Relationship between sufficiency (kafāf) and increase in someone's means of subsistence (tawsi'ah) in Islamic traditions

Ahmad Ali Yousofi

Islamic expense model requires the allowance of the individuals in profiting by their incomes to the extent of sufficiency and to spend money for their dependents this way. In the traditions, the expense that exceeds the extent of sufficiency is considered as an instance of extravagance (isrāf) and thus is prohibited. Government is bound to draw up a program that may pave the way for the gaining of income and living on it (expenditure) to the extent of sufficiency for all individuals. However, certain Muslim thinkers by relying upon certain traditions claim that an increase in someone's means of subsistence (tawsi'ah) is indeed the desired limit of expense in Islam, and that expenditure to the extent of this increase is not considered as isrāf. Therefore, it is desired that all individuals would make preparations for their dependents to the level of increase in their means of subsistence. The government is also bound to program for all individuals to this extent of income and expense.

This study, carried out in the library method and through text analysis of Islamic sources with explaining the concept of sufficiency and increase in someone's means of subsistence, proves that what is meant in the traditions and other religious teachings by the phrase 'increase in someone's means of subsistence', is the same limit of sufficiency (kafāf).

Keywords: sufficiency (kafāf), increase in someone's means of subsistence (tawsi'ah), expense model, extravagance (isrāf)

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Reliability or unreliability of the traditions transmitted by the proxies of the Infallibles (a.s)

Ali Akbar Kalantari¹

Some of the traditions were narrated by individuals who had permission from the Infallibles in certain fields to act as proxy for them. Yet this proxy neither entails the approval of their trustworthiness by the Infallibles nor the reliability of their narrations. On the other hand, the things that can be considered as evidences for unreliability of these traditions are questionable. By contemplating the different expressions stated by the Imams about these hadith transmitters and considering their status and position it becomes proved, however, that the narrations of a group of them are reliable, while those of the others are not so.

Keywords: proxies of the Imams (a.s), justice of the proxies, reliability of the traditions.