The Book of Commerce

وَجَدَ رَجُلٌ رِكَازاً[3] عَلَى عَهْدِ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع فَابْتَاعَهُ أَبِي مِنْهُ بِثَلَاثِمِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ وَ مِائَةِ شَاةٍ مُتْبِعٍ‌[4] فَلَامَتْهُ أُمِّي وَ قَالَتْ أَخَذْتَ هَذِهِ بِثَلَاثِمِائَةِ شَاةٍ أَوْلَادُهَا مِائَةٌ وَ أَنْفُسُهَا مِائَةٌ وَ مَا فِي بُطُونِهَا مِائَةٌ قَالَ فَنَدِمَ أَبِي فَانْطَلَقَ لِيَسْتَقِيلَهُ فَأَبَى عَلَيْهِ الرَّجُلُ فَقَالَ خُذْ مِنِّي عَشْرَ شِيَاهٍ خُذْ مِنِّي عِشْرِين

“A man during the time of ’Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), had found a treasure and my father bought it from him for three hundred dirham and one hundred sheep followed by their young; and my mother blamed him for it, saying, ‘You have bought it for three hundred sheep; one hundred of their young, one hundred sheep and one hu

سُئِلَ رَجُلٌ لَهُ مَالٌ عَلَى رَجُلٍ مِنْ قِبَلِ عِينَةٍ عَيَّنَهَا[1] إِيَّاهُ فَلَمَّا حَلَّ عَلَيْهِ الْمَالُ لَمْ يَكُنْ عِنْدَهُ مَا يُعْطِيهِ فَأَرَادَ أَنْ يُقَلِّبَ عَلَيْهِ وَ يَرْبَحَ أَ يَبِيعُهُ لُؤْلُؤاً وَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ مَا يَسْوَى مِائَةَ دِرْهَمٍ بِأَلْفِ دِرْهَمٍ وَ يُؤَخِّرَهُ قَالَ لَا بَأْسَ بِذَلِكَ قَدْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ أَبِي رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَ أَمَرَنِي أَنْ أَفْعَلَ ذَلِكَ فِي شَيْ‌ءٍ كَان

“Once abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), was asked about the case of a man to whom another man owed a certain amount of assets because of ‘Aynah deal. When payment time was due he did not have anything to pay so he wanted to turn it over on him for profit; if he can sell a pearl or something else worth a hundred dirham for a thous

سَاءَتْ حَالِي فَكَتَبْتُ إِلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع‌[2] فَكَتَبَ إِلَيَّ أَدِمْ قِرَاءَةَ- إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنا نُوحاً إِلى‌ قَوْمِهِ‌[3] قَالَ فَقَرَأْتُهَا حَوْلًا فَلَمْ أَرَ شَيْئاً فَكَتَبْتُ إِلَيْهِ أُخْبِرُهُ بِسُوءِ حَالِي وَ أَنِّي قَدْ قَرَأْتُ- إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنا نُوحاً إِلى‌ قَوْمِهِ‌ حَوْلًا كَمَا أَمَرْتَنِي وَ لَمْ أَرَ شَيْئاً قَالَ فَكَتَبَ إِلَيَّ قَدْ وَفَى لَكَ الْحَوْلُ فَانْتَقِلْ مِنْهَا إِلَى قِرَاء

“I faced a difficult condition and wrote to abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about it and he (the Imam) wrote to me, ‘Continue reading, “We sent Noah to his people ... to the end.’” (Chapter 71) I read it for one year but did not see any change. I wrote to him again to inform him (the Imam) of my difficult condition and that I have

كَتَبْتُ‌ إِلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ص إِنِّي قَدْ لَزِمَنِي دَيْنٌ فَادِحٌ‌[1] فَكَتَبَ أَكْثِرْ مِنَ الِاسْتِغْفَارِ وَ رَطِّبْ لِسَانَكَ بِقِرَاءَةِ إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ.

“Inna Anzalna” Chapter 97.’”

لَهُ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع مَا لَكَ تَنْظُرُ فَقَالَ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ قَبٌّ يُلْقَى فِي قَمِيصِكَ فَقَالَ لَهُ اضْرِبْ يَدَكَ إِلَى هَذَا الْكِتَابِ فَاقْرَأْ مَا فِيهِ وَ كَانَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ كِتَابٌ أَوْ قَرِيبٌ مِنْهُ فَنَظَرَ الرَّجُلُ فِيهِ فَإِذَا فِيهِ لَا إِيمَانَ لِمَنْ لَا حَيَاءَ لَهُ وَ لَا مَالَ لِمَنْ لَا تَقْدِيرَ لَهُ وَ لَا جَدِيدَ لِمَنْ لَا خَلَقَ لَهُ.

“Once a certain person of the followers of abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), came to visit him (the Imam) and he saw his shirt had a patch on it, so he kept looking at it. Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), asked, ‘Why are you looking?’ He replied, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, there is a patch on your shirt.’ H

قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ إِذَا غَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَى أُمَّةٍ وَ لَمْ يُنْزِلْ بِهَا الْعَذَابَ غَلَتْ أَسْعَارُهَا وَ قَصُرَتْ أَعْمَارُهَا وَ لَمْ تَرْبَحْ تُجَّارُهَا وَ لَمْ تَزْكُ ثِمَارُهَا وَ لَمْ تَغْزُرْ أَنْهَارُهَا[3] وَ حُبِسَ عَنْهَا أَمْطَارُهَا وَ سُلِّطَ عَلَيْهَا شِرَارُهَا.

‘When Allah becomes angry with a people on whom He has not sent any suffering, He makes their prices to become costly, shortens their life span, takes away profit from their trade, their fruits do not become clean, their canals do not over-flow and He withholds their rain and makes their wicked ones to dominate them.’”

قَدِمَ أَعْرَابِيٌّ بِإِبِلٍ لَهُ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص فَقَالَ لَهُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ بِعْ لِي إِبِلِي هَذِهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص لَسْتُ بِبَيَّاعٍ فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ قَالَ فَأَشِرْ عَلَيَّ فَقَالَ لَهُ بِعْ هَذَا الْجَمَلَ بِكَذَا وَ بِعْ هَذِهِ النَّاقَةَ بِكَذَا حَتَّى وَصَفَ لَهُ كُلَّ بَعِيرٍ مِنْهَا فَخَرَجَ الْأَعْرَابِيُّ إِلَى السُّوقِ فَبَاعَهَا ثُمَّ جَاءَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص فَقَا

“Once an Arab came on his camel in the time of the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, sell my (herd of) camels for me.’ The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy o

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي الْحَسَنِ ع رُبَّمَا اشْتَرَيْتُ الشَّيْ‌ءَ بِحَضْرَةِ أَبِي فَأَرَى مِنْهُ مَا أَغْتَمُّ بِهِ فَقَالَ تَنَكَّبْهُ وَ لَا تَشْتَرِ بِحَضْرَتِهِ فَإِذَا كَانَ لَكَ عَلَى رَجُلٍ حَقٌّ فَقُلْ لَهُ فَلْيَكْتُبْ وَ كَتَبَ فُلَانُ بْنُ فُلَانٍ بِخَطِّهِ وَ أَشْهَدَ اللَّهَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ‌ وَ كَفى‌ بِاللَّهِ شَهِيداً* فَإِنَّهُ يُقْضَى فِي حَيَاتِهِ أَوْ بَعْدَ وَفَاتِهِ.

“I once said to abu al-Hassan ‘Alayhi al-Salam, ‘I may buy certain things in the presence of my father and I see certain things in him that make me depressed.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Avoid buying in his presence. When you have a right on a man say to him, “Write down, ‘So and so has written in his handwriting, assigning

كُنْتُ عِنْدَ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ الصَّيْرَفِيِّ فَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ يَطْلُبُ غَلَّةً بِدِينَارٍ وَ كَانَ قَدْ أَغْلَقَ بَابَ الْحَانُوتِ وَ خَتَمَ الْكِيسَ فَأَعْطَاهُ غَلَّةً بِدِينَارٍ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ وَيْحَكَ يَا إِسْحَاقُ رُبَّمَا حَمَلْتُ لَكَ مِنَ السَّفِينَةِ أَلْفَ أَلْفِ دِرْهَمٍ قَالَ فَقَالَ لِي تَرَى كَانَ لِي هَذَا لَكِنِّي سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ مَنِ اسْتَقَلَّ قَلِيلَ الرِّزْقِ حُرِمَ كَ

“I once was with Ishaq ibn ‘ Ammar al-Sayrafiy when a man came and he wanted something for a dinar but he had closed the shop and had sealed the sack. He then gave him the item for a dinar. I then said, ‘Fie on you, O Ishaq! I could have picked up for you a hundred thousand dirham from the ship.’ He said to me, ‘I had

إِنَّ مِنَ الرِّزْقِ مَا يُيَبِّسُ الْجِلْدَ عَلَى الْعَظْمِ‌[1].

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Earning certain kinds of sustenance dries up one’s skin on his bones (very hard to earn).”’

ذَكَرْتُ لَهُ مِصْرَ فَقَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص اطْلُبُوا بِهَا الرِّزْقَ وَ لَا تَطْلُبُوا بِهَا الْمَكْثَ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع- مِصْرُ الْحُتُوفِ تُقَيَّضُ لَهَا قَصِيرَةُ الْأَعْمَارِ.

‘You can seek to earn sustenance from it but you must not seek to stay there.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), then said, ‘Egypt is harsh; young ones break down there.’”

أَتَتِ الْمَوَالِي أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع فَقَالُوا نَشْكُو إِلَيْكَ هَؤُلَاءِ الْعَرَبَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ص كَانَ يُعْطِينَا مَعَهُمُ الْعَطَايَا بِالسَّوِيَّةِ وَ زَوَّجَ سَلْمَانَ وَ بِلَالًا وَ صُهَيْباً وَ أَبَوْا عَلَيْنَا هَؤُلَاءِ وَ قَالُوا لَا نَفْعَلُ فَذَهَبَ إِلَيْهِمْ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع فَكَلَّمَهُمْ فِيهِمْ فَصَاحَ الْأَعَارِيبُ أَبَيْنَا ذَلِكَ يَا أَبَا الْحَسَنِ أَبَيْنَا ذَلِكَ فَخَرَجَ

59. Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-‘Asemiy has narrated from Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Nahdiy from Muhammad ibn Ali from Sharif ibn Sabiq from al-Fadl ibn abu Qurrah who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that once al-Mawaliy (non-Arab Muslims) came to ’Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), and said, ‘We complain before yo