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- عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ عَطِيَّةَ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قُلْتُ إِنَّا نَشْتَرِي الطَّعَامَ مِنَ السُّفُنِ ثُمَّ نَكِيلُهُ فَيَزِيدُ فَقَالَ لِي وَرُبَّمَا نَقَصَ عَلَيْكُمْ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ فَإِذَا نَقَصَ يَرُدُّونَ عَلَيْكُمْ قُلْتُ لا قَالَ لا بَأْسَ.

1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr ibn ‘ Atiyyah who has said the following: “This is concerning my question before abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of our buying food from ships. We then measure and find extra amount. He (the Imam) said, ‘Perhaps you find it to be less also.’ I replied, ‘Yes, that also happens.’ He (the Imam) then asked, ‘Do they give you the deficit?’ I replied, ‘No, they do not give the deficit. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not harmful.’” 

2- مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ عَنِ الْفَضْلِ بْنِ شَاذَانَ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ الْحَجَّاجِ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) عَنْ فُضُولِ الْكَيْلِ وَالْمَوَازِينِ فَقَالَ إِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ تَعَدِّياً فَلا بَأْسَ.

2. Muhammad ibn ‘Isma’il has narrated from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Hajjaj who has said the following: “This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the extra in measurement and weighing. He (the Imam) said, ‘If it is not excessive, it is not harmful.’” 

3- مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنِ الْعَلاءِ بْنِ رَزِينٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قُلْتُ لَهُ إِنِّي أَمُرُّ عَلَى الرَّجُلِ فَيَعْرِضُ عَلَيَّ الطَّعَامَ فَيَقُولُ قَدْ أَصَبْتُ طَعَاماً مِنْ حَاجَتِكَ فَأَقُولُ لَهُ أَخْرِجْهُ أُرْبِحْكَ فِي الْكُرِّ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَإِذَا أَخْرَجَهُ نَظَرْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَإِنْ كَانَ مِنْ حَاجَتِي أَخَذْتُهُ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ مِنْ حَاجَتِي تَرَكْتُهُ قَالَ هَذِهِ الْمُرَاوَضَةُ لا بَأْسَ بِهَا قُلْتُ فَأَقُولُ لَهُ اعْزِلْ مِنْهُ خَمْسِينَ كُرّاً أَوْ أَقَلَّ أَوْ أَكْثَرَ بِكَيْلِهِ فَيَزِيدُ وَيَنْقُصُ وَأَكْثَرُ ذَلِكَ مَا يَزِيدُ لِمَنْ هِيَ قَالَ هِيَ لَكَ ثُمَّ قَالَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) إِنِّي بَعَثْتُ مُعَتِّباً أَوْ سَلاماً فَابْتَاعَ لَنَا طَعَاماً فَزَادَ عَلَيْنَا بِدِينَارَيْنِ فَقُتْنَا بِهِ عِيَالَنَا بِمِكْيَالٍ قَدْ عَرَفْنَاهُ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ قَدْ عَرَفْتَ صَاحِبَهُ قَالَ نَعَمْ فَرَدَدْنَا عَلَيْهِ فَقُلْتُ رَحِمَكَ اللهُ تُفْتِينِي بِأَنَّ الزِّيَادَةَ لِي وَأَنْتَ تَرُدُّهَا قَدْ عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ كَانَ لَهُ قَالَ نَعَمْ إِنَّمَا ذَلِكَ غَلَطُ النَّاسِ لأنَّ الَّذِي ابْتَعْنَا بِهِ إِنَّمَا كَانَ ذَلِكَ بِثَمَانِيَةِ دَرَاهِمَ أَوْ تِسْعَةٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ وَلَكِنِّي أَعُدُّ عَلَيْهِ الْكَيْلَ.

3. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from Ali ibn al-Hakam from al-‘Ala’ ibn Razin who has said the following: “I once said to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), that I may pass by a man and he speaks to me about food and says, ‘You have found the kind of foodstuff that you need.’ I then ask him to show me and I will give such and such amount of profit for each kur, but when he shows it to me, I look at it and if I need I take it, if not I leave it. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is bargaining and it is not harmful.’ I then said that I then ask him to keep aside for me fifty kur or less or more according to his measurement then it comes extra or less and mostly it is extra. To whom the extra belongs? He (the Imam) said, ‘It belongs to you.’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘I once sent Mu‘attib or Salam who bought food for us and it came extra for two dinars and our family used it by the measurement that we knew.’ I then asked, ‘Did you find out who the seller was?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘Yes, and we returned the extra to him.’ I then said, ‘May Allah be kind to you. In my case your fatwa is that the extra belongs to me and yourself return it to the seller because you knew that it belongs to him.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes; it is a mistake that people make because what we bought was for eight or nine dirham.’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘In our case we, however, measured it again.’” 

4- مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ عَنْ حَنَانٍ قَالَ كُنْتُ جَالِساً عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فَقَالَ لَهُ مُعَمَّرٌ الزَّيَّاتُ إِنَّإ؛(( نَشْتَرِي الزَّيْتَ فِي زِقَاقِهِ فَيُحْسَبُ لَنَا نُقْصَانٌ فِيهِ لِمَكَانِ الزِّقَاقِ فَقَالَ إِنْ كَانَ يَزِيدُ وَيَنْقُصُ فَلا بَأْسَ وَإِنْ كَانَ يَزِيدُ وَلا يَنْقُصُ فَلا تَقْرَبْهُ. 

4. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn ‘Isma’il from Hanan who has said the following: “Once I was sitting in the presence of abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), when Mu’ammar al-Zayyat said, ‘We buy oil in Ziqaq (a certain container), they compensate it for deficit because of Ziqaq. He (the Imam) said, ‘If it comes extra as well as in deficit, it is not harmful but if it comes extra and no deficit, then you must not go close to it.’” 

Al-Kāfi - Volume 5

Book 2, Chapter 76