The Importance of Work in Islam
(part 3)
Earn ones living
Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (A.S)was busy working in his garden, wearing working clothes with spade in hand, when one of his friends, Abu Umro Shaibani arrived. Seeing him drenched in perspiration because of the heat and labour, he thought there was need of a labourer, so the Imam (A.S)had opted to work himself.
He stepped forward and said, ‘Let me help you finish this work.’
The Imam (A.S)said, ‘No. I like working on the farm with my own hands. It is necessary for man to face the heat of the sun and feel the exhaustion of earning ones own living.’
Cause and Effect
Ali ibn e Abi Talib (A.S)left his home and, as usual, proceeded towards the jungle. He was familiar with the untrodden paths of the jungle. He was carrying something on his back. On the way, a passerby asked him, ‘Ali, what is that weight you are carrying on your back?’
‘Date-palms, Insha Allah!’ he replied.
‘Date-palms?’ He clearly did not understand what Ali (A.S)meant.
Some years later, he noticed an orchard of date-palms, stand tall and elegant where Ali (A.S)had planted the saplings he had nurtured with his own hands. His amazement, then at Ali’s (A.S)remark, vanished when he saw the full-grown trees with his own eyes.
Source: alhassanain.com
Other Links:
The most precious gift of Allah to mankind is the intellect (Part 4)
The Definition of a Greater Sin
Greater Sin from viewpoint of the traditions (Part 1)
