Excellence of Farming

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah (sw) was asked, ‘Which assets (belongings) are good?’ He (the Messenger of Allah) said, ‘A farm whose owner farms and maintains it, then pays the dues on it on the day of harvest.‘ He then asked, ‘What asset is better than farms?’ He (the Messenger of Allah) said, ‘A man tends sheep, takes them to pasture, performs Salat (prayer), pays Zakat.‘ He then asked, ‘What asset is better than sheep?’ He (the Messenger of Allah) said, ‘Cows go out safely and come back in the evening safely.‘ He then asked, ‘What asset is better than cows?’ He (the Messenger of Allah) said, ‘Firmly established palm trees reach moisture, the grafted ones produce sweet. How good is palm tree! One who sells them must notice that its price is like dust on a high place in a stormy windy day unless one replaces it.’ It was asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what kind of asset is better after palm trees?’ He (the Messenger of Allah) remained calm for a while. A man then stood up and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what about camel?‘ He (the Messenger of Allah) said, ‘In it there are misfortune, injustice, fatigue and farness from home. In the morning it is a loss and in the evening it is a loss. Its benefit comes only from its unfortunate side. It always is with the wicked sinful ones.’” It is narrated from abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.), that farming is the great alchemy.