Trade and the desire for it

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that when the final illness of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) drew near, he said: "Look into my wealth to see how much it has increased since I entered the caliphate, and send that to the caliph after me, for I used to consider it lawful, and I obtained from fat (al-wadak) about as much as I earned from trade." Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: When he died and we looked, there was a Nubian slave who was carrying his children, and a camel on which water used to be drawn. Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: We sent all of this to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: My agent told me that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wept and said: "May Allah have mercy on Abu Bakr! He has put those who come after him to severe hardship."

Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Were it not for this buying and selling, you would become a burden on people."

Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was the greatest trader of Quraysh."

Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I used to engage in trade before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent, I intended to combine trade and worship, but that did not work for me, so I gave up trade and devoted myself to worship."

Ibn Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I was informed that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was a great trader of Quraysh."

Abu Wa'il said: "One dirham obtained from trade is dearer to me than ten dirhams of my stipend."

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever gathers the lawful things of this world to keep himself from begging, to provide for his family and to show kindness and gentleness to his neighbor, that person will meet Allah with his face shining like the moon on the fourteenth night. And whoever gathers lawful wealth with the intention of accumulating it and showing off, that person will meet Allah while Allah is displeased with him."

Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Three journeys have been prescribed for you: for Hajj and Umrah, and for jihad in the path of Allah; and a man trading in one of these ways. Seeking the bounty of Allah with my wealth is dearer to me than dying on my bed, and if I were to say that it is martyrdom, I would indeed consider it martyrdom."

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Amr (may Allah be pleased with him): "O Amr! Put on your clothes, gird on your weapons and come to me." Sayyiduna Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I put on my clothes and girded on my weapons, then I came to him and found him performing ablution. He looked me over thoroughly from top to bottom, then lowered his gaze, then said: "I want to send you to a place where Allah Almighty will grant you safety and also spoils of war, and I will give you some wealth from it as well." Sayyiduna Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! I did not accept Islam out of desire for wealth; I accepted Islam only for the sake of jihad and being with you." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Amr! How excellent is pure wealth for a righteous man."

Muhammad bin Wasi' al-Azdi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "This wealth is lawful only in four cases: if it is a share of the spoils of the Muslims, or from trade in lawful goods, or a gift that a Muslim brother gives willingly, or from one's share of inheritance as prescribed by Allah."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that a caravan carrying trade goods came to Madinah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) bought from it and some silver was left over as profit. He (peace and blessings be upon him) distributed it among the widows of Banu Abd al-Muttalib and said: "I do not buy anything whose price I do not have."

Ayyub said: "Abu Qilabah used to urge me to take up a profession and to seek a livelihood."

And Abu Qilabah said: "Wealth is part of well-being."

Mujahid, in the interpretation of the Qur'anic verse "Spend from the good things you have earned" [Al-Baqarah: 267], said that what is meant by it is trade.