Book of Livelihood
Chapter on Livelihoods, Earnings, Profits, and Professions
وَ رَوَى عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اَلْعَزِيزِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: "إِنِّي لَأُحِبُّ أَنْ أَرَى اَلرَّجُلَ مُتَحَرِّفاً فِي طَلَبِ اَلرِّزْقِ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اَللَّهِ صَلَّى اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ قَالَ -: " اَللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لِأُمَّتِي فِي بُكُورِهَا " ".
Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq (a.s) said: "I love to see a man striving in pursuit of sustenance. Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (swt), peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: 'O Allah (swt), bless my nation in their early mornings.'"
وَ قَالَ صَلَّى اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ: "إِذَا أَرَادَ أَحَدُكُمُ اَلْحَاجَةَ فَلْيُبَكِّرْ إِلَيْهَا فَإِنِّي سَأَلْتُ رَبِّي عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَنْ يُبَارِكَ لِأُمَّتِي فِي بُكُورِهَا".
The Messenger of Allah (swt), peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "If any of you has a need, let him seek it early in the morning, for I asked my Lord (azj), the Almighty and Glorious, to bless my nation in their early mornings."
وَ قَالَ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: "إِذَا أَرَادَ أَحَدُكُمُ اَلْحَاجَةَ فَلْيُبَكِّرْ إِلَيْهَا وَ لْيُسْرِعِ اَلْمَشْيَ إِلَيْهَا".
Imam (a.s) said: "If any of you intends to fulfill a need, let him seek it early in the morning and hasten in walking towards it."
وَ رَوَى حَمَّادٌ اَللَّحَّامُ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ: "لاَ تَكْسَلُوا فِي طَلَبِ مَعَايِشِكُمْ فَإِنَّ آبَاءَنَا كَانُوا يَرْكُضُونَ فِيهَا وَ يَطْلُبُونَهَا".
Hammad al-Lahham narrated from Abu Abdullah (a.s), who said: "Do not be lazy in seeking your livelihood, for our fathers used to strive for it and pursue it."
وَ أَرْسَلَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ صَلَّى اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ رَجُلاً فِي حَاجَةٍ فَكَانَ يَمْشِي فِي اَلشَّمْسِ فَقَالَ لَهُ "اِمْشِ فِي اَلظِّلِّ فَإِنَّ اَلظِّلَّ مُبَارَكٌ".
The Messenger of Allah (swt), peace and blessings be upon him and his family, sent a man to fulfill a need, and the man was walking in the sun. So the Prophet (saws) said to him: "Walk in the shade, for the shade is blessed."
وَ قَالَ اَلصَّادِقُ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: "مَنْ ذَهَبَ فِي حَاجَةٍ عَلَى غَيْرِ وُضُوءٍ فَلَمْ تُقْضَ حَاجَتُهُ فَلاَ يَلُومَنَّ إِلاَّ نَفْسَهُ".
Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq (a.s) said: "Whoever goes to fulfill a need without being in a state of ablution, and his need is not fulfilled, let him blame none but himself."
وَ قَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: "إِنِّي أَجِدُنِي أَمْقُتُ اَلرَّجُلَ يَتَعَذَّرُ عَلَيْهِ اَلْمَكَاسِبُ فَيَسْتَلْقِي عَلَى قَفَاهُ وَ يَقُولُ اَللَّهُمَّ اُرْزُقْنِي وَ يَدَعُ أَنْ يَنْتَشِرَ فِي اَلْأَرْضِ وَ يَلْتَمِسَ مِنْ فَضْلِ اَللَّهِ وَ اَلذَّرَّةُ تَخْرُجُ مِنْ جُحْرِهَا تَلْتَمِسُ رِزْقَهَا ".
Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (a.s), said: "I find myself despising a man who faces difficulties in earning a livelihood, yet he lies on his back and says, 'O Allah (swt), provide for me,' while neglecting to go out into the land and seek Allah's (swt) bounty. Even the smallest ant comes out of its hole to seek its sustenance."
وَ قَالَ أَمِيرُ اَلْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: "إِنَّ اَللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى يُحِبُّ اَلْمُحْتَرِفَ اَلْأَمِينَ".
Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, said: "Indeed, Allah (swt), Blessed and Exalted, loves the trustworthy worker."
وَ رُوِيَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عُذَافِرٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ: دَفَعَ إِلَيَّ أَبُو عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ سَبْعَمِائَةِ دِينَارٍ وَ قَالَ "يَا عُذَافِرُ اِصْرِفْهَا فِي شَيْءٍ مَا" وَ قَالَ "مَا أَفْعَلُ هَذَا عَلَى شَرَهٍ مِنِّي وَ لَكِنِّي أَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ يَرَانِيَ اَللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى مُتَعَرِّضاً لِفَوَائِدِهِ" قَالَ عُذَافِرٌ فَرَبِحْتُ فِيهَا مِائَةَ دِينَارٍ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ فِي اَلطَّوَافِ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ قَدْ رَزَقَ اَللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فِيهَا مِائَةَ دِينَارٍ قَالَ "أَثْبِتْهَا فِي رَأْسِ مَالِي".
It is narrated from Muhammad ibn Udhafir, from his father, who said: Abu Abdullah (a.s), handed me seven hundred dinars and said: "O 'Udhafir, invest it in something." Imam (a.s) then added: "I am not doing this out of greed, but I wish for Allah (swt), Blessed and Exalted, to see me seeking His bounties." Udhafir said: I earned a profit of one hundred dinars from it. So, while performing Tawaf, I said to him: "May I be your ransom! Allah (swt), the Exalted, has grant a profit of one hundred dinars in it." Imam (a.s) replied: "Add it to my capital."
وَ رَوَى إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اَلْحَمِيدِ عَنْ أَبِي اَلْحَسَنِ مُوسَى بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِمَا اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ: "جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى اَلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اَللَّهِ قَدْ عَلَّمْتُ اِبْنِي هَذَا اَلْكِتَابَ فَفِي أَيِّ شَيْءٍ أُسْلِمُهُ فَقَالَ "أَسْلِمْهُ لِلَّهِ أَبُوكَ وَ لاَ تُسْلِمْهُ فِي خَمْسٍ لاَ تُسْلِمْهُ سَيَّاءً وَ لاَ صَائِغاً وَ لاَ قَصَّاباً وَ لاَ حَنَّاطاً وَ لاَ نَخَّاساً" فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اَللَّهِ وَ مَا اَلسَّيَّاءُ قَالَ "اَلَّذِي يَبِيعُ اَلْأَكْفَانَ وَ يَتَمَنَّى مَوْتَ أُمَّتِي وَ لَلْمَوْلُودُ مِنْ أُمَّتِي أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا طَلَعَتْ عَلَيْهِ اَلشَّمْسُ وَ أَمَّا اَلصَّائِغُ فَإِنَّهُ يُعَالِجُ غَبْنَ أُمَّتِي وَ أَمَّا اَلْقَصَّابُ فَإِنَّهُ يَذْبَحُ حَتَّى تَذْهَبَ اَلرَّحْمَةُ مِنْ قَلْبِهِ وَ أَمَّا اَلْحَنَّاطُ فَإِنَّهُ يَحْتَكِرُ اَلطَّعَامَ عَلَى أُمَّتِي وَ لَأَنْ يَلْقَى اَللَّهَ اَلْعَبْدُ سَارِقاً أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ يَلْقَاهُ قَدِ اِحْتَكَرَ طَعَاماً أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْماً وَ أَمَّا اَلنَّخَّاسُ فَإِنَّهُ أَتَانِي جَبْرَئِيلُ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ فَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ إِنَّ شَرَّ أُمَّتِكَ اَلَّذِينَ يَبِيعُونَ اَلنَّاسَ" ".
Ibrahim ibn Abdul-Hamid narrated from Abu al-Hasan Imam Musa ibn Jafar Al-Kadhim (a.s), who said: A man came to the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, and said: "O Messenger of Allah (swt), I have taught my son to read and write. In what profession should I place him?" The Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, replied:"Entrust him to Allah (swt) and do not place him in five professions: Do not make him a seller of shrouds, nor a jeweler, nor a butcher, nor a grain merchant, nor a slave trader." The man asked: "O Messenger of Allah (swt), what is the harm in selling shrouds?" The Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, explained: "The one who sells shrouds wishes for the death of my nation, while the birth of a new soul in my nation is more beloved to me than all that the sun has risen upon. As for the jeweler, he engages in defrauding my nation. As for the butcher, he slaughters so frequently that mercy departs from his heart. As for the grain merchant, he hoards food against my nation, and it is more beloved to me that a servant meets Allah (swt) as a thief than that he meets Him having hoarded food for forty days. As for the slave trader, Archangel Jibril (a.s) came to me and said: 'O Muhammad, the worst of your nation are those who sell human beings.'"
