The questioner asked...
The questioner asked: ‘How many sources of livelihood are there for the servants through which they earn or deal with one another, and what are the forms of expenditure?’ فَقَالَ جَمِيعُ الْمَعَايِشِ كُلِّهَا مِنْ وُجُوهِ الْمُعَامَلَاتِ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُمْ مِمَّا يَكُونُ لَهُمْ فِيهِ الْمَكَاسِبُ أَرْبَعُ جِهَاتٍ مِنَ الْمُعَامَلَاتِ The Imam -asws answered: ‘All livelihoods, in all their forms, arise from transactions among (people) through which they gain their earnings, and these transactions are of four categories .’ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَ كُلُّ هَؤُلَاءِ الْأَرْبَعَةِ أَجْنَاسٍ حَلَالٌ أَوْ كُلُّهَا حَرَامٌ أَوْ بَعْضُهَا حَلَالٌ وَ بَعْضُهَا حَرَامٌ The questioner said to him -asws , ‘Are all these four categories lawful, or are all of these unlawful, or are some of these lawful and some of these unlawful?’ فَقَالَ قَدْ يَكُونُ فِي هَؤُلَاءِ الْأَجْنَاسِ الْأَرْبَعَةِ حَلَالٌ مِنْ جِهَةٍ حَرَامٌ مِنْ جِهَةٍ وَ هَذِهِ الْأَجْنَاسُ مُسَمَّيَاتٌ مَعْرُوفَاتُ الْجِهَاتِ The Imam -asws replied: ‘These four categories may be lawful from an aspect, and unlawful from an aspect, and these categories have been specified and are known.
فَأَوَّلُ هَذِهِ الْجِهَاتِ الْأَرْبَعَةِ الْوِلَايَةُ وَ التَّوْلِيَةُ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ فَأَوَّلُ الْوِلَايَةِ وِلَايَةُ الْوُلَاةِ وَ وُلَاةِ الْوُلَاةِ إِلَى أَدْنَاهُمْ بَاباً مِنْ أَبْوَابِ الْوِلَايَةِ عَلَى مَنْ هُوَ وَالٍ عَلَيْهِ ‘As for the first of these four aspects, it is authority and the assignment of authority of some over others.
The foremost form of authority is the authority of the governors and the governors (appointing) further governors down to the lowest level, which is one of the doors of authority over those under their governance.
ثُمَّ التِّجَارَةُ فِي جَمِيعِ الْبَيْعِ وَ الشِّرَاءِ بَعْضُهُمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ ثُمَّ الصِّنَاعَاتُ فِي جَمِيعِ صُنُوفِهَا ثُمَّ الْإِجَارَاتُ فِي كُلِّ مَا يُحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الْإِجَارَاتِ ‘Then the trading in entirety of the buying and selling to each other; then the crafts (skill-based) in entirety of the manufacturing; then the employment in all that is needed from the employments (hired services and administration).
وَ كُلُّ هَذِهِ الصُّنُوفِ تَكُونُ حَلَالًا مِنْ جِهَةٍ وَ حَرَاماً مِنْ جِهَةٍ وَ الْفَرْضُ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَلَى الْعِبَادِ فِي هَذِهِ الْمُعَامَلَاتِ الدُّخُولُ فِي جِهَاتِ الْحَلَالِ مِنْهَا وَ الْعَمَلُ بِذَلِكَ الْحَلَالِ وَ اجْتِنَابُ جِهَاتِ الْحَرَامِ ‘And all these types would be lawful from one aspect and unlawful from another aspect.
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