Sahih al-Bukhari
Sahih al-Bukhari 2070
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، عَنْ يُونُسَ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي عُرْوَةُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ قَالَتْ لَمَّا اسْتُخْلِفَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ قَالَ لَقَدْ عَلِمَ قَوْمِي أَنَّ حِرْفَتِي لَمْ تَكُنْ تَعْجِزُ عَنْ مَئُونَةِ أَهْلِي، وَشُغِلْتُ بِأَمْرِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، فَسَيَأْكُلُ آلُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ مِنْ هَذَا الْمَالِ وَيَحْتَرِفُ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ فِيهِ.
Ismail ibn Abd Allah said: Ibn Wahb told me, from Yunus, from Ibn Shihab, who said: Urwa ibn al-Zubayr told me that Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: When Abu Bakr al-Siddiq was appointed caliph, he said, “My people know that my trade was able to cover my family expenses. Now I am occupied with the affairs of the Muslims, so the household of Abu Bakr will eat from this wealth, and I will work for the Muslims in connection with it.”
Translation notes
The final verb يحتَرِف conveys taking up work or a livelihood; its precise relation to the public wealth is left open in the source wording.
وَيَحْتَرِفُ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ فِيهِ
The wording links Abu Bakr taking up work for the Muslims with this wealth, without specifying the exact administrative arrangement.
What precise sense of work or livelihood is intended here?