Meticulous Effort to Make a Living

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ فِي حَجَّةِ الْوَدَاعِ أَلَا إِنَّ الرُّوحَ الْأَمِينَ نَفَثَ فِي رُوعِي أَنَّهُ لَا تَمُوتُ نَفْسٌ حَتَّى تَسْتَكْمِلَ رِزْقَهَا فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ أَجْمِلُوا فِي الطَّلَبِ وَ لَا يَحْمِلَنَّكُمُ اسْتِبْطَاءُ شَيْ‌ءٍ مِنَ الرِّزْقِ أَنْ تَطْلُبُوهُ بِشَيْ‌ءٍ مِنْ مَعْصِيَةِ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى قَسَمَ الْأَرْزَاقَ بَيْنَ خَلْقِهِ حَلَالًا وَ لَمْ يَ

‘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

لَيْسَ مِنْ نَفْسٍ إِلَّا وَ قَدْ فَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ لَهَا رِزْقَهَا حَلَالًا يَأْتِيهَا فِي عَافِيَةٍ وَ عَرَضَ لَهَا بِالْحَرَامِ مِنْ وَجْهٍ آخَرَ فَإِنْ هِيَ تَنَاوَلَتْ شَيْئاً مِنَ الْحَرَامِ قَاصَّهَا بِهِ‌[2] مِنَ الْحَلَالِ الَّذِي فَرَضَ لَهَا وَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ سِوَاهُمَا فَضْلٌ كَثِيرٌ وَ هُوَ قَوْلُهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- وَ سْئَلُوا اللَّهَ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ‌[3].

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 h

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّهُ قَدْ نَفَثَ فِي رُوعِي رُوحُ الْقُدُسِ أَنَّهُ لَنْ تَمُوتَ نَفْسٌ حَتَّى تَسْتَوْفِيَ رِزْقَهَا وَ إِنْ أَبْطَأَ عَلَيْهَا فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ أَجْمِلُوا فِي الطَّلَبِ وَ لَا يَحْمِلَنَّكُمُ اسْتِبْطَاءُ شَيْ‌ءٍ مِمَّا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَنْ تُصِيبُوهُ بِمَعْصِيَةِ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ لَا يُنَالُ مَا عِنْدَهُ إِلَّ

“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

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ لَوْ كَانَ الْعَبْدُ فِي حَجَرٍ لَأَتَاهُ اللَّهُ بِرِزْقِهِ فَأَجْمِلُوا فِي الطَّلَبِ.

“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.’”

إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ خَلَقَ الْخَلْقَ وَ خَلَقَ مَعَهُمْ أَرْزَاقَهُمْ حَلَالًا طَيِّباً فَمَنْ تَنَاوَلَ شَيْئاً مِنْهَا حَرَاماً قُصَّ بِهِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الْحَلَالِ.

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.’”

قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع‌ كَمْ مِنْ مُتْعِبٍ نَفْسَهُ مُقْتَرٍ عَلَيْهِ وَ مُقْتَصِدٍ فِي الطَّلَبِ قَدْ سَاعَدَتْهُ الْمَقَادِيرُ.

“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/”

ذُكِرَ عِنْدَ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ ع غَلَاءُ السِّعْرِ فَقَالَ وَ مَا عَلَيَّ مِنْ غَلَائِهِ إِنْ غَلَا فَهُوَ عَلَيْهِ وَ إِنْ رَخُصَ فَهُوَ عَلَيْهِ.

“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.’”

لِيَكُنْ طَلَبُكَ لِلْمَعِيشَةِ فَوْقَ كَسْبِ الْمُضَيِّعِ وَ دُونَ طَلَبِ الْحَرِيصِ الرَّاضِي بِدُنْيَاهُ الْمُطْمَئِنِّ إِلَيْهَا وَ لَكِنْ أَنْزِلْ نَفْسَكَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْمُنْصِفِ الْمُتَعَفِّفِ تَرْفَعُ نَفْسَكَ‌[2] عَنْ مَنْزِلَةِ الْوَاهِنِ الضَّعِيفِ وَ تَكْتَسِبُ مَا لَا بُدَّ مِنْهُ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُعْطُوا الْمَالَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَشْكُرُوا لَا مَالَ لَهُمْ‌[3].

“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 negle

كَانَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع كَثِيراً مَا يَقُولُ‌ اعْلَمُوا عِلْماً يَقِيناً أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ لَمْ يَجْعَلْ لِلْعَبْدِ وَ إِنِ اشْتَدَّ جَهْدُهُ وَ عَظُمَتْ حِيلَتُهُ وَ كَثُرَتْ مُكَابَدَتُهُ أَنْ يَسْبِقَ مَا سُمِّيَ لَهُ فِي الذِّكْرِ الْحَكِيمِ وَ لَمْ يَحُلْ‌ مِنَ الْعَبْدِ فِي ضَعْفِهِ وَ قِلَّةِ حِيلَتِهِ‌[1] أَنْ يَبْلُغَ مَا سُمِّيَ لَهُ فِي الذِّكْرِ الْحَكِيمِ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّهُ لَنْ

“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 fati

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‌ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى وَسَّعَ فِي أَرْزَاقِ الْحَمْقَى لِيَعْتَبِرَ الْعُقَلَاءُ وَ يَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ الدُّنْيَا لَيْسَ يُنَالُ مَا فِيهَا بِعَمَلٍ وَ لَا حِيلَةٍ.

“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.”’

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّي لَمْ أَدَعْ شَيْئاً يُقَرِّبُكُمْ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَ يُبَاعِدُكُمْ مِنَ النَّارِ إِلَّا وَ قَدْ نَبَّأْتُكُمْ بِهِ أَلَا وَ إِنَّ رُوحَ الْقُدُسِ [قَدْ] نَفَثَ فِي رُوعِي وَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَنْ لَا تَمُوتُ نَفْسٌ حَتَّى تَسْتَكْمِلَ رِزْقَهَا فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ أَجْمِلُوا فِي الطَّلَبِ وَ لَا يَحْمِلَنَّكُمُ اسْتِبْطَاءُ شَيْ‌ءٍ مِنَ الرِّزْقِ أَنْ تَط

“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