Islah al-Mal
- Author died
- 281 AH
- Editions
- Mu'assasat al-Kutub al-Thaqafiyyah
Islah al-Mal (The Proper Management of Wealth) is a ninth-century treatise on lawful livelihood, financial management, and wealth preservation compiled by the Baghdad-based hadith scholar Ibn Abi al-Dunya (208–281 AH / 823–894 CE) .
Subject Matter and Scope
The book addresses the ethical and practical dimensions of wealth in Islam, offering a counterpoint to extreme renunciatory attitudes by emphasizing that financial self-sufficiency and the proper cultivation of lawful resources are religious virtues . Its central themes include:
- Earning a Lawful Living and Financial Prudence: Encouraging active engagement in lawful occupations, trade, and economic enterprise while cautioning against indolence, begging, and dependence on handouts .
- Wealth Preservation and Stewardship: Presenting the maintenance and growth of capital (istislah al-mal) as a protective barrier against debt, moral humiliation, and reliance on others . It incorporates prohibitions against wastefulness (israf) and squandering resources (ida'at al-mal) .
- Wealth as a Pillar of Virtue and Chivalry: Exploring early definitions of muru'ah (virtuous manhood/chivalry), linking it directly to religious understanding, family maintenance, and the sound management of material means .
- Sectors of Economic Activity: Detailing various avenues of lawful livelihood, including commerce, agriculture, land cultivation (al-harth), and maintaining livestock such as sheep, cattle, and camels .
Structure and Method
Islah al-Mal is structured according to the traditional hadith-compilation method characteristic of Ibn Abi al-Dunya's thematic works . The text contains thematic chapters, including sections dedicated to wealth management (Bab Islah al-Mal) and estates and agriculture (Bab al-Diya') .
Within each chapter, the author arranges material under full chains of transmission (isnads), transmitting prophetic traditions, reports from the Companions—such as Umar ibn al-Khattab, Salman al-Farsi, and Abdullah ibn Abbas—and statements from Successors and later figures, including Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, Sufyan al-Thawri, and Fudayl ibn Iyad . The author also incorporates maxims of early governors and caliphs such as Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan and Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, alongside poetic verses and historical anecdotes illustrating economic ethics .
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