Sustenance
66 sayings · page 2 of 2
Obtaining wealth through illegal means cuts off one's sustenance
Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, no. 372; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 927 link
Worship consists of ten parts of which nine are to do with earning a lawful livelihood.
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 103, p. 9, no. 37; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 928 link
He who works hard to provide his family with a lawful livelihood is as one who fights in the way of Allah (jihad).
Bihar al-Anwar, p. 13, no. 59; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 928 link
Seeking a lawful livelihood is incumbent upon every Muslim man and woman
Jami`a al-Akhbar, p. 389,no. 1079; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 928 link
He whose daily bread is earned through his own toil and labour will pass across the Sirat [Sirat: the Bridge extended over Hell, described as being as thin as a hair and as sharp as a sword, leading to Paradise (ed.)] as fast as a flash of lightning
Jami`a al-Akhbar, p. 390, no. 1085; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 928 link
Cursed! Cursed is the one who brings deprivation to his dependents.
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 103, p. 13, no. 62; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 928 link
Happy is the man who has a good house, a good neighbor and a tame horse.
Nahj al Fasahah; Tradition No. 856; Page No. 121 link
Expecting betterment (in life) from God is servitude to Him, and God will be pleased with the little servitude of the one who is pleased with his little sustenance.
Nahj al Fasahah; Tradition No. 578; Page No. 84 link
Make use of some of the [commodities of this] world to help you in the next world, for I have heard Abu `Aabdallah (AS) [i.e. Imam al-Sadiq] say, 'Make use of some of this [abode] for that one, but do not be a burden on other people (narrated by Mufazzal b. `Aumar)
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 78, p. 381, no. 1; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 929 link
Leave people on their own,(for) God bestows sustenance on some through others.
Nahj al Fasahah; Tradition No. 1177; Page No. 169 link
Leaving a receiver of daily bread on his/her own suffices to make the provider sinful.
Nahj al Fasahah; Tradition No. 1180; Page No. 169 link
Imam Amir-ul-Mu'mineen Ali [a] said
No one has the power to withhold or bestow sustenance except the All-Sustainer
Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 10838; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 921 link
Imam Amir-ul-Mu'mineen Ali [a] said
He apportions sustenance, abundantly and sparingly, and He distributes them to those in need as well as to those who prosper, and He is Just in His allotment in order that he may test whomever He wishes with prosperity or with hardship, and that He may test therewith the gratefulness and perseverance expressed by both rich and poor
Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 91; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 921 link
Do not preoccupy yourself away from the duties incumbent upon you in your bid to secure that which is guaranteed to you, for indeed neither will you miss out on that which has been apportioned for you, nor will you attain that which has been placed beyond your reach
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 77, p. 187, no. 10; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 921 link
Imam Amir-ul-Mu'mineen Ali [a] said
This is a crow and this is an eagle, this one a dove and this one an ostrich He has given each bird an individual name and has guaranteed each one its sustenance
Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 185; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 921 link
Imam Amir-ul-Mu'mineen Ali [a] said
His creatures are His dependants, for whom He has guaranteed the means of subsistence, and apportioned provisions.
Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 91; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 922 link
Imam Amir-ul-Mu'mineen Ali [a] said
Go out and seek your livelihood for it is guaranteed to the one who goes in search of it.
Kitab al-Irshad, v. 1, p. 303; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 922 link
Do not let [preoccupation with] a sustenance that is guaranteed avert you from an act that is incumbent
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 78, p. 374, no. 22; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 922 link
Sustenance cannot be pulled by the greed of an avaricious person nor repelled by the repugnance of a hostile person
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 77, p. 68, no. 7; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 922 link
Imam Amir-ul-Mu'mineen Ali [a] said
Know that even if a servant was devoid of shrewdness and was feeble in his schemes, it would not reduce the amount of sustenance that Allah has apportioned for him, and even if a servant were to be skilfully shrewd and crafty, it would not do anything to increase the sustenance that Allah has apportioned for him
Amali al-Mufid, p. 207, no. 39; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 922 link
Since sustenance is duly allotted, what is the use of greed?!
Amali al-Saduq, p. 16, no. 5; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 922 link
Verily Allah, most High, has abundantly distributed sustenance even to the idiots, so that intelligent men may take a lesson from this and know that the wealth of this world cannot be obtained by work or cunning.
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 103, p. 34, no. 63; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 923 link
Verily the archangel Gabriel blew into my mind that no soul shall pass away before the depletion of his sustenance in this world, so be wary of your duty to Allah and seek your livelihood through decent means, and let not a delay in your provision cause any of you to seek it through unlawful means, for verily what is with Allah is only acquired through His obedience
al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 74, no. 2; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 923 link
Imam Amir-ul-Mu'mineen Ali [a] said
Take from [the wealth of] this world that which comes to you, and avoid that which evades you, and if you cannot do this, then at least seek your livelihood through decent means
Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 393; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 923 link
Your quest to secure your means of subsistence should be such that it is neither like the earning of a wasteful squanderer, nor like the greedy man who loves and depends on this world. Rather, you must raise yourself from the level of weakness and incapacity, and bring yourself down [from the level of greed] to the level of an equitable and virtuous man, and seek your earning the way a believer should.
Bihar al-Anwar, v. 103, p. 33, no. 63; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 923 link
Imam Amir-ul-Mu'mineen Ali [a] said
Every living thing has been given its own provision
Amali al-Saduq, p. 264, no. 9; Mizan ul Hikmah, page No. 921 link
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