Wealth

15 Islamic Texts praising Trade/Business/Wealth – فضل التجارة

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1- The Prophet said:

التَّاجِرُ الصَّدُوقُ الأَمِينُ مَعَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ
“The truthful, trustworthy MERCHANT is with the Prophets; the truthful; and the martyrs.”

[Tirmidhi, 1209 who said its a good Hadith (هذا حديث حسن)].

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2- The Prophet said:

كَانَ زَكَرِيَّا عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام نَجَّارًا
“(Prophet) Zakariyya (ﷺ) was a Carpenter.”

[Sahih Muslim, 2379].

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3- Abdullah Ibn Abbaas is reported to have said:

أُحَدِّثُكَ عَنْ آدَمَ إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَبْدًا حَرَّاثًا
وَأُحَدِّثُكَ عَنْ نُوحٍ إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَبْدًا نَجَّارًا
وَأُحَدِّثُكَ عَنْ إِدْرِيسَ إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَبْدًا خَيَّاطًا
وَأُحَدِّثُكَ عَنْ دَاوُدَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ عَبْدًا زَرَّادًا
وَأُحَدِّثُكَ عَنْ مُوسَى أَنَّهُ كَانَ عَبْدًا رَاعِيًا
وَأُحَدِّثُكَ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ عَبْدًا زَرَّاعًا
وَأُحَدِّثُكَ عَنْ صَالِحٍ أَنَّهُ كَانَ عَبْدًا تَاجِرًا

“Adam was a PLOWMAN,
Noah was a CARPENTER,
Idris was a TAILOR,
David was a MANUFACTURER (of iron shields),
Moses was a SHEPHERD,
Ibrahim was a FARMER,
Salih was a MERCHANT.”

[Al-Haakim narrated this in ‘Al-Mustadrak’ (4130) with a weak chain].

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4- The Prophet used to send people in groups, and among one of these groups there was a companion whom his companions used to praise highly and they said:

: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ! كَانَ إِذَا نَزَلْنَا صَلَّى، وَإِذَا سِرْنَا قَرَأَ
“Oh Messenger of Allah! When we used to stop he prayed and if we were on the road he used to recite.”

The Prophet asked:

فَمَنْ كَانَ يَكْفِيهِ عَلَفُ بَعِيرِهِ؟
“And who used to provide the food of his camel?”

They answered: “We did.”

The Prophet said:

كُلُّكُمْ خَيْرٌ مِنْهُ
“All of you are better than him.”

[Abu Dawud in his ‘Marasil’, 306 – Ibn Hajar said this is a good Mursal narration: هَذَا مُرْسَلٌ جَيِّدٌ].

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5- The Prophet said:

وَإِنَّ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ دَاوُدَ ـ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ ـ كَانَ يَأْكُلُ مِنْ عَمَلِ يَدِهِ
“The Prophet of Allah, David used to eat from the earnings of his manual labour.” [note: even though he was a KING].

[Sahih Bukhari, 2072].

It is reported from some of the Salaf that Prophet David used to give a Khutbah on the mimbar and weave palm leaves at the same time, which he would sell.

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6- The moshrikin said: How can we follow a human like us – who eats and walks in the markets?!!

Then Allaah revealed:

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِنَ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلاَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَيَأْكُلُونَ ٱلطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشُونَ فِى ٱلأسْوَاقِ
“Every messenger we ever sent before you ate food and walked in the markets.” [Qur’an 25:20].

Ibn Kathir says in the Tafsir of this verse:

( وَيَمْشُونَ فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ ) أَيْ : لِلتَّكَسُّبِ وَالتِّجَارَةِ
“[And they walked in the markets], meaning: to seek trade and earn a living.”

[Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 25/20].

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7- Once, the sahabah passed a man who was impressively exerting himself while performing manual labour.

The sahabah said, “If only he was exerting himself this hard in the path of Allah.”

The Prophet heard this and corrected them, saying:

إن كان خرج يسعى على ولده صغارا فهو في سبيل الله
وإن كان خرج يسعى على أبوين شيخين كبيرين فهو في سبيل الله
وإن كان يسعى على نفسه يعفها فهو في سبيل الله
وإن كان خرج رياء ومفاخرة فهو في سبيل الشيطان

“If he has gone out, striving to provide for his young children, then he is in the path of Allah.

If he has gone out, striving to provide for his elderly parents, then he is in the path of Allah.

“If he is striving in order to protect himself [from the disgrace of begging], then he is in the path of Allah.

And if he has gone out in order to show off and boast, then it is the cause of Shaytan.”

[Tabarani, 15640 – al-Mundhiri and Haythami said the narrators are all reliable. Imam Suyuti also authenticated it and its also found in ‘sahih al-jaami’, 1428].

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8- Allah says in the Qur’an:

ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا عَبْدًا مَّمْلُوكًا لَّا يَقْدِرُ عَلَىٰ شَيْءٍ وَمَن رَّزَقْنَاهُ مِنَّا رِزْقًا حَسَنًا فَهُوَ يُنفِقُ مِنْهُ سِرًّا وَجَهْرًا هَلْ يَسْتَوُونَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُون
“God set forth a parable [of two men]: one is a slave, unable to do anything of his own accord, and the other a [free] man to whom We have given ample WEALTH, so that he can spend at will, both secretly and openly.

Can these two be considered equal?

All praise is due to God, but most people do not know.”

[Qur’an 16:75].

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9- It is mentioned in Tafsir Ibn Kathir (1414):

إِنَّ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ آجَرَ نَفْسَهُ بِعِفَّةِ فَرْجِهِ وَطُعْمَةِ بَطْنِه
“Musa, peace be upon him, hired himself out for the purpose of keeping chaste and to feed himself.”

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10- The Prophet encouraged a man to do business:

أَنَّ رَجُلاً، مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ جَاءَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يَسْأَلُهُ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ لَكَ فِي بَيْتِكَ شَىْءٌ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ بَلَى حِلْسٌ نَلْبَسُ بَعْضَهُ وَنَبْسُطُ بَعْضَهُ وَقَدَحٌ نَشْرَبُ فِيهِ الْمَاءَ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ ائْتِنِي بِهِمَا ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَأَتَاهُ بِهِمَا فَأَخَذَهُمَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ بِيَدِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ ‏”‏ مَنْ يَشْتَرِي هَذَيْنِ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ أَنَا آخُذُهُمَا بِدِرْهَمٍ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ مَنْ يَزِيدُ عَلَى دِرْهَمٍ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ مَرَّتَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلاَثًا قَالَ رَجُلٌ أَنَا آخُذُهُمَا بِدِرْهَمَيْنِ ‏.‏ فَأَعْطَاهُمَا إِيَّاهُ وَأَخَذَ الدِّرْهَمَيْنِ فَأَعْطَاهُمَا الأَنْصَارِيَّ وَقَالَ ‏”‏ اشْتَرِ بِأَحَدِهِمَا طَعَامًا فَانْبِذْهُ إِلَى أَهْلِكَ وَاشْتَرِ بِالآخَرِ قَدُومًا فَأْتِنِي بِهِ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ فَفَعَلَ فَأَخَذَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَشَدَّ فِيهِ عُودًا بِيَدِهِ وَقَالَ ‏”‏ اذْهَبْ فَاحْتَطِبْ وَلاَ أَرَاكَ خَمْسَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا ‏”‏ ‏.‏ فَجَعَلَ يَحْتَطِبُ وَيَبِيعُ فَجَاءَ وَقَدْ أَصَابَ عَشْرَةَ دَرَاهِمَ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ اشْتَرِ بِبَعْضِهَا طَعَامًا وَبِبَعْضِهَا ثَوْبًا ‏”‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ قَالَ ‏”‏ هَذَا خَيْرٌ لَكَ مِنْ أَنْ تَجِيءَ وَالْمَسْأَلَةُ نُكْتَةٌ فِي وَجْهِكَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّ الْمَسْأَلَةَ لاَ تَصْلُحُ إِلاَّ لِذِي فَقْرٍ مُدْقِعٍ أَوْ لِذِي غُرْمٍ مُفْظِعٍ أَوْ دَمٍ مُوجِعٍ ‏

“A man from among the Ansar came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and begged from him.

The Prophet asked: “Do you have anything in your house?”

He said: “Yes, a blanket, part of which we cover ourselves with and part we spread beneath us, and a bowl from which we drink water.”

He said: “Givethem to me.”

So he brought them to him, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) took them in his hand and said, “Who will by these two things?”

A man said: “I will by them for one Dirham.”

He said: “Who will offer more than a Dirham?” two or three times.

A man said: “I will buy them for two Dirham.”

So he gave them to him and took the two Dirham, which he gave to the Ansari and said: “Buy food with one of them and give it to your family, and buy an axe with the other and bring it to me.”

So he did that, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) took it and fixed a handle to it, and said: “Go and gather firewood, and I do not want to see you for fifteen days.”

So he went and gathered firewood and sold it, then he came back, and he had earned ten Dirham.

(The Prophet (ﷺ)) said: “Buy food with some of it and clothes with some.”

Then he said: “This is better for you than coming with begging (appearing) as a spot on your face on the Day of Resurrection. Begging is only appropriate for one who is extremely poor or who is in severe debt, or one who must pay painful blood money.”

[Ibn Majah, 2198 – the chain is good].

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11- Omar Ibn al-Khattab saw some people sitting in the Mosque all day.

He asked: “Who are you? مَنْ أَنْتُمْ ؟ ”

They said: “We are people who trust in God – نَحْنُ الْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ !”

Omar said:

إِنَّمَا الْمُتَوَكِّلُ الَّذِي يُلْقِي حَبَّهُ فِي الأَرْضِ ، وَيَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَى اللَّهِ
“The one who trusts in God is the one who throws the seed in the ground and THEN trusts in God.”

And he said:

لَا يَقْعُدُ أَحَدُكُمْ عَنْ طَلَبِ الرِّزْقِ وَيَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ ارْزُقْنِي فَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمْ أَنَّ السَّمَاءَ لَا تُمْطِرُ ذَهَبًا وَلَا فِضَّةً
“None of you should refrain from seeking a living and then say: “Oh God, provide for me.”

You already know that the sky does not rain gold and silver!”

[“Ihya Ulum al-Din”, 2/351].

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12- Khadijah, the Prophet’s wife was a successful business woman.

Ibn Ishaq said:

وَكَانَتْ خَدِيجَةُ بِنْتُ خُوَيْلِدٍ امْرَأَةً تَاجِرَةً ذَاتَ شَرَفٍ وَمَالٍ
“Khadijah bint Khuwaylid was a business woman and possessor of nobility and wealth.”

The Prophet himself went to Syria on business as part of a business contract with her:

خُرُوجُهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إلَى الشَّامِ فِي تِجَارَةِ خَدِيجَةَ

[Ibn Hisham in ‘Sirah’ (1/118)].

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13- The Prophet made the following Du’a for one of his companions:

بَارَكَ اللَّهُ لَكَ فِي أَهْلِكَ وَمَالِكَ
“May Allah bless your family and your wealth for you.”

[Nasai, 4683 – good chain].

And the Prophet himself used to make the Du’a:

اللهم إني أسألك الهدى والتقى والعفاف والغنى
“O Allah! I ask You for guidance, piety, chastity and self- sufficiency.”

[Sahih Muslim, 6566].

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14- Aishah said:

كَانَ أَصْحَابُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عُمَّالَ أَنْفُسِهِمْ
“The companions of Allah’s Apostle used to practice manual labour.”

[Sahih Bukhari, 2071].

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15- Imam Sufyan Al-Thawri said:

المال في هذا الزمان سلاحُ المؤمن
“Wealth is the weapon of the believer in this day and age.”

[“Ibn Abi Dunya”, 79].

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