in this craft of mine; yet if I were to build a ship and take up commerce by sea, I could hope to amass capital—surely that is better than living off the blows of an adze.’
When he put this idea before his father, the old man said, ‘My son, do not do it. An astrologer told me on the day you were born that you would die by drowning.’
The son replied, ‘But did he not also tell you that I would come into wealth?’
‘Indeed he did,’ the father answered, ‘and that is precisely why I forbade you to trade and sought for you a line of work that would give you each day’s living as it came.’
The son said, ‘Well then, if his prediction includes my acquiring wealth, by Allah, the surest way to make real money is sea-trade.’
The father insisted, ‘My son, do not do it; I fear you will perish.’
The son argued, ‘Will I not then have money? If I live, I shall live well, and if I die, I shall leave my children provided for.’
The father replied, ‘My son, do not let your children be dearer to you than your own life.’
‘No, by Allah,’ the youth declared, ‘I will not abandon my resolve.’
So he built a ship—crafting it with great skill—loaded it with every kind of merchandise, and embarked. He was away from his family for a full year, and when the year was complete he returned with goods worth one hundred qintars of gold. His father praised Allah and spoke well of him, yet he disliked the fortune his son had gained. He said, ‘My son, I had vowed to Allah that if He brought you back safely I would burn your ship.’
‘Father,’ the son protested, ‘you are seeking my ruin and the destruction of my household!’
‘My son,’ the father replied, ‘my only aim was to preserve your life and safeguard your home. I know more about how matters turn out than you do. I see that Allah has opened wide His bounty for you; so turn now to work that earns the good pleasure of Allah Most High and give thanks to Him. You have attained lifelong wealth and, by Allah’s permission, you are secure from poverty. It was solely for the safety of your body that I bound myself with that vow—so do not grieve me, my son.’