Seadet-i Ebediyye - Endless Bliss Fifth Fascicle

28 – KESB AND TIJÂRAT
(EARNING AND TRADE)
in
ISLAM
The following treatise has been translated from the book
‘Riyâd-un-nâsikhîn’:
‘Kesb’ means ‘to earn property by way of halâl.’ Acceptability
of all acts of worship is (primarily) dependent on food that is
(earned and consumed in a way that Islam ratifies and which
therefore is termed) halâl. Ahmad bin Abdullah Isfahânî
‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih’, (336 [948 A.D.] – 430 [1039],) a scholar
in the Islamic science Hadîth, states as follows in his book entitled
Hilya-t-ul-Awliyâ: “As is stated by a majority of our superiors, acts
of worship consist of ten divisions, nine of which are based on
earning by way of halâl. All those acts of worship that we know
make up the remaining one division.” Then, Muslims should try to
earn by way of halâl. They should avoid harâms and doubtful
things. Abû Hurayra ‘radiy-Allâhu ’anh’ quotes from Rasûlullah
‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’: “Allâhu ta’âlâ is beautiful. He likes
only those acts of worship that are performed beautifully. What
He commanded His Prophets He commanded Believers as well,
and declared: O My Prophets! Eat food that is halâl and perform
sâlih (pious) and good deeds! He commanded Believers, too, and
said: O ye who believe! Of the sustenance I have given you eat the
ones that are halâl!” Rasûl ‘alaihis-salâm’ is quoted to have
continued his hadîth-i-sherîf as follows: “Someone coming from a
long way away, his appearance dishevelled, his clothes shabby, and
his face covered with dust and dirt all over, is praying with his
hands held towards the firmament, and entreating: ‘Yâ Rabbî (O
my Allah)!’ However, what he eats is harâm, what he drinks is
harâm, and all his nourishment is harâm. How could his prayers
ever be accepted?” As is seen, the blessed Messenger stated that
invocations of a person who eats food that is harâm will not be
accepted. Therefore, a person who is not adequately
knowledgeable about halâls, harâms, doubtful things, and
concepts such as interest and usury, and who therefore is unable to
differentiate between them, will fail to avoid the harâms, and
consequently, the acts of worship he has performed will gain him
naught.
The highest way of kesb (earning) is jihâd carried on with
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