḍankan, qīla ʾaklu al-ḥarāmi, kamā qīla fī qawlihi: ﴿falanuḥyiyannahu ḥayātan ṭayyibatan﴾ qāla: narzuquhu ḥalālan, waqad qāla Allāhu taʿālā: ﴿yā ʾayyuhā alladhīna ʾāmanū kulū min ṭayyibāti mā razaqnākum﴾ al-baqarati: 172.
In one interpretation of “He shall have a constricted life,” it is explained as eating unlawfully, just as “We shall surely give him a good life” is explained as “We shall provide him with lawful sustenance.” God Most High has said: “You who believe, eat of the good things We have provided you” (al-Baqara, 2:172).
قِيلَ: مِنَ الْحَلَالِ، كَمَا قَالَ: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاِعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا﴾ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ: 51، أَيْ مِنَ الْحَلَالِ، فَأَمَرَ بِأَكْلِ الْحَلَالِ قَبْلَ الْعَمَلِ الصَّالِحِ. وَهَكَذَا قَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: زَكَاةُ الْأَعْمَالِ بِأَكْلِ الْحَلَالِ، فَكُلَّمَا كَانَتِ الطُّعْمَةُ أَحَلَّ كَانَ الْعَمَلُ أَزْكَى وَأَنْفَعَ.
qīla: mina al-ḥalāli, kamā qāla: ﴿yā ʾayyuhā al-rusulu kulū mina al-ṭayyibāti wa-iʿmalū ṣāliḥan﴾ al-muʾminūna: 51, ʾay mina al-ḥalāli, faʾamara biʾakli al-ḥalāli qabla al-ʿamali al-ṣāliḥi. wa-hākadhā qāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: zakātu al-ʾaʿmāli biʾakli al-ḥalāli, fakullamā kānati al-ṭuʿmatu ʾaḥalla kāna al-ʿamalu ʾazkā waʾanfaʿa.
This is explained as eating what is lawful, as in His words: “Messengers, eat of the good things and do righteous deeds” (al-Muʾminūn, 23:51), meaning lawful things. He thus commanded lawful eating before righteous action. Accordingly, one scholar said: “Deeds are purified by lawful eating.” The more lawful the food, the purer and more beneficial the deed.
وَكَانَ بِشْرُ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ إِذَا ذَكَرَ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ حَنْبَلٍ يَقُولُ: قَدْ فُضِّلَ عَلَيَّ بِثَلَاثٍ؛ صَبْرِهِ عَلَى الْعِيَالِ وَأَنَا أَضِيقُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ، وَهُوَ يَطْلُبُ الْحَلَالَ لِنَفْسِهِ وَلِغَيْرِهِ. وَكَانَ يَقُولُ: مَا أَتْرُكُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ زُهْدًا فِيهَا وَإِنَّمَا أَتْرُكُهَا لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَصْفُو لِي دِرْهَمُهَا، وَلَوْ صَحَّ لِيَ الدِّرْهَمُ الَّذِي أَشْتَرِيهَا بِهِ لَأَكَلْتُهَا.
wakāna bishru bnu al-ḥārithi ʾidhā dhakara ʾaḥmada bna ḥanbalin yaqūlu: qad fuḍḍila ʿalayya bithalāthin; ṣabrihi ʿalā al-ʿiyāli waʾanā ʾaḍīqu ʿan dhālika, wahuwa yaṭlubu al-ḥalāla linafsihi walighayrihi. wakāna yaqūlu: mā ʾatruku al-ṭayyibāti zuhdan fīhā waʾinnamā ʾatrukuhā liʾannahu lā yaṣfū lī dirhamuhā, walaw ṣaḥḥa liya al-dirhamu alladhī ʾashtarīhā bihi laʾakaltuhā.
Whenever Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith mentioned Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, he said: “He surpasses me in three things: his patience with dependents, which I find beyond me, and his seeking lawful livelihood for himself and for others.” He also said: “I do not leave good foods out of renunciation, but because the dirham to buy them is not untainted for me. If that dirham were sound, I would eat them.”
وَقَدْ قَالَ عُلَمَاءُ الظَّاهِرِ: إِنَّ الْحَلَالَ مِنْ عَشَرَةِ أَوْجُهٍ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ قَالَ: يُوجَدُ مِنْ سَبْعَةِ أَشْيَاءَ، وَأَصْلُ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ يَرْجِعُ إِلَى ثَلَاثَةِ أَشْيَاءَ: تِجَارَةٍ بِصِدْقٍ وَصِنَاعَةٍ بِنُصْحٍ وَعَطِيَّةٍ بِحُكْمٍ، ثُمَّ تَنْقَسِمُ الْعَطِيَّةُ أَرْبَعَةَ أَقْسَامٍ؛ فَيَكُونُ فَيْئًا أَوْ مِيرَاثًا أَوْ هِبَةً عَنْ طِيبِ نَفْسٍ، أَوْ صَدَقَةً مَعَ وُجُودِ فَقْرٍ.
waqad qāla ʿulamāʾu al-ẓāhiri: ʾinna al-ḥalāla min ʿasharati ʾawjuhin, waminhum man qāla: yūjadu min sabʿati ʾashyāʾa, waʾaṣlu dhālika kullihi yarjiʿu ʾilā thalāthati ʾashyāʾa: tijāratin biṣidqin waṣināʿatin binuṣḥin waʿaṭiyyatin biḥukmin, thumma tanqasimu al-ʿaṭiyyatu ʾarbaʿata ʾaqsāmin; fayakūnu fayʾan ʾaw mīrāthan ʾaw hibatan ʿan ṭībi nafsin, ʾaw ṣadaqatan maʿa wujūdi faqrin.
Scholars of outward law have said that lawful sustenance comes through ten avenues; some say it is found in seven things. All of them fundamentally come down to three: honest trade, conscientious craftsmanship, and a lawfully assigned gift. Gifts divide into four kinds: fayʾ, inheritance, a gift freely given, or charity received when one is poor.
وَمَدَارُ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ وَقُطْبُهُ أَنَّ الْحَلَالَ مُشْتَقٌّ مِنِ اِسْمِهِ بِمَعْنَيَيْنِ؛ مَا اِنْحَلَّ الظُّلْمُ عَنْهُ أَوْ حَلَّ الْعِلْمُ فِيهِ، فَمَا اِنْحَلَّ الظُّلْمُ عَنْهُ اِنْحَلَّتِ الْمُطَالَبَةُ عَنْهُ، وَمَا حَلَّ فِي الْعِلْمِ حَلَّتِ الْإِبَاحَةُ وَالْأَمْرُ بِهِ.
wamadāru dhālika kullihi waquṭbuhu ʾanna al-ḥalāla mushtaqqun mini ismihi bimaʿnayayni; mā inḥalla al-ẓulmu ʿanhu ʾaw ḥalla al-ʿilmu fīhi, famā inḥalla al-ẓulmu ʿanhu inḥallati al-muṭālabatu ʿanhu, wamā ḥalla fī al-ʿilmi ḥallati al-ʾibāḥatu wa-al-ʾamru bihi.
The center and pivot of all this is that the name ḥalāl suggests two meanings: something from which injustice has been loosened, or in which knowledge has come to rest. When injustice is removed from it, the claim against it is removed; when it rests within knowledge, permission and a command concerning it become applicable.
وَالْحَلَالُ عِنْدَ الْعُلَمَاءِ مَا لَمْ يُعْصَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي أَخْذِهِ، قَالَ بَعْضُ عُلَمَاءِ الْبَاطِنِ: الْحَلَالُ مَا لَمْ يُعْصَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي أَوَّلِهِ وَلَمْ يُنْسَ فِي آخِرِهِ، وَذُكِرَ عِنْدَ تَنَاوُلِهِ وَشُكِرَ بَعْدَ فَرَاغِهِ، وَكَانَ سَهْلٌ إِذَا سُئِلَ عَنِ الْحَلَالِ يَقُولُ: هُوَ الْعِلْمُ.
wa-al-ḥalālu ʿinda al-ʿulamāʾi mā lam yuʿṣa Allāhu ʿazza wajalla fī ʾakhdhihi, qāla baʿḍu ʿulamāʾi al-bāṭini: al-ḥalālu mā lam yuʿṣa Allāhu ʿazza wajalla fī ʾawwalihi walam yunsa fī ʾākhirihi, wadhukira ʿinda tanāwulihi washukira baʿda farāghihi, wakāna sahlun ʾidhā suʾila ʿani al-ḥalāli yaqūlu: huwa al-ʿilmu.
For the scholars, lawful sustenance is what is acquired without disobeying God, mighty and majestic. One scholar of inward realities said: “It is that in whose beginning God, mighty and majestic, is not disobeyed, and at whose end He is not forgotten: He is remembered when it is consumed and thanked when it is finished.” When asked about the lawful, Sahl would say: “It is knowledge.”
وَقَالَ: لَوْ فَتَحَ الْعَبْدُ فَمَهُ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ وَشَرِبَ الْقَطْرَ ثُمَّ تَقَوَّى بِذَلِكَ عَلَى مَعْصِيَةٍ أَوْ لَمْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِتِلْكَ الْقُوَّةِ لَمْ يَكُنْ ذَلِكَ حَلَالًا، وَقَالَ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ: إِنَّ الْمُتَصَنِّعَ
waqāla: law fataḥa al-ʿabdu famahu ʾilā al-samāʾi washariba al-qaṭra thumma taqawwā bi-dhālika ʿalā maʿṣiyatin ʾaw lam yuṭiʿi Allāha ʿazza wajalla bitilka al-quwwati lam yakun dhālika ḥalālan, waqāla ṭāʾifatun min ʾahli al-ʿilmi: ʾinna al-mutaṣanniʿa
He said: “If a servant opened his mouth toward heaven, drank the rain, then used its strength to commit a sin or failed to obey God, mighty and majestic, with that strength, it would not be lawful.” A group of scholars said: “Someone who puts on a performance
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٧٤
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 474
Volume Two, page 474
لِلنَّاسِ وَالْمُتَزَيِّنَ لَهُمْ يَأْكُلُ حَرَامًا، لِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَنْصَحْ مَوْلَاهُ فِي عَمَلِهِ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْمُوَحِّدِينَ: لَا يَكُونُ حَلَالًا حَتَّى لَا يَشْهَدَ فِيهِ سِوَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَإِنَّ مَنْ أَشْرَكَ فِي رِزْقِ اللَّهِ الْعِبَادَ فَذَلِكَ شُبْهَةٌ وَإِنْ حَلَّ مِنْ طَرِيقِ الْأَحْكَامِ، وَاِحْتَجُّوا بِقَوْلِ عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: يَأْكُلُونَ رِزْقَهُ وَيُشْرِكُونَ فِيهِ خَلْقَهُ.
li-l-nāsi wa-al-mutazayyina lahum yaʾkulu ḥarāman, liʾannahu lam yanṣaḥ mawlāhu fī ʿamalihi. waqāla baʿḍu al-muwaḥḥidīna: lā yakūnu ḥalālan ḥattā lā yashhada fīhi siwā Allāhi taʿālā, waʾinna man ʾashraka fī rizqi Allāhi al-ʿibāda fa-dhālika shubhatun waʾin ḥalla min ṭarīqi al-ʾaḥkāmi, wa-iḥtajjū biqawli ʿīsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu: yaʾkulūna rizqahu wayushrikūna fīhi khalqahu.
for people and adorns himself for their approval eats unlawfully, because he has not dealt faithfully with his Master in his work.” Some who affirm divine unity said: “It is not lawful until one witnesses in it none but God Most High. Whoever associates servants with God's provision renders it doubtful, even if legal rulings permit it.” They cited Jesus, peace be upon him: “They eat His provision and associate His creatures in it.”
وَمِنَ الْأَبْدَالِ مَنْ يَقُولُ: الْحَلَالُ مَا لَمْ يُؤْخَذْ مِنْ أَيْدِي الْخَلْقِ وَلَمْ يَنْتَقِلْ إِلَى أَمْلَاكِهِمْ، وَكَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ لَا يَأْكُلُ إِلَّا مِمَّا أَنْبَتَتِ الْأَرْضُ الَّتِي هِيَ غَيْرُ مَمْلُوكَةٍ، وَقَالَ آخَرُ: إِنَّ الْحَلَالَ مَا لَمْ يُؤْخَذْ مِنْ أَيْدِي الظَّالِمِينَ، وَمَا أُخِذَ مِنْ أَيْدِي الْمُتَّقِينَ.
wamina al-ʾabdāli man yaqūlu: al-ḥalālu mā lam yuʾkhadh min ʾaydī al-khalqi walam yantaqil ʾilā ʾamlākihim, wakāna baʿḍuhum lā yaʾkulu ʾillā mimmā ʾanbatati al-ʾarḍu allatī hiya ghayru mamlūkatin, waqāla ʾākharu: ʾinna al-ḥalāla mā lam yuʾkhadh min ʾaydī al-ẓālimīna, wamā ʾukhidha min ʾaydī al-muttaqīna.
Some of the abdāl say: “Lawful sustenance is what has not been taken from people's hands and has never entered their ownership.” Some ate only what grew on unowned land. Another said: “Lawful sustenance is what has not been taken from the hands of wrongdoers, and what has been taken from the hands of the God-fearing.”
وَحُدِّثْتُ عَنْ بَعْضِ الْأَبْدَالِ فِي قِصَّةٍ طَوِيلَةٍ ذَكَرَهَا، أَنَّ بَعْضَ الْعَامَّةِ مِنَ السَّيَّاحِينَ دَفَعَ إِلَيْهِ شَيْئًا مِنَ الطَّعَامِ فَلَمْ يَأْكُلْهُ، فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ اِمْتِنَاعِهِ فَقَالَ: نَحْنُ لَا نَأْكُلُ إِلَّا حَلَالًا، فَلِذَلِكَ تَسْتَقِيمُ قُلُوبُنَا عَلَى الزُّهْدِ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَتَدُومُ عَلَى حَالَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ، وَنُكَاشَفُ بِالْمَلَكُوتِ وَنُشَاهِدُ الْآخِرَةَ.
waḥuddithtu ʿan baʿḍi al-ʾabdāli fī qiṣṣatin ṭawīlatin dhakarahā, ʾanna baʿḍa al-ʿāmmati mina al-sayyāḥīna dafaʿa ʾilayhi shayʾan mina al-ṭaʿāmi falam yaʾkulhu, fasaʾalahu ʿan imtināʿihi faqāla: naḥnu lā naʾkulu ʾillā ḥalālan, fali-dhālika tastaqīmu qulūbunā ʿalā al-zuhdi fī al-dunyā watadūmu ʿalā ḥālatin wāḥidatin, wanukāshafu bi-al-malakūti wanushāhidu al-ʾākhirata.
I was told, in a long account related about one of the abdāl, that an ordinary wandering ascetic offered him food, but he would not eat it. Asked why he refused, he said: “We eat only what is lawful. That is why our hearts remain steadfast in renouncing this world and continue in a single state; the spiritual kingdom is unveiled to us, and we witness the hereafter.”
ثُمَّ قَالَ: لَوْ أَكَلْتُ مِمَّا تَأْكُلُونَ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ لَمَا رَجَعْنَا إِلَى شَيْءٍ مِمَّا نَحْنُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ عِلْمِ الْيَقِينِ، وَلَذَهَبَ الْخَوْفُ وَالْمُشَاهَدَةُ مِنْ قُلُوبِنَا، فِي كَلَامٍ طَوِيلٍ. قَالَ لَهُ الرَّجُلُ فِي آخِرِهِ: فَإِنِّي أَصُومُ الدَّهْرَ وَأَخْتِمُ الْقُرْآنَ فِي كُلِّ شَهْرٍ ثَلَاثِينَ خَتْمَةً.
thumma qāla: law ʾakaltu mimmā taʾkulūna thalāthata ʾayyāmin lamā rajaʿnā ʾilā shayʾin mimmā naḥnu ʿalayhi min ʿilmi al-yaqīni, waladhahaba al-khawfu wa-al-mushāhadatu min qulūbinā, fī kalāmin ṭawīlin. qāla lahu al-rajulu fī ʾākhirihi: faʾinnī ʾaṣūmu al-dahra waʾakhtimu al-qurʾāna fī kulli shahrin thalāthīna khatmatan.
He continued, in a long discourse: “If I ate what you eat for three days, we would never regain any of the certain knowledge we now possess, and fear and witnessing would leave our hearts.” At the end the man said to him: “Yet I fast continually and complete thirty recitations of the Qurʾan every month.”
فَقَالَ لَهُ الْبَدَلُ: هَذِهِ الشَّرْبَةُ مِنَ اللَّبَنِ الَّتِي رَأَيْتَنِي قَدْ شَرِبْتُهَا أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ ثَلَاثِينَ خَتْمَةً فِي ثَلَاثِمِائَةِ رَكْعَةٍ مِنْ أَعْمَالِكَ، وَكَانَتْ شَرْبَةً مِنْ لَبَنٍ مِنْ أُرْوِيَّةٍ وَحْشِيَّةٍ وَهِيَ الْأُنْثَى مِنَ الْوَعْلِ.
faqāla lahu al-badalu: hādhihi al-sharbatu mina al-labani allatī raʾaytanī qad sharibtuhā ʾaḥabbu ʾilayya min thalāthīna khatmatan fī thalāthimiʾati rakʿatin min ʾaʿmālika, wakānat sharbatan min labanin min ʾurwiyyatin waḥshiyyatin wahiya al-ʾunthā mina al-waʿli.
The saint replied: “This draught of milk you saw me drink is dearer to me than thirty complete recitations performed within three hundred prayer cycles among your deeds.” It was a draught of milk from a wild female ibex, the female of the waʿl.
وَقَالَ بَعْضُ السَّائِحِينَ: قُلْتُ لِبَعْضِ الْأَبْدَالِ وَقَدْ حَدَّثَهُ عَنْ أَكْلِ الْحَلَالِ بِمِثْلِ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ: أَنْتُمْ تَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى الْحَلَالِ وَلَا تُطْعِمُونَ إِخْوَانَكُمْ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ؟ فَقَالَ: لَا يَصْلُحُ لِجُمْلَةِ الْخَلْقِ وَلَمْ نُؤْمَرْ بِذَلِكَ، لِأَنَّهُمْ لَوْ أَكَلُوا كُلُّهُمْ حَلَالًا لَبَطَلَتِ الْمَمْلَكَةُ وَتَعَطَّلَتِ الْأَسْوَاقُ وَخَرِبَتِ الْأَمْصَارُ.
waqāla baʿḍu al-sāʾiḥīna: qultu libaʿḍi al-ʾabdāli waqad ḥaddathahu ʿan ʾakli al-ḥalāli bimithli hādhā al-ḥadīthi: ʾantum taqdirūna ʿalā al-ḥalāli walā tuṭʿimūna ʾikhwānakum mina al-muslimīna? faqāla: lā yaṣluḥu lijumlati al-khalqi walam nuʾmar bi-dhālika, liʾannahum law ʾakalū kulluhum ḥalālan labaṭalati al-mamlakatu wataʿaṭṭalati al-ʾaswāqu wakharibati al-ʾamṣāru.
One wandering ascetic said: “I said to one of the abdāl, after an account like this concerning lawful eating had been related to him: ‘You can obtain lawful sustenance, yet you do not feed your Muslim brothers?’ He replied: ‘It is not suited to all creation, nor have we been commanded to do this. If everyone ate lawfully, government would cease, markets would close, and cities would fall into ruin.’”
وَلَٰكِنَّهُ قَلِيلٌ فِي قَلِيلٍ مِنَ الْخَلْقِ وَخُصُوصٌ فِي مَخْصُوصِينَ، أَوْ مَعْنَى هَذَا الْكَلَامِ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: لَا أَعْلَمُ حَلَالًا لَا شَكَّ فِيهِ إِلَّا مَاءَ الْغُدْرَانِ، وَمَا أَنْبَتَتْ أَرْضٌ غَيْرُ مَمْلُوكَةٍ أَوْ هَدِيَّةً مِنْ أَخٍ صَالِحٍ أَوْ مُعَامَلَةَ تَقِيٍّ بِصِدْقٍ وَنُصْحٍ.
walākinnahu qalīlun fī qalīlin mina al-khalqi wakhuṣūṣun fī makhṣūṣīna, ʾaw maʿnā hādhā al-kalāmi. waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: lā ʾaʿlamu ḥalālan lā shakka fīhi ʾillā māʾa al-ghudrāni, wamā ʾanbatat ʾarḍun ghayru mamlūkatin ʾaw hadiyyatan min ʾakhin ṣāliḥin ʾaw muʿāmalata taqiyyin biṣidqin wanuṣḥin.
“Rather, it is a little found among a few of creation, a special privilege among specially chosen people,” or words to that effect. One scholar said: “I know nothing lawful beyond doubt except water from pools, what grows on unowned land, a gift from a righteous brother, or dealings with a God-fearing person conducted honestly and conscientiously.”
وَكَانَ يَحْيَى اِبْنُ مَعِينٍ قَدْ صَحِبَ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ حَنْبَلٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي السَّفَرِ سِنِينَ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ أَحْمَدُ يَأْكُلُ مَعَهُ لِأَجْلِ كَلِمَةٍ بَلَغَتْهُ عَنْهُ وَهُوَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: أَنَا لَا أَسْأَلُ أَحَدًا شَيْئًا، وَلَوْ أَعْطَانِيَ الشَّيْطَانُ شَيْئًا لَأَكَلْتُهُ، فَهَجَرَهُ أَحْمَدُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ حَتَّى اِعْتَذَرَ إِلَيْهِ يَحْيَى وَقَالَ: إِنَّمَا كُنْتُ أَمْزَحُ.
wakāna yaḥyā ibnu maʿīnin qad ṣaḥiba ʾaḥmada bna ḥanbalin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fī al-safari sinīna, walam yakun ʾaḥmadu yaʾkulu maʿahu liʾajli kalimatin balaghathu ʿanhu wahuwa ʾannahu qāla: ʾanā lā ʾasʾalu ʾaḥadan shayʾan, walaw ʾaʿṭāniya al-shayṭānu shayʾan laʾakaltuhu, fahajarahu ʾaḥmadu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ḥattā iʿtadhara ʾilayhi yaḥyā waqāla: ʾinnamā kuntu ʾamzaḥu.
Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn accompanied Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, God be pleased with him, on journeys for years, but Aḥmad would not eat with him because of a remark reported from him: “I ask no one for anything, but if Satan gave me something, I would eat it.” Aḥmad, God be pleased with him, shunned him until Yaḥyā apologized: “I was only joking.”
قَالَ: تَمْزَحُ بِالدِّينِ؟ أَمَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ الْأَكْلَ بِالدِّينِ قَدَّمَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى الْعَمَلِ فَقَالَ: كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاِعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا. وَقَدْ كَانَ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ الْوَرِعِينَ يَقُولُ: مُنْذُ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً مَا دَخَلَ جَوْفِي إِلَّا مَاءٌ أَعْلَمُ مِنْ أَيْنَ هُوَ، وَبَعْضُهُمْ يَقُولُ: مُنْذُ سِتِّينَ سَنَةً مَا أَكَلْتُ إِلَّا مِنْ حَيْثُ أَعْلَمُ.
qāla: tamzaḥu bi-al-dīni? ʾamā ʿalimta ʾanna al-ʾakla bi-al-dīni qaddamahu Allāhu ʿalā al-ʿamali faqāla: kulū mina al-ṭayyibāti wa-iʿmalū ṣāliḥan. waqad kāna kathīrun mina al-wariʿīna yaqūlu: mundhu ʾarbaʿīna sanatan mā dakhala jawfī ʾillā māʾun ʾaʿlamu min ʾayna huwa, wabaʿḍuhum yaqūlu: mundhu sittīna sanatan mā ʾakaltu ʾillā min ḥaythu ʾaʿlamu.
He said: “You joke about religion? Do you not know that God put eating according to religion before action, saying, ‘Eat of the good things and do righteous deeds’?” Many scrupulous people used to say: “For forty years, nothing has entered my stomach except water whose source I know.” Some said: “For sixty years I have eaten only from a source I know.”
وَكَانَ وُهَيْبُ بْنُ الْوَرْدِ لَا يَأْكُلُ إِلَّا مِنْ حَيْثُ يَعْلَمُ أَوْ يَشْهَدُ عِنْدَهُ شَاهِدَانِ بِصِحَّتِهِ، وَقَدْ
wakāna wuhaybu bnu al-wardi lā yaʾkulu ʾillā min ḥaythu yaʿlamu ʾaw yashhadu ʿindahu shāhidāni biṣiḥḥatihi, waqad
Wuhayb ibn al-Ward would eat only from a source he knew, or one whose soundness two witnesses attested before him. And
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٧٥
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 475
Volume Two, page 475
كَانَ بِشْرٌ يَقُولُ: مَنْ تَفَقَّدَ جَاعَ، وَمَنْ تَغَافَلَ شَبِعَ، وَعِنْدَ الْعُلَمَاءِ: إِنَّ مَنْ طَلَبَ الدُّنْيَا حَلَالًا فَهُوَ أَزْهَدُ فِيهَا مِمَّنْ أَكَلَ الشُّبُهَاتِ مِنْ غَيْرِ طَلَبٍ. وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: مَنْ لَمْ يُبَالِ مِنْ أَيْنَ مَطْعَمُهُ لَمْ يُبَالِ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مِنْ أَيِّ أَبْوَابِ النَّارِ أَدْخَلَهُ، وَقِيلَ: ذَلِكَ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ مَكْتُوبٌ.
kāna bishrun yaqūlu: man tafaqqada jāʿa, waman taghāfala shabiʿa, waʿinda al-ʿulamāʾi: ʾinna man ṭalaba al-dunyā ḥalālan fahuwa ʾazhadu fīhā mimman ʾakala al-shubuhāti min ghayri ṭalabin. wafī al-khabari: man lam yubāli min ʾayna maṭʿamuhu lam yubāli Allāhu taʿālā min ʾayyi ʾabwābi al-nāri ʾadkhalahu, waqīla: dhālika fī al-tawrāti maktūbun.
Bishr used to say: “Whoever investigates goes hungry; whoever overlooks things eats his fill.” In the scholars' view, someone who seeks worldly livelihood lawfully is more detached from it than someone who consumes doubtful things without seeking it. A report says: “If someone does not care where his food comes from, God Most High does not care through which gate of the Fire He admits him.” This is also said to be written in the Torah.
ذِكْرُ تَفْصِيلِ الْحَلَالِ مِنَ الشُّبْهَةِ. وَالْأَصْلُ فِي ذَلِكَ حَدِيثُ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ: الْحَلَالُ بَيِّنٌ وَالْحَرَامُ بَيِّنٌ وَالشُّبُهَاتُ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ لَا يَعْلَمُهَا كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ، مَنْ تَرَكَهَا فَقَدِ اِسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِينِهِ وَعِرْضِهِ، وَمَنْ يَرْتَعْ حَوْلَ الْحِمَى يُوشِكُ أَنْ يُوَاقِعَهُ، وَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ مَالِكٍ حِمًى وَإِنَّ حِمَى اللَّهِ فِي أَرْضِهِ مَحَارِمُهُ.
dhikru tafṣīli al-ḥalāli mina al-shubhati. wa-al-ʾaṣlu fī dhālika ḥadīthu al-nuʿmāni bni bashīrin: al-ḥalālu bayyinun wa-al-ḥarāmu bayyinun wa-al-shubuhātu bayna dhālika lā yaʿlamuhā kathīrun mina al-nāsi, man tarakahā faqadi istabraʾa lidīnihi waʿirḍihi, waman yartaʿ ḥawla al-ḥimā yūshiku ʾan yuwāqiʿahu, waʾinna likulli mālikin ḥiman waʾinna ḥimā Allāhi fī ʾarḍihi maḥārimuhu.
An Explanation Distinguishing the Lawful from the Doubtful. Its foundation is al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr's hadith: “The lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear. Between them are doubtful matters unknown to many. Whoever leaves them safeguards his religion and honor. Whoever grazes around a sanctuary is liable to enter it. Every owner has a sanctuary, and God's sanctuary on His earth consists of His prohibitions.”
يُقَالُ: إِنَّ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ ثُلُثُ الْعِلْمِ، فَالْحَلَالُ مَا ظَهَرَ وَتَبَيَّنَ وَكُنْتَ عَلَى يَقِينٍ مِنْهُ وَاِطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ قَلْبُ الْمُؤْمِنِ الْعَالِمِ، وَالْحَرَامُ أَيْضًا مَا تَبَيَّنَ وَاِنْكَشَفَ عَلَى يَقِينٍ مِنْهُ وَلَمْ يَخْتَلِفْ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فِيهِ، وَنَفَرَ قَلْبُ الْمُؤْمِنِ وَاِشْمَأَزَّ مِنْهُ.
yuqālu: ʾinna hādhā al-ḥadītha thuluthu al-ʿilmi, fa-al-ḥalālu mā ẓahara watabayyana wakunta ʿalā yaqīnin minhu wa-iṭmaʾanna bihi qalbu al-muʾmini al-ʿālimi, wa-al-ḥarāmu ʾayḍan mā tabayyana wa-inkashafa ʿalā yaqīnin minhu walam yakhtalif ʾaḥadun mina al-muslimīna fīhi, wanafara qalbu al-muʾmini wa-ishmaʾazza minhu.
It is said that this hadith constitutes a third of knowledge. The lawful is what is manifest and clear, of which you are certain, and in which the knowledgeable believer's heart rests. The unlawful likewise is what is clear and disclosed with certainty, over which no Muslims disagree, and from which the believer's heart recoils in aversion.
وَقَدْ تَطْمَئِنُّ بَعْضُ الْقُلُوبِ إِلَى شَيْءٍ لِقِلَّةِ وَرَعِهَا، وَقَدْ تَنْفِرُ بَعْضُ الْقُلُوبِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ لِقُصُورِ عِلْمِهَا، وَلَيْسَ يَقَعُ بِمِثْلِ هَذَيْنِ الْقَلْبَيْنِ اِعْتِبَارٌ، وَإِنَّمَا الِاعْتِبَارُ بِقَلْبِ الْمِعْيَارِ الَّذِي قَدْ جُعِلَ كَالْمِحَكِّ يُخْتَبَرُ بِهِ مَعَادِنُ الْمَلَكُوتِ وَهُوَ قَلْبُ الْمُؤْمِنِ الْمُوقِنِ الْعَالِمِ.
waqad taṭmaʾinnu baʿḍu al-qulūbi ʾilā shayʾin liqillati waraʿihā, waqad tanfiru baʿḍu al-qulūbi min shayʾin liquṣūri ʿilmihā, walaysa yaqaʿu bimithli hādhayni al-qalbayni iʿtibārun, waʾinnamā al-iʿtibāru biqalbi al-miʿyāri alladhī qad juʿila ka-al-miḥakki yukhtabaru bihi maʿādinu al-malakūti wahuwa qalbu al-muʾmini al-mūqini al-ʿālimi.
Some hearts rest in something because they lack scrupulousness; others recoil from something because their knowledge is deficient. Neither kind of heart is a reliable measure. Weight belongs to the heart that serves as a standard, a touchstone by which the spiritual kingdom's metals are tested: the heart of the knowledgeable believer endowed with certainty.
وَهَذَا الْقَلْبُ فِي الْقُلُوبِ أَعَزُّ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ الْإِبْرِيزِ فِي سَائِرِ الْمَعَادِنِ. وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ بَعْضِ السَّلَفِ عَنْ تَفْسِيرِ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَكَذَلِكَ نُوَلِّي بَعْضَ الظَّالِمِينَ بَعْضًا بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ﴾ الْأَنْعَامِ: 129، قَالَ: إِذَا فَسَدَتْ أَعْمَالُ النَّاسِ جُعِلَ عَلَيْهِمْ وُلَاةٌ يُشْبِهُونَ أَعْمَالَهُمْ.
wa-hādhā al-qalbu fī al-qulūbi ʾaʿazzu mina al-dhahabi al-ʾibrīzi fī sāʾiri al-maʿādini. waqad rawaynā ʿan baʿḍi al-salafi ʿan tafsīri qawlihi taʿālā: ﴿wa-kadhālika nuwallī baʿḍa al-ẓālimīna baʿḍan bimā kānū yaksibūna﴾ al-ʾanʿāmi: 129, qāla: ʾidhā fasadat ʾaʿmālu al-nāsi juʿila ʿalayhim wulātun yushbihūna ʾaʿmālahum.
Among hearts, this heart is rarer than refined gold among all other metals. We have transmitted an early Muslim's interpretation of the words of God Most High: “Thus We set some wrongdoers over others because of what they used to earn” (al-Anʿām, 6:129): “When people's deeds become corrupt, rulers resembling their deeds are placed over them.”
وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ فِي مَعْنَاهُ: إِذَا فَسَدَتْ أَدْيَانُ النَّاسِ فَسَدَتْ أَرْزَاقُهُمْ. وَالشُّبُهَاتُ عَلَى وُجُوهٍ، أَحَدُهَا مَا أَشْبَهَ الْحَلَالَ مِنْ وَجْهٍ وَمَا اِخْتَلَطَ أَيْضًا بِهَا فَاِخْتَلَطَ وَلَمْ يَتَمَيَّزْ مِنْهُمَا، وَالشُّبْهَةُ أَيْضًا مَا دَلَّ بَاطِنُ الْعِلْمِ عَلَى تَحْلِيلِهِ فَهُوَ حَلَالُ الْحُكْمِ وَأَظْهَرَ بَاطِنُ الْوَرَعِ الْوُقُوفَ عَنْهُ.
waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi fī maʿnāhu: ʾidhā fasadat ʾadyānu al-nāsi fasadat ʾarzāquhum. wa-al-shubuhātu ʿalā wujūhin, ʾaḥaduhā mā ʾashbaha al-ḥalāla min wajhin wamā ikhtalaṭa ʾayḍan bihā fa-ikhtalaṭa walam yatamayyaz minhumā, wa-al-shubhatu ʾayḍan mā dalla bāṭinu al-ʿilmi ʿalā taḥlīlihi fahuwa ḥalālu al-ḥukmi waʾaẓhara bāṭinu al-waraʿi al-wuqūfa ʿanhu.
One scholar explained it: “When people's religions become corrupt, their livelihoods become corrupt.” Doubtful matters have several forms. One resembles the lawful in one respect, or becomes mixed with such things so that neither component can be distinguished. Another is something whose permissibility is indicated by inward knowledge, making it lawful in judgment, while inward scrupulousness indicates holding back from it.
وَالشُّبْهَةُ مَا أَبَاحَهُ عِلْمُ الظَّاهِرِ وَكَرِهَهُ عُلَمَاءُ الْبَاطِنِ لِحَيْكِ الْقُلُوبِ وَحَوَازِّهَا وَلِعَدَمِ الطُّمَأْنِينَةِ وَمَوَاجِيدِ الْقُلُوبِ، كَنَحْوِ مَا رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِنَّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ إِلَيَّ وَلَعَلَّ بَعْضَكُمْ أَنْ يَكُونَ أَلْحَنَ بِحُجَّتِهِ مِنْ بَعْضٍ، فَأَقْضِيَ لَهُ عَلَى مَا أَسْمَعُ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ يَعْلَمُ خِلَافَهُ.
wa-al-shubhatu mā ʾabāḥahu ʿilmu al-ẓāhiri wakarihahu ʿulamāʾu al-bāṭini liḥayki al-qulūbi waḥawāzzihā waliʿadami al-ṭumaʾnīnati wamawājīdi al-qulūbi, kanaḥwi mā ruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾinnakum takhtaṣimūna ʾilayya walaʿalla baʿḍakum ʾan yakūna ʾalḥana biḥujjatihi min baʿḍin, faʾaqḍiya lahu ʿalā mā ʾasmaʿu minhu wahuwa yaʿlamu khilāfahu.
Doubtful also is what outward knowledge permits but inward scholars dislike because of the hearts' unease and prickings, their lack of tranquility, and their inward perceptions. This resembles what is transmitted from the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace: “You bring disputes to me. One of you may argue his case more eloquently than another, so I rule for him according to what I hear, although he knows otherwise.”
فَمَنْ قَضَيْتُ لَهُ عَلَى أَخِيهِ فَإِنَّمَا أَقْطَعُ لَهُ قِطْعَةً مِنَ النَّارِ، فَأَخْبَرَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ يَحْكُمُ بِظَاهِرِ الْأَمْرِ وَرَدَّهُمْ إِلَى حَقِيقَةِ عِلْمِ الْعَبْدِ بِمَا شَهِدَ وَعَرَفَ مِنْ عَيْبِ نَفْسِهِ الْمُسْتَتِرِ عَنِ الْأَبْصَارِ.
faman qaḍaytu lahu ʿalā ʾakhīhi faʾinnamā ʾaqṭaʿu lahu qiṭʿatan mina al-nāri, faʾakhbara al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾannahu yaḥkumu biẓāhiri al-ʾamri waraddahum ʾilā ḥaqīqati ʿilmi al-ʿabdi bimā shahida waʿarafa min ʿaybi nafsihi al-mustatiri ʿani al-ʾabṣāri.
“Whoever receives my judgment against his brother, I am only cutting him a piece of the Fire.” The Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, thus explained that he rules by outward appearances, referring them back to the servant's true knowledge of what he has witnessed and knows of his own faults concealed from others' eyes.
وَالشُّبْهَةُ أَيْضًا مَا اُخْتُلِفَ فِيهِ لِخَفَاءِ أَدِلَّتِهِ وَلِتَكَافُؤِهَا بِالسَّوِيَّةِ وَمَا لَمْ تَرَهُ عَيْنُكَ فَتَقَعَ عَلَى
wa-al-shubhatu ʾayḍan mā ukhtulifa fīhi likhafāʾi ʾadillatihi walitakāfuʾihā bi-al-sawiyyati wamā lam tarahu ʿaynuka fataqaʿa ʿalā
Doubtful also is what is disputed because its evidence is obscure or equally balanced, and what your own eye has not seen so as to discover
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٧٦
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 476
Volume Two, page 476
غَيْبِهِ، وَالْحَلَالُ وَالْحَرَامُ مَا أَجْمَعُوا عَلَيْهِ وَظَهَرَتِ الْأَدِلَّةُ عَلَيْهِ، وَالشُّبْهَةُ أَيْضًا مَا حَلَّ سَبَبُهُ وَصُودِفَ فِيهِ حُكْمُهُ إِلَّا أَنَّ عَيْنَهُ مَجْهُولَةٌ غَيْرُ مُتَيَقَّنٍ تَحْلِيلُهَا.
ghaybihi, wa-al-ḥalālu wa-al-ḥarāmu mā ʾajmaʿū ʿalayhi waẓaharati al-ʾadillatu ʿalayhi, wa-al-shubhatu ʾayḍan mā ḥalla sababuhu waṣūdifa fīhi ḥukmuhu ʾillā ʾanna ʿaynahu majhūlatun ghayru mutayaqqanin taḥlīluhā.
its hidden reality. The lawful and unlawful are what they agree upon and what has clear evidence. Doubtful also is something whose means of acquisition is permissible and whose legal requirements are met, but whose particular substance is unknown and not certainly lawful.
وَالشُّبْهَةُ أَيْضًا مَا فُقِدَ مِنْهُ بَعْضُ الْقِيَامِ بِالْأَحْكَامِ أَوْ مَا اِعْتَلَّ سَبَبُهُ الَّذِي يُوصِلُ الْعَبْدَ وَيَتَطَرَّقُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ فُضُولِ جَهْلٍ أَوْ حُدُوثِ آفَةٍ مِنْ آفَاتِ النُّفُوسِ. فَهَذِهِ الْأَنْوَاعُ كُلُّهَا مِنَ الشُّبُهَاتِ.
wa-al-shubhatu ʾayḍan mā fuqida minhu baʿḍu al-qiyāmi bi-al-ʾaḥkāmi ʾaw mā iʿtalla sababuhu alladhī yūṣilu al-ʿabda wayataṭarraqu ʾilayhi min fuḍūli jahlin ʾaw ḥudūthi ʾāfatin min ʾāfāti al-nufūsi. fa-hādhihi al-ʾanwāʿu kulluhā mina al-shubuhāti.
Doubtful also is what lacks some observance of the legal rules, or whose means of access is impaired: that by which the servant reaches it and gains an avenue to it, through surplus ignorance or the emergence of one of the soul's maladies. All these kinds belong to doubtful matters.
ثُمَّ تَخْتَلِفُ نَفْسُ الشُّبُهَاتِ فَيَكُونُ ذَلِكَ شُبْهَةَ الْحَلَالِ وَتَكُونُ شُبْهَةَ الْحَرَامِ، شُبْهَةً كَدِرَةً، وَتَكُونُ شُبْهَةً مُتَقَارِبَةً، لِأَنَّ الْحَلَالَ عِنْدَ عُلَمَاءِ الْبَاطِنِ عَلَى ثَلَاثِ مَقَامَاتٍ: حَلَالٌ كَافٍ وَهَذَا عُمُومٌ وَكَأَنَّهُ مَا حَلَّ مِنْ طَرِيقِ الْحُكْمِ.
thumma takhtalifu nafsu al-shubuhāti fayakūnu dhālika shubhata al-ḥalāli watakūnu shubhata al-ḥarāmi, shubhatan kadiratan, watakūnu shubhatan mutaqāribatan, liʾanna al-ḥalāla ʿinda ʿulamāʾi al-bāṭini ʿalā thalāthi maqāmātin: ḥalālun kāfin wa-hādhā ʿumūmun wakaʾannahu mā ḥalla min ṭarīqi al-ḥukmi.
Doubtful matters themselves then differ: there is doubt adjoining the lawful, doubt adjoining the unlawful, murky doubt, and doubt whose sides are closely balanced. For inward scholars, lawful sustenance has three stations. One is sufficient lawfulness, the general level: it is, as it were, what is permissible by legal judgment.
وَحَلَالٌ صَافٍ وَهَذَا خُصُوصٌ وَكَأَنَّهُ مَا ظَهَرَتِ الْأَدِلَّةُ فِيهِ وَحَلَّ سَبَبُهُ وَوُجِدَتِ السُّنَّةُ فِيهِ، وَحَلَالٌ شَافٍ وَهَذَا خُصُوصُ الْخُصُوصِ، وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ مَا عُلِمَ أَصْلُهُ وَأَصْلُهُ وَجَرَى عَلَى أَيْدِي الْمُتَّقِينَ وَلَمْ يُخَالِطْهُ جَهْلٌ، فَلِذَلِكَ تَفَاوَتَتِ الشُّبُهَاتُ لِتَفَاوُتِ حَلَالٍ ضِدِّهَا.
waḥalālun ṣāfin wa-hādhā khuṣūṣun wakaʾannahu mā ẓaharati al-ʾadillatu fīhi waḥalla sababuhu wawujidati al-sunnatu fīhi, waḥalālun shāfin wa-hādhā khuṣūṣu al-khuṣūṣi, wakāna dhālika mā ʿulima ʾaṣluhu waʾaṣluhu wajarā ʿalā ʾaydī al-muttaqīna walam yukhāliṭhu jahlun, fali-dhālika tafāwatati al-shubuhātu litafāwuti ḥalālin ḍiddihā.
Another is pure lawfulness, the special level: it is, as it were, what has clear evidence, a lawful means of acquisition, and conformity with the Sunna. The third is healing lawfulness, the special among the special: that whose origin and its origin are known, which has passed through God-fearing hands and is unmixed with ignorance. Doubtful matters vary because the lawful things opposing them vary.
فَأَمَّا الْحَرَامُ فَطُعْمَةُ الْفَاسِقِينَ، أَكْلُهُ فُسُوقٌ وَطَلَبُهُ فُسُوقٌ وَإِطْعَامُهُ فُسُوقٌ، وَالْمُعَاوَنَةُ عَلَيْهِ فُسُوقٌ وَالْمُدْمِنُ عَلَيْهِ فَاسِقٌ، وَهُوَ مِنَ الْكَبَائِرِ وَلَيْسَ مِنْ حَاجَةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَلَا يُغْنِيهِمْ.
faʾammā al-ḥarāmu faṭuʿmatu al-fāsiqīna, ʾakluhu fusūqun waṭalabuhu fusūqun waʾiṭʿāmuhu fusūqun, wa-al-muʿāwanatu ʿalayhi fusūqun wa-al-mudminu ʿalayhi fāsiqun, wahuwa mina al-kabāʾiri walaysa min ḥājati al-muslimīna walā yughnīhim.
The unlawful is the food of the disobedient. Eating it is disobedience; seeking it is disobedience; feeding it to others is disobedience; assisting in it is disobedience; and whoever persists in it is disobedient. It belongs among the major sins, serves no need of Muslims, and does them no good.
وَالْحَلَالُ هُوَ مَا أَحَلَّهُ الْكِتَابُ وَالسُّنَّةُ وَحَلَّلَتْهُ الْأَحْكَامُ وَالْعُلُومُ مِنْ سَائِرِ الْأَسْبَابِ وَالْمَعَانِي الْمُطْلَقَةِ وَالْمُبَاحَةِ التَّصَرُّفِ فِي الْعِلْمِ، وَهُوَ بُغْيَةُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَطُعْمَةُ الْمُتَّقِينَ وَمَقَامُ الصَّالِحِينَ، فَطَلَبُهُ جِهَادٌ وَإِطْعَامُهُ بِرٌّ وَالْمُعَاوَنَةُ عَلَيْهِ تَقْوَى وَأَكْلُهُ عِبَادَةٌ، وَالْمُدْمِنُ عَلَيْهِ مُؤْمِنٌ تَقِيٌّ.
wa-al-ḥalālu huwa mā ʾaḥallahu al-kitābu wa-al-sunnatu waḥallalathu al-ʾaḥkāmu wa-al-ʿulūmu min sāʾiri al-ʾasbābi wa-al-maʿānī al-muṭlaqati wa-al-mubāḥati al-taṣarrufi fī al-ʿilmi, wahuwa bughyatu al-muʾminīna waṭuʿmatu al-muttaqīna wamaqāmu al-ṣāliḥīna, faṭalabuhu jihādun waʾiṭʿāmuhu birrun wa-al-muʿāwanatu ʿalayhi taqwā waʾakluhu ʿibādatun, wa-al-mudminu ʿalayhi muʾminun taqiyyun.
The lawful is what the Book and Sunna permit and what legal rulings and knowledge declare permissible among all the means and matters freely available for lawful use. It is the believers' pursuit, the God-fearing people's food, and the righteous people's station. Seeking it is striving; feeding it is goodness; assisting it is piety; eating it is worship; and one who perseveres in it is a God-fearing believer.
وَالشُّبْهَةُ مَا اِخْتَلَفَ الْعُلَمَاءُ فِيهِ وَلَمْ يُجْمِعُوا عَلَيْهِ، أَوْ مَا اِلْتَبَسَ بَاطِنُهُ فَاِشْتَبَهَ لِغُمُوضِ الْأَدِلَّةِ أَوْ خَفَاءِ الِاسْتِدْلَالِ فَلَمْ يَكُنْ بَيِّنًا فَلَمْ يُجْمِعْ أَهْلُ الظَّاهِرِ وَالْوَرَعِ عَلَيْهِ، كَمَا قَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَا يَعْلَمُهُ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ.
wa-al-shubhatu mā ikhtalafa al-ʿulamāʾu fīhi walam yujmiʿū ʿalayhi, ʾaw mā iltabasa bāṭinuhu fa-ishtabaha lighumūḍi al-ʾadillati ʾaw khafāʾi al-istidlāli falam yakun bayyinan falam yujmiʿ ʾahlu al-ẓāhiri wa-al-waraʿi ʿalayhi, kamā qāla ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: lā yaʿlamuhu kathīrun mina al-nāsi.
The doubtful is what scholars dispute without reaching consensus, or what has an obscure interior and becomes uncertain through unclear evidence or hidden reasoning. It is therefore not plain, and the people of outward learning and scrupulousness do not agree upon it, as he, God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Many people do not know it.”
فَهَذِهِ طُعْمَةُ عُمُومِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، فَإِنِ اُبْتُلِيتَ بِهَذَا فَخُذْ مِنْهَا حَاجَتَكَ وَضَرُورَتَكَ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، تَكُنْ بِذَلِكَ فَاضِلًا وَيَصِحَّ لَكَ مَقَامٌ فِي الْوَرَعِ، وَالِاسْتِكْثَارُ مِنْهُ وَالِاقْتِنَاءُ مَكْرُوهٌ، وَتَرْكُهُ إِذَا أَمْكَنَ أَفْضَلُ، لِأَنَّ فِي الْخَبَرِ: مَنْ تَرَكَهُ فَقَدِ اِسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِينِهِ، أَيْ تَنَزَّهَ وَتَنَظَّفَ وَتَفَقَّدَ دِينَهُ وَاِحْتَاطَ لَهُ.
fa-hādhihi ṭuʿmatu ʿumūmi al-muslimīna, faʾini ubtulīta bi-hādhā fakhudh minhā ḥājataka waḍarūrataka min kulli shayʾin, takun bi-dhālika fāḍilan wayaṣiḥḥa laka maqāmun fī al-waraʿi, wa-al-istikthāru minhu wa-al-iqtināʾu makrūhun, watarkuhu ʾidhā ʾamkana ʾafḍalu, liʾanna fī al-khabari: man tarakahu faqadi istabraʾa lidīnihi, ʾay tanazzaha watanaẓẓafa watafaqqada dīnahu wa-iḥtāṭa lahu.
This is the food of Muslims generally. If tried by it, take from each thing only what you need and cannot do without: thereby you will be virtuous and establish a station in scrupulousness. Taking much and storing it is disliked; leaving it when possible is better. The report says, “Whoever leaves it safeguards his religion,” meaning that he keeps himself pure and clean, examines his religion, and takes precautions for it.
وَقِيلَ: إِنَّ الْإِيمَانَ نَزِهٌ نَظِيفٌ فَتَنَظَّفُوا وَتَنَزَّهُوا، وَمَعْنَى التَّنَزُّهِ التَّبَاعُدُ مِنَ الدَّنَاءَةِ وَالْأَوْسَاخِ، وَمِنْ ذَلِكَ قِيلَ: خَرَجْنَا نَتَنَزَّهُ، وَخَرَجَ فُلَانٌ فِي نُزْهَةٍ إِذَا تَبَاعَدَ عَنِ الْمِصْرِ وَفَارَقَ جُمْلَةَ النَّاسِ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: وَعِرْضِهِ، أَيْ اِسْتَبْرَأَ لِعِرْضِهِ أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمَ النَّاسُ فِيهِ بِسُوءٍ وَيَنْسُبُوهُ إِلَى فُحْشٍ.
waqīla: ʾinna al-ʾīmāna nazihun naẓīfun fatanaẓẓafū watanazzahū, wamaʿnā al-tanazzuhi al-tabāʿudu mina al-danāʾati wa-al-ʾawsākhi, wamin dhālika qīla: kharajnā natanazzahu, wakharaja fulānun fī nuzhatin ʾidhā tabāʿada ʿani al-miṣri wafāraqa jumlata al-nāsi. thumma qāla: waʿirḍihi, ʾay istabraʾa liʿirḍihi ʾan yatakallama al-nāsu fīhi bisūʾin wayansubūhu ʾilā fuḥshin.
It is said: “Faith is pure and clean, so make yourselves clean and keep yourselves pure.” Keeping pure means distancing oneself from baseness and dirt. Hence “We went out for recreation,” or “So-and-so went on an outing,” when he leaves the city and the mass of people behind. The report then adds “and his honor”: he safeguards it against people's speaking ill of him and attributing indecency to him.
وَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا الشُّبْهَةَ طَرِيقًا إِلَى الْحَرَامِ وَمُوقِعَةً فِيهِ لِأَنَّ فِي الْخَبَرِ: مَنْ يَرْتَعْ حَوْلَ الْحِمَى يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَقَعَ فِيهِ، أَيْ يَطْلُبُ الشُّبْهَةَ وَيُدْمِنُ عَلَيْهَا وَيَسْتَكْثِرُ مِنْهَا يُسْرِعُ الْوُقُوعَ فِي الْحَرَامِ، أَيْ تُسْرِعُ إِلَيْهِ وَتُدْخِلُهُ فِيهِ.
waqad jaʿalnā al-shubhata ṭarīqan ʾilā al-ḥarāmi wamūqiʿatan fīhi liʾanna fī al-khabari: man yartaʿ ḥawla al-ḥimā yūshiku ʾan yaqaʿa fīhi, ʾay yaṭlubu al-shubhata wayudminu ʿalayhā wayastakthiru minhā yusriʿu al-wuqūʿa fī al-ḥarāmi, ʾay tusriʿu ʾilayhi watudkhiluhu fīhi.
We have made doubtful things a path to the unlawful and a cause of falling into it because the report says: “Whoever grazes around the sanctuary is liable to fall into it.” That is, seeking doubtful things, persisting in them, and taking much of them hastens one's fall into the unlawful: they hasten toward it and draw one into it.
وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: مَا أُخِذَ مِنْ يَدِ تَقِيٍّ عَدْلٍ بِحُكْمٍ جَائِزٍ فَهُوَ حَلَالٌ، وَمَا أُخِذَ مِنْ يَدِ مَنْ لَا يُعْرَفُ بِعَدَالَةٍ وَلَا جَرْحٍ فَهُوَ شُبْهَةٌ، وَمَا أُخِذَ مِنْ يَدِ ظَالِمٍ أَوْ فَاجِرٍ فَهُوَ حَرَامٌ وَإِنْ أُخِذَ بِحُكْمٍ جَائِزٍ، وَهَذَا الْقَوْلُ يَقْرُبُ مِنَ الْحَقِّ.
waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: mā ʾukhidha min yadi taqiyyin ʿadlin biḥukmin jāʾizin fahuwa ḥalālun, wamā ʾukhidha min yadi man lā yuʿrafu biʿadālatin walā jarḥin fahuwa shubhatun, wamā ʾukhidha min yadi ẓālimin ʾaw fājirin fahuwa ḥarāmun waʾin ʾukhidha biḥukmin jāʾizin, wa-hādhā al-qawlu yaqrubu mina al-ḥaqqi.
One scholar said: “What is taken from a God-fearing, upright person under a valid ruling is lawful. What is taken from someone whose uprightness or discredit is unknown is doubtful. What is taken from a wrongdoer or profligate is unlawful, even if taken under a valid ruling.” This view comes close to the truth.
وَمِثْلُهُ مِنَ الْمَقَالِ مِثْلُ مَا قَالَ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ: إِنَّ مَنْ لَمْ يُعْرَفْ أَنَّ مَالَهُ خَالَطَهُ خِيَانَةٌ وَلَا مُعَامَلَةُ ظَالِمٍ فَذَلِكَ حَلَالٌ، وَمَنْ خَالَطَ
wamithluhu mina al-maqāli mithlu mā qāla baʿḍu ʾahli al-ʿilmi: ʾinna man lam yuʿraf ʾanna mālahu khālaṭahu khiyānatun walā muʿāmalatu ẓālimin fa-dhālika ḥalālun, waman khālaṭa
A similar statement is that of one scholar: “If a person's wealth is not known to be mixed with treachery or dealings with a wrongdoer, it is lawful. Whoever associates with
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٧٧
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 477
Volume Two, page 477
الظَّلَمَةَ وَاِكْتَسَبَ الْمَالَ مِنْ خِيَانَاتٍ فَمَا فِي يَدِهِ حَرَامٌ، وَإِنِ اِخْتَلَطَ مَالُهُ فَلَمْ يَتَمَيَّزْ، وَكَانَ يُعَامِلُ بَعْضَ الظَّلَمَةِ وَيُعَامِلُ أَهْلَ التَّقْوَى وَالْإِيمَانِ فَمَا فِي يَدِهِ شُبْهَةٌ.
al-ẓalamata wa-iktasaba al-māla min khiyānātin famā fī yadihi ḥarāmun, waʾini ikhtalaṭa māluhu falam yatamayyaz, wakāna yuʿāmilu baʿḍa al-ẓalamati wayuʿāmilu ʾahla al-taqwā wa-al-ʾīmāni famā fī yadihi shubhatun.
wrongdoers and acquires wealth through acts of treachery has unlawful possessions. If his wealth is mixed and cannot be distinguished, and he deals with some wrongdoers as well as people of piety and faith, what he possesses is doubtful.”
وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي الْخَبَرِ: دَعْ مَا يَرِيبُكَ إِلَى مَا لَا يَرِيبُكَ، فَإِنَّ الْخَيْرَ طُمَأْنِينَةٌ وَإِنَّ الشَّرَّ رِيبَةٌ، مَعْنَاهُ دَعْ مَا تَشُكُّ فِيهِ أَنَّهُ حَلَالٌ إِلَى شَيْءٍ آخَرَ لَا شَكَّ فِيهِ، فَإِنَّ الشَّرَّ رِيبَةٌ وَلَيْسَ بِيَقِينٍ، وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ: الْإِثْمُ حَيْكُ الصُّدُورِ.
waqad jāʾa fī al-khabari: daʿ mā yarībuka ʾilā mā lā yarībuka, faʾinna al-khayra ṭumaʾnīnatun waʾinna al-sharra rībatun, maʿnāhu daʿ mā tashukku fīhi ʾannahu ḥalālun ʾilā shayʾin ʾākhara lā shakka fīhi, faʾinna al-sharra rībatun walaysa biyaqīnin, wafī lafẓin ʾākhara: al-ʾithmu ḥayku al-ṣudūri.
A report says: “Leave what troubles you for what does not trouble you, for goodness is tranquility and evil is doubt.” That means: leave what you doubt to be lawful for something else about which there is no doubt; evil is doubt, not certainty. Another wording has: “Sin is the unease within breasts.”
وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي الْحَدِيثِ: الْإِثْمُ حَوَازُّ الْقُلُوبِ، أَيْ مَا حَزَّ فِي الْقَلْبِ وَأَثَّرَ فِيهِ بِنَكْتٍ فَهُوَ إِثْمٌ، لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى عَلَّقَ الْإِثْمَ بِالْقَلْبِ وَجَعَلَهُ مِنْ أَوْصَافِهِ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿وَمَنْ يَكْتُمْهَا فَإِنَّهُ آثِمٌ قَلْبُهُ﴾ الْبَقَرَةِ: 283.
waqad jāʾa fī al-ḥadīthi: al-ʾithmu ḥawāzzu al-qulūbi, ʾay mā ḥazza fī al-qalbi waʾaththara fīhi binaktin fahuwa ʾithmun, liʾanna Allāha taʿālā ʿallaqa al-ʾithma bi-al-qalbi wajaʿalahu min ʾawṣāfihi fī qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: ﴿waman yaktumhā faʾinnahu ʾāthimun qalbuhu﴾ al-baqarati: 283.
A hadith says: “Sin is the prickings of hearts,” meaning that whatever cuts into the heart and leaves a mark upon it is sin. God Most High attached sin to the heart and made it one of its attributes in the words of God, mighty and majestic: “Whoever conceals it, his heart is sinful” (al-Baqara, 2:283).
وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: الْبِرُّ مَا اِطْمَأَنَّ إِلَيْهِ الْقَلْبُ وَسَكَنَتْ إِلَيْهِ النَّفْسُ، وَالْإِثْمُ مَا حَاكَ فِي صَدْرِكَ وَكَرِهْتَ أَنْ يَطَّلِعَ عَلَيْهِ النَّاسُ فَدَعْهُ، لِأَنَّهُ قَالَ: الْمُؤْمِنُونَ شُهَدَاءُ اللَّهِ، وَقَالَ: مَا رَآهُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَسَنًا فَهُوَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ حَسَنٌ، وَمَا رَأَوْهُ قَبِيحًا فَهُوَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ قَبِيحٌ.
wafī al-khabari: al-birru mā iṭmaʾanna ʾilayhi al-qalbu wasakanat ʾilayhi al-nafsu, wa-al-ʾithmu mā ḥāka fī ṣadrika wakarihta ʾan yaṭṭaliʿa ʿalayhi al-nāsu fadaʿhu, liʾannahu qāla: al-muʾminūna shuhadāʾu Allāhi, waqāla: mā raʾāhu al-muʾminūna ḥasanan fahuwa ʿinda Allāhi ḥasanun, wamā raʾawhu qabīḥan fahuwa ʿinda Allāhi qabīḥun.
A report says: “Goodness is what the heart finds reassuring and the soul rests in. Sin is what troubles your breast and you would dislike people to discover, so leave it.” For he said, “Believers are God's witnesses,” and, “What believers see as good is good before God; what they see as ugly is ugly before God.”
كَمَا قَالَ سُبْحَانَهُ: ﴿فَسَيَرَى اللَّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ﴾ التَّوْبَةِ: 105، لِأَنَّ كَرَاهَتَكَ نَظَرَ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكَ دَلِيلٌ عَلَى وُجُودِ الرِّيبَةِ فِيكَ. وَفَصْلُ الْخِطَابِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ عَلَى الْعَبْدِ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ جُهْدِهِ وَطَاقَتِهِ، وَأَنْ يَعْمَلَ فِي دِينِهِ بِمَبْلَغِ عِلْمِهِ وَمَا يُؤَدِّي إِلَيْهِ اِجْتِهَادُهُ وَوُسْعُهُ.
kamā qāla subḥānahu: ﴿fasayarā Allāhu ʿamalakum warasūluhu wa-al-muʾminūna﴾ al-tawbati: 105, liʾanna karāhataka naẓara Allāhi ʾilayka dalīlun ʿalā wujūdi al-rībati fīka. wafaṣlu al-khiṭābi min dhālika ʾannahu laysa ʿalā al-ʿabdi ʾaktharu min juhdihi waṭāqatihi, waʾan yaʿmala fī dīnihi bimablaghi ʿilmihi wamā yuʾaddī ʾilayhi ijtihāduhu wawusʿuhu.
As He, glory be to Him, said: “God will see your deeds, and so will His Messenger and the believers” (al-Tawba, 9:105). Your aversion to God's looking upon you shows that doubt is present within you. The decisive principle is that a servant is charged only to the extent of his effort and ability, acting in religion according to his knowledge and what his exertion and capacity yield.
وَأَنْ لَا يُخَبِّئَ لِنَفْسِهِ خَبِيئَةً وَلَا يُرَخِّصَ لِنَفْسِهِ بِهَوَاهُ رُخْصَةً، فَإِنْ قَصُرَ عِلْمُهُ اِسْتَعَانَ بِعِلْمِ غَيْرِهِ، فَمَا أَخْطَأَ حَقِيقَتَهُ وَرَاءَ ذَلِكَ فَهُوَ مَعْفُوُّ الْخَطَأِ. وَبَعْضُ الْوَرِعِينَ يَقُولُ: الْحَلَالُ مَا لَمْ يَتَنَاوَلْهُ أَيْدِي الظَّالِمِينَ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: مَا لَمْ تَجْرِ عَلَيْهِ يَدُ ظَالِمٍ.
waʾan lā yukhabbiʾa linafsihi khabīʾatan walā yurakhkhiṣa linafsihi bihawāhu rukhṣatan, faʾin qaṣura ʿilmuhu istaʿāna biʿilmi ghayrihi, famā ʾakhṭaʾa ḥaqīqatahu warāʾa dhālika fahuwa maʿfuwwu al-khaṭaʾi. wabaʿḍu al-wariʿīna yaqūlu: al-ḥalālu mā lam yatanāwalhu ʾaydī al-ẓālimīna, waqāla baʿḍuhum: mā lam tajri ʿalayhi yadu ẓālimin.
He must harbor no concealed reserve for himself and grant himself no dispensation prompted by desire. If his knowledge falls short, he seeks help from another's knowledge. Any failure beyond that to reach the true reality is an excused error. Some scrupulous people say: “Lawful sustenance is what wrongdoers' hands have not handled”; others: “What no wrongdoer's hand has passed over.”
وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: لَا يَكُونُ حَلَالًا حَتَّى لَا يَتَخَالَجَ فِي الْقَلْبِ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ وَحَتَّى يَسْكُنَ الْقَلْبُ إِلَيْهِ وَيَطْمَئِنَّ بِهِ، وَقَالَ آخَرُ: الْحَلَالُ مَا عُرِضَ عَلَى أَهْلِ الظَّاهِرِ وَالْبَاطِنِ، فَإِذَا لَمْ يُنْكِرُوا مِنْهُ شَيْئًا فَذَلِكَ الْحَلَالُ.
waqāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi: lā yakūnu ḥalālan ḥattā lā yatakhālaja fī al-qalbi minhu shayʾun waḥattā yaskuna al-qalbu ʾilayhi wayaṭmaʾinna bihi, waqāla ʾākharu: al-ḥalālu mā ʿuriḍa ʿalā ʾahli al-ẓāhiri wa-al-bāṭini, faʾidhā lam yunkirū minhu shayʾan fa-dhālika al-ḥalālu.
One scholar said: “It is not lawful until no misgiving about it stirs in the heart and the heart rests in it, reassured.” Another said: “The lawful is what has been presented to the people of outward and inward knowledge. If they find nothing objectionable in it, that is the lawful.”
وَقَدْ كَانَ اِجْتَمَعَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ يَتَذَاكَرُونَ أَيُّ الْأَعْمَالِ أَشَدُّ، فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمُ: الْجِهَادُ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمُ: الصِّيَامُ وَالصَّلَاةُ، وَقَالَ آخَرُ: مُخَالَفَةُ الْهَوَى، وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمُ: الْوَرَعُ، فَأَجْمَعُوا عَلَى الْوَرَعِ وَرَجَعُوا إِلَى هَذَا الْقَوْلِ.
waqad kāna ijtamaʿa jamāʿatun mina al-ʿulamāʾi yatadhākarūna ʾayyu al-ʾaʿmāli ʾashaddu, faqāla baʿḍuhumu: al-jihādu, waqāla baʿḍuhumu: al-ṣiyāmu wa-al-ṣalātu, waqāla ʾākharu: mukhālafatu al-hawā, waqāla baʿḍuhumu: al-waraʿu, faʾajmaʿū ʿalā al-waraʿi warajaʿū ʾilā hādhā al-qawli.
A group of scholars once gathered to discuss which deeds are hardest. Some said striving; some, fasting and prayer; another, opposing desire; and some, scrupulousness. They all came to agree upon scrupulousness and returned to that view.
وَقَالَ حَسَّانُ بْنُ أَبِي سِنَانٍ: مَا شَيْءٌ عِنْدِي أَسْهَلُ مِنَ الْوَرَعِ، قِيلَ: وَكَيْفَ؟ قَالَ: إِذَا حَاكَ فِي صَدْرِي شَيْءٌ تَرَكْتُهُ، وَهَذَا سَهْلٌ عَلَى مَنْ سَاعَدَهُ الْقَدَرُ بِالزُّهْدِ وَقَوَّاهُ عَلَى ذِي النَّفْسِ
waqāla ḥassānu bnu ʾabī sinānin: mā shayʾun ʿindī ʾashalu mina al-waraʿi, qīla: wakayfa? qāla: ʾidhā ḥāka fī ṣadrī shayʾun taraktuhu, wa-hādhā sahlun ʿalā man sāʿadahu al-qadaru bi-al-zuhdi waqawwāhu ʿalā dhī al-nafsi
Ḥassān ibn Abī Sinān said: “Nothing is easier for me than scrupulousness.” Asked how, he said: “When something troubles my breast, I leave it.” This is easy for one whom divine decree assists with renunciation and strengthens against the possessor of the
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٧٨
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 478
Volume Two, page 478
الشَّهْوَانِيَّةِ، كَمَا أَنَّ الزُّهْدَ سَهْلٌ عَلَى مَنْ أَمَدَّهُ اللَّهُ بِرُوحِ التَّأْيِيدِ بِالْيَقِينِ، وَعَزِيزٌ عَلَى مَنِ اُبْتُلِيَ بِحُبِّ الدُّنْيَا، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: أَفْضَلُ الْأَعْمَالِ وَالَّذِي نُقِيمُ بِهِ وُجُوهَنَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ هُوَ الْوَرَعُ، فَقَالَ لَهُ أَصْحَابُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: صَدَقْتَ.
al-shahwāniyyati, kamā ʾanna al-zuhda sahlun ʿalā man ʾamaddahu Allāhu birūḥi al-taʾyīdi bi-al-yaqīni, waʿazīzun ʿalā mani ubtuliya biḥubbi al-dunyā, waqad ruwiya ʿan ʿumara bni al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu: ʾafḍalu al-ʾaʿmāli wa-alladhī nuqīmu bihi wujūhanā ʿinda Allāhi ʿazza wajalla huwa al-waraʿu, faqāla lahu ʾaṣḥābu al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ṣadaqta.
appetitive soul, just as renunciation is easy for one whom God supports with the spirit of confirmation through certainty, and difficult for one afflicted with love of this world. It is transmitted from ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, God be pleased with him: “The best deed, by which we hold up our faces before God, mighty and majestic, is scrupulousness.” The Companions of the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, said: “You have spoken truly.”
وَلَعَمْرِي إِنَّ الْيَقِينَ إِذَا وُجِدَ وَالزُّهْدَ إِذَا حَصَلَ سَهُلَ الْوَرَعُ وَالْإِخْلَاصُ وَهُمَا عُمْدَةُ الْأَعْمَالِ. وَحُكِيَ عَنْ يُوسُفَ بْنِ أَسْبَاطٍ وَحُذَيْفَةَ الْمَرْعَشِيِّ وَغَيْرِهِمْ مِنْ عُبَّادِ أَهْلِ الشَّامِ أَنَّ قَائِلَهُمْ يَقُولُ: مُنْذُ ثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً مَا حَاكَ فِي صَدْرِي شَيْءٌ إِلَّا تَرَكْتُهُ.
walaʿamrī ʾinna al-yaqīna ʾidhā wujida wa-al-zuhda ʾidhā ḥaṣala sahula al-waraʿu wa-al-ʾikhlāṣu wahumā ʿumdatu al-ʾaʿmāli. waḥukiya ʿan yūsufa bni ʾasbāṭin waḥudhayfata al-marʿashiyyi waghayrihim min ʿubbādi ʾahli al-shāmi ʾanna qāʾilahum yaqūlu: mundhu thalāthīna sanatan mā ḥāka fī ṣadrī shayʾun ʾillā taraktuhu.
By my life, when certainty is found and renunciation attained, scrupulousness and sincerity become easy, and these are the mainstay of deeds. It is related of Yūsuf ibn Asbāṭ, Ḥudhayfa al-Marʿashī, and other Syrian devotees that one of them would say: “For thirty years, whenever something has troubled my breast, I have left it.”
وَبَعْضُهُمْ يَقُولُ: مُنْذُ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً مَا وَقَفَ قَلْبِي عَنْ شَيْءٍ وَتَخَالَجَ فِيهِ إِلَّا تَرَكْتُهُ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: مُنْذُ ثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً مَا أُبَالِي عَلَى أَيِّ حَالٍ رَآنِيَ النَّاسُ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ حَاجَةَ الْإِنْسَانِ. وَحُكِيَ أَنَّ بَعْضَ الْوَرِعِينَ وَقَعَ مِنْهُ دِينَارٌ فَاِنْكَبَّ لِيَأْخُذَهُ، فَوَجَدَ دِينَارَيْنِ فَلَمْ يَعْرِفْ دِينَارَهُ مِنْهُمَا فَتَرَكَهُمَا مَعًا.
wabaʿḍuhum yaqūlu: mundhu ʾarbaʿīna sanatan mā waqafa qalbī ʿan shayʾin watakhālaja fīhi ʾillā taraktuhu, waqāla baʿḍuhum: mundhu thalāthīna sanatan mā ʾubālī ʿalā ʾayyi ḥālin raʾāniya al-nāsu ʾillā ʾan yakūna ḥājata al-ʾinsāni. waḥukiya ʾanna baʿḍa al-wariʿīna waqaʿa minhu dīnārun fa-inkabba liyaʾkhudhahu, fawajada dīnārayni falam yaʿrif dīnārahu minhumā fatarakahumā maʿan.
Another would say: “For forty years, whenever my heart has paused before something and felt misgivings about it, I have left it.” Another said: “For thirty years I have not cared in what state people saw me, except while relieving myself.” One scrupulous man reportedly dropped a dinar and bent to retrieve it, but found two. Unable to identify his own, he left both.
وَحُكِيَ أَنَّ اِمْرَأَةً مِنَ الْمُتَعَبِّدَاتِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقُلُوبِ سَأَلَتْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْخَوَّاصَ عَنْ تَغَيُّرٍ وَجَدَتْهُ فِي قَلْبِهَا فَقَالَ: عَلَيْكِ بِالتَّفَقُّدِ، فَقَالَتْ: قَدْ تَفَقَّدْتُ فَمَا وَجَدْتُ شَيْئًا أَعْرِفُهُ، فَأَطْرَقَ سَاعَةً ثُمَّ قَالَ: أَلَا تَذْكُرِينَ لَيْلَةَ الْمَشْعَلِ؟ فَقَالَتْ: بَلَى، فَقَالَ: هَذَا التَّغَيُّرُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ.
waḥukiya ʾanna imraʾatan mina al-mutaʿabbidāti min ʾahli al-qulūbi saʾalat ʾibrāhīma al-khawwāṣa ʿan taghayyurin wajadathu fī qalbihā faqāla: ʿalayki bi-al-tafaqqudi, faqālat: qad tafaqqadtu famā wajadtu shayʾan ʾaʿrifuhu, faʾaṭraqa sāʿatan thumma qāla: ʾalā tadhkurīna laylata al-mashʿali? faqālat: balā, faqāla: hādhā al-taghayyuru min dhālika.
A devout woman among the people of the heart reportedly asked Ibrāhīm al-Khawwāṣ about a change she felt in her heart. He said: “You must investigate.” She replied: “I have, but found nothing I recognize.” He lowered his head for a while, then asked: “Do you not remember the night of the torch?” “Yes,” she answered. He said: “That is the cause of this change.”
فَذَكَرَتْ أَنَّهَا كَانَتْ تَغْزِلُ فَوْقَ سَطْحٍ لَهَا فَاِنْقَطَعَ خَيْطُهَا، فَمَرَّ مَشْعَلُ السُّلْطَانِ فَغَزَلَتْ فِي ضَوْئِهِ خَيْطًا وَأَدْخَلَتْ فِي غَزْلِهَا، وَنَسَجَتْ مِنْهُ قَمِيصًا فَلَبِسَتْهُ. قَالَ: فَنَزَعَتِ الْقَمِيصَ وَبَاعَتْهُ وَتَصَدَّقَتْ بِثَمَنِهِ، فَرَجَعَ قَلْبُهَا إِلَى الصَّفَا.
fadhakarat ʾannahā kānat taghzilu fawqa saṭḥin lahā fa-inqaṭaʿa khayṭuhā, famarra mashʿalu al-sulṭāni faghazalat fī ḍawʾihi khayṭan waʾadkhalat fī ghazlihā, wanasajat minhu qamīṣan falabisathu. qāla: fanazaʿati al-qamīṣa wabāʿathu wataṣaddaqat bithamanihi, farajaʿa qalbuhā ʾilā al-ṣafā.
She recalled that she had been spinning on her roof when her thread broke. The ruler's torch passed by, and she spun a thread by its light and incorporated it into her yarn. She wove a shirt from it and wore it. The narrator said: “She removed the shirt, sold it, and gave its price in charity; her heart returned to clarity.”
قَدْ حُكِيَ عَنْ ذِي النُّونِ الْمِصْرِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فَوْقَ ذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ لَمَّا سُجِنَ لَمْ يَأْكُلْ طَعَامًا وَلَمْ يَشْرَبْ أَيَّامًا، فَوَجَّهَتْ إِلَيْهِ اِمْرَأَةٌ يَعْرِفُهَا مِنَ الْعَابِدَاتِ بِطَعَامٍ إِلَى السِّجْنِ وَقَالَتْ: هَذَا مِنْ حَلَالٍ، فَلَمْ يَأْكُلْهُ فَقَالَتْ لَهُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ.
qad ḥukiya ʿan dhī al-nūni al-miṣriyyi raḥimahu Allāhu fawqa dhālika ʾannahu lammā sujina lam yaʾkul ṭaʿāman walam yashrab ʾayyāman, fawajjahat ʾilayhi imraʾatun yaʿrifuhā mina al-ʿābidāti biṭaʿāmin ʾilā al-sijni waqālat: hādhā min ḥalālin, falam yaʾkulhu faqālat lahu baʿda dhālika.
Something still more exacting is related of Dhū al-Nūn al-Miṣrī, God have mercy on him. When imprisoned, he neither ate nor drank for days. A devout woman he knew sent food to him in prison, saying: “This is lawful.” He did not eat it, and afterward she spoke to him about it.
فَقَالَ: ذَلِكَ الطَّعَامُ مِنْ حَلَالٍ إِلَّا أَنَّهُ جَاءَنِي فِي طَرِيقٍ حَرَامٍ فَلَمْ آكُلْهُ، فَقَالَتْ: وَكَيْفَ ذَلِكَ؟ قَالَ: جَاءَنِي فِي يَدِ السَّجَّانِ وَهُوَ ظَالِمٌ فَلِذَلِكَ لَمْ آكُلْهُ، وَهَذِهِ خِصَالُ الْوَرِعِينَ. وَالْوَرَعُ هُوَ بَابُ الزُّهْدِ وَمِفْتَاحُ الْخَوْفِ وَحَقِيقَةُ الصِّدْقِ، فَعُمُومُ الْوَرَعِ أَوَّلُ عُمُومِ الزُّهْدِ وَخُصُوصُهُ أَوَّلُ خُصُوصِ الزُّهْدِ.
faqāla: dhālika al-ṭaʿāmu min ḥalālin ʾillā ʾannahu jāʾanī fī ṭarīqin ḥarāmin falam ʾākulhu, faqālat: wakayfa dhālika? qāla: jāʾanī fī yadi al-sajjāni wahuwa ẓālimun fali-dhālika lam ʾākulhu, wa-hādhihi khiṣālu al-wariʿīna. wa-al-waraʿu huwa bābu al-zuhdi wamiftāḥu al-khawfi waḥaqīqatu al-ṣidqi, faʿumūmu al-waraʿi ʾawwalu ʿumūmi al-zuhdi wakhuṣūṣuhu ʾawwalu khuṣūṣi al-zuhdi.
He said: “The food is lawful, but it reached me by an unlawful route, so I did not eat it.” She asked how. He answered: “It came in the jailer's hand, and he is a wrongdoer; that is why I did not eat it.” Such are the traits of the scrupulous. Scrupulousness is renunciation's gate, fear's key, and sincerity's reality. Its general level begins general renunciation; its special level begins special renunciation.
فَيَنْبَغِي لِلْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَبْتَدِئَ بِطَلَبِ الْحَلَالِ فَيَكُونَ هُوَ هَمَّهُ وَقَصْدَهُ، فَيَجْعَلُ مَا اِسْتَطَابَ مِنَ الْمَكَاسِبِ وَأَعْلَى مَا قَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ مِمَّا يَسْلَمُ فِيهِ، فَيَجْعَلُ ذَلِكَ لِحَاجَةِ نَفْسِهِ فِيمَا يَطْعَمُ وَيَلْبَسُ، وَيَجْعَلُ مَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الشُّبُهَاتِ مِمَّا فِي نَفْسِهِ مِنْهُ حَزَازَاتٌ فِي مُؤُونَةِ عِيَالِهِ.
fayanbaghī li-l-ʿabdi ʾan yabtadiʾa biṭalabi al-ḥalāli fayakūna huwa hammahu waqaṣdahu, fayajʿalu mā istaṭāba mina al-makāsibi waʾaʿlā mā qadara ʿalayhi mimmā yaslamu fīhi, fayajʿalu dhālika liḥājati nafsihi fīmā yaṭʿamu wayalbasu, wayajʿalu mā dakhala ʿalayhi mina al-shubuhāti mimmā fī nafsihi minhu ḥazāzātun fī muʾūnati ʿiyālihi.
The servant should begin by seeking lawful livelihood, making it his concern and aim. He should reserve the purest earnings he can obtain, the best in which he can remain blameless, for his own food and clothing. Whatever doubtful income reaches him and leaves misgivings within him he should use for his dependents' expenses,
وَفِيمَا يَرْتَفِقُ بِهِ مِنْ مُؤُونَةِ الْبَيْتِ مِمَّا لَا يُطْعَمُ وَلَا يُلْبَسُ، مِثْلِ الْحَطَبِ وَالْبِزْرِ وَأُجْرَةِ الْبَيْتِ وَمَا أَشْبَهَ ذَلِكَ، وَسَنَذْكُرُ تَمْثِيلَ ذَلِكَ بِصُوَرِ الْأَلْوَانِ حَتَّى تَعْرِفَهُ، وَفِي هَذِهِ رُخْصَةٌ وَلَهُ فِيهِ مُجَاهَدَةٌ وَحُسْنُ نِيَّةٍ وَمُعَامَلَةٍ إِذَا أَخَذَ نَفْسَهُ بِهِ وَصَبَرَ عَلَيْهِ.
wafīmā yartafiqu bihi min muʾūnati al-bayti mimmā lā yuṭʿamu walā yulbasu, mithli al-ḥaṭabi wa-al-bizri waʾujrati al-bayti wamā ʾashbaha dhālika, wasanadhkuru tamthīla dhālika biṣuwari al-ʾalwāni ḥattā taʿrifahu, wafī hādhihi rukhṣatun walahu fīhi mujāhadatun waḥusnu niyyatin wamuʿāmalatin ʾidhā ʾakhadha nafsahu bihi waṣabara ʿalayhi.
and useful household costs that are neither food nor clothing, such as firewood, seed oil, house rent, and the like. We shall illustrate this through colors so that you understand it. This offers a dispensation, while leaving room for struggle, good intention, and right conduct toward God if he disciplines himself by it and perseveres.
وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ مِنْ بَالِهِ وَهَمِّهِ فَاِحْتَسَبَ فِي ذَلِكَ مَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَتَحَرَّى بِذَلِكَ لِدِينِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَشْكُرُ لَهُ سَعْيَهُ، وَيُجْزِلُ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرَهُ، وَهَذَا طَرِيقٌ يُوصِلُ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَهُوَ مَحَجَّةُ كَثِيرٍ مِنَ السَّلَفِ.
wakāna dhālika min bālihi wahammihi fa-iḥtasaba fī dhālika mā ʿinda Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, wataḥarrā bi-dhālika lidīni Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, faʾinna Allāha ʿazza wajalla yashkuru lahu saʿyahu, wayujzilu ʿalayhi ʾajrahu, wa-hādhā ṭarīqun yūṣilu ʾilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla wahuwa maḥajjatu kathīrin mina al-salafi.
If this occupies his thoughts and concerns, and he seeks thereby what is with God, mighty and majestic, taking care for the religion of God, mighty and majestic, then God, mighty and majestic, appreciates his effort and gives him abundant reward. This is a path leading to God, mighty and majestic, and the highway of many of the early Muslims.
وَلَوْ أَنَّ عَبْدًا شَكَّ فِي شَيْءٍ فَتَحَرَّزَ مِنْهُ شَكَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ نِيَّتَهُ، وَإِنْ كَانَ قَدْ أَخْطَأَ حَقِيقَةَ الشَّيْءِ عِنْدَهُ فَكَانَ
walaw ʾanna ʿabdan shakka fī shayʾin fataḥarraza minhu shakara Allāhu lahu niyyatahu, waʾin kāna qad ʾakhṭaʾa ḥaqīqata al-shayʾi ʿindahu fakāna
If a servant doubts something and guards against it, God appreciates his intention, even if he has mistaken its true nature and
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٧٩
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 479
Volume Two, page 479
الشَّيْءُ حَلَالًا فِي عِلْمِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَلَوْ أَنَّهُ أَقْدَمَ عَلَى شَيْءٍ بِقِلَّةِ مُبَالَاةٍ فَلَمْ يَدَعْهُ، فَتَنَاوَلَ شَيْئًا عَلَى أَنَّهُ حَلَالٌ عِنْدَهُ كَانَ مَأْزُورًا لِسُوءِ نِيَّتِهِ وَقِلَّةِ وَرَعِهِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ أَصَابَ الْحَقِيقَةَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ فَهُوَ أَفْضَلُ وَلَهُ أَجْرَانِ: أَجْرُ الْعِلْمِ وَمَقَامُ التَّوْفِيقِ.
al-shayʾu ḥalālan fī ʿilmi Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, walaw ʾannahu ʾaqdama ʿalā shayʾin biqillati mubālātin falam yadaʿhu, fatanāwala shayʾan ʿalā ʾannahu ḥalālun ʿindahu kāna maʾzūran lisūʾi niyyatihi waqillati waraʿihi, waʾin kāna ʾaṣāba al-ḥaqīqata ʿinda Allāhi fahuwa ʾafḍalu walahu ʾajrāni: ʾajru al-ʿilmi wamaqāmu al-tawfīqi.
the thing is lawful in the knowledge of God, mighty and majestic. If instead he proceeds carelessly and does not leave it, consuming it as lawful in his own judgment, he incurs blame for his bad intention and lack of scrupulousness. If he has attained the true reality before God, that is better, and he has two rewards: the reward of knowledge and the station of divine enabling.
وَمَنْ قَصَدَ تَرْكَ الْعِلْمِ وَأَخْطَأَ الْحَقِيقَةَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَعَلَيْهِ وِزْرَانِ: وِزْرُ الْجَهْلِ وَنَقْصُ الْعِصْمَةِ، وَمَنْ عَمِلَ بِعِلْمٍ فَأَخْطَأَ الْحَقِيقَةَ فَلَهُ أَجْرٌ وَاحِدٌ، وَمَنْ عَمِلَ بِجَهْلٍ فَأَصَابَ الْحَقِيقَةَ فَعَلَيْهِ إِثْمُ الْجَهْلِ وَهُوَ مَعْصُومٌ فِي الْفِعْلِ.
waman qaṣada tarka al-ʿilmi waʾakhṭaʾa al-ḥaqīqata ʿinda Allāhi ʿazza wajalla faʿalayhi wizrāni: wizru al-jahli wanaqṣu al-ʿiṣmati, waman ʿamila biʿilmin faʾakhṭaʾa al-ḥaqīqata falahu ʾajrun wāḥidun, waman ʿamila bijahlin faʾaṣāba al-ḥaqīqata faʿalayhi ʾithmu al-jahli wahuwa maʿṣūmun fī al-fiʿli.
Whoever deliberately abandons knowledge and misses the true reality before God, mighty and majestic, bears two burdens: ignorance's burden and diminished protection from sin. Whoever acts with knowledge but misses the reality has one reward. Whoever acts in ignorance but reaches the reality bears the sin of ignorance while being preserved from wrongdoing in the act itself.
وَحَكَى وَهْبٌ الْيَمَانِيُّ مِمَّا نَقَلَ مِنَ الزَّبُورِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَوْحَى إِلَى دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: قُلْ لِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ: إِنِّي لَا أَنْظُرُ إِلَى صِيَامِكُمْ وَلَا إِلَى صَلَاتِكُمْ وَلَٰكِنْ أَنْظُرُ إِلَى مَنْ شَكَّ فِي شَيْءٍ فَتَرَكَهُ لِأَجْلِي، ذَلِكَ الَّذِي أُؤَيِّدُهُ بِنَصْرِي وَأُبَاهِي بِهِ مَلَائِكَتِي.
waḥakā wahbun al-yamāniyyu mimmā naqala mina al-zabūri ʾanna Allāha ʿazza wajalla ʾawḥā ʾilā dāwūda ʿalayhi al-salāmu: qul libanī ʾisrāʾīla: ʾinnī lā ʾanẓuru ʾilā ṣiyāmikum walā ʾilā ṣalātikum walākin ʾanẓuru ʾilā man shakka fī shayʾin fatarakahu liʾajlī, dhālika alladhī ʾuʾayyiduhu binaṣrī waʾubāhī bihi malāʾikatī.
Wahb al-Yamānī related, from what he transmitted of the Psalms, that God, mighty and majestic, revealed to David, peace be upon him: “Tell the Children of Israel: I do not look at your fasting or your prayers. I look at one who doubts something and leaves it for My sake. That is the one I strengthen with My help and boast of before My angels.”
وَقَدْ كَانَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ يَقُولُ لِأَهْلِهِ: اُرْفُقُوا بِدُهْنِ الْمِصْبَاحِ فَإِنَّمَا تُوقِدُونَ بِلَحْمِي وَدَمِي، قِيلَ: وَكَيْفَ؟ قَالَ: لِأَنَّكُمْ تُوقِدُونَ مِنْ كَسْبِي، وَكَسْبِي مِنْ دِينِي وَدِينِي مِنْ لَحْمِي وَدَمِي.
waqad kāna baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi yaqūlu liʾahlihi: urfuqū biduhni al-miṣbāḥi faʾinnamā tūqidūna bilaḥmī wadamī, qīla: wakayfa? qāla: liʾannakum tūqidūna min kasbī, wakasbī min dīnī wadīnī min laḥmī wadamī.
One scholar used to tell his household: “Be sparing with the lamp oil: it is my flesh and blood you are burning.” Asked how, he said: “You burn what comes from my earnings; my earnings come from my religion, and my religion comes from my flesh and blood.”
وَقَدْ كَانَ يُقَالُ: مَنْ تَفَقَّدَ مِنْ أَيْنَ يَكْسِبُ الدِّرْهَمَ تَبَصَّرَ أَيْنَ يَضَعُهُ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يُبَالِ مِنْ أَيْنَ اِكْتَسَبَ لَمْ يُبَالِ فِيمَا أَنْفَقَهُ. وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ لِرَجُلٍ رَآهُ بَطَّالًا وَكَانَ ذَا عِيَالٍ قَالَ لَهُ: اِحْتَرِفْ فَإِنَّهُ إِذَا كَانَ لَكَ كَسْبٌ أَكَلَ عِيَالُكَ دُنْيَاكَ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَكَ كَسْبٌ أَكَلُوا دِينَكَ.
waqad kāna yuqālu: man tafaqqada min ʾayna yaksibu al-dirhama tabaṣṣara ʾayna yaḍaʿuhu, waman lam yubāli min ʾayna iktasaba lam yubāli fīmā ʾanfaqahu. waqad qāla baʿḍu al-ʿulamāʾi lirajulin raʾāhu baṭṭālan wakāna dhā ʿiyālin qāla lahu: iḥtarif faʾinnahu ʾidhā kāna laka kasbun ʾakala ʿiyāluka dunyāka, waʾin lam yakun laka kasbun ʾakalū dīnaka.
It used to be said: “Whoever examines where he earns a dirham considers carefully where he spends it. Whoever does not care where he earns does not care how he spends.” A scholar told an idle man with dependents: “Practice a trade. If you have earnings, your dependents consume your worldly goods; if you have none, they consume your religion.”
وَرُوِيَ أَنَّ بَعْضَ الزُّهَّادِ وَقَعَتْ مِنْهُ قِطْعَةٌ فَجَعَلَ يَطْلُبُهَا عَامَّةَ يَوْمِهِ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ: أَنْتَ قَدْ زَهِدْتَ فِي الدُّنْيَا كُلِّهَا وَأَنْتَ تَطْلُبُ هَذِهِ الْقِطْعَةَ هَذَا الطَّلَبَ؟ فَقَالَ: إِنَّ طَلَبِي هَذِهِ الْقِطْعَةَ مِنْ زُهْدِي فِي الدُّنْيَا لِأَنِّي لَا أَعْتَاضُ مِنْهَا غَيْرَهَا، لِأَنَّهَا مِنْ حَيْثُ أَعْلَمُ وَأَنَا لَا آكُلُ إِلَّا مِنْ حَيْثُ أَعْلَمُ.
waruwiya ʾanna baʿḍa al-zuhhādi waqaʿat minhu qiṭʿatun fajaʿala yaṭlubuhā ʿāmmata yawmihi, faqīla lahu: ʾanta qad zahidta fī al-dunyā kullihā waʾanta taṭlubu hādhihi al-qiṭʿata hādhā al-ṭalaba? faqāla: ʾinna ṭalabī hādhihi al-qiṭʿata min zuhdī fī al-dunyā liʾannī lā ʾaʿtāḍu minhā ghayrahā, liʾannahā min ḥaythu ʾaʿlamu waʾanā lā ʾākulu ʾillā min ḥaythu ʾaʿlamu.
An ascetic reportedly dropped a small coin and spent most of the day searching for it. He was asked: “You have renounced the whole world, yet search so hard for this coin?” He replied: “Searching for it is part of my renunciation, because I will not replace it with another. I know its source, and I eat only from a source I know.”
وَقَدْ كَانَ بِشْرٌ يَقُولُ: الْمَالُ إِذَا اِجْتَمَعَ مِنَ الشُّبُهَاتِ لَا يُنْفَقُ إِلَّا فِي الشَّهَوَاتِ، وَقَالَ سَرِيٌّ السَّقَطِيُّ: لَا يَصْبِرُ عَلَى تَرْكِ الشُّبُهَاتِ إِلَّا مَنْ تَرَكَ الشَّهَوَاتِ.
waqad kāna bishrun yaqūlu: al-mālu ʾidhā ijtamaʿa mina al-shubuhāti lā yunfaqu ʾillā fī al-shahawāti, waqāla sariyyun al-saqaṭiyyu: lā yaṣbiru ʿalā tarki al-shubuhāti ʾillā man taraka al-shahawāti.
Bishr used to say: “Wealth accumulated from doubtful sources is spent only on desires.” Sarī al-Saqaṭī said: “Only someone who has abandoned desires can persevere in abandoning doubtful things.”
وَفِي الْخَبَرِ أَنَّ رَجُلًا سَأَلَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ كَسْبِ الْحَجَّامِ فَنَهَاهُ عَنْهُ فَأَعَادَ مَسْأَلَتَهُ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ: إِنَّ لِي غُلَامًا حَجَّامًا، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِنْ كَانَ لَا بُدَّ فَأَعْلِفْهُ نَاضِحَكَ وَأَطْعِمْهُ رَقِيقَكَ.
wafī al-khabari ʾanna rajulan saʾala al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʿan kasbi al-ḥajjāmi fanahāhu ʿanhu faʾaʿāda masʾalatahu ʿanhu faqāla: ʾinna lī ghulāman ḥajjāman, faqāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: ʾin kāna lā budda faʾaʿlifhu nāḍiḥaka waʾaṭʿimhu raqīqaka.
A report relates that a man asked the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, about a cupper's earnings, and he forbade them. The man repeated his question, saying: “I have a servant who is a cupper.” The Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, replied: “If there is no alternative, use it to feed your water-drawing animal and your slaves.”
وَفِي الْخَبَرِ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سُئِلَ عَنْ فَأْرَةٍ وَقَعَتْ فِي سَمْنٍ فَمَاتَتْ فَقَالَ: لَا تَأْكُلُوهُ، وَفِي خَبَرٍ آخَرَ: إِنْ كَانَ جَامِدًا فَأَلْقُوهَا، وَإِنْ كَانَ ذَائِبًا فَاِسْتَصْبِحُوا بِهِ. وَعَنْ جَمَاعَةٍ مِنْ عُلَمَاءِ الْكُوفَةِ: لَا بَأْسَ بِشُحُومِ الْمَيْتَةِ تُطْلَى بِهَا السُّفُنُ وَيُدْبَغُ بِهَا الْجُلُودُ.
wafī al-khabari ʾanna rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama suʾila ʿan faʾratin waqaʿat fī samnin famātat faqāla: lā taʾkulūhu, wafī khabarin ʾākhara: ʾin kāna jāmidan faʾalqūhā, waʾin kāna dhāʾiban fa-istaṣbiḥū bihi. waʿan jamāʿatin min ʿulamāʾi al-kūfati: lā baʾsa bishuḥūmi al-maytati tuṭlā bihā al-sufunu wayudbaghu bihā al-julūdu.
A report relates that God's Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, was asked about a mouse that fell into clarified butter and died. He said: “Do not eat it.” Another report has: “If it is solid, throw the mouse out; if liquid, use it for lighting.” A group of Kufan scholars permitted using carrion fat to coat ships and tan hides.
وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا فِيهِ حَدِيثًا مُسْنَدًا، فَهَذَا حُجَّةٌ فِيمَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ مِنْ أَنَّ حُكْمَ الشُّبُهَاتِ أَنْ يُنْفَقَ مِنْهَا فِيمَا لَا يُطْعَمُ وَلَا يُلْبَسُ إِلَّا أَنْ يُضْطَرَّ إِلَيْهَا فَيَتَنَاوَلَ مِنْهَا مِقْدَارَ الْحَاجَةِ.
waqad rawaynā fīhi ḥadīthan musnadan, fa-hādhā ḥujjatun fīmā dhakarnāhu min ʾanna ḥukma al-shubuhāti ʾan yunfaqa minhā fīmā lā yuṭʿamu walā yulbasu ʾillā ʾan yuḍṭarra ʾilayhā fayatanāwala minhā miqdāra al-ḥājati.
We have transmitted a hadith on this with a connected chain. It supports our statement that doubtful earnings should be spent on things neither eaten nor worn, unless necessity compels one to consume them, in which case one takes only what is needed.
وَرُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ أُتِيَ بِلَبَنٍ فَسَأَلَ عَنْ أَصْلِهِ فَأُخْبِرَ بِهِ، فَسَأَلَ عَنْ أَصْلِ أَصْلِهِ فَأُخْبِرَ بِهِ، فَلَمَّا رَضِيَهُ شَرِبَ مِنْهُ. فَهَذَا حُكْمُ الْحَلَالِ أَنْ تَعْرِفَ عَيْنَ الشَّيْءِ ثُمَّ تَعْرِفَ أَصْلَهُ.
waruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama ʾannahu ʾutiya bilabanin fasaʾala ʿan ʾaṣlihi faʾukhbira bihi, fasaʾala ʿan ʾaṣli ʾaṣlihi faʾukhbira bihi, falammā raḍiyahu shariba minhu. fa-hādhā ḥukmu al-ḥalāli ʾan taʿrifa ʿayna al-shayʾi thumma taʿrifa ʾaṣlahu.
It is transmitted of the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, that milk was brought to him. He asked about its source and was told, then asked about the source of that source and was told. When satisfied, he drank. This, then, is the rule for the lawful: know the particular thing, then know its origin.
فَإِذَا صَحَّ لَكَ أَصْلُهُ وَأَصْلُ أَصْلِهِ سَقَطَ عَنْكَ مَا وَرَاءَ ذَلِكَ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَعْلَمْ رَأْيَ عَيْنٍ وَأَخْبَرَكَ مُسْلِمٌ تَقِيٌّ قَامَ خَبَرُ ذَلِكَ مَقَامَ عِلْمِكَ.
faʾidhā ṣaḥḥa laka ʾaṣluhu waʾaṣlu ʾaṣlihi saqaṭa ʿanka mā warāʾa dhālika, faʾin lam taʿlam raʾya ʿaynin waʾakhbaraka muslimun taqiyyun qāma khabaru dhālika maqāma ʿilmika.
Once its origin and the origin of its origin are established as sound for you, anything beyond that ceases to be your responsibility. If you lack eyewitness knowledge but a God-fearing Muslim informs you, that report takes the place of your own knowledge.
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٨٠
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 480
Volume Two, page 480
وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: لَا تَأْكُلْ إِلَّا طَعَامَ تَقِيٍّ وَلَا يَأْكُلْ طَعَامَكَ إِلَّا تَقِيٌّ، لِأَنَّ التَّقِيَّ قَدِ اِسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِينِهِ وَاِجْتَهَدَ بِعِلْمِهِ وَاِحْتَاطَ لِنَفْسِهِ، فَقَدْ سَقَطَ عَنْكَ الْبَحْثُ وَالِاجْتِهَادُ لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ نَابَ عَنْكَ فِيهِ وَقَامَ لَكَ بِهِ، فَكَفَاكَ كُلْفَتَهُ فَغَنِيتَ عَنْ تَكَلُّفِهِ.
wafī al-khabari: lā taʾkul ʾillā ṭaʿāma taqiyyin walā yaʾkul ṭaʿāmaka ʾillā taqiyyun, liʾanna al-taqiyya qadi istabraʾa lidīnihi wa-ijtahada biʿilmihi wa-iḥtāṭa linafsihi, faqad saqaṭa ʿanka al-baḥthu wa-al-ijtihādu liʾannahu qad nāba ʿanka fīhi waqāma laka bihi, fakafāka kulfatahu faghanīta ʿan takallufihi.
A report says: “Eat only the food of a God-fearing person, and let only a God-fearing person eat your food.” Such a person has safeguarded his religion, exerted himself according to his knowledge, and taken precautions for himself. Inquiry and exertion therefore cease to be your burden: he has undertaken them on your behalf, sparing you their trouble and freeing you from assuming it.
فَلِذَلِكَ جَاءَتِ الْأَحَادِيثُ عَلَى هَذَا الْمَعْنَى: إِذَا دَخَلَ أَحَدُكُمْ إِلَى مَنْزِلِ أَخِيهِ فَقَدَّمَ إِلَيْهِ طَعَامًا فَلْيَأْكُلْ مِنْ طَعَامِهِ وَلَا يَسْأَلْ وَيَشْرَبْ مِنْ شَرَابِهِ وَلَا يَسْأَلْ، لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ كُفِيَ، وَالسُّؤَالُ عَمَّا قَدْ كُفِيَ تَكَلُّفٌ، وَالتَّكَلُّفُ لَيْسَ مِمَّا يَعْنِي الْمُسْلِمَ.
fali-dhālika jāʾati al-ʾaḥādīthu ʿalā hādhā al-maʿnā: ʾidhā dakhala ʾaḥadukum ʾilā manzili ʾakhīhi faqaddama ʾilayhi ṭaʿāman falyaʾkul min ṭaʿāmihi walā yasʾal wayashrab min sharābihi walā yasʾal, liʾannahu qad kufiya, wa-al-suʾālu ʿammā qad kufiya takallufun, wa-al-takallufu laysa mimmā yaʿnī al-muslima.
That is the meaning of the hadiths: “When one of you enters his brother's home and food is offered, let him eat without asking, and drink his drink without asking.” The matter has already been attended to. Asking about what has been attended to is needless self-imposition, and such self-imposition is not a Muslim's concern.
وَفِي الْخَبَرِ الْآخَرِ: مِنْ حُسْنِ إِسْلَامِ الْمَرْءِ تَرْكُهُ مَا لَا يَعْنِيهِ، فَلِهَذَا سَقَطَ عَنَّا السُّؤَالُ مِنَ الْبَحْثِ وَلِذَلِكَ كَانَ الْمُتَقَدِّمُونَ يَسْتَحِبُّونَ أَكْلَ طَعَامِ الْعُلَمَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ.
wafī al-khabari al-ʾākhari: min ḥusni ʾislāmi al-marʾi tarkuhu mā lā yaʿnīhi, fali-hādhā saqaṭa ʿannā al-suʾālu mina al-baḥthi wali-dhālika kāna al-mutaqaddimūna yastaḥibbūna ʾakla ṭaʿāmi al-ʿulamāʾi wa-al-ṣāliḥīna.
Another report says: “Part of a person's good practice of Islam is leaving what does not concern him.” For this reason we are relieved of questioning as part of inquiry, and the early Muslims preferred eating the food of scholars and righteous people.
وَأَمَّا مَنْ لَا يَحْتَاطُ لِنَفْسِهِ وَلَا يَسْتَبْرِئُ لِدِينِهِ وَلَا يَتَّقِي فِي مَكْسَبِهِ حَتَّى لَا يُبَالِيَ مِنْ أَيْنَ أَكَلَ وَلَا مِنْ أَيْنَ اِكْتَسَبَ وَلَا مِنْ أَيْنَ جَاءَهُ الدِّرْهَمُ أَبَدًا، فَهَذَا غَيْرُ تَقِيٍّ، فَحِينَئِذٍ يَلْزَمُكَ أَنْتَ الْبَحْثُ لِنَفْسِكَ وَالِاجْتِهَادُ وَالِاحْتِيَاطُ لِدِينِكَ إِذَا لَمْ يَقُمْ بِهِ غَيْرُكَ وَلَمْ يَكْلَفْهُ أَخُوكَ.
waʾammā man lā yaḥtāṭu linafsihi walā yastabriʾu lidīnihi walā yattaqī fī maksabihi ḥattā lā yubāliya min ʾayna ʾakala walā min ʾayna iktasaba walā min ʾayna jāʾahu al-dirhamu ʾabadan, fa-hādhā ghayru taqiyyin, faḥīnaʾidhin yalzamuka ʾanta al-baḥthu linafsika wa-al-ijtihādu wa-al-iḥtiyāṭu lidīnika ʾidhā lam yaqum bihi ghayruka walam yaklafhu ʾakhūka.
But someone who neither takes precautions for himself, safeguards his religion, nor exercises piety in earning, caring nothing about where he eats, earns, or receives a dirham, is not God-fearing. Then you yourself must inquire, exert yourself, and protect your religion, since no one else has done so and your brother has not undertaken the burden.
فَفِي مِثْلِ هَذَا جَاءَ الْخَبَرُ: لَا يَأْكُلْ طَعَامَكَ إِلَّا تَقِيٌّ وَلَا تَأْكُلْ إِلَّا طَعَامَ تَقِيٍّ، وَالتَّقِيُّ هُوَ الْوَرِعُ الدَّيِّنُ الْمُتَّقِي لِلْحَرَامِ الْمُجْتَنِبُ لِلْآثَامِ، فَفِي دَلِيلِ خِطَابِهِ: لَا تَأْكُلْ طَعَامَ غَيْرِ تَقِيٍّ.
fafī mithli hādhā jāʾa al-khabaru: lā yaʾkul ṭaʿāmaka ʾillā taqiyyun walā taʾkul ʾillā ṭaʿāma taqiyyin, wa-al-taqiyyu huwa al-wariʿu al-dayyinu al-muttaqī li-l-ḥarāmi al-mujtanibu li-l-ʾāthāmi, fafī dalīli khiṭābihi: lā taʾkul ṭaʿāma ghayri taqiyyin.
It is concerning such a case that the report says: “Let only a God-fearing person eat your food, and eat only a God-fearing person's food.” The God-fearing person is scrupulous and religious, guarding against the unlawful and avoiding sins. The implication of the wording is: do not eat the food of someone who is not God-fearing.
فَلَا يَصِحُّ التَّقْوَى مِنْ عَبْدٍ يَتَصَرَّفُ حَتَّى يَكُونَ مُسْتَعْمِلًا فِي تِجَارَتِهِ وَصِنَاعَتِهِ حُكْمَ الْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ، وَيَشْهَدَ لَهُ الْعِلْمُ بِسَلَامَتِهِ وَبَرَاءَةِ دِينِهِ مِنَ الْخِيَانَةِ وَالْمَكْرِ فِي الْمُعَامَلَةِ، مِنَ الْكَذِبِ وَالْغَبْنِ فِي التِّجَارَةِ وَالصَّنْعَةِ، بِالصِّدْقِ وَالنُّصْحِ فِي جَمِيعِ ذَلِكَ وَحَتَّى يَحِلَّ السَّبَبُ الْمُعْتَاضُ مِنْهُمَا.
falā yaṣiḥḥu al-taqwā min ʿabdin yataṣarrafu ḥattā yakūna mustaʿmilan fī tijāratihi waṣināʿatihi ḥukma al-kitābi wa-al-sunnati, wayashhada lahu al-ʿilmu bisalāmatihi wabarāʾati dīnihi mina al-khiyānati wa-al-makri fī al-muʿāmalati, mina al-kadhibi wa-al-ghabni fī al-tijārati wa-al-ṣanʿati, bi-al-ṣidqi wa-al-nuṣḥi fī jamīʿi dhālika waḥattā yaḥilla al-sababu al-muʿtāḍu minhumā.
Piety is not sound in someone conducting business until he applies the Book's and Sunna's rulings in his trade and craft; knowledge must attest to his soundness and his religion's freedom from treachery and cunning in dealings, from lying and unfair dealing in commerce and craftsmanship, through honesty and conscientiousness throughout. The means of obtaining compensation from both must also be lawful.
وَكُلُّ تِجَارَةٍ وَصِنَاعَةٍ يُخَالِفُ الْعَبْدُ فِيهَا حُكْمَ الْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ فَلَيْسَتْ بِتِجَارَةٍ وَلَا صِنَاعَةٍ حَلَالٍ، وَإِنْ كَانَ الِاسْمُ مَوْجُودًا لِعَدَمِ الْمَعْنَى الَّذِي تَصِحُّ بِهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ فِي الْحُكْمِ، لِأَنَّ وُجُودَ الْأَسْمَاءِ فَارِغَةً لَا يُغْنِي مَعَ عَدَمِ صِحَّةِ الْمَعَانِي لِمُوَافَقَتِهِ شَيْئًا.
wakullu tijāratin waṣināʿatin yukhālifu al-ʿabdu fīhā ḥukma al-kitābi wa-al-sunnati falaysat bitijāratin walā ṣināʿatin ḥalālin, waʾin kāna al-ismu mawjūdan liʿadami al-maʿnā alladhī taṣiḥḥu bihi al-ʾasmāʾu fī al-ḥukmi, liʾanna wujūda al-ʾasmāʾi fārighatan lā yughnī maʿa ʿadami ṣiḥḥati al-maʿānī limuwāfaqatihi shayʾan.
Any trade or craft in which the servant violates the Book's and Sunna's rulings is not lawful trade or craftsmanship, even if the name exists. The reality that validates such names in legal judgment is absent. Empty names avail nothing when the meanings required for conformity are unsound.
فَإِذَا كَانَ مَا يُسَمِّيهِ الْجَاهِلُونَ تِجَارَةً وَصِنَاعَةً وَمَا يُسَمِّيهِ الْمُسْتَحِلُّونَ بَيْعًا وَشِرَاءً وَمُعَامَلَةً، وَهُوَ غَيْرُ مُوَافِقٍ لِلْعِلْمِ، فَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ بِتِجَارَةٍ وَلَا صِنَاعَةٍ وَلَا مُعَامَلَةٍ، وَلَا يُسْتَحَلُّ بِهِ أَكْلُ الْحَلَالِ لِأَنَّهُ بَاطِلٌ وَاِسْمُهُ عِنْدَ الْعُلَمَاءِ خِيَانَةٌ وَخِلَابَةٌ، أَوْ غِيلَةٌ أَوْ حِيلَةٌ أَوْ مُحَاتَلَةٌ.
faʾidhā kāna mā yusammīhi al-jāhilūna tijāratan waṣināʿatan wamā yusammīhi al-mustaḥillūna bayʿan washirāʾan wamuʿāmalatan, wahuwa ghayru muwāfiqin li-l-ʿilmi, falaysa dhālika bitijāratin walā ṣināʿatin walā muʿāmalatin, walā yustaḥallu bihi ʾaklu al-ḥalāli liʾannahu bāṭilun wa-ismuhu ʿinda al-ʿulamāʾi khiyānatun wakhilābatun, ʾaw ghīlatun ʾaw ḥīlatun ʾaw muḥātalatun.
If what the ignorant call trade and craftsmanship, or what those who declare things permissible call selling, buying, and dealing, does not accord with knowledge, it is no trade, craft, or valid dealing. It cannot make consumption lawful, for it is invalid. Scholars call it treachery and deception, or covert fraud, trickery, or manipulation.
وَهَذِهِ أَسْمَاءٌ مُحَرَّمَةٌ لِلْمَكَاسِبِ لِفَسَادِ مَعَانِيهَا وَعَدَمِ حَقَائِقِهَا تَتَعَلَّقُ عَلَيْهَا أَحْكَامٌ مَذْمُومَةٌ، لَا يَحِلُّ بِهَا أَخْذٌ، لِأَنَّ التَّسْمِيَةَ إِلَى الْعُلَمَاءِ مِنْ قِبَلِ أَنَّ إِيجَابَ الْأَحْكَامِ مِنْهُمْ يُسَمُّونَ عَلَى صِحَّةِ الْمَعَانِي بِوُقُوعِ الْأَحْكَامِ إِذَا كَانُوا هُمُ الْحُكَّامَ.
wa-hādhihi ʾasmāʾun muḥarramatun li-l-makāsibi lifasādi maʿānīhā waʿadami ḥaqāʾiqihā tataʿallaqu ʿalayhā ʾaḥkāmun madhmūmatun, lā yaḥillu bihā ʾakhdhun, liʾanna al-tasmiyata ʾilā al-ʿulamāʾi min qibali ʾanna ʾījāba al-ʾaḥkāmi minhum yusammūna ʿalā ṣiḥḥati al-maʿānī biwuqūʿi al-ʾaḥkāmi ʾidhā kānū humu al-ḥukkāma.
These are names that render earnings forbidden because their meanings are corrupt and their valid realities absent. Blameworthy rulings attach to them, permitting no acquisition through them. Naming belongs to scholars, since they establish the rulings: they name according to sound meanings and the applicability of rulings, being themselves the judges.
فَقَدِ اِعْتَلَّ هَذَا التَّصَرُّفُ، وَإِنْ وُجِدَ فِيهِ الِاسْمُ الْمُبِيحُ لِفَقْدِ الْمَعْنَى الصَّحِيحِ، وَهُوَ حُكْمُ الْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ. فَإِنْ وُجِدَ الِاسْمُ بِحَقِيقَةِ الْمَعْنَى حَتَّى تُسَمِّيَهُ الْعُلَمَاءُ تِجَارَةً وَصِنَاعَةً، إِلَّا أَنَّهُمَا لَمْ يُصَادِفَا حُكْمَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فِيهِ بِالسَّلَامَةِ مِنَ الرِّبَا وَاِجْتِنَابِ الْبُيُوعِ الْفَاسِدَةِ، فَهَذَا حَرَامٌ أَيْضًا لِعَدَمِ حُكْمِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيهِ بِالْإِطْلَاقِ.
faqadi iʿtalla hādhā al-taṣarrufu, waʾin wujida fīhi al-ismu al-mubīḥu lifaqdi al-maʿnā al-ṣaḥīḥi, wahuwa ḥukmu al-kitābi wa-al-sunnati. faʾin wujida al-ismu biḥaqīqati al-maʿnā ḥattā tusammiyahu al-ʿulamāʾu tijāratan waṣināʿatan, ʾillā ʾannahumā lam yuṣādifā ḥukma Allāhi taʿālā fīhi bi-al-salāmati mina al-ribā wa-ijtinābi al-buyūʿi al-fāsidati, fa-hādhā ḥarāmun ʾayḍan liʿadami ḥukmi Allāhi ʿazza wajalla fīhi bi-al-ʾiṭlāqi.
Such conduct is therefore defective, even if it bears a permissive name, because the sound reality, the Book's and Sunna's ruling, is absent. If the name fits the reality, so that scholars call it trade or craftsmanship, but it fails the ruling of God Most High concerning freedom from usury and avoidance of invalid sales, it is still forbidden: the ruling of God, mighty and majestic, granting unrestricted permission is absent.
وَإِنْ كَانَ الشِّرَاءُ مُبَاحًا وَصُودِفَ الْأَحْكَامُ فِيهِ إِلَّا أَنَّ عَيْنَ الْمَأْخُوذِ الْمُعْتَاضِ حَرَامٌ رَأْيَ عَيْنٍ أَوْ خَبَرٍ مِنْ صِدْقٍ، فَهَذَا الْكَسْبُ حَرَامٌ أَيْضًا لِأَنَّا عَلَى يَقِينٍ مِنْ وُجُودِ الْحَرَامِ فِيهِ.
waʾin kāna al-shirāʾu mubāḥan waṣūdifa al-ʾaḥkāmu fīhi ʾillā ʾanna ʿayna al-maʾkhūdhi al-muʿtāḍi ḥarāmun raʾya ʿaynin ʾaw khabarin min ṣidqin, fa-hādhā al-kasbu ḥarāmun ʾayḍan liʾannā ʿalā yaqīnin min wujūdi al-ḥarāmi fīhi.
Even if the purchase is permitted and its legal requirements met, when the actual thing received in exchange is unlawful by eyewitness knowledge or a truthful report, the earning is likewise forbidden, for we are certain that the unlawful is present in it.
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٨١
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 481
Volume Two, page 481
حَتَّى يَصْفُوَ الْعِوَضُ الْمُشْتَبِهُ مِنْ عَيْنِ الْحَرَامِ بِأَحَدِ مَعْنَيَيْنِ: إِمَّا بِيَقِينٍ أَنَّهُ حَلَالُ الْأَصْلِ وَحَلَالُ أَصْلِ الْأَصْلِ، بِأَنْ لَا نَعْلَمَ فِي عَيْنِهِ حَرَامًا رَأَيْنَاهُ وَلَا أُخْبِرْنَاهُ، فَيَحِلُّ بِهِ حِينَئِذٍ أَكْلُ الْمَالِ وَنُسَمِّيهِ مَعَ ذَلِكَ شُبْهَةً، وَهُوَ شُبْهَةُ الْحَلَالِ إِذْ لَسْنَا عَلَى يَقِينٍ مِنْ حَلَالِهِ.
ḥattā yaṣfuwa al-ʿiwaḍu al-mushtabihu min ʿayni al-ḥarāmi biʾaḥadi maʿnayayni: ʾimmā biyaqīnin ʾannahu ḥalālu al-ʾaṣli waḥalālu ʾaṣli al-ʾaṣli, biʾan lā naʿlama fī ʿaynihi ḥarāman raʾaynāhu walā ʾukhbirnāhu, fayaḥillu bihi ḥīnaʾidhin ʾaklu al-māli wanusammīhi maʿa dhālika shubhatan, wahuwa shubhatu al-ḥalāli ʾidh lasnā ʿalā yaqīnin min ḥalālihi.
This remains so until the doubtful compensation is cleared of the actual unlawful element by one of two considerations: either certainty that its origin and the origin of that origin are lawful, or that we know of no unlawful element in it, whether seen or reported. Consuming the property then becomes permissible, yet we still call it doubtful: doubt adjoining the lawful, since its lawfulness is not certain to us.
لِإِمْكَانِ دُخُولِ الْحَرَامِ فِيهِ لِغَلَبَةِ الْأَمْوَالِ الْمَأْكُولَةِ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَبِالْأَسْبَابِ الْمَكْرُوهَةِ مِنْ قِبَلِ الْأَجْنَادِ، وَمِنْ قِلَّةِ الْمُتَّقِينَ وَاِخْتِلَاطِ ذَلِكَ بِالْأَمْلَاكِ الصَّحِيحَةِ وَبِأَمْوَالِ التُّجَّارِ وَالصُّنَّاعِ، فَمَا كُنَّا مِنْ حَلَالِهِ عَلَى عِلْمِ ظَنٍّ سَمَّيْنَاهُ شُبْهَةً لِفَقْدِ عِلْمِ الْيَقِينِ.
liʾimkāni dukhūli al-ḥarāmi fīhi lighalabati al-ʾamwāli al-maʾkūlati bi-al-bāṭili wabi-al-ʾasbābi al-makrūhati min qibali al-ʾajnādi, wamin qillati al-muttaqīna wa-ikhtilāṭi dhālika bi-al-ʾamlāki al-ṣaḥīḥati wabiʾamwāli al-tujjāri wa-al-ṣunnāʿi, famā kunnā min ḥalālihi ʿalā ʿilmi ẓannin sammaynāhu shubhatan lifaqdi ʿilmi al-yaqīni.
The unlawful may have entered it, given the prevalence of property consumed wrongfully and through objectionable means by soldiers, the scarcity of the God-fearing, and the mingling of such property with valid possessions and merchants' and artisans' wealth. What we know to be lawful only by probable judgment we call doubtful, because certain knowledge is absent.
وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: جَاءَ عُقْبَةُ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ: إِنِّي تَزَوَّجْتُ اِمْرَأَةً، فَجَاءَتْنَا اِمْرَأَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ فَزَعَمَتْ أَنَّهَا قَدْ أَرْضَعَتْنَا وَهِيَ كَاذِبَةٌ، فَقَالَ: دَعْهَا، فَقُلْتُ: إِنَّهَا كَاذِبَةٌ، فَقَالَ: وَكَيْفَ؟ وَقَدْ زَعَمَتْ أَنَّهَا قَدْ أَرْضَعَتْكُمَا، لَا خَيْرَ لَكَ فِيهَا، دَعْهَا عَنْكَ، وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ: كَيْفَ؟ وَقَدْ قِيلَ.
wafī al-khabari: jāʾa ʿuqbatu bnu al-ḥārithi ʾilā rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama faqāla: ʾinnī tazawwajtu imraʾatan, fajāʾatnā imraʾatun sawdāʾu fazaʿamat ʾannahā qad ʾarḍaʿatnā wahiya kādhibatun, faqāla: daʿhā, faqultu: ʾinnahā kādhibatun, faqāla: wakayfa? waqad zaʿamat ʾannahā qad ʾarḍaʿatkumā, lā khayra laka fīhā, daʿhā ʿanka, wafī lafẓin ʾākhara: kayfa? waqad qīla.
A report relates that ʿUqba ibn al-Ḥārith came to God's Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace: “I married a woman; then a Black woman claimed she had nursed us both, but she is lying.” He said: “Leave her.” I said: “She is lying.” He replied: “How, when she claims to have nursed you both? There is no good for you in her; leave her.” Another wording has: “How, when it has been said?”
وَفِي حَدِيثِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ زَمْعَةَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَضَى بِالْوَلَدِ لَهُ لِأَنَّهُ وُلِدَ عَلَى فِرَاشِهِ، وَأَبْطَلَ دَعْوَى الرَّجُلِ فِيهِ وَإِنْ كَانَ مِنْهُ، فَلَمَّا رَأَى النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ شَبَهًا بَيِّنًا قَالَ لِسَوْدَةَ: اِحْتَجِبِي عَنْهُ يَا سَوْدَةُ، وَهِيَ أُخْتُهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: الْوَلَدُ لِلْفِرَاشِ.
wafī ḥadīthi ʿabdi Allāhi bni zamʿata ʾanna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qaḍā bi-al-waladi lahu liʾannahu wulida ʿalā firāshihi, waʾabṭala daʿwā al-rajuli fīhi waʾin kāna minhu, falammā raʾā al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama shabahan bayyinan qāla lisawdata: iḥtajibī ʿanhu yā sawdatu, wahiya ʾukhtuhu, thumma qāla: al-waladu li-l-firāshi.
In the hadith of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Zamʿa, the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, awarded him the child because it was born upon his household's bed, rejecting the other man's claim even if he had fathered it. Seeing a clear resemblance, the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, told Sawda, who was the child's sister: “Veil yourself from him, Sawda.” He then said: “The child belongs to the bed.”
وَكَذَلِكَ يَجِبُ التَّقْوَى فِي الْفِرَاشِ لِلْوَرَعِ، وَإِنَّ الْأَحْكَامَ عَلَى الظَّاهِرِ تُجِيزُهَا فَيَكُونُ تَرْكُهَا مَقَامًا لِلْوَرِعِينَ. وَالْحَلَالُ عِنْدَ الْوَرِعِينَ اِسْمُ مَا اِنْحَلَّتْ عَنْهُ الْمُطَالَبَةُ وَحَلَّ فِيهِ الْعِلْمُ عَلَى حَلَالِ الْمُقْتَبَسِ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿وَحَلَائِلُ أَبْنَائِكُمْ﴾ النِّسَاءِ: 23، وَحَلَائِلُ جَمْعُ حَلِيلَةٍ.
wa-kadhālika yajibu al-taqwā fī al-firāshi li-l-waraʿi, waʾinna al-ʾaḥkāma ʿalā al-ẓāhiri tujīzuhā fayakūnu tarkuhā maqāman li-l-wariʿīna. wa-al-ḥalālu ʿinda al-wariʿīna ismu mā inḥallat ʿanhu al-muṭālabatu waḥalla fīhi al-ʿilmu ʿalā ḥalāli al-muqtabasi fī qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: ﴿waḥalāʾilu ʾabnāʾikum﴾ al-nisāʾi: 23, waḥalāʾilu jamʿu ḥalīlatin.
Likewise, scrupulousness requires piety concerning the marriage bed, even when outward legal rulings permit such matters; leaving them becomes a station for the scrupulous. For them, “lawful” names that from which liability has been released and in which knowledge has settled, in the sense of the permissibility drawn from the words of God, mighty and majestic, “and your sons' wives” (al-Nisāʾ, 4:23). Ḥalāʾil is the plural of ḥalīla.
وَقِيلَ: إِنَّمَا سُمِّيَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ حَلِيلَةَ الرَّجُلِ لِأَنَّهُ يَحِلُّ مَعَهَا أَيْنَ حَلَّتْ، أَيْ يُوجَدُ عِنْدَهَا وَيُقِيمُ كَأَنَّهَا فَعِيلَةٌ مِنْ فَعُولٍ أَيْ حَلُولٍ، وَالْمَعْنَى الْآخَرُ سُمِّيَتْ حَلِيلَةً وَالرَّجُلُ حَلِيلُهَا لِأَنَّ الْآثَامَ قَدِ اِنْحَلَّتْ بَيْنَهُمَا، أَيْ لِأَنَّهَا تَحِلُّ لَهُ وَيَحِلُّ لَهَا.
waqīla: ʾinnamā summiyati al-marʾatu ḥalīlata al-rajuli liʾannahu yaḥillu maʿahā ʾayna ḥallat, ʾay yūjadu ʿindahā wayuqīmu kaʾannahā faʿīlatun min faʿūlin ʾay ḥalūlin, wa-al-maʿnā al-ʾākharu summiyat ḥalīlatan wa-al-rajulu ḥalīluhā liʾanna al-ʾāthāma qadi inḥallat baynahumā, ʾay liʾannahā taḥillu lahu wayaḥillu lahā.
It is said that a woman is called a man's ḥalīla because he settles with her wherever she settles, being present and residing with her, as though faʿīla derived from faʿūl, namely ḥalūl, “settling.” The other meaning is that she is called his ḥalīla, and he her ḥalīl, because sins have been dissolved between them: she is lawful for him, and he for her.
وَالْحَلَالُ فِي الْعِلْمِ اِسْمٌ لِمَا أَبَاحَهُ الْكِتَابُ وَالسُّنَّةُ بِسَبَبٍ جَائِزٍ مُبَاحٍ، وَكَانَ الْحَلَالُ هُوَ مَا وُجِدَ فِيهِ ثَلَاثُ مَعَانٍ: سَبَبٌ مُبَاحٌ فِي الْعِلْمِ وَعِلْمٌ بِأَصْلِ الدِّرْهَمِ وَالْمُعْتَاضِ بِهِ وَبِأَصْلِ أَصْلِهِ أَنَّهُ خَالِصٌ مِنْ شُبْهَةٍ وَمُصَادَفَةُ حُكْمِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي الْمُعَامَلَةِ.
wa-al-ḥalālu fī al-ʿilmi ismun limā ʾabāḥahu al-kitābu wa-al-sunnatu bisababin jāʾizin mubāḥin, wakāna al-ḥalālu huwa mā wujida fīhi thalāthu maʿānin: sababun mubāḥun fī al-ʿilmi waʿilmun biʾaṣli al-dirhami wa-al-muʿtāḍi bihi wabiʾaṣli ʾaṣlihi ʾannahu khāliṣun min shubhatin wamuṣādafatu ḥukmi Allāhi ʿazza wajalla fī al-muʿāmalati.
In knowledge, “lawful” names what the Book and Sunna permit through a valid, permissible means. It is what possesses three qualities: a means allowed by knowledge; knowledge of the origin of the dirham and what is obtained with it, and of that origin's origin, establishing freedom from doubt; and conformity with the ruling of God, mighty and majestic, in the transaction.
فَإِذَا فُقِدَ أَحَدُ هَذِهِ الْمَعَانِي فَهُوَ شُبْهَةٌ إِلَى الْحَلَالِ أَقْرَبُ، وَإِذَا فُقِدَ مَعْنَيَانِ فَهِيَ شُبْهَةُ الْحَرَامِ، فَإِذَا فُقِدَتِ الْمَعَانِي الثَّلَاثُ حَتَّى يَكُونَ السَّبَبُ الَّذِي وَصَلَ بِهِ الدِّرْهَمُ وَالْمُعْتَاضُ مِنْهُ مَكْرُوهًا، أَوْ يَكُونَ عَيْنُ الدِّرْهَمِ مَكْرُوهًا مَجْهُولًا وَلَمْ يُصَادِفْ فِيهِ حُكْمَ الشَّرْعِ فِي الْبَيْعِ وَالشِّرَاءِ أَوِ الْهِبَةِ بِطِيبِ نَفْسٍ، فَهَذَا هُوَ الْحَرَامُ بِعَيْنِهِ.
faʾidhā fuqida ʾaḥadu hādhihi al-maʿānī fahuwa shubhatun ʾilā al-ḥalāli ʾaqrabu, waʾidhā fuqida maʿnayāni fahiya shubhatu al-ḥarāmi, faʾidhā fuqidati al-maʿānī al-thalāthu ḥattā yakūna al-sababu alladhī waṣala bihi al-dirhamu wa-al-muʿtāḍu minhu makrūhan, ʾaw yakūna ʿaynu al-dirhami makrūhan majhūlan walam yuṣādif fīhi ḥukma al-sharʿi fī al-bayʿi wa-al-shirāʾi ʾawi al-hibati biṭībi nafsin, fa-hādhā huwa al-ḥarāmu biʿaynihi.
When one quality is missing, it is doubtful but nearer the lawful. When two are missing, it is doubt adjoining the unlawful. When all three are absent, so that the means by which the dirham and its compensation arrived is objectionable, or the dirham itself is objectionable and unknown, and the transaction fails the law's requirements for buying, selling, or a willing gift, this is the unlawful itself.
وَالْحَرَامُ وَالْحَلَالُ ضِدَّانِ ظَاهِرَانِ، وَالشُّبُهَاتُ أَعْنِي شُبْهَةَ الْحَلَالِ وَشُبْهَةَ الْحَرَامِ مُشْتَبِهَانِ، فَهِيَ تُشْبِهُ الْحَلَالَ مِنْ وَجْهٍ وَتُشْبِهُ الْحَرَامَ مِنْ وَجْهٍ، فَمَثَلُ الْحَلَالِ وَالْحَرَامِ مِنْ أُصُولِ الْأَلْوَانِ مِثْلُ الْبَيَاضِ وَالسَّوَادِ، هُمَا أَصْلَانِ لَيْسَا فَرْعَيْنِ لِشَيْءٍ وَلَا مُتَوَالِدَيْنِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ.
wa-al-ḥarāmu wa-al-ḥalālu ḍiddāni ẓāhirāni, wa-al-shubuhātu ʾaʿnī shubhata al-ḥalāli washubhata al-ḥarāmi mushtabihāni, fahiya tushbihu al-ḥalāla min wajhin watushbihu al-ḥarāma min wajhin, famathalu al-ḥalāli wa-al-ḥarāmi min ʾuṣūli al-ʾalwāni mithlu al-bayāḍi wa-al-sawādi, humā ʾaṣlāni laysā farʿayni lishayʾin walā mutawālidayni min shayʾin.
The unlawful and lawful are two clear opposites. Doubtful matters, meaning doubt adjoining the lawful and doubt adjoining the unlawful, are two ambiguous categories: they resemble the lawful in one respect and the unlawful in another. Among basic colors, lawful and unlawful resemble white and black: two originals, neither offshoots of anything nor generated from anything.
وَمَثَلُ شُبْهَةِ الْحَلَالِ كَمَثَلِ الصُّفْرَةِ لِأَنَّهُ لَوْنٌ مُتَوَلِّدٌ مِنَ الْبَيَاضِ، وَمَثَلُ شُبْهَةِ الْحَرَامِ كَالْخُضْرَةِ لَوْنٌ مُتَوَلِّدٌ مِنَ السَّوَادِ.
wamathalu shubhati al-ḥalāli kamathali al-ṣufrati liʾannahu lawnun mutawallidun mina al-bayāḍi, wamathalu shubhati al-ḥarāmi ka-al-khuḍrati lawnun mutawallidun mina al-sawādi.
Doubt adjoining the lawful resembles yellow, because it is a color generated from white. Doubt adjoining the unlawful resembles green, a color generated from black.
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٨٢
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 482
Volume Two, page 482
فَإِنْ رَأَيْتَ الصُّفْرَةَ فَهِيَ عَلَامَةُ شُبْهَةِ الْحَلَالِ رَدَدْتَهَا إِلَيْهِ وَحَكَمْتَ عَلَيْهَا بِهِ، كَمَا أَنَّ الْخُضْرَةَ أَقْرَبُ إِلَى السَّوَادِ، فَإِنِ اِجْتَمَعَ فِي لَوْنٍ صُفْرَةٌ وَخُضْرَةٌ فَهِيَ الشُّبُهَاتُ الْمُخْتَلِطَةُ فِي الشَّيْءِ، فَاُنْظُرْ إِلَى الْأَغْلَبِ مِنْهَا الْأَكْثَرِ، فَاُحْكُمْ عَلَيْهِ.
faʾin raʾayta al-ṣufrata fahiya ʿalāmatu shubhati al-ḥalāli radadtahā ʾilayhi waḥakamta ʿalayhā bihi, kamā ʾanna al-khuḍrata ʾaqrabu ʾilā al-sawādi, faʾini ijtamaʿa fī lawnin ṣufratun wakhuḍratun fahiya al-shubuhātu al-mukhtaliṭatu fī al-shayʾi, fa-unẓur ʾilā al-ʾaghlabi minhā al-ʾakthari, fa-uḥkum ʿalayhi.
If you see yellow, it signals doubt adjoining the lawful: assign it to that side and judge it accordingly, just as green is closer to black. If yellow and green combine in one color, these are the doubts mixed within a thing. Consider which is stronger and more abundant, and judge accordingly.
فَإِنْ كَانَتِ الصُّفْرَةُ هِيَ الْأَكْثَرَ وَالْأَغْلَبَ، فَهَذَا شُبْهَةُ الْحَلَالِ، تَنَاوَلْ مِنْهُ غَيْرَ مُتَّسِعٍ فِيهِ إِذْ لَيْسَ حَلَالًا صَافِيًا، وَهَذَا مِثْلُ أَمْوَالِ التُّجَّارِ وَالصُّنَّاعِ الْمُخْتَلِطَةِ بِأَرْزَاقِ الْجُنْدِ وَالْمُعَامَلَاتِ، وَإِنْ رَأَيْتَ الْخُضْرَةَ أَكْثَرَ وَأَغْلَبَ فَهَذَا شُبْهَةُ الْحَرَامِ، خُذْ مِنْهُ ضَرُورَتَكَ إِذْ لَيْسَ بِشُبْهَةٍ صَافِيَةٍ.
faʾin kānati al-ṣufratu hiya al-ʾakthara wa-al-ʾaghlaba, fa-hādhā shubhatu al-ḥalāli, tanāwal minhu ghayra muttasiʿin fīhi ʾidh laysa ḥalālan ṣāfiyan, wa-hādhā mithlu ʾamwāli al-tujjāri wa-al-ṣunnāʿi al-mukhtaliṭati biʾarzāqi al-jundi wa-al-muʿāmalāti, waʾin raʾayta al-khuḍrata ʾakthara waʾaghlaba fa-hādhā shubhatu al-ḥarāmi, khudh minhu ḍarūrataka ʾidh laysa bishubhatin ṣāfiyatin.
If yellow is more abundant and dominant, this is doubt adjoining the lawful. Take from it without allowing yourself abundance, for it is not purely lawful. Such are merchants' and artisans' funds mixed with soldiers' allowances and dealings. If green is more abundant and dominant, this is doubt adjoining the unlawful. Take only what necessity requires, for it is not an unmixed case of doubt.
وَهَذَا مِثْلُ أَمْلَاكِ أَوْلِيَاءِ السُّلْطَانِ، لِاِلْتِبَاسِ مِلْكِ أَيْدِيهِمْ فِي خِدْمَتِهِمْ لِأُمَرَائِهِمْ، حَتَّى تَرَى الْبَيَاضَ الْمَحْضَ الَّذِي هُوَ عَلَامَةُ الْحَلَالِ فَخُذْ كَيْفَ شِئْتَ وَاِتَّسِعْ، لَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكَ عَلَى أَنَّكَ لَا تَكُونُ زَاهِدًا بِذَلِكَ.
wa-hādhā mithlu ʾamlāki ʾawliyāʾi al-sulṭāni, li-iltibāsi milki ʾaydīhim fī khidmatihim liʾumarāʾihim, ḥattā tarā al-bayāḍa al-maḥḍa alladhī huwa ʿalāmatu al-ḥalāli fakhudh kayfa shiʾta wa-ittasiʿ, lā junāḥa ʿalayka ʿalā ʾannaka lā takūnu zāhidan bi-dhālika.
Such are the possessions of the ruler's associates, because what their hands possess is entangled with their service to their commanders. When you see pure white, the sign of the lawful, take as you wish and allow yourself abundance. There is no sin upon you, although that does not make you a renunciant.
وَهَذَا مِثْلُ فَيْءِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ وَالْغَنَائِمِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ، وَمِثْلُ الْمَوَارِيثِ الطَّيِّبَةِ وَمَا أَنْبَتَتِ الْأَرْضُ الَّتِي هِيَ غَيْرُ مَغْصُوبَةٍ، وَمِثْلُ مَاءِ السَّمَاءِ وَالسَّيْحِ فِي الْأَنْهَارِ وَصَيْدِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ، وَإِنْ رَأَيْتَ السَّوَادَ الْغِرْبِيبَ فَهُوَ عَلَامَةُ الْحَرَامِ، فَاِجْتَنِبْهُ وَلَا تَأْخُذْ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا.
wa-hādhā mithlu fayʾi al-mushrikīna wa-al-ghanāʾimi fī sabīli Allāhi, wamithlu al-mawārīthi al-ṭayyibati wamā ʾanbatati al-ʾarḍu allatī hiya ghayru maghṣūbatin, wamithlu māʾi al-samāʾi wa-al-sayḥi fī al-ʾanhāri waṣaydi al-barri wa-al-baḥri, waʾin raʾayta al-sawāda al-ghirbība fahuwa ʿalāmatu al-ḥarāmi, fa-ijtanibhu walā taʾkhudh minhu shayʾan.
Examples include fayʾ taken from polytheists, spoils acquired in God's path, sound inheritances, what grows on land not wrongfully seized, rainwater, flowing river water, and game from land and sea. If you see raven-black darkness, that is the sign of the unlawful: avoid it and take none of it.
فَإِنْ فَعَلْتَ كُنْتَ بِذَلِكَ فَاسِقًا وَأَكْلُ الْحَرَامِ مِنَ الْكَبَائِرِ، وَهَذَا مِثْلُ الْمَغْصُوبِ وَالْجِنَايَاتِ، وَمَا أُكِلَ بِأَسْبَابِ الْمَعَاصِي وَمَا تُمُلِّكَ مِنْ غَيْرِ طِيبِ نَفْسٍ مِنَ الْوَاهِبِ. وَاِعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْحَلَالَ وَالْحَرَامَ فَرْعَانِ لِلتَّقْوَى وَالْفُجُورِ وَالْعِلْمِ وَالْجَهْلِ.
faʾin faʿalta kunta bi-dhālika fāsiqan waʾaklu al-ḥarāmi mina al-kabāʾiri, wa-hādhā mithlu al-maghṣūbi wa-al-jināyāti, wamā ʾukila biʾasbābi al-maʿāṣī wamā tumullika min ghayri ṭībi nafsin mina al-wāhibi. wa-iʿlam ʾanna al-ḥalāla wa-al-ḥarāma farʿāni li-l-taqwā wa-al-fujūri wa-al-ʿilmi wa-al-jahli.
If you do, you become disobedient thereby, and consuming the unlawful is a major sin. Examples are usurped property, the proceeds of offenses, what is consumed through sinful means, and what is acquired without the giver's willing consent. Know that lawful and unlawful branch from piety and profligacy, knowledge and ignorance.
وَالْعِلْمُ وَالتَّقْوَى هُمَا حَالَانِ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ الْعُلَمَاءِ، فَإِذَا كَثُرَ الْمُتَّقُونَ وَوُجِدَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ كَانَ الْحَلَالُ أَظْهَرَ وَأَكْثَرَ، وَوُجُودُ الْحَرَامِ بِظُهُورِهِ وَكَثْرَتِهِ بِكَثْرَةِ وُجُودِ الْجَهْلِ وَالْفُجُورِ وَهُمَا حَالَا الْجَاهِلِينَ الْفُجَّارِ، فَإِذَا كَثُرَ الْجَاهِلُونَ وَظَهَرَ الْفَاسِقُونَ كَانَ الْحَرَامُ أَغْلَبَ وَأَكْثَرَ.
wa-al-ʿilmu wa-al-taqwā humā ḥālāni li-l-muttaqīna al-ʿulamāʾi, faʾidhā kathura al-muttaqūna wawujida al-muʾminūna kāna al-ḥalālu ʾaẓhara waʾakthara, wawujūdu al-ḥarāmi biẓuhūrihi wakathratihi bikathrati wujūdi al-jahli wa-al-fujūri wahumā ḥālā al-jāhilīna al-fujjāri, faʾidhā kathura al-jāhilūna waẓahara al-fāsiqūna kāna al-ḥarāmu ʾaghlaba waʾakthara.
Knowledge and piety are the two states of God-fearing scholars. When the God-fearing are numerous and believers present, the lawful is more manifest and abundant. The unlawful becomes manifest and abundant as ignorance and profligacy abound, those being the states of ignorant profligates. When the ignorant multiply and the disobedient become prominent, the unlawful predominates and increases.
وَأَصْلُ وُجُودِ الْحَلَالِ فِي الْكَافَّةِ عَدْلُ الْأَئِمَّةِ وَاِسْتِقَامَةُ الْوُلَاةِ، وَطَاعَةُ أَوْلِيَائِهِمْ فِيمَا لَهُمْ مَعَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِصَلَاحِ الدِّينِ وَحِيطَةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، كَمَا أَنَّ أَصْلَ ظُهُورِ الْحَلَالِ وَاِنْتِشَارِهِ هُوَ الرَّعِيَّةُ.
waʾaṣlu wujūdi al-ḥalāli fī al-kāffati ʿadlu al-ʾaʾimmati wa-istiqāmatu al-wulāti, waṭāʿatu ʾawliyāʾihim fīmā lahum maʿahum fī sabīli Allāhi ʿazza wajalla liṣalāḥi al-dīni waḥīṭati al-muslimīna, kamā ʾanna ʾaṣla ẓuhūri al-ḥalāli wa-intishārihi huwa al-raʿiyyatu.
The foundation of lawful livelihood among people at large is the justice of leaders, the uprightness of governors, and their associates' obedience in their shared affairs in the path of God, mighty and majestic, for religion's soundness and Muslims' protection; just as the foundation of the lawful's appearance and spread is the populace.
فَإِذَا قَلَّ ذَلِكَ وَكَانَ الْأَمْرُ عَلَى ضِدِّهِ غَمُضَ الْحَلَالُ وَاِخْتَفَى، فَظَهَرَ الْحَرَامُ وَفَشَا، فَكَانَ الْحَلَالُ قَلِيلًا عَزِيزًا، وَكَانَ فِي خُصُوصٍ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ يَخُصُّ اللَّهُ بِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَصْرِفُهُ إِلَى مَنْ أَحَبَّ، كَيْفَ أَحَبَّ مِنْ طَرِيقِ التَّوْفِيقِ وَالْهِدَايَةِ وَبِمَعْنَى الْعِصْمَةِ وَالْوِقَايَةِ.
faʾidhā qalla dhālika wakāna al-ʾamru ʿalā ḍiddihi ghamuḍa al-ḥalālu wa-ikhtafā, faẓahara al-ḥarāmu wafashā, fakāna al-ḥalālu qalīlan ʿazīzan, wakāna fī khuṣūṣin mina al-muslimīna yakhuṣṣu Allāhu bihi man yashāʾu wayaṣrifuhu ʾilā man ʾaḥabba, kayfa ʾaḥabba min ṭarīqi al-tawfīqi wa-al-hidāyati wabimaʿnā al-ʿiṣmati wa-al-wiqāyati.
When this diminishes and conditions turn to its opposite, lawful livelihood becomes obscure and hidden, while the unlawful appears and spreads. The lawful becomes scarce and precious, confined to a select few Muslims. God singles out whomever He wills for it and directs it to whomever He loves, however He loves, through enabling and guidance, preservation and protection.
وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي الْخَبَرِ: إِذَا فَسَدَتْ أَدْيَانُ النَّاسِ فَسَدَتْ أَرْزَاقُهُمْ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ التَّفْسِيرِ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿وَكَذَلِكَ نُوَلِّي بَعْضَ الظَّالِمِينَ بَعْضًا بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ﴾ الْأَنْعَامِ: 129، قَالَ: إِذَا فَسَدَتْ أَعْمَالُ النَّاسِ جُعِلَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَئِمَّةٌ يُشْبِهُونَ أَعْمَالَهُمْ.
waqad jāʾa fī al-khabari: ʾidhā fasadat ʾadyānu al-nāsi fasadat ʾarzāquhum, waqāla baʿḍu ʾahli al-tafsīri fī qawlihi ʿazza wajalla: ﴿wa-kadhālika nuwallī baʿḍa al-ẓālimīna baʿḍan bimā kānū yaksibūna﴾ al-ʾanʿāmi: 129, qāla: ʾidhā fasadat ʾaʿmālu al-nāsi juʿila ʿalayhim ʾaʾimmatun yushbihūna ʾaʿmālahum.
A report says: “When people's religions become corrupt, their livelihoods become corrupt.” One commentator explained the words of God, mighty and majestic, “Thus We set some wrongdoers over others because of what they used to earn” (al-Anʿām, 6:129): “When people's deeds become corrupt, leaders resembling their deeds are placed over them.”
وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهَا أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ: رِزْقُ الْمُؤْمِنِ مِثْلُ قَطْرِ الْحُبِّ، فَهَذَا يَحْتَمِلُهُ مَعْنَيَانِ، أَحَدُهُمَا الضِّيقُ وَالْقِلَّةُ وَالثَّانِي فِي الصَّفَاءِ. وَهَذَا عَلَى مَعْنَى مَا قَالَ سَهْلٌ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: لَوْ كَانَتِ الدُّنْيَا دَمًا عَبِيطًا لَكَانَ قُوتُ الْمُؤْمِنِ مِنْهَا حَلَالًا.
waqad rawaynā ʿan ʿāʾishata raḍiya Allāhu taʿālā ʿanhā ʾannahā qālat: rizqu al-muʾmini mithlu qaṭri al-ḥubbi, fa-hādhā yaḥtamiluhu maʿnayāni, ʾaḥaduhumā al-ḍīqu wa-al-qillatu wa-al-thānī fī al-ṣafāʾi. wa-hādhā ʿalā maʿnā mā qāla sahlun raḥimahu Allāhu: law kānati al-dunyā daman ʿabīṭan lakāna qūtu al-muʾmini minhā ḥalālan.
We have transmitted from ʿĀʾisha, may God Most High be pleased with her: “The believer's provision is like drops from a water jar.” This admits two meanings: one concerns narrowness and scarcity, the other purity. It accords with the saying of Sahl, God have mercy on him: “If the world were fresh blood, the believer's sustenance from it would still be lawful.”
فَهَذَا عَلَى مَعْنَيَيْنِ، أَحَدُهُمَا أَنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ مُوَفَّقٌ مَعْصُومٌ قَدْ عَمِلَ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِمَا عَلِمَ، وَاللَّهُ قَدْ حَفِظَهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُ بِأَنْ يَسْتَخْرِجَ لَهُ الْحَلَالَ مِنَ الْحَرَامِ
fa-hādhā ʿalā maʿnayayni, ʾaḥaduhumā ʾanna al-muʾmina muwaffaqun maʿṣūmun qad ʿamila li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla bimā ʿalima, wa-Allāhu qad ḥafiẓahu min ḥaythu lā yaʿlamu biʾan yastakhrija lahu al-ḥalāla mina al-ḥarāmi
This has two meanings. The first is that the believer is divinely enabled and protected: he has acted for God, mighty and majestic, according to what he knows, and God has guarded him in ways he does not know, extracting for him the lawful from the unlawful
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٨٣
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 483
Volume Two, page 483
بِاِخْتِيَارِهِ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ، كَمَا يَسْتَخْرِجُ لَهُ الْعِلْمَ مِنَ الْجَهْلِ، وَالتَّوْحِيدَ مِنَ الشِّرْكِ بِلُطْفِ قُدْرَتِهِ، فَمَنْ تَذَكَّرَ بِهِ وَتَبَصَّرَ بِهِ أَقَامَهُ مَقَامَ التَّوْحِيدِ مِنَ الْحِكْمَةِ، وَالْمَعْنَى الثَّانِي الْمُؤْمِنُ عِنْدَهُ لَا يَتَنَاوَلُ شَيْئًا إِلَّا فَاقَةً أَوْ ضَرُورَةً، فَقَدْ حَلَّتْ لَهُ وَإِنْ حَرُمَتْ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ، وَهَذَا هُوَ الْمُؤْمِنُ الصِّدِّيقُ.
bi-ikhtiyārihi min ʿamalihi, kamā yastakhriju lahu al-ʿilma mina al-jahli, wa-al-tawḥīda mina al-shirki biluṭfi qudratihi, faman tadhakkara bihi watabaṣṣara bihi ʾaqāmahu maqāma al-tawḥīdi mina al-ḥikmati, wa-al-maʿnā al-thānī al-muʾminu ʿindahu lā yatanāwalu shayʾan ʾillā fāqatan ʾaw ḍarūratan, faqad ḥallat lahu waʾin ḥarumat ʿalā ghayrihi, wa-hādhā huwa al-muʾminu al-ṣiddīqu.
through His choosing from his deeds, just as He brings him knowledge from ignorance and divine unity from association through His subtle power. Whoever takes heed and gains insight through Him, He establishes in unity's station through wisdom. The second meaning is that, in Sahl's view, the believer consumes only out of want or necessity. It has therefore become lawful for him even if forbidden to others. This is the utterly truthful believer.
وَقَدْ قِيلَ لِاِبْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ: يَظْهَرُ بَعْدَ الْمِائَتَيْنِ عَدْلٌ؟ فَقَالَ: تَذَاكَرْنَا ذَلِكَ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ سَلَمَةَ، فَغَضِبَ وَقَالَ: إِنِ اِسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ تَمُوتَ بَعْدَ الْمِائَتَيْنِ فَمُتْ، فَإِنَّهُ يَحْدُثُ فِي ذَلِكَ الزَّمَانِ أُمَرَاءُ فَجَرَةٌ وَوُزَرَاءُ ظَلَمَةٌ وَأُمَنَاءُ خَوَنَةٌ، وَقُرَّاءٌ فَسَقَةٌ حَدِيثُهُمْ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُمُ التَّلَاوُمُ يُسَمَّوْنَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الْأَنْتَانَ.
waqad qīla li-ibni al-mubāraki: yaẓharu baʿda al-miʾatayni ʿadlun? faqāla: tadhākarnā dhālika ʿan ḥammādi bni salamata, faghaḍiba waqāla: ʾini istaṭaʿta ʾan tamūta baʿda al-miʾatayni famut, faʾinnahu yaḥduthu fī dhālika al-zamāni ʾumarāʾu fajaratun wawuzarāʾu ẓalamatun waʾumanāʾu khawanatun, waqurrāʾun fasaqatun ḥadīthuhum fīmā baynahumu al-talāwumu yusammawna ʿinda Allāhi al-ʾantāna.
Ibn al-Mubārak was asked: “Will justice appear after the year two hundred?” He said: “We discussed this concerning Ḥammād ibn Salama. He grew angry and said: ‘If you can die after two hundred, die! In that time there will arise profligate commanders, oppressive ministers, treacherous trustees, and disobedient reciters whose conversation is mutual blame. Before God they are called the foul-smelling ones.’”
وَقَالَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ الصَّالِحِ: إِنِّي لَأَسْتَحْيِي مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْ أَسْأَلَهُ بَعْدَ الْمِائَتَيْنِ أَنْ يَرْزُقَنِي حَلَالًا، وَلَٰكِنِّي أَسْأَلُهُ رِزْقًا لَا يُعَذِّبُنِي عَلَيْهِ، وَقَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ أَدْهَمَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: مَا تَرَكَ لَنَا بَنُو فُلَانٍ مِنَ الْحَلَالِ شَيْئًا، يَعْنِي الْمُلُوكَ وَالْأُمَرَاءَ.
waqāla baʿḍu al-salafi al-ṣāliḥi: ʾinnī laʾastaḥyī mina Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ʾan ʾasʾalahu baʿda al-miʾatayni ʾan yarzuqanī ḥalālan, walākinnī ʾasʾaluhu rizqan lā yuʿadhdhibunī ʿalayhi, waqāla ʾibrāhīmu bnu ʾadhama raḥimahu Allāhu: mā taraka lanā banū fulānin mina al-ḥalāli shayʾan, yaʿnī al-mulūka wa-al-ʾumarāʾa.
One righteous early Muslim said: “After the year two hundred, I am ashamed before God, mighty and majestic, to ask Him for lawful provision. I ask Him instead for provision for which He will not punish me.” Ibrāhīm ibn Adham, God have mercy on him, said: “The sons of so-and-so have left us nothing lawful,” meaning kings and commanders.
وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ عَلِيًّا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لَمْ يَأْكُلْ بَعْدَ قَتْلِ عُثْمَانَ وَنَهْبِ الدَّارِ إِلَّا طَعَامًا مَخْتُومًا عَلَيْهِ، وَرُوِيَ فِي خَبَرِ الْعَامِلِ الَّذِي أَرَادَ عَلِيٌّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنْ يَسْتَعْمِلَهُ عَلَى صَدَقَاتٍ قَالَ: فَدَعَا بِطِينَةٍ مَخْتُومَةٍ ظَنَنْتُ أَنَّ فِيهَا جَوْهَرًا أَوْ تِبْرًا فَفَضَّ خِتَامَهَا.
wayuqālu ʾinna ʿaliyyan raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu lam yaʾkul baʿda qatli ʿuthmāna wanahbi al-dāri ʾillā ṭaʿāman makhtūman ʿalayhi, waruwiya fī khabari al-ʿāmili alladhī ʾarāda ʿaliyyun raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ʾan yastaʿmilahu ʿalā ṣadaqātin qāla: fadaʿā biṭīnatin makhtūmatin ẓanantu ʾanna fīhā jawharan ʾaw tibran fafaḍḍa khitāmahā.
It is said that after ʿUthmān's killing and the plundering of the house, ʿAlī, God be pleased with him, ate only sealed food. An account of an official whom ʿAlī, God be pleased with him, wished to appoint over alms collection relates: “He called for a sealed clay container. I thought it held gems or gold dust, but he broke its seal,
فَإِذَا فِيهَا سَوِيقُ شَعِيرٍ فَنَثَرَهُ بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ وَقَالَ: كُلْ مِنْ طَعَامِنَا، فَقُلْتُ: أَتَخْتِمُ عَلَيْهِ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ هَذَا شَيْءٌ اِصْطَفَيْتُهُ لِنَفْسِي، وَأَخَافُ أَنْ يَخْتَلِطَ فِيهِ مَا لَيْسَ مِنْهُ، وَالْحَدِيثُ فِيهِ طُولٌ فَاِخْتَصَرْتُ هَذَا مِنْهُ.
faʾidhā fīhā sawīqu shaʿīrin fanatharahu bayna yadayya waqāla: kul min ṭaʿāminā, faqultu: ʾatakhtimu ʿalayhi yā ʾamīra al-muʾminīna? qāla: naʿam hādhā shayʾun iṣṭafaytuhu linafsī, waʾakhāfu ʾan yakhtaliṭa fīhi mā laysa minhu, wa-al-ḥadīthu fīhi ṭūlun fa-ikhtaṣartu hādhā minhu.
and there was barley meal inside. He scattered it before me and said, ‘Eat some of our food.’ I asked, ‘Do you seal it, Commander of the Believers?’ He replied, ‘Yes. This is something I have selected for myself, and I fear that something foreign to it might be mixed into it.’” The account is long; I have abridged this portion of it.
وَرُوِيَ أَنَّ جَمَاعَةً مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ مَا شَبِعُوا مِنَ الطَّعَامِ مُنْذُ قَتْلِ عُثْمَانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لِاِخْتِلَاطِ أَمْوَالِ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ بِنَهْبِ الدَّارِ، مِنْهُمُ اِبْنُ عُمَرَ وَسَعْدٌ وَأُسَامَةُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ.
waruwiya ʾanna jamāʿatan mina al-ṣaḥābati mā shabiʿū mina al-ṭaʿāmi mundhu qatli ʿuthmāna raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu li-ikhtilāṭi ʾamwāli ʾahli al-madīnati binahbi al-dāri, minhumu ibnu ʿumara wasaʿdun waʾusāmatu bnu zaydin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum.
It is transmitted that a group of Companions never ate their fill after the killing of ʿUthmān, God be pleased with him, because the wealth of Medina's people became mixed with the plunder of the house. Among them were Ibn ʿUmar, Saʿd, and Usāma ibn Zayd, God be pleased with them.
وَكَانَ يُوسُفُ وَوَكِيعُ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ يَقُولَانِ: الدُّنْيَا عِنْدَنَا عَلَى ثَلَاثِ مَنَازِلَ، حَلَالٍ وَحَرَامٍ وَشُبُهَاتٍ، فَحَلَالُهَا حِسَابٌ وَحَرَامُهَا عِقَابٌ وَشُبُهَاتُهَا عِتَابٌ، فَخُذْ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا مَا لَا بُدَّ لَكَ مِنْهُ فَإِنْ كَانَ ذَلِكَ حَلَالًا كُنْتَ زَاهِدًا، وَإِنْ كَانَ شُبْهَةً كُنْتَ وَرِعًا وَكَانَ فِي عِتَابٍ يَسِيرٍ.
wakāna yūsufu wawakīʿu bnu al-jarrāḥi yaqūlāni: al-dunyā ʿindanā ʿalā thalāthi manāzila, ḥalālin waḥarāmin washubuhātin, faḥalāluhā ḥisābun waḥarāmuhā ʿiqābun washubuhātuhā ʿitābun, fakhudh mina al-dunyā mā lā budda laka minhu faʾin kāna dhālika ḥalālan kunta zāhidan, waʾin kāna shubhatan kunta wariʿan wakāna fī ʿitābin yasīrin.
Yūsuf and Wakīʿ ibn al-Jarrāḥ used to say: “For us, the world has three categories: lawful, unlawful, and doubtful. Its lawful brings reckoning, its unlawful punishment, and its doubtful reproach. Take from it only what you cannot do without. If lawful, you are a renunciant; if doubtful, you are scrupulous and face only slight reproach.”
وَقَدْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْهُمَا أَنَّهُمَا قَالَا: لَوْ زَهِدَ أَحَدٌ فِي زَمَانِنَا هَذَا حَتَّى يَكُونَ كَأَبِي ذَرٍّ وَأَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ فِي الزُّهْدِ مَا سَمَّيْنَاهُ زَاهِدًا، قِيلَ: وَلِمَ؟ قَالَ: لِأَنَّ الزُّهْدَ عِنْدَنَا إِنَّمَا يَكُونُ فِي الْحَلَالِ الْمَحْضِ، وَالْحَلَالُ الْمَحْضُ لَا يُعْرَفُ الْيَوْمَ، وَمَاتَ يُوسُفُ وَوَكِيعٌ قَبْلَ الْمِائَتَيْنِ.
waqad rawaynā ʿanhumā ʾannahumā qālā: law zahida ʾaḥadun fī zamāninā hādhā ḥattā yakūna kaʾabī dharrin waʾabī al-dardāʾi fī al-zuhdi mā sammaynāhu zāhidan, qīla: walima? qāla: liʾanna al-zuhda ʿindanā ʾinnamā yakūnu fī al-ḥalāli al-maḥḍi, wa-al-ḥalālu al-maḥḍu lā yuʿrafu al-yawma, wamāta yūsufu wawakīʿun qabla al-miʾatayni.
We have transmitted from them both: “If someone in our time renounced the world until he equaled Abū Dharr and Abū al-Dardāʾ, we would not call him a renunciant.” Asked why, he replied: “For us, renunciation concerns only the purely lawful, and the purely lawful is unknown today.” Yūsuf and Wakīʿ died before the year two hundred.
وَقَدْ كَانَ وَكِيعُ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ أَشْبَهَ الْعُلَمَاءِ بِالسَّلَفِ، وَكَانَ يُشَبَّهُ بِعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ وَقَدْ كَانَ يُشَدِّدُ فِي الطُّعْمَةِ فَسُئِلَ عَنِ الْحَلَالِ، فَجَعَلَ يُعَزِّرُهُ وَيَقُولُ: أَيْنَ الْحَلَالُ؟ وَكَيْفَ لِي بِالْحَلَالِ؟
waqad kāna wakīʿu bnu al-jarrāḥi ʾashbaha al-ʿulamāʾi bi-al-salafi, wakāna yushabbahu biʿabdi Allāhi bni masʿūdin waqad kāna yushaddidu fī al-ṭuʿmati fasuʾila ʿani al-ḥalāli, fajaʿala yuʿazziruhu wayaqūlu: ʾayna al-ḥalālu? wakayfa lī bi-al-ḥalāli?
Wakīʿ ibn al-Jarrāḥ resembled the early Muslims more than other scholars and was compared to ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd. He was strict about food. Asked about lawful sustenance, he began rebuking the questioner, saying: “Where is the lawful? How can I obtain it?”
ثُمَّ قَالَ: لَوْ سَأَلَنَا مُسْتَرْشِدٌ عَنْ عِلْمِنَا فِي الْحَلَالِ فَقُلْنَا لَهُ: كُلْ أُصُولَ الْبَرْدِيِّ وَأَلْقِ ثَوْبَكَ وَاُدْخُلْ فِي الْفُرَاتِ، قِيلَ: وَأَنْتَ يَا أَبَا سُفْيَانَ مِنْ أَيْنَ تَأْكُلُ؟ قَالَ: آكُلُ مِنْ رِزْقِ اللَّهِ وَأَرْجُو عَفْوَ اللَّهِ.
thumma qāla: law saʾalanā mustarshidun ʿan ʿilminā fī al-ḥalāli faqulnā lahu: kul ʾuṣūla al-bardiyyi waʾalqi thawbaka wa-udkhul fī al-furāti, qīla: waʾanta yā ʾabā sufyāna min ʾayna taʾkulu? qāla: ʾākulu min rizqi Allāhi waʾarjū ʿafwa Allāhi.
He continued: “Were a seeker of guidance to ask what we know about the lawful, we would tell him: ‘Eat papyrus roots, cast off your garment, and enter the Euphrates.’” He was asked: “And you, Abū Sufyān, where do you eat from?” He replied: “I eat from God's provision and hope for God's pardon.”
وَقَدْ كَانَ بِشْرُ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ مِنَ الْمُتَقَدِّمِينَ، سُئِلَ عَنِ الْحَلَالِ، قِيلَ لَهُ: مِنْ أَيْنَ تَأْكُلُ يَا أَبَا نَصْرٍ؟ فَقَالَ: مِنْ حَيْثُ تَأْكُلُونَ.
waqad kāna bishru bnu al-ḥārithi mina al-mutaqaddimīna, suʾila ʿani al-ḥalāli, qīla lahu: min ʾayna taʾkulu yā ʾabā naṣrin? faqāla: min ḥaythu taʾkulūna.
Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith, one of the leading predecessors, was asked about lawful sustenance: “Where do you eat from, Abū Naṣr?” He answered: “From where you eat.
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٨٤
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 484
Volume Two, page 484
وَلَيْسَ مَنْ يَأْكُلُ وَهُوَ يَبْكِي كَمَنْ يَأْكُلُ وَهُوَ يَضْحَكُ، وَقَالَ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى فِي رِوَايَةٍ عَنْهُ: وَلَٰكِنْ يَدٌ أَقْصَرُ مِنْ يَدٍ وَلُقْمَةٌ أَصْغَرُ مِنْ لُقْمَةٍ. وَسَأَلَهُ رَجُلٌ عَمَّا لَا يُسْكِرُ مِنَ النَّبِيذِ فَقَالَ: اُنْظُرْ فِي الدِّرْهَمِ الَّذِي تَشْتَرِي بِهِ التَّمْرَ مِنْ أَيْنَ هُوَ؟ فَإِنْ كَانَ حَلَالًا وَإِلَّا هَلَكْتَ، دَعْ عَنْكَ مَا لَا يُسْكِرُ.
walaysa man yaʾkulu wahuwa yabkī kaman yaʾkulu wahuwa yaḍḥaku, waqāla marratan ʾukhrā fī riwāyatin ʿanhu: walākin yadun ʾaqṣaru min yadin waluqmatun ʾaṣgharu min luqmatin. wasaʾalahu rajulun ʿammā lā yuskiru mina al-nabīdhi faqāla: unẓur fī al-dirhami alladhī tashtarī bihi al-tamra min ʾayna huwa? faʾin kāna ḥalālan waʾillā halakta, daʿ ʿanka mā lā yuskiru.
But one who eats weeping is not like one who eats laughing.” Another transmission has him say on a different occasion: “One hand reaches less far than another, and one morsel is smaller than another.” Asked about non-intoxicating nabīdh, he replied: “Look at the dirham with which you buy the dates: where is it from? If lawful, well; otherwise you are ruined. Leave aside the question of what does not intoxicate.”
وَقَدْ كَانَ سَرِيٌّ السَّقَطِيُّ يَتَحَرَّى فِي أَكْلِ الْحَلَالِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ يَأْكُلُ إِلَّا مِنْ حَيْثُ يَعْرِفُ، وَكَانَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ لِأَحْمَدَ بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ وَقَالَ: تَعْنُونَ ذَلِكَ الْفَتَى الْمَعْرُوفَ بِطِيبِ الْغِذَاءِ، وَكَانَ يَقُولُ: لَا يَقْوَى عَلَى تَرْكِ الشُّبُهَاتِ إِلَّا مَنْ تَرَكَ الشَّهَوَاتِ.
waqad kāna sariyyun al-saqaṭiyyu yataḥarrā fī ʾakli al-ḥalāli walam yakun yaʾkulu ʾillā min ḥaythu yaʿrifu, wakāna ʾidhā dhukira liʾaḥmada bni ḥanbalin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ʾathnā ʿalayhi waqāla: taʿnūna dhālika al-fatā al-maʿrūfa biṭībi al-ghidhāʾi, wakāna yaqūlu: lā yaqwā ʿalā tarki al-shubuhāti ʾillā man taraka al-shahawāti.
Sarī al-Saqaṭī took great care to eat lawfully, eating only from sources he knew. When mentioned to Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, God be pleased with him, Aḥmad praised him: “You mean that young man known for wholesome food.” He used to say: “Only someone who abandons desires has the strength to abandon doubtful things.”
وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ بِشْرَ بْنَ الْحَارِثِ كَانَ يَأْكُلُ مِنْ قِبَلِهِ، وَذُكِرَ لَنَا أَنَّ سَرِيًّا السَّقَطِيَّ وَقَفَ عَلَى بِشْرٍ وَهُوَ يَتَكَلَّمُ فَاِطَّلَعَ فِي حَلْقَتِهِ وَقَالَ: يَا بِشْرُ، لَعَلَّ بِدَانِقَيْنِ تَلْبَسُهَا وَتَسْتَرِيحُ مِنْ هَذَا الِاسْمِ، يَعْنِي قَوْلَهُمْ بِشْرٌ الْحَافِي، فَسَكَتَ بِشْرٌ.
wayuqālu ʾinna bishra bna al-ḥārithi kāna yaʾkulu min qibalihi, wadhukira lanā ʾanna sariyyan al-saqaṭiyya waqafa ʿalā bishrin wahuwa yatakallamu fa-iṭṭalaʿa fī ḥalqatihi waqāla: yā bishru, laʿalla bidāniqayni talbasuhā watastarīḥu min hādhā al-ismi, yaʿnī qawlahum bishrun al-ḥāfī, fasakata bishrun.
It is said that Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith ate food supplied by him. We were told that Sarī al-Saqaṭī stopped by Bishr as he was speaking, looked into his circle, and said: “Bishr, perhaps for two dāniqs you could put them on and be free of this name,” meaning their calling him “Bishr the Barefoot.” Bishr remained silent.
فَظَنَّ مَنْ كَانَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ سَرِيٍّ عِنْدَ بِشْرٍ أَنَّهُ قَدْ وَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالُوا: يَا أَبَا نَصْرٍ، إِنَّهُ لَمْ يُرِدْ إِلَّا خَيْرًا، فَقَالَ: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، هُوَ سَرِيٌّ كَمَا سُمِّيَ. وَكَانَ سَرِيٌّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ قَدْ وَجَّهَ إِلَى أَحْمَدَ بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ بِمَالٍ فَرَدَّهُ.
faẓanna man kāna min ʾaṣḥābi sariyyin ʿinda bishrin ʾannahu qad wajada ʿalayhi faqālū: yā ʾabā naṣrin, ʾinnahu lam yurid ʾillā khayran, faqāla: subḥāna Allāhi, huwa sariyyun kamā summiya. wakāna sariyyun raḥimahu Allāhu qad wajjaha ʾilā ʾaḥmada bni ḥanbalin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu bimālin faraddahu.
Sarī's companions who were with Bishr thought he had taken offense, and said: “Abū Naṣr, he meant only good.” He replied: “Glory be to God! He is noble, just as his name says.” Sarī, God have mercy on him, had sent money to Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, God be pleased with him, who returned it.
فَجَاءَ سَرِيٌّ فَكَلَّمَهُ بِكَلَامٍ مِنْ هَذَا الْعِلْمِ فَعَرَّفَهُ فِيهِ مَا يَدِقُّ مِنْ آفَةِ الرَّدِّ فَقَبِلَ مِنْهُ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ يَرُدُّ عَلَيْهِ شَيْئًا. وَحَدَّثُونَا عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: اِنْتَهَيْتُ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ فِي سَفَرٍ إِلَى نَبَاتٍ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ وَعِنْدَ غَدِيرِ مَاءٍ.
fajāʾa sariyyun fakallamahu bikalāmin min hādhā al-ʿilmi faʿarrafahu fīhi mā yadiqqu min ʾāfati al-raddi faqabila minhu walam yakun baʿda dhālika yaruddu ʿalayhi shayʾan. waḥaddathūnā ʿanhu ʾannahu qāla: intahaytu dhāta yawmin fī safarin ʾilā nabātin mina al-ʾarḍi waʿinda ghadīri māʾin.
Sarī came and spoke to him in the language of this knowledge, showing him the subtle spiritual danger in refusing. Aḥmad accepted from him and afterward never returned anything he offered. They related from Sarī: “One day while traveling, I came upon some plants growing in the earth beside a pool of water.
قَالَ: وَكُنْتُ جَائِعًا فَأَكَلْتُ مِنَ الْحَشِيشِ وَشَرِبْتُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الْمَاءِ بِكَفِّي، ثُمَّ اِسْتَنَدْتُ عَلَى ظَهْرِي، ثُمَّ خَطَرَ بِبَالِي أَنِّي إِنْ كُنْتُ أَكَلْتُ حَلَالًا فَالْيَوْمَ، فَهَتَفَ بِي هَاتِفٌ يَقُولُ: يَا سَرِيُّ زَعَمْتَ أَنَّكَ أَكَلْتَ حَلَالًا، فَالْقُوَّةُ الَّتِي بَلَّغَتْكَ إِلَى هَاهُنَا مِنْ أَيْنَ هِيَ؟
qāla: wakuntu jāʾiʿan faʾakaltu mina al-ḥashīshi washaribtu min dhālika al-māʾi bikaffī, thumma istanadtu ʿalā ẓahrī, thumma khaṭara bibālī ʾannī ʾin kuntu ʾakaltu ḥalālan fa-al-yawma, fahatafa bī hātifun yaqūlu: yā sariyyu zaʿamta ʾannaka ʾakalta ḥalālan, fa-al-quwwatu allatī ballaghatka ʾilā hāhunā min ʾayna hiya?
“I was hungry, so I ate some herbage and drank that water from my palm, then reclined on my back. It occurred to me: ‘If I have ever eaten lawfully, today is the day.’ Then a voice called: ‘Sarī, you claim to have eaten lawfully. Where did the strength that brought you here come from?’”
قَالَ: فَاِسْتَغْفَرْتُ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى مِمَّا كَانَ وَقَعَ فِي قَلْبِي. وَكَانَ شَقِيقٌ الْبَلْخِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ الْمَكَاسِبَ الْيَوْمَ قَدْ فَسَدَتْ، وَإِنَّ التِّجَارَاتِ وَالصِّنَاعَاتِ شُبُهَاتٌ كُلُّهَا، لَا يَحِلُّ الِاسْتِكْثَارُ وَالِادِّخَارُ مِنْهُمَا لِوُجُودِ الْغِشِّ وَعَدَمِ النُّصْحِ، قَالَ: وَإِنَّمَا يَنْبَغِي لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ أَنْ يَدْخُلُوا فِيهَا ضَرُورَةً.
qāla: fa-istaghfartu Allāha taʿālā mimmā kāna waqaʿa fī qalbī. wakāna shaqīqun al-balkhiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu: ʾinna al-makāsiba al-yawma qad fasadat, waʾinna al-tijārāti wa-al-ṣināʿāti shubuhātun kulluhā, lā yaḥillu al-istikthāru wa-al-iddikhāru minhumā liwujūdi al-ghishshi waʿadami al-nuṣḥi, qāla: waʾinnamā yanbaghī li-l-muslimīna ʾan yadkhulū fīhā ḍarūratan.
He said: “I sought forgiveness from God Most High for what had arisen in my heart.” Shaqīq al-Balkhī, God have mercy on him, used to say: “Earnings today have become corrupt. All commerce and crafts are doubtful. Taking abundance and storing it from them is impermissible because fraud is present and conscientiousness absent. Muslims should enter them only out of necessity.”
وَقَالَ: النَّاسُ كَقَتَلَةِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ عَلَيْهِمُ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ، لِأَنَّهُمْ أَعَانُوا عَلَى إِمَاتَةِ السُّنَنِ وَدَرْسِ طُرُقِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ، وَمَنْ أَبْطَلَ سُنَنَ نَبِيٍّ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَهُ، هَذَا يَقُولُهُ فِي سَنَةِ سَبْعِينَ وَمِائَةٍ.
waqāla: al-nāsu kaqatalati al-ʾanbiyāʾi ʿalayhimu al-ṣalātu wa-al-salāmu, liʾannahum ʾaʿānū ʿalā ʾimātati al-sunani wadarsi ṭuruqi al-ʾanbiyāʾi, waman ʾabṭala sunana nabiyyin fakaʾannamā qatalahu, hādhā yaqūluhu fī sanati sabʿīna wamiʾatin.
He said: “People resemble the killers of prophets, blessings and peace be upon them, because they have helped put the traditions to death and efface the prophets' paths. Whoever abolishes a prophet's traditions is as though he killed him.” He was saying this in the year one hundred and seventy.
فَإِذَا كَانَ الْأَمْرُ أَيُّهَا الْمُسْلِمُ الْمُوقِنُ بِتَوْحِيدِ اللَّهِ وَوَعِيدِهِ عَلَى هَذَا عِنْدَ الْعُلَمَاءِ مِنَ السَّلَفِ وَالْأَخْيَارِ مِنَ الْخَلَفِ فِي ذَلِكَ الْوَقْتِ، فَكَيْفَ بِوَقْتِكَ هَذَا؟ وَقَدِ اُفْتُرِضَ عَلَيْكَ الزُّهْدُ فِي الدُّنْيَا، وَقَدْ وَجَبَ عَلَيْكَ الْأَخْذُ بِالْبُلْغَةِ مِمَّا لَا بُدَّ مِنْهُ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ.
faʾidhā kāna al-ʾamru ʾayyuhā al-muslimu al-mūqinu bitawḥīdi Allāhi wawaʿīdihi ʿalā hādhā ʿinda al-ʿulamāʾi mina al-salafi wa-al-ʾakhyāri mina al-khalafi fī dhālika al-waqti, fakayfa biwaqtika hādhā? waqadi ufturiḍa ʿalayka al-zuhdu fī al-dunyā, waqad wajaba ʿalayka al-ʾakhdhu bi-al-bulghati mimmā lā budda minhu min kulli shayʾin.
Muslim who is certain of God's oneness and His warning, if this was how matters stood for the early scholars and worthy successors at that time, what of your own? Renunciation of the world has been made obligatory for you, and you must take only enough of each thing to meet indispensable needs.
فَإِنِ اِسْتَكْثَرْتَ أَوْ جَمَعْتَ مِنْ مِثْلِ هَذِهِ الْأَشْيَاءِ كَانَ ذَلِكَ مَعْصِيَةً، وَكُلُّ مَا يُظْهِرُهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَكَ مِنْ غِيَرِ الْأُمُورِ وَبَدِيهَاتِ الْمَصَائِبِ فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ تَزْهِيدٌ لَكَ فِي الدُّنْيَا إِنْ فَطِنْتَ لِذَلِكَ، وَكُلُّ مَا صُرِفَ عَنْكَ مِثْلُ هَذَا فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ وَإِنْ كَرِهْتَ.
faʾini istaktharta ʾaw jamaʿta min mithli hādhihi al-ʾashyāʾi kāna dhālika maʿṣiyatan, wakullu mā yuẓhiruhu Allāhu ʿazza wajalla laka min ghiyari al-ʾumūri wabadīhāti al-maṣāʾibi faʾinnamā huwa tazhīdun laka fī al-dunyā ʾin faṭinta li-dhālika, wakullu mā ṣurifa ʿanka mithlu hādhā fahuwa khayrun waʾin karihta.
If you take much or accumulate such things, that is disobedience. Every reversal of circumstances and sudden calamity God, mighty and majestic, shows you is meant to detach you from the world, if you perceive it. Whatever of such worldly things is kept from you is good, even if you dislike it.
وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: مَا مَلَأَ اِبْنُ آدَمَ وِعَاءً شَرًّا مِنْ بَطْنٍ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ حَلَالٍ، فَإِنْ كَانَ لَا بُدَّ فَثُلُثُ طَعَامٍ وَثُلُثُ شَرَابٍ وَثُلُثُ نَفَسٍ، فَقَدْ صَارَ الْأَكْلُ
wafī al-khabari: mā malaʾa ibnu ʾādama wiʿāʾan sharran min baṭnin walaw kāna min ḥalālin, faʾin kāna lā budda fathuluthu ṭaʿāmin wathuluthu sharābin wathuluthu nafasin, faqad ṣāra al-ʾaklu
A report says: “The son of Adam fills no vessel worse than his stomach, even with lawful food. If he must, then a third for food, a third for drink, and a third for breath.” Thus eating
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٨٥
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 485
Volume Two, page 485
فِي ثُلُثِ الْبَطْنِ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْأَكْلِ مِلْأَهُ لِأَنَّهُ شَرٌّ، وَمَا نَقَصَ مِنَ الشَّرِّ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ، وَفِي الْخَبَرِ: مَا شَيْءٌ أَبْغَضُ إِلَى اللَّهِ مِنْ بَطْنٍ مَلِيءٍ وَلَوْ مِنْ حَلَالٍ.
fī thuluthi al-baṭni khayrun mina al-ʾakli milʾahu liʾannahu sharrun, wamā naqaṣa mina al-sharri fahuwa khayrun, wafī al-khabari: mā shayʾun ʾabghaḍu ʾilā Allāhi min baṭnin malīʾin walaw min ḥalālin.
to fill one third of the stomach is better than filling it completely, because the latter is bad, and whatever reduces the bad is good. A report says: “Nothing is more hateful to God than a full stomach, even if filled lawfully.”
وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي الْخَبَرِ: لَا يُعَذِّبُ اللَّهُ عَبْدًا جَعَلَ رِزْقَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا قُوتًا، وَفِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَرِزْقُ رَبِّكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى﴾ طَهَ: 131، قِيلَ: يَوْمٌ بِيَوْمٍ، وَقِيلَ: الْقَنَاعَةُ، وَقَدْ كَانَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ يَتَوَرَّعُونَ عَنِ الشُّبُهَاتِ فِي وَقْتِ الْعَدْلِ وَمَعَ وُجُودِ الْفَضْلِ.
waqad jāʾa fī al-khabari: lā yuʿadhdhibu Allāhu ʿabdan jaʿala rizqahu fī al-dunyā qūtan, wafī qawlihi taʿālā: ﴿warizqu rabbika khayrun waʾabqā﴾ Ṭā Hā: 131, qīla: yawmun biyawmin, waqīla: al-qanāʿatu, waqad kāna al-muslimūna yatawarraʿūna ʿani al-shubuhāti fī waqti al-ʿadli wamaʿa wujūdi al-faḍli.
A report says: “God does not punish a servant whose provision in this world He makes sufficient sustenance.” The words of God Most High, “Your Lord's provision is better and more lasting” (Ṭā Hā, 20:131), are explained as “day by day,” or as contentment. Muslims used to avoid doubtful things even in times of justice and when surplus was available.
حَدَّثُونَا أَنَّ الْفُضَيْلَ بْنَ عِيَاضٍ وَاِبْنَ عُيَيْنَةَ وَاِبْنَ الْمُبَارَكِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ اِجْتَمَعُوا عِنْدَ وُهَيْبِ بْنِ الْوَرْدِ بِمَكَّةَ، فَذَكَرُوا الرُّطَبَ فَقَالَ وُهَيْبٌ: هُوَ أَحَبُّ الطَّعَامِ إِلَيَّ إِلَّا أَنِّي لَا آكُلُهُ، قِيلَ: وَلِمَ؟ قَالَ: لِأَنَّهُ قَدِ اِخْتَلَطَ رُطَبُ مَكَّةَ بِهَذِهِ الْبَسَاتِينِ الَّتِي اِشْتَرَوْهَا هَؤُلَاءِ، يَعْنِي زُبَيْدَةَ وَأَشْبَاهَهَا.
ḥaddathūnā ʾanna al-fuḍayla bna ʿiyāḍin wa-ibna ʿuyaynata wa-ibna al-mubāraki raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum ijtamaʿū ʿinda wuhaybi bni al-wardi bimakkata, fadhakarū al-ruṭaba faqāla wuhaybun: huwa ʾaḥabbu al-ṭaʿāmi ʾilayya ʾillā ʾannī lā ʾākuluhu, qīla: walima? qāla: liʾannahu qadi ikhtalaṭa ruṭabu makkata bi-hādhihi al-basātīni allatī ishtarawhā hāʾulāʾi, yaʿnī zubaydata waʾashbāhahā.
They related that al-Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ, Ibn ʿUyayna, and Ibn al-Mubārak, God be pleased with them, gathered at Wuhayb ibn al-Ward's in Mecca. They mentioned fresh dates, and Wuhayb said: “They are my favorite food, but I do not eat them.” Asked why, he replied: “Mecca's dates have become mixed with those from the orchards these people bought,” meaning Zubayda and others like her.
فَقَالَ لَهُ اِبْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ: رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ إِنْ نَظَرْتَ إِلَى مِثْلِ هَذَا ضَاقَ عَلَيْكَ الْخُبْزُ، فَقَالَ: وَمَا سَبَبُهُ؟ قَالَ: نَظَرْتُ فِي أُصُولِ الضِّيَاعِ بِمِصْرَ فَإِذَا هِيَ قَدِ اِخْتَلَطَتْ بِالصَّوَافِي، قَالَ: فَغُشِيَ عَلَى وُهَيْبٍ، فَقَالَ لَهُ سُفْيَانُ: مَا أَرَدْتَ بِهَذَا؟ قَتَلْتَ الرَّجُلَ.
faqāla lahu ibnu al-mubāraki: raḥimaka Allāhu ʾin naẓarta ʾilā mithli hādhā ḍāqa ʿalayka al-khubzu, faqāla: wamā sababuhu? qāla: naẓartu fī ʾuṣūli al-ḍiyāʿi bimiṣra faʾidhā hiya qadi ikhtalaṭat bi-al-ṣawāfī, qāla: faghushiya ʿalā wuhaybin, faqāla lahu sufyānu: mā ʾaradta bi-hādhā? qatalta al-rajula.
Ibn al-Mubārak told him: “God have mercy on you! If you consider such things, even bread will become difficult for you.” He asked why. Ibn al-Mubārak said: “I examined the origins of Egyptian estates and found them mixed with the crown domains.” Wuhayb fainted. Sufyān said to Ibn al-Mubārak: “What did you mean by that? You have killed the man!”
قَالَ اِبْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ: وَاللَّهِ مَا أَرَدْتُ إِلَّا أَنْ أُهَوِّنَ عَلَيْهِ، قَالَ: فَلَمَّا أَفَاقَ وُهَيْبٌ قَالَ: لِلَّهِ عَلَيَّ أَنْ لَا آكُلَ خُبْزًا أَبَدًا حَتَّى أَلْقَاهُ، قَالَ: فَكَانَ يَشْرَبُ اللَّبَنَ، قَالَ: فَأَتَتْهُ أُمُّهُ بِلَبَنٍ فَقَالَ: مِنْ أَيْنَ لَكِ هَذَا؟ قَالَتْ: مِنْ شَاةِ بَنِي فُلَانٍ.
qāla ibnu al-mubāraki: wa-Allāhi mā ʾaradtu ʾillā ʾan ʾuhawwina ʿalayhi, qāla: falammā ʾafāqa wuhaybun qāla: li-llāhi ʿalayya ʾan lā ʾākula khubzan ʾabadan ḥattā ʾalqāhu, qāla: fakāna yashrabu al-labana, qāla: faʾatathu ʾummuhu bilabanin faqāla: min ʾayna laki hādhā? qālat: min shāti banī fulānin.
Ibn al-Mubārak said: “By God, I meant only to make it easier for him.” When Wuhayb recovered, he declared: “I owe God a vow never to eat bread again until I meet Him.” He used to drink milk. His mother brought him some, and he asked: “Where did you get this?” She answered: “From the sheep of the sons of so-and-so.”
قَالَ: وَمِنْ أَيْنَ لَهُمْ ثَمَنُهَا؟ قَالَتْ: مِنْ كَذَا وَكَذَا، فَرَضِيَهُ، فَلَمَّا أَدْنَاهُ مِنْ فِيهِ قَالَ: قَدْ بَقِيَ شَيْءٌ فَأَيْنَ تَرْعَى هَذِهِ الشَّاةُ؟ فَسَكَتَتْ، فَقَالَ: لَتُخْبِرِينِي، فَإِذَا هِيَ تَرْعَى مَعَ غَنَمٍ لِاِبْنِ عَبْدِ الصَّمَدِ الْهَاشِمِيِّ أَمِيرِ مَكَّةَ فِي الْحَيِّ.
qāla: wamin ʾayna lahum thamanuhā? qālat: min kadhā wakadhā, faraḍiyahu, falammā ʾadnāhu min fīhi qāla: qad baqiya shayʾun faʾayna tarʿā hādhihi al-shātu? fasakatat, faqāla: latukhbirīnī, faʾidhā hiya tarʿā maʿa ghanamin li-ibni ʿabdi al-ṣamadi al-hāshimiyyi ʾamīri makkata fī al-ḥayyi.
He asked: “Where did they get its purchase price?” She answered: “From such-and-such.” He accepted this, but as he brought it to his mouth, he said: “One thing remains: where does this sheep graze?” She fell silent. He insisted: “You must tell me.” It grazed in the neighborhood with sheep belonging to Ibn ʿAbd al-Ṣamad al-Hāshimī, the governor of Mecca.
فَقَالَ: هَذَا اللَّبَنُ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ فِيهِ حَقٌّ لَا يَحِلُّ لِي أَنْ أَشْرَبَهُ دُونَهُمْ وَهُمْ شُرَكَائِي فِيهِ، فَقَالَتْ لَهُ أُمُّهُ: اِشْرَبْهُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ لَكَ، فَقَالَ: مَا أُحِبُّ أَنِّي شَرِبْتُهُ وَأَنَّهُ غُفِرَ لِي، قَالَتْ: وَلِمَ؟ قَالَ: أَكْرَهُ أَنْ أَنَالَ مَغْفِرَتَهُ بِمَعْصِيَةٍ.
faqāla: hādhā al-labanu li-l-muslimīna fīhi ḥaqqun lā yaḥillu lī ʾan ʾashrabahu dūnahum wahum shurakāʾī fīhi, faqālat lahu ʾummuhu: ishrabhu faʾinna Allāha yaghfiru laka, faqāla: mā ʾuḥibbu ʾannī sharibtuhu waʾannahu ghufira lī, qālat: walima? qāla: ʾakrahu ʾan ʾanāla maghfiratahu bimaʿṣiyatin.
He said: “Muslims have a right in this milk. I may not drink it to their exclusion when they are my partners in it.” His mother said: “Drink it; God will forgive you.” He answered: “I would not wish to drink it even if I were forgiven.” Asked why, he said: “I dislike attaining His forgiveness through disobedience.”
وَقَدْ كَانَ لِطَاوُوسٍ الْيَمَانِيِّ بِضَاعَةٌ يُتَّجَرُ لَهُ فِيهَا مِنَ التَّمْرِ، فَاِشْتَرَى مُضَارِبُهُ بِبِضَاعَةٍ أَدِيمًا مِنْ بَعْضِ أَوْلِيَاءِ السُّلْطَانِ وَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ بِذَلِكَ، وَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ طَاوُوسٌ: أَفْسَدْتَ عَلَيْنَا مَالَنَا، مَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَتَلَبَّسَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْهُ فَبِعِ الْأَدِيمَ بِالْيَمَنِ وَتَصَدَّقْ بِثَمَنِهِ.
waqad kāna liṭāwūsin al-yamāniyyi biḍāʿatun yuttajaru lahu fīhā mina al-tamri, fa-ishtarā muḍāribuhu bibiḍāʿatin ʾadīman min baʿḍi ʾawliyāʾi al-sulṭāni wakataba ʾilayhi bi-dhālika, wakataba ʾilayhi ṭāwūsun: ʾafsadta ʿalaynā mālanā, mā ʾuḥibbu ʾan ʾatalabbasa bishayʾin minhu fabiʿi al-ʾadīma bi-al-yamani wataṣaddaq bithamanihi.
Ṭāwūs al-Yamānī had capital invested in dates, traded on his behalf. His trading partner used merchandise to buy leather from one of the ruler's associates and wrote to tell him. Ṭāwūs replied: “You have spoiled our wealth. I do not wish to involve myself with any of it. Sell the leather in Yemen and give its price in charity.
وَلَا تُدْخِلْ مِنْهُ إِلَى الْحَرَمِ دِرْهَمًا وَاحِدًا، وَأَنَا أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ مِنْ طُعْمَةِ الْفُقَرَاءِ، وَأَرْجُو أَنْ أَنْجُوَ كَفَافًا لَا عَلَيَّ وَلَا لِي، فَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ ذَلِكَ كَانَ سَبَبَ فَقْرِهِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ مَالٌ غَيْرُهُ، فَبَقِيَ بِغَيْرِ مَعْلُومٍ مِنْ دُنْيَا.
walā tudkhil minhu ʾilā al-ḥarami dirhaman wāḥidan, waʾanā ʾastaghfiru Allāha min ṭuʿmati al-fuqarāʾi, waʾarjū ʾan ʾanjuwa kafāfan lā ʿalayya walā lī, fayuqālu: ʾinna dhālika kāna sababa faqrihi walam yakun lahu mālun ghayruhu, fabaqiya bighayri maʿlūmin min dunyā.
“Do not bring a single dirham of it into the Sanctuary. I seek God's forgiveness for feeding it to the poor, and hope to escape evenly, with nothing against me and nothing in my favor.” It is said that this caused his poverty. He had no other wealth and was left without any assured worldly income.
وَكَانَ خَالِدٌ الْقُشَيْرِيُّ لَمَّا وَلِيَ مَكَّةَ بَعْدَ اِبْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ أَجْرَى نَهْرًا فِي طَرِيقِ أَهْلِ الْيَمَنِ إِلَى مَكَّةَ، فَكَانَ طَاوُوسٌ وَوَهْبُ بْنُ مُنَبِّهٍ الْيَمَانِيَّانِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا إِذَا مَرَّا عَلَيْهِ لَمْ يَتْرُكَا دَوَابَّهُمَا أَنْ تَشْرَبَ مِنْهُ.
wakāna khālidun al-qushayriyyu lammā waliya makkata baʿda ibni al-zubayri ʾajrā nahran fī ṭarīqi ʾahli al-yamani ʾilā makkata, fakāna ṭāwūsun wawahbu bnu munabbihin al-yamāniyyāni raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā ʾidhā marrā ʿalayhi lam yatrukā dawābbahumā ʾan tashraba minhu.
When Khālid al-Qushayrī governed Mecca after Ibn al-Zubayr, he ran a channel along the Yemenis' road to Mecca. Whenever the two Yemenis Ṭāwūs and Wahb ibn Munabbih, God be pleased with them both, passed it, they would not let their animals drink from it.
وَقَدْ كَانَ سَهْلٌ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ: رَجُلٌ بَاتَ فِي قَرْيَةٍ جَائِعًا قَامَ إِلَى الْغَدَاةِ لَمْ يَقْدِرْ أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ مِنَ الْجُوعِ، أَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ فِي مَنْزِلِهِ جَمِيعَ صَلَاةِ الْمُصَلِّينَ الْقَائِمِينَ فِي قَرْيَتِهِ، قِيلَ: وَكَيْفَ ذَلِكَ؟ قَالَ: طَلَبَ الْحَلَالَ فَلَمْ يَجِدْهُ فَكَرِهَ أَنْ يُدْخِلَ جَوْفَهُ حَرَامًا فَبَاتَ طَاوِيًا فَلَهُ أَجْرُ الْمُصَلِّينَ الْقَائِمِينَ فِي تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةِ.
waqad kāna sahlun raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu: rajulun bāta fī qaryatin jāʾiʿan qāma ʾilā al-ghadāti lam yaqdir ʾan yuṣalliya mina al-jūʿi, ʾaʿṭāhu Allāhu fī manzilihi jamīʿa ṣalāti al-muṣallīna al-qāʾimīna fī qaryatihi, qīla: wakayfa dhālika? qāla: ṭalaba al-ḥalāla falam yajidhu fakariha ʾan yudkhila jawfahu ḥarāman fabāta ṭāwiyan falahu ʾajru al-muṣallīna al-qāʾimīna fī tilka al-laylati.
Sahl, God have mercy on him, used to say: “A man spends a hungry night in a village and reaches morning too hungry to pray. God grants him, in his home, all the prayer of those standing in worship in his village.” Asked how, he replied: “He sought lawful food, found none, and refused unlawful food, sleeping hungry. He has the reward of those who prayed that night.”
وَكَانَ سُلَيْمَانُ التَّيْمِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَرَكَ أَكْلَ الْحِنْطَةِ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ فِي ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ: إِنَّهَا تُطْحَنُ فِي هَذِهِ الْأَرْحَى، فَقَالَ: الْمُسْلِمُونَ شُرَكَاءُ فِي الْمَاءِ
wakāna sulaymānu al-taymiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taraka ʾakla al-ḥinṭati, faqīla lahu fī dhālika, faqāla: ʾinnahā tuṭḥanu fī hādhihi al-ʾarḥā, faqāla: al-muslimūna shurakāʾu fī al-māʾi
Sulaymān al-Taymī, God have mercy on him, stopped eating wheat. Asked about it, he said: “It is ground in these mills. Muslims are partners in the water,
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٨٦
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 486
Volume Two, page 486
وَهَؤُلَاءِ يَأْخُذُونَ خَرَاجَهَا دُونَ سَائِرِ النَّاسِ. وَحُدِّثْتُ أَنَّ اِمْرَأَةً أَهْدَتْ إِلَى بِشْرِ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ سَلَّةَ عِنَبٍ، فَقَالَتْ: هَذِهِ مِنْ ضَيْعَةِ أَبِي فَرَدَّهَا بِشْرٌ عَلَيْهَا، فَقَالَتْ: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ تَشُكُّ فِي كَرْمِ أَبِي وَفِي صِحَّةِ مِلْكِهِ وَمِيرَاثِي مِنْهُ وَشَهَادَتُكَ مَكْتُوبَةٌ فِي كِتَابِ الشِّرَاءِ؟
wa-hāʾulāʾi yaʾkhudhūna kharājahā dūna sāʾiri al-nāsi. waḥuddithtu ʾanna imraʾatan ʾahdat ʾilā bishri bni al-ḥārithi sallata ʿinabin, faqālat: hādhihi min ḍayʿati ʾabī faraddahā bishrun ʿalayhā, faqālat: subḥāna Allāhi tashukku fī karmi ʾabī wafī ṣiḥḥati milkihi wamīrāthī minhu washahādatuka maktūbatun fī kitābi al-shirāʾi?
yet these people take its revenue to the exclusion of everyone else.” I was told that a woman gave Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith a basket of grapes, saying: “These come from my father's estate.” Bishr returned them. She said: “Glory be to God! Do you doubt my father's vineyard, his valid ownership, or my inheritance from him, when your own witness statement is written in the deed of purchase?”
فَقَالَ: صَدَقْتِ مِلْكُ أَبِيكِ وَلَٰكِنَّكِ أَفْسَدْتِ الْكَرْمَ، قَالَتْ: بِمَاذَا؟ قَالَ: سَقَيْتِهِ مِنْ نَهْرِ طَاهِرٍ، يَعْنِي طَاهِرَ بْنَ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ مُصْعَبِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ طَاهِرٍ صَاحِبَ الْمَأْمُونِ، وَهَذَا النَّهْرُ هُوَ الْخَنْدَقُ الْمُعْتَرِضُ فِي الْجَانِبِ الْغَرْبِيِّ، لَمْ يَكُنْ يَشْرَبُ مِنَ الْخَنْدَقِ وَلَا يَمْشِي عَلَى الْجِسْرِ.
faqāla: ṣadaqti milku ʾabīki walākinnaki ʾafsadti al-karma, qālat: bimādhā? qāla: saqaytihi min nahri ṭāhirin, yaʿnī ṭāhira bna al-ḥusayni bni muṣʿabi bni ʿabdi Allāhi bni ṭāhirin ṣāḥiba al-maʾmūni, wa-hādhā al-nahru huwa al-khandaqu al-muʿtariḍu fī al-jānibi al-gharbiyyi, lam yakun yashrabu mina al-khandaqi walā yamshī ʿalā al-jisri.
He replied: “You are right: it belonged to your father. But you have spoiled the vineyard.” She asked how. He said: “You watered it from Ṭāhir's canal,” meaning Ṭāhir ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn Muṣʿab ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṭāhir, al-Maʾmūn's associate. This canal is the trench running across the western side. He would neither drink from the trench nor walk across the bridge.
وَقَدْ كَانَ بِشْرٌ يَقُولُ: مُنْذُ ثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً أَشْتَهِي شِوَاءً وَمَا أَتْرُكُهُ زُهْدًا فِيهِ وَلَوْ صَحَّ لِي دِرْهَمُهُ لَأَكَلْتُهُ، فَهَذِهِ سِيرَةُ الْمُتَقَدِّمِينَ وَطَرِيقُ السَّالِفِينَ، مَنْ سَلَكَهَا لَحِقَ بِهِمْ وَكَانَ كَأَحَدِهِمْ.
waqad kāna bishrun yaqūlu: mundhu thalāthīna sanatan ʾashtahī shiwāʾan wamā ʾatrukuhu zuhdan fīhi walaw ṣaḥḥa lī dirhamuhu laʾakaltuhu, fa-hādhihi sīratu al-mutaqaddimīna waṭarīqu al-sālifīna, man salakahā laḥiqa bihim wakāna kaʾaḥadihim.
Bishr used to say: “For thirty years I have craved roast meat. I do not forgo it out of renunciation; if the dirham to buy it were sound, I would eat it.” This is the conduct of the predecessors and the way of those who went before. Whoever follows it joins them and becomes like one of them.
وَمَنْ خَالَفَهَا فَلَيْسَ عَلَى سُنَّةِ السَّلَفِ وَلَا مِنْ صَالِحِي الْخَلَفِ، وَسَعَةُ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ الْوَاسِعَةِ بِمَشِيئَتِهِ السَّابِقَةِ، فَاِعْتَبِرُوا يَا أُولِي الْأَبْصَارِ. وَقَدْ كَانَ مِنْ سِيرَةِ الْقُدَمَاءِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْوَرَعِ أَنْ لَا يَسْتَوْعِبَ أَحَدُهُمْ كُلِّيَّةَ حَقِّهِ بَلْ يَتْرُكَ شَيْئًا خَشْيَةَ أَنْ يَسْتَوْفِيَ الْحَلَالَ كُلَّهُ فَيَقَعَ فِي الشُّبْهَةِ.
waman khālafahā falaysa ʿalā sunnati al-salafi walā min ṣāliḥī al-khalafi, wasaʿatu raḥmati Allāhi al-wāsiʿati bimashīʾatihi al-sābiqati, fa-iʿtabirū yā ʾulī al-ʾabṣāri. waqad kāna min sīrati al-qudamāʾi min ʾahli al-waraʿi ʾan lā yastawʿiba ʾaḥaduhum kulliyyata ḥaqqihi bal yatruka shayʾan khashyata ʾan yastawfiya al-ḥalāla kullahu fayaqaʿa fī al-shubhati.
Whoever departs from it neither follows the early Muslims' Sunna nor belongs to the righteous successors; the breadth of God's vast mercy rests with His prior will. Take heed, people of insight! The scrupulous people of old would not exhaust the entirety of their rights, but left something, fearing that taking all the lawful might lead them into doubt.
فَإِنَّهُ يُقَالُ: مَنِ اِسْتَوْعَبَ الْحَلَالَ حَامَ حَوْلَ الْحَرَامِ، فَكَانُوا يَسْتَحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَتْرُكُوا بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ الْحَرَامِ مِنْ حَقِّهِمْ حَاجِزًا مِنَ الْحَلَالِ لِقَوْلِ الرَّسُولِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَنْ يَرْتَعْ حَوْلَ الْحِمَى يُوشِكُ أَنْ يُوَاقِعَهُ.
faʾinnahu yuqālu: mani istawʿaba al-ḥalāla ḥāma ḥawla al-ḥarāmi, fakānū yastaḥibbūna ʾan yatrukū baynahum wabayna al-ḥarāmi min ḥaqqihim ḥājizan mina al-ḥalāli liqawli al-rasūli ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: man yartaʿ ḥawla al-ḥimā yūshiku ʾan yuwāqiʿahu.
It is said: “Whoever exhausts the lawful circles around the unlawful.” They therefore preferred to leave part of their lawful entitlement as a barrier between themselves and the unlawful, because the Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Whoever grazes around the sanctuary is liable to enter it.”
وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ كَانَ يَتْرُكُ مِنْ حَقِّهِ شَيْئًا لِغَيْرِ هَذِهِ النِّيَّةِ، وَلَٰكِنْ لِقَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ﴾ النَّحْلِ: 90، قَالُوا: فَالْعَدْلُ أَنْ تَأْخُذَ حَقَّكَ كُلَّهُ وَتُعْطِيَ الْحَقَّ، وَالْإِحْسَانُ أَنْ تَتْرُكَ بَعْضَ حَقِّكَ وَتَبْذُلَ فَوْقَ مَا عَلَيْكَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ لِتَكُونَ مُحْسِنًا.
waminhum man kāna yatruku min ḥaqqihi shayʾan lighayri hādhihi al-niyyati, walākin liqawli Allāhi ʿazza wajalla: ﴿ʾinna Allāha yaʾmuru bi-al-ʿadli wa-al-ʾiḥsāni﴾ al-naḥli: 90, qālū: fa-al-ʿadlu ʾan taʾkhudha ḥaqqaka kullahu watuʿṭiya al-ḥaqqa, wa-al-ʾiḥsānu ʾan tatruka baʿḍa ḥaqqika watabdhula fawqa mā ʿalayka mina al-ḥaqqi litakūna muḥsinan.
Some left part of their entitlement with a different intention, because of the words of God, mighty and majestic: “God commands justice and doing good” (al-Naḥl, 16:90). They explained: “Justice is to take all your entitlement and give what is due. Doing good is to leave some of your entitlement and give beyond what you owe, becoming one who does good.”
وَلِأَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى كَمَا أَمَرَ بِالْعَدْلِ قَدْ أَمَرَ بِالْإِحْسَانِ لِقَوْلِهِ: ﴿حَقًّا عَلَى الْمُتَّقِينَ حَقًّا عَلَى الْمُحْسِنِينَ﴾ الْبَقَرَةِ: 18، 236، وَهَذِهِ الطَّرِيقَةُ قَدْ جُهِلَتْ، مَنْ عَمِلَ بِهَا فَقَدْ أَظْهَرَهَا.
waliʾanna Allāha taʿālā kamā ʾamara bi-al-ʿadli qad ʾamara bi-al-ʾiḥsāni liqawlihi: ﴿ḥaqqan ʿalā al-muttaqīna ḥaqqan ʿalā al-muḥsinīna﴾ al-baqarati: 18, 236, wa-hādhihi al-ṭarīqatu qad juhilat, man ʿamila bihā faqad ʾaẓharahā.
For just as God Most High commands justice, He also commands doing good, saying: “A duty upon the God-fearing; a duty upon those who do good” (al-Baqara, 2:18, 236). This way has become unknown; whoever practices it makes it visible again.
حَدَّثُونَا عَنْ بَعْضِهِمْ قَالَ: أَتَيْتُ بَعْضَ الْوَرِعِينَ بِدَيْنٍ لَهُ عَلَيَّ وَكَانَ خَمْسِينَ دِرْهَمًا، قَالَ: فَفَتَحَ يَدَهُ فَعَدَدْتُ فِيهَا إِلَى تِسْعٍ وَأَرْبَعِينَ دِرْهَمًا فَقَبَضَ يَدَهُ، فَقُلْتُ: هَذَا دِرْهَمٌ قَدْ بَقِيَ لَكَ مِنْ حَقِّكَ، قَالَ: قَدْ تَرَكْتُهُ لَكَ، إِنِّي أَكْرَهُ أَنْ أَسْتَوْعِبَ مَا لِي كُلَّهُ فَأَقَعَ بِمَا لَيْسَ لِي.
ḥaddathūnā ʿan baʿḍihim qāla: ʾataytu baʿḍa al-wariʿīna bidaynin lahu ʿalayya wakāna khamsīna dirhaman, qāla: fafataḥa yadahu faʿadadtu fīhā ʾilā tisʿin waʾarbaʿīna dirhaman faqabaḍa yadahu, faqultu: hādhā dirhamun qad baqiya laka min ḥaqqika, qāla: qad taraktuhu laka, ʾinnī ʾakrahu ʾan ʾastawʿiba mā lī kullahu faʾaqaʿa bimā laysa lī.
They related from one of them: “I brought a scrupulous man repayment of a fifty-dirham debt. He opened his hand, and I counted forty-nine dirhams into it. He closed his hand. I said, ‘One dirham remains yours.’ He replied, ‘I have left it to you. I dislike taking everything due to me, lest I fall into what is not mine.’”
قَدْ كَانَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ وَغَيْرُهُ يَقُولُ: مَنِ اِتَّقَى مِنْ تِسْعَةٍ وَتِسْعِينَ شَيْئًا وَلَمْ يَتَّقِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ وَاحِدٍ لَمْ يَكُنْ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ، وَمَنْ تَابَ مِنْ تِسْعَةٍ وَتِسْعِينَ ذَنْبًا وَلَمْ يَتُبْ مِنْ ذَنْبٍ وَاحِدٍ لَمْ يَكُنْ مِنَ التَّوَّابِينَ.
qad kāna ʿabdu Allāhi bnu al-mubāraki waghayruhu yaqūlu: mani ittaqā min tisʿatin watisʿīna shayʾan walam yattaqi min shayʾin wāḥidin lam yakun mina al-muttaqīna, waman tāba min tisʿatin watisʿīna dhanban walam yatub min dhanbin wāḥidin lam yakun mina al-tawwābīna.
ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak and others used to say: “Whoever guards against ninety-nine things but fails to guard against one is not among the God-fearing. Whoever repents of ninety-nine sins but fails to repent of one is not among the oft-repentant.”
وَمَنْ زَهِدَ فِي تِسْعَةٍ وَتِسْعِينَ شَيْئًا وَلَمْ يَزْهَدْ فِي شَيْءٍ وَاحِدٍ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ الزَّاهِدِينَ، وَقَدْ رَوَى عَطِيَّةُ السَّعْدِيُّ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَا يَكُونُ الرَّجُلُ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ حَتَّى يَتْرُكَ مَا لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ حَذَارًا مِمَّا بِهِ الْبَأْسُ.
waman zahida fī tisʿatin watisʿīna shayʾan walam yazhad fī shayʾin wāḥidin falaysa mina al-zāhidīna, waqad rawā ʿaṭiyyatu al-saʿdiyyu ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: lā yakūnu al-rajulu mina al-muttaqīna ḥattā yatruka mā lā baʾsa bihi ḥadhāran mimmā bihi al-baʾsu.
“Whoever renounces ninety-nine things but does not renounce one is not among the renunciants.” ʿAṭiyya al-Saʿdī transmitted from the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace: “A man is not among the God-fearing until he leaves what is harmless for fear of what is harmful.”
وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ: إِنَّمَا التَّقْوَى أَنْ يَتَّقِيَ اللَّهَ الْعَبْدُ فِي مِثْقَالِ ذَرَّةٍ حَتَّى يَتْرُكَ بَعْضَ مَا يَرَى أَنَّهُ حَلَالٌ خَشْيَةَ أَنْ يَكُونَ حَرَامًا، يَكُونُ حِجَابًا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْحَرَامِ، وَبِمَعْنَى هَذَا مَا رُوِيَ عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: كُنَّا نَتْرُكُ سَبْعِينَ بَابًا مِنَ الْحَلَالِ
warawaynā ʿan ʾabī al-dardāʾi: ʾinnamā al-taqwā ʾan yattaqiya Allāha al-ʿabdu fī mithqāli dharratin ḥattā yatruka baʿḍa mā yarā ʾannahu ḥalālun khashyata ʾan yakūna ḥarāman, yakūnu ḥijāban baynahu wabayna al-ḥarāmi, wabimaʿnā hādhā mā ruwiya ʿan ʾabī bakrin al-ṣiddīqi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu qāla: kunnā natruku sabʿīna bāban mina al-ḥalāli
We have transmitted from Abū al-Dardāʾ: “Piety means that the servant fears God over an atom's weight, leaving some things he considers lawful for fear they may be unlawful, making a barrier between himself and the forbidden.” Similar is what is transmitted from Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, God be pleased with him: “We used to leave seventy avenues of the lawful
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٨٧
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 487
Volume Two, page 487
مَخَافَةَ بَابٍ وَاحِدٍ مِنَ الْحَرَامِ، وَهَذَا طَرِيقٌ قَدْ مَاتَ أَهْلُهُ، فَمَنْ سَلَكَهُ فَقَدْ أَحْيَاهُمْ. فَأَمَّا أَمْوَالُ التُّجَّارِ وَالصُّنَّاعِ وَالْمُتَصَرِّفِينَ فِي الْمَعَايِشِ الْمُبَاحَةِ بِالْأَسْبَابِ الْجَائِزَةِ فِي الْعِلْمِ مَعَ مُوَافَقَةِ الْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ فَهِيَ شُبُهَاتٌ.
makhāfata bābin wāḥidin mina al-ḥarāmi, wa-hādhā ṭarīqun qad māta ʾahluhu, faman salakahu faqad ʾaḥyāhum. faʾammā ʾamwālu al-tujjāri wa-al-ṣunnāʿi wa-al-mutaṣarrifīna fī al-maʿāyishi al-mubāḥati bi-al-ʾasbābi al-jāʾizati fī al-ʿilmi maʿa muwāfaqati al-kitābi wa-al-sunnati fahiya shubuhātun.
for fear of a single avenue of the unlawful.” This is a path whose people have died; whoever follows it brings them back to life. As for the wealth of merchants, artisans, and those pursuing permissible livelihoods by means allowed in knowledge and consistent with the Book and Sunna, it belongs to doubtful matters.
ثُمَّ تَتَنَوَّعُ بِنَوْعَيْنِ: فَتَكُونُ شُبْهَةَ حَلَالٍ إِذَا عَامَلْتَ الْمُتَّقِينَ وَأَخَذْتَ مِنَ الْوَرِعِينَ، وَتَكُونُ شُبْهَةَ حَرَامٍ إِذَا عَامَلْتَ قَلِيلِي التَّقْوَى وَالْوَرَعِ، وَأَمَّا غَيْرُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَمْوَالِ الْجُنْدِ فَإِنَّهُ حَرَامٌ لِفَسَادِ سَبَبِهِ وَلِمُخَالَفَةِ الْأَحْكَامِ.
thumma tatanawwaʿu binawʿayni: fatakūnu shubhata ḥalālin ʾidhā ʿāmalta al-muttaqīna waʾakhadhta mina al-wariʿīna, watakūnu shubhata ḥarāmin ʾidhā ʿāmalta qalīlī al-taqwā wa-al-waraʿi, waʾammā ghayru dhālika min ʾamwāli al-jundi faʾinnahu ḥarāmun lifasādi sababihi walimukhālafati al-ʾaḥkāmi.
It divides into two kinds: doubt adjoining the lawful when you deal with the God-fearing and receive from the scrupulous; doubt adjoining the unlawful when you deal with those of little piety or scrupulousness. Other property belonging to soldiers is forbidden because its means of acquisition is corrupt and contrary to the rulings.
فَمَا كَانَ عَنْ مُعَامَلَةٍ لَهُمْ وَكَسْبٍ وَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ شَيْئًا بِعَيْنِهِ غَصْبًا وَلَا جِنَايَةً فَهُوَ أَسْهَلُ، وَمَا عَلِمْتَهُ فَهُوَ نَصُّ الْحَرَامِ. فَاللَّهَ اللَّهَ فِي نَفْسِكَ، اُنْظُرْ أَيُّهَا الْمِسْكِينُ لِمَعَادِكَ وَاِحْفَظْ لِدِينِكَ، فَإِنَّ كَسْبَكَ مِنْ دِينِكَ وَطُعْمَتَكَ مِنْ إِيمَانِكَ.
famā kāna ʿan muʿāmalatin lahum wakasbin walam taʿlam shayʾan biʿaynihi ghaṣban walā jināyatan fahuwa ʾashalu, wamā ʿalimtahu fahuwa naṣṣu al-ḥarāmi. fa-Allāha Allāha fī nafsika, unẓur ʾayyuhā al-miskīnu limaʿādika wa-iḥfaẓ lidīnika, faʾinna kasbaka min dīnika waṭuʿmataka min ʾīmānika.
What comes from dealings and earnings with them, when you know of no particular act of usurpation or offense, is less severe; what you know to be so is outright unlawful. Fear God, fear God concerning yourself! Poor soul, consider your return and guard your religion. Your earnings belong to your religion, and your food belongs to your faith.
فَإِنْ تَهَاوَنْتَ بِذَلِكَ فَقَدْ تَهَاوَنْتَ بِالدِّينِ، وَنَبَذْتَ الْأَحْكَامَ وَضَيَّعْتَ الْيَوْمَ نَفْسَكَ وَلَمْ تَنْظُرْ فِيمَا قَدَّمْتَ لِغَدٍ، وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ سُوءِ الْقَضَاءِ. وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ الْعَدُوَّ إِذَا ظَفِرَ مِنَ الْعَبْدِ بِسُوءِ الطُّعْمَةِ لَمْ يَعْتَرِضْ عَلَيْهِ فِي الْأَعْمَالِ، وَقَالَ: قَدْ ظَفِرْتُ مِنْكَ بِحَاجَتِي، اِعْمَلِ الْآنَ مَا شِئْتَ.
faʾin tahāwanta bi-dhālika faqad tahāwanta bi-al-dīni, wanabadhta al-ʾaḥkāma waḍayyaʿta al-yawma nafsaka walam tanẓur fīmā qaddamta lighadin, wanaʿūdhu bi-Allāhi min sūʾi al-qaḍāʾi. wayuqālu ʾinna al-ʿaduwwa ʾidhā ẓafira mina al-ʿabdi bisūʾi al-ṭuʿmati lam yaʿtariḍ ʿalayhi fī al-ʾaʿmāli, waqāla: qad ẓafirtu minka biḥājatī, iʿmali al-ʾāna mā shiʾta.
If you take this lightly, you have taken religion lightly, cast aside its rulings, lost yourself today, and failed to consider what you have sent ahead for tomorrow. We seek God's refuge from an evil decree. It is said that once the enemy gains mastery over a servant through corrupt food, he no longer interferes with his deeds, saying: “I have obtained what I wanted from you. Now do as you please.”
وَلَمْ يَعُدْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَعْمَالِهِ إِلَّا ظُلْمَةً فِي قَلْبِهِ وَقَسْوَةً وَضَعْفًا فِي عَزِيمَةٍ وَفُتُورًا وَمَعْصِيَةً، وَحُرِمَ التَّوْفِيقَ وَالْعِصْمَةَ وَلَمْ يُورَثْ عِلْمَ الْمَلَكُوتِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ. فَإِنْ كَانَ الْمُتَصَرِّفُ فِي السُّوقِ عَلَى الْوَصْفِ الْمَكْرُوهِ، مُخَالِفًا لِلْعِلْمِ فِي تَصَرُّفِهِ مُفَارِقًا لِلْأَحْكَامِ، لَا يُبَالِي مِنْ أَيِّ وَجْهٍ ظَهَرَ وَبِأَيِّ سَبَبٍ عَلَيْهِ قَدَرَ.
walam yaʿud ʿalayhi min ʾaʿmālihi ʾillā ẓulmatan fī qalbihi waqaswatan waḍaʿfan fī ʿazīmatin wafutūran wamaʿṣiyatan, waḥurima al-tawfīqa wa-al-ʿiṣmata walam yūrath ʿilma al-malakūti wa-al-ḥikmati. faʾin kāna al-mutaṣarrifu fī al-sūqi ʿalā al-waṣfi al-makrūhi, mukhālifan li-l-ʿilmi fī taṣarrufihi mufāriqan li-l-ʾaḥkāmi, lā yubālī min ʾayyi wajhin ẓahara wabiʾayyi sababin ʿalayhi qadara.
His deeds bring him only darkness and hardness in his heart, weakened resolve, languor, and disobedience. He is deprived of enabling and protection, and does not inherit knowledge of the spiritual kingdom and wisdom. If a person trading in the market has this objectionable character, contradicting knowledge in his dealings and departing from the rulings, indifferent to how he gains his object or by what means he obtains it,
غَيْرَ مُتَّقٍ فِي كَسْبِهِ وَلَا مُرَاعٍ لِدِينِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيهِ وَحُكْمِهِ، فَهُوَ آكِلٌ لِلْمَالِ بِالْبَاطِلِ قَاتِلٌ لِنَفْسِهِ مُفْسِدٌ لِدِينِهِ غَاشٌّ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَاللَّهُ لَا يُصْلِحُ عَمَلَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ كَمَا لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُصْلِحِينَ.
ghayra muttaqin fī kasbihi walā murāʿin lidīni Allāhi ʿazza wajalla fīhi waḥukmihi, fahuwa ʾākilun li-l-māli bi-al-bāṭili qātilun linafsihi mufsidun lidīnihi ghāshshun li-l-muslimīna, wa-Allāhu lā yuṣliḥu ʿamala al-mufsidīna kamā lā yuḍīʿu ʾajra al-muṣliḥīna.
without piety in his earnings or regard for the religion of God, mighty and majestic, and His ruling therein, then he consumes wealth wrongfully, kills himself, corrupts his religion, and deceives Muslims. God does not make the corrupters' work prosper, just as He does not waste the reformers' reward.
وَمَعَ ذَلِكَ فَهُوَ غَيْرُ نَاصِحٍ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَلِخَلْقِهِ فِي الدِّينِ، مَقَامُهُ فِي الظُّلْمِ وَحَالُهُ الْهَوَى، وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ، فَهُوَ مَأْمُورٌ بِالتَّوْبَةِ فِي جَمِيعِ تَصَرُّفِهِ مُفْتَرَضٌ عَلَيْهِ الْإِنَابَةُ فِي جَمِيعِ تَقَلُّبِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَبْغَتَهُ الْمَوْتُ وَيَفْجَأَ الْفَوْتُ، فَيَلْقَى اللَّهَ تَعَالَى ظَالِمًا ذَا هَوًى.
wamaʿa dhālika fahuwa ghayru nāṣiḥin li-llāhi ʿazza wajalla walikhalqihi fī al-dīni, maqāmuhu fī al-ẓulmi waḥāluhu al-hawā, wa-Allāhu lā yuḥibbu al-ẓālimīna, fahuwa maʾmūrun bi-al-tawbati fī jamīʿi taṣarrufihi muftaraḍun ʿalayhi al-ʾinābatu fī jamīʿi taqallubihi qabla ʾan yabghatahu al-mawtu wayafjaʾa al-fawtu, fayalqā Allāha taʿālā ẓāliman dhā hawan.
Moreover, he is unfaithful to God, mighty and majestic, and to His creatures in religion. His station is injustice, his state desire, and God does not love wrongdoers. He is commanded to repent in every transaction and obliged to turn back in all his activities before death surprises him and opportunity suddenly vanishes, lest he meet God Most High as a wrongdoer ruled by desire.
فَقَدْ قَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَمَنْ لَمْ يَتُبْ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ﴾ الْحُجُرَاتِ: 11، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَسَيَعْلَمُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا أَيَّ مُنْقَلَبٍ يَنْقَلِبُونَ﴾ الشُّعَرَاءِ: 227، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْحُكَمَاءِ: الدُّنْيَا بَحْرٌ عَجَّاجٌ وَالتُّجَّارُ فِيهِ غَاصَةٌ، فَوَاحِدٌ يَغُوصُ فَيُخْرِجُ دُرًّا، وَهَؤُلَاءِ أَبْنَاءُ الْآخِرَةِ الَّذِينَ لَهَا يَعْمَلُونَ.
faqad qāla taʿālā: ﴿waman lam yatub fa-ʾulāʾika humu al-ẓālimūna﴾ al-ḥujurāti: 11, waqāla taʿālā: ﴿wasayaʿlamu alladhīna ẓalamū ʾayya munqalabin yanqalibūna﴾ al-shuʿarāʾi: 227, waqāla baʿḍu al-ḥukamāʾi: al-dunyā baḥrun ʿajjājun wa-al-tujjāru fīhi ghāṣatun, fawāḥidun yaghūṣu fayukhriju durran, wa-hāʾulāʾi ʾabnāʾu al-ʾākhirati alladhīna lahā yaʿmalūna.
He Most High has said: “Those who do not repent are the wrongdoers” (al-Ḥujurāt, 49:11), and He Most High has said: “The wrongdoers will know to what reversal they will return” (al-Shuʿarāʾ, 26:227). A sage said: “The world is a surging sea, and merchants are its divers. One dives and brings out pearls: these are the children of the hereafter who work for it.
وَآخَرُ يَغُوصُ فَيُخْرِجُ آجُرًّا وَهَؤُلَاءِ عُمَّالُ الدُّنْيَا الَّذِينَ عَلَيْهَا يَحْرِصُونَ، وَآخَرُ يُخْرِجُ سَمَكًا وَهَؤُلَاءِ الْمُقْتَصِدُونَ، وَآخَرُ فِي قَعْرِهِ قَدْ غَرِقَ وَهَؤُلَاءِ الْمَطْرُودُونَ عَنِ الطَّاعَةِ إِلَى الْأَسْوَاقِ، كُلَّمَا أَرَادُوا أَعْمَالَ الْبِرِّ طُرِدُوا عَنْهَا إِلَى السُّوقِ وَشُغِلُوا، فَقَدْ غَرِقُوا فِي بَحْرِ الْخَطَايَا.
waʾākharu yaghūṣu fayukhriju ʾājurran wa-hāʾulāʾi ʿummālu al-dunyā alladhīna ʿalayhā yaḥriṣūna, waʾākharu yukhriju samakan wa-hāʾulāʾi al-muqtaṣidūna, waʾākharu fī qaʿrihi qad ghariqa wa-hāʾulāʾi al-maṭrūdūna ʿani al-ṭāʿati ʾilā al-ʾaswāqi, kullamā ʾarādū ʾaʿmāla al-birri ṭuridū ʿanhā ʾilā al-sūqi washughilū, faqad ghariqū fī baḥri al-khaṭāyā.
“Another dives and brings out bricks: these are the world's laborers, eager for it. Another brings out fish: these are the moderate. Another has drowned in its depths: these are those driven from obedience into the markets. Whenever they seek good works, they are driven back to the market and kept busy. They have drowned in the sea of sins.
وَآخَرُ طَافٍ مَعَ الْأَمْوَاجِ يَضْطَرِبُ يَطْلُبُ النَّجَاةَ، كُلَّمَا رَفَعَتْهُ مَوْجَةٌ طَمِعَ فِي النَّجَاةِ ثُمَّ تُغَطِّيهِ مَوْجَةٌ أُخْرَى فَيَخَافُ الْهَلَكَةَ، وَهَؤُلَاءِ الْمُرِيدُونَ الِاسْتِقَامَةَ فِي زَمَانِنَا هَذَا، تَرْفَعُهُمُ التَّوْبَةُ إِلَى النَّجَاةِ وَتَحُطُّهُمُ الْعَادَةُ إِلَى الْهَلَكَةِ.
waʾākharu ṭāfin maʿa al-ʾamwāji yaḍṭaribu yaṭlubu al-najāta, kullamā rafaʿathu mawjatun ṭamiʿa fī al-najāti thumma tughaṭṭīhi mawjatun ʾukhrā fayakhāfu al-halakata, wa-hāʾulāʾi al-murīdūna al-istiqāmata fī zamāninā hādhā, tarfaʿuhumu al-tawbatu ʾilā al-najāti wataḥuṭṭuhumu al-ʿādatu ʾilā al-halakati.
“Another floats amid the waves, struggling and seeking rescue. Whenever a wave lifts him, he hopes to be saved; then another covers him, and he fears destruction. These are those seeking uprightness in our time: repentance raises them toward rescue, while habit drags them toward destruction.”
وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الضَّيْعَةَ فَتَرْغَبُوا فِي الدُّنْيَا، وَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ عَزَّ
warawaynā ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama: lā tattakhidhū al-ḍayʿata fatarghabū fī al-dunyā, waʾawḥā Allāhu ʿazza
We have transmitted from God's Messenger, God bless him and grant him peace: “Do not acquire an estate, lest you become attached to this world.” God, mighty
الْجُزْءُ الثَّانِي، الصَّفْحَةُ ٤٨٨
al-juzʾu al-thānī, al-ṣafḥatu 488
Volume Two, page 488
وَجَلَّ إِلَى بَعْضِ أَنْبِيَائِهِ: لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الْأَهْلَ وَالْمَالَ فِي زَمَنِ الْعُقُوبَاتِ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ، وَصَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلَّمَ.
wajalla ʾilā baʿḍi ʾanbiyāʾihi: lā tattakhidhū al-ʾahla wa-al-māla fī zamani al-ʿuqūbāti, walā ḥawla walā quwwata ʾillā bi-Allāhi al-ʿaliyyi al-ʿaẓīmi, waṣallā Allāhu ʿalā sayyidinā muḥammadin waʿalā ʾālihi waṣaḥbihi wasallama.
and majestic, revealed to one of His prophets: “Do not take family and property in times of punishments.” There is no power and no strength except through God, the Most High, the Magnificent. May God bless our master Muḥammad and his family and Companions, and grant them peace.
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