Ja'far Ibn 'Ali Al-Dimashqi on Community, Money, And Prudent Management in Trading and Spending: Four Excerpts from His Kitab Al-Isharat Ila Mahasin Al-Tijarat (Essay‪)‬

Introduction: The Author and His Work He is the Damascene Shaykh, father of al-Fadl, Ja'far son of 'Ali (al-Shaykh Abu al-Fadl Ja'far ibn 'Ali al-Dimashqi), and the work for which he is known is, as he entitled it, Kitab al-Isharat ila Mahasin al-Tijarat wa Mairifat Qimat Jayyid al-Acrad wa Radiyyiha wa Ghushush al-Mudallisin fiha, which can be rendered in English as The Book of the Indicator to the Virtues of Commerce and to Recognizing the Value of Good and Bad Merchandise and Discerning the Adulteration of Merchandise by Swindlers, or briefly as The Indicator to the Virtues of Commerce. (1)