mālan—that is, I enabled him to obtain it—while kasb refers to seeking provision and acquiring it through one’s own initiative and effort.

• aṭyab: the most virtuous in deed, the most blessed, and the most lawful to consume.

• bayʿ (sale): from the verb bāʿa–yabīʿu–bayʿan; the doer is bāʾiʿ, and the object is mabīʿ or mabīʿūʿ. The term covers the transfer of a tangible item and, like shirāʾ (purchase), is a contronym, so either contracting party may be called the “seller.” Ibn Qutaybah said: “The verb baʿtu may mean ‘I sold’ or ‘I bought,’ and sharaytu may likewise mean ‘I sold,’ but when the word bāʾiʿ is used without qualification, the mind instinctively thinks of the one offering the commodity.” Grammatically bayʿ is a verbal noun whose plural buyūʿ is allowed because of the variety of its forms. Linguistically it denotes unrestricted exchange; legally it is the exchange of wealth for wealth with mutual consent.

• mabrūr (upright): from barr–yaburru–barran. Al-bārr is the truthful, righteous person—the opposite of ʿāq (undutiful). Its plurals are abrār and bararah. A mabrūr sale is one untainted by any sin, such as lying, deception, or false swearing.

Ibn al-Qayyim said: “Birr (righteousness) is an all-embracing word for every form of goodness and the perfection required of the servant, while its opposite, ithm (sin), is an all-embracing word for every form of evil and reprehensible defect.”

Benefits derived from the hadith

1 – The hadith shows that Islam urges movement, work, and the pursuit of wholesome earnings. It is a religion and a polity: just as it commands the servant to fulfil Allah’s rights, it also commands him to seek provision and to traverse the earth in order to cultivate and develop it. Allah the Exalted says, “It is He who has made the earth manageable for you—so walk in its pathways and eat of His provision” (Q 67:15).

2 – It indicates that the best livelihood is what a man earns with his own hands. Al-Bukhārī records under 2072 that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “No one has ever eaten food better than what he eats from the work of his own hands.”