al-Hath ala al-Tijara - min al-Jami li al-Khallal
- Author died
- 311 AH
- Editions
- t al-Awadi · ta al-Haddad
Al-Ḥathth ‘alā al-Tijārah (The Encouragement of Trade), bearing the full title Kitāb al-Ḥathth ‘alā al-Tijārah wa-al-Ṣinā‘ah wa-al-‘Amal wa-al-Inkār ‘alā Man Yadda‘ī al-Tawakkul fī Tark al-‘Amal wa-al-Ḥujjah ‘alayhim fī Dhālik (The Encouragement of Commerce, Industry, and Labor, and the Denunciation and Refutation of Those Who Claim Reliance on God to Abandon Work), is a treatise on lawful earning and labor compiled by the Hanbali scholar Abu Bakr al-Khallal (234–311 AH / 848–923 CE) from the legal responsa (masāʾil) of Ahmad ibn Hanbal and early Islamic traditions .
Background and Purpose
The work originally formed a distinct section within al-Khallal's encyclopedic compilation of Hanbali jurisprudence, al-Jāmiʿ li-ʿUlūm al-Imām Aḥmad . Al-Khallal assembled the material to refute ascetics, worshippers, and early Sufis who withdrew from productive work under the guise of total reliance on God (tawakkul), thereby turning to begging and becoming dependent on others . The treatise sets out to demonstrate that seeking lawful sustenance through trade, crafts, and physical labor conforms to prophetic guidance, the practice of the Prophets, and the conduct of the early generations (al-salaf) .
Structure and Content
The work compiles prophetic traditions, narrations from the Companions and Successors, and direct rulings and anecdotes transmitted from Ahmad ibn Hanbal through his disciples, including Abu Bakr al-Marrudhi, al-Fadl ibn Ziyad, Abd al-Malik al-Maymuni, and Harb ibn Isma'il al-Kirmani .
The text addresses several recurring themes:
- The obligation and merit of work: It cites narrations encouraging people to frequent markets and engage in commerce to maintain independence from others and support family and relatives . It highlights reports where Ahmad ibn Hanbal commended manual labor and was observed repairing domestic quarters with his own hands for rental .
- Refutation of false reliance: It records statements by figures such as Sufyan al-Thawri, Ibrahim ibn Adham, and al-Fudayl ibn Iyad criticizing those who sit idly in mosques without earning . Al-Fudayl noted that prophets and early caliphs hired out their labor rather than sitting idle waiting for sustenance without pursuing means .
- Praise of financial independence: It adduces reports from Successors such as Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab and Mujahid ibn Jabr asserting that acquiring lawful wealth preserves personal honor, settles debts, and protects religious integrity .
Transmission and Editions
The treatise was preserved and transmitted through al-Khallal's leading student Ghulam al-Khallal (Abu Bakr Abd al-Aziz ibn Ja'far), with later transmission chains passing through scholars such as the Hanbali jurist Ibn Qudamah in Damascus . A manuscript copy of the work is preserved in Dar al-Kutub in Cairo .
Modern critical editions include:
- An edition edited by Abu Abd Allah Muhammad al-Haddad, published in Riyadh in 1407 AH / 1987 CE .
- An edition edited by Fawwaz Muhammad al-Awadi, published in 1443 AH / 2022 CE .
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