Is the Hadith “Nine-Tenths of Provision Is in Trade” Authentic?
Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch
Question
Is the hadith “9/10 of provision lies in trade” authentic? If so, should I prioritize business over other professions like law, medicine, or teaching to be closer to Allah?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
The hadith in question is as follows:
“Nine-tenths of provision is in trade, and one-tenth is in cattle.” [Sunan Sa‘id Ibn Mansur]
The authenticity of this hadith has been questioned by the scholars. Hafiz Iraqi (Allah have mercy on him) said that this Hadith is mursal (ascribed to the Prophet despite a gap in the chain) and its narrators are trustworthy. [Munawi, Fayd al-Qadir]
That said, in the pre-modern world, trade included products and services, just as it does today. Being a doctor or nurse is essentially a service.
Any permissible job can be a means for one to draw nearer to Allah. One should select their career based on the following criteria:
- Is it permissible?
- Is it beneficial to others?
- Will it allow me to fulfill the requirements of my religion?
Aside from these criteria, one can then look to worldly criteria such as salary, upward progress, etc…
Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Yusuf Weltch teaches Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom Seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences.
He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he studied for three years in Dar al-Mustafa under some of the most outstanding scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib.
In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Quran and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Quranic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.
