1. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad and a number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from ibn Mahbub from Abu Hamza al-Thumali who has said the following: “Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said, ‘The Messenger of Allah during his farewell Hajj said, ‘The trustworthy spirit has inspired my understanding that no soul dies before its sustenance is complete (depleted). You must maintain piety before Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, be meticulous in your work to make a living. You must not allow procrastination to make you fall behind in the work for living. You must not work in disobedience to Allah; Allah, most Blessed, most High, has divided sustenance among His creatures in a lawful way. He has not divided it in unlawful ways. One who maintains piety before Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, He provides him sustenance from the lawful kind. One who tears the covering curtain in hastiness and takes it by unlawful ways, it is reduced from his lawful sustenance and he is held accountable for it on the Day of Judgment.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

2. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn ‘Isa from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from Ibrahim ibn abu al-Balad from his father who has said the following: “Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said, ‘There is not a single soul whose sustenance Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has not assigned of the lawful kind and in good health. He has disclosed the unlawful kind also but in another aspect. If the soul achieves a certain amount of the unlawful kind it is reduced from its lawful sustenance which He has assigned for him. Besides these two kinds of sustenance, there is a great deal of extra with Allah as is mentioned in the words of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, ‘You must ask Allah to grant you (sustenance) from the extra with Him. . . .’ ( 3 : 37 )”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

3. Ibrahim ibn abu al-Balad has narrated from his father from one of the two Imams (a.s.), who has said the following: “The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘O people, the trustworthy spirit has inspired my understanding that a soul never dies until it completes (depleting of) its sustenance even if it takes place with a certain degree of delays. You must maintain piety before Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, and seek your sustenance meticulously. You must not allow certain degrees of delays from Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, to cause you to indulge in Allah’s disobedience. What is with Allah is only achieved through obedience to Him.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

4. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn Al-Husayn from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn abu Hashim from abu Khadijah who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Even if a servant lives in a hole, Allah has his sustenance for him. Thus you must seek your sustenance meticulously.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

5. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Salih ibn al-Sindiy from Ja’far ibn Bashir from ‘Umar ibn abu Ziyad from Ishaq ibn ‘Ammar from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who said, “ Allah, the most Majestic and Glorious, has created the creatures and with them He has created their sustenance of the lawful and beautiful kind. If anyone achieves a certain amount of unlawful sustenance, then it is deducted from his lawful sustenance.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

6. Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad in a marfu’ manner the following: “Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), has said, ‘There is many a soul who tires itself (by work) and lives stringently. On the other hand there are those who moderately seek their sustenance; and measures favorably assist them/”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

7. Ali ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Qummiy has narrated from Ahmad ibn abu ‘Abd Allah from ‘Isma’il al-Qasir from those whom he has mentioned from abu Hamzah al-Thumaliy who has said the following: “The condition of very high prices was mentioned before Ali ibn Al-Husayn (a.s.). He (the Imam) said, ‘Very high prices do not affect me; it is only against Him. If it becomes very high, it is against Him, and if it becomes very low, it is against Him.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

8. It is narrated from him (narrator of previous Hadith) from ibn Faddal from the one whom he has mentioned who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that your effort in work for living must be above the efforts of a losing person and below that of a greedy one who is happy with confidence in the worldly matters. You must keep your soul in the position of the fair and conservatives ones, and lift your soul above the position of neglectful and weak ones. You must earn what is necessary. Those who are granted wealth but do not appreciate it they, in fact, have no wealth at all.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

9. Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from ibn Jumhur from his father in a marfu’ manner who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), very often would say, ‘You must take notice with absolute certainty that Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, does not allow a servant, no matter how intensely he strives, how great the kind of means he prepares, and no matter how numerously he suffers fatigue, to exceed the limit which He has mentioned in His book of wisdom. It does not change anything for a man, with his weakness and his little means, in reaching what is already assigned for him in the book of wisdom. O people, one’s wisdom does not increase a naqir (a certain unit of measurement) for him and one’s lack of understanding does not reduce anything against him. One who knows this and acts accordingly is the greatest of people to enjoy comfort in profit, and one who knows it but ignores to act accordingly does the biggest work to cause losses. There are many of those who are led to destruction in the process of receiving favors, and also there are many of those who are thought of among people as being deceived, but in reality receive favors. O you who strive hard, beware of your struggle, hold back your haste and wake up from the slumber of your unawareness. Think about what has come from Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, through the tongue of His Holy prophet. Preserve these seven letters; they are of the words of the people of reason and of the decisive issues in the book of wisdom. One cannot reach before Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, with the presence of any single of these habits in him: considering things as partners of Allah in the matters that Allah has made obligatory on him, quenching his anger by destruction of his soul, claiming to have done what in fact others have done, seeking success before a creature by means of a heretic act in his religion, enjoying people’s praising him for what he has not done, acting oppressively and conceitedly, and being of honorable position but speaking lies. O people, what is important for beasts is transgression, and what is important for animals is to eat, what is important for women is their men; and believing people are anxious, fearful and afraid. I pray to Allah to make us one of them (such believers).”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

10. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Rabi’ ibn Muhammad al- Musalliy from ‘ Abd Allah ibn Sulayman who has said the following: “I heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘Allah, most High, has expanded the sustenance of the dimwitted ones so that people of reason learn a lesson and take notice that the worldly things are not achieved by means of work and means only.”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

11. Ahmad ibn Muhammad from has narrated from Ali ibn al-Nu’man from ‘Amr ibn Shamir from Jabir from abu Ja’far ‘Alayhi al- Salam, who has said the following: “Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘I have not left anything that can take you closer to paradise or keep you away from hellfire but that I have informed you of all such matters. You must take notice that the Holy Spirit has inspired my understanding and has told me that a soul does not die until it completes (depleting) its sustenance. You must maintain piety before Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, and work for your living meticulously. Certain delays in reaching of sustenance must not take you to find sustenance by means of disobedience to Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious; what is with Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, can be achieved only by means of obedience to Him.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.