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 أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ جَمِيلِ بْنِ دَرَّاجٍ عَنِ الْفُضَيْلِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) عَنِ الذِّرَاعَيْنِ مِنَ الْمَرْأَةِ أَهُمَا مِنَ الزِّينَةِ الَّتِي قَالَ اللهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ قَالَ نَعَمْ وَمَا دُونَ الْخِمَارِ مِنَ الزِّينَةِ وَمَا دُونَ السِّوَارَيْنِ.

1. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from ibn Mahbub from Jamil ibn Darraj from Fudayl ibn Yasar who has said the following: “This is concerning my question before Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.), about the arms of women if they are of beautification about which Allah, most Blessed and most High, has said: "They must not expose their beauty except for their husband." (24:31) He (the Imam) replied, ’Yes, whatever must be covered with the scarf is of their beauty and whatever is above their bracelet is of their beauty.’” 

2- مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ مَرْوَكِ بْنِ عُبَيْدٍ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قُلْتُ لَهُ مَا يَحِلُّ لِلرَّجُلِ أَنْ يَرَى مِنَ الْمَرْأَةِ إِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ مَحْرَماً قَالَ الْوَجْهُ وَالْكَفَّانِ وَالْقَدَمَانِ.

2. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Marwak ibn ‘Ubayd from certain persons of our people who has said the following: “I once asked abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), about how much of the body of a woman who is not of one’s relatives one can look at. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is her face, both hands (from wrist down) and both feet (from the ankles down).”’ 

3- أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ وَالْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ بُكَيْرٍ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فِي قَوْلِ اللهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى إِلا ما ظَهَرَ مِنْها قَالَ الزِّينَةُ الظَّاهِرَةُ الْكُحْلُ وَالْخَاتَمُ.

3. Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa has narrated from Muhammad ibn Khalid and al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from al-Qasim ibn al-‘Urwah from ‘Abd Allah ibn Bukayr from Zurarah who has said the following: “About the words of Allah, most Blessed, most High, ’. . . except what is exposed,’ abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), said, ‘The exposed beauty is kohl and rings.’” 

4- الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ عَنْ سَعْدَانَ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللهِ تَعَالَى وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلا ما ظَهَرَ مِنْها قَالَ الْخَاتَمُ وَالْمَسَكَةُ وَهِيَ الْقُلْبُ.

4. Al-Husayn from Muhammad has narrated from Ahmad ibn Ishaq from Sa‘dan ibn Muslim from abu Basir who has said the following: “I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the words of Allah, most High, ‘. . . they must not show off their beauty except for what is exposed.’ (24:32) He (the Imam) said, ‘It is the items like ring, anklet and bracelet.’” 

5- مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ سَيْفِ بْنِ عَمِيرَةَ عَنْ سَعْدٍ الإسْكَافِ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ اسْتَقْبَلَ شَابٌّ مِنَ الأنْصَارِ امْرَأَةً بِالْمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَ النِّسَاءُ يَتَقَنَّعْنَ خَلْفَ آذَانِهِنَّ فَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا وَهِيَ مُقْبِلَةٌ فَلَمَّا جَازَتْ نَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا وَدَخَلَ فِي زُقَاقٍ قَدْ سَمَّاهُ بِبَنِي فُلانٍ فَجَعَلَ يَنْظُرُ خَلْفَهَا وَاعْتَرَضَ وَجْهَهُ عَظْمٌ فِي الْحَائِطِ أَوْ زُجَاجَةٌ فَشَقَّ وَجْهَهُ فَلَمَّا مَضَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ نَظَرَ فَإِذَا الدِّمَاءُ تَسِيلُ عَلَى صَدْرِهِ وَثَوْبِهِ فَقَالَ وَاللهِ لآتِيَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) وَلأخْبِرَنَّهُ قَالَ فَأَتَاهُ فَلَمَّا رَآهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) قَالَ لَهُ مَا هَذَا فَأَخْبَرَهُ فَهَبَطَ جَبْرَئِيلُ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) بِهَذِهِ الآيَةِ قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصارِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا فُرُوجَهُمْ ذلِكَ أَزْكى‏ لَهُمْ إِنَّ اللهَ خَبِيرٌ بِما يَصْنَعُونَ. 

5. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Sayf ibn ‘Amirah from Sa‘d al-Iskaf who has said the following: “Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘Once a young man from al-Ansar (people of al-Madinah) came face to face with a woman in al-Madinah. Women would wear their scarf behind their ears. He looked at her when she was coming, and when she passed by he kept looking, and she entered in an alley that he called alley of so and so people. He kept looking behind her until his face hit a piece of bone or glass in the wall which caused a deep cut on his face. When the woman went away he found blood flowing on his chest and clothes and he said, ‘By Allah, I will go and tell it to the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause.’ He (the Imam) said that he went to him (the Messenger of Allah) and when he (the Messenger of Allah) saw him, he (the Messenger of Allah) asked, ‘What has happened to you?’ He inform him (the Messenger of Allah) and Jibril came with this verse, ‘Tell the believers to cast down their eyes and protect their genital organs (against indecent acts), it is more clean for them; Allah is well aware of what they do.’” (24:31) 

Al-Kāfi - Volume 5

Book 3, Chapter 160