Virtue and Excellence of Serving in the Army

Jihad of Man and Woman

Kinds of Jihad (struggle)

To Whom Does the Obligation of Jihad Apply, and to Whom it Does not Apply

Mobilization Along with People when there is Fear for al-Islam

Under Whose Command Obligatory Jihad Takes Place?

‘Amr ibn ‘Ubayd and al-Mu’taziliy Groups’ Visiting abu ‘Abd Allah ‘Alayhi al-Salam

The Recommendations of the Messenger of Allah and Amir al-Mu’minin, about Smaller Armed Expeditions

Chapter 9(a) - Granting Immunity

Chapter 9(b)

Chapter 9(c)

Challenging the Enemy for a Fight

Kindness to the Prisoners and Providing Him Food

Calling to al-Islam before Fighting

Chapter 13(a) - Matters about which Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s), Recommended at the Time of War

Chapter 13(b)

It is not Lawful for a Muslim to Reside in a War Zone

Chapter 15(a) - Distribution of the Properties Captured from the Enemy

Chapter 15(b)

Chapter 15(c)

The Slogan

The Virtue of Maintaining Horses, Racing and Sharp Shooting Contests

Man’s Defending Himself Against the Thief

The Case of one Murdered over His Stolen Property

Chapter 20(a) - The Excellence of Martyrdom

Chapter 20(b)

Chapter 20(c)

Commanding others what is Obligatory and to Prohibit them from doing Evil

Chapter 22(a) - Rejecting Evil in one’s Heart

Chapter 22(b)

The Case of those who Displease the Creator to Please the Creatures

It is Detestable to Expose One’s Self to What He Cannot Endure

Al-Sufiy People’s Visiting Abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam

The Meaning of Zuhd (Asceticism)

Using the Worldly Resources as Means for Success in the Hereafter

The Degree Of Efforts Which One Must Make In Search For One’s Sustenance To Follow In the Footsteps of ‘A’immah ‘Alayhim al-Salam

Promoting The Quest For Sustenance And Work To Make A Living

Al^Ibla’ (Trying) in the Work for Living

Meticulous Effort to Make a Living

Receiving Sustenance from Unexpected Sources

The Detestability of Sleeping and Passing Time without Work

Detestability of Laziness

One’s Working in His House

Amending one’s Properties and Planning for one’s Living

Hard Work for the Family

Earning Lawful kind of Sustenance

Saving for One’s Living Expenses

Detestability of Offering Oneself for Hire

Performing Personally one’s Business Tasks

Buying and Selling Real Estate

Debts and Borrowing

Payment of Debts

To Retaliate and Offset for Debts

When a Man Dies Payment of his Debts becomes Due

The Case of One Who Borrows But Does Not Intend To Pay Back

Sell off Debts in Exchange for Debts

Etiquette of Asking for Payment

The Case of Delaying Due Payment

Lodging With a Borrower When Demanding Payment

Chapter 28(a) - The Case of Gift to a Creditor

Chapter 28(b) - Bail out and Assignment or Referral

Working for al-Sultan and his Rewards

The Conditions to Work for al-Sultan

Selling Arms to al- Sultan

The Crafts (Technologies)

The Legal Status of Income from Cupping Operation

Income from Eulogizing Someone to Make People Mourn

The Legal Status of Income from Hairdressing and Circumcising

The Legal Status of the Income of Female Singer from Singing and Selling Singers (Slave-girls)

The Legal Status of Income from Teaching

The legal Status of Income from Selling Copies of the Holy Quran

Gambling and Looting

Earning in Unlawful ways

Unlawful Earnings in the form of al-Suht such as Buying and Selling of Intoxicating Liquors . . .

Consuming the Properties of Orphans

The Amount a Supervisor of the Properties of Orphans Can Lawfully Use

Using the Properties of Orphans in Business and Lending

Safe Return of Trust

A Father and Son’s Using Each Others Properties

A Husband and Wife’s Using Each Other’s Properties

Found and Lost Properties

Gifts and Presents

Rule about Unlawful Interest

Unlawful Interest Does Not Apply Between a Father and Son

The Excellence of Doing Business and Giving It Proper Attention

Etiquettes of Doing Business

Excellence of Keeping Accounts and Books

Entering the Market Before Others

Speaking of Allah, Most High, in the Market

Words to Say When Buying for Resale Purposes

People With Whom Doing Business Is Not Recommended

Using Proper and Improper Measurements in Business

Cheating in Business

Swearing at the Time of Buying and Selling

The Case of Prices of Goods

The Case of Monopolization (Hoarding) Goods in Public Demand

Another Chapter

Excellence of Buying Wheat and Food

Detestability of Estimating and Preferability of Using Measurements

Continuing Profitable Businesses

1- عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنِ ابْنِ رِئَابٍ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ كَسْبِ الْحَجَّامِ فَقَالَ لا بَأْسَ بِهِ إِذَا لَمْ يُشَارِطْ.

1. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from ibn Mahbub from ibn Ri’ab from abu Basir from who has said the following: “I once asked Abu Ja’far (a.s.), about the legal status of earning by means of cupping. He (the Imam) replied, There is no offense in the earning by such means, if it is not with an established pre-condition.’” 

2- سَهْلُ بْنُ زِيَادٍ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي نَصْرٍ عَنْ حَنَانِ بْنِ سَدِيرٍ قَالَ دَخَلْنَا عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَمَعَنَا فَرْقَدٌ الْحَجَّامُ فَقَالَ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ إِنِّي أَعْمَلُ عَمَلا وَقَدْ سَأَلْتُ عَنْهُ غَيْرَ وَاحِدٍ وَلا اثْنَيْنِ فَزَعَمُوا أَنَّهُ عَمَلٌ مَكْرُوهٌ وَأَنَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَسْأَلَكَ عَنْهُ فَإِنْ كَانَ مَكْرُوهاً انْتَهَيْتُ عَنْهُ وَعَمِلْتُ غَيْرَهُ مِنَ الأعْمَالِ فَإِنِّي مُنْتَهٍ فِي ذَلِكَ إِلَى قَوْلِكَ قَالَ وَمَا هُوَ قَالَ حَجَّامٌ قَالَ كُلْ مِنْ كَسْبِكَ يَا ابْنَ أَخٍ وَتَصَدَّقْ وَحُجَّ مِنْهُ وَتَزَوَّجْ فَإِنَّ النَّبِيَّ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) قَدِ احْتَجَمَ وَأَعْطَى الأجْرَ وَلَوْ كَانَ حَرَاماً مَا أَعْطَاهُ قَالَ جَعَلَنِيَ اللهُ فِدَاكَ إِنَّ لِي تَيْساً أُكْرِيهِ فَمَا تَقُولُ فِي كَسْبِهِ فَقَالَ كُلْ كَسْبَهُ فَإِنَّهُ لَكَ حَلالٌ وَالنَّاسُ يَكْرَهُونَهُ قَالَ حَنَانٌ قُلْتُ لأيِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ يَكْرَهُونَهُ وَهُوَ حَلالٌ قَالَ لِتَعْيِيرِ النَّاسِ بَعْضِهِمْ بَعْضاً.

2. Sahl ibn Ziyad has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn abu Basir from Hanan ibn Sadir who has said the following: “Once we visited abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), when Farqad al-Hajjam was also with us. He (Farqad) asked him (the Imam) saying, ’May Allah keep my soul in the service of your cause, I perform a certain kind of work and I have asked more than one person about the legal status of what I do and they think it is a detestable work. I like to ask you. If it is as they say I will stop performing such works. Instead I will find some other kind of work. I will take your word as the word in the matter.’ He (the Imam) asked, ’What kind of work is it?’ He (the man) replied, ‘It is cupping.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You can use the income thereof for living, give charity, pay the expenses of your Hajj and marriage thereof, O brother, (in faith). The Holy Prophet had used cupping services and paid for them. Had it been unlawful he would not pay for it.’ He (the man) then asked, saying, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, I have a he-goat. People hire it for goat grooming. What do you say about the income thereof?’ He (the Imam) replied, ’You can use the income thereof; it is lawful, although people may dislike it.’ I (Hanan) then asked, ’Why people dislike it when it is lawful?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘It is because people scorn each other about it.’” 

3- أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الأشْعَرِيُّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ النَّضْرِ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ شِمْرٍ عَنْ جَابِرٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ احْتَجَمَ رَسُولُ اللهِ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) حَجَمَهُ مَوْلًى لِبَنِي بَيَاضَةَ وَأَعْطَاهُ وَلَوْ كَانَ حَرَاماً مَا أَعْطَاهُ فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ قَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) أَيْنَ الدَّمُ قَالَ شَرِبْتُهُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ فَقَالَ مَا كَانَ يَنْبَغِي لَكَ أَنْ تَفْعَلَ وَقَدْ جَعَلَهُ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَكَ حِجَاباً مِنَ النَّارِ فَلا تَعُدْ.

3. Abu Ali al-Ash’ariy has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar from Ahmad ibn al-Nadr from ‘Amr ibn Shamir 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, did use cupping services. A Mawla’ (slave) of banu Bayada performed cupping service for the Messenger of Allah and paid for such services. Had it been unlawful he would not pay for it. When cupping was complete the Messenger of Allah asked, ‘Where is the blood?’ He (the slave) replied, ‘I drank it, O Messenger of Allah.’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘You should not have done so. Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has made it a curtain between you and the fire but do not do it again.’” 

4- مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ فَضَّالٍ عَنِ ابْنِ بُكَيْرٍ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) عَنْ كَسْبِ الْحَجَّامِ فَقَالَ مَكْرُوهٌ لَهُ أَنْ يُشَارِطَ وَلا بَأْسَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ تُشَارِطَهُ وَتُمَاكِسَهُ وَإِنَّمَا يُكْرَهُ لَهُ وَلا بَأْسَ عَلَيْكَ‏.

4. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Faddal from ibn Bukayr from Zurarah who has said the following: “I once asked Abu Ja’far (a.s.), about the legal status of income from performing cupping. He (the Imam) replied, ‘It is detestable for him to establish stipulations (to receive payment), but there is no offense in establishing stipulations to receive payment and bargaining for the price. It is only detestable but there is no offense for you to receive payment.’” 

5- عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ عَنِ الْفَضْلِ بْنِ شَاذَانَ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) عَنْ كَسْبِ الْحَجَّامِ فَقَالَ لا بَأْسَ بِهِ قُلْتُ أَجْرُ التُّيُوسِ قَالَ إِنْ كَانَتِ الْعَرَبُ لَتَعَايَرُ بِهِ وَلا بَأْسَ. 

5. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father and Muhammad ibn ‘Isma’il from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Mu‘awiyah ibn ‘Ammar who has said the following: “This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the legal status of the income from cupping. He (the Imam) replied, There is no offense in it.’ I then asked about income from he-goat for goat-grooming. He (the Imam) replied, ’Even though Arab people consider it scornful, there is no offense in receiving such income.’” 

Al-Kāfi - Volume 5

Book 2, Chapter 34