Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 2148
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَاصِمٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي أَبِي، عَنِ الزُّبَيْرِ بْنِ عُبَيْدٍ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، قَالَ كُنْتُ أُجَهِّزُ إِلَى الشَّامِ وَإِلَى مِصْرَ فَجَهَّزْتُ إِلَى الْعِرَاقِ فَأَتَيْتُ عَائِشَةَ أُمَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَقُلْتُ لَهَا يَا أُمَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كُنْتُ أُجَهِّزُ إِلَى الشَّامِ فَجَهَّزْتُ إِلَى الْعِرَاقِ . فَقَالَتْ لاَ تَفْعَلْ مَالَكَ وَلِمَتْجَرِكَ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يَقُولُ " إِذَا سَبَّبَ اللَّهُ لأَحَدِكُمْ رِزْقًا مِنْ وَجْهٍ فَلاَ يَدَعْهُ حَتَّى يَتَغَيَّرَ لَهُ أَوْ يَتَنَكَّرَ لَهُ " .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Yahya narrated to us; Abu ʿAsim narrated to us; my father informed me, from al-Zubayr ibn ʿUbayd, from Nafiʿ, who said: I used to send goods to Syria and Egypt, then I sent goods to Iraq. I went to ʿAʾishah, Mother of the Believers, and said to her, ‘Mother of the Believers, I used to send goods to Syria, but now I have sent them to Iraq.’ She said, ‘Do not do that; keep to your wealth and your trade. I heard the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) say: “When Allah opens a means of provision for one of you, he should not abandon it until it changes for him or becomes unfamiliar to him.”’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
قَالَ كُنْتُ أُجَهِّزُ إِلَى الشَّامِ وَإِلَى مِصْرَ فَجَهَّزْتُ إِلَى الْعِرَاقِ فَأَتَيْتُ عَائِشَةَ أُمَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَقُلْتُ لَهَا يَا أُمَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كُنْتُ أُجَهِّزُ إِلَى الشَّامِ فَجَهَّزْتُ إِلَى الْعِرَاقِ .
أجهز إلى denotes preparing/sending goods or provisions to a destination; it is rendered as sending goods to Syria, Egypt, and Iraq.
Does ‘send goods to’ preserve the commercial activity implied by أجهز without specifying the cargo?
فَقَالَتْ لاَ تَفْعَلْ مَالَكَ وَلِمَتْجَرِكَ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يَقُولُ " إِذَا سَبَّبَ اللَّهُ لأَحَدِكُمْ رِزْقًا مِنْ وَجْهٍ فَلاَ يَدَعْهُ حَتَّى يَتَغَيَّرَ لَهُ أَوْ يَتَنَكَّرَ لَهُ " .
مالَكَ ولمتجرك is an elliptical encouragement regarding the man’s wealth and trade; the following saying advises not abandoning a means of provision until it changes or becomes unfamiliar.
Does ‘keep to your wealth and your trade’ preserve the brief advice without overinterpreting it as a guarantee of profit?
فَقَالَتْ لاَ تَفْعَلْ مَالَكَ وَلِمَتْجَرِكَ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يَقُولُ " إِذَا سَبَّبَ اللَّهُ لأَحَدِكُمْ رِزْقًا مِنْ وَجْهٍ فَلاَ يَدَعْهُ حَتَّى يَتَغَيَّرَ لَهُ أَوْ يَتَنَكَّرَ لَهُ " .
يتغير له أو يتنكر له means the means of provision changes for him or becomes unfamiliar; the precise threshold is not defined.
Does ‘until it changes for him or becomes unfamiliar to him’ preserve both alternatives without adding a condition?