Kitāb al-Anwār wa'l-Marāqib: Discourse V · Ch. 28: The twenty-eighth chapter regarding commanding gentiles before the sabbath to complete work for us on the sabbath, including in this sending money or commodities or books in their hands to circulate on the sabbath, and similarly delivering tools to skilled workers such as garments to a tailor for weaving, or a ring to a jeweler for forging, or shoes to a shoemaker or a dress to a tailor, {543} and everything that is similar to this, and similarly participating and partnering with them, and dispatching money in their hands to sell and purchase on the sabbath, and including in this also renting homes and shops to them and similarly contracting bathhouses, and hand mills, and gardens and what is similar to them

واما إسلام الآلات الى الصناع مثل الثوب الى الحائك والخف الى الإسكاف وجميع ما أشبه ذلك فان الأمة بأسرها تفعل ذلك فعلا مرسلا واما الربانيون فانهم أطلقوه على جهة وحرموه على جهة وذلك انهم حرموا ان يدفع إنسان الى الخياط قميصا في يوم الجمعة على انه يأخذه في يوم الأحد فيكون قد أمره لا محالة بأن يخيطه في يوم السبت فاما ما طالت مدته فأجازوا دفعه فكأن غرضهم في ذلك أن لا يقصد الإنسان ان يعمل له عملا في السبت ولا يأمر بذلك فاما إن كان ذلك في الإمكان من غير ان يقصده فان ذلك مطلق وهذا خلاف ما أوجبوه في الشكوك.

However, delivering tools to a skilled laborer, such as fabrics to a weaver and shoes to a shoemaker and everything that is similar to this, for the entire nation completely does this as a fait accompli. As for the Rabbanites, they permitted this in one aspect and forbade it in another. And this is that they forbade a person to give a skirt to a tailor on Friday in order to pick it up on Sunday, for with such a command he necessarily tailors it on the Sabbath, however they permit giving it to him with more time. It is as if their desire in this is that a person not intend for work to be done on his behalf on the Sabbath, and not to command this, however if this occurs without his intention this is permitted, and this contradicts what they obligate regarding doubt.

فاما شركة المخالفين ومضاربتهم وإطلاق الأموال في أيديهم ليبيعوا في السبت ويشتروا فان أكثر الأمة يحرم ذلك لئلا يكون قد اكتسب في السبت وأكل ما اكتسب في السبت وأطلق ذلك الشاذ منهم وزعم ان سبيله سبيل ما تقدم ذكره مما يزرعونه ويحصدونه ويقطفونه في السبت فيجوز لنا شراؤه وأكله قال لهم خصماؤهم ان الذي قطفوه وحصدوه انما جاز لنا شراؤه وأكله لانه لم يكن لنا فيه أمر ولا كلفناهم ذلك ولا سألناهم فعله فاما اذا أمرناهم بذلك فإنا قد فعلنا ما لا يجوز وحرم علينا استعمال ما عملوه في السبت فنحن اذا شاركناهم وأطلقنا أموالنا في أيديهم وباعوا واشتروا في السبت فكأنا قد أمرناهم بذلك وقصدنا الاكتساب في السبت وأكل ما ربح فيها واستعماله وذلك حرام.

As for partnership with gentiles and participating with them and dispatching money in their hands to sell and purchase on the Sabbath, the majority of the nation forbids this lest a person profit and benefit from what was acquired on the Sabbath. And a deviant amongst them permits this and argues that its ruling is similar to what we mentioned previously regarding what they plant and harvest and pick on the Sabbath, and it is permitted for us to eat and purchase this. ُTheir adversaries say to them “what was picked and harvested is permitted for us to eat and purchase only because we had no involvement in it nor did we commission them with this, nor did we ask them to do this. However, if we ask them this it is as if we did something impermissible, and we are prohibited from using what they completed on the Sabbath. And if we partner with them and exchange our money in their hands and they purchase or sell on the Sabbath, it is as if we commanded them with this and intended to profit on the Sabbath and benefit and use what was profited on it, and this is forbidden.

فاما بعض أهل المذاهب وهو إسمعيل فزعم انه من كان له شريك مخالف وباع واشترى في يوم السبت فانه يجب ان ينظر كم ربح في سنته فيخرج منه من لك سبعة واحدا للسبوت ومن كل خمسين واحدا للأعياد وقد رأيت بعض أصحابنا من أهل النظر يميل الى هذا القول ويزعم انه أسد ما قيل في هذا المعنى.

As for one of the people of the opinions, Isma’il, argued that one who has a Gentile partner who sold and purchased on the Sabbath, he must see how much he profited during the year and remove one seventh of this for the Sabbath and one fiftieth for the holidays. And I already saw one of our companions from the “people of speculation” who sympathizes with this argument and argues that it is the most fitting of what has been discussed in this topic.

واما إجارة البيوت والدكاكين وقبالة الضياع والحمامات والأرحاء فان الأكثر يستعمله والأقل يحرمه لئلا يكون قد أخذ أجرة السبت والذي أراه أن التخلص من ذلك لا يكون الا بأن يكري الإنسان الدكان والبيت والحمام بالأجرة التي يواقف المستاجر من غير استثناء ولا توقيف بل تكون الأجرة أجرة صحيحة فاذا فرغ من ذلك وتقرر الأمر عليه نظر مقدار ما يجب للسبت من ذلك فتركه عليه فيكون لا يدخل الى ماله أجرة السبت وكأن هذا القول مقارب لقول إسمعيل في الشركة.

Regarding renting homes and shops and guaranteeing estates and bathhouses and handmills, the majority practice this and the minority forbid it lest it be that he receive a Sabbath wage. And I think what rids this [problem] is that a person rent the shop or house or bathhouse for a payment that the renter agrees with no exceptions or suspension but rather the payment is complete. And when he completes this and the deal is ratified he must investigate the amount that the Sabbath requires of this, and leave this, and thus none of his money will include Sabbath wages. And this teaching is similar to the teaching of Isma’il on partnership.

وجملة القول هو ان الله عز وجل أمرنا ان نسبت ونتعطل في السبت من الأعمال نحن وأولادنا وعبيدنا وبهائمنا فوقع الإسبات وإيجاب العطلة على الحيوان دون غيره ولم يدخل في ذلك سائر الأملاك لا من العقارات ولا من المال والأثاث ولم نجد في النص ولا في القياس ما يحرم منه الأمر للمخالفين الذين يعملون في السبت أن يعملوا لنا عملا في السبت غير ان الإجماع قد حرم ذلك ولم نرى أحدا من اليهود أن يأمر اليهودي لأحد من المخالفين أمرا ايضا أن يعمل له عملا في السبت وقد قلنا فيما تقدم لنا من الكلام في الإجماع ان كلما وجدناه في يد الأمة من التحريم والحظر فانه يجب التمسك به اذا لم يكن عليه طعن او يكون له ما يناقضه اذ كنا لا نأمن أن يكون ذلك صحيحا فمتى تخالفنا عنه كنا قد تخالفنا عن الحق وما كان في أيديهم من الإطلاق ثم وقع فيه الخلف كان الأخذ بالعروة (?) الوثقى أوجب وهذا جملة رأيي ومذهبي في كلما لم يخرج....

And the summary of the teaching is that God commanded us to rest on the Sabbath and to desist from working, us and our children and our slaves and our animals. And the obligation of resting and being idle on the Sabbath applies to the animals and not otherwise, and our other possessions do not enter this such as our immovable property or money or furniture. And we do not find in the Text, nor via analogy, what prohibits commanding Gentiles working on the Sabbath to complete for us something on the Sabbath except that Consensus has already prohibited this. And we do not see amongst any of the Jews one who orders a Gentile some command or to do work on his behalf. And we already argued previously in our discussion of Consensus that whenever we find something that has been prohibited and banned by the Nation, it must be adhered to if there is no challenge to it, or something that contradicts it, because we do not believe that this is correct, and when we contradict it we contradict the truth. And what is permitted in their hands, and subsequently is challenged, it is obligatory to grasp the most reliable support. And this is the sum of my view and teaching with everything that does not exit…

فاما.. ما أحل عليه السبت… فحرام الانتفاع به في السبت والعيد فقط لقول الكتاب (נחמיה יג:טז) והצרים ישבו בה מביאים דאג וכל מכר וג' ويقول (שם שם) ואריב את חרי יהודה וג' ويقول (שם שם) ומחללים את יום השבת فأعلم انه انما وبخهم بسبب إبدال السبت فعلمنا من ذلك ان كلما أبدل عليه السبت إما إسرائيلي وإما غيره بسبب إسرائيلي فحرام الانتفاع منه فاما إن أحل גוי لنفسه لم يحرم على الإسرائيلي الانتفاع منه بعد السبت واستدل بما قدمنا ذكره من أكل יהושע وبني إسرائيل من غلات الأمم التي زرعت في السبت وكذلك דניאל وأصحابه عليهم السلام وقوله في ذلك غير مشروح بل شبيه بالمغلق وذلك أن لو أن بعض المخالفين للدين قطف في يوم السبت شيئا من الثمار وغيرها ليجيبه الى يهودي بعد السبت من غير ان يكون اليهودي أمره بذلك ولا أراده منه لم يحرم على اليهودي أخذه واستعماله كما لا يحرم عليه استعمال ما قطف لغيره وانما جاز له ذلك لانه لم يأمر به ولم يكن له فيه سبب فكلما لم يأمر به ولم يطلبه فجائز له.

[As for… what desecrates the Sabbath…] it is prohibited to benefit from it on the Sabbath and holidays alone, according to Scripture’s words (Nehemia 13:16) “There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, who brought in fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem” and He says (Nehemia 13:17) “​​Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them: 'What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day?” And it is known that he reprimanded them only because of Sabbath desecration. And we learn from this that whenever the Sabbath is desecrated, whether by an Israelite or other because of an Isralite, it is forbidden to benefit from it. However, if a Gentile violates for his own sake, it is not forbidden on the Israelite to benefit from this after the Sabbath. And he seeks proof from what we mentioned previously regarding Joshua and the children of Israel eating from the produce of the nations that was worked on the Sabbath and similarly Daniel and his companions, peace upon him. And his argument with this is not intelligible but is rather confused and closed. And this is because if a Gentile picked some fruit or something else on the Sabbath to give it to a Jew after the Sabbath, without the Jew commanding him nor desiring this from him, it is not forbidden upon the Jew to take and use this as it is not forbidden for him to use what was picked for another. Rather, this is permitted for him because he did not command him and had no reason for this. And whenever he did not command or order him is permitted for him.