Al-Adab Al-Mufrad
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 576
حَدَّثَنَا قَبِيصَةُ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا وَهْبُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ قَيْسٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هِنْدَ الْهَمْدَانِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي ظَبْيَانَ قَالَ: قَالَ لِي عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ: يَا أَبَا ظَبْيَانَ، كَمْ عَطَاؤُكَ؟ قُلْتُ: أَلْفَانِ وَخَمْسُمِئَةٍ، قَالَ لَهُ: يَا أَبَا ظَبْيَانَ، اتَّخِذْ مِنَ الْحَرْثِ وَالسَّابْيَاءِ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَلِيَكُمْ غِلْمَةُ قُرَيْشٍ، لاَ يُعَدُّ الْعَطَاءُ مَعَهُمْ مَالاً.
Qabisah related to us: Wahb ibn Isma‘il related to us, from Muhammad ibn Qays, from Abu Hind al-Hamdani, from Abu Zabyan, who said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said to me, “Abu Zabyan, how much is your stipend?” I replied, “Two thousand five hundred.” He said to him, “Abu Zabyan, acquire farmland and livestock before the Quraysh youths take authority over you, for under them a stipend is not considered wealth.”
Translation notes
The terms الحرث والسابياء refer to cultivation/agricultural land and livestock or breeding stock; the exact nuance of السابِياء is uncertain.
The witness interprets the latter term as livestock that increases.
اتَّخِذْ مِنَ الْحَرْثِ وَالسَّابْيَاءِ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَلِيَكُمْ غِلْمَةُ قُرَيْشٍ،
السابياء is uncommon and its precise sense is not certain; the witness suggests increasing livestock.
Is “farmland and livestock” a sufficiently cautious rendering?