Aḥmad bin Ḥafṣ on Earning Through Lawful Means

قَالَ: وَسَمِعْتُ مُحَمَّدَ بنَ خِدَاشٍ يَقُوْلُ: سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بنَ حَفْصٍ يَقُوْلُ: دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي الحَسَنِ يَعْنِي إِسْمَاعِيْل وَالِدِ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ عِنْدَ مَوْتِهِ، فَقَالَ: لَا أَعْلَمُ مِنْ مَالِي دِرْهَماً مِنْ حرَامٍ، وَلَا دِرْهَماً مِنْ شُبْهَةٍ، قَالَ أَحْمَدُ: فَتصَاغَرَتْ إِلَيَّ نَفْسِي عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ

Aḥmad bin Ḥafṣ (may Allāh have mercy upon him) relates about Ismā’īl’s death:

I visited Abī al-Ḥasan (Ismā’īl), the father of Abī ‘Abdullāh (al-Bukhārī), when he was dying, and he said: ‘I know of no dirham from my wealth that was earned through unlawful means, nor of any dirham (from my wealth) that was earned through dubious means.’ Aḥmad said: “When he said that, I thought very disparagingly about myself.”